Jarek

Overview

Jarek is a high-ranking member of the Black Dragon criminal organization and a student of Kano in the Mortal Kombat series, first introduced in Mortal Kombat 4 as a reluctant ally to the Special Forces in the face of fallen Elder God Shinnok's threat to his homeworld. He also appears as a sub-boss in the spin-off game Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, and later re-appears in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. As he shares most of Kano's signature moves, it was assumed that he was just a slapdash replacement of Kano for MK4.

As he was intended to be a replacement for Kano in that game, he shares many of his techniques, including a blade toss and a cannonball roll. He also shared Kano's classic fatalities, including ripping the heart out of his opponent and somehow shooting a laser beam out of his eyes. He also fights with a sword in MK4. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, he fights with a tall Kick Axe and the Dragon kung fu style, one previously used by Sub-Zero, and includes new abilities with a lasso.

Although he is mentioned in some pre-battle dialogue, he does not appear in any games in the series' alternate and New Era timelines.

Story

In the game's original timeline, Jarek is a high-ranking member of the Black Dragon and a student of its leader, Kano. Prior to the fallen Elder God Shinnok's return, he was arrested and held in a U.S. Special Forces detention facility before being broken out by Kano. He was defeated afterwards by Special Forces agent Jackson "Jax" Briggs and was left for dead, but managed to survive.

After learning of Kano's apparent death and believed to be the last surviving member of the Black Dragon, he fled to Edenia while being hunted down by the Special Forces. After a confrontation with Special Forces agent Sonya Blade, he finds himself in a temporary alliance with her in order to defeat Shinnok and his dark forces threatening Earthrealm.

After Shinnok's defeat, Jarek kept to the shadows and attempted to cover his trail. However, he was found by Jax and was thrown off a ravine to his death. He managed to barely survive by thrusting his weapon into the cliffside to slow his fall. Once he recovered, he traveled throughout the realms to find the perfect techniques to kill those in the Special Forces who hunted him down. The sorcerer Quan Chi recognized the carnage Jarek left behind and offered power in return of fighting beside his forces in the Battle of Armageddon. He died in the battle, alongside countless others.

Endings (non-canon)

Mortal Kombat 4

This ending is unique as it includes three parts, with Sonya's ending showing the first part, Jarek's ending adding a second part, and Jax's ending adding the final part. It is assumed that only the third part of this ending is canon.

In the first part, Sonya encounters Jarek on the top of a ravine after Shinnok's defeat and attempts to arrest him. Jarek resists arrest and attempts to escape by pushing Sonya off a cliff, falling off himself. Sonya then uses a walkie-talkie to radio-in to Jax.

In the second part, Sonya's conversation with Jax is cut short as Jarek, clung to the edge of the cliff, grabs Sonya's leg and throws her off the cliff. He then crushes the walkie-talkie under his foot and walks away.

In the final part, an off-screen Jax grabs Jarek by the neck and dangles him over the same cliff. Jarek pleads for his arrest, claiming it is brutality. Jax, angered by Sonya's death, drops Jarek off the cliff after claiming it is not brutality, but a "fatality".

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon

After defeating Blaze, Jarek channels the chi of all the other warriors and is possessed by their energy. He proceeds to kill them all using their signature fatalities, i.e. ripping out Sub-Zero's spine, ripping out Kano's heart, and cutting Kung Lao in half.