Reiko first came into the gaming consciousness in Mortal Kombat 4 as an evil general. He has served both Shao Kahn and Shinnok in his time, and was also a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow. By beating Mortal Kombat 4 with Reiko, players can see Shao Kahn's helmet is lowered onto his head. This move by Midway caused a good deal of controversy over the canon of the Mortal Kombat story, where some fans rejected the idea of Reiko becoming Shao Kahn. Co-creator Ed Boon commented on the matter, saying this event only adds to the mystery of the character, as he is most certainly not Shao Kahn.
