Did you know that one of the toughest characters, Sonya Blade was actually based on a real-life woman? Yes, her name is Cynthia Rothrock and she is a martial artist who later became an actress. She holds a black belt ranking in seven styles of martial arts and she was a high-level competitor before starting her career in film.

Rothrock was also a five-time World Champion in forms and weapons between 1981 and 1985. These categories are not combat-oriented and segregated into male and female categories. It’s fully open for both sexes and it displays a fluidity of movement instead of fight.

Cynthia took first place in forms 32 times and first place in weapons 12 times across her 38 tournaments. She was competing in Men’s forms, as there was no Women’s division at the time.

Don’t think Cynthia isn’t tough because she was competing in forms, as she’s holding seven black belts for disciplines like Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo, Eagle Claw, Wushu, Northern Shaolin and Ng Ying Kungfu. She also has a black belt from Pai Lum White Dragon Kung Fu.

Cynthia began working as a martial arts instructor and her favourite weapon are hook swords. Notable mention, she was also the first female to appear on the martial arts magazine cover.

Cynthia Rothrock as inspiration for Sonya Blade Character

Cynthia was the true inspiration for creating the Mortal Kombat character known as Sonya Blade. However, over time the character was adapted to appear ‘more attractive’ so she lost her original face.

Despite the changes, the core of the Mortal Kombat game is still the same. The new versions even have some additional features and even cooler fatalities! If you still didn’t play the game yet, now is the time to do it.