Liu Kang's Wristbands

Liu Kang's Wristbands are the favorite and trademark, leather wristbands of the Shaolin warrior Liu Kang, former champion of Mortal Kombat and one of the great heroes of the Mortal Kombat universe who continues to battle foes and save the realms from the forces of darkness. They first made their debut in Mortal Kombat II and appeared throughout the Mortal Kombat legacy. They later reappeared as collectible Relics named Liu Kang's Armband within the Konquest mode of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. This relic can be found in one of the corridors of the Lin Kuei Temple by checking all the dead bodies. After checking 3 times, you should find them.

These studded armbands are Liu Kang's trademark wristbands. These wristbands help him hone his skills and fend off attacks during kombat.

After being murdered at the hands of the treacherous sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. Liu Kang's undead corpse wears the shackles on his wristbands that held him prisoner for so many days and nights.

After his death by the hands of the Deadly Alliance, Liu Kang's corpse was turned into a vengeful zombie by Dark Raiden, with the Houan Chains shackled onto his wristbands that bound him to the Dark Thunder God.

By MK11, due to the introduction of the Gear Kustomization System. Liu Kang's Wristbands are now kustomizable and can be replaced with different designs, they have also been referred to as Bracers. With some looking incredibly similar to the Klassic wristbands from MKII and Trilogy.

TV appearance[]

Liu Kang also appeared with his old, trusted armbands, but not studded and without spikes on them in the animated cartoon series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, where the series relies on the group of protagonists instead of one, hence including Liu Kang.

Ikran's MK Khronology[]

ChosenOneKungLao — Kung Lao wearing his ancestor's headband and wristbands after Final Kombat

In every fanfic, Liu Kang always wears his signature armbands, even during the events of Shaolin Monks (after he avenged his brother, Chan and Kahn challenged) and Defenders of the Realm three months before Kahn's invasion. That was until he was slain by the Deadly Alliance, when his spirit was inside the Dragon Medallion, entrusted them to Kung Lao. It was implied that Lao gave Liu Kang the wristbands with the red headband which were originally worn by their ancestor, Great Kung Lao, five centuries ago. There was an interrupted quarrel in which Liu offered if he should be alive again, Lao must return them to him although he became bitter since Lao was the direct successor. Liu did retain the wristbands after he reunited with his body, even during Armageddon until his and Raiden's demise while changing Blaze's fatal trajectory of his firestorm. At Liu's Tomb, Lao attached them around the arms of his statue, but after Fire God Liu Kang appeared and granted him as the new Chosen One, Lao's destiny went full circle and thus was the permanent user!

It's possible that Dark Raiden still attached the Houan Chains onto the corpse's wristbands.