Sub-Zero performs a Babality in MKII
A Babality is a finishing move introduced in the Midway fighting game Mortal Kombat II, the second in the Mortal Kombat series of video games. The word is a portmanteau of "baby" and "fatality". The move allows players to turn their opponents into an infant version of the character. This infant version is often wearing a diaper, although sometimes he or she is wearing pants or other lower-body clothing. Regardless, the regressed character's attire is basically a miniature version of the clothes he or she wore when fully-grown, complete with smaller versions of his or her accessories (Raiden's hat, Johnny Cage's shades, etc.).
To perform a Babality, the player must perform a special button combination for their character and have won the final round using only High or Low Kick. In Mortal Kombat 3 and its updates, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy, the player had to win the round without using Block. After a Babality is performed, the sound of a baby crying plays (presumably the protests of the now-infant opponent) and the victor strikes a winning pose as a music box playing the end portion of "Rock-A-Bye Baby" plays in the background. The announcer proclaims: "[victor] wins; Babality!" In Mortal Kombat 3 and its updates, the generic green "Babality!!" text used in MKII is replaced with pastel colored, lettered building blocks. The blocks fall from the top of the screen and spell out "BABALITY" as a short lullaby plays.
Babalities, along with Friendships, were introduced as a deliberately absurd counter-argument to the controversy that the original received for its violent content, and a tamer counterpart to the typical Fatality. Fan reaction was mixed; some found them humorous and enjoyable, but others felt they were an unwelcome, out-of-character intrusion in what is otherwise a serious game. The moves were later dropped in an effort to abate this criticism.
Babalities appeared in Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, and Mortal Kombat (2011).
Their initial appearance in Mortal Kombat II Revision 2.1 came with some glitches including one that allowed players to perform attacks after the Babality was performed. A secret tribute to this appears in the N64 version of Mortal Kombat Trilogy where it is possible to revert the opponent back to adult form before exploding, resulting in a Fatality.
Mortal Kombat (2011)
Babalities made a return in Mortal Kombat (2011), where every character, including bosses, have a baby model. Unlike Mortal Kombat 2 and 3 and MK3's updates where the explosion turning the opponent you defeated into babies and the baby would just sit and cry, each character has a different animation once they are turned into a baby, usually involving a humiliating or Friendship-like action with a signature trait of theirs to drive the point home. To perform a Babality, the player cannot block during the winning round. Bosses, however, have much harder conditions that, when fulfilled, will activate the Babality automatically.
Baraka: Hisses and takes out his Tarkatan Blades, but they drill through the floor, lifting him into the air and leaving him there. He cries as he tries to get free.
Cyber Sub-Zero: Plays with one of his ice bombs until he drops it and freezes himself in a block of ice. He can be heard crying while frozen.
Cyrax: Plays with one of his bombs, but it explodes, making him cry.
Ermac: Uses his telekinesis to levitate off the ground, but cannot stop himself and is left continuously levitating from his telekinesis, crying in fear.
Freddy Krueger: A stroller appears. The camera pans inside to reveal a teddy bear with slash marks on it, as Freddy's squeals can be heard. He then pops up on the side of the stroller ready to strike, but misses his intended target, as his hat is covering his eyes. Confused, he looks around frantically.
Goro: Claps his four hands together while humming but accidentally slaps himself in the face. He then sits down and cries. To perform a Babality on Goro, you must play the game on Medium or higher difficulty, not use continues, and perform a Babality on Shang Tsung in his base form (not transformed). Then you can't block on the winning round against Goro.
Jade: Throws her Razor-Rang while giggling, but it comes back and hits her on the head, making her cry.
Jax: Drops to his knees and angrily pounds his arms into the ground while crying, making miniature shockwaves in the process.
Johnny Cage: Sits down, takes a blue crayon out and starts drawing on a paper, then throws it at the screen while cooing and giggling: it is an autograph with a poorly drawn picture of himself bearing the words "To my best fan, Johnny Cage", similar to his MKII Friendship, and also a reference to the first movie.
Kabal: Attempts to do a Raging Flash against his opponent, but goes too low and does a nose dive in the ground. He then throws a tantrum and cries a puddle of tears like Scorpion and Mileena.
Kano: Gives a cutthroat sign, but his metallic eye, now too heavy for his infant body, causes him to fall over. He desperately tries to lift himself up, crying in frustration. He also retains all of his facial hair during the babality.
Kenshi: Pulls out his sword using his telekinesis. He waves his hand, but the sword's handle keeps hitting him in the back of the head. After being hit a third time, he frustratedly starts crying in pain as the sword flies away.
Kitana: Pulls out her fans and tries posing, but the wind blows her and the fans around and she falls hard on her bottom, crying in pain. Her fans fall and lodge themselves in the ground beside her.
Kintaro: Notices a nearby milk bowl and meows as he crawls on all six over to it and starts lapping it up like a kitten, purring happily. To perform a Babality on Kintaro, you must play the game on Medium or higher difficulty, not use continues, and perform a Babality on Shang Tsung in his base form (not transformed). Then you can't block on the winning round against Kintaro.
Kratos: Steps on a plush Medusa doll, and after a couple pulls, he rips off the head with a victory roar, holding it triumphantly as the stuffing falls from it. It should be mentioned that this is the same way he kills Gorgons in the games. He has a beard like his adult version.
Kung Lao: Tosses his hat, and a hellhound from the Netherrealm (reference to his MK3 Friendship) runs him over, knocking him out of the way as Kung Lao lands on the side. He sits up and starts crying in pain.
Liu Kang: Gives a high-pitched version of his MKII kiai and tries performing his Cartwheel Kick fatality, but trips during the middle portion, making him cry in pain.
Mileena: Hisses and charges towards her opponent, but trips and falls forwards, proceeding to throw a tantrum like Scorpion and Kabal.
Nightwolf: Picks up an inflatable tomahawk and giggles in joy, but accidentally summons a wolf spirit. As the wolf howls, he gets scared, and shivers on the ground crying.
Noob Saibot: Creates a portal above and below him, causing him to fall continuously between them, crying as he goes.
Quan Chi: Creates a portal on top of him with his arms and attempts to roar until it drops a green skull on his head, making him cry.
Raiden: Summons lightning à la Kidd Thunder and places his hands happily on his hips but due to being unable to control it, a stray lightning bolt scares him, making him shiver and cry in fear.
Rain: Summons a cloud above himself, but begins to cry once it rains heavily on him.
Reptile: Instead of turning into a baby outright, he turns into an egg and hatches, spitting acid out of his mask and gooing happily.
Scorpion: Faces his opponent and attempts to shoot his spear (complete with high-pitched "GET OVER HERE!"), but the spear takes him with it. He lands and throws a tantrum as his tears make a puddle on the ground like Kabal and Mileena.
Sektor: Similar to Cyrax, Sektor plays with one of his rockets, but it activates and sends him flying upwards offscreen. As he lands hard on his bottom, he starts crying in pain.
Shang Tsung: Sucks out the soul of a teddy bear and sits contentedly.
Shao Kahn: He exclaims "NO!" as though he were about to die normally, but quickly notices the situation. He then turns to the player, decrees "You suck!" in a high-pitched voice, then turns to the screen and laughs with both hands on his hips while gooing. To perform a Babality on Shao Kahn, you must play the game on Medium or higher difficulty, not use continues, and perform a Babality on every single opponent on the Arcade Ladder, including Shang Tsung and Goro/Kintaro. Beating Kahn in this way will skip your character's ending, but will still unlock the ending and the Alternate Costume (providing you haven't already unlocked it) for them.
Sheeva: Looks around and notices that she has become smaller. She then stomps on the ground as if she were throwing a tantrum while whining angrily.
Sindel: Attempts to levitate, but falls to the ground crying and Banshee Screaming uncontrollably in great pain.
Skarlet: She takes out a bottle of milk and starts to drink it but she spits it out. She then takes out a bottle of blood and drinks it instead.
Smoke: As Smoke stands up, he farts out and cries because of the smell.
Sonya: Does a upwards bicycle kick, but falls down to the ground, hitting back first. As she is on the ground, she spins around in pain, crying as she spins.
Stryker: Pulls a gun out and bangs it on the ground, causing it to go off but falls down because of the recoil and cries.
Sub-Zero: Urinates on the floor and it freezes, making him slip and start to cry while sitting near the frozen puddle.
Trivia
- Skarlet's Babality in MK 2011 is the only one that features blood in it.
- Shao Kahn and Scorpion are the only characters so far to talk after having a Babality performed on them.
- So far, MK 2011 is the only game that gives you the feature to perform a Babality on boss characters.
- In Freddy's Babality, the baby carriage is the same carriage in "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: Dream Child".
- Sub-Zero's Babality is the only one in which the fighter urinates.
- In Mortal Kombat Trilogy, they are unused sprites from Goro, Kintaro and Shao Kahn in baby forms.
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