Liu Kang, a former Shaolin monk, was a member of the supersecret White Lotus Society. Strong in his beliefs, he despised Shang Tsung. After receiving an invitation to the tournament, he quit the White Lotus and got permission to represent the Shaolin temples in Mortal Kombat. He boarded the boat in hopes of returning the tournament to the Shaolin temples.

Beneath a bridge, in the combat zones of this tournament, lived a reptilian creature of a near-extinct race from the Outworld. Known to humans only as Reptile, he hid behind a disguise that covered his reptilian form, and he served as Shang Tsung's personal protector. Johnny Cage - real name John Carlton - a skilled fighter trained by martial artists from around the world, used his talent in Hollywood. On a personal mission to prove that he wasn't a fake, he boarded the boat to the tournament.

The Black Dragon was an organization of feared and respected men in the inner circles of crime on Earth. Kano, a member of the Black Dragon, was being chased by a unit of Special Forces agents led by Lt. Sonya Blade. They chased him until he had no choice but to jump onto a boat that was leaving the shore. Little did he know the boat was headed to the site of the Mortal Kombat tournament. Sonya's unit slowly followed the boat.

Johnny Cage and Kano had a small quarrel aboard the boat. The confrontation was quickly ended by Liu Kang, who helped Cage and became acquainted with the American martial arts actor. Watching these events as they unfolded was none other than Sub-Zero. Scorpion spotted Sub-Zero and confronted him, telling the Lin Kuei warrior that he would die in Mortal Kombat.

The Kombat Begins
When the boat arrived at the island, Shang Tsung's personal army captured Sonya's Special Forces unit and forced her to compete in the tournament. He promised her that if she performed well in battle, he would free the other members of her unit.

Scorpion defeated Sub-Zero in combat and took the life of the Lin Kuei warrior. Because of this he was sentenced to exist forever under his secret curse, never again knowing the family he once had. Liu Kang eventually defeated Goro and took the title from the Shokan prince. Goro disappeared from the scene shortly after, while Kang went on to defeat Shang Tsung. Shang Tsung returned to his emperor, Shao Kahn, facing execution. He begged for another chance. Kahn granted him a second chance and restored his youth. His new plan was to lure the Earth warriors into the Outworld to fight and meet certain death by Shao Kahn himself.