Jax (Mortal Kombat)

Jax Briggs
Mortal Kombat character
Artwork from Mortal Kombat X, costume from Mortal Kombat (2011)
First game	Mortal Kombat II (1993)
Created by	John Tobias
Designed by	John Tobias (MKII—MK4, MK:SF) Luis Mangubat (MKvsDC) Atomhawk Design (MK2011) Marco Nelor (MKX) Ha Nguyen (first film) Lynell Forestall (MK:DotR) Jennifer L. Parsons (second film) Christine Cover-Ferro (Rebirth) Allisa Swanson (Legacy)
Voiced by	Dorian Harewood (DotR) Craig J. Harris (MK:SF, MK:DA, MK:A) Dan Washington (MKvsDC) Gerald C. Rivers (MK2011) Greg Eagles (MKX) Carl Weathers (MKX DLC)
Motion capture	Carlos Pesina (MK:SF) Sean Okerberg (MKvsDC)
Portrayed by	John Parrish (MKII, MK3) Hakim Alston, Shah Alston, Tyrone Wiggins (Live Tour) Gregory McKinney (first film) Lynn "Red" Williams (second film) Michael Jai White (Rebirth, Legacy)
Fictional profile
Origin	Earthrealm (United States)
Fighting styles	Muay Thai (MK:DA, MK:A) Judo (MK:DA)
Weapon	Bionic Arms (MK3—present) Spiked Club (MK4, MKG) Machine Gun (MK:DA, MKvsDC) Tonfa (MK:DA, MK:A)

Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs, once known as simply Jax. It is a soldier-like fictional character introduced in Mortal Kombat II. Since his playable debut in Mortal Kombat II as the physically-imposing United States Special Forces superior of Sonya Blade, he has become a mainstay in the series canon, appearing in nearly every subsequent series installment, in addition to being the protagonist of the action-adventure spinoff title Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, and was one of the eleven characters representing the series in the crossover game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. His most distinctive features in the game are his metal bionic arms, which first appeared in Mortal Kombat 3.

Jax has featured prominently in alternate Mortal Kombat media such as the two feature films, comic books, the 1996 animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, the Mortal Kombat: Legacy web series, and official series merchandise. General and critical reception to the character has been mostly positive, but reactions to his Fatality finishing moves and other aspects of the character have ranged from negative to mixed.

Major Jackson Briggs, nicknamed "Jax," makes his first chronological appearance in the 2000 action-adventure game Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, in which he attempts to stop Kano and the Black Dragon crime organization from stealing an artifact capable of opening portals to other realms. His first in-game appearance came in Mortal Kombat II (1993), where he was on a mission to find his Special Forces partner, Lieutenant Sonya Blade, who had gone missing in Outworld while attempting to apprehend Kano. Though he succeeds in rescuing Sonya, Kano manages to evade capture, and when Shao Kahn invades Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), Jax is among Raiden's chosen warriors whose soul was spared. He prepares for battle by fitting his arms with metallic bionic implants, and after helping foil Kahn's attempt to permanently claim Earth as his own, he and Sonya found the Outerworld Investigation Agency (OIA), which specializes in exploring and mapping other realms, as well as the destruction of interdimensional portals that could lead to Earth.