Is Harumi In Mortal Kombat 1? [Answered]

For most MK games, Harumi Hasashi has been a minor non-playable background character, with her death causing Hanzo Hasashi, her husband, to turn into Scorpion and hunt his wife’s murderer. However, in Mortal Kombat 1, Harumi, now known as Harumi Shirai, has much more story development and unique character origins from both the Tower Endings and the Invasion Mode.

Who Is Harumi In Mortal Kombat 1?

As mentioned, Harumi Shirai is a non-playable character in Mortal Kombat 1, but with Scorpion’s Tower Ending, players learn that she’s now the wife of Kuai Liang’s Scorpion and a founder of the Shira Ryu clan.

In previous Mortal Kombat titles, you only see Harumi dying in Hanzo Hasashi’s Scorpion flashbacks. She’s mainly a driving factor for Scorpion’s rage, which causes his long-lasting conflict with Sub-Zero and his clan, the Lin Kuei. However, in MK1, she has two distinct origin stories – one from Scorpion’s Tower Ending, where she’s Kuai Liang’s wife, and one from the Invasion Mode ending, where she’s the new Scorpion.

Harumi Shirai In The MK1 Klassic Tower Endings

You can see Harumi’s backstory and mentions in Sub-Zero and Smoke’s Klassic Tower Endings, each showing a different part of the narrative. Klassic Towers in Mortal Kombat 1 is a game mode where you must fight a series of consecutive battles, after which you receive a character-specific ending upon beating the final bosses, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi.

After completing Scorpion’s Klassic Tower, players will learn the following events regarding Harumi from the ending cutscene:

• After Bi-Han’s betrayal, Scorpion fled to Japan, reuniting with Harumi Shirai, his close friend.
• He and Harumi then forged a new Shira Ryu clan to defend Earthrealm.
• Furthermore, Scorpion and Harumi also get married and plan to fight the Lin Kuei, led by Bi-Han’s Sub-Zero.

Harumi’s narrative further expands from Smoke’s Tower Ending in MK1, which shows that:

• Smoke, Scorpion, and Harumi are looking for recruits for their new clan, the Shira Ryu.
• Fortunately, Smoke stumbles upon a young boy named Hanzo Hasashi, the original Scorpion in previous Mortal Kombat titles.
• From there, Hanzo becomes the first initiate to the clan, thus reuniting with Harumi in a new timeline but with a different relationship.

Harumi In The MK1 Invasion Mode

Unlike the Tower Endings, Harumi’s story in the Invasion Mode connects much more with her previous narrative. She’s mentioned in the Invasion Mode ending right after you beat the Hellfire Scorpion boss fight. However, it’s worth noting that Hellfire Scorpion is a multi-phase fight, so you’ll have to try your best to reserve HP to complete this encounter successfully.

Upon defeating Hellfire Scorpion, here are some notable points from the following cutscene:

• Fire God Liu Kang uses the Hourglass to find Scorpion, a timeline where Harumi isn’t dead.
• Eventually, Liu Kang spots a timeline where Harumi becomes Scorpion after losing her husband, Hanzo Hasashi.
• Then, Hanzo and Harumi join to fight against that same united timeline’s villains, like Quan Chi.

For context, the latter half of MK1’s main story reveals multiple timelines, each with a different Keeper of Time. Each in-game Invasion season pits you against various Time Keepers, and the current Season 1 features Hellfire Scorpion, a variant of Hanzo Hasashi, who’s desperate to find a timeline where his wife, Harumi, doesn’t die.

That wraps up my brief guide on Harumi in Mortal Kombat 1, detailing her two narrative arcs from both the Klassic Tower Endings and Season 1’s Invasion Mode Ending.

Harumi has always been an intriguing character in the franchise, given her association with one of MK’s most prominent figures, so it’s nice to see that NetherRealm Studios has given her a refreshing new backstory. Be sure to check out this Subreddit Post to explore the community’s theories on why Hanzo didn’t marry Harumi in this current timeline.

For more updates regarding fan-favorite characters, consider reading up on the current leaks surrounding Noob Saibot in Mortal Kombat 1. If you want to learn about the upcoming guest characters instead, here’s a guide regarding the release and potential playstyle on Homelander. Also, check out the explanation regarding the Ending in MK1, in which you’re part of an all-out war with characters from different in-game timelines.

Next:

• Mortal Kombat 1: Flipping Out Klue
• Mortal Kombat 1: How To Unlock Fatalities
• Mortal Kombat 1: How To Solve ERTECA AOSCH?
• MK1: Scorpion’s Second Fatality