The Philosophy Behind Scorpion From Mortal Kombat - A Path Of Fire

Scorpion│© NetherRealm Studios

Scorpion is one of the most iconic characters from Mortal Kombat. The first games of the series didn't give much information about his past, other than he was the revenant of a ninja, murdered by Sub-Zero. Later the public was introduced to variations of Scorpion´s story. Basically, he is Hanzo Hasashi, a skilled member of the Japanese clan Shirai Ryu. When he is killed with his family and group, his troubled spirit goes to Netherrealm, land of the mad god Shinnok, who tries to take advantage and blackmail him to join his shady interests. Hanzo becomes Scorpion and develops the ability to emit and withstand fire.

Initially portrayed as a villain, later Scorpion developed a more heroic role. To me, he always represented much more than impressive fighting moves and an awesome catchphrase; he is a powerful warrior and a complex, fascinating and mysterious character who evokes many reflections, as we are going to see here.

Fire and bones 

When we think about Scorpion and his connection to Netherrealm, it is impossible not to remember about the Greek mythology of the Underworld, where the dead would go to a sinister afterlife. Nevertheless, we can also associate Scorpion´s desire for revenge with the Buddhist idea that if a dead person has unfinished business, the soul won't rest. 

Scorpion´s story is related to the symbology of fire. When he uses it as a weapon, it is a reminder of his agony; he revives the moment of his trauma, as it is explained in the comic Mortal Kombat X (2015). Fire can kill, but, being the most inconstant and mutable thing, according to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus (Britannica), it also represents change, regeneration and process. In The Book of Five Rings (written around 1645), the Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi quotes: “Whether big or small, fire always has the extraordinary power of transformation”.

Scorpion looks human when he is wearing the mask, but underneath it, his head is just a skull, which is a symbol of mortality and that we are all the same: it doesn't matter gender, religion, beauty, colour, vanity, wealth… After we die, we all become bones. In Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020), Hanzo tries to open his son's eyes in that sense: “Life is cruel, Satoshi. It doesn't care where you are from, what god you pray to. You must face it head on.”

It is because of its endurance and skills that Hanzo chooses the name Scorpion. Primarily nocturnal and non-social, the arachnid has a mysterious aura. They are well adapted, fast, strong, venomous and armed with a stinger and claws (Britannica). Hanzo´s abilities are very similar: he is discreet, solitary (after he loses his clan), vigorous, skilful and precise and has an unbreakable spirit. 

The scene where Hanzo and his son see a resilient scorpion combating hundreds of ants in Scorpion's Revenge is very emblematic. Hanzo says: “It is strong, yes, it is fast. But do you know why the scorpion is feared? Its will. Willpower is what makes your destiny your own. Learn to be strong in mind and in heart.” He shows this willpower later in the same film, when he is tortured and attacked by thousands of demons in Netherrealm and bravely holds on and defeats them all. 

Scorpions are opportunistic predators and prey on any animal and insect they can capture. (Britannica). Our Scorpion is also opportunistic, like in the comics Blood and Thunder (1994), where he seeks only his objectives, doing whatever it takes to get what he wants. But he shows honour too. To Confucius, “the complete man remembers what is right in sight of an advantage.”

In the movies Mortal Kombat (1995) and Annihilation (1997) and in the television series Conquest (1998-1999), Scorpion is portrayed as a ruthless villain working for Shao Kahn. He is heroic in the comic Mortal Kombat X (2015), in the series Legacy (2011-2013) and in the animated films Legends. In Battle of the Realms (2021), for instance, Scorpion gets valuable advice from Raiden that resonates within his heart: “You have long straddle the fence between light and dark. It is time you pick a side. I believe that is what your wife and child would have wanted”. He then joins Sub-Zero (Kuai Liang) to support Liu Kang in saving the realms. 

When he helps others, Scorpion is following one of the vows of the Bushido, the warrior code: altruism. According to the Hagakure, a book from the former samurai and Zen Buddhist monk Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659–1719), a warrior should always be “deeply compassionate and help all human beings.” 

Ninja Versus Samurai

Speaking about samurai… In the later Mortal Kombat film (2021), Scorpion´s attire is inspired by samurai rather than ninja, as was custom in the franchise. Along with the iconic kunai spear, he even uses a katana sword, the “soul of the samurai.” In an interview for Screenrant, the director Simon McQuoid emphasized that Japanese history and the search for Scorpion´s possible heritage and for something new, authentic and powerful inspired the outfit. The experienced Hiroyuki Sanada – the first Japanese actor to play Scorpion – was the one who helped to develop the costume accurately. 

Some fans disliked the change, however Scorpion had already experienced a lot of variations over the years, both in design and story. He had had similarities with a samurai before: in Scorpion's Revenge and in the game Mortal Kombat X he uses swords. Another interesting fact: it is believed that when Ed Boon and John Tobias created him, they were inspired by the prominent samurai, general, strategist and swordmaster Hanzo Hattori (1542-1597), known as Demon Hanzo. Regardless, we cannot deny that the film´s samurai attire looks awesome along with Sanada´s brilliant portrayal of the character. 

I believe this change plays an important role in emphasizing Scorpion´s moral conduct from now on. While samurai who rose to power in Japan in the 12th century, were aristocratic and stoic warriors who developed a disciplined culture based on bravery, virtue and loyalty, the ninja (shinobi), who appeared in the fifteenth century, didn't care much about pride or honour. Shinobi were the ancient equivalent of secret agents or spies and were involved in espionage, sabotage, ambush, infiltration and assassination (Ninja vs. Samurai, Violet Cloutman). In other words, they were hired by powerful clans – including samurais – to do dirty work. 

Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion│© Warner Bros. Pictures

The Way Of The Samurai 

One of the most eye-popping scenes regarding Scorpion in my opinion is – along with the impressive final battle in the 2021 film – when he kills Sub-Zero in Scorpion´s Revenge. As throwing him off a bridge into a spike pit, Scorpion voluntarily falls together; both are impaled through the abdomen. It kind of resembles an act of seppuku from Scorpion. 

The Hagakure states that “the way of the samurai is death”. It is necessary to consider that we are talking about warriors here and that the Japanese concept of death, according to Yukio Mishima in his book On Hagakure, is simple and straight, not loathsome and fearful as for Westerners. A samurai would choose to die in battle or in a ritual because he doesn't fear death and nothing is deeper than his devotion to serve. The Code of the Samurai, book from the samurai Daidoji Yuzan (1639-1730), also brings this concept: “the warrior must live being prepared to die. When death is kept in mind, selfishness disappears”. 

The 2021 film starts with a candid and beautiful scene where Hanzo says to his wife, in a decorous almost shy way: “I am grateful and blessed to be with you”. We can see respect, devotion and true love. Mishima explains that for Japanese culture when love is pure and chaste, it is no different from the loyalty to a master, so the devotion for the partner presupposes enormous strength. What “emanates from pure instinctive sincerity leads directly to an ideal to strive for, to die for if necessary.” That explains why Hanzo says sorry to her and his son for not being able to save them; he feels ashamed and bears on his shoulders total responsibility for what happened, although it wasn't his fault.

The anthropologist Ruth Benedict defines Japanese morality as a ‘morality of shame’. Warriors are always mindful of their enemies, defending their morale by constant anticipation. To a samurai, a failure is a reason to end his life because, as the Hagakure quotes: “one may measure the stature of a person's dignity on the basis of external impression”. But Bushido can be contradictory; it also suggests that shame can also provide new energy to settle the score. 

Scorpion│© NetherRealm Studios

Devotion implies courage, which is something that is supposed to be fixed in the samurai's heart. For that, it should be stimulated since infancy; Hanzo imbues courage into his son in Scorpion's Revenge and in Legacy. Hagakure states that when a warrior courageously acts, “ten men cannot topple a man with such conviction.” The scene where Hanzo furiously kills the invaders in the 2021 film after finding his family dead illustrates that. He has a heart-breaking look of helplessness, rage and pain in his face. When he screams Bi-Han´s name in anger, it gives shivers down the spine; it is the cry of someone deeply hurt and willing to take revenge or to die trying. Sanada captures that torment of Hanzo with mastery. 

Warriors in Japan were, as author Yoshisaburo Okakura defines, “Spartans in the fight, Stoics in their grief.” Hanzo was killed and Scorpion was brought back to life; though rage and guilt were burning in his heart, he held on and fought, like the Hagakure quotes: “a samurai who becomes tired or discouraged in times of misfortune is of no use. When meeting difficult situations, he should dash forward bravely. Courage is gritting one's teeth: it is simply pushing ahead, paying no attention to the circumstances.” 

The Japanese concepts of Gaman and Kaizen apply in Scorpion´s case. Gaman  means to endure the seemingly unbearable with dignity and patience. Kaizen is the resolution of making small changes routinely to improve. According to Mishima, if it was not possible to die, the samurai, a nihilist, a realist and an ever-practical individual, should endure his agony (Gaman) and prepare to fight better in another opportunity (Kaizen). “A samurai's training lasts a lifetime. A true samurai lives out his day in constant effort to improve.” 

The Shirai Ryu and his family were everything to Hanzo. This quote from Hagakure fits like a glove to exemplify Scorpion´s devotion for them: “A samurai without a group is not a samurai. Though I die and am reborn again and again, the determination to serve is the first resolution and my reason for living. Even if I were to be reborn again seven times, I neither expected nor wanted anything more than to devote myself entirely to the han.” 

The social system in Japan is based on filial piety, the outcome of ancestor-worship, which presupposes altruism in one hand and loyalty and love of the fatherland in the other. In ancient Japan it was implied that ancestors “demanded of their living descendants that they should be good and brave in their own way.” That cultural aspect is present when Scorpion says to Cole Young: “Take good care of my bloodline!”

A Man Of Word

Besides devotion, the way of the warrior is also about appropriate action, thought and word. We have an example of Scorpio´s moral conduct in Battle of the Realms when he admits to Kuai Liang he made a mistake killing many people and his innocent brother when being deceived; he then tries to make amends. Confucius points that the fact that it is impossible to live without making mistakes, doesn’t invalidate the necessity of correcting them. 

In the 2021 film, Scorpion shows commitment to his word. There is true resolution in his voice when Hanzo says to Bi-Han (Sub-Zero), “I may not understand your words, but I promise you this: I will kill you.” What a samurai says on any occasion is extremely important because what is spoken manifests valour: “By a single word strength or cowardice can be seen. A samurai's word is harder than metal.”

Scorpion vs Sub-Zero│© NetherRealm Studios

Hanzo fights against Bi-Han in the Shirai Ryu compound in an impressive scene, and before dying he says: “Do not forget this face!”. Having that dialogue in mind, it is very powerful when Scorpion confronts Sub-Zero in their final battle:  “Remember this face? I am Scorpion now! You hoped that I would burn in the fires of Hell, but instead I learned to control them!” Notice this last sentence evokes again the concepts of Gaman and Kaizen. 

Embracing Chaos

Scorpion is not flawless; he makes mistakes, he can be selfish and ruthless, he is tormented  by the desire of revenge... The most powerful reflection he brings is precisely in that direction: not to fear our imperfections, to embrace our own chaos and agony because they are an opportunity to analyse and to learn from our flaws in order to change, to heal. The Japanese concept of Kintsugi means the appreciation of imperfection as a metaphor for the healing process. 

The powerful mirror battle in the Mortal Kombat X comic, where Hanzo fights against Scorpion, that is himself, in hell, shows the conflict and duality of the character. Scorpion provokes Hanzo: “Why deny the hell inside of you?” The British philosopher John Gray points out in his book The Soul of the Marionette (2015) that it is indeed useless to run away from ourselves: to accept our powerlessness and conflicts gives us freedom by not imposing a significance to life. As Bruce Lee quotes in Tao of Jeet Kune Do: “To express yourself in freedom you must die to everything of yesterday. From the ‘new’ you gain the flow.”

That is why in Scorpion's Revenge, Raiden urges him to pick a side to make peace with his conscience, as Confucius wrote: “what a true man seeks, he seeks within himself.” During the battle with Scorpion in Mortal Kombat X comic, Hanzo makes a commitment to change: “I've spent too much time carrying guilt. It's time to let my actions speak for themselves. No guilt, no revenge, just justice.” With the desire to heal, he is able to follow Bushido naturally by choosing from within his heart to strive for integrity. 

Scorpion│© NetherRealm Studios

Nevertheless, Scorpion´s story didn't end there. His struggle goes on because life goes on. To Gray, what is singularly human is not consciousness or free will, but precisely inner conflict and the division of ourselves. Hermann Hesse wrote in Steppenwolf that man “is not a fixed and enduring form, he is much more an experiment and a transition. He is nothing else than the narrow and perilous bridge between nature and spirit.” Despite being a spectre and having supernatural powers, Scorpion shows to be very humane, after all Hanzo is always there burning with him and evoking that life is tough and nothing is perfect.

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