A bunch of new characters are ripping each other’s body parts out in Mortal Kombat X. That’s nothing new in the decades-old fighting series. But, a gay character? That is definitely new.


Kung Jin—a one of the new Shaolin Monks fighting for Earthrealm—appears to be the first gay male character in Mortal Kombat. The revelation comes during a flashback cutscene.

Relevant dialogue starts at about 3:30 in the video above, where Raiden says, “Self-loathing has always been an unfortunate part of your make-up.” Later, after the thunder god tries to get Kung Jin to follow in his ancestors’ footsteps and become a warrior monk, Kung Jin says, “I can’t... They won’t accept...” Raiden—who knows what the young mortal’s talking about because, well, he’s a god—replies by saying, “They care about only what is in your heart; not whom your heart desires.”


The interpretation of this particular character beat—first talked up at Gay Star News— was seemingly confirmed in a tweet by NetherRealm cinematic director Dominic Cianciolo, where he said, “I see people are picking up on the subtle exposition contained in Kung Jin’s flashback. Glad we have observant fans!”