Who is Sub-Zero?[]
Sub-Zero is one of the most iconic characters in the Mortal Kombat series. Since his introduction in the first Mortal Kombat, Sub Zero is depicted as a blue garbed assassin of the Lin Kuei Clan. He resembles a ninja, but he is not a ninja. If you call him that, he'll freeze you, then punch into your neck and rip out your spine and skull. Anyways, Sub Zero is a fighter who possesses the ability to generate and control the power of ice, and uses this ability to defeat his enemies.
In fact, there are two "Sub Zero"s in the Mortal Kombat storyline, and they are brothers. The Elder Sub-Zero appeared in the first Mortal Kombat and then, after being killed by Scorpion, his younger brother replaced him for the rest of the games- his elder brother later became the undead Netherealm wraith, Noob Saibot.
Sub Zero is generally depicted as a a stern, distant and cold man who goes about his business silently, without attracting unwanted attention. As the games progressed, Sub Zero became a key protagonist aligned strictly to good. Through age and experience, Sub Zero became a man of integrity and self-discipline. He is currently the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei Clan.
(Writeup courtesy of Silencer S)
Sub-Zero's Contest History[]
Win-Loss Record:9-6
Summer 2006 Contest - Time Division - 7 Seed
- Time Round 1 --- Defeated (2) Master Chief, 63538 [50.95%] - 62932 [49.05%]
- Time Semifinal --- Lost to (3) Auron, 54325 [40.37%] - 80252 [59.63%]
- Extrapolated Strength --- 27th Place [30.53%]
Sub-Zero arguably made the biggest impact of any newcomer in the entire Summer 2006 Contest, and overturned a LONG-standing contest injustice in the process. The upset of Master Chief (after trailing early) and subsequent breaking of 40% against Auron was great, but more important was Sub-Zero *finally* getting his chance to prove that he's been stronger than Scorpion all along. All those years of Scorpion getting in above Sub-Zero, finally forgiven in two matches. One of the big what-ifs in contest history is what would have happened if Sub-Zero were in that fabled 8-pack with Scorpion in 2002.
We finally have our answer. Scorpion would have gotten his ass handed to him. I want to see this match one day.
Summer 2007 Contest - Division 8 - Fourth Group
- Division 8 Round 1 --- 2nd place, 41521 [32.89%] - Sonic, 50042 [39.64%] - Prince of Persia, 22690 [17.97%] - Viewtiful Joe, 11991 [9.50%]
- Division 8 Round 2 --- 2nd place, 29931 [23.47%] - Sonic, 56616 [44.39%] - Gordon Freeman, 24034 [18.84%] - Duke Nukem, 16961 [13.30%]
- Division 8 Final --- 4th place, 24063 [16.87%] - Sonic, 46083 [32.31%] - Squall Leonhart, 43950 [30.81%] - Sora, 28537 [20.01%]
Sub-Zero did well for himself considering that he was stuck with Sonic the entire time. He surprised a lot of people by how close he got to the Blue Blur in round 1, though he was quickly brought down to earth in round 2. Nevertheless, Subby proved that he's worthy of a contest slot year after year.
Summer 2008 Contest - Division 8 - Second Group
- Division 8 Round 1 --- 2nd place, 34544 [26.88%] - Auron, 50759 [39.50%] - Rydia, 22461 [17.48%] - Marcus Fenix, 20745 [16.14%]
- Division 8 Round 2 --- 3rd place, 26756 [20.52%] - Auron, 45155 [34.64%] - Sonic, 38702 [29.69%] - Sandbag, 19756 [15.15%]
Sub-Zero didn't look as impressive against Sonic this year but at least he held his ground with Auron for a couple matches. Did Sub-Zero cause Sonic to finish second?
Winter 2010 Contest - Varia Division - 13 Seed
- Varia Round 1 --- Defeated (4) Tidus, 41693 [53.86%] - 35717 [46.14%]
- Varia Round 2 --- Defeated (5) Roxas, 45571 [59.06%] - 31587 [40.94%]
- Varia Semifinal --- Lost to (1) Samus Aran, 16543 [32.69%] - 34062 [67.31%]
- Extrapolated Strength --- 30th Place [28.67%]
Sub Mother fuckin Zero.
You said it. Sub-Zero was a sleeper pick here. He made it into the contest by winning his vote-in and whoever won between Tidus and Sub-Zero was going to win again. Did Subby get a boost or is Tidus really that weak?
Summer 2013 Contest - Division 2 - 15 Seed
- Division 2 Round 1 --- 1st place, 13612 [49.02%] - (4) Garrus Vakarian, 11143 [40.13%] - (24) Frank West, 3015 [10.86%]
- Division 2 Round 2 --- 2nd place, 9605 [29.63%] - (7) Bowser, 13455 [41.50%] - (16) The Boss, 9359 [28.87%]
Sub-Zero had a simple path for this contest. In the first round he won comfortably over Garrus though Garrus did finish closer than what some people expected. In a surprising fashion Sub-Zero struggled to win over The Boss. For the longest time the difference was never over 100 votes and it was only in the final hours Sub-Zero began to pull away to take second. Did Sub-Zero become weaker or did The Boss become stronger? Base on their performance against Bowser it was likely a combination of the two.
Fall 2018 Contest - Division 6 - 10 Seed
- Division 6 Round 1 --- Defeated (7) Shulk, 19251 [62.57%] - 11517 [37.43%]
- Division 6 Round 2 --- Defeated (15) Claire Redfield, 19471 [66.26%] - 9915 [33.74%]
- Division 6 Semifinal --- Lost to (1) Auron, 13440 [43.29%] - 17609 [56.71%]
Ever since his long-elated 2006 debut, Sub-Zero has proven himself quite the contender, never losing in round 1, and thrice winning two matches. He easily beat an overseeded Nintendo character and a Resident Evil character who had just won her first match ever, before a rematch with Auron where the icy ninja lost again, albeit by a lesser margin. If only Sub-Zero gets a favorable bracket that allows for three wins like arch-enemy Scorpion had back in 2002...