Skarlet in MK11 is completely wrong...

[Kuriishi]

Lore/Backstory

Mortal Kombat (2011)
Skarlet was first officially introduced as a character in Mortal Kombat (2011). This was the first canon appearance of the character and the first to give her backstory, as per her Bio[vignette.wikia.nocookie.net]:

Shao Kahn has many warriors under his command, but his trust lies solely in the fighters of his own creation. Warrior blood gathered from countless battlefields, fused with sorcery, produced his most effective enforcer yet: Skarlet. An expert tracker, she preys on those deemed enemies of the empire. During kombat, Skarlet gains strength from her opponent's blood, absorbing it through her skin. Shao Kahn has a new mission for this formidable kombatant: discover Quan Chi's true intentions and kill him if he plots betrayal of the emperor.

From this we learnt the following key details pertaining to her character:

• Skarlet is one of Shao Kahn's Creations (like Mileena, we can assume Shang Tsung provided the sorcery)
  
• She is comprised of the blood of many warriors (like how Ermac is comprised of many souls)
  
• She gains strength by absorbing blood through her skin
  
• Her loyalty lies within Shao Kahn

These points are reinforced in her arcade ending:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo1ZQ_MRr_A
Skarlet's loyalty to Shao Kahn is unmoving. She rushes to battle to avenge him and is strengthened with each foe that fails.

Design

Mortal Kombat (2011)
Her design is very notable too. It also alludes to her lore in absorbing blood to become stronger as she has a lot of exposed skin.
Some Examples:

• Skarlet as she Appears in MK9[vignette.wikia.nocookie.net]
  
• Alt costume (appearing in MK9 Vita)[vignette.wikia.nocookie.net]
• MK2 Costume (Vita)[vignette.wikia.nocookie.net]
  
• MK3 Costumes (Vita)[vignette.wikia.nocookie.net]

Now, fast forward to Mortal Kombat 11 and A LOT has changed:

Lore/Backstory

Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat 11 introduces Skarlet with her official Bio, as per the website[www.mortalkombat.com]:

Blood mage and Imperial Bodyguard. Skarlet was a starving wretch before Shao Kahn anointed her in blood. Reborn by his sorcery with an insatiable bloodlust and the power to feed it, her crimson cravings are rivaled by her desire for Shao Kahn's praise. She is his deadliest, most faithful creation.

We learn some interesting details in her Klassic Tower Ending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYzGM1ghuE8
Whilst non-canonical (like all Arcade endings), this portrays Skarlet with an insatiable appetite for power. So much so that it even eclipses her loyalty to Shao Kahn. Is this believable, well that's up to debate.

Key Points:
Similarities

• Her abilities are gained from Shao Kahn's sorcery
  
• She is faithful to Shao Kahn
  
• She craves blood (power)

Differences Additional Exposition

• She was an orphan taken in by Shao Kahn infused with blood magic(rather than be created solely from blood)
  
• Her ambition for power is greater than her loyalty to Shao Kahn

The following interview with Ed Boon, references her being created from the blood of warriors and as the creation of Shao Kahn, suggesting that the new pieces of information are not retcons but additional exposition of her character.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFYFYoYYs70
Credit to Zaxx for this info.

It would've been nice to have that context within the game imo...

Design

Mortal Kombat 11
This part is where things really get baffling to me.
Cosmetics
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2095473341
Above is some speedpaintings of Skarlet which illustrate the direction they wanted to take the character in MK11. However, this makes no sense to me. The final result is her ending up with a mass of uni-body body suits for costumes in MK11; which doesn't fit her character at all.

First of all, the clothing and armour she is wearing is way too bulky and covers too much. For someone who literally weaponises her own blood, this makes no sense. Covering her skin in areas which she cuts to access blood weapons is inefficient. What's the point in wearing armour if you're just going to tear it apart yourself?

Secondly, as mentioned before, she absorbs her enemies blood to use as weapons. Why would she cover herself up so much reducing the surface area in which she can funnel their blood and absorb their power? In one of her conversations with Cassie, she even mentions how she requires blood to stay alive.

Thirdly, as seen in her Brutalities, she maintains her affliction for blood. The whole "reveling in feeling the sensation of blood rain on skin" looks really daft when all of her skin is covered in cloth. Compared to her Fatality in MK9 where she slits the opponent's neck and does the same thing, it looks out of place.

Face/Hair

We never explicitly get to see Skarlet's face in MK9 but I do think the new Face and Voice suit her well. Her characterisation in how she speaks etc. is quite fitting. However, what is missing is her distinctive Ponytail from MK9. Her default hairstyle looks off (too short) and many of her hairstyles aren't even red. That's all a bit disappointing

In conclusion, I really don't understand this character (she plays pretty cool though)

tl;dr - Skarlet in MK11 has a lot of inconsistencies with her design and character portrayal in comparison with her introduction way back in 2011.

[Kuriishi]

I probably should've mentioned before. The designs they gave her and what is shown in the concept art, are not bad designs per say. I actually like the designs standalone but in the context of Skarlet as a character they are not fitting considering everything we know about her.

[Kuriishi]

The MK2 skin is literally the one I like and I don't even like MK2 skins lol

[DucGrandma]

Well to be fair, at least her design is not as bad as her gameplay in KL. I only fought like 4 Skarlet and I defeated all 4 (I only encounter Skarlet Var 1 and 2 so maybe i'm wrong)

[Kuriishi]

Originally posted by DucGrandma:

Well to be fair, at least her design is not as bad as her gameplay in KL. I only fought like 4 Skarlet and I defeated all 4 (I only encounter Skarlet Var 1 and 2 so maybe i'm wrong)

That's a little irrelevant XD. I don't play Kombat League but I have tried out Skarlet (which lead to this post). Honestly, in comparison to MK9 they completely overhauled her moveset. The thing is, she plays really well in MK11. However, the retcons are pointless (it's not just her) and her design is so out of character...

[Shan]

I agree, her primary design just seems wrong.

The funny thing is that the mobile game has a really interesting design for her Assassin variation, but I guess it shows off to much skin to be considered for MK11.

[popsicle]

Originally posted by Thunda Gawd:

Since she's supposed to be one of the original MK "colored ninjas" yes, MK9 design is definitely more faithful. But MK9 itself was a big throwback while MK11 is about something new and reimagined. Her new design is definitely less ninja, but more blood witch with striped blood-filled mosquito patterns, which is fine. The infamous "hijab" outfit from story makes sense because she's pale and wears it in the desert, but weird AF outside story context. Sleeveless one is a pity attempt to recreate MK9 ninja design with ponytail and new leather+mosquito pattern, good thing they added actual MK2 ninja skins.

The way Skarlet plays is what I would expect from like Nitara. Basically is no longer a ninja. But then NRS hates ninjas. They did the same to Ermac and turned him to a mummy.

[Kuriishi]

Originally posted by Shan:

I agree, her primary design just seems wrong.

The funny thing is that the mobile game has a really interesting design for her Assassin variation, but I guess it shows off to much skin to be considered for MK11.

It's not just her primary design, it's her design in general. All of her costumes go against her established traits and are all too same-y and boring

Originally posted by popsicle:

The way Skarlet plays is what I would expect from like Nitara. Basically is no longer a ninja. But then NRS hates ninjas. They did the same to Ermac and turned him to a mummy.

She's not a ninja now, she's a "blood mage" since the retcon. She does have some interesting moves now but she is a far cry from the original intended design.

In some cases, changing the original intent isn't so bad. Look at Reptile for instance. He was just a palette swap and they turned him into a completely different race etc. but maintained his character and moveset. I think in Ermac's case it's okay too. They expanded upon his lore and I don't think it's too different from his original concept. He still is comprised of many souls and has a lot of soul based attacks.

Skarlet is a completely different cattle of fish. Originally a "rumored" palette swap for Kitana, they established her as a new character in MK9 with proper backstory. However, with her re-introduction in MK11 they completely change the character again, despite already establishing her in MK9. Also, a lot of the design decisions go against the already established canon. It's just baffling

[Zaxx]

Read the comics, then it won't feel as big of a departure. Personally I prefer her MK11 version, she finally has a character instead of being another copy pasted porn queen ninja who sucks ♥♥♥♥ for Shao Kahn.

[Kuriishi]

Originally posted by Zaxx:

Read the comics, then it won't feel as big of a departure. Personally I prefer her MK11 version, she finally has a character instead of being another copy pasted porn queen ninja who sucks ♥♥♥♥ for Shao Kahn.

She had character before though, you can't just change that on a whim. Though it is something which is common in MK11. If they wanted to design a character like Skarlet in MK11 they should've just created a new character

[Realigo Actual]

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/209/945/D6PfW.jpg

[Zaxx]

Originally posted by Kuriishi:

Originally posted by Zaxx:

Read the comics, then it won't feel as big of a departure. Personally I prefer her MK11 version, she finally has a character instead of being another copy pasted porn queen ninja who sucks ♥♥♥♥ for Shao Kahn.

She had character before though, you can't just change that on a whim. Though it is something which is common in MK11. If they wanted to design a character like Skarlet in MK11 they should've just created a new character

I would agree is she was a deep rooted, traditional MK character with deep connections to the lore. She wasn't though, she was just a bug / urban legend made into a DLC character for MK9 and her backstory was fairly basic and avarage.

Not improving on that would have been bad with her being part of the base roster and a story mode character now.

[Kuriishi]

Originally posted by Zaxx:

I would agree is she was a deep rooted, traditional MK character with deep connections to the lore. She wasn't though, she was just a bug / urban legend made into a DLC character for MK9 and her backstory was fairly basic and avarage.

Not improving on that would have been bad with her being part of the base roster and a story mode character now.

Well, can't you really say more so for her MK11 story? I mean, which sounds more basic? A warrior literally formed from the blood of other warriors or some random orphan picked up off the street and taught magic? I can't be the only one which thinks the former is cooler.

Anyway, preference aside, her backstory was already established. If you don't find that interesting, that's fine but they should be building upon that character rather than starting from scratch for no good reason.

Story aside, that still doesn't address her inconsistent and nonsensical design in MK11

[Zaxx]

Originally posted by Kuriishi:

Anyway, preference aside, her backstory was already established. If you don't find that interesting, that's fine but they should be building upon that character

Well, they didn't, big whoop.

Btw. her backstory wasn't retconned but rather expanded: she was still created by Shao Kahn from the blood of warriors, it's just that before being reborn like that she was an actual person. It's a bit like how sorceresses work in the Witcher universe: they were just regular people once even if that version of them is unrecognizable now. So mindless blood golem: gone, actual character with a backstory: in the game.

[Kuriishi]

Originally posted by Zaxx:

Well, they didn't, big whoop.

Btw. her backstory wasn't retconned but rather expanded: she was still created by Shao Kahn from the blood of warriors, it's just that before being reborn like that she was an actual person. It's a bit like how sorceresses work in the Witcher universe: they were just regular people once even if that version of them is unrecognizable now. So mindless blood golem: gone, actual character with a backstory: in the game.

I have contemplated that possibility and will concede that point if that is actually confirmed by one of the devs but as far as I know that's not the case.

Either way, that doesn't address the point on the radical design change as per the OP.

[Zaxx]

Originally posted by Kuriishi:

I have contemplated that possibility and will concede that point if that is actually confirmed by one of the devs but as far as I know that's not the case.

They still refer to Skarlet as being created by Shao Kahn. From the wiki:

However Mortal Kombat 11 retcons her history, making her a starving Outworlder before being reborn in blood and sorcery. Despite this, Ed Boon in his interview after the game release still refers to her as the creation of Shao Kahn.