- —Tagline
Akuma VS Shao Kahn is the 152nd episode of Death Battle, featuring Akuma from the Street Fighter series and Shao Kahn from the Mortal Kombat series in a battle between monstrous soul-destroying fighting game bosses. Akuma was voiced by Phillip Sacramento and Shao Kahn was voiced by Gianni Matragrano.
Interlude
Wiz & Boomstick
by Brandon Yates |
Wiz: Akuma, Street Fighter's supreme master of the fist.
Boomstick: Shao Kahn, Konqueror of Mortal Kombat.
Wiz: Today, we'll find out which final boss reigns supreme.
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
Akuma
Akuma's signature kanji, "天", is shown on-screen.
Wiz: This is the Japanese kanji for "heaven", symbolic of the infinite sky above and the one who stands before it.
Boomstick: And the last thing you'll ever see when you meet Akuma.
Wiz: Trained by Master Goutetsu at an early age, Akuma was practically born into the ways of fighting. He and his brother, Gouken, were taught the form of Ansatsuken, literally meaning "The Assassination Fist".
Boomstick: Y'know how everybody says martial arts are all about meditation and being zen and all that other boring shit? Well, Ansatsuken ain't like the other guys. It combines Judo, Kenpō, and Karate into a unique style that's all about murdering your opponent as fast as possible. Hell, yeah!
Wiz: Unfortunately, the brothers' views on their training greatly differed. Gouken rejected the violent methodology of the Ansatsuken, leaving to develop his own, less lethal variant of the form.
Boomstick: 'Cause a style called "Assassination Fist" clearly needed less assassination. Guh... Good thing Akuma was all about the real deal. He got so hardcore, he started training to embrace the biggest martial arts secret out there.
Wiz: The Satsui no Hado. Ever present, ever malicious, this is a manifestation of literal killing intent. Only Goutetsu had ever mastered this dark power.
Boomstick: So, it's like the dark side of the Force, but with karate?
Wiz: No, but, sure. With the Satsui no Hado, Akuma gained great power, at the cost of all compassion. This is the power of monsters.
Boomstick: More like winners! Akuma got so good, he challenged his master and killed him, Sith style. With his ex-master's beads around his neck, he declared himself the new master of the Satsui no Hado.
Wiz: Obviously, this destroyed his relationship with Gouken. The two brothers' destinies, let alone ideologies, were irreparably torn apart.
Boomstick: But who cares, when Akuma's perfected all the abilities of an overpowered shoto character, and then some? He can rain down Gohadokens, teleport with the Ashura Senku, and take you for a whirl with the Tatsumaki Zankukyaku.
Wiz: And if Akuma ever wants to take things up a notch, he can summon forth the Kongou Kokuretsuzan, a geyser of pure energy strong enough to sink an island.
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick.
Wiz: With all this power, Akuma is among the toughest Street Fighters out there.
Boomstick: Which says a lot when Hakan could lube himself up with enough oil to, get this, launch E. Honda into orbit to headbutt a giant meteor into smithereens! Welp, there's only one way to figure out the TNT of that...
He takes out a full bucket labeled LUBE.
Boomstick: I've got the oil, Wiz! Get ready to launch!
Wiz: Oh! Uh, that's okay, I've already done the math, it's over 500 trillion tons...
Boomstick: Oh... can we still do it, though?
Wiz: (sighs) Fine...
We cut back to the analysis.
Boomstick: But did you know Akuma's also traded blows with some of the folks from Final Fight? I guess they're Street Fighters, too. And the Macho Mayor Mike Haggar can piledrive people so hard, it makes an explosion you can see from space!
Wiz: Comparing the blast's size to Earth's diameter, this explosion must have a yield of over 120 teratons of TNT.
Boomstick: That might seem nuts, but hey, Akuma's done the same kinda thing. No wonder the only guys who can match him are badasses like Gouken.
Wiz: Akuma would challenge Gouken again and again, determined to prove his version of the Ansatsuken was superior. And, apparently, he was right, as he defeated Gouken with his signature technique, the Shun Goku Satsu.
Boomstick: AKA, the Raging Demon!
Wiz: With this, Akuma gives in to his killing intent, targeting a person's soul and killing their spirit with the weight of their sins. There's only one known way to survive it: emptying your own soul from your body. Fortunately, Gouken knew exactly how to do that.
Boomstick: Speakin' of souls, this guy Necalli once tried to take Akuma's by devouring him. But, not bein' into vore, Akuma just blew him up instead. He's so powerful, defeating an opponent takes less effort than smackin' a baby. N-Not that Akuma would ever do that. No, I'm serious, he-he never would, because despite the whole "zero compassion" thing, he has a weird code of honor.
Wiz: It's not compassion at all. To Akuma, fighting is a sort of religion, and respecting the art is more important than anything. He'll spare those with an unfair disadvantage, and those whom he deems respects martial arts like him and can improve. In this way, he sort of became an unwanted mentor for Gouken's student, Ryu.
Boomstick: Hey, he's not a total killjoy. He did befriend Elena! Well, more like Elena befriended him, but whatever.
Wiz: But should you disrespect the art of fighting, Akuma will not hesitate to murder you as disrespectfully as possible.
Boomstick: Like when he jumped that a-hole M. Bison so fast, he killed him in one shot! And Bison was quick enough to tag this satellite laser beam!
Wiz: Following the beam's speed at this angle, we can determine it was moving well over 5,000 times the speed of sound.
Boomstick: But even with all that power, Akuma knew he'd never be at his best until he'd mastered the Satsui no Hado, and become Akuma Blanco! Er, I mean, Shin Akuma!
Wiz: As Shin Akuma, he possesses full control over the dark art, using it to its fullest extent.
Boomstick: Only Goutetsu had ever mastered the Hado like this, because doing it is not just super difficult, but super dangerous.
Wiz: Right, the Satsui no Hado isn't just a form of energy. It is a sentient entity, striving to push those who connect with it to fully commit to their rage, for when they do, they are no longer themselves. They become the Satsui no Hado itself.
Boomstick: Yeah, like when it tried to take over Ryu, and manifested as its own evil person, Kage. Akuma truly believes the Hado is his best chance at becoming the ultimate world warrior, but he also knows that if he's not careful, he could lose himself to it.
Wiz: And when he does, the Hado will take his body, and become the awesome, demonic Oni.
Boomstick: Oh-ho, he's super powerful. Oni's got all sorts of new moves, and can easily overpower pretty much any other Street Fighter.
Wiz: In Japanese folklore, Oni are Yōkai, or demons that spawn from the souls of the wicked upon death. However, in some legends, the most evil of humans can actually transform while still alive. Such as Shuten-dōji, a drunken monk who gave into malice, became an Oni, and was so powerful, he could not die, even after he was decapitated.
Boomstick: Not so different from this big bad blue boy. But hey, Akuma hasn't lost himself to the dark side of the Hado yet. The dude's split apart mountains, taken a leisurely trip to the bottom of the ocean, and literally leaped into the land above the clouds! He just jumped, and he was there! Forget standing before heaven, this dude straight up flies above it!
Wiz: Akuma's lust for battle will likely never be sated, but his chosen path has been set. He will either be the world's deadliest man, or its bleakest failure. Until then, he will never stop searching for a foe who can challenge the might of his Satsui no Hado.
Akuma is shown performing the Raging Demon technique on Ryu, a KO sign appearing afterward.
Shao Kahn
Wiz: The realm of Outworld is a twisted, barren wasteland where only the strong survive.
Boomstick: Definitely at the bottom of my list of places to go when I retire, and it's all thanks to the tyrannical ruler, Shao Kahn!
Wiz: Thousands of years ago, Shao Kahn was an advisor to the Dragon King, Onaga.
Boomstick: Until Onaga took a permanent nap, when Kahn poisoned him and claimed the throne all his own. Now that's what I call climbin' the political ladder!
Wiz: With an army of demonic Tarkatans and four-armed Shokans at his beck and call, Shao Kahn began conquering and merging other realms with Outworld, including the once idyllic paradise of Edenia.
Boomstick: After which, he hooked up with Edenia's queen, Sindel. But his conquest didn't just win him a traitorous MILF. The crafty bastard also picked up a ton of awesome powers!
Wiz: Kahn is a deceptive leader, who isn't afraid to resort to, quite frankly, dickish methods to achieve his devious goals.
Boomstick: He's basically a wrestling heel in the form of an otherwordly invader, right down to dressin' like a male stripper!
Wiz: And despite living on a completely different plane of existence, he's somehow mastered two Chinese martial arts: Tai Tzu and Lui He, both of which prioritize fast and aggressive strikes to overwhelm opponents.
Boomstick: But Kahn's real bread and butter is his mastery of magic. He can shoot fireballs, create portals, make you his telekinetic yo-yo, bounce projectiles back to sender, and conjure his signature hammer whenever he wants.
Wiz: With his Wrath Hammer, Kahn can crush even the strongest combatants...
Boomstick: With a K!
Wiz: ...to pieces with his brutal Fatalities. But perhaps his most iconic ability is taking souls.
Boomstick: With just a wave of his hand, he can dine on some fine soul food, courtesy of whatever sap crossed his path.
Wiz: Kahn went far with these abilities, and it wasn't long before his conquering eye caught sight of a little planet called Earthrealm.
Boomstick: But first, his forces had to rack up enough wins in... get the music, Wiz...
Wiz: Uh, we don't have the licensing rights.
Boomstick: MORTAL KOMBAT!
He hums the song, but royalty-free music plays in the background as he does so instead of the iconic theme.
Boomstick: I'mma stop there, so we don't get sued.
Wiz: Outworld almost had the 10 consecutive wins needed to merge with Earth.
Boomstick: But the goody-two-shoes monk, Liu Kang, just had to ruin it all. But Kahn just said "Uh, screw it!", and invaded Earth anyway.
Wiz: The moment Kahn set foot on Earth, he stole the souls of nearly every human being on the planet.
Boomstick: Then physically merged Earthrealm and Outworld into one big melting pot of conquest.
Wiz: The exact meaning of "merging realms" is a little vague, but from Mortal Kombat 3's intro, we do know that it transforms the planet into part of Outworld itself. But even when he's not literally folding worlds together, Kahn is always a threat to behold, far superior to most of the other Kombatants.
Boomstick: He's a cocky asshole, but damn, he sure knows how to get stuff done!
Wiz: He's one-shotted Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, survived being impaled, broke Kotal Kahn's back, and has consistently surpassed the likes of the Thunder God, Raiden.
Boomstick: Who, bein' all thundery, is as fast as lightning. Kahn could even hold his own when Raiden held the power of all the Elder Gods.
Wiz: For context, the Elder Goddess Cetrion can grow as large as a planet and fire this hyper-fast laser, which, comparing its speed to the curvature of the Earth, can smite mortals at 2% the speed of light.
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick.
Boomstick: Boy, you know you're a big shot when actual gods think you're a pain. Look at him go!
Wiz: Don't mistake "powerful" with "invincible". Kahn's might is only matched by his arrogance.
Boomstick: Yeah, he really does love to hear himself talk, even when it leaves him totally open. I guess he doesn't "Kahn-sider" the "Kahn-siquences" of his "Kahn-stant" taunting.
Suddenly, the voice of Shao Kahn himself fills the Death Battle Lab, unimpressed by Boomstick's puns.
Shao Kahn: Is that your best?
Boomstick: I-I thought it was funny.
Shao Kahn: You suck.
Wiz: Uh, moving on.
We cut back to the analysis.
Wiz: Even if it can get the better of him, Kahn has proven his arrogance isn't completely unfounded. After ages of conflict, all of the Kombatants fought in a final clash of good versus evil.
Boomstick: And Kahn emerged as the last man standing.
Wiz: It was there that he defeated Blaze, an all-powerful elemental who threatened every realm in existence.
Boomstick: Luckily for the good guys, Raiden had a way to basically go back in time and try to stop Kahn from winning in the first place. That's right, Kahn was such a big threat, the only way to beat him was a complete do-over!
Wiz: And even with that victory now a non-existent memory, Shao Kahn will never relent. Even death has never stopped this Konqueror from his ultimate quest to rule everything.
Shao Kahn: I am Kahn of Outworld. Vacate my throne, or I'll soak these sands with your blood!
The crowd behind him cheers as he summons his Wrath Hammer.
Prelude
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set and we've run the data through all possibilities.
Boomstick: But first, if you're wantin' the kind of confidence it'd take to rule Outworld, check out BlueChew!
Wiz and Boomstick read out an advertisement for BlueChew.
Boomstick: But right now, IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLEEE!!!
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set and we've run the data through all possibilities.
Boomstick: IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLEEE!!!(The transcript below is exclusive to the YouTube version of the episode.)
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set and we've run the data through all possibilities.
Boomstick: But first, if you're wantin' the kind of confidence it'd take to rule Outworld, check out BlueChew!
Wiz and Boomstick read out an advertisement for BlueChew.
Boomstick: But right now, IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLEEE!!!
(The transcript below is exclusive to the Rooster Teeth version of the episode.)
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set and we've run the data through all possibilities.
Boomstick: IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLEEE!!!Death Battle
Akuma: Die 1,000 deaths!
Satsui no Sekai
by Brandon Yates |
Repeated flashes of purple appear in the darkness, before a familiar bright-red "Heaven" kanji (天) pops up. As the darkness fades and the desert wastes of Outworld come into view, we see that the Master of the Fist, Akuma, has executed his Raging Demon on some unfortunate Kombatant, now lying as a smoking skeleton at his feet. Sitting on his throne, the Emperor of Outworld, Shao Kahn, is unamused by Akuma's intrusion. He stands up and strides over to glare down at Akuma, who shows no fear towards him.
Shao Kahn: You dare interrupt my tournament? Another fool seeking my throne?
Akuma: I only seek your life!
Akuma breaks the staredown by throwing a right hook that knocks Shao Kahn back. He delivers a brief combo of punches, but as he tries to continue, Kahn manages to get in a punch of his own that throws Akuma off. He follows with a front kick towards his opponent's chest, before closing the distance and throwing two punches that ends with him shoulder charging Akuma away.
Akuma recovers from the blows and jumps into the air before attempting a diving kick on Shao Kahn, who repels it before punching him through the air towards a pillar. Before he can impact, Akuma flips and uses the pillar to boost himself into the sky once more, launching an aerial Gohadoken at his enemy.
Akuma: Gohadoken!
Kahn catches the projectile in his right hand before dissipating it. Glowing green, he calls upon his own magic from his left hand, grabbing Akuma with telekinesis. He yanks Akuma towards him before summoning his Wrath Hammer and delivering a swing that knocks him away. Kahn is not done yet though, pulling Akuma towards him twice more before knocking him back with thunderous swings both times.
Shao Kahn: You will die!
As Kahn pulls his foe towards him once more, Akuma wises up and uses the Ashura Senku to teleport behind him.
Akuma: Death is beneath me!
Akuma delivers a sweep kick to stumble and lands a combo of several punches and a knee to his opponent's chest, before ending with an uppercut that knocks Kahn into the air. As he falls, Akuma charges up a powerful Shinku Hadoken.
Akuma: SUFFER!
He releases the projectile and blasts him away. The dust clears as Shao Kahn gets to his feet. Growling in annoyance, he swings his hammer at Akuma standing next to him. Akuma dodges the first swing by dashing away, before evading yet another by jumping, causing Kahn's errant swing to destroy one of the pillars. As Akuma lands, Shao Kahn swings at him twice more before finally landing a krushing blow to Akuma's left side that knocks him further into the desert. Kahn mocks his opponent's efforts...
Shao Kahn: Is that your best? Weak, pathetic, foo—
...before being interrupted by a rejuvenated Akuma, now in his Shin Akuma state, landing a strong punch to his jaw. Shin Akuma tosses his opponent into the air, before jumping up and using one of the stone structures to attempt a Tatsumaki Zankukyaku, which fails as Kahn catches his foot. As the two fighters plunge to the ground, Kahn takes advantage of his opponent's state to land a bone-crunching back-breaker as they land.
Kahn tosses Akuma to the sand and while holding his limp opponent's arm, delivers a stomp that cracks the back of his skull. He then picks him up with that same arm before delivering a headbutt that deals similar damage to his jaw. The blows seriously disorient Akuma who is subjugated to Shao Kahn attempting to steal his soul.
Shao Kahn: Your soul is mine.
Akuma growls with hatred as he taps into the deepest depths of the Satsui no Hado's power.
Akuma: No... The Satsui no Hado... IS MINE!
Infuriated by his opponent's lack of honor or respect for fighting, Akuma forsakes his humanity. Releasing a dark purple glow, he transforms into the Satsui no Hado embodied, Oni, forcing Kahn to relinquish his hold on him. He blasts Shao Kahn, knocking him back. Growling with killing intent, Oni prepares his assault.
Oni: ASHES TO ASHES!
He charges headlong towards Kahn, landing multiple punches to the chest in rapid succession, before ending with a palm strike. He follows up with a continued barrage of punches to his opponent's chest until Kahn summons his spear and slashes at him in order to repel him. Kahn charges forwards in an attempt to impale his foe, but Oni leaps into the air to shoot forth multiple Gohadokens. Under this barrage, Kahn struggles until he activates his Emperor's Shield, repelling one of the projectiles, right towards Oni's shocked face.
As Oni lands, Kahn once again attempts to spear him, which he avoids. Another attempt is foiled as Oni delivers a spiritually charged palm strike that sends Kahn flying. Capitalizing on his opponent's vulnerability, he flies forwards.
Oni: HELL AWAITS!
Oni punches Kahn square in the chest, impaling him on the end of his fist and delivers a Shoryuken that knocks Kahn's helmet off. As Shao Kahn and his helm lay in the sand, Oni lands swiftly, turning to his opponent while growling ferociously. Kahn stands to his feet, casually removing the remnants of viscera from the gaping hole in his chest.
Oni: DIE!
Oni readies his most devastating move, the Shun Goku Satsu, and advances on Kahn. His attempt to swing his hammer is foiled as Oni knocks it away. Bright red kanji surround Oni and the screen turns black, only occasionally flashing to show the Raging Demon striking Kahn with a swift barrage of blows, intent on ending him once and for all. As Oni readies his final punch, Kahn suddenly catches his demonic fist in his hand.
Shao Kahn: Feel the wrath... of SHAO KAHN!
As Oni struggles to break free of his grip, Kahn glows a sinister green as he calls upon the full extent of his power. Summoning his Wrath Hammer from the sky, Kahn rips Oni's left arm off, causing him to yell in pain. Shao Kahn callously tosses aside the appendage before shouldering Oni, knocking him to the ground, while his hammer flies into his face with a crunch, causing him further pain. Not wasting any time, Kahn summons it back to hand before bringing it down on Oni's face, destroying his head and leaving a bloody mess on the camera.
Surrounded by ethereal green flames, Shao Kahn turns his back to the fallen Oni and lifts his hammer in victory, issuing one final taunt.
Shao Kahn: Flawless Victory!
Results
Satsui no Sekai
by Brandon Yates |
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick.
Boomstick: Now that's what I call a Fatality!
Wiz: With the power of the Satsui no Hado, Akuma was a unique challenge for Shao Kahn.
Boomstick: Yeah, like how he resisted Necalli suggests Kahn couldn't have just yanked his soul away so easy.
Wiz: And Akuma's level of power was nothing to scoff at, either.
We cut to the post-analysis.
Boomstick: Akuma's biggest hits were way stronger than you'd think, blasting apart meteors and making explosions seen from space. But Kahn's survived blasts from beings even more powerful than that, like the Elder Gods, who can grow to the size of planets. And remember Blaze? He could destroy all the realms, and even did in one of his endings.
Wiz: And while Blaze's story ending isn't canon to the Mortal Kombat universe in and of itself, it is still an example of what could happen in canon.
Boomstick: And Kahn whooped that red hot ass!
Wiz: While we do not have an exact time frame for Blaze's destruction of the realms, destroying Earthrealm alone would require at least overcoming Earth's gravitational binding energy, or about 47.8 zettatons of TNT.
Boomstick: Over 300 million times the power of the teraton explosion from Akuma's lineup.
Wiz: And keep in mind, when Kahn merges realms, he is literally morphing an entire planet into Outworld itself. This means it makes sense he could defeat Blaze, because he already commands a similar level of power.
Boomstick: But I know what you're thinking, "What about the Raging Demon, Akuma's awesome finishing move? Shao Kahn has racked up more than enough sin in his time for it to totally murder his soul".
Wiz: There was always a possibility that Akuma would get a lucky hit in with the Shun Goku Satsu. However, given Kahn can keep up with the likes of Elder Gods and their space lasers, he can certainly keep pace with Akuma.
Boomstick: And sure, Kahn's an arrogant son of a bitch, but he knows when to get serious. If his arrogance was that big of an issue, he wouldn't have conquered so many realms.
Wiz: Both Akuma and Kahn were among the best of the best in their respective worlds, but this match ultimately came down to who would land their killing blow first.
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick.
Wiz: Shao Kahn's overwhelming power, mystical abilities, and treacherous strategies were enough to claim this victory.
Boomstick: Outworld's emperor was the "Oni" one who could surpass Akuma.
We cut to the "Winner" card.
Wiz: The winner is Shao Kahn.
Original Track
Satsui no Sekai
by Brandon Yates |
Composition
The track for this fight is "Satsui no Sekai" by Brandon Yates. It is a synth-based track with intense percussion, with a choir and chants throughout it and occasionally featuring electric guitar.
Title
The title is Japanese for "World of Murder" (殺意の世界), being a combination of Akuma's Satsui no Hado (殺意の波動), meaning "Surge of Murderous Intent", and the Japanese word "sekai" (世界), meaning "world", possibly referencing Outworld.
Composition
The cover art done by Luis Cruz depicts Shao Kahn's helmet with Akuma's "heaven" kanji on it. There are also green lights in the background, likely depicting souls from Mortal Kombat.
Trivia
Production
- The core connections between Akuma and Shao Kahn are that they are both some of the strongest, most difficult, and most unfair final bosses in fighting game history, with powers that attack their opponents' souls and an extremely aggressive fighting style. In addition:
- Both are responsible for the (apparent) death of one of the main protagonists' parental figures (Ryu's master, Gouken and Kitana's father, Jerrod, respectively)
- Both once had similar positions to one of the protagonists of their series (Akuma was a student of Goutetsu along with Gouken, while Shao Kahn was assigned as protector of Outworld by the Elder Gods, similar to Raiden, who protects Earthrealm), with their turns to evil being notably marked by the murder of someone they once served (Goutetsu and Onaga, respectively).
- Both are known for being instigators of conflicts (Akuma actively seeks out worthy opponents and Shao Kahn is a warlord).
- Both made their debut in the second game of their respective series in the 1990s.
- Both have also fought another antagonist from the rivaling series (Shang Tsung and M. Bison, respectively) in previous episodes of Death Battle and won.
- Interestingly, both were the first characters from their respective series to win, and both defeated their previous opponents in the second episode of their respective seasons. Coincidentally, this episode is the 152nd of the series overall.
- Coincidentally, Akuma's English voice actor in Street Fighter V and Teppen, Richard Epcar, is also known for voicing Raiden, one of Shao Kahn's most frequent nemeses.
Easter Eggs
- Boomstick comparing the Satsui no Hado to the dark side of the Force in Akuma's analysis is likely a call-back to him and Wiz comparing Street Fighter to Star Wars during Ryu's analysis in Ryu VS Scorpion.
- At the beginning of the fight, Akuma does the Raging Demon on someone who was about to fight, interrupting the battle that was about to happen. This is a reference to Akuma's first appearance in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, where he does the Raging Demon against M. Bison before the match starts and then fights the player.
- The backbreaker that Shao Kahn pulls off on Shin Akuma is similar to what he did to Kotal Kahn in the Story Mode of Mortal Kombat 11 and one of his Krushing Blows in gameplay.
- Following up on this attack into a combo, Shao Kahn immediately performs his X-Ray move "It's Official" from Mortal Kombat (2011), only without the hammer strike at the beginning of the move.
- Furthermore, Akuma impaling Shao Kahn through his chest is likely a reference to Mortal Kombat (2011)'s Story Mode where Liu Kang does the same to him, seemingly killing him only to reveal that he had survived the encounter.
Errors
- The prelude for the fight has the combatants' positions swapped, with Kahn taking top billing on the left and Akuma being on the right.
- Even though he has a hole through his chest at the end of the fight, Shao Kahn ironically declares a Flawless Victory after killing Akuma, despite the real mechanic in Mortal Kombat being a victory without taking any damage.
- However, this was likely just Shao Kahn being arrogant and boasting about his victory.
Other
- This is the 16th Fighting Games-themed episode, after Akuma VS Shang Tsung, Felicia VS Taokaka, Chun-Li VS Mai Shiranui, Shao Kahn VS M. Bison, Ivy VS Orchid, Fulgore VS Sektor, Ryu VS Scorpion, Ragna VS Sol Badguy, Cammy VS Sonya, Ken VS Terry, Sub-Zero VS Glacius, Balrog VS TJ Combo, Ryu VS Jin, Sabrewulf VS Jon Talbain, and Heihachi Mishima VS Geese Howard.
- This is the fifth Street Fighter VS Mortal Kombat-themed episode, after Akuma VS Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn VS M. Bison, Ryu VS Scorpion, and Cammy VS Sonya.
- This is the fourth time that Mortal Kombat wins, after Shao Kahn VS M. Bison, Ryu VS Scorpion, and Cammy VS Sonya.
- This is the 26th episode to feature a returning combatant, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Batman VS Captain America, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Pokémon VS Digimon, Mewtwo VS Shadow, Deadpool VS Pinkie Pie, Metal Sonic VS Zero, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Black Panther VS Batman, Ryu VS Jin, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Mega Man Battle Royale, Captain Marvel VS Shazam, Dragonzord VS Mechagodzilla, Ganondorf VS Dracula, Deadpool VS Mask, Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Venom VS Crona, Hulk VS Broly, Shadow VS Ryuko, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Link VS Cloud (2021), and Batman VS Iron Man, and with the next 14 being Thor VS Vegeta, Boba Fett VS Predator, Excalibur VS Raiden, Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha, Phoenix VS Raven, Guts VS Dimitri, Goku VS Superman (2023), Omni-Man VS Bardock, Bowser VS Eggman, Kratos VS Asura, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, Aang VS Traveler, Ash VS Yugi, and Hulk VS Godzilla.
- This is the 17th episode to feature a returning winner, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Deadpool VS Pinkie Pie, Metal Sonic VS Zero, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Black Panther VS Batman, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Ganondorf VS Dracula, Deadpool VS Mask, Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Venom VS Crona, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Link VS Cloud (2021), and Batman VS Iron Man, and with the next nine being Thor VS Vegeta, Excalibur VS Raiden, Phoenix VS Raven, Guts VS Dimitri, Goku VS Superman (2023), Omni-Man VS Bardock, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, Aang VS Traveler, and Hulk VS Godzilla.
- This is the seventh time that a returning winner wins, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, and Batman VS Iron Man, and with the next four being Thor VS Vegeta, Phoenix VS Raven, Goku VS Superman (2023), and Omni-Man VS Bardock.
- This is the 11th time that a returning winner loses, after Metal Sonic VS Zero, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Black Panther VS Batman, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Ganondorf VS Dracula, Deadpool VS Mask, Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, Venom VS Crona, Link VS Cloud (2021), and Batman VS Iron Man, and with the next three being Thor VS Vegeta, Excalibur VS Raiden, and Guts VS Dimitri.
- This is the ninth episode to feature two returning combatants, after Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Link VS Cloud (2021), and Batman VS Iron Man, and with the next five being Thor VS Vegeta, Goku VS Superman (2023), Bowser VS Eggman, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, and Hulk VS Godzilla.
- This is the 17th episode to feature a returning winner, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Deadpool VS Pinkie Pie, Metal Sonic VS Zero, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Black Panther VS Batman, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Ganondorf VS Dracula, Deadpool VS Mask, Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Venom VS Crona, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Link VS Cloud (2021), and Batman VS Iron Man, and with the next nine being Thor VS Vegeta, Excalibur VS Raiden, Phoenix VS Raven, Guts VS Dimitri, Goku VS Superman (2023), Omni-Man VS Bardock, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, Aang VS Traveler, and Hulk VS Godzilla.