The 1995 Mortal Kombat film turned 30 this week, and its success spawned even more entries in the MK franchise, including the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm in 1996. Airing on USA as part of their “Action Extreme Team” block of shows, which included Savage Dragon, Street Fighter, and Wing Commander Academy, Defenders of the Realm was a kid-friendly sequel to both the 1995 film and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.  The show featured a team consisting of Liu Kang (Brian Tochi), Sub-Zero (Luke Perry), Kitana (Cree Summer), Sonya Blade (Olivia d’Abo), Jax (Dorian Harewood), Stryker (Ron Perlman), and Nightwolf (Tod Thawley), working under the guidance of Raiden (Clancy Brown). Outworld forces were invading Earthrealm, and the team had to fight to keep them at bay. The show introduced toy-friendly concepts, such as the team’s Dragon Jets, but it was also the first appearance ever of Quan Chi. The show lasted for 13 episodes, airing back-to-back with the Street Fighter series, and concluded in December 1996. You can check out the show’s first episode, “Kombat Begins Again,” below via YouTube.
