Dairou

"Not instructed; Paid! Mercenaries DO NOT work for free. This Damashi offered me a tremendous amount of coins for your trouble. He told me that certain obligations you have to him have not been met."

- Dairou to Shujinko, also explains his professionalism

Dairou is a minor hero character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series, who made his debut in Mortal Kombat: Return of The Dragon King.

Info
Dairou was once a highly respected member of the Seidan Guardsmen, much like his leader Hotaru, but he was imprisoned when he attacked and killed the man who he was led to believe murdered his family. His story is in a way kind of similar to Scorpion's. In Mortal Kombat: Return of The Dragon King; Konquest, Dairou was hired to free Shujinko from prison, a task he successfully completed by killing two of the Seidan guardsmen that occupied his cell.

During the return of the Dragon King, Onaga, he was hired by Darrius to steal the constitution of Orderworld and to kill Hotaru. It is unknown if he succeeded or not in the steal of the constitution; however, he took mercy and spared Hotaru, as they both returned in Mortal Kombat: Armageddons Great Battle, where Dairou siding with the Forces of Light.

Quotes

 * "These were the guards I was sent to dispose off? Pha! Surely you could've had slain them yourself."
 * "There is one more thing. I was told to give you this key to one of the courtrooms of the Seidan State Prison. You would've have been undoubtedly executed for this seemingly minor charge, I assure you. I was once a member among their ranks until I was also unjustly imprisoned."
 * "I was once a member of the Seidan Guardsmen. I believed in the power of Order and lived by the strict codes of my superiors. I had saved many lives during my years of service. But when I killed an assailant in a fit of rage, an assailant who I believed was responsible for the death of my family, I was arrested and sentenced to a life of incarceration. For all the good I had done, the event that had come to define me was that one moment of chaos. I eventually escaped during a riot incited by the Seidan Rebels. I emerged from prison a changed man. No longer would I follow orders of the Seidan. Neither could I bring myself to give into chaos. Instead, I opted to serve myself. I became a mercenary, a warrior for hire, and have become revered in Orderworld's secret underground palaces. My neutrality has been put to the test, however, as my current contract is to find and kill my former general, Hotaru."

Powers and abilities
Dairou is a stealthy fighter, choosing not to rely on so much powerful projectiles but rather on pop-up abilities and strategy. He can slam his body on the ground like a tombstone to send the opponent flying, setting them up for a juggle, maybe. He can also switch places with his opponent, which can be extremely useful if Dairou has his back to a death trap.

Trivia

 * Dairou's family killer is in fact Darrius, his current employer and leader of the Seidan Rebels. However, Dairou is unaware of this.
 * Similarly to Hsu Hao, he is one of the best Mortal Kombat characters ever despite his minor role in the series.
 * His fighting styles were Wing Chun and Escrima. The latter was also used by Quan Chi.
 * He was once tasked to assassinate Kobra in Chaosworld but thanks to his laziness, gave the job to Shujinko instead who failed the task.
 * His name was a nickname for Dario Stracci.