Mortal Kombat 9 took some serious risks by killing off a majority of its character roster. The original Mortal Kombat fighters are iconic in the gaming industry, but it was clear that NetherRealm Studios wanted to move forward with the franchise. That being said, it'd be silly for the developers to start completely from scratch, and the studio has confirmed that a number of fighters will indeed make a return. Series mainstays like Raiden, Scorpion and Goro have already been announced as returning characters, but there are still quite a few spots left on the roster to fill.

Today, one of those spots has been taken: NetherRealm announced that Quan Chi would be returning as one a playable fighter in Mortal Kombat X.

As with all characters in Mortal Kombat X, Quan Chi features three separate fighting styles: Sorcerer, Warlock and Summoner. The Sorcerer focuses on using traps to damage opponents from afar, while the Warlock focuses on teleportation. Finally, the Summoner focuses on summoning minions to extend combos and keep enemies at bay.

What's great about Quan Chi's styles are that they don't fit in with typical fighting game archetypes. Usually, there's someone that fights well from a distance, there's a character who fights well up-close and a fighter that does a ridiculous amount of damage in exchange for speed. It can make a lot of fighting games feel stale and/or repetitive, but none of those styles really apply to Quan Chi. Overall, there's a lot of long-distance play, but there doesn't seem to be any signs of weakness when another fighter closes the gap, either.

Quan Chi has been a huge part of the Mortal Kombat series throughout the years. First appearing as a playable fighter in Mortal Kombat 4, Quan Chi has appeared in nearly every game since. NetherRealm Studios confirmed that, following the events of Mortal Kombat 9, Quan Chi will have a major role in the game's story.

Since the game's reveal last year, the number of playable fighters in Mortal Kombat X has continued to grow. Quan Chi now joins returning fighters Raiden, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Goro and Kano. So far, NetherRealm has also introduced newcomers such as Cassie Cage, D'Vorah, Ferra & Torr and Kotal Kahn. While many would rightfully assume that the game will simply be an evolution of Mortal Kombat 9, NetherRealm Studios is also looking towards its last game, Injustice: Gods Among Us for inspiration. Injustice, which used an alternate DC Universe as its backdrop, introduced a number of gameplay features (such as environmental traps) that will see a return in Mortal Kombat X.

It won't be long until players can finally take control of Quan Chi: Mortal Kombat X will hit store shelves on April 14, 2015.