Bio:
- Name: Raiden
- Age: Eternal
- Weight: 118 kg
- Height: 6’7
- Gender: Male
- Resides: Earthrealm
- Eye Color: N/A
- Status: Thunder God, Protector of Earthrealm
- Alignment: Good
- Race: Deity
Raiden is the eternal God of Thunder, and protector of Earthrealm. He is 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. Raiden 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.
Original Timeline
When Earthrealm was young, Raiden was its protector. He fought the rogue Elder God Shinnok, who wished to rule it. He started a war that threatened to destroy Earthrealm itself. One of the casualties of the war was the Saurian civilization, forcing the remaining survivors to emigrate to another world, which they named Zaterra.
With the aid of the Elder Gods, Raiden managed to defeat Shinnok. He was stripped of his amulet, and banished to the Netherrealm. Raiden placed the evil god’s powerful amulet in a secret location, the Temple of the Elements. This tower was constructed in the mountains of Nepal. Raiden assigned four gods to guard the amulet; the gods of Wind, Fire, Earth and Water.
Mortal Kombat: Mythologies
When the elder Sub-Zero stole Shinnok’s amulet for Quan Chi millions of years later, Raiden appeared before the Lin Kuei warrior. The Thunder God told him to enter the Netherrealm and steal it back, lest Shinnok use it to free himself. Raiden was unable to do it himself, as he would lose all of his powers in the Netherrealm. Sub-Zero did as requested, for the time being, removing Shinnok as a threat.
Mortal Kombat
Some time later, Shang Tsung invited Raiden to participate in Mortal Kombat. Aware of the threat posed by this tournament to the future of Earthrealm, Raiden took the form of a human to compete.
Mortal Kombat 2
One year later, Raiden found that he had no choice but to accept Shang Tsung’s offer of Mortal Kombat in Outworld. Knowing full well the treachery of Shang Tsung and brutality of Shao Kahn, he warned the surviving members of the Shaolin tournament and disappeared alone to Outworld.
Mortal Kombat 3
After the Earthrealm warriors’ victory, Raiden received no break. He had to scramble to protect his warriors’ souls when Shao Kahn reached across the realms and reclaimed his resurrected Queen Sindel. With the safety of his champions ensured, Raiden wished to fight alongside them. Unfortunately, the Thunder God was unable to, due to the merger between Earthrealm and Outworld. The Outworld menace now ruled Earthrealm, and Raiden had no choice but to give up his godhood in order to fight. Following Liu Kang’s defeat of Shao Kahn, he reclaimed his status as both a god and Earthrealm’s protector.
Mortal Kombat 4
Raiden and his warriors again entered battle when Shinnok escaped the Netherrealm to once more wage war against the gods. Shinnok’s attack caught the Elder Gods off-guard and many of the gods of Earthrealm were killed. This time the war would also be fought by mortals; with Liu Kang uniting Earthrealm’s warriors under the banner of the troubled Thunder god. Raiden’s Forces of Light would emerge victorious. Raiden was granted the status of Elder God for his support against Shinnok, he turned over his position as Earthrealm’s protector to Fujin.
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
As an Elder God, Raiden could not interfere when Shang Tsung and Quan Chi killed Liu Kang many years later. Disgusted at his peers for their refusal to intervene, he renounced his position as an Elder, and gathered his warriors to stop the Deadly Alliance. Disaster struck the heroes, all Earthrealm warriors were all slain in battle by the Tarkatan horde. In a desperate measure to protect Earthrealm, he confronted Shang Tsung and Quan Chi in front of the Soulnado, but was defeated.
Mortal Kombat: Deception
He returned to his feet when Onaga, the Dragon King, entered the chamber. Raiden stood beside Tsung and Quan Chi as they attacked Onaga. When he saw that their attacks barely slowed Onaga down, Raiden released his godly essence causing a massive explosion. It obliterated the Dragon King’s tomb, snuffed out the Soulnado, and apparently destroyed the Deadly Alliance along with Raiden. The explosion did not harm Onaga however.
Raiden’s essence soon gathered again in the Earthrealm, unfortunately, his essence was corrupted because of Onaga. The God of Thunder had now become furious with the way Earthrealm’s inhabitants had treated their own realm. He became even more enraged when he learned that Shujinko had foolishly unleashed the Dragon King by attaining the Kamidogu of various realms for him. Raiden’s patience had exhausted, the denounced elder god decided he was going to punish those who placed Earthrealm in harm’s way.
Raiden’s shift in attitude comes to a head when he tried to brutally slay Shujinko for his errors. Shujinko was able to survive Raiden’s attack, surprisingly Raiden turned his attention away from Shujinko and towards Liu Kang’s corpse.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Raiden took Liu Kang’s body from its grave, and moved it to an underground temple that belonged to an ancient sect of necromancers called the Houan. Raiden had destroyed them centuries earlier, Raiden used his magic in conjunction with Houans’ to bind Liu Kang’s corpse with enchanted shackles. The corpse of Liu Kang was now the enforcer of Raiden’s will. It was sent on a mission to wreak havoc on those he believed did harm to Earthrealm. Shinnok appeared before Raiden and offered him an alliance. If Raiden were to assist him in whatever he wanted, Shinnok would try to ensure the safety of Earthrealm. Raiden was well aware of Shinnok’s deceptive nature, but he accepted the offer in an attempt to secretly uncover Shinnok’s plans.
When Taven encounters Raiden, He informs the Edenian that he had struck a deal with Shao Kahn. Apparently the corrupted god of thunder agreed to let the Emperor of Outworld conquer and rule all other realms, so long as Earthrealm was left alone. In return, Raiden agreed to hunt and eliminate Taven for him, so that he could claim Blaze’s godlike power for himself. Raiden confronts Taven as Kahn, Onaga, Shang Tsung, and Quan Chi escape into a portal leading to Edenia. Raiden is unsuccessful however, as he is defeated by Taven, and left unconscious on the ground. Taven, while still being in shock and disbelief at Raiden’s actions, leaves and follows the villains through the portal.
Unbeknownst to Raiden, Fujin had become aware of his fellow god’s change of attitude and outlook and had decided to do something about it. Teaming up with Liu Kang’s former ally, Kung Lao, he intended to defeat Raiden and Liu Kang’s corpse. Fujin’s plan was to try to restore them, aware that they were to be destroyed if unsuccessful.
Raiden apparently regained at least some of his sanity as he later participated in the Battle of Armageddon on the side of Light. He and Shao Kahn became the last two combatants standing and they fought on top of the Pyramid of Argus. With the power of Blaze, Kahn easily defeated Raiden. Before Kahn landed the final blow, Raiden used the shattered remains of his amulet to send his past self a cryptic message, “He must win”.
Mortal Kombat 9
Raiden of the past receives the first fragments of the message in a series of disjointed images, in the opening ceremony of the first Mortal Kombat tournament on Shang Tsung’s Island. He attempts to use these memory flashes to influence events and prevent Armageddon. Although his interventions prove to have unexpected and nearly disastrous consequences. Basically resulting in the deaths of nearly all of Earthrealm’s defenders.
When the Elder Gods refuse to stop Shao Kahn’s invasion, Raiden travels to the Netherrealm to bargain with Quan Chi for help. He offers Quan Chi the souls of Earthrealm warriors who fall in battle as well as his own soul in the event that he himself is killed. Quan Chi gloatingly reveals that the souls of Earthrealm’s fallen already belong to him as part of Shao Kahn’s agreement for the Netherrealm’s assistance. Raiden is forced to fight off undead versions of his former comrades in order to escape the Netherrealm.
Raiden’s most fateful intervention in previously-established events came at the apex of Shao Kahn’s invasion of Earthrealm. He came to the realization that ‘he must win’ in fact relates to Shao Kahn, he actually has to be allowed to merge the two realms. Only if the rules were broken could the Elder Gods intervene. This puts Raiden in direct confrontation with Liu Kang, who has become disillusioned with the mounting body count as a direct result of Raiden’s actions. Earth’s protector is forced to defeat Liu Kang in combat to prevent him from interfering. Liu Kang got severely wounded when Raiden’s electricity reacted with shaolin monk’s fireball and incinerates him.
Shao Kahn is allowed to enter Earthrealm, and an emotionally shattered Raiden concedes ultimate defeat. Kahn proceeds to dominate Raiden in almost exactly the same manner as the Armageddon aftermath. The Elder Gods finally intervene and restore Raiden’s strength. He and Shao Kahn engage in a final battle, with Raiden emerging victorious and Shao Kahn being destroyed by the Elder Gods. Raiden however, is deeply saddened by the cost in lives, and blames himself for their loss. Together with the surviving Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, Raiden leaves to tend to the fallen warriors and help rebuild Earthrealm. Unknown to him is that all these events were orchestrated by Quan Chi as part of Shinnok’s plan to take Earthrealm and Outworld for himself.
Mortal Kombat X
Several months after the battle of Earthrealm, Shinnok begins his invasion of Earthrealm. Raiden fights 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 Quan Chi to leave the sacred grounds. Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Kenshi make their way to the Sky Temple, while Raiden and Fujin attempt to hold off Quan Chi and the undead revenants from entering the Jinsei chambers. Shinnok then appears before the undead revenants began to attack the two gods. Raiden defeats Kabal, and saves Fujin from Sindel. They are saved from Shinnok by the untimely intervention of Johnny Cage. He 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. Raiden assists freeing Scorpion, Kuai Liang, and Jax five years later.
Five more years pass by, Raiden catches Kung Jin stealing, and confronts him. After Jin wins and walks away from Raiden, the thunder god stops Jin from leaving, telling the thief that he wanted to let him attack to release his anger. Raiden tells Jin to go to the Wu Shi Academy to become a Shaolin Monk like Kung Lao was. Kung Jin reluctantly agrees.
Raiden is seen Twenty years later in a 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 confirms with Sonya that the amulet was replaced with a duplicate by teleporting away. Before he can say more, he is cut off, leaving Sonya to ponder.
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. Raiden goes on to explain that their comrades and allies are under the control of Quan Chi, stating that by capturing Quan Chi alive they can restore all of their former friends and allies back to normal.
While Raiden recovers, he notices a large shock and sees a large hole above the Jinsei chamber. He then sees Bo’ Rai Cho on the ground being dragged off. Raiden makes it above ground, and witnesses Shinnok’s return. The fallen god drain 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 accompanied by his revenants. Raiden fights them, eventually facing Kung Lao, who is angered at Raiden for letting him die by Shao Kahn’s hand. Raiden defeats Kung Lao, claiming that Kung Lao deserved a better fate. Liu Kang then attacks Raiden, who claims that this was not Liu Kang’s fate. The two would fight after Liu Kang let his true intentions known. 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. After Cassie Cage defeats 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.
Raiden goes to 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. He would from now on seek and destroy all who would harm Earthrealm with no mercy or remorse. He then leaves the severed, yet still-living head of Shinnok on the ground to make his point. He disappears in a flash of lightning, leaving Liu Kang and Kitana to ponder in thought.
Powers and abilities
Raiden is the god of thunder and lightning, and as such, he is immensely powerful and has complete control over electricity. He usually keeps behind the scenes in the games and rarely fights, although one notable exception was in Deception, where he fought both Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, and was able to hold his own for most of the fight. Using the element of lightning, Raiden can fire torrents of lightning or concentrated blasts, in addition to being able to form fully fledged thunderstorms as depicted in Deadly Alliance. He also has the ability to fly, which he uses to fling himself at an opponent and shove them into a wall. In Mortal Kombat (2011), it is shown that he can also use electricity to heal others. He also has the ability to teleport to another destination by transforming his body into an ethereal state. Despite his godly status, he is not indestructible and has limits. Raiden, like any other god, will have his powers taken away should he enter a domain not native to him, with Outworld being the most prominent example of this. His powers can return to him once he returns however. It is also because of his godly status that he is forbidden to directly participate in any Mortal Kombat tournaments unless he takes on a mortal form.