Feared for his immense strength, which he complements with a large hammer, and knowledge of black magic, Shao Kahn seeks conquest of all the realms, including Earth.

Tobias had something very similar with Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn, and for him that came from the feeling he had as a child when he learned more about what made the Star Wars universe tick in Empire Strikes Back.

In MKII, Kahn was digitally resized to a taller height to make him tower over the playable characters, and was played by actor and bodybuilder Brian Glynn.

During the audition, artist John Tobias requested him to expose his chest which resulted in his quick inclusion in the game as the actor did not have to perform martial arts.

Shao Kahn's special moves consist mainly of powerful shoulder barges, magical projectiles, and attacks with his signature giant maul, the "Wrath Hammer".

Ignoring the Mortal Kombat's rules, Shao steals billions of souls from Earthrealm to empower himself and merge it with Outworld as well as sends extermination squads to kill Raiden's chosen warriors, only to be defeated by Liu Kang once more.

In Mortal Kombat: Deception, in which he appears as a playable character in the GameCube version, it is revealed the Deadly Alliance killed a decoy while the real Shao set out to reclaim his empire from Onaga.

After successfully obtaining Blaze's power, he attempts to kill Raiden until the latter sends a message back to his past self to avert the events of Armageddon.

[13] After Fire God Liu Kang creates a second new timeline, Shao was born a sickly child into a proud military family before his father molded him into the perfect soldier.

Believing Outworld should conquer Earthrealm, he openly disagrees with Empress Sindel's policies, but makes no move against her until Shang Tsung and Quan Chi help him mount a rebellion against her, only to be foiled by her and Liu Kang.

Shao Kahn, referred to simply as the "Emperor", makes a cameo appearance in Mortal Kombat (1995) via special effects, voiced by Frank Welker.

Shao Kahn appears in the Mortal Kombat: Legacy two-part episode "Kitana & Mileena", portrayed by Aleks Paunovic.

[31] When a mask of Shao Kahn was made for sale, Game Informer noticed that it was one of the few times people had the chance to see boss' true face, comparing him to a Star Trek alien.

[33] The character's incarnation in the 2011 Mortal Kombat has been criticized for how hard it is to defeat him to the point of frustrating gamers;[34][35] that same year, CraveOnline included him on the list of top five "bosses you want to kill but can't".

[36] The fight against Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 3 was also noted for its difficulty; in 2013, Complex ranked it as the 23rd hardest boss battle in video games.

[37] Kahn's portrayal in Mortal Kombat 11 was the subject of controversy for him referencing President Donald Trump and his slogan but under the name "Make Outworld Great Again".

[38] VentureBeat found Shao Khan highly difficult to defeat in most of his appearances, resulting in the need for the player to come up with strategies need to kill the boss.

[39] The New York Times panned Shao Kahn's characterization alongside his army from Mortal Kombat Annihilation for making "Saddam Hussein look like Mr.