Mortal Kombat bosses are normally not playable. I thought they could be played by some means. However, unlike Killer Instinct which had a code to play as Eyedol, MK just didn't do that presumably due to how overpowered these bosses are. SNK Bosses were also mostly unplayable though they tend to be playable in later games WHEN they are balanced out. Shao Kahn is one character who was unplayable for most of his run. However, there were times he became legitimately playable.
Shao Kahn's playability in fifth-generation and sixth-generation consoles
Shao Kahn was introduced as the boss that's presumably far more menacing than Shang Tsung. Shang Tsung was made playable and somewhat depowered. The one thing I didn't like about the old reboot series was Shang Tsung had the moveset of almost everyone. Fortunately, that was fixed in later games. Shao Kahn came to MKII where he's that cheesy. He flung a light spear, did shadow charge, and his melee punches and kicks make you FLY OFF.
MK3 allowed him to be playable in some home versions. Eventually, this was carried over in MK Trilogy. I only had a PS1 and never had a Nintendo 64 so I can't explain him in MK Trilogy. He was readily playable in the PS1 and the Sega Saturn without a cheat code. I played as him a couple of times but it was really cheesy. Just imagine the frustration of actually going on a two-player mode where one's a regular character and the other is Shao Kahn. MK Trilogy is really infamous for its balance issues.
The sixth-generation consoles somehow brought him back. The Gamecube version of MK Deception brought Shao Kahn and Goro back as playable characters. I guess it was fair because there was NO ONLINE. However, I heard the two were cheesy as ever so no thanks. MK Unchained for the PSP also brought him back as a playable character. I guess it's to prove that he's truly the better Big Bad over his predecessor Onaga. Onaga had a cool design and concept.
MK Armageddon made everyone playable including the bosses. The bosses were somewhat toned down such as Onaga and Moloch. Onaga lost his rather damaging flying slam. Moloch was made less powerful. Shao Kahn had the same treatment too. The bosses were slightly more powerful but nowhere near as menacing as they first appeared. Eventually, Shao Kahn's popularity made him win the Battle of Armageddon. I felt that Shao Kahn only won after the third outcome in Taven's ending. However, Shao Kahn retroactively defeated Blaze making him ruler of all reality before going insane. I think his going insane made the timeline reset happen.
Shao Kahn's legitimately playable role in the seventh-generation and eighth-generation consoles
Shao Kahn was made a legitimately playable character in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (MK vs. DC) which I'm glad I don't have. Maybe, it's because I could care less if the game was sanitized of violence to a certain extent. I guess it's because I wished it was a Marvel crossover instead. The game didn't get what made the Marvel vs. Capcom series click. I think the game should've had Tag Team Mode like MK (2011) - a mode not so liked by the competitive community. Shao Kahn doesn't even have a finishing move. It's as lazy as making Blaze playable but no finishing move. I don't mind if Shao Kahn had a censored fatality like a hammer burial or hammer explode. It's just weird actually.
I'd say the reason why I decided to pre-order MK11 (and honestly, I feel I somehow regret it since it's now super-plagued with microtransactions) was to play as Shao Kahn. Shao Kahn returned as the unplayable final boss of MK (2011). However, he was made a pre-order bonus (which didn't make sense) while he was there in Story Mode. I felt he was wasted in Story Mode after Kitana blinded him. In Aftermath, I felt he was just a big idiot to overly trusting Shang Tsung. Back then, Shao Kahn was wary of Shang Tsung. In Aftermath, he's just one idiot who finally fell victim of Shang Tsung's treachery.
Shao Kahn as a playable character is somewhat fine. Sure, he's been depowered but he's still strong. Some of his moves like his hammer toss are now blockable. Shao Kahn appearing as a regular character made him less of a threat when fought against. I personally had all the pleasure hammering him as Liu Kang and making him pay for my nightmares. Playing as the character gave me a sense of power even if he was powered down like Goro was in MKX. Shao Kahn really knew how to get brutal and even made me think, "FEEL THE WRATH OF SHAO KAHN!"
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