Why Johnny Cage Has Kenshi's Sento in Mortal Kombat 1

In the Mortal Kombat universe, a fight can break out at any time, between anyone. Even the closest of friends and family can end up squaring off at a moment's notice in Mortal Kombat, and those fights are often completely canon. While NetherRealm's Mortal Kombat stories include match-ups that make complete sense like Scorpion and Sub-Zero, or Liu Kang and Shao Kahn, they also infamously include fights that happen due to absurd circumstances, such as a character just not believing the other is telling the truth, leading to a brutal bout of fisticuffs. And based on what fans have seen so far, it seems like Mortal Kombat 1 might follow that trend.

All of Mortal Kombat 1's trailers so far have shown their fair share of dramatic, intense battles, all of which involve iconic series staples. From the brief glimpses of story shown in these trailers, it seems as though the vast majority of these fights will make complete sense in the grand scheme of the game's narrative, with characters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero going up against Rain. But there's one match-up that seems like a classic case of Mortal Kombat misunderstanding, and that's the one that takes place between Kenshi Takahashi and Johnny Cage, with the former attempting to retrieve his long-lost family sword, Sento.

Why Johnny Cage Might Have Sento In Mortal Kombat 1

Kenshi's Sento sword has quite a rich backstory in Mortal Kombat lore. First told in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Kenshi first found Sento in an ancient hidden cave. Led there by Shang Tsung disguised as an old man, Kenshi is tricked into opening a mysterious gateway in the cave, being told that the sword resides there.

Instead, hundreds of souls rush out of the gate, overwhelming Kenshi and blinding him. After consuming the souls, Shang Tsung leaves Kenshi for dead, but Kenshi soon hears whispers coming from deeper within the cave. Kenshi finds Sento and discovers that the sword had been communicating with him telepathically, with the souls of his ancestors trapped inside.

From that point on, Sento never left Kenshi's side, and his bond with the sword only continued to grow stronger over time. Kenshi can communicate with the sword telepathically and uses his innate telekinetic abilities to throw and retrieve it during a fight. While Sento is making its triumphant return in Mortal Kombat 1, its origin and subsequent history are set to be quite different this time around.

Set in a rebooted universe created by Fire God Liu Kang, Mortal Kombat 1 is changing things up quite a bit when it comes to the state of the world, and each character's origin. Kenshi is no exception. Rather than simply being the best swordsman in the world in search of more power, Mortal Kombat 1's Kenshi has quite the tragic backstory.

500 years ago, the Takahashi clan was a powerful tribe of warriors, but it soon lost its power following a devastating defeat. The family sword, Sento, was also lost during the battle. The surviving members of the clan were forced to join the Bakuto to survive, which eventually became the modern-day Yakuza. Seeing the pain this caused his family growing up, Kenshi now seeks out Sento to free his family from their Yakuza chains and restore their legacy.

From what fans have seen so far, it seems as though Mortal Kombat 1 will pick up right as Kenshi discovers the location of Sento: in the mansion of actor Johnny Cage. Though the trailer shows the duo fighting one another for the sword, it's unlikely that Johnny Cage's possession of Sento is anything malicious. Instead, it's likely that Johnny Cage just owns the sword because he's a millionaire, has money to burn, and an ancient sword looks undeniably cool above the fireplace. After a little tussle, it's very likely that Cage will just give Sento back to Kenshi.