10 Best Mortal Kombat 1 Kameos

Every match of Mortal Kombat 1 requires you to pick one of several Kameo characters who can offer the best assistance to your main roster fighter with different abilities. From classic faces to obscure references to older entries in the series, each Kameo is unique from one another. Realizing the full potential of these allies can make battles even against the toughest opponents much easier to challenge.

Calling in a Kameo attack in Mortal Kombat 1 can be done with the R1 input, with an additional directional motion changing what attack comes out for the assist. Right below your main character’s health bar, you’ll see a logo with your Kameo’s face and another gauge wrapping around it in a circle. Certain attacks will spend more of this meter, so watch for when the image in the logo becomes visible to know when you can call for help again.

10 Goro

The Prince of the Shokan brings all four arms to fights with your character in Mortal Kombat 1, with attacks that can be slow but incredibly tricky to defend against. One Kameo assist sees Goro leap up into the air before slamming down on your opponent with an unblockable stomp.

While this does take the whole Kameo bar to perform, other attacks like a launch grab, punch walk, and upward strike create a slow but potent balance.

9 Stryker

Stryker may not seem like the most fantastical fighter from the series, but his Kameo in Mortal Kombat 1 should not be underestimated, with a grenade toss Ambush assist hitting far above your character. This control of the skies could be used to knock opponents out of the air or extend combos that launch them into the skies. A baton swipe attack can hit low or overhead for some tricky offense, while the hilarious arrest attack locks your enemy down.

8 Cyrax

The unwilling member of the Cyber Initiative carries highly advanced tech into their Kameo attacks, the most prevalent of which being their green net that traps opponents into a full combo. While the self-destruct assist can hurt your character as well as your opponent, this risky move is made better through the buzzsaw Ambush attack. If the Kameo button is held down, Cyrax spins forward to deliver many hits at once that cover a lot of space.

7 Frost

The young Lin Kuei ninja with frost powers similar to Sub-Zero has one of the best Kameo attacks from her low freeze that can travel a long way across the screen. This immediately stuns your opponent for a full combo, giving you an opportunity to do pretty much whatever you want. Frost also has an ice orb that could freeze someone on contact, but this is a slow projectile that could be easily avoided in Mortal Kombat 1.

6 Sareena

One of the most consistent Kameos in Mortal Kombat 1 is Sareena, who may be best for beginners due to her double dagger assist that can be used when holding the Kameo button. This sends two projectiles forward that return to Sareena, hitting the opponent up to four times. While Sareena may not have much to extend combos like other Kameos, she can put down a Netherrealm rune that drains your opponent’s meter while they stand in it.

5 Sektor

The ketchup-flavored robot Sektor may not seem like a useful Kameo from their teleport punch or flamethrower assists, which lead to a combo launch and stagger of your opponent respectfully. However, the real strength of Sektor comes from their homing missile, a projectile that tracks your opponent in Mortal Kombat 1 when you press the Kameo button twice. Even the normal version sends out a missile that could grant you safety from incoming attacks.

4 Motaro

One of the harder characters to unlock in Mortal Kombat 1, Motaro is worth the effort through massive assists that reflect the centaur’s size. Triple fireball blasts, a grab that hits blocking opponents, and a teleport that moves your character all make Motaro an extremely effective Kameo. Although his best attacks are expensive to the Kameo meter, Motaro has a hidden mechanic that lets you perform your Fatal Blow much faster.

3 Scorpion

Reliability is the best trait to have in a Kameo alongside a cool Fatality for Mortal Kombat 1, which makes Scorpion a powerful assist through their fireball attack. Scorpion can shoot two fireballs at three different places on the screen, essentially giving you three attacks where your character can still move around. The flaming sword attack of the Netherrealm ninja also hits overhead, while a rope dart can pull your character back and out of danger.

2 Jax

Jax has abilities that can overwhelm your opponent in Mortal Kombat 1, including a grab that snatches characters out of the air. A hidden trait also comes from a forward throw, where you can spend two bars of meter to increase the damage by having Jax slam the opponent multiple times. The strongest trait Jax has comes from the ground pound, which is an unblockable attack that launches your opponent into the air.

On the surface, the ground pound may seem like more of a hindrance than a good move, since it can potentially damage both you and your opponent. The true strength comes from jumping over your own Kameo attack to create an almost impossible-to-escape-pressure situation for your opponent. Since the only way to escape is to jump, you lock down your opponent into doing something expected for you to fight against.

1 Kano

Kano simply has everything a Kameo needs to be good in Mortal Kombat 1, with the most obvious trait being his throwing knives that can be used as an Ambush attack. These knives travel all the way across the screen, giving you an opportunity to control space or safely approach an opponent who sits far away. Kano has his eye laser that deals a ton of damage to the opponent that also travels along the entire stage.

The final attack to mention with Kano is his spinning ball, which can actually be held down to stall the strike until you release the Kameo input. This gives you an extremely strong offensive advantage, with Kano giving you active support as you rush down your opponent. The best Kameos in Mortal Kombat 1 support the strengths of your main roster character through active traits that enemy players have to constantly think about.