Mortal Kombat 1 Kung Lao Guide – MK1 Move List and Best Combos

Want to know how to play Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat 1? This returning hero of Earthrealm has a reworked story in the reborn Mortal Kombat universe. He teams up with fire god Liu Kang, Raiden, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, and other heroes to take part in a tournament once more.

While he still has his bladed hat, Kung Lao gains some new attacks too. For a primer on all the characters in the game, check out our Mortal Kombat 1 roster tier list. And here’s how to block in Mortal Kombat 1 if you’re just getting to the game’s new fighting system. We also have a Mortal Kombat 1 tips and tricks section for beginners. You’ll still need to spend time in the game to understand characters like Ashrah, Smoke, and Goro.

Mortal Kombat 1 Kung Lao Guide

This guide will have you control the battleground with your bladed fan as Kung Lao in MK1. Your combos can be extended with the help of Kameo fighters like Shujinko and Motaro. This is a new system in MK1 that lets you call in some support during a round. Here’s how to unlock all Kameo fighters in Mortal Kombat 1.

Before you check out all of Kung Lao’s moves, here’s a chart that will let you understand this irrespective of which platform you’re on.

Notation	Attack	PlayStation	Xbox	Nintendo Switch	PC
1	Front Punch	Square	X	Y	J
2	Back Punch	Triangle	Y	X	I
3	Front Kick	Cross	A	B	K
4	Back Kick	Circle	B	A	L

Kung Lao Move List

The latest iteration of the MK franchise refines its foundation but doesn’t tinker too much with what previous games got right. Moves in Mortal Kombat 1 can be classified into the following:

• Basic Attacks
• Aerial Attacks
• Throws
• Special Moves
• Fatal Blow
• Fatalities
• Brutalities

Kung Lao Basic Attacks

Basic attacks are used to start, extend, and end combos in MK1. Here are all of Kung Lao’s basic attacks:

• Bare Knuckles: Front Punch
• Dragon Scales: Front Punch, Back Punch
• Punishing Palm: Front Punch, Back Punch, Front Punch
• Shaolin Strike: Back + Front Punch
• Sweep The Foot: Back + Front Punch, Back Kick
• Crushing Palm: Down + Front Punch
• Open Palm: Back Punch
• Body Blows: Back Punch, Front Punch
• Madam El-Bo: Back Punch, Front Punch, Back Punch
• Eight Trigram Palm: Back Punch, Front Punch, Back Punch, Front Punch
• Heavy Chops: Back + Back Punch
• Human Weapon: Back + Back Punch, Back Kick
• Downward Slice: Forward + Back Punch
• Rising Chi: Down + Back Punch
• Double Down: Front Kick
• Knee Buckle: Back + Front Kick
• Focused Footsies: Back + Front Kick, Front Kick
• Monastery Mixup: Back + Front Kick, Back Kick
• Dip One’s Woes: Forward + Front Kick
• Leg Day: Forward + Front Kick, Front Kick
• One More Time: Forward + Front Kick, Front Kick, Front Kick
• Flick Kick: Down + Front Kick
• Spinning Heel: Back Kick
• Get Back: Back Kick, Back Kick
• Shaolin Spin: Back + Back Kick
• Monk Drop: Forward + Back Kick
• Step Kick: Down + Back Kick

Kung Lao Aerial Attacks

With Mortal Kombat 1’s brand-new focus on aerial combat, keep track of how you can fight in the skies. Here are Kung Lao’s aerial attacks in Mortal Kombat 1:

• Clam Palm: Forward + Up + Front Punch
• Quick Fist: Forward + Up + Front Punch, Back Punch
• Hinge Kick: Forward + Up + Front Punch, Back Punch, Back Kick
• Bloody Brim: Forward + Up + Back Punch
• Broken Toe: Forward + Up + Front Kick or Back Kick
• Split Kick: Forward + Up + Front Kick, Back Kick
• Spinning Finish: Forward + Up + Front Kick, Back Kick, Front Kick

Kung Lao Throws

Here are Kung Lao’s throws in Mortal Kombat 1:

• Shove: Forward + Thow or Front Punch + Front Kick
• Countless Blows: Throw or Front Punch + Front Kick

Kung Lao Breakers and Taunts

A Kombo Breaker lets you break free from enemy combos by using your Super Meter. Taunts let you distract your enemies, prompting them to switch up their combos. Here are Kung Lao’s Breakers and Taunts:

• Kombo Breaker: Forward + Block
• Taunts: Down, Down, Down, Down

Kung Lao Special Moves

Kung Lao uses his martial prowess to unleash special moves on his opponents. Here are Kung Lao’s special moves in Mortal Kombat 1:

• Buzzsaw: Back, Forward, Front Punch
• Hat Toss: Down, Back, Front Punch
• Direct Up: Hold Up
• Direct Down: Hold Down
• Shaolin Shimmy: Back, Forward, Back Punch
• Kung-Kussion: Down, Back, Back Punch
• Shaolin Spin: Up, Up, Front Kick
• Extended Shaolin Spin: Hold Front Kick
• Soaring Monk: Down, Back, Back Kick
• (Air) Dive Kick: Down, Back, Back Kick

Kung Lao Fatal Blow

Here’s Kung Lao’s Fatal Blow move that can be triggered at low health:

• Practiced and Perfected: Flip Stance + Block

Kung Lao Fatalities

Each MK1 character has two fatalities so far. Here’s how to unlock fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1. These finishers are the gory spectacles that celebrate this franchise’s penchant for violence. Some well-known fatalities are Geras’ Sand Storm and Kitana’s Royal Blender. Kameo fighters like Sektor and Cyrax have fatalities of their own too. Kung Lao’s finishers are just as lethal. Here are Kung Lao’s fatalities in MK1:

• Lao’d and Clear: Back, Forward, Back, Back Kick
• Second Fatality: Back, Down, Down, Front Kick

Kung Lao Brutalities

Here’s how to unlock and do a brutality in Mortal Kombat 1. Initially, players will only be able to do a single type of brutality. As you progress forward, you will unlock new brutalities for characters. Here are Shang Tsung’s brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1:

• The Klassic: Down + Back Punch
• Spin Cycle: Throw and tap Forward, Down, Back, Up
• Grind Away: Back, Forward + Front Punch and hold Front Punch (jump distance)
• Grind Away: Down, Back + Back Punch + Block, and tap any attack button repeatedly
• Magic Hat: Down, Back + Back Kick and hold Up
• Not Holding Back: Back Punch, Front Punch, Back Punch, Front Punch, and hold Up

Best combos for Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat 1

Here are the best combos to string together as Kung Lao in MK1:

• Punishing Palm is Kung Lao’s bread-and-butter move. This lets him set up elaborate combos alongside Kameo fighters like Scorpion, Kano, or Jax.
• Human Weapon is a good launcher that can be followed up with Aerial combos. This is a good way to use the new aerial combos of MK1.
• Hat Trick is as versatile as ever, letting you throw your bladed hat to keep your enemy guessing, and has solid zoning capabilities.

That covers how to play Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat 1. You’ll get to witness his journey to Outworld and meet reimaginations of popular characters like Li Mei, Mileena, Kitana, General Shao, and Sindel. Note that some characters like Darrius, Sonya Blade, and Stryker are only Kameo fighters. They don’t play the same role in the narrative as Reiko, Nitara, or Tanya. But they can still do fatalities like Kano’s Heart Ripper and Jax’s Big Boot.

If you prefer fighting as an Outworlder, here’s our Mortal Kombat 1 Li Mei guide. Players with a leaning towards violence could consider the Mortal Kombat 1 Havik guide. And to check out the game’s gory finishers, here’s our Mortal Kombat 1 fatality list, complete with button combinations. Now get to the game and take it for a spin on PC, PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series X|S, or the Nintendo Switch.

Is Kung Lao playable in mk1?

Yes, Kung Lao is playable in MK1.