Key Highlights:
- Perform the required Brutality move as the Final Hit that defeats your opponent.
- Check Advanced View for additional conditions such as holding a button, tapping an input or fighting from a certain distance.
- Use our complete MK1 Finisher Guide to find every current Brutality for all 35 playable fighters.
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To do a Brutality in Mortal Kombat 1, the required attack must defeat your opponent while you also complete any additional activation condition attached to that finisher.
Unlike a Fatality, you do not wait for the Finish Him or Finish Her prompt. The Brutality has to trigger from the attack that ends the fight.
For a full explanation of the mechanic itself, including how Brutalities differ from Fatalities, unlock progression and Kameo Brutalities, see our What Are Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1? knowledge article.
How to Do a Brutality in Mortal Kombat 1
To perform a Brutality in Mortal Kombat 1, choose an unlocked Brutality from the Finishers section of the Move List, check its Advanced View requirements and use the specified move to deliver the Final Hit.
The basic process is:
- Open the Move List during a fight.
- Go to Finishers.
- Highlight the Brutality you want to perform.
- Toggle Advanced View.
- Check the required Final Hit and any additional conditions.
- Reduce your opponent to low enough health for the required attack to defeat them.
- Perform the move while satisfying every additional requirement.
Simply entering the move shown beside a Brutality is often not enough. Many have an additional condition that determines whether the normal attack becomes the Brutality version.
How to Check Brutality Requirements in Advanced View
Advanced View shows the complete activation requirements for a Mortal Kombat 1 Brutality, including the required Final Hit and any additional input or positioning condition.
The normal Finishers screen only gives you the basic move associated with the Brutality.
Toggle Advanced View while highlighting the Brutality to reveal its complete requirements.
Advanced View reveals the Final Hit and additional activation conditions needed for the Brutality.
Depending on the Brutality, these conditions can require you to hold an attack button, hold a direction, rapidly press an input, stand at a particular distance, use an Enhanced move or meet another requirement before or during the finishing attack.
This is why two Brutalities belonging to the same fighter can be performed very differently even though both rely on defeating the opponent with a specific Final Hit.
Why Is My Brutality Not Working?
A Mortal Kombat 1 Brutality usually fails because the required move did not deliver the Final Hit or one of its Advanced View conditions was missed.
First, make sure the opponent has little enough health for the required move to defeat them. If the attack connects but leaves any health remaining, the Brutality cannot activate.
For multi-hit attacks and Kombos, the correct part of the move must also deliver the Final Hit. If an earlier strike defeats the opponent before the required hit connects, try starting the sequence while they have slightly more health.
Next, check the additional requirement shown in Advanced View. Some Brutalities require you to hold a button or direction, rapidly enter another input, stand at a certain distance or use a particular version of a move. Missing any one of those conditions produces the normal attack instead.
If the Finish Him or Finish Her prompt appears, the Brutality attempt has already failed. Brutalities happen as part of the attack that wins the fight rather than during the post-match finishing sequence.
Also confirm that the Brutality is actually available in the fighter’s Move List. Knowing an input does not necessarily allow you to perform a finisher that has not been unlocked.
The most reliable way to troubleshoot a failed Brutality is therefore to check three things in order: the required Final Hit, the opponent’s remaining health and the Advanced View condition.
Where to Find Every Mortal Kombat 1 Brutality
Our Mortal Kombat 1 Finisher Guide covers all 35 playable fighters and links to a dedicated finisher guide for each character.
Those character pages contain their current Brutalities alongside the Final Hit, activation requirements, unlock conditions and platform inputs for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
