Mortal Kombat 1 best Kameo Fighter tier list: All MK1 Kameos ranked (September 2023)

The best Kameo Fighters in Mortal Kombat 1 will complement your chosen fighter, bolstering their strengths or covering their weaknesses. Mortal Kombat 1 introduces this new system as a way to add variety to gameplay and boost player creativity.

Kameo Fighters is a separate roster from the main cast of fighters in the game, and finding the right ones for your playstyle is important for success. Here are all of the Mortal Kombat 1 Kameo Fighters ranked in a tier list from best to worst.

• For the flip side of this list, here is our Mortal Kombat 1 best fighter tier list

How we chose the best Kameo Fighters in Mortal Kombat 1

Click to enlarge

Much like when choosing your regular fighter, there are no really wrong answers when it comes to choosing a Kameo Fighter. This is especially true for Kameo Fighters, as their uses are often highly situational. Some are best when paired with specific characters, or when matched against specific characters.

It would be impossible to tailor this list to all potential situations, so we have weighted it toward general usefulness. The top-tier Kameo Fighters are the ones you can bring into almost every match and succeed with, whereas the lower-ranked Kameo Fighters have much more specific use cases, or their jobs can be done better by other options.

It is worth stressing that the difference between S-tier and B-tier on this list is not a massive gap, so please do not think that your favourite character being low on this list means they are completely unviable.

• Check out our full list of all fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1

Mortal Kombat 1 best Kameo Fighters tier list

Click to enlarge

Here is our overall tier list for the best Kameo Fighters in MK1:

• Is Scorpion Hanzo Hasashi in Mortal Kombat 1? Click here to find out

Mortal Kombat 1 S-tier Kameo Fighters

These are the Kameo Fighters we believe to be the best overall choices in the game. Each of these Kameo Fighters has abilities that will be useful in any match-up, making them especially great for learning the game.

Here are our picks for the S-tier MK1 Kameo Fighters:

• Darrius
• Frost
• Sub-Zero
• Kung Lao
• Sareena

Darrius

Click to enlarge

The inclusion of Darrius in Mortal Kombat 1 may have raised a few eyebrows, but that did not stop him from being one of the best Kameo Fighters in the game. Darrius is one of the more straightforward Kameo Fighters, making him broadly useful.

He is great for combos, his abilities include overhead attacks and a launcher for starting combos and a wide-ranging swing attack that is great for ending combos.

Frost

Click to enlarge

If you want as broad a toolset as possible from your Kameo Fighter, Frost is the way to go. Her abilities include a mid attack that looks like a low, a low attack that freezes, a slow-moving projectile that also freezes, and a full-screen attack combo.

Frost basically does it all, it really is hard to find fault with her. Even among the S-tier options, she stands above the rest.

Sub-Zero

Click to enlarge

Frost is not the only Lin Kuei on this list, as Sub-Zero also appears as a Kameo Fighter. Kameo Sub-Zero is not far behind Frost in usefulness and has a unique ability of his own.

He has long and short-range attacks, and naturally he can freeze your opponent. Perhaps his most useful ability is Arctic Shield, in which he puts ice armour on your fighter. This makes you completely invincible to projectiles for a time, you do not even flinch when they hit you.

Kung Lao

Click to enlarge

In our tier list of the main fighters in MK1, we had to knock Kung Lao down a rank for losing his teleport between games. Thankfully, Kameo Kung Lao seems to have remembered how to do it.

Giving any fighter in the game the ability to rapidly teleport behind the opponent is very powerful. Furthermore, a Kameo teleport can be used at any time, even during your own attacks, which can create some absolutely wild combos that wouldn't exist otherwise.

Couple that with Kung Lao's hat throw projectile that has multiple uses, and he becomes one of the best Kameo Fighters for characters that lack these abilities.

Sareena

Click to enlarge

Sareena has some unusual and interesting abilities, while also being generally very useful. Her Jataaka's Kurse ability casts an area on the ground, and if your opponent steps in it, their super meter is drained. A strange ability, but very strong in the right hands.

Along with this, she has some of the best projectiles of any Kameo Fighter.  Her projectiles can reset the opponent in a combo, allowing for much longer and more damaging combos. If you enjoy getting many hits in, Sareena can help you do many more.

• If you have not yet, here is how to unlock Havik in Mortal Kombat 1

Mortal Kombat 1 A-tier Kameo Fighters

What keeps these Kameo Fighters out of S-tier is largely that they don't have as many useful abilities, or their uses are limited by comparison. Still, these Kameos are great choices that work with many playstyles. 

Here are our picks for the A-tier MK1 Kameo Fighters:

• Cyrax
• Sektor
• Kano
• Stryker
• Motaro
• Goro

Cyrax

Click to enlarge

As you might imagine, the Mr. Gadget-esque cyborgs of Mortal Kombat have quite a few tricks up their sleeves, and this is true for Cyrax. First among them is his net, which he can launch from full-screen and if it lands, will trap the opponent for a very long time.

His self-destruct ability is destructive, it can blow the opponent into the sky but also it will hit you if you are not careful. Finally, he has a spinning attack that hits opponents in the air and can be held to attack horizontally.

Cyrax has tools for many situations, making him one of the most broadly useful Kameos.

Sektor

Click to enlarge

You can't have one without the other, as Sektor also appears as a Kameo Fighter in MK1. His abilities are very different from his yellow counterpart, as Sektor employs flamethrowers, missiles, and his classic teleport uppercut.

The missile is great for applying pressure, as it can hit the opponent anywhere with its homing capability. Then with the flamethrower and the uppercut, you have amazing combo potential as both will extend your combos in different ways.

Kano

Click to enlarge

Kano was one of the first Kameo Fighters announced and has been a popular choice since before the game launched. This is due to his range of abilities. His laser eye is a great pressure tool from range, and his ball is useful for combos.

Kano is uncomplicated but still strong, making him a great choice for starting out or if you don't have another specific Kameo Fighter in mind.

Stryker

Click to enlarge

It doesn't get much more straightforward than Stryker. He has two melee attacks, one is a low and the other is an overhead, both are plus on block, making him an excellent mix-up tool. Then you have his grenades, which he tosses two at a time to catch an opponent off guard or extend a combo.

Finally, his Kuffed ability has him rapidly grab the opponent and cuff them, which can be used at the end of a combo to re-stand the enemy and force them into a neutral situation where you have frame advantage.

Motaro

Click to enlarge

There is an argument to be made that Motaro is one of the best Kameo Fighters in the game, but for very specific reasons. First of all, he has a projectile that lands around half-screen and hits low. He also has a shield which reflects projectiles back at the opponent.

Motaro also has a teleport, and it is very quick. Faster than Kung Lao's even, making Motaro even better at creating combos that wouldn't otherwise be possible. It will take some creative thinking, but Motaro has the potential to create the best combos in the game.

Goro

Click to enlarge

Goro is a lot of fun to use, but he can be awkward to use effectively. His main attack is Raise The Roof, which is a high punch. Goro can be summoned at any distance on the screen to drop in and do this move, which can be great for setting up combos with very specific timing.

This pairs well with Dead Weight, a throw where Goro grabs low to catch an opponent crouching or while you are hitting them with a combo and throws them back, extending your combo.

If you hit the Kameo button twice you can cancel into Shokan Stomp, an unblockable attack where Goro stomps down from above the screen onto the enemy. Rounding out his classic attacks, Goro can also be brought in to Punch Walk across the screen.

• For PC players, here are the Mortal Kombat 1 system requirements

Mortal Kombat 1 B-tier Kameo Fighters

B-tier is the lowest tier of our list, as there are no Kameo Fighters we would describe as bad, just not as good as others. This list includes Kameo Fighters whose abilities are somewhat underwhelming, or situational to the point of being obtuse.

Here are the B-tier Kameo Fighters in Mortal Kombat 1:

• Scorpion
• Sonya
• Jax
• Shujinko

Scorpion

Click to enlarge

Scorpion as a Kameo Fighter falls into the category of "interesting but not necessarily practical". He only has one direct attack, which is a quick overhead that does not have much range. He can also shoot fireballs into the air, which is a great anti-air tool.

His most interesting ability is his spear, which he uses to pull you backwards. This can be good for getting out of trouble quickly, but the uses for this are not widespread.

It cannot be used to interrupt anything, it can only pull you back from a neutral position, making it a glorified back dash. Potentially very useful, but in very specific scenarios.

Sonya

Click to enlarge

Unfortunately, Sonya Blade's only contributions to Mortal Kombat 1 are not amazing. She has her strengths, such as her throw doing slightly more damage than any other Kameo Fighter. Her projectile is quick and very useful, especially for characters that don't have their own projectiles.

Her Square Wave is also very fast and can ambush, but only hits in the air. This is an excellent anti-air move or useful for hitting an opponent after launching them. Finally, her leg grab is a good combo starter as it bounces the opponent into the air, but it has to be done at very close range.

Sonya's abilities are decent, but there is little she does that another Kameo Fighter doesn't do better. A solid choice, just not the best option.

Jax

Click to enlarge

Another classic character with sadly little use, Jax has potential for some cool combos but that is about it. His Gotcha Grab catches enemies in the air, which makes for some very fancy air combos. The setup for this is very specific, meaning it has limited usefulness.

His other attacks are his Ground Pound and Energy Wave. Energy Wave is not much to write home about, it is a decent combo ender that sends the opponent flying. Ground Pound is much more impactful, as it is an unblockable attack that hits both the opponent and you, if you are standing on the ground when it hits.

Shujinko

Click to enlarge

Easily the most situational Kameo Fighter in the game, Shujinko lives up to his reputation as the move thief from Mortal Kombat Deception. At the beginning of a match, Shujinko's Kameo meter is empty. You need to press the Kameo button to bring him onto the screen, where he will meditate to fill his meter.

Once you have enough meter, Shujinko can use two moves. Which moves they are depends on your opponent, as he will copy two of their moves to use against them. If you are fighting Sub-Zero, Shujinko will throw out an ice ball. If you are fighting Havik, Shujinko will do horrendous things with his body.

This makes Shujinko one of the most fun and interesting Kameo Fighters in the game, but in terms of usefulness, it really is hard to give him any kind of rating. He could be extremely useful in some situations, and completely useless in others.

That is it for our Mortal Kombat 1 Kameo Fighter tier list. For more, head to our Mortal Kombat homepage for more articles like the full Mortal Kombat 1 voice actor list or Mortal Kombat 1 special editions explained.