Mortal Kombat Actor on Street Fighter Rivalry
Ludi Lin, who portrays Liu Kang in the Mortal Kombat film adaptation, recorded a reaction video to the latest Street Fighter film trailer while visiting IGN. The actor downplayed the narrative of fierce rivalry between the two fighting game-based movie franchises, describing it as exaggerated.
However, Lin did target specific criticism at Andrew Shultz, who plays Dan Hibiki in the upcoming Street Fighter film. Lin attributed the escalation of the rivalry to Shultz, pointing to the 2025 Game Awards as the starting point. At that event, Shultz allegedly claimed the Mortal Kombat team “only care about money” and made excuses for the franchise’s absence from the ceremony.
The exchange highlights underlying tensions between the Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter film productions, despite Lin’s public assertion that the broader franchise rivalry is overblown. The situation demonstrates how individual cast members’ public comments can influence perceptions of competition between major film adaptations of iconic gaming franchises.