Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, internationally recognized as Mortal Kombat: The Animated Series, is an animated show inspired by the well-known Mortal Kombat video games. Created by Threshold Entertainment and Film Roman, it was broadcast on the USA Network’s Action Extreme Team animation segment for a single season, consisting of 13 episodes, from September to December 1996, alongside the Street Fighter animated series. This series acts as an alternate follow-up to the initial Mortal Kombat movie, adopting a Saturday morning cartoon format and reducing the level of violence typical of the franchise.