Raiden (Metal Gear)

## Summary

**Raiden** (雷電), real name **Jack**, is the main protagonist of *Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty* and *Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance* and the secondary protagonist of *Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots*. He is a Liberian-American mercenary and former special forces soldier. Previously a child soldier under Solidus Snake, Raiden was later selected by the Patriots to test the S3 Plan at the Big Shell, as a new recruit to the reformed FOXHOUND unit. He later worked alongside the Paradise Lost Army in their anti-Patriot activities, but was captured and forced to undergo heavy cybernetic experimentation. After successfully escaping, Raiden went on to assist Solid Snake during Liquid Ocelot's Insurrection. He later joined the PMSC Maverick as a means to support his family, but entered the battlefield once more after rival group Desperado ruined one of their missions, leaving him injured.

Raiden came into existence out of series creator Hideo Kojima's desire to show the main character Snake from a different perspective by making someone else the player character. Despite being put through hell, constantly betrayed, told his life was a lie and forced to kill his father figure, Raiden was hated by many fans. As an apology to disgruntled fans, Kojima created a helpless look-a-like by the name of Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov in Metal Gear Solid 3, who he put through all sorts of humiliation. However, the general reaction towards Raiden changed somewhat in Metal Gear Solid 4, where he reappears as the latest Cyborg Ninja and aids Snake in his quest to assassinate Liquid and destroy the Patriots. Following Metal Gear Solid 4, Raiden got his own spinoff game, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, where after nearly being killed on a VIP bodyguard mission by a PMC looking to destabilize the region, Raiden re-upgrades his cyborg body and goes on a roaring rampage of revenge.

## Powers and Stats

**Tier:** **6-B**, **High 6-B** in Ripper Mode

**Name:** Raiden (codename), his real name is Jack (also nicknamed "Jack the Ripper" and "White Devil" on various occasions)

**Origin:** Metal Gear

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** In his 30s

**Classification:** Human Cyborg, Rehabilitated Family Man, Freelancing Agent (previously worked for many different organizations), Secretly a Ninja

**Powers and Abilities:** Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Expert Swordsman, Injected with nanomachines with various features, Invisibility via Stealth Camo, Martial Artist, Limited Lightning Manipulation, Information Manipulation (Has an IR detector and Soliton Radar connected to a HMD which constantly fuels him with data and news about the battlefield and his mission), Enhanced Senses (Enhanced view mode connected to his sensors), Absorption (Can absorb the electrolytes of other cyborgs to replenish his energy), Limited Technological Manipulation (Can interact with machines), Time Manipulation and Statistics Amplification in Blade Mode, Rage Power and Pain Suppression in Ripper Mode (Can later enter the "Jack the Ripper" mode to increase his power and speed considerably at the expense of consuming more energy), Limited Matter Manipulation (via the HF Blades weakening molecular bonds to slice through objects and negate durability), Limited Electromagnetism Manipulation with Dystopia (Can drag himself towards enemies to deliver vicious kicks which are empowered by the momentum of magnetism)

**Attack Potency: Country Level** (Killed Armstrong, who can punch the ground hard enough to create fissures that reach magma), **Large Country Level** with Ripper Mode (Ripper Mode multiplies Raiden's base power by 7x). His HF Blade ignores conventional durability to an extent (HF blades weaken molecular bonds to cut cleanly through virtually any target)

**Speed: Massively Hypersonic+** (Hop-scotched missiles), **Sub-Relativistic** combat speed and reactions in Blade Mode (Blade Mode multiplies Raiden's speed by 10x), **Sub-Relativistic** in Blade Ripper Mode (Made raindrops look completely frozen with his speed)

**Lifting Strength: Class M+** (Can easily lift and flip Metal Gear EXCELSUS, who easily weighs over 9,000 tons), **Class G** in short bursts. **Higher** in Ripper Mode

**Striking Strength:** **Country Class. Large Country Class** in Ripper Mode.

**Durability:** **Country level** (Took many blows from Armstrong and still got up seconds later, fighting on equal terms with him), **Large Country Level** with Ripper Mode

**Stamina:** Extremely high (Can fight for multiple bouts in succession with the longest battle lasting for about 30 minutes straight; can stay up for days without any food)

**Range:** Extended melee, several dozens of meters w/ equipment

**Standard Equipment:** Murasama (An HF-47 high frequency blade), Dystopia (A single sai obtained from Monsoon that allows him to pull himself towards machines via electromagnetism), Bloodlust (Sundowner's twin high-frequency machetes capable of combining into a single powerful scissoring pincer blade), L'Etranger (Mistral's versatile polearm, can also be used as a double-sided spear, as a whip, and as a grappling hook)

**Intelligence:** At least Above Average, Genius tactician (Has been trained since he was a child on the arts of fighting and was also taught by Solidus Snake, another combat expert. He has a unique, self-taught combat style that mixes break dancing, Capoeira and other arts together for a very unpredictable battle pattern)

**Weaknesses:** Blade and Ripper Modes only last for 15 seconds. His left arm is connected to his cranial nerves, and should it get cut, it would cause him to have nightmares from the past, leaving him vulenrable in battle.