Goro (Mortal Kombat)

Goro is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

Conception and creation
Unlike other characters in the first Mortal Kombat, Goro was not based on a digitized actor but instead on a clay sculpture created by Curt Chiarelli. After creating it, he used it as a base for a latex model to make a 12-inch tall painted miniature. After recording a video of an actor making motions similar to those Goro would make in the game, John Tobias used stop motion animation to move the miniature's body to match the actor's movements frame for frame. In the early stages of the first Mortal Kombat's development, Goro's name was set as "Gordo" which means "fat" in Portuguese and Spanish. It was later changed to Goro by the game designers. According to Ed Boon in an interview about the character, the clay sculpture used to animate Goro in the first Mortal Kombat was twisted around and bent so many times that it simply fell apart.

In Goro's Deception bio card, when explaining how Goro was animated, Ed Boon mentions a second model for Goro had also been created. This second model was not used for animation and is still in usable condition to this day.

Attributes
Goro made his first appearance in the first Mortal Kombat game, where his story described him as a 2,000 year old half human-dragon. He had been helping the sorcerer Shang Tsung in winning the Mortal Kombat tournament. Goro remained champion for nine consecutive tournaments, until he was defeated in the first game by Liu Kang. A tenth victory was all Shang Tsung would have needed in order for Shao Khan, the Emperor of Outworld, to take over Earth. After the tournament, Goro was thought to have been killed, but returned later in Mortal Kombat 4. He is known today as the Prince of the Shokan, a race from the Kuatan area of Outworld.

In video games
Goro became Grand Champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament after defeating the Great Kung Lao. For 500 years, he remained undefeated and helped Shang Tsung grow ever closer to achieving Shao Kahn's goal of domination over Earthrealm. In his 10th title defense, however, he faced Liu Kang. Making use of Goro's overconfidence after years of being the undefeated warrior, Liu Kang was able to secure victory. Goro disappeared during the tournament's aftermath, and he was believed to be dead. It is theorized that he actually retreated back to his kingdom during this time.

Goro would resurface after Kahn's downfall, during the events of Mortal Kombat 4/Mortal Kombat Gold. Despite having the intent to avenge his losses at Liu Kang's hands, Goro began to take an interest in the matters of his own race and joined his fellow Shokans in war against the Centaurians. Princess Kitana intervened and negotiated a truce and peace accord between both races. The meeting was interrupted by Kung Lao who desired to challenge his ancestor's killer. The Shaolin Monk lashed out with a ceremonial strike of revenge that left Goro's chest scarred. Considering the score settled, the two shook hands. When Shinnok and his legion were defeated and Edenia was free once more, Goro and the Shokan race decided to ally themselves with the Edenians, agreeing to sign a peace treaty with the Centaurs as a condition of their new partnership.

Years later, during the time of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the united Edenian and Shokan forces attacked the weakened Shao Kahn's armies. Exhausted from battle, Goro was struck from behind by Noob Saibot. He was mortally wounded, apparently dying from the injury, and Kitana held a royal funeral for the fallen Shokan prince. However, Goro is able to survive, being saved from death by Shao Kahn himself, with the promise of returning the Shokans to their former glory and the banishment of the Centaurs in exchange for his allegiance. Agreeing to these terms, Goro placed his royal seal on a nearby disfigured fallen Shokan (whom Kitana and the Shokan army found and mistook for him, successfully deceiving them while hiding his defection), and resumed his place at Shao Kahn's side.

In Konquest Mode in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Goro is confronted in Shao Kahn's fortress by Taven who wishes to kill Quan Chi but must get past Goro in order to do so. Taven eventually defeats Goro, who storms off.

In his Armageddon ending, Goro defeats Blaze and attains the power of a god. Onaga, Shao Kahn, Quan Chi, and Shang Tsung had formed an alliance to get this power, only to have it stolen from them. They confronted Goro in an attempt to get it, but Goro released an ancient Shokan roar and from beyond the pyramid came an army of Shokan that killed the four attackers. The Shokan then ruled Outworld.

Film
Goro appears in the first Mortal Kombat movie, in accordance with his original story, as the champion of Mortal Kombat. In the movie, Goro is portrayed as an evil warrior, steeped in the authoritarian traditions of Outworld and does not look favorably upon humans. After defeating a long series of opponents, including Johnny Cage's friend Art Lean, he is in turn defeated and sent falling to his death by Cage. He is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, with vocal effects provided by Frank Welker.

In the novel based on the film, Goro was shown to be a slightly more noble creature. Goro still fell off a cliff to his death, but rather than having this inflicted upon him by Johnny Cage, Goro deliberately dropped himself, explaining that he would rather die than live in disgrace, and that Shokan warriors die in battle.

In the animated film Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins, Goro confronts his older brother Durak for a jeweled egg in which the winner was to tribute to their father Gorbak. He ends up losing the fight after hanging from a cliff while Durak tries to help him up. Goro betrays his brother and knocks him into the pit.

Comic books
Goro had a prominent role in Malibu's Mortal Kombat comic book adaptations and was the first character to have his own three-issue miniseries, entitled Goro: Prince of Pain. Goro's story did not differ greatly from his in-game profiles, being the Mortal Kombat champion and having previously bested the Great Kung Lao. He was also portrayed as an unstoppable force, easily dispatching the Earthrealm warriors alone, and only having a hard time against Raiden. He remained undefeated during the first three issues of the Blood & Thunder series, having lost for the first time in the second issue of Prince of Pain against Zaggot's creation, the Kombatant.

In the following Battlewave series, he remained on Earth after his defeat, and, to appease for his failure, started hunting down the Earthrealm warriors. He injured Jax in battle but was unable to defeat Liu Kang. In the fourth issue he had a mini-story at the end ('When Titans Clash) where he returned to Outworld to fight for Shao Kahn, settling a rivalry with Kintaro along the way.

Reception
Goro was awarded Hottest Gaming Hunk of 1993 by Electronic Gaming Monthly. UGO.com featured Goro on their "Top 11 Mortal Kombat Characters" list, with comments focused on his appearance due to the "twist" his first appearance gave since he was very different from the other characters. He appeared in the fourth spot on GamePro's "Excessively Limbed Villains We Love" list. He also won a GameSpot award for one of the top ten boss fights due to how difficult was defeating Goro in Mortal Kombat. Additionally, they noted that despite the introductions of bosses similar to Goro in sequels, Goro still remained as the "grand champion." When it was announced the release of a third Mortal Kombat live-action film, Phil Pirrello and Jesse Schedeen from IGN listed him as a character they want to see fighting in the film, but unlike the one from the first film which was a man wearing a suit, they wanted him to be made with CG technology. IGN also listed him as a character they would like to see as downloadable content for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, noting "Goro was the real challenge" of the first Mortal Kombat title although Shang Tsung was the final boss from such game. IGN also added that "MK is all about visceral thrills, and it doesn't get more visceral than bludgeoning your enemies to death with four giant, muscular arms". Goro was ranked 20th in a poll by GamePro ranking the 47 most diabolical video game villains.

Eurogamer's Robert Purchse was also saddened with the fact that Goro was not playable character stating that he was his favorite character and hoping that he could become an unlockable character. Additionally Techtree.com stated that, "Although Goro wasn't the main boss, he is probably the hardest boss to kill." Jeff Gerstmann from GameSpot praised Goro's design and moves in Mortal Kombat 4 as in contrast to the game's boss, Shinnok, he harder to defeat. His addition to the GameCube port of Mortal Kombat: Deception received positive response by Greg Kasavin of the same site; he claimed he and Shao Khan fit well within Deception despite looking "anemic". GameSpy's Miguel Lopez described Goro as a "legendary villain" but at the same criticized his physical appearance from Deception as his "anatomical proportions seem a little off". Another editor from GameSpot, Alex Navarro, commented that the fight against Goro in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks was very easy to win in contrast to other bosses fights from the same game. In a 1994 article by Business Week, the film version of Goro was described as "the most advanced mechanical creature H[o]llywood has ever made."