Liu Kang era originalmente um personagem japonês chamado [[Minamoto clan|Minamoto]] [[Minamoto não Yoshitsune | Yoshitsune]],<ref>[http://twitpic.com/6vbilm Ok... I just found thee very first MK related art I ever did!!! You'll never guess which character it was...] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114212848/http://twitpic.com/6vbilm |date=2014-01-14 }} by John Tobias on Twitpic.</ref><ref>[http://twitpic.com/6nlvgb More doodles from my ancient MK notebook. JohnnyCage B4 he was JohnnyCage and Yoshitsune Minamoto…] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029214713/http://twitpic.com/6nlvgb |date=2013-10-29 }} by John Tobias on Twitpic.</ref> mas o co-criador e desenhista de personagens de '' Mortal Kombat '' [[John Tobias]] afirmou que a equipe não poderia "lidar com o nome".<ref name="egm95">{{cite book |author1=Goldman, Michael |author2=Aaron, Richard E. |lastauthoramp=yes |title=Official MK3 Kollector's Book|year=1995 |chapter=Ed Boon & John Tobias Interview|publisher=Electronic Gaming Monthly|isbn=}}</ref> De acordo com Tobias, cujo personagem favorito da série é Liu Kang,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2012/nov/07/john-tobias-if-i-could-go-back-and-redo-kabal-and-stryker-i-would-i-dont-know-if-id-design-them-differently-or-just-come-new-character/|title=John Tobias: 'If I could go back and redo Kabal and Stryker I would, I don't know if I'd design them differently or just come up with new characters'|last=|first=|date=2012-11-07|website=EventHubs|language=en|access-date=2018-12-24}}</ref> ele "originalmente seria um [[monge budista]]" calvo e de túnicas, mas acabou se parecendo com [[Bruce Lee]]".<ref>{{cite magazine|last= |first= |title=The Game Makers: The Artists|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=88 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=January 1996|page=34-36}}</ref>
