Ermac is the red-garbed ninja who utilizes telekinesis during fights in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
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.
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 Briggs, 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.
Combat characteristics[]
Powers and Abilities[]
As mentioned above, Ermac is not one person, but an entire collection of entities brought together in physical form through magic, courtesy of Shang Tsung and thus, refers to himself as a group instead of a singular. Because of this, Ermac possesses powers related to the soul, mostly used in the form of telekinesis, which allows him to manipulate every aspect of living and non-living objects with his mind. In addition, he is able to manipulate soul energy because of his composition, which he uses in the form of both levitation and firing projectile attacks. Ermac's one weakness is the Netherrealm itself. Since he is a being created by magic, his powers would decrease over time the longer he stays in that realm, weakening the bond holding the souls together and threatening his very existence.
Signature moves[]
- Teleport Punch: Just like Scorpion, Ermac vanishes in a cloud of fire and reappears behind his opponent punching them. (UMK3, MKT, MK:SM)
- Air Teleport Punch: Ermac does the teleport punch in the air. (UMK3, MKT, MK:SM)
- 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:SM, MK:A)
- Hado-Energy: Ermac sends a green zig-zag ball slithering at his opponent. (UMK3, MKT, MK:D, MK:SM, 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 down onto 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)
Fatalities[]
- Telekinetic Slams: Ermac repeatedly telekinetically slams the opponent over and over until they explode. (UMK3, MKT, MK:D)
- Uppercut from Hell: Ermac unleashes a devastating uppercut that decapitates the opponent (UMK3, MKT)
- Telekinetic Tear: Ermac lifts the victim into the air with his telekinetic powers. With both hands, he brings them together as the opponent's body is suddenly forced into a fetal-like position before spreading the opponent out and rips them in half. (MK:D)
Other Finishers[]
- Friendship: Ermac levitates the opponent, makes them disappear, then makes them reappear as a rabbit. (UMK3, MKT)
- Animality: Ermac turns into a frog. It then opens its mouth the feet of opponent and eats him/her alive like the frog on the poster for the horror movie Frogs. (UMK3, MKT)
- Hara-Kiri: Ermac kneels to the ground and promptly bashes his head onto the ground causing blood and pieces of his brain to leak out, before bashing his head once more, falling off in the process. (MK:D)
Endings[]
- Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3:(Non-Canonical) "Having been in hiding since the first Mortal Kombat, neither the Earth nor the Outworld warriors has recognized this elusive ninja. Ermac uses his victory in the tournament to prove his existence... As well as a warning that he will return as an unstoppable force in the fourth Mortal Kombat."
- Mortal Kombat Trilogy:(Non-Canonical) "When Kahn finally eliminates his opposition, he finds a new and surprising foe in Ermac. The Outworld souls that give life to the warrior did not trust their tyrannical leader who planned to consume the powerful life force of his own power. Even Shao Kahn's power was no match for the over-whelming strength of legions of deceased Outworld warriors. They destroyed their master in a battle that devastated the entire realm. Ermac was left behind to rule it with his own brand of oppression."
- Deception: "In an outer chamber of the Dragon King's throne room, Ermac did battle with Liu Kang's enslaved comrades. Ermac was more than a match for the five warriors, but their defeat was not his objective. Liu Kang materialized and, one by one, freed their souls while Ermac occupied the rest. Eventually, all five were awakened from their enchantment and freed from Onaga's control. Ermac was pleased that his warrior skills could for once bring about a noble outcome. He sensed, however, that an ominous force still shaped the destiny of the realms. It was everywhere. He could feel its influence on Onaga, though the Dragon King was oblivious to its manipulation. Time was running out. Ermac feared the celebration of this latest victory would be short-lived."
- Armageddon:(Non-Canonical) "The energy of Blaze shattered Ermac, separating him into the many warriors who comprised his being. Now each with his own physical form, the Ermacs are linked psychically and act according to their collective consciousness. No longer a mere fusion of warrior souls, Ermac has become an army."
Appearances in other media[]
Film[]
John Medlen as Ermac.
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 - Ermac's neck is broken by Sonya, echoing Kano's similar death in the first movie.
Character development[]
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.
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.
Rumors[]
Ermac was created by the MK Team because of fan mythology. It was said that by overplaying the Sega version of Mortal Kombat with Scorpion, the screen would eventually flaw and flash an alert message on the screen. The message read "Error Macro" and it would turn Scorpion's yellow outfit red. This was proven to be completely false. However, the MK Team, having a good sense of humor, thought it would be a nice treat to the fans to include Ermac in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. This actually refreshed some of the speculations regarding this rumor. But, as fans know, the MK Team is known for throwing fans off to add mystery to their games.
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; the hoax that appeared on EGM also hinted that, supposedly, the way to fight him had something to do with the Warriors Shrine. Also, he takes the place of the Scorpion statue for who he was originally a palette swap of.
Character Relationships[]
- Fused with souls by Shao Kahn and served him.
- Trained Shujinko his fighting styles.
- Fought Ashrah who believed Ermac to be a demon.
- Freed from Shao Kahn's control by Kenshi and he becomes Kenshi's mentor.
- Allied with Liu Kang's spirit.
- Freed Liu Kang's friends from Onaga's spell in Deception.
- Made a truce with Ashrah to stop evil.
- Joined the forces of light to the final battle in Armageddon.