Once every generation, the tournament is held: the ultimate martial arts competition in which mortal warriors must fight against many supernatural opponents to defend the earth from evil forces.

Now three young mortals have come to compete in the tournament.

They are Liu Kang, raised as a fighting monk; Johnny Cage, an American movie star; and Sonya Blade, a beautiful U.S. Special Forces agent who seeks revenge on her deadly enemy Kano.

With the help of the immortal thunder god Rayden, the mortals must conquer their inner fears to defeat Goro, the four-armed warrior prince, and save humanity from the dreaded sorcerer Shang Tsung.