Behold, the Thunder God! Mortal Kombat has an interesting cast of characters that range from normal humans, original species like the Zatarreans and Shokans, and gods that hold amazing power. Raiden is one of the first characters to ever appear in Midway’s Mortal Kombat, which was released in 1992. He is one of the most iconic characters in the franchise, as well as one of the most important.

He acts as a guide to Liu Kang and Kung Lao, who he sees as his own sons. And of course, he is responsible for protecting Earthrealm from any danger. With his lightning powers, he is sure to electrify his enemies and take care of his enemies. Despite being an Earthrealm god, he has shown compassion and empathy, making him a relatable and strong character. Since he is immortal, he tends to think differently compared to the Earthrealmers he watches over.

When push comes to shove, he will do anything to make sure Earthrealm is safe from the other realms’ threats. Raiden’s fatalities are electrifying, no pun intended. He has appeared on the big screen, small screen, and in other types of media like comic books and a few web series. Even though Raiden seems like a serious and ethereal character, there is more to him than being a powerful character.

Think you know some facts about this Mortal Kombat character? Let thunder take you, because here are some mind-blowing facts about the Thunder God Raiden you probably do not know about!

25 His Side Of The Story

Mortal Kombat (2011) was the game that saved the franchise from ending. The gameplay went back to the classics, as fighting mechanics were flawless. The arcade was also a blast to go through, along with other bonus content to enjoy such as the Kyrpt and three hundred levels of the Challenge Tower. What was the most surprising addition was an actual story mode.

In the story, Raiden is considered to be the main protagonist.

While you do not get to play as him until the last chapter, Raiden is the centerpiece in the story since he has a goal to prevent Earthrealm from being invaded by Outworld after losing nine consecutive times. He went through so many sacrifices that it made feel so bad for him. Netherrealm Studios picked the right character as the main lead!

24 Interesting Foreshadowing

Ever since Scorpion appeared in Injustice: Gods Among Us as DLC, we were wondering which character would appear in the sequel. Low and behold, Sub-Zero and Raiden made it as DLC in Injustice 2. It was a given for Sub-Zero since he is very popular, but a lot of people wanted Raiden in too, so he was lucky to get in.

Even the DC characters referenced his arrival.

If you have Black Adam and The Joker fight and end up in a clash, the latter will ask Black Adam, “Meet that other lightning guy?” Then Black Adam would say, “With the bamboo hat? Yes.” Not only was it a nice Easter egg, but the fact that the Raiden would eventually appear made the reference overall exciting.

23 Still Cool Without A Weapon

Now you think Raiden would be too cool to have a weapon since he is already the god of thunder. We thought so too until it was announced that he would have had his own weapon to use in Mortal Kombat II. Unfortunately, that did not make the cut in the game.

Due to memory constraints, it was scrapped.

Later on, in the other games, however, Raiden would be able to use his staff. It is his main weapon in the games Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Mortal Kombat: Deception, and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. The Elder Gods gave it to him as a gift, and it has been useful in numerous occasions.

22 Gave Birth To Another God

Okay, Raiden might not have literally given birth to another god, but because of his high popularity in the games, it eventually led to the creation of Fujin, the Earthrealm God of Wind. These two are one of the coolest duos in the franchise, just like Scorpion and Sub-Zero, Kitana and Mileena, you name it.

When it comes to his character, he is vastly different from Raiden, but that does not mean he does not show concern for Earthrealm. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, he pretty much took over as the leader for Earthrealm and wanted to turn Raiden and Liu Kang back to normal in the process. Like Raiden, Fujin is based on the Shinto god of wind with the same name. Now, can we have him be playable in the next Mortal Kombat game?

21 Playing God

It is crazy to think that playing a god-like character is possible. Playing as Raiden sounded like a cheap way to play a fighting game, but thankfully, he is just like any other playable character in the Mortal Kombat series. In fact, Raiden is probably one of the first instances of having a playable god in a fighting game.

Depending on the game, Raiden might not even be the most overpowered character. In Mortal Kombat (2011), for example, Goro is the true definition of an overpowered character. You only get to play as him in the Challenge Tower, but his moves are just so strong that they can take away half the health bar in an instant. Raiden might not have that kind of power, but he is still very strong in his own way.

20 Cool Cameos

Video game characters making appearances in games completely different from theirs are very common. That is how Super Smash Bros. came to be with it being a crossover of Nintendo characters fighting till one stands above all else. Mortal Kombat also has its fair share of characters making appearances in other video games.

Raiden has appeared in Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict, NFL Blitz, and NBA Jam: Tournament Edition. Just recently, Raiden appeared as a DLC character in Injustice 2, and it was an awesome addition to the game. Who knows where else Raiden will make a cameo appearance in for video games, but whenever that day comes, that will make Mortal Kombat fans very happy.

19 The Choice Is His

Most of the video games Mortal Kombat has brought to the fans are really great. However, there are some duds that are left to never be mentioned again. The game in question is Midway’s final Mortal Kombat game titled Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. It is not that terrible, but it is a letdown due to its T rating.

Now to the real subject for this entry. Raiden’s arcade ending is pretty grim. He is the opposite of Superman when he went back to Earthrealm. The sun is his weakness, but kryptonite is his strength. Quan Chi decided to help the Thunder God out, but at a great cost: he must serve the Netherrealm sorcerer.

The real question is: what would Raiden do? He cannot let the people of Earthrealm down, but at the same time, he is getting weaker thanks to the sun. It is his choice after all…

18 Ah, Censorship

Who remembers the classic Super Nintendo days? The games that came out in that era were incredible, such as Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Donkey Kong Country. Later on, Mortal Kombat would have a port for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It sounded great because those who do not have a Sega or live near an arcade would be able to play the buzzing fighting game.

Oh, hi there, “Family Friendly” Policy.

Because of the said policy, the SNES version of Mortal Kombat was censored greatly. Raiden’s fatality changed drastically, making his opponents turn to ash instead of electrifying his opponents. It even made the secret boss Goro turn gray due to the changes made into the programming. How times have changed since then…

17 Crashing The Party

Since Raiden is an important character in Mortal Kombat, you bet that he will make an appearance in most of the characters’ endings. Mortal Kombat (2011) is the one where he made the most appearances, that being eight endings, including his own. He does give the respective characters their own spotlight, but he has some involvement in the characters’ endings.

In Sub-Zero’s ending, Raiden told the former the truth about his clan. Liu Kang challenged Raiden in a duel to become the new Earthrealm god. Raiden was with Kung Lao, who turned out to be the reincarnation of the Great Kung Lao. Johnny Cage went to Seido thanks to Raiden to help him train. Even Kratos from God of War got an arcade ending with Raiden appearing in it!

16 History Repeats Itself

Raiden might seem angelic and heavenly given his status as the Thunder God, but there were two instances where he became dark. In the first timeline, Onaga's presence, as well as the Elder Gods’ passivity changed his standards when it comes to protecting Earthrealm. The fact that the Elder Gods would only interfere if their power was threatened is a good reason why Raiden went dark. They did not do anything other than just watch.

The second timeline is more understandable. During Mortal Kombat X, Shinnok corrupted the Jinsei Chamber where Raiden regenerates. Once Cassie Cage defeated Shinnok, a seriously injured Raiden had to cleanse the Jinsei so that Earthrealm’s power would not be influenced by evil. Because of that, some of the corruptness was brought into Raiden as he restored it. If Mortal Kombat 11 comes by, we will be looking forward to seeing how Raiden acts in it.

15 Made His Way In

Want to know what’s crazy? Raiden almost did not make the cut in Mortal Kombat: Deception. The opening cutscene of the game explained why Raiden would not be in the game. However, after the demand from fans, Raiden made his way into the game. The original idea was for Fujin to take over as the protector of Earthrealm since Raiden sacrificed himself.

The power of fans is something to behold, and for the most part, whatever they ask for, the game developers will listen. Just imagine a game without Scorpion, Sub-Zero, or Raiden. It is like having a missing puzzle piece and it is the only one to complete the puzzle.

14 Possible Continuation Error?

The ending to Mortal Kombat X was very shocking, to say the least, no pun intended. We see Raiden talking to the new rulers of the Netherrealm and later giving them a gift and warning that if they dare threaten Earthrealm, there would be no sympathy for Raiden. In Injustice 2, Raiden appears as DLC, but something seems off.

In a mirror match, he will make a comment about Kitana and Liu Kang being the rulers of the Netherrealm. And in the Mortal Kombat X ending, Raiden was corrupted from the purification of the Jinsei. So, the fact that he appeared normal was something that seemed to be an oversight. Does that mean Raiden is back to normal after recovering from Shinnok’s attempt to take over Earthrealm or is it just a continuation error?

13 Promoted To Elder God

The first timeline has the most history of the characters. The second timeline is slowly catching up since it is a reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise. Even so, the first timeline had Raiden becoming an Elder God. At first, Shinnok was an Elder God, but due to wanting more power, he was banished to the Netherrealm. When Shinnok wanted to revenge, Raiden defeated him and was granted the status as an Elder God.

Him being an Elder God did not last long though. When the Deadly Alliance, consisting of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, posed as a threat, Raiden removed his status and fought alongside the Earthrealmers. Raiden sort of made the wrong choice, since it ended up screwing him over, but choosing his allies over his status was something we can definitely admire him for.

12 The Equivalent To Another Hero

The idea of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was not a bad one, but it had some bad decisions, such as toning down the violence for the fatalities and lack of unlockables. The story, however, was decent at the time. If you think about it, Raiden and Superman are pretty much the equivalents to each other. While Superman is not immortal, he does age slower compared to humans.

Both are leaders in their respective worlds and protect the innocent from any harm. While Raiden does not have an exact weakness, his ending in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is the opposite of Superman’s having a weakness to the sun’s rays and strength towards Kryptonite.

11 It's Electric!

One of the funniest ways to finish your opponent off is definitely either Friendship or Animality, but for this entry, we are going to talk about the latter. Just the idea of turning into an animal and eliminating the opponent is not only hilarious but also somewhat violent too. When it comes to Raiden’s animality, what else is perfect other than an eel?

It does fit Raiden since eels can electrocute in contact with something else, and see for Raiden to transform into an eel and do that makes so much sense. At least he kept his true nature of electric-based powers unlike Scorpion, who does not turn into the exact creature of the same name.

10 Something's Changed...

If there is something we can agree on, it would be that the second Mortal Kombat movie blows. The acting is over the top and awkward, the effects were laughable, and most of the cast from the first movie did not reprise their roles. One of the actors that did not reprise their roles was Christopher Lambert as Raiden. It was a shame because he sort of brought charm to the Thunder God.

Instead, James Remar takes up the role in the terrible sequel.

While he is not that laughably bad, there were some weird moments revolving around Raiden, such as doing more of a ballet in a fight scene near the end of the movie. He was even easily defeated by Shao Kahn, which was a huge let down to see.

9 Loyal Servants

While the video games for Mortal Kombat are more mainstream, the franchise has expanded in other forms of media such as films, TV shows, and more. Mortal Kombat would eventually get the comic book treatment and they provide interesting storylines that do not have any relevance to the video games unless you are thinking of Mortal Kombat X, which takes place before the events of the game of the same name.

Malibu Comics were given liberties to make their own stories revolving around the characters. Not to mention, Raiden had his own servants who go by Wynd and Rayne. They are beautiful but will show no mercy to those who pose a threat to their master. The two also beat up Kano, who would try to have his way with them.

8 Friends Forever

Raiden has formed a lot of relationships with the people from Earthrealm. He sees Liu Kang and Kung Lao as his sons ever since the two resided in the Shaolin Temple. If there is another character who looks up to Raiden, it would have to be Nightwolf. When friendship takes place instead of a fatality, Nightwolf would transform into Raiden.

Nightwolf refers to Raiden as Haokah, which is the Lakota Indian thunder god.

The fact that Nightwolf holds high respect for Raiden is very endearing. What is even interesting is that Nightwolf has some attacks that are lightning related, which also emphasizes the similarities to him and Raiden. At first, these two might seem completely off when paired together, but their bond is something that is truly unique.

7 Has Good Taste

One of Mortal Kombat’s important gameplay mechanics is without a doubt the fatalities. Not only do they close the fight with an ultimate, yet brutal finish, but it even can make us react in disgust or shock depending on how far the fatalities go. Sometimes they can have references to movies, and in Mortal Kombat (2011), Raiden’s fatalities do just that.

“Just A Scratch” references Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Raiden’s fatality would sever the opponent’s limbs, but unlike King Arthur, he destroys the head of his opponent. It mirrors the Black Knight fighting King Arthur, with the former losing his limbs and saying, “Tis but a scratch.” Paying homages to classic movies by making them into fatalities is one of the strangest, but loving tributes Netherrealm Studios made.

6 Long Time Portrayal

In the many years of Mortal Kombat, the characters we see on screen were amazingly motion captured in order to be used as a reference in the games’ animation. Whenever you see Raiden in the good old days, the man that helped bring the character to life was no other than Carlos Pesina.

He is gifted with the ability to excel in motion capture.

He portrayed Raiden in the first three Mortal Kombat games and also happened to be a martial artist. Carlos would also later be based on the character Mokap, which acts as a tribute to him and his contribution to the Mortal Kombat games. We know that if it were not for his amazing performance as the Thunder God, Raiden would not have been as memorable.