Takeda Joins The Mortal Kombat 1 Roster Next Week, First Gameplay Revealed

Mortal Kombat 1’s final Year 1 DLC fighter arrives next week, and it’s Takeda Takahashi. The young Shirai Ryu warrior makes only his second appearance in a Mortal Kombat game and looks every bit as capable as his older clanmates, Scorpion and Smoke. 

Although Takeda was Kenshi’s son in his debut appearance, Mortal Kombat X, the remixed timeline of Mortal Kombt 1 has changed him to Kenshi’s cousin. Like Kenshi, Takeda grew up a Yakuza but was more faithful to the clan than his cousin. As such, the Yakuza tasked Takeda with killing Kenshi, and the two battled, with the latter coming emerging victorious. Takeda was mortally wounded in the battle and rushed to the aid of the Shirai Ryu, where Kenshi protected him from being killed by the Yakuza for failing his mission. This causes Takeda to have a change of heart and join the Shirai Ryu to wage war against Earthrrealm’s criminal underground and, eventually, the evil forces of Outworld. 

Takeda still utilizes the Shirai Ryu fighting style, including his signature pair of bladed whips. He also sports shurikens, a barrage of teleporting flame attacks, and an aerial grapple best described as mid-air corkscrew piledriver. Check Takeda out below.  

Takeda will be available on July 23, both as a standalone purchase and as a free download for Kombat Pack owners. The same day also sees previously revealed Kameo fighter Ferra become available to buy. Both Takeda and Ferra will be playable for the first time during Evo 2025 this weekend. 

For more on Mortal Kombat 1, check out our review as well as the trailers for previous DLC fighters Homelander, Omni-Man, Ermac, Peacemaker, and Quan-Chi.