Sonya Blade is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. She debuted in the original 1992 game as the roster's sole female fighter, a military officer with the Special Forces. In the storyline of the games, Sonya becomes involved with the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament through pursuit of her archenemy, the criminal leader Kano. She subsequently joins the warriors defending Earthrealm and establishes a government agency dedicated to battling otherworldly threats. The series' rebooted timeline also depicts her as the love interest to martial arts actor Johnny Cage and the mother of their daughter Cassie.
A mainstay of the franchise, Sonya has also appeared in various media outside of the games. Reception to the character has been generally positive, with respect to her role as one of Mortal Kombat's primary female fighters. Though, some of her outfits in the games have received criticism.
Sonya Blade's Mortal Kombat 3 actress Kerri Hoskins during the cast reunion at the Game On Expo in 2017
Bridgette Wilson-Sampras portrayed Sonya in the 1995 film Mortal Kombat. Wilson-Sampras said doing all of her own stunts and fighting scenes was "awesome" and producer Lauri Apelian recalled he was satisfied in how she and Kitana's Talisa Soto delivered the characters that "really were intelligent, strong women."
Mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey voiced Sonya in Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat is an American media franchise centered on a series of fighting video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992.
Mortal Kombat II arcade cabinet's control board
Cosplayers of Kitana, Reptile, and Sonya Blade at Dragon Con 2012