Sub-Zero is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. A warrior from the fictional Lin Kuei clan (Chinese: 林魁 pinyin: Lín Kúi), the character is principally defined by his ability to control ice in many forms. He is the only fighter to appear in every main installment of the series, along with being featured as the protagonist of the action-adventure spin-off Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero (1997).The franchise's main Sub-Zero is Kuai Liang (Chinese: 快凉; pinyin: Kuài Liáng). Debuting in Mortal Kombat II (1993), he has used the mantle in every chronological game since his introduction. The mantle was previously used in the original 1992 game and Mythologies by his older brother Bi-Han (Chinese: 避寒; pinyin: Bì Hán), who appears in subsequent installments as Noob Saibot. In contrast with Bi-Han's anti-heroic and later villainous role in the franchise, the main Sub-Zero is depicted as one of the heroic fighters defending Earthrealm against various threats. Sub-Zero also appears as both a rival and ally of the undead specter Scorpion.One of Mortal Kombat's signature characters, Sub-Zero has appeared in various related media outside of the games. He has received acclaim for his appearance, abilities, and Fatality finishing moves.
Being descended from a race of Outworld inhabitants known as Cryomancers, Kuai Liang has the innate ability to control ice in many forms. Throughout the span of the series, Sub-Zero's powers have continued to evolve. His deadly ability to freeze comes from the process of him absorbing the air around him and storing it before releasing it as a cold substance or simply lowering the temperature of the surrounding air to create ice constructs. He is naturally used to the cold temperatures of his turf and is able to resist other Cryomancers' freezing abilities as shown in the Mortal Kombat X comic series where Frost fails to freeze Sub-Zero's arms. His ability to freeze is strong enough to turn the body's water content, flesh and bone into brittle ice with just a single tap of his fingers. He has even surpassed his (late) brother Bi-Han's freezing ability, whose ice can reach temperatures up to -500° Fahrenheit which is way below absolute zero.He is one of the few combatants who can manipulate chi, the life energy of a martial artist. By channeling his chi, Sub-Zero can use it to enhance the power behind his physical strikes and make them strong enough to send other combatants flying with each strike he lands on them. The Dragon Medallion has not just increased the power of his freezing ability, but it has also given him another source of chi to channel power from. Sub-Zero is one of the many combatants capable of teleporting by turning his body into ice and reforming his physical form of flesh and blood in another location. He has also been shown to control and influence the cold aspects of the weather, although this aspect of his powers seems to be tied to his emotional state.Aside from flash-freezing opponents, Sub-Zero also has the ability to instantly conjure up an ice statue of himself to act as both a scapegoat and a 'landmine' of sorts as any who touch it instantly flash freeze. He has created many different kinds of ice constructs for offense and defense. Such ice constructs include swords, daggers, hammers, axes, spears, shields, walls, spikes, statues and more. He is one of the characters that are more oriented on defense thanks to his ability to counter attacks by freezing melee attackers who come into contact with him and being able to create several defensive ice constructs that usually freeze on contact such as icy orb traps, ice clones, ice barriers and ice armor.Ever since he takes possession of the Dragon Medallion, the scope of Sub-Zero's powers and abilities has increased significantly. As a member of the Lin Kuei, Sub-Zero has attained a great degree of skill in many forms of hand-to-hand combat. The Dragon Medallion and his ancestral armor increased and amplified his martial arts and ice-related abilities, as shown in his Deception Arcade ending. Throughout the Mortal Kombat series, Sub-Zero's abilities have grown more powerful; he was capable of killing an entire city's population while amplified by Blood Magik and was able to freeze a large building and shattered it with one punch.
Ice blast
Slide
Ground Ice
Ice clone
Ice shower
Ice shake
Tombstone teleport
Icy counter
Ice nugget
Ice burst
Frost Hammer
AirFrost hammer
Polar puncture
Barrier of frost
Frozen aura
Cold shoulder
Creeping Ice
Rising ice
frigid storm
Death circle barrage
(Air) Polar axe
Arctic trap