Raiden (Mortal Kombat)

"Thunder take you."

- Raiden's Battle Cry in Mortal Kombat (2011).

"Despite my efforts, my vision has come to pass. An unfortune end, he once defended Earthrealm from the Netherrealm armies of Shinnok and Quan Chi."

- Raiden, about the Elder Sub-Zero's death.

"You violate our will, Shao Kahn. You merge realms without victory in Mortal Kombat. Our penalty is clear."

- Raiden, as he speaks to Shao Kahn while being possessed by the Elder Gods.

Raiden is the God of thunder who takes his major role as one of Earthrealm’s protectors and a hero from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

Battle with Shinnok
Raiden became one of Earthrealm’s protectors in the early days of the realm and was forced to defend it from Shinnok, a power-hungry Elder God. The war threatened to rip apart Earthrealm itself and one of its native races at the time, the Saurians, were almost wiped out and forced to move to another world, Zaterra. Raiden eventually defeated Shinnok with help from the rest of the Elder Gods and took from him the source of his powers, his amulet. The thunder god banished his foe to Netherrealm and hid the amulet in the Temple of the Elements, which he built in Nepal, and selected four gods to guard it, the gods of fire, earth, water, and wind (Fujin).

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
However the elder Sub-Zero succeeded in besting the defenses of the temple and stole the amulet for Quan Chi, who set out to bring it to Shinnok. Raiden appeared and demanded that the Lin Kuei go to Netherrealm and bring back the amulet, since he was unable to do it, because he would lose his powers there. Sub-Zero did as he asked, but upon his return he asked Raiden if it was true that he would be damned to the Netherrealm if he died (something Quan Chi told him). The thunder god confirmed this to be true, but told Sub-Zero that if he changed his ways, he would avoid that fate.

Mortal Kombat
At one point, Raiden received an invitation from Shang Tsung to participate in his Mortal Kombat tournament. Aware that if the warrior of Earthrealm were defeated the realm would be doomed, Raiden accepted and competed, helping Liu Kang and the others opposing Shang Tsung.

Mortal Kombat 2
A year later, Raiden received another invitation from Shang Tsung, one inviting him to take part in the Mortal Kombat tournament being held in Outworld. Knowing the treachery of Shang Tsung and brutality of Shao Kahn, Raiden found he had no choice but to accept and warned the surviving members of the Shaolin order, then went to Outworld alone. He and the rest of the Earthrealm warriors suceeded in defeating Shao Kahn and returned to Earthrealm.

Mortal Kombat 3
But the Earthrealm fighters victory was short lived and Raiden was forced to quickly use his powers to protect the souls of his warriors when Shao Kahn invaded Earthrealm, by reaching across the realms to reclaim his resurrected Queen Sindel. Raiden could not fight alongside his warriors because of the merging of Outworld and Earthrealm, but eventually the threat became so great that Raiden had no choice and gave up his godhood to fight alongside his warriors. After Shao Kahn’s defeat, the thunder god regained his godhood and status as protector of Earthrealm.

Mortal Kombat 4
Raiden’s battle to protect Earthrealm began again after Shinnok escaped his imprisonment in the Netherrealm. His attack caught the Elder God’s off guard and many of Earthrealm’s gods were slain, but Liu Kang managed to unite the fighters of Earthrealm under Raiden and together, they defeated Shinnok. In honor of all he had done, the thunder god was given the status of Elder God and made Fujin protector of Earthrealm in his place.

Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
During the rise of the Deadly Alliance, Raiden could not interfere because of his status as an Elder God. But he could not sit by and gave up his place amongst the elders, gathering his fighters to battle the Deadly Alliance. Unfortunately, his warriors were slain in a battle with the Tarkata and Raiden was forced to confront Quan Chi and Shang Tsung on his own. Though he put up a good fight, the thunder god was overwhelmed by the power of the two sorcerers and defeated. Raiden managed to get back up after Onaga the Dragon King appeared and attempted to help Quan Chi and Shang Tsung defeat him. But the thunder god realized that their attacks were only slowing down Onaga and in one last desperate attempt, unleashed his godly essence wiping out the palace, the Soulnado, Raiden, and apparently the Deadly Alliance. However the Dragon King survived without harm.

Mortal Kombat Deception
The thunder god’s essence gathered in Earthrealm, but it had been corrupted by Onaga, and now Raiden was furious with the way that the people of the realm had treated it. His rage increased when he found out that the foolish Shujinko had allowed the Dragon King to return by gathering the kamidogu from Earthrealm, Netherrealm, Chaosrealm, Outworld, Orderrealm, and Edenia. His patience now gone, Raiden decided that he would punish all who attempted to harm Earthrealm himself. The thunder god attempted to brutally finish off Shujinko for what he had done, but he survived the attack. However Raiden’s attention shifted to Liu Kang’s dead body, which he dug up and brought to a temple belonging to the Houan, an ancient sect of necromancers that he had defeated centuries before.

Raiden bound Liu Kang’s corpse in enchanted shackles that the necromancers had used to control their undead. The thunder god spoke the enchantments on the walls, reviving his ally as a zombie and infused it with a bolt of lightning. Raiden then sent out his new enforcer to destroy those that he thought were threats to Earthrealm. The thunder god’s drastic actions caught Shinnok’s attention, who made him an offer, if Raiden would do whatever the fallen god commanded, then he would do whatever he could to keep Earthrealm safe. Knowing how deceptive and treacherous Shinnok was, the thunder god accepted anyway so as to find out what his plans really were.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon
After Taven fought his way into Shao Kan’s fortress so as to try and get to Quan Chi, he was confronted by Raiden after Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Shao Kahn, and Onaga left through a portal to Edenia. Raiden revealed that he had made a deal with Shao Kahn, he would let the emperor conquer all other realms, but he would leave Earthrealm alone. In exchange, the thunder god would eliminate Taven so that Kahn could claim the power of Blaze for himself. Raiden battled the demigod, but was defeated and left unconscious while Taven followed Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Shao Kahn, and Onaga, shocked by the thunder god’s actions. In his ending, Raiden defeated Blaze and became a god of unimaginable power, unleashing it upon the realms. He destroyed them all, meaning that none would ever threaten Earthrealm.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
After Shao Khan attempted to escape in a portal, Raiden lasted him with lightning, causing him to fuse with Darkseid and become Dark Kahn. As the merger went on, the thunder god gathered the warriors of the Mortal Kombat universe and acted as their leader. When they ventured into the fusion of Outworld and Apokolips, Raiden initially fought against Superman when he went to confront Dark Kahn. But when they realized that they shouldn’t be fighting each other, the thunder god and the Man of Steel teamed up to defeat Dark Kahn. The merger was stopped and after finding Darkseid had been brought to the Mortal Kombat universe, Raiden imprisoned him to Netherrealm. In his ending, exposure to the sun weakened him greatly, reducing him to the level of a mortal.

Quan Chi offered him a strange amulet made of green stone (Kryptonite) that would restore his powers, but only if the thunder god swore to serve him. Raiden was left to decide between serving Quan Chi or mortality.

Mortal Kombat (2011)
"He must win!"

- Raiden's future self's message to the past.

At the end of Armageddon, many kombatants were defeated and killed. Only Raiden and Shao Kahn were left alive and just before he was killed himself, Raiden sent a telepathic message to his past self with the words "He must win!" The Raiden in the past received the visions and his amulet cracked. Having seen the visions, Raiden decided to try and alter the past events so Armageddon will not happen. Examples include getting Sonya to not to fight Shang Tsung, noticing Kung Lao decided to join the tournament, freeing Sonya alongside Jax before the main tournament in Outworld, rescuing Smoke from the automation process, convincing Kitana and Jade to rebel against Kahn, saving Johnny Cage from Motaro and even having Nightwolf destroy a Soulnado to stop Kahn from stealing Earthrealm's souls. Some of the changes had negative effects and caused the amulet more harm than good. After the Elder Gods rejected Raiden's plea for help to save Earth, the thunder god raced to the Netherrealm to get Quan Chi's assistance.

That failed too, until finally, Raiden realized that if Shao Kahn merged Earthrealm without victory, the Elder Gods would notice and punish him. Desperate, Raiden tried to get Liu Kang to not fight the Outworld Emperor but succeeded with a cost: Kang fatally injured. Raiden then decided to try one last plan: pretend to surrender, thus "letting" Kahn win. The Elder Gods finally caught Kahn without victory over Earth in Mortal Kombat at the last second and they gave Raiden the power to defeat him. Kahn was then destroyed as punishment by the Elder Gods. Raiden was relieved that his amulet was repaired, and Armageddon was stopped, but at high casualties. Raiden, Johnny Cage and Sonya then left with Kang's body to try and rebuild the Earth, unaware that this was all a plan orchestrated by Shinnok and Quan Chi to take over Earthrealm and Outworld.

Comic Series
In the final hours of the Netherrealm War, Raiden accompanied Sonya Blade and a company of Special Forces soldiers to Quan Chi's fortress. While Sonya fought the sorcerer and her soldiers kept his revenants occupied, Raiden chanted an incantation and enacted a spell that combined his divine power with Quan Chi's dark magic, resurrecting the three revenants present, Jax, Scorpion and Sub-Zero, restoring their humanity and freeing them from Quan Chi's control.

After Shinnok's forces lost the Netherrealm War and the fallen Elder God was banished again, Raiden appeared before the Elder Gods, demanding that Shinnok's amulet be destroyed to prevent his return yet again. The Elder Gods refused, explaining that the amulet, while imprisoning Shinnok, would release him once again if it were destroyed. Accepting this, Raiden asked that the amulet then be safeguarded, locked away within a dark dimension where no one could find it and release Shinnok.

The Elder Gods agreed, but proclaimed a lock was only as safe as its key, and summoned the Kamidogu daggers to encircle Raiden. The Elder Gods explained that the Kamidogu daggers had tasted the blood of the One Being, and while no single dagger could contain Shinnok alone, Raiden understood that united they could. The Elder Gods agreed, and Raiden allowed each Kamidogu to impale him, tasting his blood and locking Shinnok's Amulet away.

Raiden would then entrust each dagger to a powerful champion to protect them from those who would seek the daggers out, either for the power of Blood Magik or to release Shinnok from his prison.

Raiden recovered the revived Kuai Liang and brought him back to his Sky Temple. When Sub-Zero awoke from his comatose state months later, he was initially confused and attacked Raiden, but the thunder god easily deflected his ice blast and swore to him he was safe. While Sub-Zero was in disbelief over being alive, Raiden explained his resurrection and welcomed him back. When Sub-Zero expressed deep remorse for the actions he committed under Quan Chi's control, Raiden told him to make amends and explained Earthrealm needed his help. Raiden then sent Sub-Zero to retrieve one of the Kamidogu in possession of the Red Dragon in China, the dagger having been stolen before hand. Sub-Zero would disappear with the dagger shortly after.

Several years later, the god of thunder appears before Hanzo Hasashi in the Shirai Ryu temple. Raiden apologizes for his intrusion before noting that Scorpion has safeguarded the dagger well, which pleases him. When Hanzo demands to know why he is there, Raiden reveals that the Netherrealm invasion weakened Earthrealm's cosmic barrier, allowing a powerful demon to invade before Raiden could repair the damage.

Raiden warns Hanzo that the demon will target the few remaining Earthrealm warriors. When Hanzo cruelly reminds Raiden of his own hand in that, the god of thunder takes his leave to warn the others, but not before warning Scorpion, "beware the one who walks in silence."

Raiden is seen again in his Sky Temple alongside fellow god Fujin. Frustrated by his inability to locate the demon in Earthrealm, Raiden turns to another of the Kamidogu already in his possession, hoping to invoke Blood Magik as a means to locate the demon. Fujin warns him that the price is too high but Raiden reminds him that humans consider it an honor to give blood.

Taking the dagger, Raiden cuts his forearm to offer it blood and is besieged by visions of various Kombatants across the realms and realizes in horror that he is too late. "It has begun," the thunder god cries in horror as his body is consumed by the Blood Magik. Raiden collapses to his knees as the Blood Magik dissipates, his temple damaged and Fujin wounded. Raiden heals Fujin while warning his friend that they are short on time. When Fujin sees Raiden's own wounded arm, the thunder god reveals it will not heal for some time due to invoking Blood Magik. Raiden then tells Fujin that Earthrealm and Outworld will fall into chaos, and the that bloodshed could begin with Cassie Cage.

Raiden appears in the Special Forces base in a display of lightning, bolts of electricity striking the warring Outworld warriors and Special Forces soldiers as the thunder god declares, "Enough," Kotal Kahn warns Raiden that Outworld's pain will be Earthrealm's before creating a portal with his Portal Stone. Raiden reminds Kotal that he promised him he would not use that anymore but Kotal retorts that after the Netherrealm War he promised their worlds would cooperate before departing. Sonya Blade is annoyed by Raiden's intervention but the thunder god only asks her where her daughter is.

After a long absence, Raiden returns, possessed by the demonic force infesting the Kamidogu. The thunder god attacks Hanzo and Takeda in their camp outside the Sky Temple, Kamidogu dagger in one hand while grabbing Hanzo by the neck with the other and roaring that the ninja should not have come to his home.

Soon the extent of Raiden's possession is revealed. Now believing the demon has come to set them free through the Blood Code, Raiden brutally battles with Hanzo, dominating the Shirai Ryu easily with his lightning. Raiden grabs the ninja by the neck again, but Hanzo's student, Takeda, manages to sneak up behind the thunder god and impale him with a sword. Unfazed, Raiden bids Takeda to suffer the consequences of his foolish actions and calls down lightning to electrify the youth.

Hanzo saves his student by using his teleport and flees with Takeda. Raiden warns Hanzo that he cannot run from a god. As he rips the sword out from his abdomen, Raiden proclaims that chaos is coming to Earthrealm and that he will be its herald, when Scorpion returns, trying to take the Kamidogu dagger from Raiden's hand. Raiden mockingly questions how much hellfire Hanzo has left after all his teleporting, but the Shirai Ryu declares he has enough for a lifetime before landing a powerful punch across the thunder god's face.

Scorpion gains the upper hand over the possessed Raiden, stabbing him with his kunai and choking the thunder god with his chain, all the while raging at Raiden for giving him the Kamidogu dagger that resulted in second destruction of his clan and for seemingly killing Takeda with his lightning. Brought to his knees by the enraged Shirai Ryu, Raiden is saved from death when Scorpion sees that Takeda is still alive and rushes to his student's side. Raiden is then able to come to his senses, his blood purged of the demon's corruption.

Calling to Hanzo, Raiden apologizes to the distrustful ninja and tells him he can save Takeda if they act quickly by taking him to the Jinsei Chamber, where Earthrealm's lifeforce will heal both Raiden and Takeda. Raiden heals his injuries from his fight with Scorpion, and while it at first appears Takeda is not recovering, Raiden reveals to Hanzo that his apprentice's soul is fighting against the Netherrealm's reach for him, and compliments the ninja for teaching his apprentice well. Takeda quickly awakens, feeling invincible after bathing in the Jinsei's light, with Raiden saying it is an effect.

Raiden apologizes to Hanzo and Takeda before explaining the truth behind the Kamidogu's role in keeping Shinnok bound. The thunder god reveals that he could not keep each dagger in the same location, which is why he entrusted one to Scorpion for safe-guarding. Raiden then seals the dagger he entrusted Hanzo in a vault in his Sky Temple and apologizes to Hanzo for not telling him the dagger was more than a sacred relic and admits that he did not foresee a demon corrupting their power.

When Hanzo asks if Quan Chi is the culprit, Raiden disagrees but reveals Fujin is investigating the Netherrealm for his involvement. Hanzo asks who else has the daggers, and the thunder god tells him each dagger is accounted for, save one. Raiden tells Hanzo of the mission he gave Sub-Zero to retrieve a stolen Kamidogu, but the cryomancer never returned. Knowing whoever is after the daggers seeks to unseal Shinnok's amulet, Raiden asks Scorpion to save Sub-Zero from the demon corrupting him. At his student's urging, Hanzo agrees to the thunder god's request, vowing to bring Sub-Zero back dead or alive.

When Hanzo and Takeda returned to the Sky Temple with the Kamidogu recovered, Raiden commended Hanzo for sparing Kuai Liang's life, stating they had both suffered enough vengeance, though Hanzo wanted to hear none of it and asked who was next. Raiden assigned the Shirai Ryu to go to the Liu Kang Shaolin temple to recover the Chaosrealm Kamidogu, warning them to be civil to the monks while explaining he would recover Earthrealm's Kamidogu from its keeper, Jackson Briggs.

Raiden teleports to Jax's farm, calling out to the former Special Forces major. The thunder god is horrified when he spots Jax unconscious through a destroyed wall in his home. While Raiden tries to question the former major on what happened, it is Jax's wife, Vera, who answers him, revealing that Reiko, the former general of Outworld, attacked their home, having kidnapped their daughter Jacqui and demanding the Kamidogu dagger in exchange for her life. When Reiko threatened Vera's life, Jax complied and turned over the dagger.

Raiden is troubled by the fact that Reiko now possesses more than one Kamidogu, and when Vera angrily demands that the thunder god bring her and Jax's daughter home, Raiden informs her of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade's venture into Outworld for their own daughter.

Story
Several months after the battle of Earthrealm, Shinnok begins his invasion of Earthrealm. Raiden is seen alongside Fujin fending of waves of demons that begin to overrun the grounds of the Sky Temple. Quan Chi then appears himself and Raiden angrily rebukes at the necromancer to leave the sacred grounds. However, besides Quan Chi are undead revenants of Kurtis Stryker, Sindel, and Kabal who then tell Raiden that he had freed them, with the thunder god claiming that he had given them a fate even worse than death.

As Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Kenshi make their way to the Sky Temple, Raiden and Fujin attempt to hold off Quan Chi and the undead revenants from entering the Jinsei chambers. Shinnok then appears before both Raiden and Fujin and the undead revenants began to attack the two gods. Raiden is stabbed by Kabal's hook swords, but manages to use the blades as a conductor for his electricity and knocks out Kabal. He then aids Fujin as he shocks Sindel before the latter could finish him. They are then knocked by Shinnok's amulet and are almost absorbed by the amulet itself until the untimely intervention of Cage. Cage fights and defeats Shinnok, with Raiden using his amulet to seal him away. While Raiden remarks that the amulet cannot be destroyed, Fujin suggests that they go to the Elder Gods for counsel.

Five years after Shinnok's attack, Johnny along with Sonya go to the Netherrealm to infiltrate Quan Chi's fortress. While Cage is left stabbed in the back by Jax and is left dying, his revenant self begins to take shape. Raiden then enters the Netherrealm and attempts to stop the process, but is interrupted by Quan Chi. After Sonya defeats Quan Chi, Raiden manages to reverse the spell, not only saving Johnny, but freed Scorpion, Kuai Liang, and Jax in the process. He is then seen tending to Johnny's wounds.

Twenty years later, Raiden is seen in the Outworld refugee camp where he along with Sonya, Johnny, and Johnny's team are seen talking with Li Mei. They learn that Mileena is in possession of an amulet that gives her immense power. Suspecting the object to be Shinnok's amulet, he goes off to check on the amulet's security. He then is seen later on communicating with Sonya while confirming with her that the amulet was replaced with a duplicate. Before he can say more, he is then cutoff by some unknown means, leaving Sonya to ponder.

Raiden does not appear again in the story until much later where Bo' Rai Cho is seen waiting for him at the Sky Temple. Bo' Rai Cho informs Raiden his concerns about Shinnok's possible return. Raiden goes on to explain that he was caught in a trap by Kano and that getting out required his full attention, being unaware of the events that have already taken place. They proceed to travel to the Jinsei chamber, where Raiden goes to recover his strength. As they enter, Raiden hopes to turn the situation around with Bo' Rai Cho to wonder what he means. Raiden goes on to explain that their comrades and allies are under control of Quan Chi, stating that by capturing Quan Chi alive they can restore all of their former friends and allies back to normal. Raiden then goes to lament over the loss of the Earthrealm warriors during Shao Kahn's invasion, especially those of Liu Kang and Kung Lao. He goes off in a melancholic tone where he claims that the both of them were like sons, and that he would move the heavens to bring them back. The story then goes to a flashback twenty five years ago with Lao and Kang still alive while assisting Raiden in freeing the Shaolin.

As Raiden is recovering, he notices a large shock and notices a large hole above the Jinsei chamber as he see's Bo' Rai Cho on the ground being dragged off. As Raiden makes it above ground, he see's Shinnok has returned and draining Bo' Rai Cho's lifeforce with his amulet along with the revenant versions of Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Smoke, Kitana, and Sindel. Shinnok goes to the Jinsei temple claiming that he will claim Bo' Rai Cho's soul when he dies. Raiden retorts by saying that Bo' Rai Cho's soul is too strong for the likes of the Netherrealm. Kang asks if they can kill him, but Shinnok orders for Raiden to live and that after he takes over the Jinsei, he would seal the thunder god just as he did with him before. Raiden then begins to fight the revenants, eventually facing Lao, who is angered at Raiden for letting him die by Shao Kahn's hand. Raiden defeats Lao, claiming that the former Shaolin deserved a better fate. Then Kang begins to attack Raiden. Raiden claims that this was not Kang's fate, with the former Shaolin mocking the thunder god by asking him if he could still see the future. Raiden tells his former student that he knows what should be, with Kang claiming that he was put to death due to his actions. Th thunder god then tells Kang that his death was an accident that haunted him, with the former MK champion saying that he would help Shinnok end the Elder Gods. The two fight, and Raiden is victorious over his former friend and student.

Raiden goes to the Jinsei chamber in an attempt to stop Shinnok, but is caught and captured. He along with Johnny Cage are now captive with Shinnok claiming the end of the world, but Raiden tells him that there are still warriors left that oppose him.

After Cassie Cage knocks out Shinnok, he urges her to take him to the Jinsei in order to purify it. The purification succeeds, and Raiden is then last seen being tended to by Kung Jin.

After the post-credits, Raiden is seen in the Netherrealm. Due to cleansing the Jinsei from Shinnok, he has now adopted a much more darker persona. He appears before the new rulers of the Netherrealm, Liu Kang and Kitana, and threatens them by stating that he would no longer stand by and watch Earthrealm on the defensive. He would from now on seek and destroy all who threaten Earthrealm with no mercy or remorse. He then leaves the severed, yet still-living head of Shinnok on the ground to make his point, and disappears in a flash of lightning, leaving Kang and Kitana to ponder in thought.

Powers
Raiden is extremely powerful, being a god of thunder and can use lightning as his weapon, able to fire it as concentrated blasts or torrents. He can also fly and one of his attacks is to fly at his opponent and drive them into walls. Raiden can also become ethereal, allowing him to teleport and possesses a lightning staff that he can use to fight with. Despite being a god, he is not invincible and has his limits, though it does not seem as if he can ever be fully killed. Raiden, like all other gods, loses his powers when he enters a realm that is not native to him, but he will regain them when he leaves. He can also take on a mortal form so as to be allowed to take part in Mortal Kombat tournaments.

Trivia

 * Raiden’s ending in MK vs. DC is a reference to the fact that he is meant to be Superman’s counterpart. The way that he loses strength from the sun and gains strength from kryptonite is the opposite of the Man of Steel.


 * Raiden is modeled after the character, Lightning, from the 1986 movie, Big Trouble in Little China.


 * In the home versions of games from Mortal Kombat 4 onward and the arcade games, his name was spelled “Raiden.” In other home versions, his name was spelled “Rayden,” possibly to because of copyright, since there was a shoot’em up game called Raiden or to avoid confusion between him and Raiden from the Fatal Fury video game series.


 * Raiden’s fatality in the SNES port of the original Mortal Kombat, where he used lightning to blow up his opponents head was changed to the lightning turning them to ash, due to Nintendo’s no blood policy at the time.


 * Raiden was originally not going to be in Mortal Kombat Deception, but this was changed after fan complaint. Fujin, who was going to replace him, instead made a cameo in the Dark Prison stage.


 * Nightwolf’s Friendship in MK3 and UMK3 has him transform into Raiden and then an MK2 arcade game drops down with one of two quotes, “Yes But I Can Do a Raiden Transformation” or “I’ve Never Seen a Kano Transformation”. This was gotten rid of in MK Trilogy since Raiden was in it.


 * He was originally going to wield his staff in Mortal Kombat II, but this was scrapped due to memory constraints.


 * In the Super NES version of the original Mortal Kombat, if Raiden performs his fatality on the final opponent in the third endurance match, it will make Goro appear the same gray as the ashes of his opponent.


 * Raiden’s popularity as a “thunder god” and fan reaction to him lead to the creation of other god characters, such as Fujin. Despite this, he has remained the most popular god character.


 * Raiden appeared as a secret character in Unreal Tournament 2: The Liandri Conflict, NFL Blitz, and NBA Jam: Tournament edition.


 * He had two female servants named Wynd and Rayne in the non-canon Malibu Comics three issue miniseries, Rayden and Kano. In another three issue series, he did not take part in the tournament, claiming he was not allowed to.


 * Raiden has been portrayed in the 2D games by Carlos Pesina, but his versus screen image was portrayed by Sal Divita in Mortal Kombat Trilogy.


 * He is the first god to appear in a versus fighting game, as well as the first one to be playable.


 * In the Kombat Pavilion, Raiden has a set of comics, the weirdest of which is “How Dan Hibiki Became The Defender Of Earthrealm”.


 * His favorite food is “nuclear buffalo wings” according to his profile in Brady Games’ Official MK4 Fighters Companion strategy guide.
 * Raiden's fatality from Deception, where he blasted the opponent with lightning but blew himself at the same time, was voted number 5 on Screwattack's list of Top 10 Worst Mortal Kombat Fatalities.