The desolate and forgotten realm in Defenders of the Realm
Zaterra is a forgotten realm in the Mortal Kombat video game series.
Zaterra was home to Reptile's race of Saurians who originated from Earthrealm long before it was annexed by Outworld through ten consecutive victories in Mortal Kombat. It used to be ruled by a matriarch. Her influence on the other members of the Saurian race is so strong that overtime they begin to revert back to a more primitive consciousness the longer they are separated from her presence, which also affects their ability to maintain a humanoid appearance. In Mortal Kombat: Conquest, however, a former soldier of Reptile says that Zaterra wasn't destroyed because Shao Kahn came to the realization that the Saurians would make wonderful allies in his plans.
Ancient ruins of Zaterra as seen in MK: Conquest
In the television series Mortal Kombat: Conquest, Zaterra is depicted as very rainy; thunder can be heard along with the drenching rain, and many transparent Saurians crawl along the limbs of the trees, broken statues and ancient ruins within that realm.
It is unclear when Zaterra was conquered by Outworld, but Nitara's vampire people kept records of their existence before they were annexed by Outworld as well. The known Saurians also seem to retain no memories of their home world, which suggests that the conquest of Zaterra happened in a distant past. Though the Saurian people inhabited the realm prior to being conquered, their first home was Earthrealm which they were forced to leave during the catastrophic battles between Shinnok and Raiden.
Raptors (Saurians), the settlers and only inhabitants in Zaterra
A picture in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance's krypt shows the three forms of Reptile in a very swampy area with a primitive-looking house built out of stone or possibly bone, indicating what the world may look like and that it has a clearly primitive technological level.
In an episode of Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, an item named Gem of Tetsurri is shown. It was revealed that it is not a gem but the crystallized heart of Zaterra's former king, Tetsurri.
Zaterra before it was merged with Outworld (Made up Characters wiki)
Notable residents[]
Because Zaterra is technically still a part of Outworld, it does not have any notable residents, but Reptile and Khameleon could qualify as Zaterrans since they belong to the Saurian race. It's also speculated that the Vampire race also hails from Zaterra, due to their apparently vast amount of knowledge about the Saurians, although this would pose an issue with Nitara's ending in Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, which has been shown to have, at least, partially occurred. It is also speculated that Chameleon hails from here. Kiri and Ankha are also two Saurians whom appeared in the series Mortal Kombat Conquest, while another Saurian named Komodai appeared in the cartoon series Mortal Kombat Defenders of the Realm.
Shinnok's Uprising[]
Zaterra Feast
Zarterra was seen as Kung Lao, Aiko and Kitana were escorted by a Saurian general, Syzoth. The denizens weren't thrilled seeing visitors from other realms as they'd been living in constant ferocity fending themselves from the threats of Outworld's corruption and protecting their dwindling species. Syzoth and Kitana were convincing the Saurians there's a bigger threat involving Shinnok and his takeover of Edenia. They remembered legends going back thousands of years as they were once a part of Earthrealm until Raiden escorted their people to the neglectful ruins as the world was being enveloped in darkness and death from the cataclysm of Shinnok in the heavens. And so, the fortunate species drastically decreased in size, while losing their humanoid forms and enlisting Reptile. But with Kahn and Shang gone, Kitana wished to restore them from their plight once Shinnok is defeated for good.
Aiko was shocked that Zaterra was the home of a vicious ruler named Tetsurri which reminded her of the incident of his crystallized heart and how it was manipulated by Quan Chi.
Return of the Dragon King[]
Zaterra was being restored as Onaga, and his forces fell in battle. The Saurians, especially Chameleon and Khameleon, became the spies over the dragon and his army. Once they and the possessed Reptile recovered, after the latter's possession, they all returned there.