Raiden

Bio

Raiden is the God of Thunder and Protector of Earthrealm. Ageless and wise beyond measure, he leads Earthrealm's mortals in the endless battle against the forces of darkness. When Shao Kahn, Emperor of Outworld, threatened to merge his realm with Earthrealm, an overwhelmed Raiden implored the Elder Gods to give Earthrealm a fighting chance. Thus the Mortal Kombat tournament was created. For millennia Shao Kahn has been kept at bay, but nine consecutive losses to Goro have eroded hope that Earthrealm can be saved. Determined to prevent Armageddon, Raiden tirelessly quests to find a champion worthy of Mortal Kombat.

## Storyline

### Mortal Kombat

When Earthrealm was young, Raiden was its protector. He fought the rogue Elder God Shinnok, who wished to rule it, in a war that threatened to destroy Earthrealm itself. One of the casualties of the war was the Saurian civilization (of which Reptile was a member), forcing the remaining survivors to emigrate to another world, which they named Zaterra.

## Kombat Characteristics

### Power 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. As NetherRealm's *Mortal Kombat*, 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.

## Movelist

### Special Moves

* **Lightning:** Raiden sends a bolt of lightning flying at his opponent.
* **Electrocute:** Raiden stuns his opponent with lightning from his fingers.
* **Electric Fly:** Raiden flies towards his opponent with an electric punch pushing him/her.
* **Electroport:** Raiden vanishes into lightning and reappears behind his opponent.
* **Vicinity Blast:** Raiden does a close-range version of his lightning move.

## Finishing Moves

### Fatalities

* **Electrocution:** Raiden grabs his opponent, holds them a few feet off the ground, and sends electricity into their body, which causes them to explode.
* **Staff Shock**: Raiden calls for his staff, lodges the end into his opponent's chest, lifts them up and shocks them until they're dead.

## Sequences

### Battle Intro

Raiden teleports onto the stage and says, “Thunder take you!”, whilst shooting lightning blasts from both sides.

### Victory Pose

Raiden flies up into the dark clouds, crosses his arms, and says “May the Elder Gods watch over you.”

## Endings

* **Mortal Kombat:** *"When Outworld and Earth merge, Raiden finds himself battling Shao Kahn without the assistance of the Elder Gods. The Thunder God must transform into a mortal in order to exist in the merged realms. When he does this, he puts his own immortality as risk. But Raiden has always found ways of fouling Kahn's plots. He guides the chosen Earth warriors into battle against the Outworld emperor's armies, then finally faces Kahn himself. The powerful beings fight until the very core of the Earth is shaken, and Raiden emerges victorious."*