Sento (戦闘, Sentō) is an ancient katana wielded by the blind swordsman Kenshi, and it belongs to his long-lost ancestors, the warrior monarchs of both Asia and Europe in Earthrealm known as the Warrior Kings. It made its first appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and has appeared alongside Kenshi as his personal weapon in every game he is featured in.
History[]
The mysterious blade Sento was wielded by the Warrior Kings for many generations, until it was no longer used and was placed on the Well of Souls in the tomb of the Kings inside the House of Pekara. It remained unused and undisturbed.
Centuries later, a young and proud fighter who lived by the sword, Kenshi, was approached by an old man called Song who offered him a powerful weapon, a sword that will make him the greatest warrior that ever lived. Kenshi agreed to this. He went with Song to an ancient temple and enters alone. He passed through the underground labyrinth that was under the temple and found himself in the catacombs. There, he saw a sword on a stone well-like monument, Kenshi then pulled the sword out of the stone and spirits suddenly burst out of the monument and were unleashed, forever blinding Kenshi. They were then absorbed by Song who revealed himself to be none other than the vile sorcerer Shang Tsung. Kenshi was left there to die in the tomb, but the sword Sento came to him and revealed that he was a direct descendant of the legendary Warrior Kings. It then led him out of the depths and saved him.
With the aid of his ancestral sword Sento, Kenshi vowed to destroy Shang Tsung and free his ancestors from their captor. Kenshi would wield the sword up until his death in Armageddon. He would still wield it in the new timeline, acquiring the sword the exact same way as he did in the original timeline.
Mortal Kombat X reveals that the spirits of Kenshi's ancestors can manifest themselves through the blade and possess Kenshi in combat, allowing him to summon them in battle. The spirits manifest as demonically armored warriors and their possession of Sento gives the blade several noticeable cracks along its surface.
In Mortal Kombat 1, Sento was bought by Johnny Cage at auction for three million dollars, which drove his ex-wife Cristina away. Kenshi barged into the Cage Mansion to retrieve the sword, but failed. Cage carried the sword during their investigation in Outworld, and gave it to Kenshi as thanks for protecting him from a Tarkat-infected Mileena. During their fight with Ermac, Kenshi's ancestors within Sento awaken, granting him the ability to sense his surroundings despite losing his eyesight, and fight with Ermac on equal footing. After successfully stabbing Ermac, some of their souls are siphoned into Sento, granting the blade (and its wielder) telekinetic abilities.
In Other Media[]
In Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Sento appears in Season Two being wielded by Kenshi.
The design of the sword is radically different from its game incarnation, with the hilt appearing to be carved from bone with several screaming skulls seen on it.
Flashbacks reveal that the blade is said to be empowered by the sun and is able to strike down any opponent. Shao Kahn had it sealed inside a cave on a mountain and ordered the demon Ermac to guard the blade, killing and absorbing the souls of any who tried to claim it. When Kenshi is told of the sword, he seeks it out, and faces Ermac in the cave, losing his eyes to the demon but claiming the sword for himself.
Years later, Kenshi wielded the sword in the Mortal Kombat tournament and faced Ermac, who sought to take the sword back. Ultimately, Kenshi used the sword to strike the demon down.
Unlike the game version of the sword, the weapon is not an ancestral heirloom of Kenshi's.
Sento appears in Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind voice by Lei Yin.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- From Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance through Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, the blade would glow red when swung. However, in Mortal Kombat (2011) and Mortal Kombat X, it would glow blue. When using Kenshi in his Possessed Variation, Sento is shattered into multiple levitating pieces that glow red, and Kenshi is able to summon demons wielding scythes.
- From its debut in MKDA up until MK 2011, Sento appeared as a standard Katana with a curved blade. In Mortal Kombat X, Sento's blade was changed into a straightened shape more commonly associated with ninja swords, or Ninjato.
- Sento appears as an Equipment Card in the mobile version of Mortal Kombat. It gives a chance of basic attacks being unblockable. When equipped by Kenshi, it also increases the damage on his Special 3/X-Ray attacks. When fused to Tier X, it also makes the user deal more damage in the Faction Wars.