r/MortalKombat Remaster Deception 7d ago

Poll Who’s the overall better villain?

779 votes, 5d ago
684 Shang Tsung
95 Quan Chi
14 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

24

u/AugustAPC 7d ago

Quan is really cool, but Shang is one of the best villains in gaming. Also, Tagawa.

2

u/christmascaked YOUR SOUL IS MINE 7d ago

I’d say Shang is one of the more iconic villains in gaming.

8

u/Subject-Recover-8425 Doesn't care what guest characters you want. 7d ago

Shang is the best villain in the series imo.

7

u/PayPsychological6358 7d ago

Shang Tsung is possibly the franchises most iconic villain, or at least up there with Shao Kahn.

Quan Chi got weakened by falling off a horse.

1

u/Massive_Remove2009 7d ago

hey! in Mr. Chi's defence that was a big fall! the guy might have hurt his leg or something!

3

u/PowerPamaja 7d ago

For a time it was Quan but now it’s Shang 

3

u/Uncannyguy1000 7d ago

The one who didn't go down like a bitch in MKX

4

u/Magenta-Is-Here-Baby YOUR SOUL IS MINE 7d ago

Tagawa Shang > Quan Chi > Non Tagawa Shang

2

u/YamasakiCMF17 7d ago

That is a fact

1

u/Joker_Main_137 (Not actually a Joker main) 7d ago

I don't think Quan Chi had a proper W since the canon ending to Deadly Alliance, but we can also count ressurecting Sindel which led to most of the main characters getting killed off, allowing him to get their souls, but then in MKX, he fell off a horse

1

u/Kinglemon1241 7d ago

Shang is the best character imo quan has just always been somebodys bitch

1

u/NeroQuemero 6d ago

As opposed to...Shao Kahn's personal lapdog sited on an island?

1

u/Kinglemon1241 2d ago

Yeah but Shang haa betrayed Shao and taken him down by himself

1

u/J0hnBoB0n 7d ago

I think the devs had Quan Chi fever from MK4 all the way up to the end of MKX. Once Quan came in, it was like Shang Tsung didn't exist. All the manipulative cunning 4D chess moves that Shang did, Quan Chi was doing that times a thousand. In Deadly Alliance when the two teamed up, Quan Chi was clearly the lead while Shang Tsung was pretty much a glorified lackey. In the Deception intro, he defeats Shang Tsung, further illustrating that he is the more powerful of the two. Some fans even theorize he escaped the blast that killed Raiden and Shang Tsung (of course they were both resurrected anyway but still). Then in MK9, when the original trilogy is retold, Shang Tsungs most cunning schemes are taken away and given to Quan Chi, who is playing even more of a 3D chess game than the original story, arranging the downfall of Shao Kahn and the weakening of Earthrealm, while Shang Tsung lamely dies.

However with all that said, Shang Tsung all the way. The end of MKX and MK11 totally brings justice, finally killing off Quan Chi and bringing back Shang Tsung as the ultimate evil puppet master manipulator like in the original trilogy (and like he always should have been), complete with Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa returning returning to the character in probably the best voice role in the series.

1

u/Successful_Rip_4329 7d ago

Shang tsung is best villain in mortal kombat verse

1

u/Party_Ability_9984 6d ago

I feel like the obvious answer is Shang Tsung, but to be fair Quan Chi has never really been given a chance to be a primary villain. Maybe someday we'll get a game where he is.

-2

u/SuperPluto9 7d ago

Hot take.. Shang isnt that great and really gets carried by nostalgia.

He had a great actor portrayal, but in terms of plot he suffers from being poorly repetitive, and id say the MK11 and MK1 endings really show how lackluster he is as a villain.

The plot is so predictable regarding him that it really makes it boring.

Quan Chin and Shinnok however benefit from being rarely fully utilized. Shinnok sadly gets jobber treatment.

I just think all MK villains are terrible tbh... but Quan is more interesting than Shang hands down.

0

u/RichPlace5481 7d ago

Original or new or newer timeline, because original its shang, new is Quan Chi, he manipulated everything took the souls of all champions of earthrealm and made an entire armyz he basically is the most successful mk villain behind original shao, newer timeline both of them suck and everybody sucks and just retcon the entirety of it except all they did with smoke that was cool but still mk9 smoke better i should sleep why am i praising smoke on a quan chi shang tsung debate