One of the most impressive facets of Mortal Kombat 1 is how it reshaped the destinies and overall motivation of many villains. Baraka wanted a home for him and those inflicted with the Tarkatan plague, while Reptile was a former slave who just wanted to be accepted. Even General Shao is somewhat sympathetic, wanting to overthrow Queen Sindel to genuinely protect Outworld.

This creates a slew of very intriguing endings in the story mode section of the game. To the point, some villains even come off tragic. Others, though, follow the game's "It's In Our Blood!" tagline, which reiterates -- no matter what -- many are just meant to cause death and destruction. To that effect, Reiko stands out, with his finale teasing he'll be unleashing a most powerful weapon in a Mortal Kombat 1 sequel, while giving himself agency like never before.

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Mortal Kombat 1 Has Reiko Taming Onaga

Mortal Kombat 1's ending has Liu Kang repelling the Titan Shang Tsung's invasion and imprisoning the fiends in his own timeline who harmed the Earthrealm alliance. General Shao, the de-powered Shang Tsung and Quan Chi are all thrown in jail, but Reiko's ending has him escaping with his boss, Shao. Both are trying to continue building a military resistance, intent on overthrowing Queen Mileena after Sindel's death.

However, they're struggling to find soldiers to assert that sense of rebellion. This leads to Shao asking Reiko to head to a mountain to unearth a "doomsday weapon." This is none other than Onaga, the Dragon King. The iconic Deception and Deadly Alliance villain isn't Shao's father as many thought. Instead, he's a literal monster that Shao's ancestors beat and imprisoned centuries prior. Shao was scared of taming him due to his ferocity and power, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Reiko's super-loyal after Shao plucked him as a kid and gave him a home and family in Outworld's army. Now, he's using his blood magic and warrior's skills to make Onaga subservient, the same way Daenerys used her dragons in Game of Thrones. Reiko doesn't even care if he'll die trying; he just wants to please his "father" and give the General the tools needed to retake Outworld, spit on Liu Kang's champions, and ensure Shao creates a new empire who won't be seen as weak, or bend the knee for Earth.

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Mortal Kombat 1's Sequel Could Upgrade Reiko

Now, Reiko's history has to be factored in to know where he could take this weapon and his overall future. In MK4, Reiko was designed to be a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow, swearing fealty to Quan Chi. Here, he's Shao's blind servant, willing to do anything to make his leader the Emperor. But Reiko could easily usurp Shao after realizing, if he can tame Onaga, he should be the leader. It'd be ironic, giving Shao a taste of the treachery he doled out when he betrayed Sindel.

It'd also fit Reiko's past, where MK4's ending had him sneaking into the Kahn's chambers, wearing Shao's armor and helmet. It was a troll by Ed Book and Co. to have fans running theories if Reiko was Shao. That said, Reiko evolved into being a Shao fanboy, as seen with his armor in the modern interpretation. In many speeches as well, he doesn't hold back on the General being a role model. But with power as this corruptive influence, it'd add nuance to Reiko by having him backstab his boss. It'd feel organic too, as he determines he should lead for the greater good. After all, Reiko's done all the dirty work to bring Onaga into the fold. Thus, it'd feel like proper karma.

This pushes Reiko past the old fate of wanting to be like Shao. With Onaga, he'd progress into a warrior who's way more powerful. It'd play on both having egos too, stoke Shao's jealousy and insecurities, and possibly even show Reiko he made a mistake believing in the General. This sort of approach can even continue MK's redemption angles as well, hinting Reiko could come around, atone like Rain, and bring Onaga to Outworld to steel up for future incursions. This would add depth to a one-dimensional Reiko rather than the predictable, drab arc of giving Shao a monster to use against Outworld and new invaders down the line.

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Mortal Kombat Can Give Reiko and Onaga New Purpose

This ending isn't just about Reiko, though. Onaga, in the old timeline, was the Dragon King who tried to shape order before being betrayed. The likes of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi then tried to resurrect him as a weapon, akin to what Reiko is doing. This time, Onaga would be much more incensed after being enslaved. Given that he has his army in waiting, he could easily play Reiko and Shao, turn on them and use his legion to start breaking the new world. It'd invert Onaga's old mantra, as he becomes an agent of chaos.

Onaga never liked being controlled, so it's easy to envision him wanting everyone, including Liu Kang, gone for messing with his fate. In the process, Reiko would have to undo his error, realizing he did the opposite of what he intended. He'd be all about liberation and protecting his home, only to see he's opened the floodgates for death and destruction. This would remix Shujinko as well, who was duped into unleashing the Dragon King.

Given Shujinko is training with the Shaolin monks, there's a road for both to cross paths and dissect how to fix the Onaga issue. This gives Reiko his own journey away from Shao. It's what the character was supposed to be, even in the MKX comics, but never got a chance to transform into in the game: his own man, for better or worse. Ultimately, this is the sort of narrative Reiko fans are all in on, as he's no longer secondary -- he's making dire choices that will indeed have lasting ramifications and finally position him as a main boss.

Mortal Kombat 1 (Standard Edition) is now available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.