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Kung Lao is possibly the last known descendant of the Great Kung Lao, a former
Champion of Mortal Kombat, who lost the title to Goro 500 years previously,
resulting in Lao's death at Goro's
hands and the start of Shang Tsung's rule over the tournament. Like his
friend, Liu Kang, Kung Lao is also a member
of the White Lotus Society. Kung Lao was originally the one to represent
the Shaolin in the Mortal Kombat tournament but he declined, knowing of
the consequences of becoming champion. As a result, Liu Kang was chosen
and emerged as the winner.
When the Shaolin Temples
were attacked by Baraka and his Tarkatan soldiers, Liu Kang and Kung Lao
resolved to travel through the portal to the Outworld and avenge their
fallen Shaolin brothers. Although he joined his friend in his furious quest,
Kung Lao's ultimate goal was to rebuild the White Lotus Society at the
Wu Shi Academy, in order to train a new generation of warriors for the
coming ages. He, along with Liu Kang, ventured into Outworld to do battle
with Outworld's forces in a new tournament. Following Shao
Kahn's defeat at Liu Kang's hand, the monks returned to Earth and began
training the next generation of Shaolin warriors. (Kung Lao's character
bio was not included in the arcade version of Mortal Kombat 3, but was
later made available for the home versions.) When Shao
Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm came, he had to temporarily scrap his
plans for reforming the Society. Eventually, Kung Lao faced Shao Kahn;
the Emperor of Outworld defeated Kung Lao and injured him so badly that
he was believed to have died. Hearing of Kung Lao's apparent death enraged
Liu Kang, as he challenged Shao Kahn and successfully defeated him for
the second time. With Outworld driven back, Kung Lao decided not to return
to the Shaolin Temples, instead allowing everyone to believe that he was
dead and went on to live a life of peace in respect to the beliefs of his
ancestors. This would not last long however, as he was drawn away from
his newfound peace to help fight against Shinnok's
forces, when word reached him that Goro, the Shokan warrior who had killed
the Great Kung Lao centuries ago, was still alive. After Shinnok's defeat,
Kung Lao attacked Goro, who had signed a peace treaty with the Centaurs
under the mediation of Kitana. Instead of being an attempted assassination,
however, the blow was a ceremonial strike of vengeance for the Great Kung
Lao's death. With this act, the two warriors shook hands, their feud over.
 
The next years were
peaceful. This ended on a brutal note at the time of Mortal Kombat: Deadly
Alliance, when the sorcerers Quan
Chi and Shang Tsung united
and murdered Liu Kang in a vicious attack (Tsung posing as Kung Lao to
get close to the champion). Kung Lao found the body of his longtime friend,
and was told immediately by Raiden
that Tsung was the assassin, who had formed the Deadly Alliance with Quan
Chi. Enraged, Kung Lao vowed revenge upon the sorcerer, and once again
abandoned his pacifist Shaolin beliefs. He believed his current skills
were insufficient to defeat Shang Tsung so after meeting with the other
Earthrealm warriors and traveling to Outworld, Kung Lao sought the advice
of the martial arts teacher Bo' Rai
Cho. Bo' Rai Cho trained Kung Lao for a short time, teaching him the
'whirlwind kick' maneuver. Together, they joined the other warriors in
the assault against the two sorcerers. Kung Lao would not rest until Liu
Kang was avenged, and Shang Tsung had paid with his life.
But the assault did
not end well. With Liu Kang dead, Raiden and his companions were fighting
a losing battle. Kung Lao and Kitana challenged
the Deadly Alliance. Kung Lao fought Shang Tsung one on one but because
of Shang Tsung's soulnado, the sorcerer was able to keep his power at its
peak, making the battle very difficult. Things would get worse as Kung
Lao's allies would perish in the battle, one by one. Kitana would fall
against Quan Chi and Kung Lao would fall to the hands of Shang Tsung. Despite
his improved skills, it wasn't enough and Kung Lao died, leaving only Raiden
to battle the Deadly Alliance. However, Kung Lao was revived by Onaga as
a slave during the events of Deception. Ermac's Deception ending, which
shows him and Liu Kang's spirit being successful in rescuing the slaved
Earthrealm warriors, is generally accepted as the possible explanation
of how Kung Lao is freed from Onaga's grasp.
 
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