The Third Mortal Kombat Tournament (MK3, 1995)
Earthrealm becomes the battlefield as Shao Kahn's invasion ignites a war between realms.
Mortal Kombat 3 (1995) moves the conflict to Earthrealm itself. Worn down by tournament defeats, and beaten by Liu Kang in Outworld in the previous game, Shao Kahn puts a 10,000-year-old plan into action: his Shadow Priests, led by Shang Tsung, revive his former queen Sindel on Earthrealm rather than in Outworld, giving Kahn a way across the boundary between the realms.
Quick Facts
- Release year
- 1995
- Reigning champion (incoming)
- Liu Kang
- Primary antagonist
- Shao Kahn
- Tournament setting
- Earthrealm (merged with Outworld)
- Developer
- Midway Games
Lore & Background
When Sindel is reborn on Earthrealm, Shao Kahn reaches across the dimensions to reclaim her, and Earthrealm slowly becomes part of Outworld, stripping billions of people of their souls. Raiden protects the souls of a few chosen warriors, but he cannot interfere himself: his status gives him no power in Outworld, and his protection covers only the soul, not the body. The survivors must fight off Kahn's extermination squads and drive him back. Liu Kang, as the man who beat Kahn in Outworld, becomes the squads' main target and joins Kung Lao to lead the rebellion. With Kahn's final defeat every human on Earthrealm is restored.
More in Tournament Arcs & Timelines
Elsewhere in Mortal Kombat
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced