Noob Saibot is a fearsome demonic ninja and a character from the Mortal Kombat video games. Completely clad in black, this shadowy villain has emerged from the Netherrealm on numerous occasions acting as a spy and assassin for the Brotherhood of Shadow, a cult of demons and necromancers that worship the fallen Elder God Shinnok.
History[]
Original timeline[]
Noob Saibot was not always a revenant. He was once a human known as Bi-Han, a ninja warrior of the Lin Kuei clan who operated under the codename "Sub-Zero" and wielded the power of cryomancy. He was a contender in the Mortal Kombat tournament, having been contracted to assassinate the tournament master Shang Tsung, but he was slain in battle against the infernal ninja spectre Scorpion.
Upon death, Bi-Han's corrupt soul was cast into the Netherrealm, twisted and transformed into a shadow of his former self: Noob Saibot. Noob was enlisted by the sorcerer Quan Chi into serving the ambitions of the dark god Shinnok and was assigned to spy on the dark lord's enemies. Thus, Noob travelled to Outworld and offered his service to Shao Kahn, but his true intention was to monitor the progress of the emperor's forces against the heroes of Earthrealm as they battled for the fate of that world.
While spying in Outworld, Noob avoided becoming directly involved in any fighting, although he did participate in the Outworld Invasion of Earthrealm. Following the invasion, the barriers between the realms had become severely weakened, allowing Shinnok and his Army of Darkness to emerge from the Netherrealm in order to continue their war against the Elder Gods. While Shinnok's forces contended with Raiden and the heroes of Earthrealm, Noob returned to Outworld to continue spying on events there.
During the war between Outworld and Edenia, Noob entered battle and stealthily ambushed the Shokan prince Goro, mortally wounding him. During this time, Shao Kahn was assassinated by the Deadly Alliance and Shinnok was once more confined to the Netherrealm. Without any masters to report to, Saibot was free to pursue his own goals and decided to forge his own army of dark assassins. Returning to Shao Kahn's abandoned fortress, he discovered the inactive body of the Lin Kuei cyborg Smoke locked away in Kahn's dungeon. Noob reactivated Smoke and reprogrammed him, then harvested Smoke's nanotechnology in order to create an army of cyborg demons loyal to him.
Noob would later lead his new army to Earthrealm with the intention of taking over the Lin Kuei and killing Kuai Liang, younger brother of Noob's former self Bi-Han who had taken on his former codename Sub-Zero. While the initial invasion of the Lin Kuei temple succeeded, Sub-Zero was aided by the former Brother of Shadow Sareena and the Edenian demigod Taven. During this encounter, Smoke was rescued and freed from Saibot's control, but Sub-Zero's attempts to save his corrupted brother proved futile and Saibot fled.
Noob would appear again among the Forces of Darkness during the Battle of Armageddon where he perished along with virtually all the other fighters.
Alternate timeline[]
Prior to his death at Shao Kahn's hands in the Battle of Armageddon, the thunder god Raiden sent a message to his past self, allowing him to alter the course of events. Among the visions he experienced, Raiden saw flashes of Sub-Zero becoming corrupted by demonic powers. Indeed, Sub-Zero was already following the path of evil as he and his fellow Lin Kuei Sektor and Cyrax had been contracted by Shang Tsung to fight on behalf of Outworld in Mortal Kombat.
Bi-Han was challenged by the vengeful wraith Scorpion, who dragged the ice ninja down into the depths of the Netherrealm in order to avenge his family and clan. At Raiden's request, Scorpion decided not to kill Sub-Zero, but the necromancer Quan Chi appeared after the fight and urged Scorpion to kill Sub-Zero by showing him a vision of the ice ninja leading the massacre against the Shirai Ryu. Bi-Han protested that it wasn't he who carried out the slaughter, but Scorpion was overcome with rage and ignored Sub-Zero's pleas. Scorpion then destroyed Sub-Zero with a blast of hellfire.
As Raiden had envisioned, Bi-Han's death gave rise to a greater evil. Quan Chi claimed Bi-Han's soul and turns him into the dark revenant that would be known as Noob Saibot. Noob would make his first appearance during the Outworld Tournament, helping the Shokan prince Goro in battle against Kung Lao and Liu Kang when they attempted to free Kitana from imprisonment.
Later, Noob stood at Quan Chi's side in Earthrealm's Jade Desert where the sorcerer performed the ritual to resurrect the former Edenian queen Sindel. With Sindel reborn on Earth, her magical ward preventing Shao Kahn from invading was broken and the forces of Outworld began their assault.
Noob was later seen to be assisting Quan Chi in casting a spell to create a massive Soulnado. However, once his younger brother Kuai Liang (now in cyborg form) was spotted by Quan Chi, he left his work to challenge him, having been warned by Kano that Kuai Liang was a defector. He revealed his identity to his younger brother, telling him that he was not worthy of the name Sub-Zero, a name that was once his. He also claimed that while they shared blood, Noob no longer considered him to be a brother. They soon engaged in combat, where Noob Saibot was defeated by Kuai Liang, who, after the conflict, claimed that Noob was right; they were no longer family. Soon after his fight with Sub-Zero, Noob battled Nightwolf. Nightwolf managed to destroy the Soulnado by kicking Noob Saibot into it.
Though it was believed that he had been destroyed by the Soulnado, Noob would return decades later during the time-merger instigated by Kronika. While Hanzo Hasashi and Kuai Liang were infiltrating a Cyber Lin Kuei factory, Noob appeared before them, intent on taking revenge on the both of them. He admitted to them that he had sided with Kronika on the promise that he would have his own army of wraiths to command in the coming New Era. However, he was unable to defeat his brother or his old nemesis and retreated.
Noob would next appear on Shang Tsung's island, guarding the Well of Souls that fueled Kronika's Crown. There, he and an army of doppelgangers ambushed the past version of Jax Briggs and Jacqui Briggs, but he was once again defeated and forced to retreat. He would not appear again for the rest of the conflict and it remains unknown if he exists at all after Liu Kang resets the timeline.
Abilities[]
In his former life as Sub-Zero, Bi-Han possessed the power to create and manipulate ice, wielding it to freeze his opponents and leave them helpless as he cut them down. As Noob Saibot, he melds with the shadows and bends them to his will.
- Teleportation - Noob can vanish into darkness and reappear anywhere at will. He frequently uses this power to ambush his enemies.
- Disabler - Noob shrouds his enemies in a mystical fog that negates their powers and fighting abilities.
- Shuriken - A classic ninja weapon. Noob throws a hail of these metallic stars at his foes.
- Black Hole - As well as teleporting himself, Noob can create dark portals for his enemies to fall through.
- Copy - Noob can create duplicates of himself that will fight in tandem with him