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[starrynight2306]

I posted a version of this on Reddit and cross posted to the main MK subreddit and got a few trolls that kind of took the wind out of my sails when it comes to the ship. I posted a version of this on AO3 and have a lot of this on separate posts here too, but I figured it’d be nice to have everything laid out in place. I guess you could think of it as a ship manifesto. Hope y’all like it and if something is factually incorrect or you have a rebuttal or something I missed that you think could be added please let me know!

Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️. Here’s to hoping there’s more rep in MK in the future (preferably in the form of canon Johnshi😂

Is Mortal Kombat 1 Setting Up Johnny Cage & Kenshi as a Couple? A Deep Dive into Johnshi

In Mortal Kombat 1 (2023), the relationship between Johnny Cage and Kenshi Takahashi stands out as one of the most emotionally charged and narratively significant in the game. Their dynamic has sparked a lot of fan speculation, and many are wondering: could MK1 be laying the groundwork for a future romantic pairing?

I’m not here to declare it canon or say it has to happen — but I do want to explore how the writing, performances, visuals, and character choices suggest that their bond might be deeper than friendship. Whether you agree or disagree, I’m interested in hearing thoughtful perspectives.

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1. ⁠Unique Chemistry and Banter

Johnny is loud and brash. Kenshi is quiet and stoic. But together, something shifts. Johnny teases Kenshi in ways that feel unusually affectionate — and Kenshi actually smiles, which is rare for him. Their banter feels playful, flirtatious, and emotionally intimate — more so than Johnny shares with most characters.

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2. Kenshi’s Sacrifice and Johnny’s Care

In the story mode, Kenshi is blinded protecting Johnny from Mileena. Johnny tends to Kenshi’s wounds, applies a salve from Syzoth, and fashions a blindfold out of his own armor. It’s a deeply personal act of care — and Kenshi keeps wearing that blindfold afterward. Later, Johnny gives Kenshi Sento (his prized sword), which he had refused to part with the entire game. The exchange is quiet, intimate, and filled with unspoken emotion.

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3. Support from the Cast

Noah Fleder (Kenshi’s mocap actor) has referred to Johnshi as “canon” in interviews, and Andrew Bowen (Johnny’s voice actor) has leaned into the ship in cameos and interactions. Both have used the #Johnshi hashtag on social media — something actors rarely do unless they recognize the chemistry or the fan response.

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4. Bumbleby Parallels (RWBY’s Blake/Yang)

Johnny and Kenshi’s dynamic closely mirrors Blake and Yang (aka Bumbleby) — a canon queer couple in RWBY: • Brash extrovert + reserved swordsman • Both tied to morally gray factions (Yakuza / White Fang) • One suffers a disabling injury to protect the other • Awkward flirting becomes emotional intimacy • Slow-burn trust and eventual closeness

Given how many pop culture nods MK1 contains, these parallels may not be accidental.

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5. “Sexyface 2”

When Johnny is the announcer, he refers to Kenshi as “Sexyface 2” — a nickname he doesn’t give any other male characters. It’s playful, specific, and suggestive.

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6. “Best Friend” = Romantic Code

Johnny calls Kenshi his “best friend” in announcer intros. That sounds innocent — until you realize: • Tanya is “Mileena’s bestie” → canon couple • Sareena is “Bi-Han’s future bestie” → past romance • Johnny might be using “best friend” the same way: as coded affection.

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7. Kenshi Keeps the Blindfold Johnny Made

Even when Kenshi wears alternate costumes, the original blindfold Johnny crafted is tied to his chest strap. He clearly keeps it as a sentimental item — a symbol of their bond.

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8. Johnny’s Announcer Line: “Hot!”

When Liu Kang is selected and Johnny is the announcer, he simply says: “Hot!” It’s a nod to Liu Kang being the Fire God — but it’s also unmistakably flirty. Johnny has never made that kind of comment toward male characters in earlier games. Combined with other suggestive lines (like his playfully hostile banter with Rain), it adds to the growing interpretation that Johnny is being coded as bisexual in MK1.

Some of his alternate costumes also appear to draw fashion influence from queer icons like David Bowie, Elton John, and Rob Halford.

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9. Fandom Momentum

Johnshi is one of the most active ships in MK1 fandom right now — especially on AO3 and Tumblr. We’ve seen before that NetherRealm responds to fan demand (e.g., Mileena’s return). The growing popularity of Johnny/Kenshi could influence future direction, even if it wasn’t planned from the start.

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10. Domestic Pre-Fight Banter

Their pre-fight dialogue feels more like a long-term couple than rivals:

Johnny: “Well if it isn’t Special Agent Special Agent Takahashi with the FBI.” Kenshi: “That’s getting old, Cage.”

Kenshi: “I’m not betting Sento in this fight.” Johnny: [makes chicken noises]

This is teasing with familiarity — not aggression. It reads more like a married couple’s inside jokes

Other characters notice their closeness too. Ashrah directly asks Kenshi:

“Can I trust Johnny Cage?” — as if Kenshi is Johnny’s emotional anchor.

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11. Sento as a Symbol of Transition

Johnny’s obsession with Sento costs him his marriage — but it also brings him to Kenshi. The sword becomes a turning point: the end of one relationship, and the beginning of a deeper one. Symbolically, it connects their fates.

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12. Foreshadowing at the Wedding

At Kuai Liang and Harumi’s wedding, Johnny says:

“This reminds me of when Cris and I got hitched.” Kenshi: “In Hollywood? I’ll bet that was epic.”

It reads like casual banter — but also foreshadows the idea of Kenshi himself possibly getting caught up in a “Hollywood romance.” Maybe even with Johnny.

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13. Johnny Invites Kenshi into His World

At the end of story mode, Johnny offers Kenshi a role in his next movie. Kenshi has no interest in acting — so why suggest it?

Because Johnny wants to keep him close. It’s also a classic flirt trope: “You should be in pictures!” Johnny might flirt boldly with others, but when it’s someone he genuinely cares about, he gets subtle.

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Final Thoughts

Taken alone, each of these moments could be dismissed as coincidence or fan service. But when you look at them together, a pattern emerges. Their story is built on sacrifice, trust, emotional intimacy, and loyalty — all the ingredients of a romance.

Whether or not NetherRealm chooses to make it explicit, MK1 has absolutely laid the groundwork for Johnny/Kenshi as a romantic pairing. For fans who want to see richer LGBTQ+ storytelling in Mortal Kombat, Johnshi offers something emotionally compelling and narratively earned.

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[starrynight2306]

Random story idea for the next MK game. There’s that fight intro where Kenshi asks Raiden why he isn’t helping him fight the yakuza even though Johnny is. What if in the next game Shang Tsung teams up with the yakuza? It would make sense that the yakuza would see magic and sorcery as a means to gaining even more power and once Shang Tsung learns about Sento, the soul stealing villain would absolutely want a sword that literally houses souls so Shang Tsung would leverage the yakuza and their vendetta against Kenshi to get it, and this would lead to Raiden having a crisis of conscience because refusing to help Kenshi led to an even bigger problem.

[starrynight2306]

So apparently Katara can’t even get any respect to get her name right in the announcement for her being added to Sonic Crossworlds with Aang. They call her Korra, both in the subject of the email and in the email itself

[starrynight2306]

Another underappreciatedJohnshi intro line:

Johnny: “Thanks so much for taking this part”

Kenshi: “Thank YOU for the points”

Kenshi has been spending so much time around Johnny that he’s literally started using Hollywood jargon.

[starrynight2306]

Bit of a character study/headcanon backstory for Johnny in MK 1.

There’s a few interesting fight intros that I think indicate Johnny’s views about masculinity and also maybe hint at how he grew up.

One is with Onmiman where he tells him “You look like the dad I never had”

and he tells Bi-Han “and I thought I had daddy issues,”

This definitely indicates a complicated relationship with his father.

He tells Kuai Liang “my big brother was an asshole too.

You could say that this is just your basic “sibling roasting his sibling”, but the fact that he’s comparing his brother to Bi-han of all people as a way to relate to Kuai Liang, kind of makes it seem like it’s bigger than that. Like he really does not get a long with his brother

He also has a couple interesting lines that I think show how he views masculinity itself

He calls General Shao “if toxic and masculinity had a meet-cute” and he asks Geras what his pronouns are not as a joke, but to genuinely understand him

I think from these lines that it seems like Johnny has an issue with male authority figures, particularly ones that broadcast toxic masculinity (he calls General Shao out on this directly and I think it is implied with what he says about his father and brother). I also think that’s part of why he ultimately respects Liu Kang and eventually Kenshi. They both are masculine and show strength, but not as a way to show off how strong they are or to dominate.

Johnny sees masculinity as something expressive rather than something rigid he has to prove. He also is not afraid to show off a feminine side (see his alt costume of th fur lined jacket and star shaped sunglasses)

Do given all this my headcanon for Johnny’s childhood:

He was a goofy theater kid that had an overbearing dad that was obsessed with making him a “real man” and a brother who was the golden child. He tells Li Mei his mom was a cop which makes me wonder if she wasn’t around much.His dad forced him into martial arts as a kid hoping it would toughen him up., but Johnny actually ended up loving it as it was another avenue to perform. Maybe Johnny even came out as bisexual as a teen leading to greater friction. When he moved out and started trying to make it in acting he changed his name to “Cage” both because he thought it sounded better for an actor than “Carlton” and to distance himself from his family.

[starrynight2306]

So I feel like a lot of people miss how big Kenshi’s fight intro with Ashrah is where he asks her if she can trust Johnny and he replies “He’s got an ego, but he’s as good as his word.” Johnny made a big promise after Kenshi was blinded protecting him he said “You saved me. I won’t forget that.” That intro is proof that Kenshi feels Johnny has 100% kept that promise.

[starrynight2306]

I have an idea for how Sonya’s character could fit into the next MK game.

The natural fit would be her as Jax and Kenshi’s superior at the OIA. It’d give her a reason to be involved without forcing and make it so her and Jax have a history so that they have their friendship. Also to add tension maybe she is a bit suspicious of Kenshi, what with his criminal past and everything. Like she trusts Jax enough to give him a shot, but also doesn’t trust Kenshi completely. Also it would give a reason for tension between Sonya and Johnny after all his character development in the first game.

[starrynight2306]

Headcanon: Johnny is the only person Kenshi will willingly let see him when he isn’t wearing a blindfold or sunglasses.

[starrynight2306]

So I’ve recently been made aware that there is a writers note in the script for The Southern Raiders comparing Zuko and Katara and how well they fight together to Mr. And Mrs. Smith. And we yet have the creators comparing Katara and Aang to…a kid and his babysitter. And they’re surprised a lot of people ship Zutara more?

[starrynight2306]

Maybe it’s a silly thought but I think since the MK games are becoming more character focused the my could benefit from a soundtrack similar to the series RWBY with songs written from the POV of the characters. It would be a great way to get a deeper look at the inner voice of the characters and sides of them that we don’t get in the games.

Johnny having a flashy song that also delves into his insecurities.

Millena’s being about her identity and not wanting to be seen as a monster.

Just a couple ideas.

[starrynight2306]

After thinking about it Kenshi’s comment that he thought Johnny’s performance in Wicked Planet showed he had range, kind of has a double meaning. The surface one and an acknowledgment that as he’s getting to really know Johnny, he realizes there’s more to him beyond his arrogant persona.

[starrynight2306]

I feel like many would people would say a major difference between Johnny and Kenshi is that Johnny is incredibly impulsive and reckless while Kenshi is calm and sensible. But like Kenshi, all by himself literally broke into a celebrity’s house while they were home and confronted him thinking he was just going to get his sword and leave. Even if he thought Johnny’s movie stunts were completely fake and that he could easily over power him, like that’s next level impulsivity. Johnnys impulsiveness comes from ego, Kenshi’s comes from pride. You could also say Kenshi shares Johnnys’s arrogance. Thinking he’d just walk in and get Sento without any trouble.

[starrynight2306]

Another Johnshi observation:

It’s really interesting that Johnny and Kenshi both are directly involved in the other’s main priority post game. Kenshi is acting in one of Johnny’s movies and Johnny is assisting Kenshi with the yakuza.They’re trying so hard to remain in each others orbit and it’s beautiful!

[starrynight2306]

This is very likely just a coincidence, but something interesting that came to mind.

The Japanese word for shadow is “kage” which is spelled very closely to Cage. (Though pronounced differently). And Johnny’s special attacks on previous games are called “shadow” attacks

Kenshi in MK1 specifically mentions the the yakuza work “in shadows”

In a way Kenshi has traded his old yakuza shadow (the repressive one that kept him hidden) for Johnnys (a more protective, supportive one)

[starrynight2306]

Random thing. Im browsing the Johnshi hashtag on TikTok, as you do, and lo and behold on this one video from a creator with less than 400 followers the official MK account commented.

Now it’s unlikely they would have found this video with generic searches or just have it show up on their fyp so either it’s luck or they were looking at the Johnshi hashtag.

[starrynight2306]

My head canon for the whole Johnny/Kenshi/Jax dynamic:

Johnny would absolutely crash missions (both because he’s Johnny and to honor his promise to Kenshi to always have his back). He is constant pain in Jax’s a butt and Jax allows hi m because he proven himself to not be completely useless and Kenshi trusts him.and Kenshi is secretly amused by it.

[starrynight2306]

So I just recently rewatched The Princess and the Frog again for the first time in a while and it hit me that the end credits theme Never Knew I Needed is so Johnshi coded it’s not even funny.