Noob Saibot is a fictionalcharacter in the Mortal Kombatfighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Initially introduced as a black silhouette of the series' other male ninjas and sharing their special moves, he was given his own unique movement style and appearance in later games. His name is derived from the surnames of Mortal Kombat creators Ed Boon and John Tobias spelled backwards.
As Noob Saibot, the character debuted as a hidden opponent in Mortal Kombat II (1993) and became playable in the console versions of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1996). He is first depicted as an undead wraith and member of the malevolent Brotherhood of the Shadow cult. His backstory was further expanded in Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004), where he is revealed as Bi-Han, the elder Sub-Zero from the original 1992 game. Reception to the character has been generally positive, particularly in regard to his Fatality finishing moves. He has also appeared in various media outside of the games.
Appearances
Noob Saibot is an undead wraith from the Netherrealm and a member of a cult called the Brotherhood of the Shadow who worships a fallen Elder God, later revealed to be Shinnok. He is first unlockable in Mortal Kombat 2 as a hidden character. He returned as a secret character in Mortal Kombat 3 with the same attributes, but was instead a silhouette of Kano, since there were no human ninjas in the game, and in the Sega Game Gear port, he additionally had Kano's special moves and his "Eye Laser" Fatality. Upon being made playable in the console versions of UMK3 and the 1996 compilation title Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Noob Saibot returned as a palette-swap ninja, and one of ten human ninja swaps in the game overall.[1] becoming playable in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and hidden in Mortal Kombat 4. In Mortal Kombat: Deception, he discovers, reactivates, and reprograms the cyborg ninja Smoke, intending to use his body as the basis for an undead cyborg army. In his ending, he is revealed to be a resurrected Bi-Han, who previously operated as Sub-Zero before he was killed by Scorpion.[2] Besides returning as a cameo in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks where his brother seeks him, Noob Saibot is once again playable in Mortal Kombat Armageddon where the protagonist Taven helps Sub-Zero in defeating Noob Saibot and help him recover his humanity.
In Mortal Kombat (2011), Saibot is resurrected off-screen by Quan Chi and Shao Kahn. While defending the former's "Soulnado", Saibot is defeated by his brother and new Sub-Zero Kuai Liang and presumed dead after being pulled into the Soulnado. In Mortal Kombat 11, Saibot resurfaces as a servant of Kronika, having gained increased power. In the new timeline depicted in Mortal Kombat 1's DLC expansion Khaos Reigns (2024), Bi-Han is captured by Titan Havik, who converts him into Saibot.[3][4][5]
He makes a cameo appearance in Mortal Kombat Annihilation, played by J. J. Perry, and in a self-titled episode of Mortal Kombat: Conquest, played by martial artist Kimball Uddin. He will appear in the upcoming film Mortal Kombat II, portrayed by Joe Taslim, continuing the traditional story of Bi-Han's transformation into the wraith. Joe Taslim explained that the Sub-Zero outfit from the film was made as foreshadowing to his transformation into Noob Saibot.[6]
Concept and creation
The character's name comes from the last names of Mortal Kombat's creators, Ed Boon and John Tobias, spelled backwards. Saibot first appeared in Mortal Kombat II (MKII) as a non-playable hidden character and a solid-black palette swap of the game's other male ninja characters, whom players could fight after winning fifty straight matches. Spurred by the positive reaction to the hidden character Reptile from the first game, Boon added Saibot to MKII without Tobias' knowledge, though Tobias would later create the character's initial backstory as a Netherrealm wraith based on the first Sub-Zero.[7] During his first appearances, Noob Saibot's design was focused around an all-black exterior, with the staff stating "that's what he's all about". They found difficulties in making some versions, without him appearing to look into bondage.[8] Despite his surname being named after Tobias, Tobias did not know about the character until during the development of Mortal Kombat 3.[9]
For Mortal Kombat: Deception, Noob Saibot was the first character drawn and designed by Steve Beran.[10] Beran attempted to make him a more distinctive character, focusing less on his all-black exterior. One design depicted him with a hood, but the idea was later moved to the new character Havik.[8] An early alternate outfit depicted Noob Saibot in a black, red and blue outfit with a Japanese translation of "darkness" on the front flap. He was also shown unmasked, but this design ended up being used as Havik's alternate outfit.[11] The use of a two-on-two combat was meant to be introduced in this game as well, but was only used with Noob Saibot and Smoke. Both characters were models for the use of such a concept and were intended to work together in the player's Fatality finishing move.[12]
For Mortal Kombat 1 Ed Boon explained that the team was careful when making the DLC characters as fans were demanding for classic characters in the new reboot.[13] He linked Sub-Zero's transformation into a villain was linked with Havik which would further explore his corrupted form.[14]
Reception
Noob Saibot has received positive critical reception due to his evolution from a swapped character to a more fullyfledged.[15][16][17]GameRant praised how Midway handled the origins of Noob Saibot's character from a gag to his identity which remained popular within fans who speculated about him. However, he feared how the essence of the character could be ruined in future installments where his human persona is explored.[18] In retrospect, EW said the early Noob Saibot was a mix between Sub-Zero and Scorpion but without any defining characteristic.[19]ShackNews was more positive about his early inclusion in the first Mortal Kombat games due to the achievement the writer had when unlocking him while having one of the most appealing names next to Johnny Cage.[20]
When it came to the second timeline of the Mortal Kombat video games, Shack News lamented that Noob Saibot was not added to Mortal Kombat X based due to the potential he had as result of his design and techniques.[21] As a result, ShackNews wanted him to be downloadable content for such installment.[22]Destructoid had mixed feelings about his gameplay and role in the reboot but looked forward to his role in Mortal Kombat 11.[23]ShackNews editor Ozzie Mejia said Noob Saibot was his favorite Mortal Kombat character as a result of how enjoyable it was to unlock him in Mortal Kombat II and his development in Mortal Kombat Trilogy as well as Mortal Kombat 11 as a more unique fighter thanks to his new moves.[24] For the third timeline of Mortal Kombat, GameRant praised the handling of Noob Saibot for finally having a major role in the story.[25] Despite negative feedback with the DLC, PureXbobx said Noob Saibot's inclusion makes up with it thanks to his fighting style. However, he lamented his role in the final parts of the DLC that might disappoint players.[26]Den of Geek said Noob Saibot "represents the dark sickness that comes from the cycle of violence" which is solidified by how many times he returns as a villain in different timelines.[27] and ranked Noob as the 4th best altered fighting game characters.[28]
When it came to gameplay, the Trilogy version of the character was included in GameSpy's 2009 selection of unbalanced fighting game characters.[29] Due to his overpowered moves, the character was banned from tournaments in Mexico where the franchise is highly popular.[30] Noob Saibot's "Make a Wish" Fatality from the 2011 reboot game was the subject of multiple responses due to how gory it is.[31][32][33][34][35] In July 2011, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart played a video of the finisher while explaining the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the ESRB could regulate video games without government intervention. Kirk Hamilton of Paste commented, "Not only did [Stewart] pick a scene from what is arguably the most ridiculously violent game on the market, he also picked the most gory and painful-looking fatality."[36]Complex ranked the Fatality as the series' best in 2013.[37] Michael McWhertor from Kotaku called it a "highlight" of the game.[38]
Outside the video games, Noob Saibot was one of the characters TechRadar wanted to see in the live-action films as Bi-Han dies in combat with Scorpion, leading to potential of his return but as his corrupted form.[39]ScreenRant wanted to see him in a rematch with Scorpion in a similar fashion to the previous installment while Kuai Lang could replace him as the second Sub-Zero.[40] As a result, the writers were bothered by how early trailers spoiled the scene of Noob Saibot being brutally murdered by Scorpion.[41]
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