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If there’s one thing that the Mortal Kombat games have been missing in the recent titles, that’s the focus on the different realms. The Mortal Kombat universe has different dimensions that, unfortunately enough, we can only explore in MK: Deception‘s Konquest mode from 21 years ago. These forgotten realms are still mentioned in the games and movies, and here’s a quick overview of every single one of them in the Mortal Kombat universe.
Quick Note! No, realms are not planets in the Mortal Kombat universe. Each realm is set in a different dimension, which may have different laws of physics or even alter the use of various types of magic to some extent.
Earthrealm
Earthrealm is basically the Earth we know and love, our blue planet. In the Mortal Kombat universe, however, a race of creatures known as Saurians lived on Earth before humans. Syzoth, better known as Reptile, is one of them. These people later travel to another location, thanks to the Elder Gods presenting a war, and then humans walk the Earth.
Mortals in the Mortal Kombat universe are somewhat identical to us in real life. However, a small group of Earthrealmers know magic, studied the realms, and even serve the God of Thunder, Raiden. As Earthrealm holds special power in the cosmos, Raiden is tasked with protecting it against evil.
Earthrealm’s resources and Outworld’s hunger for conquest have led to many battles and Mortal Kombat tournaments. Earthrealm loses 9 consecutive tournaments until The Great Kung Lao rises and defeats the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung.
The realm remains at peace until a new Shokan champion called Goro steps in for the Outworld and kills The Great Kung Lao in the tournament. Outworld’s dominance over the MK tournament goes on for another 9 consecutive victories, which leads to the events of the first Mortal Kombat game.
Edenia
If there were a better version of the Earthrealm, that would be Edenia. The realm was once filled with prosperity and beauty under the rule of King Jerrod, Queen Sindel, and their daughter Kitana. The pictures of Edenia are compared to the assumption of heaven. Unlike humans, the Edenian people live for thousands of years with the knowledge of magic and, in most cases, the ability to use different types of it.
As Edenia also holds sources of power, the Elder Gods have put the gods Argus and Delia to protect it. Delia, being the one who predicts the future, foresees the destruction of their world, and that’s just what happens when Outworld beats Edenia in 10 consecutive Mortal Kombat tournaments.
Outworld
Outworld is the most brutal of the 6 realms, with rulers who enjoy conquering the worlds, enslaving different creatures, and people who enjoy watching their Kahn behead someone in the arena. Mortal Kombat 1 tries to show how the Fire God Liu Kang would change the pace in Outworld, but brutality is in this realm’s nature.
The origin of Outworld begins with their first and probably the most powerful ruler of them all, the Dragon King Onaga. With his undead army, Onaga kept Outworld in one piece for hundreds of years. Conquest was never sidelined by the Dragon King, but the era of Aggressive Outworld began when his advisor and first in command, Shao Kahn, poisoned him.
This is where Outworld drowns deep at its darkest, with Shao Kahn seeking war with the other realms. First stop, Edenia. After beating Edenia in 10 consecutive victories in Mortal Kombat, Shao Kahn invades the peaceful realm, slaughters its people, and kills King Jerrod. He then claims Queen Sindel as his wife and adopts Kitana as his daughter.
Shao Kahn has tried for so long to take the Earthrealm as well, but each time, a champion rises and defeats the Outworld’s Emperor. After losing to Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat for the second time, Shao Kahn even tries invading Earthrealm by defying the Elder Gods’ order, but still, he remains unsuccessful.
Since Shao Kahn has merged so many lands and enslaved different types of creatures, Outworld houses different types of people. There are Outworlders who look just like humans but know magic and live longer, as usual. 4-handed Shokans, Tarkatans, Zaterrans, and even some humans like Kano live in Outworld.
Netherrealm
Netherrealm is hell, because simplicity is the best. You’ll only find fire, darkness, and demons in this realm, which is why Netherrealm is never an option to conquer and rule. In other words, bad people’s souls are brought here for eternal torture. But that doesn’t mean Netherrealm doesn’t have its natives.
There are demons like Ashrah and Quan Chi, and then there are people who are brought to this realm by death or imprisonment. Scorpion, AKA Hanzo Hasashi, is one good example of this. Netherrealm doesn’t have a history of participating in Mortal Kombat tournaments, but some of its people, like Quan Chi, do meddle with the plans.
Orderrealm – Seido
Orderrealm’s name defies its nature. The land of order, where people must follow the law or they’ll be punished or killed for making the simplest of mistakes. The people living on this land, as usual, live longer than humans and know magic. Their homes are made of weird-looking pyramids floating in the sky, with narrow roads connecting them.
The realm of Order, better known as Seido, does not allow for freedom as it’s believed that free will may lead to chaos. Orderrealm and Khaosrealm have a history of battles, but it’s never been mentioned that a Mortal Kombat tournament is held between the two.
Khaosrealm
Imagine a place where even the laws of physics are made of pure chaos. People worship chaos as a religion, and nothing seems to be working in a usual way in this realm. People of Khaosrealm might look like humans, have four hands, and be able to rip off their organs and still live. Havik is the only character featured in Mortal Kombat games that hails from the Khaosrealm. Oh, and they can speak backwards!
However, Khaosrealm was not always this wasteland of randomness. Kochal, the 3-headed God of Chaos, brought madness and chaos to this realm hundreds of years ago, giving one good reason as to why everyone and everything in Khaosrealm makes no sense.
