One of the most iconic women in fighting games, Sonya Blade has appeared across many Mortal Kombat titles in appearances of varying quality.
As one of the most recognizable ladies in the genre of fighting games next to the likes of Chun-Li, Sonya Blade has cemented herself as an icon of the Mortal Kombat franchise. Initially appearing as the only woman in the original arcade game that started it all, she has maintained her presence in the series into the modern day.
A prolific member of Earthrealm’s Special Forces that has aided in protecting her home from the various apocalyptic disasters the Mortal Kombat universe has faced over the years, Sonya is a veteran representative of the classic roster.
While her most recent appearance in Mortal Kombat 1 may have reduced her role significantly, the respect it pays to the past has led some fans to reflect on Sonya’s long history.
While she is undeniably popular and one of Mortal Kombat’s key faces even among casual fans, Sonya’s status as more of a supporting character has led to her not making it into every single game in the series. Both she and her rival Kano were skipped over in Mortal Kombat 2, and she would also end up sitting out Deception due to her canonical death at the time. In a series that has explored as many directions as MK, however, she would also get several opportunities to reinvent herself within every other mainline title.
This tier list focuses only on versions of Sonya Blade from the mainline Mortal Kombat games. S-Tier
The most iconic version of Sonya Blade to many fans of MK’s original arcade era, this design is instantly recognizable to fighting game fans of that time and beyond. This iteration would be her official return to the series after being left out of MK2, confirming that she was here to stay after all. With her returning moveset and a more elaborate version of her fitness-inspired outfit that was able to lean a bit more into her military background, this is often considered the definitive version of the character that influenced what followed.
Appearing as one of the game’s Kameo assist fighters, Sonya in MK1 is a pure homage to her most famous outings in the arcade days.
