Daniel Pesina

Last updated
Daniel Pesina
Daniel Pesina by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Daniel Pesina in 2017
Born (1959-12-01) December 1, 1959 (age 63)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation(s)Martial artist
Actor
Years active1990–present
Family Carlos Pesina (brother)

Daniel Pesina (born December 1, 1959) is an American martial arts expert and a former freelance employee of Midway.

Pesina was born in Chicago, Illinois to Mexican born parents and has studied martial arts since the age of 10. [1]

Pesina started his work as an extra in martial arts films, appearing as one of Shredder's foot soldiers in the 1991 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze .

A lifelong friend of designer John Tobias, Pesina was brought by him to work in a fighting game featuring digitized characters, 1992's Mortal Kombat , where he played Johnny Cage and ninja characters Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Reptile, and served as a martial arts coordinator for the game. [2] Then in Mortal Kombat II he reprised his roles from the previous game, also playing the roles of Smoke, and Noob Saibot. [3]

After his participation in MKII, Pesina parted from Midway, [4] and sued them for unpaid royalties from his likeness being used in the console versions of the first two MK games, a case which he lost by summary judgment. [5] For this reason, from MK3 on his characters were played by different actors: John Turk would take over Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat 3 and the rest of the ninjas in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 , while Johnny Cage would be played by Chris Alexander in Mortal Kombat Trilogy . During this time, Pesina promoted BloodStorm (a fighting game designed by former Midway employee who assisted in the making of Mortal Kombat series) in an advert, dressed up as Johnny Cage, which led to a long-standing rumor that Pesina had been fired from Midway over his participation in promoting BloodStorm. [6] He and his younger brother Carlos also secretly worked on Tattoo Assassins , another competing game to Mortal Kombat. Carlos Pesina remained with Midway until the company's closure, and as of 2019, still works at NetherRealm Studios.

He played a hitman in the 1996 martial arts movie Book of Swords, [7] which also starred fellow MK actors Katalin Zamiar, Ho-Sung Pak and Richard Divizio. Daniel and Carlos also appeared in a videogame-based comedy film entitled Press Start , which was released to DVD on September 25, 2007. In it, Daniel's character is called Sasori, which is Japanese for "Scorpion". As of 2004, Daniel is a teacher at the Chicago Wushuguan School.

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Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is a 2002 fighting game developed and published by Midway for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance. It was the first all-new Mortal Kombat fighting game produced exclusively for home consoles, with no preceding arcade release. It is the fifth main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and a sequel to 1997's Mortal Kombat 4. Its story focuses on the eponymous alliance between sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung and their schemes to revive an ancient army to conquer Outworld and Earthrealm. The game is the only main installment not to feature series protagonist Liu Kang as a playable character. It is also the first game in the canon series to not have the involvement of co-creator John Tobias, as he left Midway in 1999 to pursue other interests.

Sub-Zero is the name used by two characters in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. They are depicted as two Chinese brothers who are ninja warriors of the Lin Kuei clan and principally defined by their blue attire and ability to control ice in many forms. Sub-Zero, as either brother, is the only series character to have appeared in every main installment of the series, along with being featured as the protagonist of the spin-off Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Cage</span> Mortal Kombat character

Johnny Cage is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Introduced in the original 1992 game, he is an action movie star with an extensive martial arts background. The series depicts Cage as one of the primary heroes defending Earthrealm from various threats, as well as the comic foil. In the rebooted timeline, Cage is also the love interest to Special Forces officer Sonya Blade and the father of their daughter Cassie. He is inspired by martial arts star Jean-Claude Van Damme, particularly Van Damme's character, Frank Dux, in the 1988 film Bloodsport.

Characters of the <i>Mortal Kombat</i> series

This is a list of playable and boss characters from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise and the games in which they appear. Created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, the series depicts conflicts between various realms. Most characters fight on behalf of their realm, with the primary heroes defending Earthrealm against conquering villains from Outworld and the Netherrealm. Early installments feature the characters participating in the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament to decide their realm's fate. In later installments, Earthrealm is often invaded by force.

Kenshi (<i>Mortal Kombat</i>) Mortal Kombat character

Kenshi Takahashi is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. He makes his series debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002) as a blind swordsman and Special Forces operative. In addition to his sword skills, he possesses telekinetic abilities.

<i>Mortal Kombat 3</i> 1995 video game

Mortal Kombat 3 is a 1995 arcade fighting game developed by Midway Games and first released into arcades in 1995. It is the third main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and a sequel to 1993's Mortal Kombat II. As in the previous games, it has a cast of characters that players choose from and guide through a series of battles against other opponents. The game avoids the tournament storyline of its predecessors, as various warriors instead fight against the returning Shao Kahn, who has resurrected his bride Sindel and started an invasion of Earthrealm.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (1995 film) 1995 film by Paul W. S. Anderson

Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American fantasy action film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and written by Kevin Droney. Based on the video game franchise of the same name, it is the first installment in the Mortal Kombat film series. Starring Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Robin Shou, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, and Christopher Lambert, the film follows a group of heroes who participate in the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament to protect Earth from being conquered by malevolent forces. Its story primarily adapts the original 1992 game, while also using elements from the game Mortal Kombat II (1993).

Scorpion (<i>Mortal Kombat</i>) Mortal Kombat character

Scorpion is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. A ninja dressed in yellow, his primary weapon is a kunai rope dart, which he uses to harpoon opponents. Debuting in the original 1992 game, Scorpion has appeared as playable in every main installment except Mortal Kombat 3 (1995).

<i>Mortal Kombat Trilogy</i> 1996 video game compilation

Mortal Kombat Trilogy is a fighting game released by Midway in 1996 as the second and final update to Mortal Kombat 3 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn and PCs. Further versions were also released for the Game.com and R-Zone. It features a similar basic gameplay system and the same story as Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, but adds characters and stages restored from Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II. New additions to the game included the "Aggressor" bar. The Brutality mechanic was introduced with this installment. The game was met with positive to mixed reviews upon release.

<i>Mortal Kombat II</i> 1993 video game

Mortal Kombat II is a fighting game originally produced by Midway for the arcades in 1993. It was ported to multiple home systems, including MS-DOS, Amiga, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, 32X, Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and PlayStation only in Japan, mostly in licensed versions developed by Probe Software and Sculptured Software and published by Acclaim Entertainment.

Fatality (<i>Mortal Kombat</i>) Classic finishing move that kills

Fatality is the name given to a gameplay feature in the Mortal Kombat series of fighting video games, in which the victor of the final round in a match inflicts a brutal and gruesome finishing move onto their defeated opponent. Prompted by the announcer saying "Finish Him/Her", players have a short time window to execute a Fatality by entering a specific button and joystick combination, while positioned at a specific distance from the opponent. The Fatality and its derivations are notable features of the Mortal Kombat series and have caused a large cultural impact and controversies.

Reptile (<i>Mortal Kombat</i>) Mortal Kombat character

Reptile is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. He debuted in the original 1992 game as a hidden opponent, establishing him as the first secret character in fighting game history. Reptile became playable in the follow-up Mortal Kombat II (1993) and has remained a mainstay of the franchise. As implied by his name, he is a Saurian, a fictional species of reptilian humanoids. One of the last surviving members of his race, he aligns himself with the series' primary villains in the hope his service will lead to the Saurians' revival.

Carlos Pesina is an American martial artist and employee of NetherRealm Studios. He is most recognized as the actor who played Raiden in Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Since 1995, he has worked for Midway Games as a motion capture artist and animator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortal Kombat (comics)</span> Comic book series

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<i>Mortal Kombat: Live Tour</i>

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<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (1992 video game) 1992 fighting game

Mortal Kombat is a 1992 fighting game developed and published by Midway. It is the first entry in the Mortal Kombat series and was subsequently released by Acclaim Entertainment for nearly every home platform at that time. The game focuses on several characters of various intentions who enter a martial arts tournament with worldly consequences. It introduced many key aspects of the Mortal Kombat series, including the unique five-button control scheme and gory finishing moves called Fatalities.

<i>Mortal Kombat: Legacy</i> Web series directed by Kevin Tancharoen

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References

  1. ↑ Entrevista: Conoce a Johnny Cage (Daniel Pesina) de Mortal Kombat COMPLETAMENTE EN ESPAÑOL!!'. NaoEdwinTv. Mar 20, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  2. ↑ "An Oral History of 'Mortal Kombat'". MEL Magazine. 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
  3. ↑ Mortal Kombat II Archived 2012-07-17 at archive.today , GameSpot, Retrieved, 22 Feb 2008
  4. ↑ Leone, Matt (2012-07-12). "Mortal Kombat's Johnny Cage, 20 years later | Polygon". Theverge.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  5. ↑ "PESINA v. MIDWAY MFG. CO. - Leagle.com" . Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Jensen, K. Thor (2011-01-11). "Bloodstorm - The Scrubbiest Video Game Ads Ever". UGO.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  7. ↑ "IMDb: Book of Swords (1996)". IMDb.com. 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
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