Of all the characters in theMortal Kombatfranchise, Raiden has been one of those who have been playable in all of the main titles. This being of flight and lightning is the God of Thunder in most timelines and in terms of lore is one of the most powerful beings in the universe, only really being outclassed by the Elder Gods, Titans, and the One Being.
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Many gamers are familiar with his duty as a protector of Earthrealm and his stalwart defense of humankind, however, there are some lesser-known facts about this deity that might surprise evena few fighting game veterans.
10Raiden’s Character Is Inspired By A Japanese God
InJapanese mythology, there are quite a few powerful deities that preside over the world. One of these kinds of gods is Raijin, which literally translates to “Thunder God”. Raiden’s powers and name are directly inspired by these lords of storms. It is also worth mentioning that Raiden is one of the first gods of any kind to appear as a playable characterin a fighting game.
9Raiden’s Appearance Is Inspired By A Movie Character
While Raiden’s name and powers are derived from the Japanese Raijin, his appearance was inspired by a character also named “Raiden” from the 1986 John Carpenter action movieBig Trouble in Little China. This character wore a straw hat that obscured most of their face and also hadthe power to control electricity.
8Countless Cameos
Not only has Raiden been in all of the majorMortal Kombatgames, but he has also appeared in countless others as a bonus character, a secret character, cameo, or another noticeable form. Probably the most well-known out of these are his appearances inUnreal Championship 2: The Liandri ConflictandInjustice 2, however, he has also been in titles very dissimilar to fighting games, such asNFL BlitzandNBA Jam: Tournament Edition.
7Original Fatality Was Censored
The firstMortal Kombatgame that was released in 1992 received fairly wide distribution, however, when it appeared on theSNES, some changes had to be made to comply withNintendo’s strict no-blood policy.
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As such, many of the fatalities in the game were altered, one of which was Raiden’s (or Rayden, as he was known for copyright reasons at the time). Instead of decapitating the opponent, the target was instead zapped into a pile of ash.
6Similar Stances In Mortal Kombat 4
In terms ofmartial arts techniques, Raiden has been rather inconsistent throughout the franchise, ranging from using Jujutsu to Judo and beyond. InMortal Kombat 4, the God of Thunder shares their stance with Johnny Cage despite both characters using vastly different movesets. This is likely just a coincidence, albeit an interesting one for the more keen-eyed fans.
5Interesting Alternate Costume
For the first time in the entire franchise, Raiden was seen without wearing his trademark hat inMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. This can be witnessed if the player changes Raiden into hisalternate costume, however, he still carries his famous hat on his back.
4Raiden Wasn’t Supposed To Be InMortal Kombat: Deception
Initially, Raiden was not supposed to appear inMortal Kombat: Deception, as he was meant to be replaced by another god: Fujin.
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However, when fans learned about this, they were immensely upset and voiced numerous complaints. This was such an ordeal that the developers decided to swap out Fujin for everyone’s favorite deity, much to the joy and satisfaction of everyone. Fujin does appear in the game, though only sparsely and not as a playable character.
3Arcade Ladder Love
Out of all the characters inMortal Kombat (2011), Raiden appears the most in thearcade ladders of various characters. In total, he appears in 8, more than anyone else, and even appears on his own ladder, meaning that players will need to best the God of Thunder using his own strengths if they wish to be successful.
2Shockingly Underwhelming Attack
InMortal Kombat X, X-Ray moves were introduced as a new kind of attack that references the title of the tenth installment of the franchise. While these new assaults are very cool to witness and seem like they would be devastating on opponents, some are rather lackluster. Raiden’s X-Ray move; which breaks the jaw, explodes the liver, and electrocutes the foe; takes only 31% of the opponent’s health. This is among the weakest of all the X-Ray attacks along with Sub-Zero’s and Reptile’s respective moves.
1The End Of Two Gods
At the end ofMortal Kombat 11’s story mode, Chapter 17 is shown from Shang Tsung’s perspective. During this portion, the mighty sorcerer does battle with both Fujin and Raiden and canonically defeats them, however, contrary to a lot of the buzz and hype made on the internet, these godly characters do not die. Shao Kahn and Sindel desire to finish off the weakened deities, however, Shang Tsung suggests that they should be kept alive and imprisoned in order for them to be continuously siphoned of their essence; a fate far worse than death.
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