Raiden (雷電) is one of the few original characters in the first Mortal Kombat game, and, in addition, is the one of the few characters to have appeared in every generation of Mortal Kombat games as a playable character.
Raiden made his debut as one of the few original characters in the first Mortal Kombat game and is the one of the few characters to have appeared in every generation of Mortal Kombat games as a playable character. He has been a major, central character throughout the series.
About Raiden[]
Raiden is the eternal God of Thunder, protector of Earthrealm, and arguably one of the most powerful characters in all of Mortal Kombat. After the second defeat of Shinnok, he ascended to the status of Elder God. Being a god, he possesses many supernatural abilities, such as the ability to teleport, control lightning and fly. As a god, he is used to thinking in terms of eternity rather than normal human lifespans, and so he has a radically different outlook on life. This is not to say he is incapable of understanding human values and psyches.
Appearance[]
Although being formless and ethereal, Raiden often takes form on mortal planes. As such, he appears as a fully-grown man wearing predominately white robes and a blue vest, his face usually shadowed by a straw hat. The effect is enhanced by his glowing blue eyes that radiate with electricity and long white hair, befitting of his god-like status. In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, one of his outfits is finished by a flowing blue cape. Lastly, his power is so great that he constantly radiates with lightning energy, electricity constantly dancing and crackling around his being. In Deception and Armageddon, his visage is warped by Onaga's malevolent aura when he sacrifices himself, reforming as a dark warrior dressed in black robes and dark armor, his eyes changed from a soothing blue to a belligerent red. His cape was changed to a subdued red and appears tattered at the end. Due to the events of Mortal Kombat (2011), this change was rendered null. However, he seems to return to this form in the post-credits scene of Mortal Kombat X, though now he wears Shinnok's Amulet. He has two primary character designs in the MK11 story, his Dark form from the end of the previous game, and his more traditional look albeit with some alterations. After he merged himself with Liu Kang, Raiden becomes a mere mortal at the end of Story Mode.
Fun fact: The creators claimed they based Raiden's character design on The Three Storms, Lo Pan's three servants from the film Big Trouble in Little China. The third storm, Lightning, exhibited the ability to ride and control lightning and wore a hat that closely resembles Raiden's conical hat.
Gallery[]
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