As a born fighter, Kenshi wandered Earthrealm in search of worthy competition. He would find an opponent and defeat them just to boost his pride. One day Kenshi encountered a man named Song, who convinced Kenshi that a great warrior needed a great sword; Song then led Kenshi to the location of an ancient, powerful sword Song claimed would befit Kenshi's power. As Kenshi unsealed the well wherein the sword supposedly lay, he was overwhelmed by souls trapped within and permanently blinded. Song revealed himself to be Shang Tsung and proceeded to absorb the released souls and left Kenshi to die within the tomb. However, the sword, which actually did exist, attracted Kenshi and spoke to him, leading him from the tomb and revealing its origin. The sword originally belonged to a long line of great swordsmen from whom Kenshi descended; the well where the sword lay was also the sacred resting place of the souls of Kenshi's ancestors, souls that were stolen by Shang Tsung. Kenshi spent the next decade or so retraining his senses, all while searching for his betrayer and the defiler of his ancestry.

Kenshi's special abilities eventually caught the attention of Jax and Sonya, who were looking for members with special talents to join their side and venture into Outworld; Kenshi jumped at the chance to pursue the man who had deceived him. After going through many tests and examinations, he was accepted to join the Outer World Investigation Agency. His chance at enacting his revenge came when he was assigned to find the lost Cyrax , who was also employed by the Special Forces. In his travels across Outworld, Kenshi encountered the enigmatic Ermac, and, in a moment of pity, broke the mind control that had over him. In gratitude, Ermac awakened Kenshi's latent power, and taught him not only how to use it effectively in combat, but how to 'sense' the presence of people and objects around him. Kenshi soon discovered the Deadly Alliance and their plans, but was unable to contact the OWIA (which had been bombed by ). Unknown to Kenshi, the Deadly Alliance knew of his presence and sent to eliminate him. Mavado confronted Kenshi, defeated the swordsman, and left him to die.

In Mortal Kombat: Deception , Sub-Zero found the dying Kenshi and nursed him back to health. Because of Sub-Zero's sympathy and kindness, Kenshi forged a temporary alliance with Sub-Zero to find a portal that would take them back home, though this temporary alliance soon became a long-lasting friendship. After Shang Tsung's death upon the Dragon King 's return, Kenshi sensed the souls of his ancestors return to his sword, indicating the end of his quest for vengeance. Kenshi then returned to Earthrealm where, under the guidance of his ancestors' sword, he would hunt down the corrupt. Attacking only during the night, using the darkness as a cover to strike unseen, Kenshi was able to overthrow several criminal organizations.

Kenshi is one of only seventeen characters to receive an official biography in Mortal Kombat:Armageddon , in which he quits the Special Forces and turns down Sub-Zero's offer of joining the Lin Kuei. He eventually intercepts a coded message sent to Mavado and learns of the Red Dragon's plans to capture the Edenian half-god . Before he could find out the location of their secret base, Kenshi encounters Johnny Cage who is gathering warriors to fight for the Forces of Light against Shinnok. However, Kenshi declines this offer, considering this another pointless struggle between good and evil. While embarking on his mission to destroy the Red Dragon and exact revenge on Mavado, he receives a psychic premonition, becoming fully aware of Taven and Daegon's quest to defeat the fire elemental . His sword also urges him to side with the forces of good in the forthcoming conflict. Taking heed of this insight, Kenshi decides that he will be the one to lead the Forces of Light into battle.

In the 2011 game, Kenshi travels the world to seek for opponents. When an elderly man named Song offers to show him the location of Sento, an ancient sword, Kenshi succumbed to pride. He follows Song to the Well of Souls. Spirits of ancient warriors spew out when Kenshi gets the sword, blinding him. Song reveals himself to be Shang Tsung and leaves Kenshi to die. But Sento called to Kenshi and leads him to a warrior that have been buried and happens to be his ancestors. Kenshi vows to defeat Shang Tsung and free the souls of his ancestors. His ending is a near-duplicate of that in Deadly Alliance in that he exacts revenge on Shang Tsung by killing him with his sword.

In  Mortal Kombat X, Kenshi is given a full name ("Takahashi Kenshi") and is part of a task force consisting of Earthrealm survivors Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, with the assist of their mentor, Raiden and his fellow god, Fujin, leading a Special Force and Shaolin armies against Shinnok and Quan Chi's force during a Netherrealm War. In the following years, he discovers he has an illegitimate son named with his former lover, Suchin, but after she is killed by Red Dragon forces, Kenshi leaves Takeda in Hanzo Hasashi's  care for training and goes to avenge Suchin's death. This strains the relationship between Takeda and Kenshi, but the two reconcile years later.