Mortal Kombat 1: Johnny Cage Guide — Moves, Combos, & More…

This article is part of a directory: Mortal Kombat 1: Complete Guide

Out of all the characters in Mortal Kombat 1, there's one face that stands out very uniquely from the rest. You probably guessed it: Johnny Cage, the controversial Hollywood star with enough comedic timing to hold a stage with Deadpool. In Mortal Kombat 1, Johnny Cage joins Earthrealm's defense after Liu Kang recruits him from his nice mansion with Kenshi, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion.

Other than his satirical dialogue and outspoken mind, Johnny Cage can very well hold his own in a match of Mortal Kombat 1, as his moves are just as quick as his wits. With enough training, a Johnny Cage player can very well make their way through the game's ranked game mode.

Johnny Cage's Moves and Special Moves

Basic Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Plot Fist	Square	X	FP	Y
Rough House	Square, Square	X, X	FP, FP	Y, Y
Knuckle Under The Buckle	Square, Square, Triangle	X, X, Y	FP, FP, BP	Y, Y, X
Kontracted Kick	Square, Square, Circle	X, X, B	FP, FP, BK	Y, Y, A
Breaking Backhand	Forward + Square	Forward + X	Forward + FP	Forward + Y
Elbow's World	Forward + Square, Triangle	Forward + X, Y	Forward + FP, BP	Forward + Y, X
Under The Table	Forward + Square, Triangle, X	Forward + X, Y, A	Forward + FP, BP, FK	Forward + Y, X, B
Back To The Footure	Forward + Square, Triangle, Circle	Forward + X, Y, B	Forward + FP, BP, BK	Forward + Y, X, A
The Bee's Knees	Down + Square	Down + X	Down + FP	Down + Y
Talk To The Hand	Triangle	Y	BP	X
My Own Publifist	Triangle, Square	Y, X	BP, FP	X, Y
Dunking On Haters	Triangle, Square, Triangle	Y, X, Y	BP, FP, BP	X, Y, X
Legbanged Redemptshin	Triangle, Square, Circle	Y, X, B	BP, FP, BK	X, Y, A
Foot Loosey Goosey	Triangle, Square, Circle, Circle	Y, X, B, B	BP, FP, BK, BK	X, Y, A, A
Gutbusters	Back + Triangle	Back + Y	Back + BP	Back + X
Charge Gutbusters	Hold Triangle	Hold Y	Hold BP	Hold X
Upper-Krust	Down + Triangle	Down + Y	Down + BP	Down + X
Reading Shoe	X	A	FK	B
Pow	X, X	A, A	FK, FK	B, B
Footless	Back + X	Back + A	Back + FK	Back + B
Dizzy Knee	Forward + X	Forward + A	Forward + FK	Forward + B
Elbow Before Me	Forward + X, Triangle	Forward + A, Y	Forward + FK, BP	Forward + B, X
On The Chin	Forward + X, Triangle, Square	Forward + A, Y, X	Forward + FK, BP, FP	Forward + B, X, Y
Style Points	Forward + X, Circle	Forward + A, B	Forward + FK, BK	Forward + B, A
Ankle Of The Covenant	Down + X	Down + A	Down + FK	Down + B
John Kick	Circle	B	BK	A
Cagenado	Circle, Circle	B, B	BK, BK	A, A
Sweep The Leg	Back + Circle	Back + B	Back + BK	Back + A
Flipper	Forward + Circle	Forward + B	Forward + BK	Forward + A
Donkey Kick	Down + Circle	Down + B	Down + BK	Down + A

That was a lot of references. Now, here are Johnny's special moves:

Special Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Ball Buster	Back, Forward, Square	Back, Forward, X	Back, Forward, FP	Back, Forward, Y
Show Off	Down, Back, Square	Down, Back, X	Down, Back, FP	Down, Back, Y
Throwing Shade	Forward, Down, Back, Triangle	Forward, Down, Back, Y	Forward, Down, Back, BP	Forward, Down, Back, X
Rising Star	Down, Back, X	Down, Back, A	Down, Back, FK	Down, Back, B
Shadow Dash	Down, Forward, X	Down, Forward, A	Down, Forward, FK	Down, Forward, B
Shadow Kick	Back, Forward, Circle	Back, Forward, B	Back, Forward, BK	Back, Forward, A
Hype	Forward, Down, Back, Circle	Forward, Down, Back, B	Forward, Down, Back, BK	Forward, Down, Back, A
Wowing Out	(After Hype Filled) Forward, Down, Back, Circle	(After Hype Filled) Forward, Down, Back, Circle	(After Hype Filled) Forward, Down, Back, Circle	(After Hype Filled) Forward, Down, Back, Circle

Ball Buster, Throwing Shade, Rising Star, and Shadow Kick all have a Hype variant that builds up Johnny Cage's Hyper meter faster just by adding the 'switch stance' button at the end of the special move.

All special moves listed for Johnny Cage (aside from Hype and Wowing Out) can be Enhanced with 1 Meter by pressing the 'block' button with the last button of the move's command.

Johnny Cage Combos In Mortal Kombat 1

Johnny Cage has an arsenal of incredible moves that stands taller than many other Kombatants in Mortal Kombat 1. With such an abundance of moves available, Johnny Cage can juggle his way through his opponent's health bars like it's nothing, especially when paired with the best Kameos suitable for a man like Johnny.

Players who are learning Johnny Cage will need to get used to how versatile the character is and learn as many combos as they can since Johnny Cage has so many basic moves that start combo strings. That said, making use of Johnny's Hype ability will support the overall damage dealt in a combo, so it's something nice to keep in mind.

Combos	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Bread-and-Butter	Forward + X, Triangle, Enhanced Rising Star, Triangle, Forward-Dash, Forward + Square, Triangle, Ball Buster	Forward + A, Y, Enhanced Rising Star, Y, Forward-Dash, Forward + X, Y, Ball Buster	Forward + FK, BP, Enhanced Rising Star, BP, Forward-Dash, Forward + FP, BP, Ball Buster	Forward + B, X, Enhanced Rising Star, X, Forward-Dash, Forward + Y, X, Ball Buster
Creating Distance	Triangle, Square, Triangle, Forward + Circle, Shadow Kick	Y, X, Y, Forward + B, Shadow Kick	BP, FP, BP, Forward + BK, Shadow Kick	X, Y, X, Forward + A, Shadow Kick
Ball Buster Combo	Triangle, Square, Triangle, Forward-Dash, Forward + X, Circle, Forward-Dash, Forward + Square, Triangle, Ball Buster	Y, X, Y, Forward-Dash, Forward + A, B, Forward-Dash, Forward + X, Y, Ball Buster	BP, FP, BP, Forward-Dash, Forward + FK, BK, Forward-Dash, Forward + FP, BP, Ball Buster	X, Y, X, Forward-Dash, Forward + B, A, Forward-Dash, Forward + Y, X, Ball Buster
Overhead Blitz	Forward + Circle, Forward-Dash, Triangle, Square, Triangle, Forward-Dash, Forward + Square, Triangle, Ball Buster	Forward + B, Forward-Dash, Y, X, Y, Forward-Dash, Forward + X, Y, Ball Buster	Forward + BK, Forward-Dash, BP, FP, BP, Forward-Dash, Forward + FP, BP, Ball Buster	Forward + A, Forward-Dash, X, Y, X, Forward-Dash, Forward + Y, X, Ball Buster
Corner Star Combo	Triangle, Square, Triangle, Circle, Forward + X, Triangle, Square, Rising Star	Y, X, Y, B, Forward + A, Y, X, Rising Star	BP, FP, BP, BK, Forward + FK, BP, FP, Rising Star	X, Y, X, A, Forward + B, X, Y, Rising Star

Johnny Cage's Fatalities and Brutalities In Mortal Kombat 1

As truest as can be to Johnny Cage's personality, his Fatalities, and Brutalities all are unique in their own ways. Johnny Cage has two original Fatalities that his character can perform.

To unlock Johnny's second Fatality, players will need to level up their mastery level, which can be done by simply playing the character in various matches. The same goes for Johnny's Brutalities, which are unlocked through Johnny Cage's character mastery levels.

Fatalities	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
(Close) Hollywood Walk Of Pain	Forward, Back, Down, Triangle	Forward, Back, Down, Y	Forward, Back, Down, BP	Forward, Back, Down, X
(Mid) Fatality 2	Forward, Down, Back, Circle	Forward, Down, Back, B	Forward, Down, Back, BK	Forward, Down, Back, A

Brutalities	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Klassic	Down + Hold Triangle	Down + Hold Y	Down + Hold BP	Down + Hold X
You Got Caged	Forward, Down, Back, Triangle	Forward, Down, Back, Y	Forward, Down, Back, BP	Forward, Down, Back, X
Here's Johnny	Grab	Grab	Grab	Grab
Welcome To The Party	Back, Forward, Square	Back, Forward, X	Back, Forward, FP	Back, Forward, Y
Game Over Man	Down, Back, Square	Down, Back, X	Down, Back, FP	Down, Back, Y

The Best Kameos For Johnny Cage

Each Kameo in Mortal Kombat 1 has their own purpose, meaning that neither of them is particularly bad. In fact, just about all Kameos have some benefit to pairing up with any of the fighters in Mortal Kombat 1's roster.

But, if fans are looking for the absolute best way to pressure, string along more combos, and/or escape an opponent's grasp, Johnny Cage will want to be paired up with his most synergistic allies. Here are the best Kameos to use with Johnny Cage:

Kano
Jax Briggs
Scorpion
Sub-Zero
Kung Lao

How To Play Johnny Cage In Mortal Kombat 1

Johnny Cage isn't an easy character to pull off in Mortal Kombat 1. But, Johnny Cage isn't necessarily a difficult character to learn either. The one thing that makes JOhnny Cage a bit different from other fighters is the amount of tech and fighting mechanics that his Kombatant withholds that others don't.

Players will need to understand how to manipulate Johnny Cage's Hype meter, which promotes even more damage for combos, as best they can. Seeing as Johnny Cage is capable of so many different moves and combos, players will want to have as many as possible under their belt before diving into the lowest depths of ranked gameplay. Here are some key tips to keep in mind while playing Johnny Cage:

Watch the Hype meter, and unleash Hype when you are able to get your longest combos in.
Build up hype by adding the Hype variant to Johnny's various special moves.
Johnny is more than capable of pressuring defensive opponents and punishing offensive ones with his special abilities. Make sure to confront different characters with the right mindset.
One of Johnny's best friends in a fight (aside from his Kameo) is the forward-dash mechanic. Forward-dash extends so many of Cage's combos, so take note of that.
At the end of it all, Johnny Cage is still truly an aggressive character with some nice techs to keep other offensive characters, like Reptile, at bay. Rush down opponents, and be weary of punishes.

Mortal Kombat 1 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Mortal Kombat 1: Smoke Guide — Moves, Combos, & More Tips