Mortal Kombat 1 tier list: Best fighters and Kameos

With so many characters to choose from in Mortal Kombat 1, it’s wise to stick to a main character and build it up as you progress. To help you pick that character, here’s a Mortal Kombat 1 tier list, ranking all the fighters and Kameos from best to worst.

Mortal Kombat 1 has a ton of fresh content for you to explore, from violent combos and Kameos to Fatalities. While the latest game in the fighting franchise does bring tons of revamped mechanics, you might find choosing your main character to be a little confusing.

A great way to get past this is to shortlist a few characters you want to use and work on mastering their abilities. However, you’d need to know about the most powerful ones to pull that off.

So here’s a Mortal Kombat 1 tier list that’ll help you identify the best characters and Kameos in the game.

Mortal Kombat 1 character tier list

Johnny Cage and Kenshi are some of the best characters to play in Mortal Kombat 1. Here’s a complete tier list ranking all the characters from best (S-Tier) to worst (D-Tier)

Tier	Fighter
S-Tier	Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Raiden
A-Tier	Li Mei, Kitana, Shang Tsung, Reptile, Kung Lao, Havik, Scorpion
B-Tier	Reiko, General Shao, Sindel, Geras
C-Tier	Ashrah, Mileena, Smoke, Baraka, Nitara
D-Tier	Tanya, Rain

Johnny Cage

Johnny Cage might not be able to summon magic anymore, but his high-damage combos and easy learning curve have placed him in the S-Tier.

Johnny Cage’s unique Hype Meter has also given him a great way to maximize his combos, which, combined with the right Kameo fighter, makes him a force that’s hard to stop.

Kenshi

Thanks to his sword, Kenshi has some long-range melee attacks in Mortal Kombat 1 with incredible damage potential. Even if his speed and difficult combos can make him a fairly complex fighter to pick, it won’t be easy to break Kenshi’s moves once you master them.

Keep in mind that while Kenshi might be slower at the beginning, you can summon his samurai ghost to fight alongside him. This will allow Kenshi to block while his ghost can perform attacks, making it very risky to try to counterattack his movements.

Sub-Zero

Sub-Zero has become extremely powerful in Mortal Kombat 1. With a moveset that lets you freeze and trip your opponents, Sub-Zero can easily stun his enemies using both normal and special attacks.

Liu Kang

Liu Kang’s attacks are still almost a combination of basic skills, but his moveset allows him to react and break almost any combo thrown at him.

Liu Kang’s Forward Left Punch is the fastest skill in the current meta and several of his moves can also punish hard when breaking special attacks.

Raiden

Even as a “simple” inhabitant of the Earth Realm, Raiden has managed to be one of the best fighters in Mortal Kombat 1.

His combination of low attacks and overheads, plus his ranged projectiles and teleporting, makes him a threat that his opponents can hardly see.

Mortal Kombat 1 Kameo fighter tier list

Mortal Kombat 1 also introduced Kameo fighters, which are characters that will briefly assist your main fighter by extending your combos. Here is the Kameo fighter tier list in Mortal Kombat 1.

Tier	Kameo fighter
S-Tier	Frost, Kano, Darrius, Sub-Zero
A-Tier	Motaro, Shinjinko, Scorpion, Cyrax, Jax
B-Tier	Sonya, Sektor, Goro
C-Tier	Kung Lao, Sareena, Stryker

Frost

Frost’s moveset as a Kameo fighter in Mortal Kombat 1 includes mid-attacks, low freezes, and a slow-moving power that also freezes characters.

Her ability to push enemies from the opposite side of the screen makes her also one of the most reliable Kameo fighters in the game.

Kano

Kano is a great choice to apply pressure from long range, and his ball is great to start combos or even surprise opponents.

Whenever you call Kano, you can still use your main character, which is great for ambushing opponents who are distracted and dodging his attacks.

Darrius

Darrius has surprisingly become one of the best Kameo fighters due to his straightforward attacks and the simplicity of high-damage combos you can get when choosing him.

His abilities include overhead attacks and a wide-ranging swing attack that is great for ending combos.

Sub-Zero

Sub-Zero isn’t only one of the best fighters in Mortal Kombat 1, but he’s also a major asset as a Kameo fighter.

Besides his long and short-range attacks, he can freeze opponents and summon his Arctic Shield to protect your main fighter.

For more on Mortal Kombat 1, take a look at some of our other guides:

Mortal Kombat 1 leak teases Ghostface, Conan & more in Kombat Pack 2 DLC | How to taunt in Mortal Kombat 1 | Mortal Kombat 1 currencies explained | Is Mortal Kombat 1 be on Steam Deck? | Does Mortal Kombat 1 have crossplay? | Mortal Kombat 1 PC requirements