Kano (Mortal Kombat) - in Other Media

In Other Media

Kano appears in the Mortal Kombat comic books by Malibu, keeping his personality and history faithful to the early games' portrayal. He also was protagonist of a 3-issues miniseries alongside Raiden entitled Rayden & Kano. During the Blood & Thunder series it is shown the origin of Sonya's vendetta against him, when he kills Sonya's partner (called Lance/Sparky in the comics) during a tournament battle by means of a heart rip. His motivations to loot the island are replaced by his discovery of the Tao Teh Zhan and the powers it grants. During the series' epilogue in the Tournament Edition issue, he's finally captured by Sonya and Jax and sent into custody. He would later escape (as shown in the Breakout mini-story that came with the U.S. Special Forces issue 1) and during the Battlewave series he would be disposed by his superiors in the Black Dragon due to his failure, only to be rescued by Raiden. Raiden would attempt to use Kano to eliminate Shao Kahn by means of a mystical sword that drew power from a bad guy turned to the side of good, but Kano betrays Raiden and joins Shao Kahn, remaining in his forces the following issues.

Kano appeared in the first Mortal Kombat movie, and was played by Trevor Goddard. The film expanded upon Kano's rivalry with Sonya from the games; she now had a personal interest in seeking vengeance against Kano for killing her partner. Shang Tsung hires Kano to lure Sonya into the Mortal Kombat tournament and promises to grant Kano the reward he desires for his efforts after he faces off against Sonya in the tournament, demanding that Sonya is not to be harmed but merely humiliated, claiming that he has plans for her. During their match, Kano gleefully taunts Sonya about how he murdered her partner. After beating Sonya harshly, Kano is caught off guard by a leg lock from Sonya, and is soon trapped between her thighs and at her mercy. Shang Tsung betrays Kano and goads Sonya into finishing him off. Despite pleading for his life, Sonya proceeds to break Kano's neck.

Kano appeared twice in the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, voiced by Michael Des Barres. His rivalry with Sonya was continued in the storyline, and a flashback scene in which he killed Sonya's Special Forces partner prior to the tournament was included in one episode.

British actor and martial artist Darren Shahlavi portrayed Kano in Mortal Kombat: Legacy. During the first two episodes, he takes Sonya hostage and plans to kill her when a SWAT team led by Jax and Stryker attacks the Black Dragon warehouse. During the assault, Kano engages Jax in combat but is defeated, losing his eye in the process. He is later found by his henchmen and is given a cybernetic eye as a replacement. Kano also appears in the ninth episode which takes place before these events.

A Cyborg character inspired by Kano makes an appearance in the 2012 animated film Wreck-It Ralph (from Walt Disney Pictures), voiced by Brian Kesinger. In addition to bearing a strong physical resemblance to Kano, he performs the character's classic heart-rip fatality on Zombie while attending the Bad-Anon support group.