Raiden (Mortal Kombat)

Raiden (Japanese: 雷電, RAY-den), is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Based on the Japanese deity Raijin, he is depicted as the god of thunder who possesses control over lightning. He debuted in the original 1992 game and has appeared as a playable character in every main installment except Mortal Kombat 3 (1995) and its first update. In the storyline of the games, Raiden is the protector of Earthrealm. He fulfills his duty by selecting and training the warriors who defend Earthrealm from various threats, while also participating directly in the realm's defense. Raiden generally serves as a mentor figure to the franchise's heroes, although he sometimes assumes a darker role in the story, which sees him become more ruthless in his protection of the realm. In Mortal Kombat 1, the new main playable Raiden is depicted as a human who was raised at a farmland and becomes Earthrealm's current Mortal Kombat champion in Liu Kang's timeline, while his previous godly counterpart also exist as a Titan of his own timeline. One of the franchise's central characters, Raiden has appeared in various related media outside of the Mortal Kombat games, including guest appearances in NBA Jam Tournament Edition (1995), NFL Blitz (1997), Unreal Championship 2 (2005), and Injustice 2 (2017). The character was inspired by multiple Japanese game designer John Tobias explored in the making of the franchise. However, Raiden's biggest inspiration came from the Western film Big Trouble in Little China. Raiden has generally received a positive reception and is among the series' most popular characters for his design and special abilities. Though his role has been called repetitive, multiple journalists reviewing the games' narrative have welcomed his transformation into the more ruthless Dark Raiden.