Kitana

Kitana (/kɪˈtɑːnə/ ki-TAH-nə) is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat media franchise originally by Midway Games and later by NetherRealm Studios. Debuting in Mortal Kombat II (1993) as a player character and as a royal from the fictional realm of Edenia. She is originally depicted as being the daughter of Shao Kahn, the ruler of Outworld, but it is later revealed that she is the true daughter of King Jerrod, the king of Edenia. She uses steel fans as her primary weapon. In the series, Kitana is aligned with multiple characters, especially Mileena who originally served as her clone. Kitana also shares the relationship as the love interest for the series' protagonist Liu Kang and serves as one of the main characters of the franchise herself. In Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), Kitana becomes Kahn of Outworld after defeating Shao Kahn.

During the development of the original Mortal Kombat (1992), a character known as "Kitsune" was intended by Mortal Kombat's co-creator John Tobias to be in the game but was removed, that character later came into existence under the name "Kitana", which is derived from two words "Kitsune" and "Katana". Throughout the Mortal Kombat series, she eventually becomes one of its mainstays. Kitana is depicted as a warm-blooded woman, fighting for the protection of her realm and its people. Kitana has been featured in various media outside of the games, such as films and comics. She is well received by critics for her appearance, personality, and character development and has become one of the most popular and iconic characters of the franchise, and is often considered the face or mascot of the Mortal Kombat female characters.