Summary
As the upcoming DLC forMortal Kombat 1continues to seem to be its biggest appeal moving forward, more characters are set to be added to the game’s expanding roster. There is a lot of speculation regarding who will appear in the game’s future DLC, but one has a particularly strong connection to the series after the success of his last few appearances.Mortal Kombat 1may have completely overhauled the stories of several characters through its reimagined world under Liu Kang, but the fate of a certain ninja might still follow the same path as before.
There is still discussion about what form the DLC expansions beyond the first set of fighters will take, as it’s unknown what characters will appear in an apparent datamined story expansion like Aftermath or a second Kombat Pack. It’s unclear if these leaks will turn out to be true, butMK’s Noob Saibothas appeared in them the most of any original character. As one of the most popular adjacent to the series' typical core ninjas, Noob has managed to be prominent in most of his appearances despite also being one of the most mysterious of the entire cast.
Predictions Surrounding Noob Saibot’s Place in Mortal Kombat 1
MK1’s Story Expansion and Kombat Pack Leaks
Rumors based on outside information have surroundedMK1since before the game even launched, with both its base roster and first set of DLC characters having surfaced online before September of 2023 came around. Some of these reports areleaks ofMortal Kombat 1’s Kombat Pack 2, detailing characters not planned for release until next year potentially. Excluding guest characters, the most consistent presence in these leaks has been Noob Saibot, the dark wraith of the original Sub-Zero. Having appeared in mainline titles as a popular character that stands out as edgy even among his peers, it’s no surprise to many fans that Noob could be making it into the rebooted world ofMK1.
Noob Saibot’s Popularity Points to Story Relevance
Initially beginning as somewhat of a joke character, as evidenced by his name simply being composed of theMortal Kombatcreators' names spelled backward, Noob has seen a steady evolution into a beloved face of the franchise. IfMK1goes the Aftermath route and continues with its narrative,the original Sub-Zero Bi Han’s progressiondown a dark path could lead him to repeat the transformation of his previous iteration. Seeing the fall of Sub-Zero once again could be one of the most compelling routes a DLC might take in terms of storytelling, but there’s also a chance to incorporate the strongest elements of all of his previous appearances in terms of gameplay.
What Noob Saibot’s Mortal Kombat 1 Moveset Could Look Like
The Best of Noob’s Various Incarnations
MK11andMK9’s respective versions are likely to be the most influential, as they both emphasized his clone abilities through special moves like Shadow Tackle and Tele-Slam. Outside of his now-basic array of teleporting grabs and clone projectiles, however, looking to the past provides some more options. InMK4, Noob could wield a scythe, while in Armageddon he could use a hammer alongside his memorable Monkey-style martial arts. Therebooted Noob Saibot ofMK1could encourage an entirely new interpretation, potentially even utilizing a darker version of Sub-Zero’s ice powers, but taking inspiration from Noob’s older appearances could still bring a fresh twist.
Noob’s weapons inArmageddonandMK4varied up his gameplay, but Smoke served this purpose instead inDeception. Noob/Smoke consisted of both characters combined into a single slot, somewhat evokingMortal Kombat 1’s Kameo systemyears before its official inception. Whether he appears in a story expansion or a traditional character pack, Noob Saibot is sure to remain one of the most highly anticipated possible future DLC fighters for the foreseeable future.
