List of Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm Episodes

Series overview

Color	Season	Episodes	Season Premiere	Season Finale
	1	13	September 21, 1996	December 14, 1996

Season 1 (1996)

#	Episode Title	Writer(s)	Air Date
01	"Kombat Begins Again"	Sean Catherine Derek	September 21, 1996
The episode begins with a fight between the earth warriors and a group of cyborgs led by Cyrax and Sector. Just as the earth warriors are about to be defeated by their attackers, Sub-Zero appears, and helps to defeat the cyborgs. Sub-Zero is not pleased with his clan, and has decided to leave it and join the forces of good. When they return to the base, the earth warriors are attacked by the forces of Shao Khan.
02	"Sting of the Scorpion"	Sean Catherine Derek	September 28, 1996
In the mountains of Tibet, an ancient tomb is hidden, with which one can gain access to the nether realms. Scorpion aims at getting there in order to organize an army of dead warriors that he can use to invade Earth. To prevent this, Sub-Zero challenges Scorpion to Mortal Kombat, but Scorpion appears victorious. Now, Liu Kang must step up to the plate and finish the job Sub-Zero started.
03	"Acid Tongue"	Sean Catherine Derek	October 5, 1996
A new dangerous enemy, the Raptors, creatures of a strange reptilian race led by Komodai (more than once referred to as simply "Reptile"), appears before the Earth warriors. Jax's cybernetic implants are damaged by Komodai's acid, causing the loss of important microchips, without which his arms cannot function properly. As a result, Jax loses his self-confidence, and Sonya returns to the place of battle to look for them, but is soon abducted by Komodai. Because there are also other battles to be fought, the Earth Warriors combat Sheeva's Shokan warriors, while Jax searches for Sonya. In his desire to help Sonya, Jax relies on brains instead of brawn to defeat Komodai on his own. Though Jax has learned not to rely on his strength-enhancing arms for his self-confidence, he returns to using them anyway as a tactical advantage.
04	"Skin Deep"	Steve Granat & Cydne Clark	October 12, 1996
A strange energy emission in New Guinea leads the Earth Warriors to Rain, Kitana's ex-fiancé who was thought to be long dead, sparking jealousy in Liu Kang. Rain, unmasked throughout the entire episode, informs them that Shao Kahn is seeking a powerful scimitar hidden in a sacred temple. The Earth Warriors ready for battle before it's too late, only to discover later that Rain is a traitor who has abducted Kitana. Liu Kang confronts Rain in his castle, but after freeing Kitana, she decides to battle Rain herself to defend her honor. As the battle comes to a close, the castle starts to fall apart, and Rain flees while Liu Kang and Kitana return to safety with Raiden's help before the castle collapses entirely.
05	"Old Friends Never Die"	Mark Hoffmeier	October 19, 1996
Sub-Zero goes out to meet with his friend Smoke, who unexpectedly returns after being gone for many years. Sub-Zero and Smoke were best friends before Oniro, the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei clan, gave the order for automation of the ninjas. Sub-Zero managed to escape this fate, but Smoke was captured and transformed. Now Sub-Zero wants to know if his old friend has retained a human soul, or if he became a machine for murder. Smoke's orders are to annihilate Sub-Zero and he nearly succeeds, until he suddenly realizes that he has retained his soul, and fights alongside his friend Sub-Zero once again. They team up to drive Oniro away, and though Smoke will not befriend Sub-Zero again since the latter is an enemy of the Lin Kuei, he honors their past oath to never fight each other in combat, and then disappears.
06	"Familiar Red"	Sean Catherine Derek	October 26, 1996
When Kano begins creating unnatural portals to intentionally torment the Earth Warriors, they realize that the Black Dragon gang is back again. Nightwolf gets very worried after leading his fellow warriors to temporary rips around the world that close before they arrive, but takes umbrage with the warriors deeming all of these incidents as incorrect readings of his computers. Encouraged by Raiden to not be so overreliant on technology, he uses his magic force to find out where the Black Dragons are; it turns out their shelter is hidden under an Egyptian pyramid. When the Earth Warriors arrive, they encounter and defeat its guardians. Then the struggle with Kano begins. With Sonya pushing him towards defeat, Kano tells them that the pyramid is rigged with explosives, but the Earth Warriors escape the pyramid just in time to escape the explosion.
07	"Fall from Grace"	Mark Hoffmeier	November 2, 1996
In a battle against Shokan warriors, Sonya acts with overconfidence. As a result, Stryker is seriously wounded. He decides to suspend Sonya because he feels she can't work as a team with the others. After being ordered to take Stryker back to the compound, with Nightwolf out to help fend off Sheeva's troops, they are attacked by a detachment of Shokan warriors. Learning a lesson on teamwork while battling the Shokan warriors, she regains Stryker's confidence and is reinstated.
08	"The Secret of Quan-Chi"	Steve Granat & Cydne Clark	November 9, 1996
Quan Chi (hyphenated in the episode title) comes upon the gem of Tetsurri, a magic crystal with which he is able to awaken all the evil in a human soul. Using it, the sorcerer, in disguise as a refugee fleeing Outworld, influences the Earth Warriors and causes them to turn against each other. The Earth is now defenseless, and would be conquered by Quan Chi, if not for Nightwolf, who escaped the crystal's influence. It is Nightwolf who destroys the evil crystal and ruins Quan Chi's black magic. This episode marked Quan Chi's first appearance in any sort of Mortal Kombat media.
09	"Resurrection"	Sean Catherine Derek	November 16, 1996
Shao Kahn resurrects Shang Tsung, and entrusts him with the sphere controlling elements of nature (fire, wind, water, and earth). Shang Tsung is the most suitable person to possess the sphere, because the more malicious the master is, the stronger the magic of the sphere becomes. Shang Tsung creates different natural disasters, and weakens Raiden. With the Warriors of Earth entrapped, the God of Thunder is left alone to battle this evil.
10	"Swords of Ilkan"	Sean Catherine Derek	November 23, 1996
This episode begins with a battle between Kitana and Amazon leader Zara in the realm of Ilkan, following the death of Kitana's mentor, Ramath. A guard arrives in time and arrests Zara. Although the battle was interrupted, Kitana knows that it will continue someday. In the past, Zara managed to find one of the two swords of Ilkan. When these swords are connected, it is possible to open portals to other worlds. Jax, Sonya and Kitana suddenly disappear through a portal that the other Earth Warriors cannot pass through. To get to the second sword, Zara takes Jax as a hostage. Kitana and Sonya go to Ilkan to save their friend. They defeat a gigantic guardian inside a temple and take the sword, but Kitana is extremely hesitant to surrender the sword to Zara. The unfinished battle continues, and this time the princess wins and Jax is rescued.
11	"Amends"	Steve Granat & Cydne Clark	November 30, 1996
Sonya and Sub-Zero go out to find the plan of the Black Dragons, but they are attacked in an abandoned theater. Sonya is wounded, but rescued by a former member of the Black Dragon - Kabal. Years ago, he was one of the best warriors in his clan, but Shao Kahn, fearing Kabal's possible conversion to the side of good, ordered his warriors to destroy him. By a miracle, Kabal survived his fight with the hired killers, but his face was viciously scarred, and he was forced thereafter to rely on a respirator while concealing his face behind a mask. Kano and his servants open a portal to lead the army of evil to other worlds. With the help of Kabal, the Earth warriors manage to crush these forces and destroy the portal. The Earthrealmers offer Kabal the chance to join them, but he chooses to continue his crusade against evil alone. Sonya is notably moved by Kabal's story and is upset when he leaves.
12	"Abandoned"	Sean Catherine Derek	December 7, 1996
Jax is tired of the endless battles and elects to quit the team, retiring to his deceased grandfather's isolated cabin. There, he makes the acquaintance of a girl named Ruby, who is secretly working as one of Shao Kahn's agents. She tries to find out the location of the Earth warriors' base. Jax then finds himself captured by Ermac's forces and is imprisoned in a cave under Shao Kahn's castle, where he was submitted to torture. His comrades set out to rescue him, but are outnumbered by Kahn's troops and are surrounded. It seems that their destruction is inevitable, but at this moment Ruby decides to help the Earth warriors by leading them through a hidden exit. Jax realizes that a peaceful life is impossible while Earth is exposed to danger from another realm, and returns to the squad.
13	"Overthrown"	Sean Catherine Derek	December 14, 1996
The Defenders of the Realm prepare for the final battle with Shao Kahn's forces on the anniversary of the unfortunate death of Jerrod, the king of Edenia and Kitana's father. They anxiously await the confrontation, but Liu Kang shows more apprehension because a victory would mean that Kitana would have to leave the team to rule Edenia. Kitana brokers an agreement with Sheeva's Shokan warriors, but she doesn't know that Sheeva is in fact Shang Tsung in disguise. Kitana and the rebellion forces break into Shao Kahn's castle and demand that Shao Kahn hands over his rule to the princess. Suddenly Shang Tsung appears with the warriors of the real Sheeva. The sorcerer is also after the throne of Outworld, but Tsung forgets one thing; Sheeva and the Shokan also have enemies in Outworld. Raiden finds out Shang Tsung's plan and disrupts the fight. The god of thunder brings with him the worst enemy of Sheeva; Motaro, along with the entire Centaur and Tarkatan armies. The defenders escape through a portal as the Shokan and Centaurs do battle. The insurrection may have failed, but the realm of Earth has not fallen and Mortal Kombat continues.