5 Characters in Mortal Kombat 1 Who Feel Overpowered

You jump into Kombat League feeling like a pro, only to get matched against a character that makes you want to throw your controller into the inferno that is Neatherrealm. If you’ve been searching for the most overpowered MK1 characters, you've officially arrived at the right place.

To get the real take on who is actually ruining the lives of MK lovers in March 2026, we’ve searched for random personal POVs of gamers on Reddit and even tipped our hats to the folks over at MojoPlays, who reminded us that MK history is littered with 'overpowered' fighters.

Here are the 5 characters that currently feel like they were programmed by someone who just wants to watch the world burn.

1. Homelander (Tier : "I Can Do Whatever I Want")

If you thought Homelander was a menace in The Boys, wait until you see him in the hands of a Pro MK player. For starters, Homelander defies the basic laws of Mortal Kombat by simply refusing to stay on the ground.

While everyone else is playing a fighting game, Homelander is playing a flight simulator. He can hover just out of reach, spamming lasers like a toddler with a pointer, and his 'Diabolical Dash' makes punishing him feel like trying to catch a very greased pig.

The Broken Angle : Pair him with Janet Cage. The hop combos allow him to reset his flight pressure constantly. It’s not just difficult - it’s "I think I'm gonna call my therapist" level of frustration.

2. Johnny Cage (The Guy with "Main Character Energy")

Johnny Cage has been top-tier since the launch of MK games, and despite more nerfing than you could ever think of, he’s still very much here. Johnny doesn't care about your turn. In his head, every second of the match is a solo performance.

In MK1, Johnny Cage has so many "plus" moves that he can keep attacking over and over. If you try to "press a button" to hit him back, his next attack will land before yours even starts because he had that head start. You are essentially trapped in a cycle of blocking, waiting for a gap that never seems to come. Moreover, if he gets his Star Power hype meter full, you might as well put the controller down and go make a sandwich. In Hype Mode, Johnny gets a free pass. He can spam the most powerful, armored versions of his moves without draining his resources. We're talking 20, 25, or even 30+ hits.

He can chain specials together, and the combo just... keeps... going.

Why he’s OP : He has the fastest mid-attack in the game. He can interrupt your thoughts before you even have them.

3. Kenshi (The Two-Against-One Guy)

Kenshi is the guy who brings a gun to a knife fight, except the gun is a glowing blue ghost ancestor named Sento. When Kenshi summons Sento, the game officially becomes a 2v1 handicap match (whether or not you like it).

The 'Sento Stance' allows Kenshi to sandwich you between himself and his spirit, hitting you from both sides like a session of pro-level gymnastics. 

The Secret Sauce : Most pros are currently running Kenshi with Sub-Zero (Kameo). Sub-Zero has a move called Cold Shoulder/Ice Shield. It grants Kenshi 'Projectile Immunity.' So that means Kenshi can pop the shield, stand there like he’s in a VIP lounge while fireballs bounce off him, and summon Sento with zero fear. It effectively deletes the only counter-play his opponents have.

4. Baraka (The Stabber AKA Blender Fellow)

Remember when Baraka was just a scary guy with arm-knives? Now he’s a goddamned wood chipper. In most of the fighting games, if you want to deal 40% damage, you have to memorise a 20-step combo that requires insane timing.

But Baraka says, "No thanks." He has several strings (pre-set sequences of buttons) that are incredibly easy to pull off. For example, his 'Butcher' or 'Slaughter House' combos basically involve you tapping the same button repeatedly. As several Reddit 'venting' threads have highlighted, it feels insulting to lose half your health to a guy who is literally just mashing one or two buttons while you’re sweating over complex inputs.

He has survived multiple patches because his damage output is just 'thick.' Much like legendary MK9 Cyrax, Baraka has combos that feel like they delete your health bar before you’ve even realised the round started.

The Broken Angle : Baraka + Cyrax (Kameo). Yes, the classic 'Barakathelon' is still a nightmare. In the early days of Mortal Kombat 1, Baraka and Cyrax staged a hostile takeover of the entire game. The gaming community dubbed this duo the 'Barakathelon' because playing against them felt like an exhausting endurance sport you never signed up for.

5. Geras (The Ultimate Ctrl+Z Character)

Geras is the only character who can literally tell the match timer to "hold on a second." Playing against a high-level Geras is like trying to argue with a philosophy professor - you’re going to lose, and you’re going to be confused about how it happened.

His ability to freeze time and reset his own positioning makes him a very overpowered character. 

Why he’s OP : Imagine you just landed a spectacular, high-damage combo that took Geras’s health down from 50% to 10%. You’re already thinking about your victory pose. Geras activates Fixed Point, and suddenly - POOF! - The last few seconds of gameplay are erased. Geras gets his health back, and you’re back in the position you were in before you landed that hit.

OrbeatX Verdict :

Victory in MK1 (if you're playing with an overpowered character) isn't measured in damage - it's measured in how much you can annoy your opponent. From Homelander’s 'I can see my house from here' flight path to Geras’s literal 'Ctrl+Z' gameplay, the top tier has never felt more like a fever dream. These 5 are the kings of the hill... at least until the next patch notes decide to ruin their fun.

If you’re tired of getting stomped by Homelander’s boots, maybe it’s time to stop complaining on Reddit and start figuring out a way to beat these overpowered monsters yourself. Or, you know, just pick Baraka and mash buttons until the "Finish Him!" screen flashes in front of your soul.