Ermac is a red-clad ninja who utilizes telekinesis during fights in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Before that, however, he was a subject of fan speculation that began with a rumored glitch in the first Mortal Kombat game.
Since his debut, despite siding with some of the antagonists in the series, Ermac has been seen as a neutral character that sides with those looking to better his native realm of Outworld, most notably finding a proper ruler.
Making his debut in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Ermac has been a controversial and mysterious character in the Mortal Kombat series whose existence was rumored since its inception. Ermac is a fusion of the many souls destroyed in Outworld's wars, only to be controlled by Emperor Shao Kahn and his Shadow Priests. Because of this, he refers to himself as "we", "our", "us", and "ours", instead of "I", "my" "me", and "mine". Because of the sheer concentration of souls within Ermac, he possesses the gifts of telekinesis, teleportation, and the ability to travel between realms.
Ermac rarely shows any signs of emotion, but he has proven to be quite wise and a very deadly combatant, using his telekinetic abilities to battle multiple opponents at once while keeping the upper hand. Disappearing after the events of Mortal Kombat Trilogy, he only returned in Mortal Kombat: Deception, where he was freed from Shao Kahn's grip by the blind swordsman Kenshi, whom he repaid by teaching him the Telekinetic Slam. He decided to become a force of good, partly in guilt of his past evils. To prove this, he decides to help Liu Kang free the souls of his friends from Onaga's control.
In the current timeline, this did not happen and, after the events of Mortal Kombat, he soon came under the possession of Shao Kahn's soul, as well as King Jerrod's. Despite this, it's implied that Ermac has free will and is no longer evil due to Shao Kahn's death, as he willingly chose to side with Kotal Kahn to be ruler of Outworld instead of Mileena in Mortal Kombat X, despite Shao Kahn's decree. While Ermac's goal has varied over time, his overall allegiance is to Outworld, whether from defending it from threats like Onaga or finding a proper ruler for the realm itself.
Ermac returns in Mortal Kombat 1 as a minor antagonist in the game's Story Mode. He also appears as the fourth playable character as DLC as part of the Kombat Pack. In the current timeline, Ermac is instead created by Quan Chi using souls of the Living Forest. Later on, King Jerrod assumes control over Ermac's body, thus returning to life as the host of the construct.
Theme song: Mystical Energies - Ermac's theme (Mortal Kombat: Deception Unchained)
Fan theme song: Ermac theme - Mortal Kombat 2024 (Paul Unfaces)
Return of the Dragon King[]
Ermac ambushed Aiko and Kenshi near the ruins of Shang Tsung's Palace. She recalled Kung Lao's fight against him as a monk asked for help of a strange occurrence in the Warrior Shrine. With a team effort by him and Liu, they were able to decimate Kahn's kollection of souls as he was hit directly by one of the limestone slabs, then squashed by another! With him resurrected, he easily incapacitated Aiko, causing her to have a delirium. She eventually began to whistle to a lulling song and the melody attracted Ermac whom hesitated. As soon as Kenshi used his telepathy, he was able to use his blade and sliced the chains which broke Kahn's thrall over him! He recalled this was the lullaby his wife, Queen Sindel, hummed to their baby daughter, Kitana! He then helped Kenshi restore Aiko's head from the impact, and she was shocked to know he was actually the lost ruler of Edenia, Jerrod!! He then offered to take Kenshi and Aiko to the Palace after receiving news of Onaga's resurrection!
Ermac was seen in the Netherrealm when Shujinko found him as he was looking for the Soul Stones. Remembering the attack in the Warrior Shrine, Kung Lao failed to stop them. Even the teen utilized Ermac's moves against Ashrah who was attempting to ascend by slaying demons. With the power of the Stone, he was able to survive the Netherrealm and became a more formidable servant to Kahn; that was when Lao knew Shujinko was a bad omen...
By the time he, Kenshi and Aiko reached the Palace, the guardsmen blocked their entry. They complained on the Queen's disappearance and now dealing with more intruders... Jerrod, by speaking his normal voice despite the eerie getup, tried to assure them otherwise, and Kenshi proved he was correct by projecting Ermac's thoughts onto them. Eventually, they remembered the long-lost ruler, while Aiko was whistling the song she heard while zoning out. Recognizing the melody and reading Jerrod's thoughts they stated Sindel, Jade and half of the royal guard had left to find Onaga's remains. He remembered they'd be preserved in the Lost Tomb, and he grew suspicious. He then decided to take the pair there, but before he did, the guards gave Ermac a special stitching for his uniform, which was said to represent the yaz letter to symbolize him as a free man!
Jerrod stopped the erratic Kitana from harming Sindel and Jade as he tossed her away via soul kinesis. Kenshi then ordered Aiko to repeat the same song she whistled, and he amplified that into Kitana's mind. She eventually was saved, and Jerrod unveiled himself from his Ermac attire to be the lost ruler of Edenia!! There was a tearful reunion by Kitana, Jade, and Sindel, only moments before Kenshi interrupted to make some business. He offered his assistance to fight Onaga and his undead cronies and he stuck with the group back to Liu's Temple. While there, everyone, even Hanzo, was concerned on who the Edenian Champion was before Kahn took over the kingdom over 10,000 years ago. He enlisted he shall impersonate as him in order to use its Kamidogu onto the Dragon King; Sindel and Kitana grew bewildered, and he assured them that he'll succeed, even Liu was confident since he was a legion of souls conjured by the Emperor, thus his concealment and changing his identity!
Later on, he met up with Hanzo and a comatose Kung Lao. After Liu restored his mind, courtesy of it breaking by the Chaosrealm's intrinsic atmosphere, Lao was irritated reuniting with one of his old enemies! Jerrod assured he's not the intruder he knew, and he was willing to help since he knew Lao was one of the Champions needed to thwart the Dragon King. Soon the immense darkness hindered their progress, only for the Wu Shi Academy to be invaded by Liu's reanimated corpse and Dark Raiden governing him! He was able to save Liu's pure soul from being pulled away as well. He followed the heroes into the fray, although he only saved the injured Kenshi from the god's wrath into the Dragon Grotto. Minutes later, he held the refugees at bay before there was a large explosion that shook the Grotto! He then encountered the benevolent Raiden who assured everyone is safe and reminded the heroes they must finish the mission.
Jerrod was with Hanzo as they both stole their corresponding Kamidogu; he assured the dormant wraith he should use everything he has against the Dragon King even if he would be consumed by darkness. They met up with Lao, with Liu's spirit possessing him, Havik and Goro as they confronted Onaga head on! It took a while for him to make his move utilizing all the soul kinetic abilities Kahn gifted him, which were proven effective, but minute. Liu then suggested to break each of the Kamidogu, to which Jerrod agreed as Onaga'd fall with his source of power null and void. It worked, making Onaga vulnerable to each of the Kombatants' onslaughts and forcing him into Lao's F4 Tornado! He watched his soul ooze out of Reptile, even prevented Havik from killing off the Saurian as he caught him in his soul field before he gave him a kick into the Chaosrealm! Raiden escorted everyone to the Sky Temple.
It didn't take long for Jerrod to recover in the Jinsei. The Edenians were thrilled to see him alive and well, even when they were waiting for the Shaolins' fates. Lao was the first to recover followed by Liu Kang minutes later.
Final Kombat[]
Jerrod gathered his former attire as Ermac so he'd conceal his true identity during the inevitable Battle of Armageddon, especially from the likes of Kahn. Thanks to Liu's assistance against the Emperor who crippled them, his fire cocoon and Cetrion's tears, he was revitalized and still stood as Edenia's strong leader, even when he congratulated Taven as Edenia's new Protector God and Kintaro took the fold as bodyguard while the Shokan left for Australia. They were also relieved that Kitana and Liu Kang were still alive, albeit different incarnates, as they officially became time hoppers but are more than welcome to visit.
Trivia[]
- This symbol on his back, in Deception, is known as the "Free Man" symbol. It has the Tifinagh letter "yaz." And it symbolizes the "free man", such as how Ermac had been freed. His design also seems to be inspired by dessert origins, like the Berber people who use this.
- The character originated from rumors alleging he appeared in the original 1992 game as a glitch or hidden character, which were perpetuated by video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM). His name was derived from a diagnostics menu in the first game that displayed the text "error macro" as ERMACS. Although the rumors were false, growing interest led to him becoming an official playable character.
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