Sonya Blade

Sonya Blade is a video game

character in the Mortal Kombat
ghting game franchise from
Midway Games. Debuting in the
original Mortal Kombat game
from 1992, she was a late
addition to the game as
developers decided deep into
the development cycle that the
game needed a female
character. In the series canon
she is the commanding ocer
of the United States Special
Forces and later of a
specialized U.S. government
agency. Her goal in most of the
games is to pursue and
capture Kano, as well as
eliminate his criminal
syndicate, the Black Dragon. In
later games she is joined in
this eort by her comrade Jax
Briggs, and her daughter
Cassie Cage.
 Sonya Blade
Mortal Kombat character

Sonya Blade in Mortal Kombat X

(2015)

First game Mortal Kombat

(1992)[1]
Created by Ed Boon and
John Tobias
Designed by John Tobias
(early games)
Luis Mangubat
(MK:D/MK:A)
Mark Lappin
(MK:SM)
Cy Mandua
(MKvDC)
Atomhawk
Design
(MK2011)[2]
Susan Mazer
(The Journey
Begins)
Ha Nguyen
(rst lm)
Lynell Forestall
(MK:DotR)
Jennifer L.
Parsons
(second lm)
Christine
Cover-Ferro
(Rebirth)
Allisa Swanson
(Legacy)
Voiced by Kerri Hoskins
(MK4)
Jennifer Hale
(The Journey
Begins)
Olivia d'Abo
(DotR)
Beth Melewski
(MK:SM)[3]
Dana Lyn Baron
(MKvDCU,
MK2011)[4]
Tricia Helfer
(MKX)[5]
Motion capture Carlos Pesina
(MK:D/MK:A)
Lorrisa Julianus
(MKvDCU,
MK2011,
MKX)[6]
Portrayed by Elizabeth
 Malecki (MK,
MKII)
Kerri Hoskins
(MK3,
UMK3/MKT,
Live Tour)[7]
Cathleen Ann
Gardner (Live
Tour)
Bridgette
Wilson (rst
lm)
Sandra Hess
(second lm)
Jeri Ryan
(Rebirth,
Legacy)
Carly Baker
(promotion)[8]
Fictional prole

Origin Austin, Texas,

 USA
(Earthrealm)

Fighting styles Kenpo (MK:DA)

Tae Kwon Do
(MK:DA, MK:A)

Weapon Wind Blade

(MK4/MKG)
Kali Sticks
(MK:DA, MK:A)

One of the original seven

player characters of the Mortal
Kombat franchise, Sonya has
featured in almost all of the
games since her inception. She
has also appeared in alternate
MK media such as the two live-
action lms; the animated
series Mortal Kombat:
Defenders of the Realm and the
web series Mortal Kombat:
Legacy; and print media such
as the 1995 Mortal Kombat
novel and the Malibu comic
series, in addition to some
ocial merchandise.

Appearances

In video games

Lieutenant Sonya Blade is one

of the main heroes of the
Mortal Kombat series. She hails
from Austin, Texas, and is a
second-generation United
States Special Forces ocer,
following in the footsteps of
her father, Major Herman Blade
(other family members include
Sonya's mother, Erica, and
deceased twin brother,
Daniel).[9] Her impulsiveness is
catalyzed by her superior and
good friend Major Jackson
"Jax" Briggs. Sonya has a long-
standing feud with a thug
known as Kano, who stands for
everything Sonya despises.

In the original Mortal Kombat,

Sonya and her team were
pursuing Kano, the leader of
the Black Dragon international
crime organization. After he
jumped aboard an old junk in
order to escape capture, Sonya
and her comrades followed him
to a remote island where
Shang Tsung's Mortal Kombat
tournament was underway.
Upon arrival, they were
ambushed by Tsung's personal
guard, and Sonya was forced
to compete in order to spare
the lives of her companions.
Shang Tsung, however, had no
intention of fullling his end of
the bargain and had her unit
killed. After Shang Tsung was
defeated by Liu Kang in the
nal battle, Sonya teamed up
with Johnny Cage and Kano to
ght o Goro on the bridge
high above the pit. During the
battle, the island started to
crumble and she and Kano
were taken prisoner to
Outworld by Shang Tsung to
appease the Outworld emperor,
Shao Kahn. Sonya was able to
send a signal to Jax from
Outworld and, during the
events of Mortal Kombat II, he
traveled there to nd her. Jax
made contact with the other
Earthrealm warriors and
together they learned of
Kahn's scheme to invade Earth.
It is known that before being
captured, Sonya and Kano
were forced to put their
dierences aside and work
together to survive in
Outworld. She was later freed
by Jax who arrested Kano, but
as soon as they had passed
through the portal to Earth,
Kano escaped and ed back to
Outworld.

Sonya was one of a few

selected Earthrealm warriors
whose souls were not taken
following Kahn's invasion of
Earth in Mortal Kombat 3. She
encountered Kano on top of a
skyscraper near his fortress
and after a ght hurled him o
the roof to his apparent death.
In Mortal Kombat 4, after her
journey into Outworld and
Shao Kahn's near destruction
of Earth, Sonya became a
member of the U.S.
government's Outworld
Investigation Agency (OIA).
The Black Dragon kept
crossing her path, however,
and its last known member
(Jarek) had ed to Edenia while
Sonya was chasing him. This
led Sonya and Jax to team up
with Raiden and Liu Kang to
free that realm from the fallen
Elder God Shinnok's grasp and
to prevent him from coming to
Earth. After Shinnok's defeat,
in which Jarek had reluctantly
participated to save himself,
Jarek tried to kill Sonya but Jax
interfered and dropped him o
a cli. After returning to
Earthrealm Jax and Sonya
found Cyrax malfunctioning in
a desert. The two brought the
cyborg back to the OIA
headquarters where they were
able to restore the humanity of
Cyrax, who then joined the
agency.

In Mortal Kombat: Deadly

Alliance, while on an
assignment in the East, Sonya
received a distressing message
from Jax that the OIA had been
destroyed by an accomplice of
Shang Tsung and Quan Chi.
She was then visited by
Raiden, who asked for her aid
against the Deadly Alliance and
instructed her to meet with the
other heroes on Shang Tsung's
abandoned island, where she
developed a small rivalry with
Frost. To earn the right to pass
into Outworld, each warrior
had to defeat a representation
of his or her adversary; to her
surprise, it was a stranger with
an image of a red dragon on
his back. Sonya was unable to
nd the missing OIA agents
Cyrax and Kenshi, and was
killed along with Jax, Cage,
Kung Lao and Kitana in battle
with the Deadly Alliance's
Tarkatan forces. The Deadly
Alliance's victory was short-
lived, as Onaga reclaimed
Outworld, as well as the
amulet. With his ability to raise
the dead at will, he resurrected
Sonya and her fallen
comrades, who then served as
his slaves until their souls were
freed by Liu Kang and Ermac.

In Mortal Kombat:
Armageddon, Sonya returns to
Earth after Onaga's defeat,
with the intention of continuing
her assault on both the Red
and Black Dragon clans, only
to be forced to focus on the
newly established threat. In
her absence, the Tekunin had
grown large enough to disrupt
Earth civilization and had
violated law by engaging in
illegal interdimensional
alliances with unknown parties.
Sonya succeeds in downing the
Tekunin's agship, helmed by
their Grandmaster Sektor
himself. She then sends a team
led by her partner Jax in to
hunt for survivors, but they
mysteriously vanish and Sonya
fears the possibility of Jax's
death. She tracks the signal of
a homing beacon placed on
Taven (escaped thanks to her
intervention) and eventually
confronts him in Arktika to get
information out of him, but is
beaten.[10]
Sonya appears as one of the
warriors representing the
Mortal Kombat universe in the
non-canonical crossover game
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.
In the story mode, Sonya is
investigating the dimensional
imbalance. After defeating
Catwoman, Baraka, Captain
Marvel and Green Lantern,
Sonya and Jax return to their
base to use their own
teleportation machine to try to
get to the other dimension,
freeing the captive Sub-Zero
along the way. When she nds
Jax at the hands of Green
Lantern, Sonya once again
challenged him but is defeated
and imprisoned, but then both
of them manage to escape
together. When the
Earthrealm's heroes and
Outworld's villains join forces
against the invaders from the
other universe, Sonya
reluctantly teams up with Kano
to track a foreign energy
signal, but they confronted and
defeated by the Joker and
Deathstroke. When both sides
nally decide to meet for one
last battle, Sonya once again
ghts Catwoman. In the end,
she is knocked unconscious
while Raiden and Superman
proceed to ght Dark Kahn.
After Dark Kahns defeat and
the separation of the
universes, Sonya stands
alongside her allies and
enemies to see a powerless
Darkseid left behind in Shao
Kahns palace.

In the storyline of Mortal

Kombat (2011), an alternate-
timeline retelling of the rst
three games, Sonya teams up
with Jax in his mission to bring
down the Black Dragon,
succeeding in seizing many of
their weapons caches.
However, after their key
informant, Kano, was
discovered to actually be a
high-powered member of the
organization, Sonya and Jax
focus solely on his capture
following the deaths of many of
their comrades in subsequent
ambushes.[11][12] This leads
them to the Mortal Kombat
tournament on Shang Tsung's
uncharted island, where Jax is
captured and imprisoned,
forcing Sonya to participate in
the tournament in order to
spare his life, during which she
unwillingly becomes
acquainted with pompous
movie star Johnny Cage after
repeatedly rejecting his
advances.[13] Sonya soon
encounters Shang Tsung
himself but Raiden (whose
identity Sonya is unaware of at
the time) intervenes before she
can ght him, and she bests
Raiden in combat instead.
Raiden then enables Sonya to
free a wounded Jax, but Shang
Tsung destroys their extraction
transport and presents Kano to
Sonya as a challenge; she
emerges victorious yet is
forbidden to take him prisoner.
Raiden reappears and heals
Jax's injuries, which nally
makes Sonya aware of both his
presence and her crucial role
in defending Earthrealm
alongside his chosen
warriors.[14] After Liu Kang's
victory over Shang Tsung in
the rst tournament, Sonya is
abducted and held captive in
Outworld before being rescued
by Jax, but after his arms are
obliterated in a confrontation
with Ermac, she transports him
back to Earthrealm for medical
attention and therefore does
not participate in the second
tournament.[15] Sonya and Jax
reunite with the other Earth
warriors as they assemble to
ght Shao Kahn's takeover, but
the Earthrealmers are soon
massacred by Queen Sindel,
which, coupled with the later
death of Liu Kang, leaves
Sonya and Cage among the
only survivors after Kahn's
demise.[16]

Sonya returns as a playable

character in Mortal Kombat X.
A few years following Shao
Kahn's death in the previous
title, Shinnok and his forces
attack Earthrealm, but Sonya,
along with Johnny Cage and
Kenshi, aid Raiden in
imprisoning Shinnok in his own
amulet. The two later track
down Quan Chi, Shinnok's
second-in-command, and
manage to defeat him,
restoring Jax, Sub-Zero and
Scorpion back to normal. Over
the 20 years that follow,
Johnny and Sonya marry and
have a daughter, Cassie Cage,
but the two later divorce,
allegedly due to Sonya
frequently putting work before
her family. However, after
Cassie defeats Shinnok and
saves Earthrealm, she, Sonya
and Johnny become a family
again.

Design
Vincent Proce's concept art for an
alternative version of Sonya in the
cancelled original reboot game. The
eventual 2011 reboot reinstated the
character in her traditional soldier
role.

There were originally no plans

for Sonya's inclusion in Mortal
Kombat, which was supposed
to feature only six characters,
and she was added only when
the president of Williams gave
the development team an
additional six weeks (adding to
its already ten months of
production) and told them to
polish the game.[17][18] At rst,
the additional character was
actually Jax (or Stryker,
according to John Tobias[19]);
when the developers decided
they need a "girl ghter",[20]
Sonya was created and his
story was applied to her.[21]
Reportedly, the character was
inspired by martial artist and
actress Cynthia Rothrock.[22]
She was named after one Ed
Boon's sisters, as conrmed in
Tanya's biography card in the
special edition of Deception.
The early Mortal Kombat
series' character designer and
writer John Tobias said he
created "characters like Liu
Kang or Shang Tsung, who
represented the more mystical
sides of the story, and Johnny
Cage, Sonya or Jax, who came
from places grounded more in
reality...[Sonya and Kitana]
were both important pieces of
the game's ction and
archetypal structure of
characters. But, player
demographic was primarily a
hardcore male audience and so
the look and design of our
female characters pandered to
them back then just as they do
today."[23]

Sonya and Kano were the least

popular characters of the rst
game and so the team decided
to replace them, saving image
space and time for the new
characters (producers also
said Sonya was "chucked out"
from the game in favour of the
palette swapped Kitana and
Mileena as part of revamping
the game, so it would better
compete against Street Fighter
II[24]).[25] The two were
promptly dropped for the rst
sequel and appear in Mortal
Kombat II only in one of the
backgrounds, chained in
Kahn's Arena. The action-
adventure spin-o game Mortal
Kombat: Special Forces was
planned to have both Jax and
Sonya (with a codename of
"Panther"[26]) as playable
characters, but Sonya's part
was dropped again due to
deadline issues exacerbated by
Tobias's sudden departure
from the company. For the
abortive project with a working
title of Mortal Kombat 8 (which
was cancelled in favor of
Mortal Kombat vs. DC
Universe), Sonya's look was
considered to be "dramatically
revamped" and she was to be
given more character
backstory, described as "the
daughter of a Texas
Ranger".[27] The 2011's
reboot's producer Shaun
Himmerick wrote: "I love how
we use Sonya in the game, I
think it is really a great
reference to MK and should be
fun for the fans."[28]
NetherRealm Studios art
director Steve Beran said:
"When you look at the version
of Sonya or Scorpion from the
rst Mortal Kombat, it's almost
laughable how simple their
costumes were. You have to
give fans the recognizability of
their favorite characters, but
make it not look like Sonyas
wearing a leotard and workout
clothes."[29]

According to Midway Games'

Mark Turmell, Sonya's Mortal
Kombat 3 actress Kerri Hoskins
"started getting phone calls
from kids at home because
we'd published her name."[30]
Hoskins, whose martial arts
training consisted of "some
Tang Soo Do and a past of
WWF wrestling and
gymnastics," said she was
"asked to do Mortal Kombat
after establishing a working
relationship at Midway with the
producers of NBA Jam." Asked
about her on the character, she
said: "Sonya was a badass
chick. She didnt take crap
from anyone and could hold
her own. You gotta admire
that."[31]

Gameplay

Sonya's signature moves are

"Leg Grab" and her signature
Fatality is "Kiss of Death",[32]
which makes the defeated
opponent burn alive into a
charred skeleton. At 1.75m
(5ft 9in), Sonya is one of the
tallest female characters and
she stands out because of her
long legs. For her initial
appearance in the original
Mortal Kombat game, SNES
Force described her as having
"the best jumping skills of any
character her air punch and
ying kick work well against
most opponents. Her force
wave is excellent for long
range battles giving her a good
all round performance, though
she is fairly weak."[33]
According to Nintendo Power,
Sonya could be a "Juggling
demon" in Mortal Kombat
Trilogy when in hands of an
experienced player.[34] Total 64
opined she "is a nifty little
ghter" in Trilogy, whose only
weakness is that her attacks
are lacking power when
compared to some of the other
characters.[35]

Other appearances
Film and television

A publicity photo of Bridgette Wilson

as Sonya in the lm Mortal Kombat

Bridgette Wilson was cast as

Sonya in the rst Mortal
Kombat movie after the
lmmakers' original choice,
Cameron Diaz,[36] injured her
wrist during martial arts
training and dropped out.
During production, Wilson was
given the nickname
"RoboBabe" by director Paul
Anderson,[37] and performed
her own stuntwork.[38] The
character's stern personality
and storyline were faithful to
the games, as was the
depiction of her vendetta
against Kano for murdering her
(unnamed) partner. Kano baits
her into boarding Shang
Tsung's ship, where she
encounters Cage and Liu Kang
for the rst time and engages
in a stando with Sub-Zero.
Shang Tsung had conspired
with Kano beforehand in
arranging for him to ght
Sonya at the tournament in
anticipation of her defeat,
which fails as Sonya defeats
and kills Kano. She is later
abducted by Shang Tsung and
taken to the Emperor's castle
in Outworld where she is
challenged by Shang Tsung to
nal combat, which she
staunchly refuses just before
the arrival of Liu Kang, Cage
and Kitana. Included in the
movie novelization was a
detailed opening scene of an
unsuccessful joint mission of
arresting Black Dragon
members by the Special Forces
and an international task force,
which culminates in Kano
killing the task force's
lieutenant who is designated
therein as Sonya's murdered
partner.[39][40] In the
novelization, Sonya also has a
ght scene with Jade that she
wins before it ocially begins
after she fatally kicks Jade in
the head after Jade returns her
bow. Sonya was described in
this scene as wearing "an
Army-issue T-shirt" and
"tightly-laced combat boots."
She also spares Kano's life in
their ght, refusing to fall prey
to Shang Tsung's scheme while
declaring that nobody "owned"
her.[39] Sonya was again one of
the main protagonists
alongside Cage and Liu Kang in
the 1995 animated prequel
Mortal Kombat: The Journey
Begins, wherein she was voiced
by Jennifer Hale.
For the 1997 sequel, Mortal
Kombat: Annihilation, Sandra
Hess replaced Wilson as
Sonya. She is devastated by
the death of Johnny Cage, who
was killed by Kahn after saving
her life. Sonya then grudgingly
joins Raiden in locating Jax,
whom she rescues from, and
helps him ght o, an
extermination squad led by
Cyrax. However, they later
come into conict with one
another due to her sustained
grief over Cage's death and
her refusal to ll Jax in on the
details of the Earthrealmers'
mission, and they temporarily
split apart as a result. They
ultimately reunite with Liu
Kang and Kitana and succeed
in stopping Kahn from bringing
the Earth to ruin. Sonya has
two ght scenes in the lm,
rst defeating Mileena in a mud
pit after splitting up from Jax,
then squaring o against
Ermac at the climax, during
which Noob Saibot spawns
from his chest and they assault
her with repeated kicks until
Jax intervenes, enabling him
and Sonya to gain the upper
hand and emerge victorious.

Sonya was one of the lead

characters in the 1996
animated TV series Mortal
Kombat: Defenders of the
Realm, and was voiced by
Olivia d'Abo. She was given a
signature catchphrase
("Kombat time!") and was
portrayed as having a brusque
disposition that often led to
personality clashes with
Raiden, while her occasional
impetuousness in combat
sometimes yielded
consequences for her
teammates. Her vendetta
against Kano was explained
and was explored further in
two separate episodes, in
which Kano was shown to have
killed her partner, Wexler, who
was named after Threshold
writer and producer Joshua
Wexler.[41] In storylines
exclusive to the show, she
worked with Kitana to retrieve
a pair of magical swords and
befriended Kabal after learning
of his disability and the
subsequent prejudice he
experienced.[42][43]

For Mortal Kombat: Rebirth,

director Kevin Tancharoen's
2010 short lm that served as
a pitch for a feature-length
reboot for Warner Bros.,[44]
Sonya, played by Jeri Ryan, is a
lieutenant in the ctional
Deacon City Police Department
who makes a brief appearance
during Jax's interrogation of
Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion).
Ryan reprised the role for the
rst two episodes of
Tancharoen's 2011 web series
Mortal Kombat: Legacy, in
which Sonya again works with
Jax to bust the Black Dragon,
but her obsession with Kano
leads to her capture, forcing
Jax and Stryker to conduct a
raid on the warehouse where
the Dragons are carrying out
their operations. While Sonya
manages to free herself during
the fracas, Jax later suers
massive damage to his arms
after protecting her from an
explosion. Ryan was slated to
return for the second season
but was forced to turn it down
due to her ongoing work on
Body of Proof.[45] In a 2011
interview with Movieweb, she
said that she was familiar with
the series but had never played
the games and took the role as
a favor for a friend, while
joking that she was the only
cast member who was not a
martial artist.[46] Tancharoen
stated at Comic-Con that Ryan
could possibly return for the
third season,[47] but the series'
future is in doubt following
Tancharoen's departure from
the MK franchise in October
2013.[48]

Other media

In Malibu Comics' Mortal

Kombat series, Sonya
appeared with all of the
characters from the rst game
(minus Reptile) in the 1994
"Blood & Thunder" miniseries,
the rst issue of which
borrowed liberally from John
Tobias' MK comic in detailing
her dogged pursuit of Kano
alongside her Special Forces
comrades, and his escape onto
Shang Tsung's junk that is en
route to the tournament, the
dierence being that she
voluntarily enters the island
grounds to inquire Shang
Tsung directly about Kano,
rather than being captured and
forced to ght per the rst
game's storyline.[49] Her lone
partner in the series was an
original character named
Lance, who sported a
cybernetic arm (similar to Jax's
metal arms in MK3) and also
participates in the tournament,
but in the second issue he is
killed by Kano in one of only
two organized ghts that
commenced in the entire
Malibu run.[50] In the fourth
issue, when the characters are
stranded in Outworld, Johnny
Cage encounters the ruler of a
small village who looks exactly
like Sonya, and brazenly kisses
her; the woman (named Aynos;
"Sonya" spelled backwards)
immediately sentences him to
death for the infraction before
the real Sonya intervenes and
teams up with Cage to defeat
the imposter, which sparks a
friendship between the two
combatants.[51] In issue six,
she handily overpowers Kano
in battle but is then not seen
again for the rest of the comic,
and in the "Tournament
Edition" wrap-up of the
miniseries, Sonya is victorious
over Mileena in a ght that
begins with Mileena stabbing
her with a sai, and the storyline
concludes with Sonya and Jax
leaving with Kano in
custody.[52] In the second six-
issue miniseries, 1995's
"Battlewave", Sonya learns of a
brutal attack on Jax, and
enlists Cage's help in her
investigation,[53] but convinced
that only someone from
Outworld could inict such
injury, she returns to Shang
Tsung's island on her own, only
to be attacked by Kintaro and
taken to Shao Kahn's tower.[54]
She is brainwashed by Reptile
into marrying Kahn, but in the
"Battlewave" nale, the Earth
warriors disrupt the ceremony
and Sonya snaps out of the
trance on her own. The issue
featured an additional short
story titled "Every Dog Has Its
Day", which explored the
relationship between Sonya
and Cage after she is cast in
his latest movie.[55] In the
1995 two-issue miniseries U.S.
Special Forces, she and Jax
work to capture an original
Black Dragon character named
Rojack.[56] Sonya was the only
character throughout the
entire Malibu series who never
referred to themselves in the
third person.
In a short story prequel to
Mortal Kombat 3, sponsored by
CD Projekt and published by
Polish magazine Secret
Service, Sonya is ambushed by
Kitana and Mileena acting on
Shao Kahn's orders and
Johnny Cage saves her from
Mileena and Sonya herself
ghts o Kitana.[57] In Je
Rovin's 1995 non-canon Mortal
Kombat novel, Sonya inltrates
the Black Dragon by working
undercover as a criminal
named Gilda Stahl. Her mission
was to let them lead her to
Shang Tsungwho had hired
them to nd an amulet hidden
somewhere in Chinaalthough
she had a personal interest in
apprehending Kano as he had
murdered her anc several
years earlier. Both the journey
and her mission go south after
the unexpected intervention of
Raiden, Shang Tsung, and
Goro, resulting in the loss of
her cover and her being
abducted by Shang Tsung, but
she escapes captivity after
foiling a ritual sacrice
presided over by Baraka, then
inconclusively ghts Kano near
the conclusion before he
evades arrest.[58]

Kerri Hoskins, who played the

character in Mortal Kombat 3
and in the theatrical show
Mortal Kombat: Live Tour,
revealed in a 2010 interview
with The Gaming Liberty that
she had also auditioned for the
role of Sonya in Annihilation,
but "didn't make the last cut of
three girls" due to having no
acting experience.[59] She
enthused that her experience
in the Live Tour "was a riot"
and that she felt "like a rock
star." Hoskins also explained
that the show emphasized
getting young audiences into
the martial arts, while the
actors would travel to schools
to give motivational speeches
to students.[59]

Promotion and
merchandise

In 2011, British model Carly

Baker dressed up as Sonya for
both a live-action trailer titled
"Sonya Blade Kasting" and an
ocial photoshoot, alongside
two other women costumed as
Mileena and Kitana.[60][61] All
three also made appearances
at The Gadget Show: World
Tour that year.[62]

Action gures of Sonased by

Hasbro (1994),[63] Toy Island
(1996),[64] Innite Concepts
(1999),[65] and Palisades Toys
(2000).[66] A 1/6 scale limited-
edition statue of Sonya in her
primary outt from MK2011
was released in the Mortal
Kombat Enchanted Warriors
line by Syco Collectibles in
2012;[67] another, larger statue
in her alternate costume was
released in 2013.[68]

Reception
Critical reaction to Sonya has
been positive, with
commentators noting the
character's sex appeal and
toughness. Brazilian magazine
SuperGamePower featured her
in the article about the
"muses" of video games,
stating that "more realistic that
the Chun-Li and Cammy, Sonya
has reigned" between 1993
and the introduction of Lara
Croft in 1996.[69] Marcin
"Gulash" Grecki of Secret
Service ranked her as the
second-best female ghter in
the genre's history in 1996.[57]
A 1998 article in Saturn Power
mentioned Sonia [sic] among
the female ght game
characters that can be more
deadly than their male
counterparts.[70] GamesRadar
later chose Sonya as one the
iconic video game "babes" of
the early 1990s era.[71]

GameDaily had her featured

among "the next wave of video
game babes" in 2008, also
showcasing her as one of the
"hottest" blondes in the video
game world in 2009.[72][73]
She was included in Unrealitys
Queen of the Iron Fist
Tournament, winning against
Anna Williams but losing to Ivy
Valentine.[74] Sonya also
shared the eight place with
Kitana and Mileena on the list
of the "hottest" women in
video games" by Complex.[75]
MTV ranked her as the second
"best babe" in video games of
2011, stating that "few gaming
babes portray raw sexuality
better and more eectively
than this special ops legend
who has Barbie's good looks
and G.I. Joe's hand-to-hand
combat skills."[76] That same
year, UGO ranked her as the
third "foxiest ghting female to
be ever pixelated," stating that
"in her early appearances,
Sonya Blade wasn't quite as
sexy as other women on this
list, but her moveset more than
made up for it."[77]
GameFront's Ross Lincoln
ranked her bust in the new
game as the 32nd nest in
gaming history.[78] MSN
included her among the 20
"hottest women in video game
history", stating, "independent,
tough, and willing to put
herself on the line for her
friends, Sonya Blade is the
embodiment of the modern
woman. Well, except for the
part where she can sometimes
rip your head o."[79] In 2014,
she was ranked as the 69th
best looking video game
woman by Brazilian GameHall's
Portal PlayGame,[80] while
WatchMojo.com placed her
tenth in their ranking of top
female ghting game
characters.[81]

Sonya and Kano were the least

popular characters among the
players of the original Mortal
Kombat.[82] Nevertheless,
years later Game Rant included
her on their 2011 list of ten
"most awesome" Mortal
Kombat characters, stating
that "while not nearly as
unique as some of the other
kombatants on the list, Sonya
Blade is integral to some of the
more interesting story-threads
in the Mortal Kombat
universe", citing her pursuit for
Kano.[83] In 2012, "the hot,
butch" Sonya was given the
eight place on UGO's list of top
Mortal Kombat characters.[22]
That same year, she was at
seventh place on Cheat Code
Central's list of top Mortal
Kombat "kombatants", along
with a comment that "the
badass army chick was all the
rage back in the 1990s, but
now she's part of a dwindling
number of female characters
that really kick ass."[84] Her
"Double Split" in the 2011
game was included by FHM on
their list of nine most brutal
Fatalities in the game.[85]
Sonya placed 18th in a 2013
Dorkly poll for top Mortal
Kombat characters, noted as
one "of the more grounded and
strong-willed characters in MK
history."[86] In 2014,
GamesRadar called her "Mortal
Kombat's leading lady".[87]
Similarly, including her as the
only female in his 2015 list of
ten most iconic Mortal Kombat
characters, GameRant's Jason
Gallagher opined that Sonya,
"with all due respect to Kitana,
Jade, and Mileena, is still the
most recognizable female
character in franchise history
today. She's played a large role
in various ongoing storylines,
and is one-half of the reason
Cassie Cage exists today. The
Special Forces crew has
expanded greatly over the last
two decades, but it was Sonya
that started it all."[88]

In 2010, UGO rated her ght

with Kano in the rst Mortal
Kombat lm as the 19th best
cinematic ght scene.[89]
Ranking this scene as the best
in this lm, UGO also
commented that "Sonya Blade
has always been sort of an
also-ran character in the
Mortal Kombat franchise,
taking second place to the
busty ninja sisters Kitana and
Mileena. But the movies gave
her a chance to shine."[90] In
2011, Complex ranked
Wilson's role as Sonya at 12th
place on the list of "hottest
women in video game movies",
but with likeness factor of only
29% (as compared to Sonya's
later appearance in the video
game Mortal Kombat vs. DC
Universe).[91] On the other
hand, 1UP.com's Retronauts
opined Wilson was miscast and
not convincing in the role,[92]
and Leonard Pitts cited Sonya
being captured and taken
hostage in the rst lm as a
prime example in his 1995
article alleging that "sexism
still prevails in action
movies."[93]

See also
List of female action heroes
Sarah Bryant (Virtua Fighter)
United States Army Special
Forces in popular culture
Women warriors in literature
and culture

References
1. "Sonya Blade - IGN" .
Uk.ign.com. 2008-07-12.
Retrieved 2013-07-24.
2. "Characters" .
Atomhawk.com. Retrieved
2013-11-01.
3. "Beth Melewski - Resumes" .
Retrieved March 3, 2014.
4. "SeriouslyI need an
assistant. | Dana Lyn Baron's
Latest News" .
Danalynbaron.wordpress.com.
2011-05-12. Retrieved
2015-04-17.
5. Brian Chard (@bcharred)
on Twitter - April 14, 2015.
Retrieved April 15, 2015.
6. "Geode Press LLC -
Continued Interview with
Lorrisa Julianus AKA Zenobia" .
Geodepress.com. 2013-01-08.
Retrieved 2015-04-17.
7. "Mortal Kombat (Game
Kast) Gets Reunited - Dorkly
Post" . Dorkly.com.
2014-06-30. Retrieved
2015-04-17.
8. "Mortal Kombat Cosplay
Girls Geeksation" .
Geeksation.com. 2013-09-13.
Retrieved 2015-04-17.
9. Tobias, John (1992).
"Mortal Kombat comic book,
character p. 1" . Midway
Games (reposted on
Kamidogu.com). Retrieved
March 3, 2014.
10. Sonya Blade's bio from
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon .
Ocial Mortal Kombat
Armageddon website .
Retrieved on 2007-02-09.
11. Sonya MK2011 Bio -
Kamidogu. Retrieved March 3,
2014.
12. Jax MK2011 Bio -
Kamidogu. Retrieved March 3,
2014.
13. NetherRealm Studios
(2011). Mortal Kombat. Warner
Bros. Level/area: Chapter 1:
Johnny Cage.
14. NetherRealm Studios
(2011). Mortal Kombat. Warner
Bros. Level/area: Chapter 2:
Sonya.
15. NetherRealm Studios
(2011). Mortal Kombat. Warner
Bros. Level/area: Chapter 8:
Sub-Zero.
16. NetherRealm Studios
(2011). Mortal Kombat. Warner
Bros. Level/area: Chapter 16:
Raiden.
17. "Mortal's Master:
Programmer Ed Boon".
GamePro. IDG (86): 3840.
November 1995.
18. GamesTM 2, page 21.
19. "Twitter / therealsaibot:
Stryker was cut from the orig" .
Twitter.com. Retrieved
2014-03-19.
20. "Twitter / noobde: It only
had 6 characters (Sonya)" .
Twitter.com. Retrieved
2014-03-19.
21. "The Game Makers: The
Artists". GamePro. No.88. IDG.
January 1996. p.34-36.
22. UGO Team (2012-02-28).
"Top 50 Mortal Kombat
Characters - Mortal Kombat" .
UGO.com. Retrieved
2012-03-15.
23. In Konversation: Mortal
Kombat Online vs John Tobias
- Part 1 , Mortal Kombat
Online, 09/17/2012.
24. The One Amiga 75
(December 1994)
25. Sta (June 1994). "The
Minds Behind Mortal Kombat
II". GamePro (59): 116.
26. "El especial denitivo del
Universo "Mortal Kombat" " .
Loud.cl. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
27. Eric Caoili (2009-11-19).
"GameSetWatch Former
Midway Artist's Revamped
Mortal Kombat Fighters" .
Gamesetwatch.com. Retrieved
2013-07-24.
28. "The Ultimate Mortal
Kombat Experience" . Mortal
Kombat Online. Retrieved
2014-03-03.
29. Ocial Xbox Magazine 126
(September 2011), page 43.
30. Retro Gamer 116, page
41.
31. "Sonya Blade Speaks! An
Interview With Kerri Hoskins" .
The Gaming Liberty.
2014-02-27. Retrieved
2014-03-03.
32. Retro Gamer 40, page 29.
33. SNES Force 6 (November
1993), page 83.
34. Nintendo Power 91 (p.70).
35. Total 64 2/97, page 60.
36. "Twitter / noobde: Did you
know that Cameron Diaz" .
Twitter.com. 2009-12-21.
Retrieved 2014-03-19.
37. Goldman, Michael R.
Mortal Kombat: The Movie:
Behind the Scenes. Prima
Lifestyles (1995).
ISBN 978-0761500827
38. TimesDaily, August 21,
1995, page 20.
39. Delrio, Martin. Mortal
Kombat. Tor Books (1995).
ISBN 0-812-54452-8.
40. " ''Mortal Kombat'' second
draft script by Kevin Droney" .
Retrieved 2013-07-24.
41. Joshua Wexler -
Threshold Entertainment,
2006. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
42. Swords of Ilkan - Rage
Quitter 87's Cartoon Coverage
(10) . Retrieved December 15,
2013.
43. Amends - Rage Quitter
87's Cartoon Coverage (11) .
Retrieved December 15, 2013.
44. UPDATE: What is Mortal
Kombat: Rebirth? ,
ComingSoon.net, June 9, 2010.
45. Eric Goldman, Comic-Con:
Mortal Kombat Legacy Season
2 is Coming , IGN, July 14,
2012.
46. "Mortal Kombat: Legacy -
Exclusive: Jeri Ryan Interview" .
Movieweb. Retrieved March 3,
2014.
47. "Comic-Con: Mortal
Kombat: Legacy Season 2 and
Season 3 Info" . Ign.com.
2013-07-19. Retrieved
2013-07-24.
48. McNary, Dave (October 26,
2013). "Mortal Kombat Movie
Director Kevin Tancharoen
Moves On" . Variety. Retrieved
February 23, 2014.
49. Charles
Marshall(w),Patrick
Rolo(p),Bobby Rae(i)."Mortal
Kombat: Blood & Thunder #1"
Mortal Kombat (July 1994),
Malibu Comics
50. Charles
Marshall(w),Patrick
Rolo(p),Steve Biasi, Bobby
Rae, Larry Welch(i)."Blood &
Thunder #2" Mortal Kombat
(August 1994), Malibu Comics
51. Charles
Marshall(w),Patrick
Rolo(p),Richard Emond, Larry
Welch(i)."Blood & Thunder
#4" Mortal Kombat (October
1994), Malibu Comics
52. Charles
Marshall(w),Patrick
Rolo(p),Richard Emond,
Abraham Madison, Larry
Welch(i)."Mortal Kombat:
Tournament Edition #1" Mortal
Kombat1 (December 1994),
Malibu Comics
53. Charles
Marshall(w),Vinton
Heuck(p),Joseph Miller, David
Mowry(i)."Mortal Kombat:
Battlewave #2" Mortal Kombat
(February 1995), Malibu
Comics
54. Charles
Marshall(w),Patrick
Rolo(p),Richard
Emond(i)."Mortal Kombat:
Battlewave #3" Mortal Kombat
(March 1995), Malibu Comics
55. Charles
Marshall(w),Vinton
Heuck(p),Joseph Miller, David
Mowry(i)."Mortal Kombat:
Battlewave #6" Mortal Kombat
(June 1995), Malibu Comics
56. Mark Paniccia(w),Patrick
Rolo(p),Abraham
Madison(i)."Mortal Kombat:
U.S. Special Forces #1 & 2"
Mortal Kombat (January &
February 1995), Malibu Comics
57. Secret Service
Kompendium Wiedzy 1.
58. Rovin, Je. Mortal Kombat.
Berkley Publishing (1995),
ISBN 1572970596.
59. GamingLiberty.com
(November 4, 2010). "Sonya
Blade Speaks! An Interview
with Kerri Hoskins" . Retrieved
March 3, 2014.
60. Nikole Zivalich, Mortal
Kombat Sexy Cosplay -- Sonya
Blade, Kitana And Mileena ,
G4tv.com, April 8, 2011
61. "The Ultimate Mortal
Kombat Experience: Live-
Action Jade & Skarlet Featured
in Russian Vita Advertising" .
Mortal Kombat Online.
2012-05-18. Retrieved
2013-07-24.
62. Nikole Zivalich
(2011-04-08). "Mortal
Kombat Sexy Cosplay - Sonya
Blade, Kitana And Mileena" .
G4tv.com. Retrieved
2013-07-24.
63. Captain Coder. "Sonya
Blade - Mortal Kombat -
Hasbro Action Figure" .
Figurerealm.com. Retrieved
2013-11-07.
64. Captain Coder. "Sonya
Blade - Mortal Kombat Trilogy
- Toy Island Action Figure" .
Figurerealm.com. Retrieved
2013-11-07.
65. Captain Coder. "Sonya
Blade - Mortal Kombat -
Innite Concepts Action
Figure" . Figurerealm.com.
Retrieved 2013-11-07.
66. Captain Coder. "Sonya -
Mortal Kombat - Palisades
Action Figure" .
Figurerealm.com. Retrieved
2013-11-07.
67. "Sonya Blade Polystone
Statue" . Syco Collectibles.
Retrieved 2013-07-24.
68. "Sonya Blade 18''
Statue" . Syco Collectibles.
Retrieved 2013-07-24.
69. "SuperGamePower - Ano
07 No. 085 (2001-04)(Nova
Cultural)(BR)(pt)" .
archive.org.
70. "Saturn Power - Issue 09
(1998-01)(Future Publishing)
(GB)" . archive.org.
71. Game babes: A history
(page 3) , GamesRadar,
December 14, 2007
72. The Next Wave of Video
Game Babes , GameDaily, July
24, 2008.
73. Babe of the Week: Hottest
Blondes (page 12) , GameDaily,
January 16, 2009.
74. "Unreality - Announcing
Unreality's Queen of the Iron
Fist Tournament" .
Unrealitymag.com.
2008-11-14. Retrieved
2013-07-24.
75. The 50 Hottest Women In
Video Games , Complex.com,
November 8, 2010.
76. Danny Gallagher, Best
Babes In Video Games Of
2011 , MTV Guy Code Blog,
12/6/11.
77. Sitterson, Aubrey
(2011-01-14). "Fighting
Games' Hottest Women -
Sonya Blade" . UGO.com.
Retrieved 2011-09-29.
78. Ross Lincoln (May 5,
2011). "The Greatest Boobs In
Video Game History" .
GameFront.
79. "Sonya Blade - Mortal
Kombat - The hottest women
in video game history" . MSN.
Archived from the original on
2013-10-02. Retrieved
2015-07-16.
80. "TOP 100 As
Personagens mais gatas dos
games" . Portal Play Game.
81. "Top 10 Female Fighting
Game Characters" .
WatchMojo.com. Retrieved
2015-07-02.
82. "Special Feature: Mortal 2
Rocks the House". GamePro
issue 63 (October 1994), page
36.
83. Ben Kendrick (May 21,
2011). "10 Most Awesome
Mortal Kombat Characters" .
Game Rant. Retrieved
2011-10-23.
84. "Top 10 Mortal
Kombatants - Cheat Code
Central" . Cheatcc.com.
Retrieved 2012-01-01.
85. FHM Philippines
(2011-04-28). "9 Most Brutal
Fatalities in Mortal Kombat 9" .
Fhm.com.ph. Retrieved
2013-07-24.
86. Bridgman, Andrew.
"Toplist Results: The 20
Greatest Mortal Kombat
Kharacters of All-Time" .
Dorkly. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
87. "Mortal Kombat X roster" .
GamesRadar. 2014-06-03.
Retrieved 2014-06-10.
88. "The 10 Most Iconic
Mortal Kombat Characters of
All-Time" . Gamerant.com.
2015-05-11. Retrieved
2015-07-02.
89. Patches, Matt
(2010-12-23). "Mortal
Kombat - Best Fight Scenes" .
UGO.com. Retrieved
2013-07-24.
90. Kano Vs. Sonya Blade ,
UGO, February 23, 2012.
91. Peter Rubin, The 15
Hottest Women In Video Game
Movies , Complex, February 16,
2011.
92. Join Bob Mackey, Jose
Otero, Marty Sliva, Retronauts
Live Episode 43 , 1UP.com,
2012.
93. The Spokesman-Review,
September 12, 1995, page 11.

External links
 Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Sonya
Blade.

Sonya Blade at the Internet

Movie Database

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org
/w/index.php?title=Sonya_Blade&
oldid=793026886"

Last edited 3 months ag

Content is available under CC BY-

SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted.