Key Highlights:
- Takeda’s Mortal Kombat 1 gameplay trailer showcases bladed whips, explosive kunai and teleportation.
- Takeda enters early access on 23 July 2024, with a standalone release on 30 July.
- Ferra joins the Kameo roster on 23 July following a delay to her original release.
NetherRealm Studios has released the official Takeda gameplay trailer for Mortal Kombat 1, showcasing the returning fighter’s bladed whips, explosive kunai and acrobatic attacks ahead of his DLC debut.
The trailer arrived on 15 July 2024, confirming that Takeda Takahashi will enter early access on 23 July for Kombat Pack and Premium Edition owners. Players purchasing him separately can do so from 30 July.
Takeda originally debuted in Mortal Kombat X, where he was introduced as the son of Kenshi and trained under Scorpion. However, Mortal Kombat 1 changes his backstory considerably.
In Liu Kang’s New Era, Takeda is Kenshi’s cousin rather than his son. Both have connections to the Yakuza, but Takeda eventually joins the Shirai Ryu after Kenshi saves his life, developing a new purpose beyond his criminal upbringing.
Despite that rewritten history, his fighting style retains several recognisable elements from his previous appearance.
The trailer shows Takeda using serrated whips to grab, pull and throw opponents, allowing him to attack from a distance before transitioning into close-range combos.
He can also grapple upwards using his whips, creating opportunities to evade attacks and reposition himself during a fight.
His explosive kunai provide another offensive tool. These projectiles can detonate after being placed, giving Takeda opportunities to extend combos and control where an opponent can safely move.
Teleportation adds another dimension to his attacks, allowing him to reposition behind opponents and continue his offensive pressure.
What interests me most is how the trailer combines movement and attack range. Takeda’s whips aren’t simply long-distance weapons; they’re also part of his mobility, which could make his approach considerably less predictable.
The gameplay footage concludes with a particularly gruesome Fatality in which Takeda wraps his bladed whips around his opponent before tightening them until the victim is torn apart.
For players interested in performing his finishing moves, our Takeda Fatalities, Animality and Brutalities guide covers the inputs, distances and execution requirements.
Alongside Takeda, Ferra will join Mortal Kombat 1 as a new Kameo Fighter on 23 July, available to Kombat Pack owners and through a separate purchase.
Ferra originally appeared alongside Torr in Mortal Kombat X, forming a playable duo in which she could be thrown towards opponents and used during attacks.
Her return takes a different approach. Rather than reuniting the pair as a conventional playable Fighter, NetherRealm is introducing Ferra through the Kameo system, allowing her to assist another character during combat.
Ferra was previously scheduled to arrive in June, but NetherRealm postponed her release to allow additional development time. The new 23 July date brings her arrival alongside Takeda’s early-access launch.
Both characters will also be playable ahead of release at EVO 2024 in Las Vegas, taking place from 19–21 July.
Takeda becomes the sixth and final playable Fighter included in the original Kombat Pack, following Omni-Man, Quan Chi, Peacemaker, Ermac and Homelander.
The most recent addition, Homelander, arrived alongside the Season 6 Invasions update in June.
Although Takeda and Ferra complete the first Kombat Pack lineup, NetherRealm has indicated that further Mortal Kombat 1 content is planned beyond these releases.
Later Update: NetherRealm officially unveiled its next major expansion at San Diego Comic-Con. GLN covered the Khaos Reigns announcement and the return of Animalities, confirming new story content and another wave of playable Fighters.
