June 18, 2019|

Filed under: Featured, Featured Content, History, Speculation, Super Smash Bros. Series, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Dream Smasher: Sub-Zero

Thanks to Cart Boy for helping with edits.

Back in October of 2018, we went over Scorpion, the mascot of Mortal Kombat, to see how well he would fit in Super Smash Bros. as a fighter. Since then, Mortal Kombat has gained another surge in popularity thanks to the release of Mortal Kombat 11, the franchise’s latest installment and the first Mortal Kombat on a Nintendo home console since 2007’s Mortal Kombat: Armageddon on the Wii. Given Nintendo’s heavy marketing of MK11, including a spot in the February 2019 Nintendo Direct, now seems like the best time to go over the other icon of Mortal Kombat: the ice-manipulating assassin from the Lin Kuei, Sub-Zero.

Who Is Sub-Zero?

(Courtesy of Voyager)

“Sub-Zero” is actually a title used by two characters throughout Mortal Kombat: Bi-Han and his younger brother Kuai Liang. A pair of cryomancers, the siblings were kidnapped and trained by the Lin Kuei clan of assassins as children. Bi-Han debuted as a playable fighter in the original Mortal Kombat alongside other legendary fighters like Scorpion and Liu Kang. While Bi-Han fell at the hands of the yellow-clad ninja, that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most well-known fighting game characters. He even earned himself a spin-off that got a Nintendo 64 port: the infamous Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. Though, with Bi-Han dead, Kuai Liang set off to avenge his dead brother by taking on the Sub-Zero mantle and defeating Scorpion. Since then, Scorpion and Sub-Zero have had one of the most iconic rivalries in all of gaming. Bi-Han and Kuai Liang have the same abilities (such as the ability to manipulate ice and create weapons out of it), but Kuai’s the most likely brother to be used if an incarnation ever joined Smash, what with him carrying the name in much more games than his predecessor.

Importance to Nintendo/Series

As Scorpion’s rival, Sub-Zero has kept pace with him in terms of prominence over the years. In fact, Sub-Zero’s even appeared in more Mortal Kombat games than Scorpion due to the latter’s absence in the original version of Mortal Kombat 3. Couple that with Sub-Zero being the first character to get his own spin-off and it’s clear that the Lin Kuei assassin‘s just as integral to Mortal Kombat as his nemesis is. However, while Sub-Zero might share Scorpion’s importance, he’s not as popular. In recent installments, Scorpion’s taken priority as the mascot, often being featured alone in promotional material and beating Sub-Zero in polls such as the one Nintendo recently ran on Twitter. That being said, Sub-Zero still regularly gets his time in the spotlight, like when he appeared as a guest fighter in 2017’s Injustice 2 and duked it out with DC’s finest. After all, just look at the poll results for yourself; although Scorpion won, it was by such a small margin that Sub-Zero‘a still virtually on equal footing with him after all these years.

Now, one obvious factor that might explain Mortal Kombat’s absence from Smash speculation is its newer entries’ violence getting them banned in Japan. Sounds pretty dire to me, but the series and its original combatants are still extremely well-known worldwide; its undoubtedly the most iconic fighting game franchise not made in Japan and has left its mark on gaming history thanks to its role in the establishment of video game censorship. Thus, I’d say Mortal Kombat’s more than iconic enough to deserve the spotlight in a “Dream Smasher” or two.

Colors and Design

With every new Mortal Kombat entry, the characters are given completely new designs and outfits to set each game apart from the last. With the most recent installment being on the Switch, Sub-Zero’s Smash design would probably borrow from it the most. But if his primary costume’s the armor from Mortal Kombat 11, his alternate costume would need to be his iconic ninja gi from the original Mortal Kombat. Each costume could have three additional palettes, with all of them being based on his games’ other ninjas. MK11’s three palette swaps could be based on Scorpion, Ermac, and Reptile, while Klassic’s three palette swaps could be based on Smoke, Rain, and Noob Saibot.

(Courtesy of Voyager)

How Would He Play?

Now, let’s have a look at some stats:

Can they crawl? No
Can they wall jump? Yes
How many jumps do they have? 2
Are there any exclusive abilities they have*? Yes
Weight Class: B
Height Class: C+
Speed Class: D
Are they mirrored when they face left? No

*Like Peach’s float

Naturally, Sub-Zero’s moveset in Smash would revolve around his ability to control ice in order to create barriers and weapons or freeze the environment around him. In his home series, Sub-Zero has traditionally had a defensive moveset to set him apart from Scorpion and his more aggressive playstyle. With a variety of disjoint attacks and the occasional projectile, Sub-Zero would excel at keeping the opponent at bay with his powerful moves and ability to string combos together. He would be able to perform these combos since he’d share a few gimmicks with Ryu, Ken, and Terry. Like those three, Sub-Zero would always face his opponent in one-on-ones, be able to execute multiple versions of some of his attacks, cancel certain moves into other ones, and even have the ability to execute stronger versions of his special attacks through special inputs. However, while Sub-Zero would hit hard and have plenty of ways to zone out his opponents, most of his moveset’s reliance on heavy weapons, like battle axes, war hammers, and greatswords, forces him to deal with subpar movement and poor frame data. With effective zoning options and powerful attacks, balanced by weak maneuverability, Sub-Zero would be best in the hands of deliberate players who could work around his weaknesses and take advantage of the devastating blows the assassin could inflict.

Boxing Ring Title: “Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei”

Series Icon

Stock Icons

(Courtesy of Voyager)

Kirby Hat

Move Type

Description

On-Screen Appearance:

A human-shaped ice sculpture would form from the ground up before exploding and leaving Sub-Zero in its place, referencing his entrance animation in Mortal Kombat (2011).

Stance:

Sub-Zero would stand with his legs far apart as he held one hand over the other, referencing his stance in Mortal Kombat 11.

Idle Animation #1:

Sub-Zero would wave his arms around as ice particles emanated from them.

Idle Animation #2:

Sub-Zero would straighten his back as his feet began to freeze the floor.

Walk:

Sub-Zero would put his hands to his sides and slowly walk forward.

Dash:

Sub-Zero would simply run forward at a speed similar to Ryu’s dash as his arms pumped back and forth.

Jump:

Sub-Zero’s first jump would have him jumping with his arms to his sides, then his second jump would have him performing a flip.

Damage Animation:

Sub-Zero’s head would recoil as he stumbled backwards.

Crouch:

Sub-Zero would get on one knee as his arms maintained their position.

Shield:

Sub-Zero would block incoming attacks by covering his face with his arms.

Neutral Attack: Axe Bash / Straight Stab

Light: Sub-Zero would punch once with each arm before stabbing forward with an ice axe.

Heavy: Sub-Zero would stab forward with an ice greatsword.

Forward Tilt: Axe Slam / Double Axe Slam

Light: Sub-Zero would lift his arms over his head and create an ice axe before swinging downward with it.

Heavy: Sub-Zero would create two ice axes instead of one and slam them both down, making the attack slower, but more powerful.

Down Tilt: Chilled Sweep / Creeping Ice

Light: Sub-Zero would perform a sweeping kick that would have a high chance of making opponents trip.

Heavy: Sub-Zero would strike the ground with his arm, causing ice to erupt in front of him that would damage opponents. This attack would also have a chance of freezing opponents at high percentages.

Up Tilt: Uppercut / Rising Axe

Light: Sub-Zero would simply perform an uppercut.

Heavy: Sub-Zero would conjure an ice axe and swing it in an upward arc.

Dash Attack: Deep Freeze

Sub-Zero would perform a shoulder bash while sliding forward on a path of ice.

Forward Smash: Frost Hammer

Sub-Zero would conjure an ice war hammer and slam it into the ground in front of him.

Up Smash: Frost Axe

Sub-Zero would conjure an ice battle axe and swing it in a similar angle to Ganondorf’s up smash.

Down Smash: Frost Sword

Sub-Zero would conjure an ice great sword and swing it to the ground in front of and behind himself.

Neutral Aerial: Cold Boot

Sub-Zero would simply kick forward, similarly to neutral airs like Mario’s and Link’s.

Down Aerial: Frigid Slam

Sub-Zero would thrust both of his arms downward, potentially freezing anyone in his way. If Frigid Slam hit the ground, the attack would cause a few ice spikes to erupt from the ground in front and behind Sub-Zero.

Forward Aerial: Frozen Tundra

Sub-Zero would conjure an ice axe and swing it downward.

Back Aerial: Backstab

Sub-Zero would conjure an ice sword and swing it behind him.

Up Aerial: Ice Blast

Sub-Zero would lift both of his arms up and create a ball of ice in between them that would then explode.

Grab:

Sub-Zero would simply lunge forward and grab the opponent from where their shoulders would be.

Pummel:

Sub-Zero would stab the opponent with an ice dagger.

Forward Throw:

Sub-Zero would form a ball of ice in his hand and punch it with his other hand, causing a small explosion of ice that would launch the opponent forward.

Up Throw:

Sub-Zero would conjure an ice war hammer and swing upward with it, launching the opponent in that direction.

Down Throw:

Sub-Zero would kick the opponent into the ground and jump on top of them, launching them upward.

Back Throw:

Sub-Zero would thrust an ice axe into the opponent and jump on top of them before jumping off of them with a kick, launching them backward.

Neutral Special: Ice Ball

Sub-Zero would fire a ball of ice forward that would freeze opponents upon contact. Unlike other freezing attacks, opponents hit by Ice Ball wouldn’t launch in any direction and would instead remain where they were hit, even when in the air. The amount of time opponents remained frozen would depend on how high their percentage is. If the player inputted Down, Forward, Attack, Sub-Zero would fire a beam of ice instead that would travel much faster, but have less range.

Side Special: Slide

Sub-Zero would slide on the ground using a path of ice and, when in the air, kick at a downward angle, like an aerial Falcon Kick. If the player inputted Back, Forward, Attack, either attack would be more powerful.

Up Special: Ice Klone

When on the ground, Sub-Zero would jump backwards as an ice clone that froze opponents upon contact was left in his place. In the air, Sub-Zero would jump directly upward and leave an ice clone in his place that would fall to the ground. If the player inputted Down, Back, Attack while on the ground, Sub-Zero would immediately throw his clone after conjuring it. Any clones that were thrown or made in the air would damage opponents upon contact instead of freezing them.

Down Special: Ice Nugget

Sub-Zero would shoot an ice beam directly upward, forming a large block of ice in the air that would then slam into the ground and launch anyone in its way. The beam Sub-Zero fired would also damage opponents, but it wouldn’t make them flinch. By holding Back while performing the move, the block of ice would be created closer to Sub-Zero, and by holding Forward, the block would be created further from him.

Final Smash: Fire & Ice

Sub-Zero would begin by creating a large vortex of ice around himself that’d draw opponents into it. Anyone caught by the vortex would be launched into Kahn’s Koliseum, where Sub-Zero would fire a beam of ice at Scorpion as the specter shot back with a blast of fire. Caught in the middle of the clash, opponents would suffer both attacks and, consequently, take lots of damage.

Up Taunt:

Sub-Zero would triumphantly lift his fist into the air, referencing his victory animations in the original Mortal Kombat trilogy.

Side Taunt:

Sub-Zero would breathe a small cloud of ice breath, referencing his Fatality in Mortal Kombat 3.

Down Taunt:

Sub-Zero would look toward the camera and slam his fist into the ground, referencing his victory animation in Mortal Kombat: Deception.

Victory Animation #1:

Sub-Zero would conjure an ice sword and slam it into the ground before striking a meditative pose next to it.

Victory Animation #2:

Sub-Zero would conjure a ball of ice and slam it into the ground, causing ice stalagmites to erupt around him.

Victory Animation #3:

Sub-Zero would conjure a ball of ice and fire it at the camera, causing ice to appear on the edges of the lens as the ball soared past it.

Victory Fanfare: Sub-Zero’s victory fanfare would be a short remix of the Mortal Kombat movies’ signature theme. The song hasn’t made many appearances since its debut, but it appeared in Mortal Kombat 11’s launch trailer and is one of the most iconic parts of the series:

(Courtesy of @SecondZack)

Outro

As one of the most iconic fighting game characters of all time, Sub-Zero has been a popular Smash request for a long time. While his violent background and series’ lack of a strong history with Nintendo has made him an unlikely candidate to most people, Mortal Kombat 11’s Switch release changed things and sparked even more interest in a Mortal Kombat character joining the ultimate fight. Whether it be Scorpion or Sub-Zero, the inclusion of the Mortal Kombat franchise in one of the greatest crossovers in gaming would definitely introduce a unique flavor to it.