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How to perform a taunt in Mortal Kombat 1

Find out how to taunt in Mortal Kombat 1, along with all the unique MK1 taunt animations that you can use to show off your skills with your favorite fighter.

Mortal Kombat 1 taunt: Shao Kahn pointing towards the camera, with two characters fighting blurred in the background.

How do you taunt in Mortal Kombat 1? Flexing on your opponent has always been a core part of what makes the Mortal Kombat series so enticing, and the Mortal Kombat 1 taunt feature lets you do just that. After all, what better way to show your skill than to spend a few moments basking in the spotlight. So, here’s how to perform a taunt in Mortal Kombat 1.

Like the Mortal Kombat 1 Kustomization feature letting you inject your personality into your favorite fighter, the Mortal Kombat 1 taunt mechanic won’t give you an edge in combat. That doesn’t stop is being incredibly fun to show off though. If you’re looking to improve, then your first stop should be our Mortal Kombat 1 characters tier list, ranking all the fighters in the current meta.

How to perform a taunt in Mortal Kombat 1

To perform a taunt in Mortal Kombat 1, press the down button four times in quick succession to begin the taunt animation on your chosen character. Like any combo, the input will be canceled if you are attacked.

On console, the down button includes both the D-Pad and the left joystick, whichever is your preferred option. On the other hand, PC players will have to press S or the down arrow key to perform a taunt using the default controls.

Mortal Kombat 1 taunt: The combo menu showing how to taunt in MK1.

Pressing these inputs to perform a taunt will initiate a taunt animation, with each fighter having access to two different equipped taunts at any given time – stationary and walkaway.

Mortal Kombat 1 taunt: Scorpion performing a taunt against Sub-Zero during a battle.

Be warned though, as once you’ve committed to a taunt, you can’t cancel the animation. While taunts aren’t incredibly long, your opponent could have just enough time to get a free attack in. As such, there’s a risk to performing a taunt, as there should be if you have the gall to flex on your opponent.

Mortal Kombat 1 taunt: Johnny Cage taunting Sub-Zero during a fight.

All Mortal Kombat 1 taunts

Each of the Mortal Kombat 1 characters can equip two taunts that will be used when you perform the correct combo. These are stationary and walkaway taunts.

New taunts can be unlocked through Character Mastery for each character, so pick your favorite fighter and start leveling them up to receive new rewards. There are even taunt rarities, with higher rarity taunts generally being more flashy than their common counterparts.

Check out the video below by ‘Mitsuownes’ to see each of the taunt animations for the beta characters:

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Taunts are quick animations that showcase your characters unique talents and flair, though they don’t deal any damage. Simply put, the MK1 taunts system is all about boasting by taking a second to show off instead of attacking your opponent. For example, Sub-Zero’s taunts will see him weaving ice in various ways, while Kenshi twirls his blade and performs other stylish sword skills. Pick your favorite character and experiment with the taunt combo to see what animations you get.

And that’s how to perform a taunt in Mortal Kombat 1, as well as all the confirmed MK1 taunts. Now all that’s left to do is team up with your favorite Mortal Kombat 1 Kameo Fighters and bring the action to your opponent before taunting to prove who’s the best.