Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate is home to a wide variety of different fighters, including some amazing guest characters like the shocking newcomer John Rambo. In MK11, this powerhouse of a man is taking all comers, and isn't afraid to show them what he's made of.
The Competition Center has your back with a comprehensive beginner’s guide if you want to main Rambo. Learn how to play Rambo with this overview of the soldier's design, special moves, and moveset variation options before you run into combat guns blazing.
Everything you need to know about Rambo
John J. Rambo made his debut in Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate as a downloadable fighter. He's a former United States Special Forces soldier who lives with echoes of his past time spent in Vietnam. He's gruff, rough around the edges, and always ready to jump into combat.
Unlike some of his Mortal Kombat brethren, he relies on weaponry and brute strength as well as his military training to overcome any situation. He’s also thoroughly confused as to what’s brought him to a world where bizarre characters like D’Vorah or even Kotal Kahn exist, as they’re a bit out of his comfort zone. He’s a warfighter, not a character in a fantasy novel.
Rambo Design and Playstyle Overview
Rambo is a human character without supernatural powers. Instead, he uses various weapons that you'd expect from a military veteran such as a compound bow, survival knife, and an M60 machine gun. These options can make him a bit more challenging for beginners, especially as Rambo excels with guerrilla warfare tactics, i.e. traps and specialized mines setups, grabs, and similar tactics.
Rambo uses his specialized abilities to flourish in close quarters combat and remain threatening at long distance. His martial arts prowess is great for keeping opponents away, and his evasive maneuvers like going prone and crawling allow him to avoid melee and ranged attacks.
Special Moves
| Hunting Bow: ↓ ← △ | Rambo fires up to three arrows with his bow at an opponent |
| Savage Slide: ← → o | Rambo slides toward his opponent to trip them with his foot and roll backward if the player chooses |
| Whip Trap: ↓ ← o | Rambo crouches to activate a whip trap to eliminate opponents |
| Far Whip Trap: ↓ ← o → | Rambo sets up a Whip Trap from a further range to take down an opponent |
Custom Moves and Abilities
Rambo's first appearance in the Mortal Kombat series is Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate. With Kustom Variations, you can select from prebuilt moves to change up your arsenal of options and create your own build. Here are some interesting abilities you might want to chain together.
| Snare Trap: ↓ ← x | Rambo pulls a hidden cord to trap his opponent where they're standing |
| FUBAR: ↓ ← → ◻ | Rambo performs a lethal command grab |
| Leopard Krawl: ← → o | Rambo drops to the ground and goes prone to crawl toward his opponent |
| MRE: ↓ ← ◻ | Rambo stabs an insect with his combat knife and eats it to regain health that decreases the more you use the move |
| Mace Trap: ↓ ← o | Rambo crouches and releases a hidden hanging boulder with wooden spikes that can swing toward his opponent |
| Shoulder Roll: ← → o | Rambo rolls forward, turns, and slashes at his opponent with his knife |
| Artillery Strike: ← → △ | Rambo calls in an artillery strike on a specific location using a smoke grenade, and can be sued at different ranges |
| Claymore: ↓ ← x | Rambo plants a proximity-based claymore mine that cannot be blocked and will explode when Rambo or his opponent steps on it |
Here’s a taste of Rambo’s custom variation moves and mixups from Inferno Paternal.
Rambo Fatalities
Here's a quick reference on how to perform Rambo's iconic fatalities in MK11.
| Straight to Valhalla: ← → ↓ ◻ | Rambo digs his combat knife into his opponent's shoulder. They fall back into a wire trap covered by leaves. The trap springs up to reveal bamboo spikes. His opponent is impaled by the spikes while Rambo walks behind them, tears open their throat, and pulls out their larynx and windpipe. |
| Parilla Thrilla: ↓ → ↓ o | Rambo takes an ammo belt and wraps it around his opponent, then kicks them onto an electrified bed frame. The opponent is electrocuted, and attracts the bullets from the ammo belt. An explosion tears their body in half. Rambo plunges his knife into his opponent's chin and splits their face in two. |
Discover Rambo’s Brutalities and Fatalities in action:
Rambo Combos
Looking for something meatier to move on from beginner's land with Rambo? Jump into this advanced guide to Rambo's combos by MadDoggGames.
Rambo is a somewhat challenging pick for any Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate player. Once you’re well-versed in the art of war, military-style, sign up for one of the Competition Center’s Open Series weekly tournaments to launch an Artillery Strike on enemies of your own.