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| “ | Now I have but one goal: to slay the sorcerer who blinded me. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi conversing with Shujinko. |
Kenshi Takahashi is a major character from the Mortal Kombat video game franchise.
Kenshi was voiced by Robert Keting in Mortal Kombat: Deception, played by Dan Southworth in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, and is voiced by Vic Chao in Mortal Kombat X and MK1.
History[]
Lost Sight[]
Kenshi was a born warrior who wandered the Earthrealm, searching for worthy opponents and then defeating them to increase his pride. One day, he met a man named Song, who convinced him that a great warrior needed a great sword. Kenshi was led by the man to an ancient and very powerful sword, perfect for a warrior of his caliber.
But when he opened the well that it was supposedly contained in, the souls trapped there overwhelmed him and stripped him of his sight. Song revealed himself to be Shang Tsung and absorbed the souls, then left Kenshi to die. But the sword, which did exist, called out to the blinded warrior and led him out of the tomb, also revealing its origins. It had been wielded by Kenshi's descendants, a long line of great swordsman, and the well where he had found it had been the resting place of his ancestors.
The blind warrior spent the next decade training his senses, while at the same time hunting for Shang Tsung to pay him back for defiling his ancestry and betraying him.
Original Timeline[]
Adventure in Outworld[]
Kenshi's path for revenge lead him to the Special Forces and his skills were noticed by Sonya Blade and Jax Briggs. The two were at the time, looking for members to join their new Outerworld Investigation Agency that could venture into Outworld. Realizing that this was his chance to pursuit Shang Tsung, Kenshi underwent the required examinations and tests, then joined the group.
Kenshi's Deadly Alliance bio
His chance came when he was assigned to go to Outworld so as to find the missing cyborg, Cyrax. During his time there, Kenshi came across the fusion of souls known as Ermac, and in pity, he broke Shao Kahn's control over him. Out of gratitude, he taught the blind swordsman how to use his latent telekinetic powers in combat and to sense the presence of people and objects around him.
Kenshi soon found about the Deadly Alliance and their plans but was unable to contact the Outerworld Investigation Agency since it had been blown up by Hsu Hao. However, the Deadly Alliance was aware of Kenshi and sent Mavado to kill him, who defeated him in combat and left him for dead. However, the blind swordsman was found by the Lin Kuei Grandmaster, Sub-Zero, who nursed him back to health. Because of the ice ninja's kindness, Kenshi formed a temporary alliance with him to try and find a portal back to Earthrealm.
This alliance soon formed into a close friendship and after Shang Tsung's death in his battle with Onaga, Kenshi felt the souls of his ancestors return to his sword. With his quest for vengeance now over, Kenshi left the Special Forces and remained separate from Sub-Zero's Lin Kuei after returning to Earthrealm, preferring to be battle alone, though he remained an ally of both.
Armageddon[]
Kenshi began to hunt the corrupt, guided by his ancestors' sword. He attacked during the night, making use of the dark to strike unseen and succeeded in taking down a number of criminal organizations. Kenshi later came across a coded message that was supposed to be sent to Mavado that allowed him to find out about the Red Dragon Clan's plans to hunt down the demigod, Taven. But before he could learn their secret base's location, Kenshi encountered Johnny Cage, who was gathering the warriors of the Forces of Light to battle against Shinnok and the forces of evil.
The blind swordsman declined the offer, thinking that it was just another pointless struggle between good and evil. However, while on a mission to bring down the Red Dragon and have his vengeance on Mavado, Kenshi received a psychic premonition, that told him everything about Taven and Daegon's quest. His sword also urged him to join the Forces of Light for the upcoming battle and Kenshi took heed of the new insight, deciding that he would be the one to lead the Forces of Light into battle.
In his ending, Kenshi's defeat of Blaze gave him back his sight and increased his other sense to extremely high levels. But this sensory overload was too much for the swordsman and he retreated to a remote cave in the mountains, where he would remain isolated in a dark, soundless cavern.
Second Timeline[]
He has largely the same backstory as his first timeline iteration being blinded by Shang Tsung and gaining powers from his sword. In addition, he married a woman named Suchin and had a son named Takeda Takahashi with her.
Kenshi represented Earthrealm in Shao Kahn's Outworld tournament, engaging in a battle against Reiko. The outcome of the fight remains unknown, as neither participant was killed.
During the period between the game and the comic events, Kenshi played a pivotal role in helping Scorpion overcome his inner turmoil. Subsequently, he joined the Special Forces and received the mission to infiltrate the Red Dragon. Despite aiming to locate Daegon, his cover was compromised, forcing him into a fugitive's life.
Sonya Blade later informed Kenshi about the existence of his son, Takeda Takahashi. The Red Dragon, threatening both Takeda's life and that of his mother, Suchin, prompted Kenshi to intervene. Upon reaching Lampang, Thailand, Kenshi discovered Suchin's tragic demise but managed to find Takeda with the assistance of Suchin's mother.
Evading pursuit, Kenshi led Takeda to Shirai Ryu territory, intending to ensnare the pursuing Red Dragons. As they confronted an ambush of arrows, Kenshi used his telekinesis and Sento to fend off the attack, sustaining a leg injury. Facing the Red Dragon commander Hsu Hao, Kenshi fought valiantly but succumbed to exhaustion.
Hsu Hao's demise at the hands of Scorpion forced the Red Dragon to retreat. Kenshi, now relentlessly pursued by the Red Dragon and various terrorist cells, sought extraction from Sonya Blade. Their escape from Northern Pakistan marked Kenshi's ongoing battle against the Red Dragon. Briefly reflecting on his decision to leave Takeda with the Shirai Ryu, Kenshi journeyed to the Kang Shaolin Temple, encountering Shujinko. Despite initial hesitation, Kenshi persisted in his mission against Daegon.
Years later, Kenshi faced defeat at the hands of Goro and was presented to Daegon as a bargaining chip for the Shokan prince's lost arms. Shang Tsung and the Red Dragon orchestrated this grim reunion in the Krimson Forest.
In Mortal Kombat X's story mode, Kenshi joined Johnny Cage and Sonya as they aimed to thwart Shinnok's plans at the Sky Temple. Ambushed by Scorpion, Kenshi, through telekinesis, ousted Scorpion from the helicopter but sustained injuries along with Sonya in the crash. While Johnny confronted Scorpion and Sub-Zero, Kenshi, Johnny, and Sonya continued their quest to the Sky Temple.
Encountering undead revenants Jax and Smoke, Kenshi joined a Special Forces squad to fend off demonic forces while Johnny and Sonya confronted Jax and Smoke. As they entered the cavern, Kenshi's Sento guided him to the portal for the Sky Temple. Participating in the battle against Shinnok, Kenshi was incapacitated, along with Sonya and Fujin, leaving Johnny to face Shinnok alone. After Shinnok's defeat, Kenshi questioned Johnny's enigmatic smile.
In Takeda's chapter, set five years earlier, Kenshi congratulated his son for becoming a chujin but faced Takeda's resentment in a subsequent fight. Revealing the truth about Suchin's death and his telepathic ability, Kenshi proposed joint efforts with Takeda to hunt down the Red Dragon.
Kenshi played a role in the Netherrealm mission alongside Jax and Sareena to apprehend Quan Chi. The ambush resulted in casualties, and Kenshi fought Kabal while Jax dealt with other threats. Despite injuries, Kenshi opposed Jax's solo approach, but Jax successfully captured Quan Chi.
After Quan Chi's capture, Kenshi, Johnny, and Sonya discussed D'vorah's location until Hanzo Hasashi's abrupt arrival. Kenshi telepathically restrained Hanzo temporarily but succumbed to the Shirai Ryu's onslaught, failing to dissuade Hanzo from killing Quan Chi. Following Shinnok's release, Kenshi, Sonya, and Johnny attempted to halt him, but Kenshi was swiftly incapacitated.
Kenshi's involvement persisted as he later communicated telepathically with Takeda, advising him not to worry about Lin Kuei encounters. The narrative unfolded with Kenshi participating in the Netherrealm mission, unveiling truths to Takeda, and engaging in the battle against Shinnok.
New Era[]
- Main article: Kenshi Takahashi (3rd Timeline)
Other media[]
Mortal Kombat Legacy[]
Mortal Kombat Legends[]
- Main article: Kenshi Takahashi (Mortal Kombat Legends)
Personality[]
TBA.
Powers and Abilities[]
Kenshi demonstrating his telekinesis
Despite being blind, Kenshi's spiritual senses allows him to fight on an even level with any other fighter. His sword contains the spirits of past warriors, which guides him in battle and he can sense the presence of anyone by their energy or by hearing them, allowing him to take opponents by surprise. Kenshi is also completely unaffected by attacks that affect someone's eyes thanks to his blindness. He can utilize telekinesis, taught to him by Ermac himself, and teleport using his own mind thanks to his heightened mind and senses.
Powers[]
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Speed
- Superhuman Agility
- Superhuman Stamina
- Superhuman Endurance: Kenshi can tolerate high amounts of physical pain and can stand after the strongest of attacks.
- Superhuman Senses: Despite his blindness, Kenshi possesses senses that are heightened beyond their normal ability and can fight on par with any other combatant. He can sense an opponent's presence by their energy or by hearing them and thus, can take opponents by surprise. His senses are so acute, he is capable of sensing beings capable of hiding from well-trained assassins such as Sub-Zero and can even sense beings sealed in objects such as Shinnok who was trapped in his own amulet that leads to a dark dimension. His sense of sight is revealed to be spiritual in nature, meaning that he can sense the souls of living beings. Also due to his blindness, he is completely immune to attacks that would target one's sense of sight.
- Magic: Gifted by Sento, Kenshi was granted a variety of magical abilities, including telekinesis, summoning spirits to aid him, telepathy, and can even teleport. Mileena and others have described him having other psychic talents on top of his TK abilities. Throughout the years, the blind swordsman has also showcased other skills pertaining to a mentalist. Like telepathy, through which he can project waves of energy from his mind that can paralyze, keeping enemies in place and stopping their movements which leaves them open to attack. Kenshi has demonstrated several abilities using such a power that are useful outside of physical combat, like the transmission of thoughts and reading minds, seeing visions of the future in his dreams, removing mind control effects on others, creating portals with an incantation, and being able to overload one's senses which causes a knockout. He can also employ his telekinesis into a tangible, projection of himself to attack opponents from a distance, similar to Noob Saibot. His sword has the ability to reflect projectiles back to his opponents as well as being able to magically absorb projectiles that will replenish his health.
- Summoning: In MKX, one of Kenshi's variations, Possessed, features a shattered version of the Sento and through these cracks, he is able to summon forth a Demon that wields a large sickle and Kwan Dao that fights for Kenshi on Kenshi's demand.
- Telekinesis: Kenshi is well-trained in telekinesis as well, frequently using it to move objects and people without physically touching them. His telekinetic attacks allow him to push, pull and lift most things using a single hand motion. In MK 2011, Kenshi's fighting style has been expanded upon, extensively using his telekinesis to wield his sword, although he still uses his hands to hold it from time to time.
- Telepathy
- Cloning
- Teleportation: Kenshi is also capable of teleporting.
- Levitation: He can also levitate himself for a short time.
- Visions
- Portal Creation
- Mind Control
Abilities[]
- Master Martial Artist: Kenshi has shown to be a master in many martial arts and forms of hand-to-hand combat. He has shown to be skilled enough to handle even the most skilled warriors. In MK1, he has shown to be strong enough to handle the likes of Baraka, Rain, Tanya, and Mileena before his sight was taken. After his sight was taken, it's possible that he had has what it takes to best the likes of Ermac, Sareena, Reiko, Khameleon, and Goro.
- Tai Chi
- San Shou
- Kenjutsu
- Judo
- Iaido
- Acrobatics: Kenshi has expert skills in acrobatics. He can perform flips, evade very quickly, and even leap great distances.
- Master Swordsman: Kenshi is mostly known to be one of the best swordsmen in all of Mortal Kombat. With his family blade, Sento, he has proven to be superb in wielding it to handle other warriors with weapons like Baraka.
- High Intelligence: When he was in MKX, he had shown to be very intelligent in developing strategies, instructing, and even leading groups.
- Leadership
- Tactical Analysis
- Stealth Expertise: Kenshi has some expert skills in using stealth.
- Indomitable Will: In many of his appearances, he has shown to have an unbreakable spirit. With his willpower and unstoppable determination, he had achieved many of his goals. Kenshi is very protective of his son, Takeda, and loves his wife Suchin very deeply. After she was killed by the Red Dragon, Kenshi had to make the hard choice to hide his son so he can be ready to avenge her. In the New Era, he was on a quest to achieve Sento so he can lead his clan out of the shadows, but Johnny Cage who owns Sento now, refuses to give it up. Even after his failed attempt to get Sento, he wouldn't give up so easily. After his eyes were destroyed, Johnny Cage soon realized that Kenshi needs Sento more than anything. Kenshi was forever grateful, and both became close friends. All of these moments prove that Kenshi is a compassionate, headstrong, and honorable warrior.
Quotes[]
| “ | I lay near death after my fight with the Red Dragon Mavado. But the ninja Sub-Zero found me and aided my recovery. As my wounds healed, the souls of my ancestors told me of their return to my sword. Their captor, Shang Tsung, was most certainly dead -- though I did not know how or by whom. Having no more reason to remain in Outworld, I made a temporary alliance with Sub-Zero, and we began our search for a way back to Earthrealm. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi's Deception bio. |
| “ | Do not dwell on your encounter with the Lin Kuei, son. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi talking to his son Takeda |
| “ | Major Briggs. I do enjoy are sparring matches. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi when Jax Briggs is wondering if Kenshi really is blind |
| “ | Sonya, can I trust you? | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Sonya Blade |
| “ | Is there a problem Kitana? | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Kitana |
| “ | Sento has a lesson for you. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Kitana |
| “ | You're out of control. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Scorpion |
| “ | I merely hope to learn from you. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Sub-Zero |
| “ | Sento is anything but a toy. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi after Mileena insults his sword by calling it a toy |
| “ | When the student is ready, the master appears. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Takeda |
| “ | I hear you trained well. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Takeda |
| “ | We're merely training. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Cassie Cage |
| “ | Your final test Jacqui. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Jacqui Briggs |
| “ | Your pride is your weakness. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Kung Jin |
| “ | You find much joy in disobedience. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Kung Jin |
| “ | There are other ways to see. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Shinnok |
| “ | I'll take my chances. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Kano |
| “ | You're a scoundrel. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Kano |
| “ | You risk much approaching me. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Kano |
| “ | Johnny. Just want to help keep you in shape. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Johnny Cage |
| “ | The friendless wanderer. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Erron Black |
| “ | Sento greets you Liu Kang. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Liu Kang |
| “ | I only wish to help. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi talking about freeing the souls in Ermac |
| “ | I've come to talk. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Kotal Kahn |
| “ | Well that's considerate. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi after Ferra says she will bite his ears off |
| “ | Your eyes will betray you. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to D'Vorh |
| “ | Why do you confront me? | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Raiden |
| “ | You're improving. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi during mid round |
| “ | My blade thanks you. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi during mid round |
| “ | Careful, major! | „ |
| ~ Kenshi mid fight with Jax Briggs |
| “ | Forgive me, general. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi mid fight with Sonya Blade |
| “ | My ancestors say you're quite powerful. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Bo' Rai Cho |
| “ | We'll find out won't we? | „ |
| ~ Kenshi when Cassie Cage thinks she ready to beat him |
| “ | Show me. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi asking for Ermac to show how great his powers are |
| “ | An honor price Goro. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Goro |
| “ | For that, there's but one solution. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi after Kitana says that he is in her way |
| “ | I've come to talk. As you wish. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi after Kotal Kahn says that he wants to fight |
| “ | You cannot have it. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi after Raiden talks about taking Sento from him |
| “ | As your friend, I cannot. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi telling Scorpion that he can't step aside because he is worried about Hanzo's actions |
| “ | I was blinded by Shang Tsung. | „ |
| ~ Kenshi to Tremor |
Trivia[]
- Early on, his name was "Blind Gi" and as his development went on, he was named "Blind Kenshi". Eventually the later part became his official name.
- Kenshi's name comes from the two Japanese words, kenshi, which means swordsman, and kensei, which means sword saint. In Deadly Alliance, it is mentioned that he is referred to as the "Sword Saint".
- Though Kenshi is officially listed as 6'1 in Deadly Alliance, a glitch sometimes makes the 1 double, listing his height as 6'11.
- He is unaffected by Sonya and Kira's Kiss of Death moves, since they aim for the eyes.
- Despite his blindness, Kenshi still takes part in Deadly Alliances "Test Your Sight" challenge, using his hearing to determine his choice.
- Kenshi's alternate costume in Deadly Alliance does not wear a blindfold and it is believed that this is what he looked like before being blinded.
- Kenshi's fatality from Deadly Alliance, where he sent out waves of mental energy at the opponent, causing their eyes to be pushed out of their sockets, then bends their limbs in unnatural directions ending with the head, was listed seventh in Screwattack's Top 10 Worst Mortal Kombat Fatalities list.
- According to Deception's Konquest Mode, Kenshi learned Tai Chi as a child and Judo in his adolescent years.
- After he stabs his opponent with his sword for his first fatality in Deception, he appears to be doing a small street dance before taking his sword to slice his opponent.
- Kenshi is one of the few characters in Deadly Alliance seen doing a kata and he is seen performing it at the end of the credits. Depending on what costume he was played as in, he will do the kata in that costume.
- Kenshi is the only character to perform a traditional Hara-Kiri in Deception, slicing open his own abdomen.
- One of the Game Over messages in Shaolin Monks is "Who is Kenshi? Why is he blind?"
- He is one of the first characters to get their bio on the Armageddon website.
- He is seen in the opening to Armageddon, stabbing Sheeva in the chest as she is strangling Ermac and Nightwolf, then had a sword fight with Quan Chi, but was stabbed in the stomach. Before the sorcerer could finish him off, Ermac (actually Shang Tsung in disguise) used his telekinesis to throw him away and then shapeshifted back into Shang Tsung and stomped on Kenshi's chest, finishing him off.
- One of his combos is called Blind Justice, a reference to another blind hero with superhuman senses, Daredevil.
- Kenshi is seen in the trailer for the 2011 Mortal Kombat game, fighting Daegon at the Pit.
- Kenshi is briefly glimpsed in Cyber Sub-Zero's database.
- Kenshi was voted number 7 on Screwattack's Top 10 Mortal Kombat Kharacters list.