The Lin Kuei is an ancient, secretive order of Chinese ninja warriors from the Mortal Kombat video games. In times long past, they were a feared clan of assassins whose members wielded various magical abilities and tools in battle. Over the passing of centuries, the Lin Kuei abandoned many of their old traditions and techniques. By the time Earthrealm reached its modern era, the clan's corruption had led them toward using more technological applications in their assassinations.
History[]
Mortal Kombat game series[]
Prior to the events of Mortal Kombat 3, the Lin Kuei had embraced cybernetic augmentation as the means of creating perfect killers. Not all members of the clan approved of the clan's new direction and spoke out against the automation process, only to be forcefully converted into cyber-ninjas.
In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the ice ninja Sub-Zero wrestled control of the Lin Kuei clan from Sektor, the son of the Grand Master and the first ninja to undergo augmentation. When Sub-Zero assumed the title of Grand Master, he abolished the cyber-ninjas from the clan and set about recreating the Lin Kuei into a noble force dedicated to the protection of Earthrealm.
In Mortal Kombat(2011)'s revised timeline, the Lin Kuei had allied themselves with the Outworld emperor Shao Kahn prior to his invasion of Earthrealm. In this alternate timeline, Smoke avoided capture and cyber-modification only for Sub-Zero to be taken in his place.
In the years following the invasion of Earthrealm, the Lin Kuei has been reorganised by Sub-Zero, the clan's current Grandmaster. The Cyber Initiative has been scrapped and the clan has seen a return to many of its old traditions. The Lin Kuei no longer represent themselves as assassins for hire but as a force dedicated to the protection of Earthrealm against otherworldly forces.
Mortal Kombat: Defenders Of The Realm[]
The Lin Kuei were also regular enemies of the Defenders in the Mortal Kombat cartoon series. Led by their grand master Oniro, they had allied themselves with Outworld and provided Shao Kahn with their technological expertise. With the exception of Sektor, Cyrax and Smoke, all the cyber-ninjas looked exactly alike: dark gray armor plating, two metallic cylinders for abdomens that connected the legs and torso, red eyes and three-fingered hands. Much of the time, the cyber-ninjas didn't even fight hand-to-hand, instead using missiles fired from their chests or wrist-mounted energy blasters.