This week’s Saturday Morning Cartoon brings us into the 90s, and into the era of backlash against violent video games. The game at the top of that list wasn’t Earthworm Jim, nor was it Toejam & Earl. Surprisingly it was a little game by the name of Mortal Kombat. Who knew! And then the sequels came out, which were pretty terrific and gory too! And then there was the movie!
With video game cartoons becoming an actual popular thing, it was obvious that Mortal Kombat would join eventually the frenzy. And so, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm was born. And it was somehow aimed at children.
Defenders of the Realm served as sort of a sequel to the movie as well as a soft sequel to the Mortal Kombat 3 game. It featured many of the game’s characters, even the unpopular ones like Cyrax and Stryker. The plots included battles with legions of robots, the supernatural, and humans, and often dropped in one-on-one battles to make them seem somewhat related to the games. It wasn’t always canon, either. Heck, Jax even removed his cybernetic implants in one episode.
But again, the fact that this was a children’s show based on possibly the most violent and gory game of its day didn’t sit very well with parents and critics. Though the violence was toned down, it was still about battles and non-stop fighting. After just one season of 13 episodes, from September to December of 1996, the show was cancelled.
Watch the very first episode below, which drops the “heroes” right into a battle with cyborgs/robots. Let us know what you think of the show, and any other classic game-based cartoons you’d like to see us showcase!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTw4ugmkSyA
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