The Mortal Kombat franchise has always done a wonderful job of rewarding curious players, providing Easter eggs and secrets in just about every installment to date. Mortal Kombat 1 is no exception in this regard, with things like secret Brutalities helping to provide an extra layer of violence for those willing to seek them out.
Mortal Kombat 1: How to Perform Every Fatality (& What They Look Like)
A guide explaining how to perform every Fatality in Mortal Kombat 1 with videos showing what they look like in action and where players need to stand.
Pretty much every secret Brutality in Mortal Kombat 1 is a variation of an existing one, with most of them triggered simply by holding Stance and Block while performing the regular version. However, one or two of MK 1‘s secret Brutalities require complicated inputs and tight timings, making them a little trickier to pull off.
Back Throw (Universal Secret Brutality)
How to Perform the Back Throw Secret Brutality in MK1
The Back Throw secret Brutality is somewhat unique in that it can be performed by every Kombatant in Mortal Kombat 1. To do so, players will simply need to press Grab (L1 on PlayStation, LB on Xbox, or L on Switch) and then immediately press and hold Up + Back Punch (Triangle on PlayStation, Y on Xbox, or X on Switch) once the throw makes contact.
If done correctly, the player’s Kombatant will throw their opponent directly at the screen, causing it to shatter around the point of impact. Their corpse will then slowly begin to slide down the screen, leaving an unsightly smear of blood behind it.
Choke On It (Scorpion’s Secret Brutality)
How to Perform Scorpion’s Secret Brutality in MK1
To perform Scorpion’s secret Brutality, players will need to hold Stance (L2 on PlayStation, LT on Xbox, or ZL on Switch) and Block (R2 on PlayStation, RT on Xbox, or RL on Switch) after triggering Choke On It, which can be unlocked by reaching Mastery Rank 3.
Those hoping to perform Choke On It will need to press Grab (L1 on PlayStation, LB on Xbox, or L on Switch) and then Forward, Down, Back, Up immediately after the throw makes contact. Assuming they’re holding Stance and Block, doing so will trigger the secret variation of Choke On It rather than the regular one.
Scorpion’s secret Brutality is fairly similar to the regular version, only with one key difference. Instead of just choking the other Kombatant out, Scorpion applies so much pressure that their head pops off, adding an extra layer of gore to an already devastating Brutality.
For Johnny (Janet Cage’s Secret Brutality)
How to Perform Janet Cage’s Secret Brutality in MK1
Janet Cage’s secret Brutality can be performed by holding Stance (L2 on PlayStation, LT on Xbox, or ZL on Switch) and Block (R2 on PlayStation, RT on Xbox, or RL on Switch) after triggering For Johnny, which is unlocked at Mastery Rank 11.
To perform For Johnny, players will need to press Down + Kameo (R1 on PlayStation, RB on Xbox, or R on Switch) to summon Janet and then press and hold Down + Back Punch (Triangle on PlayStation, Y on Xbox, or X on Switch) to have her attempt to perform The Klassic.
If players are holding Stance and Block together with Down + Back Punch, Janet will perform three uppercuts rather than just one, with each one inexplicably removing the other Kombatant’s head. For those unaware, this is a reference to Johnny Cage’s iconic Triple Uppercut Fatality/Brutality, which has appeared in several of the earlier Mortal Kombat games.
One Way Ticket (Li Mei’s Secret Brutality)
How to Perform Li Mei’s Secret Brutality in MK1
Li Mei’s secret Brutality is a variation of One Way Ticket, which players will unlock at Mastery Rank 5. To perform the secret version, players will need to hold Stance (L2 on PlayStation, LT on Xbox, or ZL on Switch) and Block (R2 on PlayStation, RT on Xbox, or RL on Switch) immediately after triggering the regular one.
To perform One Way Ticket, players will need to press Down, Back, Back Punch (Triangle on PlayStation, Y on Xbox, or X on Switch) and then hold Down on the D-pad when the resulting Sky Lantern makes contact with the other Kombatant.
Usually, after having their head replaced by the lantern, the other Kombatant will just float away never to be seen again. However, if players trigger Li Mei’s secret Brutality, their opponent’s body will explode shortly after floating off-screen, which results in a pile of blood and bones raining down from the sky.
Portal of Blood (Quan Chi’s Secret Brutality)
How to Perform Quan Chi’s Secret Brutality in MK1
Quan Chi’s secret Brutality can be performed by holding Up on the D-Pad after triggering Portal of Blood, which becomes available at Mastery Rank 1.
To perform Portal of Blood, players will simply need to press Grab (L1 on PlayStation, LB on Xbox, or L on Switch) while standing at close range and then press and hold Down on the D-pad immediately after the throw makes contact. Once the screen begins to darken to signify that the Brutality has been triggered, players should stop holding Down and begin to hold Up.
Unlike the regular version of the Brutality, which strips the other Kombatant’s flesh from their bones completely, Quan Chi’s secret Brutality only removes their skin. This makes for a much more grotesque final frame, with the exposed eyeballs of the other fighter being far more freaky than just a bog-standard pile of bones.
Rock Away (Tremor’s Secret Brutality)
How to Perform Tremor’s Secret Brutality in MK1
Those hoping to perform Tremor’s secret Brutality will need to hold Down + Back Punch (Triangle on PlayStation, Y on Xbox, or X on Switch) after triggering the Rock Away Brutality, which is unlocked at Mastery Rank 2.
To trigger Rock Away, players will need to press Forward + Grab (L1 on PlayStation, LB on Xbox, or L on Switch) while standing at close range and then press and hold Up on the D-pad after the throw animation has begun. Just before Tremor slams down the boulder, they should release Up and begin holding Down and Back Punch.
If all goes to plan, the Brutality will play out as it normally does, only this time, the face that appears on the boulder will be a happy one rather than a sad one. It’s a fairly subtle change when compared to some of the other secret Brutalities in MK1, but one that adds to the absurdity of the situation quite well.
Taste of Blood (Nitara’s Secret Brutality)
How to Perform Nitara’s Secret Brutality in MK1
Nitara’s secret Brutality can be performed by holding Stance (L2 on PlayStation, LT on Xbox, or ZL on Switch) and Block (R2 on PlayStation, RT on Xbox, or RL on Switch) after triggering the Taste of Blood Brutality, which is unlocked at Mastery Rank 7.
To perform Taste of Blood, players will first need to activate Blood Sacrifice by pressing Down, Forward, Back Kick (Circle on PlayStation, B on Xbox, or A on Switch). While Nitara is still glowing red, they’ll then need to press Back, Forward, Front Kick (X on PlayStation, A on Xbox, or B on Switch) at medium range, while also being sure to hold their finger on the Front Kick button after they press it.
If done correctly, rather than the other Kombatant’s flesh simply being ripped off of their skeleton as it is in the regular version of the Brutality, they’ll instead be reduced to a pile of blood and bones.
You Got Boned! (Omni-Man’s Secret Brutality)
How to Perform Omni-Man’s Secret Brutality in MK1
To perform Omni-Man’s secret Brutality, players will need to hold Stance (L2 on PlayStation, LT on Xbox, or ZL on Switch) and Block (R2 on PlayStation, RT on Xbox, or RL on Switch) immediately after triggering You Got Boned!, which is unlocked at Mastery Rank 7.
To perform You Got Boned!, players will need to press Forward + Back Kick (Circle on PlayStation, B on Xbox, or A on Switch), Front Punch (Square on PlayStation, X on Xbox, or Y on Switch), Front Punch (Square on PlayStation, X on Xbox, or Y on Switch) + Front Kick (X on PlayStation, A on Xbox, or B on Switch) while standing at close range. For the brutality to trigger, players will need to press Down, Down, Down on the D-Pad after the final part of the attack lands.
If all goes to plan and players are holding Stance and Block, the Brutality will play out like normal to begin with. However, when it comes to the final moments, Omni-Man will tear the other Kombatant’s skeleton right out of their body, leaving behind a pile of bones on one side of the screen and a grotesque mound of flesh on the other.
Mortal Kombat 1
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Released
- September 19, 2023
