Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate (MK11) has 37 characters ranging from extremely common to ones you might forget are even in the game.

While most matches feature Jacqui or Sub-Zero, other characters seemingly never make it past the character select screen. Uncommon doesn’t always mean not viable or low tier. Less popular fighters are often overlooked in favor of similar options with better kits, but many might just be underdeveloped. Here are the top five underused Mortal Kombat 11 characters in no order. 

D’Vorah

Most players are outright repulsed by the Kytinn warrior and her insectoid moveset. Slow normal moves with inconsistent hitboxes consistently land D’Vorah near the bottom of tier lists. It is challenging to open up most opponents and clear why she isn’t popular in MK11. 

D’Vorah’s unique Special Moves make up for lackluster normals. Parasite adds throws to the end of several strings, increasing the utility of her normals. Widow’s Kiss is a teleport that can be amplified for beefy combo damage. When Deadly Swarm is active, D’Vorah unlocks a Krushing Blow on her toward throw that deals up to 360 damage with the press of one button. 

Ground Swarm, Strepsiptera, and Bombardier Beetle are all “trap” maneuvers that force opponents to react. While they are preoccupied with the setup, D’Vorah can take advantage of these attacks with early reads. She can also use some of the best jumping attacks in the game to pressure opponents in the corner. 

It’s hard to find examples of how to play D’Vorah optimally because most top players don’t main her. Fortunately, she is synonymous with one of the community's most established players. Tim “HoneyBee” Commandeur is a proud D’Vorah main and the best argument for her viability. 

Frost

The hype for Frost’s first appearance since Mortal Kombat: Armageddon in 2006 quickly died down when fans discovered her unlikable redesign. She was turned into a cyborg following the absence of Cyrax and Sektor and betrayed her former master Sub-Zero. Frost is one of the most polarizing (no pun intended) characters in terms of tier list placement. Some say she’s bottom, while others continue to call her underrated.

Frost is a jack of all trades, master of none. Her normal moves are diverse and vary in range, allowing her to safely fight from any distance. She has several zoning tools like Core Discharge and Kryo-Stance, as well as a full-screen Fatal Blow that is arguably the best in the game. Similar to Sub-Zero’s Ice Ball, she can also freeze opponents with Microburst or Cryogenic Crown to start big combos.

One of Frost’s biggest weaknesses is underwhelming Krushing Blows. Her best KBs come from the Ice Auger and Auger Lunge special moves, which must be equipped in Kustom Variations. If Microburst is active, she can make up for it with consistently high damage on normal combos. Frost’s individual moves are effective, but they don’t always seem to mesh well together.  

There are several notable pros playing Frost. 

• D2Stabs is perhaps the world’s best-known Frost main.
• Frost is part of Tommy “Tweedy” Tweedy’s stable of characters. 
• Oceania’s best MK11 player, Tasman “Waz” Stoker, loves playing Frost.

Kollector

Kollector is a ghoulish, money-loving merchant that almost seems like a joke character at first glance. This four-armed member of the Naknadan race also lacks the top tier privilege of fellow MK11 newbies Cetrion and Geras, making him rare online and in tournaments. 

Kollector has an eccentric moveset unlike any other character in the game. He has an extensive list of normals with a lot of utility. Two of his strings include throws, while his Forward 1 string offers low or overhead mixups. A lot of Kollector’s strings are unsafe on block, limiting his ability to create pressure. 

This character’s bag of special moves features something for a variety of situations.

• Demonic Mace is a chargeable long-range attack that can be cancelled and triggers a Krushing Blow when fully charged. 
• Bag Bomb is one of the most underrated projectiles in the game and can be used in the air when Demonic Comet is active. 
• Vial of Sorrow is another projectile that leaves flames on the ground and damages the opponent over time. 
• Demonic Clutch is a mid-command grab that can not be blocked, ducked, or broken, only interrupted. 

The most well-known Kollector main is Ryan “DeadlyxRebel” Burns. He competed in a number of tournaments like Champions of the Realms and the NRS Pro Kompetition. Kollector’s shining moment in MK11, however, was when FGC legend Dominique “SonicFox” McLean went on a surprise run with him at NEC 2019. SonicFox nearly won the entire tournament with Kollector, but lost in Grand Finals. 

Raiden

Despite being one of the series’ most iconic characters, Raiden is seldom seen in high level MK11. Many consider him bottom tier and almost always request buffs. He doesn’t lack tools. Instead other characters can do what Raiden does, but better. 

Raiden has a solid set of long-reaching normals to excel in neutral. 

• His several advancing attacks such as Forward 2 and Forward 4 are safe or plus on block. 
• The Thunder God’s Back 1,2 string ends in a throw that can not be ducked or blocked. It must be contended with a low poke. This is hard to time because Raiden teleports to the opponent’s other side during the throw.

The special move Storm Cell is safe on block and can be amplified to extend combos. It is easily one of his best moves. Following the motif, Raiden can place Lightning Rods on the stage to redirect lightning projectiles towards the opponent. He is unfortunately a victim of the game’s design. His trademark Sparkport teleport requires two slots, severely limiting his Kustom options.

Raiden is still a favorite for many pros. Prominent players like Brad “Scar” Vaughn and Zoulfikar “Kombat” Dayekh often play him during their Twitch streams. Russian player Yuri “Serious_Hitman” Galin is one of the only pros to use Raiden in a tournament, let alone win with him. 

Skarlet

Skarlet is another polarizing character with opinions varying from terrible to high tier. She is a zoner that excels in neutral and at full-screen. Many are turned away from Skarlet in favor of Cetrion, MK11’s premier zoner.

Her primary weakness is the gaps in her normal move strings. These gaps can be easily timed and Flawless Blocked for effortless punishes. She has the longest range on her normals out of any character in the game, making her a severe threat in neutral. However, this can leave her at a disadvantage against rushdown characters with faster, short-range attacks. While lacking in combo potential, Skarlet has the most damaging Fatal Blow in the game.  

This mage’s zoning specials are especially powerful at full screen. 

• Blood Tentacle is an oppressive mid projectile that appears right in front of the opponent, making it nearly impossible to anticipate. 
• Boiling Point is a low projectile that deals huge damage when amplified. 
• Amplifying moves like Bloodshot, Dagger Dance, and Cell Siphon replenish some of Skarlet’s health. 
• Red Rain provides a temporary damage buff and can be combined with zoning tools for a more threatening keepaway game.

Skarlet mostly comes out as a pocket character, although a few pros like Austrian EU Open Series player MakoraN main her. She is also arguably the strongest character on this list thanks to a variety of options from flexible kustom moves. Players with matchup inexperience often struggle to counter her unique playstyle.

Will you go against the trends and pick an underused character for the Open Series and Evo 2021?