The Unofficial MK vs. SF Saga

Who would win if Ryu were to battle Liu Kang?

This is the question a Fan Fiction writer known as oweaponx sought to answer in the late 1990s, with the creation of a Crossover story pitting all of the characters of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter (or at least, of the corresponding games that had been released up to Mortal Kombat 4 and the Street Fighter 3 series) against each other in tournament-style battles where the outcomes were decided by reader voting. Hence, The Unofficial MK vs. SF Saga was born.

The in-story explanation: In the Street Fighter universe, Akuma manipulates Ryu, Ken, Sakura, Dan, Sagat and Adon into coming to Australia so that he can defeat them all and prove himself the strongest. At the same time, a U.N.-sanctioned military strike is planned against Shadowloo's base of operations in Thailand, commandeered by Guile with assistance from Chun Li, E. Honda, and T. Hawk; however, the planned assault is intercepted by Bison and his forces.

Meanwhile, in the Mortal Kombat universe, Shang Tsung is gathering the various ninja warriors together in a plot to overthrow Shao Kahn. Simultaneously, Liu Kang and several of his fellow Earth-realm warriors team up with Kitana, Raiden and Fujin to prepare for a raid on Kahn's fortress in Outworld; unfortunately, this venture causes them to inadvertently run into an extermination squad led by Kahn himself. A brawl immediately ensues, only to be further complicated when Tsung appears with his assembled ninjas.

Before any of the mentioned scenarios can play themselves out fully, however, from out of nowhere bright auras erupt and consume the warriors of both worlds, causing them to briefly collide. The ensuing fight is swiftly stopped before it can begin, by the one who brought them all there in the first place—a being known simply as the Alpha-Omega.

Once it has everyone's attention, and has summoned all the remaining fighters from each side to the congregation site, Alpha-Omega explains that it has brought all of them together to participate in a single-elimination tournament, to determine which of them, from either side, is the absolute best warrior. The prize? Only the final winner at the end of the contest will know what it is, but all that is known for the moment is that it is a prize that men would willingly kill to attain.

And thus, the tournament begins. But while it progresses, alliances will be made, grudges will be formed and resolved, secrets will be revealed...and the reason for the Alpha-Omega's decision to bring both sides together in the first place will eventually be unveiled...

The story can be accessed here.

NOT TO BE CONFUSED with the animations "Mortal Kombat vs. Street Fighter".

WARNING: Spoilers abound.

Tropes used in The Unofficial MK vs. SF Saga include:
  • Above Good and Evil: The Alpha-Omega's claim about itself. This allows it to be fair and impartial when refereeing the matches.
  • Aside Comment: Done in Chapter 18 by the Alpha-Omega, after Fujin complains that he hasn't had his first-round match as yet despite the final match being announced (prematurely).

Alpha-Omega: Oops! Hmmm. It looks like I left that one out. I did say I was everything - including prone to mistakes (or at least a certain absent-minded writer is).

  • Ax Crazy: A number of the evil characters on both sides.
  • Back From the Dead: The Alpha-Omega resurrects several fighters from both sides who had been dead prior to the tournament, in order to participate. All those who died during the tournament are resurrected at the end of it as well.
  • Bad Boss: Bison. During Guile and Charlie's mutual flashback in Chapter 9, a Shadowloo rifleman shoots Charlie in an attempt to rescue Bison. The response? Bison breaks the rifleman's neck and leaves the body behind.
  • Berserk Button: Several examples abound among various characters in the story.
    • Just the mere mention of Ryu or of how he scarred Sagat is enough to get the former Muay Tai king into a rage. (Of course, this was before the eventual Retcon that established Sagat as having buried his hatred for Ryu.)
    • Bison serves as one for both Guile and Chun Li, as Street Fighter veterans will know already.
    • Do not call Blanka a freak. EVER. MK-1 Reptile gets Impaled with Extreme Prejudice because of it.
    • Guy will not tolerate his fighting style or his master being ridiculed.
    • Kitana does not take kindly to having Shao Kahn referred to as her father.
    • Shao Kahn himself does not take betrayal well.
  • Berserker Rage: Fei Long, during his fight with Stryker in Chapter 12, and later against MK-Trilogy Jade in Chapter 22. He drops out of the tournament out of guilt as a result.
    • Also Necro in Chapter 17, after Quan Chi mocks his girlfriend during their fight.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: Cammy, who in this story is still an agent of Shadowloo, and Sindel, who is portrayed as being loyal to Kahn. Both get better.
  • The Cameo: Cyber-Akuma, brought in to provide an opponent for Fujin.
    • There's also a brief cameo by Wolverine and Captain America, who were fighting Cyber-Akuma in another reality before the Alpha-Omega appeared for him.
  • Can't Catch Up: Yang angrily expresses this view after Yun is defeated by Raiden in Chapter 11.

Yun: This is unfair! How are we supposed to defeat gods, demons, and this sort of crap?!

  • Character Development: Some of the fighters on both sides get it, others...don't.
  • Clothing Damage: Most prominent during the Rose vs. Sindel fight in Chapter 11.
  • Combat Pragmatist: MK-3 Jax throws a crate at Guile during their fight in Chapter 16.
  • Crossover: Well, yeah.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: Several of the fights turn out this way, including and especially fights against the higher-tier MK warriors like Kintaro or Shinnok. Even after Alpha-Omega sets up rules that should prevent such fighters from being too powerful and thus domineering their opponents.
  • Deadpan Snarker: The Alpha-Omega proves to be this.
  • Double Knockout: The outcome of several of the matches.
    • Sakura vs. Nightwolf in Chapter 12.
    • Gill vs. MK-2 Reptile in Chapter 17.
    • Tanya vs. Goutetsu in Chapter 18.
    • Fujin vs. Cyber-Akuma in Chapter 18.
  • The Dragon: Sagat for Bison.
  • Enemy Mine: In Chapter 7, the Street Fighters agree to a temporary truce in order to defend themselves against the oncoming Kombatants. Then the Alpha-Omega comes into play.

This is one of the many things that Raiden, god of thunder, loved most about the inhabitants of his beloved Earth. Yes they all had their dark sides, and some would even kill in cold-blooded murder to get what they wanted, but they also posses a trait that the beings of most other realms lacked. The beings of Earth could, if even only momentarily, and unwillingly, put aside their feelings, demands, and personal issues aside for the common survival of all. If they were vastly out-manned, they were willing to suck-in their pride so that they could live, and protect others, even if some were doing it for seemingly personal reason.

  • Energy Being: The Alpha-Omega.
  • Everyone Can See It: Regarding Ryu's feelings for Sakura. Even Sagat can see it.
  • Evil Counterpart: Shadow Charlie, Shadow Chun Li, Evil Ryu, X-Sakura and Marvel Ken.
  • Evil Overlord: Bison and Shao Kahn, of course.
  • Flexible Tourney Rules: Averted; the rules of the competition are very rigid in order to make all the fights as balanced as possible and to avoid outside interference.
  • Foreshadowing: In Chapter 14, the Alpha-Omega gives a cryptic hint to indicate that the deceased fighters are, in fact, not.

Sonya: People have died already! Many more will die! I could die!
Alpha-Omega: Maybe, but will you? Perhaps a better question is, are they?

  • A Form You Are Comfortable With: The Alpha-Omega takes on the form of various characters familiar to the fighters in order to referee the matches.
  • Genre Savvy: Shao Kahn is aware that sending numerous warriors to attack everyone in his army except himself is a good way to leave him vulnerable to assassination by certain traitorous underlings. Fortunately for him, however, he doesn't need bodyguards to protect him.
  • A God Am I: Gill declares this to MK-2 Reptile before their battle in Chapter 17.
  • Groin Attack: Dee Jay attempts this during his fight with Kintaro in Chapter 17. It works for a while, but...
  • Heroic BSOD: Kitana has one shortly after her mother is broken out of her Brainwashed and Crazy state, only to be hit with Laser-Guided Amnesia afterward.

Kitana: (to Liu Kang) What can I do to help my mother? Can you tell me anything at all? Has anything like this EVER like this occurred on Earth!?

  • Heroic Sacrifice: In Chapter 7, Ryu jumps in the way of a lightning bolt directed at Sakura by Rain. Thanks to the Alpha-Omega's intervention moments afterward, he gets better.
    • Sakura gets to return the favor later in Chapter 27 by jumping in the way of Baraka's blade meant for Ryu.
  • Hidden Depths: Dee Jay's Shut UP, Hannibal speech exemplifies this about him.
  • Humans Are the Real Monsters: Scorpion expresses this view to Dhalsim prior to their fight in Chapter 11.

Scorpion: Mankind is constantly at war with itself, which is how Khan and Shinnok had been so successful in their attacks. Even when it was obvious that the only chance for survival lay in putting past issues aside to unite and drive them back, the fools still bickered over pointless problems. How many lives would be spared if only the jackasses who are supposed to be in charge would SUCK IN their "pride" and focus on doing what is needed to help those less fortunate? Instead of WASTING their fortunes for their toys, limos, and boats, they should have been using their fortunes to help those who didn't have the reserves when the attacks came. If they would have done that, then the poor would have been more willing to fight against what turns out to be an even darker evil than the ones they faced.

    • Also Ermac's speech about humans to Shin Akuma during their fight in Chapter 16.

Ermac: You just right out assume that all creation revolves around you and everything you do. If you see it and like it a lot, you get it in your puny minds that you have to have it. You don't care how you get it, who has to be taken care of, or what has to be done...you get what you want, and to Hell with the rest!

  • Humans Are Morons: A view espoused by several of the non-human warriors on the Mortal Kombat side. One example is Rain, as shown in his pre-fight comments to Sean in Chapter 14:

Rain: Typical of you humans. Waste time with idle chatter, especially in the obvious. I don't know what Kitana sees in any of you, or Jade for that matter. You're all weak, and will be dealt with properly.

    • Baraka also makes his views on humanity known during his fight with Evil Ryu in Chapter 16:

Baraka: You have to be the dumbest race in existence. You spend so much time focusing on personal issues that you miss the real thing. It's even worse when you focus on personal issues of big people, especially your so-called leaders. Whether they are having affairs, accused of possible murder, or some other crud like that, you spend more time focused on that. It's all a big distraction from the real issues that plague the mindless masses of Earth.

Shao Kahn: Traitorous BITCH! For your defiance, I shall personally kill you myself!

  • Real Life Writes the Plot: The match outcomes were decided by reader-voting, with the competitor who got the highest number of votes for that particular poll winning the in-story fight, or, if the number of votes for the two fighters were the same, the result would be a Double Knockout. For example, in the Dan vs. Cyrax fight, Dan was defeated in Real Life by one vote.
  • Reality Warper: The Alpha-Omega can transport the fighters to various types of arenas (many coming from both sides' respective games) in order to provide background scenery variety.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: X-Sakura gives regular Sakura a scathing speech in Chapter 19.

X-Sakura: You need to toughen up, baby! That is all you are, a big baby. You flaunt over Ryu like some pathetic, lovesick schoolgirl. Oh, wait! You are a pathetic, lovesick schoolgirl! My mistake! Anyway, that's why you lost. You need to focus more on the fight at hand, and burn thoughts of everything, especially Ryu, from your feeble mind. That's why you lost, and you know it!

  • Ship Tease: Among various characters, including Liu Kang/Kitana, Guy/Rose, Nightwolf/Jade, and Ryu/Sakura.
  • Shout-Out: Done in Chapter 2 by a messenger who delivers a telegram to Sub-Zero and Smoke, while wondering aloud if he's in a video-game upon hearing that those are in fact the ninjas' names.

Messenger: If a big ape starts climbing a building carrying a yelling woman, I'm gonna take an early retirement!

    • Another one in Chapter 24, done by Sagat:

Sagat: Now, I face Kahn and his wrath. That sounds like the title of a great movie.

  • Shut UP, Hannibal: In Chapter 17, Dee Jay delivers this to Kintaro prior to their fight, when Kintaro joins the line of Outworld warriors who've been ripping humanity a new one. Dee Jay proceeds to get curb-stomped afterward, given who his opponent is, but his speech serves as a Crowning Moment of Awesome for him nonetheless, especially since nobody else who'd gotten deriding speeches had done much to rebut same.

Dee Jay: I'm sick and tired of hearing about all of you other-worlders bashing us "pitiful humans." I'd bet the bank that your own world has it's own crap, mon. We have ours, but don't go ripping us until you have seen your own. We all may be willing to tear open each other for a quick profit, but just as many are willing to help in a time of desperate need. We all do our best to do our part, whether it be to help the hungry, or our planet itself.

Noob Saibot: Attack me if...nah, that's something a drag would say!

  • Talking Is a Free Action: Both played straight and averted. One instance of the trope played straight is during Chapter 6, in the middle of a fight with Shao Kahn's warriors:

Sonya: I know it's a real pain, Kitana, but we MUST keep on. A lot of people are depending on you to help in this. Look at your friend, Jade. She just now risked it all in the middle of Khan's ranks for you. Now, she fights your clone, Mileena. She needs to know that you still have spirit. Then, there's Sindel, your mother. You must fight to try and help her remember who she truly is, so that together, you can avenge your father's murder by Khan. And of course, there's your dear Liu Kang. He's done so much, and has been through so much. Remember, his entire Shaolin family was slaughtered upon his arrival after he defeated Tsung. Though he won't admit it, sooner or later, he'll need someone there for him to help him move on past the death in his life, so that he can live.
Kitana: Yes, Sonya, you are so right. Though I must admit, I am impressed that you can say so much while in the middle of a fight to the death.

  • Villain Team-Up: Akuma joins forces with Bison and his Shadowloo henchmen in Chapter 19, to eliminate their mutual enemies.
  • You Cannot Grasp the True Form: By its own self-description, the Alpha-Omega is everything and nothing, everywhere and nowhere, light and dark; it is neither good nor evil, neither male nor female, and it has existed from the first birth and will continue after the last death.
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