2013. "The fact that he was once a member of the Black Dragon clan; his superhuman speed and his fatalities, all contribute to his ruthlessness." Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek ranked Kabal twelfth in his 2015 ranking of the 77 playable series characters, but felt his "main quality is his complete lack of conviction." Entertainment Weekly rated Kabal as the second-best character from Mortal Kombat 3 in a 20th-anniversary ranking of the game's playable roster in 2015. "Trendy misspelled name? Check. Unnecessary kneepads? Check. Tragic beaten-half-to-death backstory that requires the constant presence of a cyber-respirator? Check." Kabal's Fatalities from MK3 have been collectively considered among the worst in the series. However, Prima Games included the "Head Inflation" from the game among their 2014 compilation of the series' top fifty Fatalities, while UGO rated it among their 2012 list of the "top eleven" series Fatalities. His "It Takes Guts" Fatality from the 2011 reboot was included on the International Business Times list of the top ten Fatalities from the game, and GameRant placed it sixth in their 2011 list of the game's best finishers. Screen Rant noted Kabal in the 2021 Mortal Kombat film for "his striking appearance" and "fully armored look with glowing red eyes [that] was memorable and effective," but the Washington Post said, "Sadly, he’s another ... bad-guy bodyguard, and yet another victim of a very crowded film." Notes References Fictional Gōjū-ryū practitioners Fictional New York City Police Department officers Fictional characters with disfigurements Fictional criminals in video games Fictional police officers in video games Fictional swordfighters in video games Male characters in video games Male film villains Male video game villains Mortal Kombat characters Video game antagonists Video game characters introduced in 1995 Video game characters who can move at superhuman speeds Zombie and revenant characters in video games