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Several characters do try to kill him but actually doing it seems to be a bitch. Raiden explicitly refers to him as an immortal in the first film, and the games are somewhat vague on the matter. The Ageless: At least, though it's not clear how he differs from the millions of others in Outworld or Edenia (or, basically, anywhere but Earth).Again, very downplayed, especially since he still goes through with killing people and what he did to Sindel. An Implied Death Threat for sure, but compared to how often he enslaves people in one form or another, this seems like he just intends to Kill 'Em All instead. Very downplayed compared to the other examples, but Mortal Kombat: Annihilation has him say the people of Earthrealm will rest in peace.In the games, he only ever saw her as a disposable tool at best. When he has Kitana killed in the finale, he seems genuinely upset that he had to kill his own step-daughter (contrasting the gleeful boasting of his other victims' death). Also downplayed in Mortal Kombat: Conquest.While he does still invade Earthrealm despite losing and scoffs at the Elder Gods at one point while meeting with them in the sequel, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, Shao Kahn does respect them enough to go through proper channels in the first place to get another tournament approved. In Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, Shao Kahn simply beats Shang Tsung. In the main series, Shao Kahn was ready to execute Shang Tsung for his failure in Mortal Kombat, until Shang Tsung proposed a plan to host another tournament in Outworld. Downplayed in the Mortal Kombat Legends duology.In Legacy, he's even got a good head of hair! In Annihilation, he looks like a regular human being. Adaptational Attractiveness: Normally, he looks like a monster under his helmet (see Butter Face below).
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Actually a Doombot: Remember him getting killed by Shang Tsung and Quan Chi in the beginning of Deadly Alliance? Yeah, neither does he.In the end, Kitana is less his daughter and more a tool or minion that only lives to serve Shao and is just as disposable as anyone else. He expects absolute loyalty from his adopted daughter without repaying her back equally and any mess-ups Kitana makes are responded to by Shao either dismissing her as a disappointment or is all too willing to kill her in the event she betrays him to fight with the forces of Earthrealm.
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Abusive Parents: His adopting Kitana after killing Jerrod, her biological father, makes Shao this by default.However, even they are only loyal to him out of the opportunity for more power and they end up usurping his throne in their respective endings. Ultimately, the only allies who don't defect from him are Skarlet, Kollector, and Sindel. Most of Outworld is sick of his reign, and this is frequently lampshaded in arcade endings and character interactions.
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