Ermac

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Ermac is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

[edit] About Ermac

Making his official debut in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Ermac has been a controversial and mysterious character in the Mortal Kombat series whose existence was rumored since its inception. It is now clear that Ermac is an amalgam of many souls destroyed in Outworld's wars who came to be controlled by Shao Kahn and his shadow priests. Because of this, he commonly refers to himself as "we", "us", and "our" instead of "I", "me", and "my". Due to the sheer concentration of souls within Ermac, he possesses the gift of telekinesis and can travel to different realms. However, the depths of Netherealm drain his powers and souls. He is weakened dramatically while there.

He made his return in Mortal Kombat: Deception, where he was freed from Shao Kahn's grip by the blind swordsman Kenshi. He decided to become a force of good partly in guilt of his past evils. To prove this, he decides to help Liu Kang free the souls of his friends from control of Onaga.

[edit] Storyline

Ermac is an entity composed of legions of dead souls created by Shao Kahn, most likely out of souls he had previously taken. On one mission for Shao Kahn in the Netherrealm, Ermac became acquainted with Shujinko. He was also assaulted by Ashrah who believed him to be a demon.

Ermac served as one of Shao Kahn's greatest warriors, participating in the invasion of Earthrealm (as recounted in Mortal Kombat 3). However, after Shao Kahn's defeat and subsequent loss of power, Ermac remained under Kahn's control and wandered Outworld without instructions. During the events of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the wandering Ermac was found by the blind swordsman Kenshi and was freed from Kahn's control. To show his gratitude, Ermac taught Kenshi the art of telekinesis.

Ermac's newfound freedom meant he was also free to choose his own destiny. He decided to repent his earlier ways and became a force for good. After making this decision, he met a warrior soul who, like Kenshi, understood his suffering. This warrior soul was that of Liu Kang and was not only in need of another ally, but assistance in freeing his enslaved comrades. Ermac was eager to help Liu Kang, as this was an opportunity to help him atone for the evil he had committed in Shao Kahn's name. Ermac decided to help Liu Kang and the two would set out to free Liu's allies (Jax, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Kitana and Kung Lao) from Onaga's control. They are eventually successful in their pursuit.

In Ermac's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon ending, it is said that after he defeats Blaze, the many souls contained inside of Ermac are released and form new bodies. They are all connected to each other mentally in a collective conscience, now making Ermac no longer just a fusion of souls, but an army.^[1]

[edit] Combat characteristics

[edit] Signature moves

• Teleport Punch: Just like Scorpion, Ermac vanishes in a cloud of fire and reappears behind his opponent punching them. (UMK3, MKT)
• Air Teleport Punch: Ermac does the teleport punch in the air. (UMK3, MKT)
• Telekinetic Slam: Using his telekinetic powers, Ermac lifts his opponent and slams them hard on the ground allowing for a combo. (UMK3, MKT, MK:D, MK:A)
• Hado-Energy: Ermac sends a green fireball slithering at his opponent. (UMK3, MKT, MK:D, MK:A)
• Mystic Float: Ermac uses his telekinesis to propel himself into the air for a few seconds. (MK:D, MK:A)
  • Mystic Bomb: After performing "Mystic Float", Ermac slams his body on the ground, creating a small shockwave. (MK:D, MK:A)
  • Dive Kick: After performing "Mystic Float", Ermac dives forward with an aerial kick. (MK:D, MK:A)
• Telekinetic Throw: Ermac telekinetically tosses his opponent across the arena behind him. (MK:D, MK:A)

[edit] Recurring fatalities

• Telekinetic Massacre: Ermac repeatedly telekinetically slams the opponent over and over until they explode. (UMK3, MKT, MK:D)

[edit] Appearances in other media

[edit] Film

Ermac in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

In the movie Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Ermac (played by John Medlen) was one of Shao Kahn's generals. Ermac was portrayed as a cunning and mostly quiet character, though he did not hesitate at the opportunity for a power grab after the apparent death of Rain. However, the position of general was awarded to Sindel. Ermac survived until the final confrontation with the Earthrealm warriors, where he did battle with Sonya Blade and Jax. Noob Saibot spawns from Ermac's body during the fight to assist him, though both are ultimately defeated.

[edit] Television

In the animated series, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, Ermac had a one-episode appearance in which he and his army attempted to use a non-canon female ninja, Ruby, to defeat Jax and to lure the other warriors to their doom. Ruby proved to be true to her friends on the side of good, however, and Ermac's forces were defeated. Ermac's appearance in this episode was as a normal human who had an allegiance to Shao Kahn and even revealed a goatee and receding hairline when he unmasked.

[edit] Character development

Diagnostics Screen which originated the rumor

In the first few arcade versions of Mortal Kombat, there was a listing in the audit menu for "ERMACS". In Revision 3.0 it was actually listed directly underneath "Reptile Battles" giving the appearance that they were grouped together. It was believed to reference a character the same way "Reptile Battles" does which led people to believe that Ermac was also a secret character. The Ermac listing is a shortening of the term "Error Macro". This is referenced in a hidden reversed message in Mortal Kombat: Deception's Konquest mode which states "It is a little known fact that Ermac is short for Error Macro". Electronic Gaming Monthly published a photo to accompany a letter from "Tony Casey" reporting an alleged encounter.[1] However, Ermac did not appear in any version. There is also no naturally occurring default character palette that would provide a full pallette swap for Ermac whom was rumored to be a pallete swap of the Ninja characters.

The MK crew denied that he existed in Mortal Kombat II with one of the jumbled messages that appeared at the bottom of the screen after beating the game: CEAMR ODSE NTO EXITS (an anagram of "Ermac does not exist"), and the occasional appearance of the secret character Jade with the message "Ermac Who?". The numerous rumors of his existence led to his debut as an official character in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. His storyline is even based off his own rumor as well and later changed to become a legit character in Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Until Mortal Kombat: Deception, he was just another palette swapped ninja. Around the time of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the creators made the choice to give all the ninjas their own look and identity.

[edit] Trivia

• In Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, he shared the uppercut fatality with Smoke's human form.
• In his Deception ending, he is described by Shujinko as being capable of handling Kung Lao, Sonya, Kitana, Jax, and Johnny Cage all by himself (with relative ease).
• In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, one Game Over message reads, "Ask Ermac for Help". This is designed as a hint to the player of how to encounter the hidden boss fight with Ermac at the warrior shrine. Some believe this as a reference to MK:D however this is very unlikely as the games have yet to have any history in exchanging messages from each other, let alone revealing storyline which has not yet to have taken place. Ermac's appearance at the Warriors Shrine (a stage in the first Mortal Kombat) in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks can be taken as a sort of inside joke, as he was rumored to be in the first Mortal Kombat game. Also, he takes the place of the Scorpion statue for who he is a palette swap of.
• Ermac is the first Mortal Kombat character to use the power of telekinesis.
• Because he had taught Kenshi the art of telekinesis, it was believed that he was going to be Kenshi's mentor and trainer. This concept was to give him a rather "human" look, but because Ermac is well known to the fans as a ninja, the concept of giving him a human look was dropped (it was also said that his concept made him look too wealthy as well). Also, being Kenshi's mentor didn't make sense as Kenshi is considered to be a skillful and talented warrior himself, so that concept was dropped also. However, Kenshi and Ermac remain as comrades-in-arms.
• When knocked off of the Sky Temple stage in Deception and Armageddon, Ermac will stop screaming and shout "Suck it!" before resuming screaming once again as he hits the ground.

[edit] References