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* TheBusCameBack: He is absent from ''Mortal Kombat 9'', given that he was essentially erased from history, but it doesn't stick, as Raiden becomes [[spoiler:dark again following his purification of the Jinsei at the end of ''X''.]]
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* TheBusCameBack: He is absent from ''Mortal Kombat 9'', given that he was essentially erased from history, but it doesn't stick, as Raiden becomes [[spoiler:dark again following his purification of the Jinsei at the end of ''X''.]]
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* RebuiltPedestal: In ''11'', he earns back Lui Kang's faith by the extent he goes to in order to save him and preven both their falls to darkness.
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* RebuiltPedestal: In ''11'', he earns back Lui Liu Kang's faith by the extent he goes to in order to save him and preven prevent both their falls to darkness.
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* DropTheHammer: Raiden had a War Hammer in ''[=MK4=]'', before it was placed on the top of [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception the Sky Temple]].
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* AdvertisedExtra: Despite appearing in the reveal trailer and being the character's default appearance, [[spoiler:Dark Raiden doesn't make it past the first chapter as Kronika's timequake sees him replaced by his BigGood past self from 9 for the remainder of the story.]]
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* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: In ''11'', he's only present in the intro cutting off Shinnok's head and making a distraction in the first chapter during the raid on Liu Kang and Mileena's fortress to give time for the Special Forces to sneak inside and blow it up. Once Kronika puts her plan into motion in the 2nd chapter and merges the timelines, this summons Past!Raiden. But as two gods can't be in the same timeline, Dark Raiden ends up disintegrating as a result before he knows what's happening, only leaving Shinnok's amulet behind.]]
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* EurekaMoment: During the climax of ''9'', [[spoiler: he points out to Quan Chi that Shao Kahn can ''only'' merge the realms through victory in a Mortal Kombat tournament; otherwise, he will face the judgment of the Elder Gods. As soon as he says this, Raiden realizes that the message "He must win" actually refers to Shao Kahn himself; as his invasion of Earthrealm is considered an unlawful breach of the rules of Mortal Kombat, Shao Kahn must be allowed to merge Earthrealm with Outworld so the Elder Gods can punish him]].
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* EurekaMoment: EurekaMoment:
** During the climax of ''9'', [[spoiler: he points out to Quan Chi that Shao Kahn can ''only'' merge the realms through victory in a Mortal Kombat tournament; otherwise, he will face the judgment of the Elder Gods. As soon as he says this, Raiden realizes that the message "He must win" actually refers to Shao Kahn himself; as his invasion of Earthrealm is considered an unlawful breach of the rules of Mortal Kombat, Shao Kahn must be allowed to merge Earthrealm with Outworld so the Elder Gods can punishhim]].him]].
** In ''11'', during a dispute with Past!Liu Kang that nearly comes to blows and him nearly going on the path his future self took, he realizes this feels very familiar [[spoiler: and notes the two fighting each other has happened before. Not just in this and the original timeline, but ''countless timelines'' before. He then reaches the conclusion that Kronika has been dictating their actions and actually pitting Liu Kang and him against each other so they won't unite to stop her plan. After which, he quickly regains his senses and reconciles with Past!Liu Kang, preventing another tragedy and his corruption.]]
** During the climax of ''9'', [[spoiler: he points out to Quan Chi that Shao Kahn can ''only'' merge the realms through victory in a Mortal Kombat tournament; otherwise, he will face the judgment of the Elder Gods. As soon as he says this, Raiden realizes that the message "He must win" actually refers to Shao Kahn himself; as his invasion of Earthrealm is considered an unlawful breach of the rules of Mortal Kombat, Shao Kahn must be allowed to merge Earthrealm with Outworld so the Elder Gods can punish
** In ''11'', during a dispute with Past!Liu Kang that nearly comes to blows and him nearly going on the path his future self took, he realizes this feels very familiar [[spoiler: and notes the two fighting each other has happened before. Not just in this and the original timeline, but ''countless timelines'' before. He then reaches the conclusion that Kronika has been dictating their actions and actually pitting Liu Kang and him against each other so they won't unite to stop her plan. After which, he quickly regains his senses and reconciles with Past!Liu Kang, preventing another tragedy and his corruption.]]
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* NiceGuy: Very much a wise and benevolent God who cares for Earthrealm and innocents outside his jurisdiction. However, both timelines have him undergo events [[BreakTheCutie that do a number on him]].
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* NiceGuy: Very much a wise and benevolent God who cares for Earthrealm and innocents outside his jurisdiction. However, both timelines have him undergo events [[BreakTheCutie that do a number on him]]. His past self continues to be well meaning and sincere when he shows up in ''11''.
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* RebuiltPedestal: In ''11'', he earns back Lui Kang's faith by the extent he goes to in order to save him and preven both their falls to darkness.
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-->'''Raiden''': [[spoiler:As an immortal, I exist outside the norml laws of time. That could explain why I am affected differently.]]
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-->'''Raiden''': [[spoiler:As an immortal, I exist outside the norml normal laws of time. That could explain why I am affected differently.]]
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-->'''Johnny''': [[spoiler:Yeah, about that. What happened to Dark you? How come you're an only child and I've got an evil twin?]]
-->'''Raiden''': [[spoiler:As an immortal, I exist outside the norml laws of time. That could explain why I am affected differently.]]
-->'''Raiden''': [[spoiler:As an immortal, I exist outside the norml laws of time. That could explain why I am affected differently.]]
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* StrawVulcan: [[spoiler:He attempts to be this in his ''[=MK11=]'' Arcade ending after he obtains the Sands of Time, thinking that pure logic will prevent more devastation throughout the realms. Unfortunately, decisions based on pure logic are just as bad as decisions based on anger and fear, so he travels to the dawn of time and chooses to meditate so he can find a balance between love and logic and bring true peace to the realms.]]
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One fight intro in 11 has Frost tell Raiden that she froze Fujin for Cetrion. Raiden took it personally and says as much to her.
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* BerserkButton: Threatening Fujin is going to end with Raiden using his staff to turn you into a lightning rod. [[spoiler:Don't you agree, Frost?]]
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* NeverTheSelvesShallMeet: [[spoiler:Turns to dust when his past counterpart is brought into the future in ''11''. When Johnny brings up how the other fighters have to deal with their younger selves, the heroic Raiden presumes that his nature as an immortal demigod could've affected him differently.]]
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-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat 4'', ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'', ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'', ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'', ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'' (Michael Garvey), ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'', (Creator/RichardEpcar), ''Mortal Kombat 9'' (Richard Epcar), ''Mortal Kombat X'' (Richard Epcar, English; Creator/GerardoReyero, Latin American Spanish), ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' (Richard Epcar), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Richard Epcar)
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-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat 4'', ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'', ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'', ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'', ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'' (Michael Garvey), ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'', (Creator/RichardEpcar), ''Mortal Kombat 9'' (Richard Epcar), ''Mortal Kombat X'' (Richard Epcar, English; Creator/GerardoReyero, Latin American Spanish), ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' (Richard Epcar), Epcar, English; Santos Alberto, Latin American Spanish), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Richard Epcar)Epcar, English; Creator/GerardoReyero, Latin American Spanish)
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* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler: He gives Revenant Liu Kang his powers, which causes a FusionDance between him and both Liu Kangs, turning him into a Thunder and Fire God. After Kronika is defeated in both Good and Normal endings, Raiden becomes mortal, and decides to guide Liu Kang into building a better timeline]].
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** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', he's the focus of Chapter 11.
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* ColdBloodedTorture: Does ElectricTorture to Shinnok before beheading him in the opening of ''MK11''.
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* ColdBloodedTorture: Does ElectricTorture to Shinnok before beheading him in the opening of ''MK11''.''[=MK11=]''.
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* SlasherSmile: Briefly sports one in the opening of ''MK11'', as he's about to behead Shinnok.
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* SlasherSmile: Briefly sports one in the opening of ''MK11'', ''[=MK11=]'', as he's about to behead Shinnok.
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* FutureMeScaresMe: [[spoiler:Kotal Kahn tells him his future self was corrupted after Shinnok's defeat, and does not take it well at all. The Elder Gods consul with him that he can avert heading a dark path to prevent this from happening]].
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* GuiltComplex: [[spoiler:Gets one in ''9''. He constantly misinterprets the message his future-self sent and doesn't realize what it really meant until the final chapter. By then, his attempts to change the original timeline resulted in [[FromBadToWorse terrible repercussions for many characters]]. [[ItsAllMyFault He realizes this is all his fault.]] By ''MKX'', it is shown that he still hasn't recovered from this, and mentions to Bo Rai Cho that he still deeply regrets losing Liu Kang and Kung Lao to Netherrealm's evil, and is desperate to [[BackFromTheDead restore the remaining revenants to the side of good.]] But before he could do anything, Scorpion unwittingly dooms them to stay as revenants by killing Quan Chi, thereby dashing any hopes of Raiden restoring them to the living.]]
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* GuiltComplex: GuiltComplex:
** [[spoiler:Gets one in ''9''. He constantly misinterprets the message his future-self sent and doesn't realize what it really meant until the final chapter. By then, his attempts to change the original timeline resulted in [[FromBadToWorse terrible repercussions for many characters]]. [[ItsAllMyFault He realizes this is all his fault.]] By ''MKX'', it is shown that he still hasn't recovered from this, and mentions to Bo Rai Cho that he still deeply regrets losing Liu Kang and Kung Lao to Netherrealm's evil, and is desperate to [[BackFromTheDead restore the remaining revenants to the side of good.]] But before he could do anything, Scorpion unwittingly dooms them to stay as revenants by killing Quan Chi, thereby dashing any hopes of Raiden restoring them to the living.]]]]
** [[spoiler:In ''11'', after finding out his future self became corrupted, it becomes clear that events that lead to his second StartOfDarkness puts him on edge, and he is terrified at the prospect of accidentally killing Liu Kang. In one ending, he sees it to empower Liu Kang while he is BroughtDownToNormal to prevent this from happening]].
** [[spoiler:Gets one in ''9''. He constantly misinterprets the message his future-self sent and doesn't realize what it really meant until the final chapter. By then, his attempts to change the original timeline resulted in [[FromBadToWorse terrible repercussions for many characters]]. [[ItsAllMyFault He realizes this is all his fault.]] By ''MKX'', it is shown that he still hasn't recovered from this, and mentions to Bo Rai Cho that he still deeply regrets losing Liu Kang and Kung Lao to Netherrealm's evil, and is desperate to [[BackFromTheDead restore the remaining revenants to the side of good.]] But before he could do anything, Scorpion unwittingly dooms them to stay as revenants by killing Quan Chi, thereby dashing any hopes of Raiden restoring them to the living.
** [[spoiler:In ''11'', after finding out his future self became corrupted, it becomes clear that events that lead to his second StartOfDarkness puts him on edge, and he is terrified at the prospect of accidentally killing Liu Kang. In one ending, he sees it to empower Liu Kang while he is BroughtDownToNormal to prevent this from happening]].
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Spell check
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-> Meanwhile, another Raiden is tasked by the Elder Gods to avert a Temporal Armageddon in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' and formed an EnemyMine with Kotal Kahn over [[VillainTeanUp Kronika's alliance with Shao Kahn]].
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-> Meanwhile, another Raiden is tasked by the Elder Gods to avert a Temporal Armageddon in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' and formed an EnemyMine with Kotal Kahn over [[VillainTeanUp [[VillainTeamUp Kronika's alliance with Shao Kahn]].
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Not a spoiler.
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-> [[spoiler:Meanwhile, another Raiden is tasked by the Elder Gods to avert a Temporal Armageddon in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' and formed an EnemyMine with Kotal Kahn over [[VillainTeanUp Kronika's alliance with Shao Kahn]].]]
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-> [[spoiler:Meanwhile, Meanwhile, another Raiden is tasked by the Elder Gods to avert a Temporal Armageddon in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' and formed an EnemyMine with Kotal Kahn over [[VillainTeanUp Kronika's alliance with Shao Kahn]].]]
Kahn]].
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Non-videogame: [[Characters/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders of the Realm]]\\
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Non-videogame: [[Characters/MortalKombatTheMovie The Movie]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders of the Realm]]\\
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!![[center: Main series: [=MK1=] ([[Characters/MortalKombat1Part1 Part 1]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat1Part2 Part 2]]) | [[Characters/MortalKombat2 MK2]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat3 MK3]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat4 MK4]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeception Deception]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DC Universe]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat9 MK9]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatX MKX]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat11 MK11]]\\
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!![[center: Main series: [=MK1=] [[Characters/MortalKombat1 MK1]] ([[Characters/MortalKombat1Part1 Part 1]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat1Part2 Part 2]]) | [[Characters/MortalKombat2 MK2]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat3 MK3]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat4 MK4]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeception Deception]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DC Universe]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat9 MK9]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatX MKX]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat11 MK11]]\\
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Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]]-]]]
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Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] [=Raiden=] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]]-]]]
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-> [[spoiler:Meanwhile, another Raiden is tasked by the Elder Gods to avert a Temporal Armageddon in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' and formed an EnemyMine with Kotal Kahn over Kronika's actions.]]
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-> [[spoiler:Meanwhile, another Raiden is tasked by the Elder Gods to avert a Temporal Armageddon in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' and formed an EnemyMine with Kotal Kahn over [[VillainTeanUp Kronika's actions.alliance with Shao Kahn]].]]
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How To Write An Example - Do Not Pothole the Trope Name
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* TheManBehindTheWoman: Seems to be behind Mileena's rule in ''Mortal Kombat X'', because she is the only just claimant to Outworld's throne, regardless of her incompetence. Although according to multiplayer conversations, her stubbornness is really getting in the way of his efforts to help her.
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* TheManBehindTheWoman: TheManBehindTheMan: Well, Behind the Woman: Seems to be behind Mileena's rule in ''Mortal Kombat X'', because she is the only just claimant to Outworld's throne, regardless of her incompetence. Although according to multiplayer conversations, her stubbornness is really getting in the way of his efforts to help her.
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--> '''Dark Raiden:''' Too long have I allowed Earthrealm to endure the horrors of war. Time and again we've defeated our enemies. But we've exacted no retribution. Demanded no remuneration. What have we gained for our mercy? More intrigue. More senseless ''violence!'' As the new rulers of the Netherrealm, heed me. [[WillNotBeAVictim No longer will I simply defend Earthrealm.]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist I will seek out]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters and destroy all who threaten it.]] [[LeaveNoSurvivors No mercy will be shown.]] [[OmnicidalManiac No quarter given.]] ''[Opens up a satchel and tosses the [[OffWithHisHead severed]] [[AndIMustScream head]] of Shinnok on the floor]'' Shinnok was an Elder God. [[CompleteImmortality Impossible to kill.]] There are ''[[FateWorseThanDeath fates worse than death]]''.\\
--> ''[Raiden teleports away, leaving burn marks on the carpet. The camera then pans to show who Raiden was talking to - Liu Kang and Kitana, who have become the [[TheEmperor new rulers of the Netherrealm.]] They look at the severed head of Shinnok before looking at each other and have puzzled looks.]''
--> ''[Raiden teleports away, leaving burn marks on the carpet. The camera then pans to show who Raiden was talking to - Liu Kang and Kitana, who have become the [[TheEmperor new rulers of the Netherrealm.]] They look at the severed head of Shinnok before looking at each other and have puzzled looks.]''
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-> [[spoiler:Meanwhile, another Raiden is tasked by the Elder Gods to avert a Temporal Armageddon in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' and asked Kotal Kahn to [[EnemyMine help him fix this problem]].]]
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-> [[spoiler:Meanwhile, another Raiden is tasked by the Elder Gods to avert a Temporal Armageddon in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' and asked formed an EnemyMine with Kotal Kahn to [[EnemyMine help him fix this problem]].over Kronika's actions.]]
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-> [[spoiler:Meanwhile, another Raiden is tasked by the Elder Gods to avert a Temporal Armageddon in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' and asked Kotal Kahn to [[EnemyMine help him fix this problem]].]]
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![[center: Main series: [=MK1=] ([[Characters/MortalKombat1Part1 Part 1]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat1Part2 Part 2]]) | [[Characters/MortalKombat2 MK2]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat3 MK3]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat4 MK4]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeception Deception]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DC Universe]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat9 MK9]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatX MKX]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat11 MK11]]\\
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Non-videogame: [[Characters/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders of the Realm]]-] ]]
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Non-videogame: [[Characters/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders of the Realm]]-] ]]Realm]]\\
Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]]-]]]
Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]]-]]]
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[[foldercontrol]]
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![[center: Main series: [=MK1=] ([[Characters/MortalKombat1Part1 Part 1]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat1Part2 Part 2]]) | [[Characters/MortalKombat2 MK2]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat3 MK3]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat4 MK4]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeception Deception]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DC Universe]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat9 MK9]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatX MKX]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat11 MK11]]\\
[-Spinoffs: [[Characters/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero Mythologies: Sub-Zero]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatSpecialForces Special Forces]]\\
Non-videogame: [[Characters/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders of the Realm]]-] ]]
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!! Spoilers for ''Mythologies'' will be unmarked
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!Raiden
[[quoteright:287:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fe113429bd1134e9d1ccf44dfa4142ce.png]]
-->[[caption-width-right:287:''"Thunder take you!"'']]
-> '''Debut game''': ''Mortal Kombat'' (Carlos Pesina)
-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat 4'', ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'', ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'', ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'', ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'' (Michael Garvey), ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'', (Creator/RichardEpcar), ''Mortal Kombat 9'' (Richard Epcar), ''Mortal Kombat X'' (Richard Epcar, English; Creator/GerardoReyero, Latin American Spanish), ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' (Richard Epcar), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Richard Epcar)
-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat: The Movie'' (Creator/ChristopherLambert), ''Mortal Kombat: Annihilation'' (Creator/JamesRemar), ''Mortal Kombat: Conquest'' (Jeffrey Meek), ''Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm'' (Creator/ClancyBrown), ''Mortal Kombat: Legacy'' (Ryan Robbins)
-> Raiden is the eternal God of Thunder and former protector of Earthrealm. Being a god, he possesses many supernatural abilities and a radically different outlook on life than a mere mortal.
-> When Earthrealm was young, Raiden was its protector. With the aid of the Elder Gods, Raiden managed to defeat Shinnok, a rogue Elder God who wished to rule it, and managed to banish him in the Netherealm. 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 human form to compete. One year later, the Thunder God found that he had no choice but to accept Shang Tsung's offer of Mortal Kombat in Outworld. When Shao Kahn reached the Earthrealm by merging it with the Outworld, Raiden was able to protect the souls of his Choosen Warriors, but couldn't join the fight himself. Following Liu Kang's defeat of Shao Kahn, Raiden and his warriors again entered battle when Shinnok escaped the Netherealm to once more wage war against the Gods; when the Forces of Light emerged successful, he was granted the status of Elder God and turned over his position as Earthrealm's protector to Fujin.
-> 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, gathering his warriors to stop the Deadly Alliance. This time, disaster struck the heroes. Raiden confronted the two sorcerers in front of the Soulnado chamber, but was defeated by the Alliance as Onaga, the Dragon King, entered the scene. In a desperate measure, Raiden released his godly essence, the effect of which was a single, massive explosion that apparently killed him but did not harm Onaga. While Raiden's essence soon gathered again in the Earthrealm, since his essence was corrupted because of Onaga, he had now became furious with the way Earthrealm's inhabitants had treated their own realm. He started by punishing Shujinko for his unwilling role in the Dragon King's return.
-> His doings in ''Deception'' caught the attention of the Forces of Light; Raiden joined their ranks during the Battle of Armageddon in an attempt to secretly uncover and prevent any plans that could harm Earthrealm.
-> Raiden is the linchpin of the entire plot of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. Having received visions of his future self's death at the hands of the Outworld emperor, he believes it is his duty to avert the terrible fate that awaits the realms at the end of the timeline. However the visions are unclear and do not specifically indicate what must be changed, leaving Raiden to interpret them of his own... [[spoiler:However, Raiden does not realize the meaning of his visions until it is too late, and by then, most of Earthrealm's defenders are killed off (save for himself, Sonya and Johnny Cage). Things do not get better in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' as Shinnok mounts an invasion, hoping to corrupt the Jinsei, Earthrealm's life force. Raiden manages to save Earthrealm by purifying the Jinsei, but the process corrupts him. He is now in his [[DarkMessiah Dark]] [[FallenHero Raiden]] persona, where [[KnightTemplar he]] vows to go on the offensive to protect Earthrealm from external threats after presenting Shinnok's head to the new rulers of the Netherrealm, Liu Kang and Kitana.]]
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[[folder:Raiden]]
* TheAce: He's the Protector-God of Earthrealm, but the events of ''[=MK9=]'' and ''MKX'' have transformed him into a BrokenAce. It's implied he's lost all faith he had in the Elder Gods after ''MKX''.
* AccidentalMurder: During the finale of ''9'', when [[spoiler: Liu Kang tries to attack him with an ElementalPunch of fire, Raiden defends himself with a blast of lightning, and the combination of Liu Kang's fire and the lightning burn Liu Kang to death, much to Raiden's horror.]]
* AllAsiansWearConicalStrawHats: His iconic hat has been present in all of his outfits.
* AllMythsAreTrue: Seems to be the case if his relationship with Nightwolf is any indication.
* AllOfThem: Raiden is a master of all 750 variants of Jujitsu.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: His unlockable second costume in ''9'' is Raiden [[spoiler:(post-''Deadly Alliance'' as Dark Raiden)]].
* ArchEnemy:
** Shinnok, a fallen Elder God, is his main arch rival, as he had attempted to invade Earthrealm several times, notably in ''Mortal Kombat 4'' and ''Mortal Kombat X''.
** Shao Kahn as well, especially since future Raiden sends a message to his past self to avert Armageddon in ''9''.
** [[spoiler: Becomes this to Liu Kang following the events of ''[=MK9=]'', as the latter has now become [[TheEmperor the emperor of the Netherrealm]] following Shinnok's defeat at the end of ''MKX''.]]
* BadassCape: Gets a pimpin' one in ''Deadly Alliance'' and the [[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse DC crossover]].
* BattleAura: In the first game, ''4'', and ''Deadly Alliance'', his body constantly generates lightning bolts.
* BigGood: He is one of the only gods who actively help the Earthrealm warriors and guides them as their mentor. Made more visible in ''9'', where he tells the characters to act according to his visions. [[spoiler:This doesn't end well, however.]] In fact, by the time ''9'' rolls around he could quite easily be read as a deconstruction. God or no, Raiden is exactly as fallible as every other character on the roster, and it costs Earthrealm dearly.
%%* BoltOfDivineRetribution
* BroughtDownToBadass: Even if he was in the Netherrealm in ''9'', he still managed to hold off against Quan Chi's revenants.
* BrainBleach: Offers an in-universe version in his combat intro in ''11''.
-->'''Raiden''': Do you remember being a revenant?\\
'''Sub-Zero''': [[CallBack I recall being]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Quan Chi's slave.]]\\
'''Raiden''': Let us purge that memory.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: A side-effect of using the Kamidogu to track the source of it's corruption. The possession happened twice: the first time, he fought Scorpion only to get nearly strangled by his chained kunai. The second time, he relapsed, impaled Fujin to a wall and used his thunder powers to shock everyone on Shang Tsung's island under Havik's orders]].
* BreakTheCutie: Happens to him in both timelines. The rebooted timeline shows how his vain attempts to avert Armageddon ultimately led to a lengthy TraumaCongaLine that not only drove him past the DespairEventHorizon, [[spoiler:but culminated in his FaceHeelTurn at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' after his HeroicSacrifice. It seems that save for a few changes in the timeline, most of the goings-on in the new timeline hasn't changed much - the more things change in this new timeline, the more they seem to stay the same - indicating that Armageddon might trigger in a different way.]]
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally a random JerkassGod in the first game, Raiden’s look and abilities made him popular with players, resulting in him being promoted to the BigGood of the series and eventually one of the most important to the story in the wake of the live action film’s portrayal of him as the MentorArchetype for the heroes.
* BrokenAce:
** Though he is the protector god of Earthrealm, mentor to Liu Kang and Kung Lao, and a faithful supporter of the Elder Gods, he starts to become more of this. He gets corrupted (and reforms as [[DarkMessiah Dark]] [[FaceHeelTurn Raiden]] after doing a HeroicSacrifice to stop Onaga, and becomes [[FaithHeelTurn disillusioned]] with the way mortals have treated their Earthrealm. By ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', [[spoiler:he [[FatalFlaw constantly screws up in choosing his decisions,]] [[IdiotBall misinterprets and fails to understand the visions he gets from his future self,]] [[HurtingHero loses many of his friends over the course of the game,]] [[GodIsFlawed is spurned by the Elder Gods for technicalities]] and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone accidentally kills Liu Kang in self-defense]] [[WhatTheHellHero (but not before Liu Kang calls out on him).]] This GuiltComplex carries over to MKX, where he is still distraught over the loss of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, and is unable to restore the remaining revenants (blame Scorpion for his RevengeBeforeReason). Ultimately it takes an emotional toll on him, where he has to deal with Shinnok's attempted invasion of Earthrealm. He finally snaps at the end of MKX, when he decides that [[FaceHeelTurn he]] will take a [[WellIntentionedExtremist more]] [[KnightTemplar aggressive]] approach to defending Earthrealm (he adopts a [[OmnicidalManiac much more ruthless persona]] after purifying the Jinsei). In his arcade ending in MKX, [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope this even spirals into something much worse]], where he attempts to [[TheConqueror invade Outworld]] by brute force until Kotal Kahn invokes Mortal Kombat in order to stop Raiden; Raiden is suggested [[HeWhoFightsMonsters to start becoming more like Shao Kahn]] [[NotSoDifferent by adopting crueler methods]] to [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans make Earthrealm "safe" from external threats.]]]]
** Raiden's character arc seems to show that even [[GodIsFlawed gods can be subject to the same flaws]] as mortals, and allows for more CharacterDevelopment; instead of a "goody-goody" god that we saw in the original timeline, we now see a [[GodOfGood god who is willing to help the heroes.]] The rebooted timeline also shows [[TraumaCongaLine the personal toll]] it is taking on him, [[HeroicBSOD something which continues to grow]] and he never recovers from it. Crossing the DespairEventHorizon ([[NiceJobBreakingItHero losing many of your heroes and friends,]] being stressed out of dealing with multiple invasions and being unable to restore most of the fallen heroes to the side of good) and carrying a big GuiltComplex ([[IdiotBall failing to interpret visions,]] [[WhatTheHellHero being called on by your protege]] and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone accidentally killing him]]) are indicative of a broken man who has lost perspective. Ultimately, this leads him [[StartOfDarkness to finally snap]] and pull off a FaceHeelTurn after being [[BreakTheCutie put through multiple rounds of hell.]]
* BrokenPedestal:
** Even though he is the protector-god of Earthrealm and a [[ParentalSubstitute father-figure for Liu Kang and Kung Lao,]] his desperate efforts to reboot the timeline leads to a chain of events that not only would lead to the deaths of many of his champions (especially Liu Kang, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone who dies at]] [[MyGreatestFailure his own hands by accident]], but not before [[WhatTheHellHero he blames Raiden]] for their situation), [[spoiler:but culminates in his own FaceHeelTurn at the end of ''X''.]]
** In both timelines, Raiden started out with great faith in the Elder Gods only [[FaithHeelTurn to lose it due to their inaction]]. He even [[WhatTheHellHero calls them]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech out several times]] for their slackness in maintaining the stability of the realms.
*** [[VideoGame/MortalKombat4 After being promoted to Elder God]], [[spoiler:he could not interfere [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance when Shang Tsung and Quan Chi killed his protégé Liu Kang]] in the original timeline]]. Disgusted at his peers for their refusal to intervene, he renounces his position as an Elder God, gathering his mortal allies to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance the Deadly Alliance]].
*** In the new timeline, he begins to see the Elder Gods with disgust after their refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 Shao Kahn's and]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Shinnok's invasions of Earthrealm.]] [[spoiler: In his ''MKX'' arcade ending, Raiden wondered if passively defending Earthrealm from outside threats was a good idea. He decides to take matters into his own hands, opting to destroy all threats to Earthrealm's safety, with Outworld topping the hit list.]]
* ButterflyOfDoom: In ''9'', his attempts to change the future end up with ''very'' drastic consequences:
** He [[spoiler: saves Smoke from being captured and cyberized by the Lin Kuei, which leads to the Lin Kuei capturing and cyberizing the second Sub-Zero instead, as well as the Lin Kuei swearing loyalty to Shao Kahn.]]
** Then, he [[spoiler: encourages Kung Lao to fight Kintaro instead of Liu Kang. Immediately after Kung Lao wins, Shao Kahn [[NeckSnap snaps his neck from behind]], killing him.]]
** Finally, he [[spoiler: rams Motaro through a bridge to stop him from killing Johnny Cage, killing him. At this point, Shao Kahn stops fooling around and sacrifices Shang Tsung to empower Sindel, who kills nearly all of Raiden's warriors.]]
* TheCameo: He appears as an [[SecretCharacter unlockable character]] in ''[[VideoGame/UnrealChampionship2TheLiandriConflict Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict]]'' (with Shao Kahn serving as the announcer), ''NFL Blitz'', and ''VideoGame/NBAJam: Tournament Edition'' (alongside Shinnok), as well as making a bonus round cameo in a pinball machine, ''Bally's 1994 World Cup Championship''.
* CharacterDevelopment: The rebooted timeline portrays him as one of the gods who was willing to aid many of his fellow Earthrealm defenders (especially Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Johnny Cage).
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Raiden’s ending in the original game portrayed him as an arrogant God who came to replace Mortal Kombat with a tournament for gods that will destroy the world with its scope. The rest of the franchise seems to have treated this as CanonDiscontinuity.
* CompleteImmortality: Raiden has lived for millions of years. At the end of ''Deadly Alliance'' to try and stop Onaga he self-destructed by releasing his godly essence [[ComeBackWrong only to reform later]] [[FaceHeelTurn as a darker]] [[EvilCostumeSwitch version of himself]]. Similarly, at the end of ''Mortal Kombat X'', [[spoiler:he releases his essence to purify the Jinsei, but it corrupts him, turning him into Dark Raiden once again.]]
* TheCynic:
** He becomes this in the original timeline, where he's dismayed at his fellow Elder Gods for their decision to stay firm on their decision not to interfere. Disgusted at [[JerkassGods his peers]] for not stepping in, Raiden relinquishes his Elder God status and returns to Earthrealm to gather support against the coming storm, and informs his allies of the impending threat of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi in ''Deadly Alliance''.
** In the new timeline, he becomes increasingly cynical about the Elder Gods' refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm against Shao Kahn's invasion in ''9''. This, along with Liu Kang's and Kung Lao's deaths, ultimately push him into the DespairEventHorizon.
* CynicismCatalyst: [[spoiler:The deaths of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, along with the [[JerkassGod Elder Gods']] refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm in ''9'']] have made him increasingly cynical.
* ADayInTheLimelight:
** In ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DCU]]'', he's the focus of the ''MK'' side's Chapter 7.
** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', he's the focus of Chapter 16.
** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', he's the focus of Chapter 10.
* DeadpanSnarker:
** Mostly in the movies such as the first one, but it pops from time to time in the games.
** Raiden does this quite a bit more in pre-fight banter in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', especially if he's facing a comedic character.
* DespairEventHorizon: Seems to have crossed this in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. [[spoiler:The deaths of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, along with the [[JerkassGod Elder Gods']] refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm in ''9'' have made him increasingly cynical.]]
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: In [=MK9=], Raiden has visions of future events [[spoiler: As seen by his [[TimeyWimeyBall past/future self]]]]. Trying to take advantage ''or'' ignore these visions causes much of the strife of the game's story mode. Raiden either still contemplates or is still receiving visions in [=MKX=], [[spoiler:which causes him to send Cassie Cage to kill Shujinko before he can release Onaga and start the path to Armageddon]].
* EleventhHourSuperpower: In the middle of a BookEnds moment in ''9'', [[spoiler:he's re-empowered by the Elder Gods, and he manages to put the BigBad in his place]]. Sadly, this [[GameplayandStorySegregation doesn't do anything gameplay-wise]], aside from [[PowerEchoes making his]] [[VoiceOfTheLegion voice distorted]].
* EnemyMine: In the intro for ''Deception'', he briefly joins Shang Tsung and Quan Chi when attempting to stop the Dragon King. [[spoiler:He considered doing it again with Quan Chi in ''9'', to save Earthrealm from Shao Kahn's invasion... but Quan Chi had already allied himself with Shao Kahn.]]
* EnergyBall: His signature projectile attack sends a bolt of lightning flying at his opponent.
* EurekaMoment: During the climax of ''9'', [[spoiler: he points out to Quan Chi that Shao Kahn can ''only'' merge the realms through victory in a Mortal Kombat tournament; otherwise, he will face the judgment of the Elder Gods. As soon as he says this, Raiden realizes that the message "He must win" actually refers to Shao Kahn himself; as his invasion of Earthrealm is considered an unlawful breach of the rules of Mortal Kombat, Shao Kahn must be allowed to merge Earthrealm with Outworld so the Elder Gods can punish him]].
* EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: The motif behind his alt. in ''Deadly Alliance'' (which would be passed on to his darker persona in ''Deception''). Among other things, his pants are replaced by hakama and a katana is fashioned to his waist. The costume also [[CompressedHair reveals]] Raiden to have {{long hair|edPrettyBoy}} (it's somewhat noticeable in his default costume, but you have to squint).
* FailureHero: He becomes this in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. His actions to change the future only makes things worse, he slowly loses the trust of Liu Kang, gets many heroes killed through his indirect actions to change the past and only barely wins the battle because the Elder Gods arrive to help him at the last moment.
* FallenHero: Liu Kang sees him as this in ''9''. [[spoiler:He actually ''becomes'' it at the end of ''X''.]]
* FaithHeelTurn: He started out with great faith in the Elder Gods in both timelines, only to lose it because of their inaction.
** As an Elder God, Raiden could not interfere when Shang Tsung and Quan Chi killed his protege Liu Kang many years later in the original timeline. [[WhatTheHellHero Disgusted at his peers for their refusal to intervene]], he renounced his position as an Elder God, gathering his warriors to stop the Deadly Alliance.
** In the new timeline, he begins to see [[BrokenPedestal the Elder Gods with disgust]] after their refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 Shao Kahn's]] and [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Shinnok's invasions.]]
* FatalFlaw: [[spoiler: His biggest weakness is that he tends to deal in half-measures. He had many opportunities in [=MK9=] to swing the momentum over to Earthrealm's side, whether it's his bargaining with Scorpion, him advising Cyrax to go against the Lin Kuei, doing nothing while Sub-Zero is taken or only telling Liu Kang to defeat Shao Kahn instead of finishing him, but his moves were sort of wishy-washy. In contrast, Shao Kahn is far more decisive, snaps Kung Lao's neck, unleashes a hyper-powered Sindel on Earth's special forces as soon as things become troublesome and unleashes armies on Earthrealm to aggressively push for a total victory.]]
* TheFettered: In contrast to his less-restrained persona, Raiden is respectful of other realms, possibly to a fault. He believes that the only real way to deal with other realms is to stay out of their business and tend to Earthrealm's needs only, even if those other realms are demonstrating hostility. Sadly the Elder Gods don't really give him any support in his way of doing business, which either makes him look ineffective or causes him to descend into a WellIntentionedExtremist.
* ForcedToWatch: Shinnok [[spoiler:forces Raiden to watch as he corrupts the Jinsei in ''X''.]]
* GodIsDispleased: He is the Guardian of the Earthrealm, standing against Shao Kahn and other realm menaces and recruiting Earth warriors to fight with him. That, until ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' [[spoiler:in which Raiden died at the hands of Onaga. Reviving later with desire of vengeance and seeing Earthlings don't learn from their mistakes, the god goes by himself in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge leaving Earthrealm to its own luck and reviving [[TheHero Liu Kang]] as a RevenantZombie for his own goals.]]
* GodInHumanForm: He has an ethereal true form, but takes the appearance of a human to fight and interact on the mortal plane in the series.
* GodIsFlawed: In spite of his godly power, he has some trouble interpreting correctly his visions in ''9''. [[spoiler:It screws up things badly for the heroes' side, leaving only [[AdamAndEvePlot Johnny Cage and Sonya]] as the survivors among his champions.]]
* GodOfGood: One of the few gods of the series who actively helps the heroes.
* GodWasMyCoPilot: ''He'' of all people supports Mileena's rule because she is the only just claimant to Outworld's throne, regardless of her leadership capabilities. Although according to multiplayer conversations, her stubbornness is really getting in the way of his efforts to help her. However, Raiden may very well be PlayingBothSides to Earthrealm's advantage, as he only asserts Mileena's legitimacy when facing Kotal. Against Mileena herself, Raiden either refuses to be entangled in [[EnemyCivilWar the current situation]] or forgoes neutrality to tell Mileena that her rebellion must end.
* GodzillaThreshold: He hits it in ''9'' when the Elder Gods [[TheGodsMustBeLazy refuse to aid Earthrealm against Shao Kahn's invasion]], especially after [[spoiler: Sindel slaughters most of his warriors. This leads him to approach Quan Chi in the Netherrealm, offering the souls of his deceased warriors, and his own, to him in exchange for his aid in fighting the invasion. Sadly, Shao Kahn had already made the same offer to Quan Chi in exchange for the Netherrealm aiding Outworld.]]
* GratuitousJapanese: Subverted. Many people assumed that he was speaking Japanese during his torpedo move, but Midway later clarified that Raiden was only speaking gibberish.
* GuiltComplex: [[spoiler:Gets one in ''9''. He constantly misinterprets the message his future-self sent and doesn't realize what it really meant until the final chapter. By then, his attempts to change the original timeline resulted in [[FromBadToWorse terrible repercussions for many characters]]. [[ItsAllMyFault He realizes this is all his fault.]] By ''MKX'', it is shown that he still hasn't recovered from this, and mentions to Bo Rai Cho that he still deeply regrets losing Liu Kang and Kung Lao to Netherrealm's evil, and is desperate to [[BackFromTheDead restore the remaining revenants to the side of good.]] But before he could do anything, Scorpion unwittingly dooms them to stay as revenants by killing Quan Chi, thereby dashing any hopes of Raiden restoring them to the living.]]
* {{Hammerspace}}: He usually pulls his staff out of nowhere when he uses it.
* TheHero: His role in ''9'' is ultimately revealed to be this, albeit in a SupportingProtagonist fashion.
* HeroicBSOD: Seems to have crossed this threshold in ''9'' with [[spoiler:the deaths of most his allies (including Liu Kang, whom he accidentally killed himself), the futility of his actions to prevent Armageddon (including [[WhatTheHellHero getting called out by Liu Kang]]), and the Elder Gods turning their backs on him due to technicalities. He was about to [[DealWithTheDevil strike up an alliance with Quan Chi]], for Fujin's sake!]] He further plunges into this after [[spoiler:his HeroicSacrifice]] at the end of ''MKX''.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Fujin and Bo' Rai Cho, being his fellow God and serving a MentorArchetype role for Raiden's champions, respectively.
* HotGod: He takes the form of a handsome man in blue and white and wearing a hat. In his alternate outfits for ''Deadly Alliance'' to ''Armageddon'', he goes shirtless with a great mane of white hair.
* HurtingHero:
** It's hard not to feel sorry for Raiden during the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. [[spoiler:His actions slowly keep making things worse for Earthrealm, the heroes die one by one under his watch, and the Elder Gods seem to be pulling a major TheGodsMustBeLazy trip. By the end of the game, his actions narrowly prevented Armageddon from happening, but at the cost of [[KillEmAll practically all of Earthrealm's champions]]. Even Liu Kang, Raiden's favored champion, is [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone dead (although unintentionally) by his own hand]] at the end, after having [[RageAgainstTheHeavens first turned on him for the tragedies he so far caused]]. He carries the guilt of his actions throughout the entire game and you can tell it takes its toll. By the game's ending, he's emotionally exhausted. And TheStinger at the end just makes it even worse.]] Seriously, the guy probably needs a hug badly when all's said and done.
** This gets even ''worse'' in ''X''. [[spoiler:It seems that at least some of the villains (Kano for sure, possibly others) are only too eager to remind him it was his fault. The guy just can't catch a break.]]
* IdiotBall:
** A glaring one in ''Mortal Kombat 9'' has Raiden standing back and doing nothing [[spoiler:as Lin Kuei cyber-ninjas attack Sub-Zero and take him away, even going as far as to stop Smoke from helping out. This is despite the fact that, in a nearly identical situation involving Smoke, Raiden didn't hesitate to blast all of the cyber-ninjas with lightning, taking them out and saving Smoke.]] He stated that if he got involved that it would make the situation worse, but even then that was a flimsy excuse at best... especially considering his attempts to ''not'' intervene in the game's events were only making things worse.
** Another moment in the comics: he uses one of the Kamidogu in an attempt to track down the source of it's corruption. Afterwards, not only can he no longer use the Jinsei to heal himself, but [[spoiler: he's now prone to the Blood Code's corruption too, to the point where Havik manipulated him into shocking everyone fighting in Shang Tsung's island, allowing Reiko to abduct Mileena, Ermac, Sonya, Johnny and Kotal Kahn to offer as sacrifices.]] For someone dedicated to protect Earthrealm, he may be just as prone to endanger it.
* ImprovisedLightningRod: Uses his staff as a makeshift lightning rod in one of his Fatalities in ''X''.
* InSeriesNickname: In ''9'', Nightwolf (one of the few spiritually aware Earthrealm dwellers; he's apparently communed with Raiden a few times in the past) occasionally refers to him as [[AllMythsAreTrue Haokah, the spirit of thunder and lightning in Lakota mythology.]]
* InSpiteOfANail: [[spoiler:He transforms into Dark Raiden following the events of ''MKX''. This time, instead of being corrupted by Onaga's energies, it's the negative essence of Shinnok that Raiden exposed himself to in order to cleanse the Jinsei is what did the thunder god in.]]
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Even in modern games, his name is still pronounced "Ray-din" instead of the more accurate "Rye-den." This may have to do with the situation in the SpellMyNameWithAnS example.
* JerkassGods: [[spoiler:At the end of ''X'', he takes a hardline stance in Earthrealm's defense, starting off by beheading Shinnok and threatening the new rulers of the Netherrealm - Liu Kang and Kitana - with a similar fate if they think of invading Earthrealm. The Ladder Mode endings show his new philosophy in action when he [[CurbStompBattle swiftly invades Outworld and crushes its weakened army.]]]]
* LargeHam: He occasionally is prone to making dramatic statements with vocal emphasis, especially once Creator/RichardEpcar started voicing him. Christopher Lambert's portrayal isn't too far off either.
* LargeAndInCharge: Second-heaviest of the kombatants at 350 pounds. Goro has him beat by 200 pounds. He is also 7 feet tall [[WordOfGod according to canon]] (although, like most heights in this series, [[YourSizeMayVary it's not accurately conveyed in most cases]]).
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Same warning as with Liu Kang. If you plan to play ''Armageddon'', remember that Raiden became DarkerAndEdgier.
* LightningCanDoAnything: Uses his electric powers to stop Johnny Cage from becoming a revenant, and also to heal his stab wounds in ''X''.
* LikeASonToMe: In ''X'', he mournfully expresses this sentiment towards [[spoiler:Liu Kang and Kung Lao]].
* LudicrousGibs: The usual side effect of many of his electric fatalities is to have the opponent violently explode.
* TheManBehindTheWoman: Seems to be behind Mileena's rule in ''Mortal Kombat X'', because she is the only just claimant to Outworld's throne, regardless of her incompetence. Although according to multiplayer conversations, her stubbornness is really getting in the way of his efforts to help her.
* MeaningfulName: Raiden is Japanese for "thunder and lightning." It is also an alternate name for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raijin Raijin]], the Shinto god of thunder, lightning, and storms.
* MegatonPunch: One of his fatalities is an explosive uppercut that literally blows his enemies into pieces.
* {{Mentor|s}}: To Liu Kang. Perhaps most evident in the movie, the DC crossover, and ''9''.
* MrFanservice: In his alternate outfits from ''Deadly Alliance'' to ''Armageddon''.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:After he accidentally fries Liu Kang in self defense in ''9''.]]
* MyGreatestFailure: Losing a lot of his fellow Earthrealm defenders, especially Liu Kang and Kung Lao, to the Netherrealm's evil in ''9''. This takes an emotional toll on him and spirals into a GuiltComplex in ''X'', in which [[DespairEventHorizon he never recovers from.]] The death of Liu Kang in particular hangs over him like a shadow as [[spoiler:he is the one responsible for it, delivering his soul straight to Quan Chi himself]]. Not only were his misinterpretations the reason for Liu Kang's loss of faith but he adds the ultimate cherry on top at the end and harshly blames himself for giving Liu Kang genuine reason to embrace his role as a Revenant. Even his intro dialogue with certain characters in ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' lament what he allowed to happen to Liu Kang.
* NiceGuy: Very much a wise and benevolent God who cares for Earthrealm and innocents outside his jurisdiction. However, both timelines have him undergo events [[BreakTheCutie that do a number on him]].
* NiceHat: An iconic feature of the character is his conical rice hat, which sometimes is given a samurai war hat motif in various costumes. In particular, his Master of Storms variation in ''MKX'' has him wear a hat that sparkles with lightning and has glowing kanji.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:His role in ''9'' ultimately falls into this. Most of the casualties on the heroes' side can be traced to his doings. He deeply regrets this.]]
* OneManArmy: Is able to take on the entirety of the [[spoiler:army of fallen heroes that Quan Chi had resurrected to serve him]]. This is while away from Earthrealm, where Raiden's powers are at their strongest.
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:The ending of ''9'' shows that Shinnok had been manipulating the events of the story the whole time, and it is strongly implied that he, too, messed with the timeline just as Raiden did (for example, Quan Chi, his servant, was not present in the original events, but features heavily here). So really, Raiden didn't actually make things worse at all, since Future Raiden could not account for the Elder Gods and in retrospect Raiden made barely any significant changes, and his role in the new timeline is actually roughly the same it was in the first.]]
* ParentalFavoritism: In ''Annihilation'' only, which shows Shinnok favoring Shao Kahn over Raiden as his son.
* PhysicalGod: It's been stated his true form is ethereal, but he has to take a physical form to participate in mortal events.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: His friendship from ''MKII'' has him summoning a miniature version of himself called "Kidd Thunder!"
* PsychoElectricEel: His Animality from ''Trilogy''.
* RelatedInTheAdaptation: In ''Annihilation'', Raiden is Shao Kahn's brother and son of Shinnok.
* {{Retcon}}: Raiden's story in the first title was much more self-serving, as he had been invited by Shang Tsung to compete and does so in order to prove mortals are puny when matched with a god. His ending from that game has him overthrow the tournament and turn it into a showcase of the gods (that eventually destroy the world). Later games throw this characterization out the window and instead portray him as a concerned protector who feels he must participate in order to avert disaster (as this happens [[RetCanon after the first movie also changed the entire story of the first game]]).
* RedBaron: Defender of Earthrealm and the God of Thunder.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: He [[WhatTheHellHero calls out]] [[JerkassGods the Elder Gods]] for their inaction in both timelines.
** Dismayed at his fellow Elder Gods for their decision to stay firm on their decision not to interfere, he relinquishes his status as an Elder God and gathers his Earthrealm allies to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance the Deadly Alliance of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi and to avenge Liu Kang's death]] in the original timeline.
** Raiden calls them out again [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 when they refuse to intervene on behalf of Earthealm to stop Shao Kahn's invasion.]] It seems that after he [[spoiler: CameBackWrong at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', [[FaithHeelTurn he began to see the Elder Gods more burden than help]], hence his reason to take matters into his own hand, first by [[KickTheSonOfABitch beheading]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil Shinnok]], and, in his ''MKX'' arcade ending, [[HeWhoFightsMonsters invading Outworld in a]] [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis reversal of roles]].]]
* RideTheLightning: Whenever he teleports, there's a bolt of lighting that strikes his position.
* SenselessSacrifice:
** During the intro of ''Deception'', he sacrifices himself and releases his godly essence into a massive explosion in order to kill Onaga, but the Dragon King is unharmed.
** His final actions at the end of ''Armageddon'', which set up the events of ''9'', could also be seen as this, since [[spoiler:his past self really does make things MUCH worse before they get any better]].
** He does manage to purify the Jinsei and rid it of Shinnok's taint at the end of ''X'', but [[spoiler: the process has [[TheCorruption corrupted]] him, turning him into Dark Raiden.]]
* ShockAndAwe: He is the God of Thunder, after all. He controls lightning in many different ways.
* {{Shotoclone}}: Starting in ''MKX'' when he got the Rising Thunder as an anti-air. His projectile is the signature lightning bolt and his forward dash is the Electric Fly.
* SilenceYouFool: In the first movie. And he's a GOOD guy.
* SimpleStaff: Since ''Mortal Kombat 4'', Raiden has frequently been seen with a staff that is sometimes used in gameplay.
* SpannerInTheWorks: In ''9''. Despite being out-gambitted by [[spoiler:Shinnok and Quan Chi]], Raiden is poised to be this to them because he managed to survive everything. [[spoiler:Quan Chi]] didn't expect that, though [[spoiler:Shinnok]] [[TemptingFate believes it won't make any difference.]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: In the console ports up to ''4'' and side material such as the movies, TV series and comic books, Raiden is sometimes called Ra'''y'''den, because of copyright issues as a ShootEmUp was also named ''VideoGame/{{Raiden}}'', or possibly to keep from confusing him with Raiden from the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' series. Curiously, sketches from ''Deadly Alliance'' also use the Ra'''y'''den spelling.
* SupportingProtagonist: Becomes this during the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', with most of the plot revolving around his attempt to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong.
* StanceSystem:
** In ''Deadly Alliance'' he has Nan Chuan and Jujutsu as unarmed styles, and Staff as weapon style.
** In ''X'', his variations are [[ShockAndAwe Thunder God]], [[TeleportSpam Displacer]] and [[TrapMaster Master of Storms]].
* StealthPun: One of his Fatalities involves using his staff while electrocuting the opponent. [[spoiler: Basically, he's using a lightning rod.]]
* StrippedToTheBone: In one of his [[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse DC crossover]] fatalities, he uses his electric powers to burn off all the opponent's flesh, leaving behind their smoking skeleton.
* SympathyForTheDevil: Mournfully [[MyGreatestFailure expresses]] [[LikeASonToMe this sentiment in regards to Liu Kang and Kung Lao]] in the new timeline, considering how they've been turned into killing machines by Quan Chi.
* TeleFrag: One of his Brutalities in ''Mortal Kombat X''. The opponent is briefly confused as to where Raiden has gone to, [[BloodyHilarious then blow apart messily]].
* TeleportSpam: He's always had a teleport but it becomes the focus of his "Displacer" variation in ''MKX'', which allows him to zip back and forth mid-combo in order to attack his enemy from both sides (he can also do a delayed teleport in this mode, allowing him to phase out briefly then phase back in once his opponent is confused where he'll reappear).
* TimeAbyss: As a god, he's millions of years old if not older.
* TookALevelInCynicism: Becomes this in ''MKX'', as he's not only mournfully expressing his sentiments regarding Liu Kang and Kung Lao, but also grows increasingly tired of constantly defending Earthrealm from external threats like Shinnok and Shao Kahn.
* TraumaCongaLine: Pretty much the events of ''9'' and ''X'' are this for him. The rebooted timeline shows [[TraumaCongaLine the personal and emotional toll]] it is taking on him, [[HeroicBSOD something which mushrooms]] and he never recovers from it. Crossing the DespairEventHorizon ([[NiceJobBreakingItHero losing many of your heroes and friends,]] being stressed out of dealing with multiple invasions and being unable to restore most of the fallen heroes to the side of good) and carrying a big GuiltComplex ([[IdiotBall failing to interpret visions,]] [[WhatTheHellHero being called on by your protege]] and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone accidentally killing him]]) are indicative of a broken man who has lost perspective.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In ''9'' he rams Motaro through a bridge to save Cage, killing Motaro. Unfortunately, this action causes Shao Kahn to take off his kiddie gloves and [[spoiler:empower Sindel with Shang Tsung's soul (and all of the souls Shang absorbed by proxy), leading to her bloody NoHoldsBarredBeatdown of the heroes and their subsequent resurrection and enslavement at the hands of Quan Chi]].
* YourHeadASplode: His Fatality. And yes, it's related to electricity. A continuous jolt to the neck and KABOOM!
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dark Raiden]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/raiden_mk.png]]
-->[[caption-width-right:350:[[BadassBoast There are fates worse than death.]]]]
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: His skin is grayish-white like the revenants, albeit without the VolcanicVeins.
* AntiVillain: Applying the SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains, he qualifies as both a [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Type II]] (having his hand be forced into being a ruthless protector by invading forces and the incompetence of humans/the Elder Gods) and [[WellIntentionedExtremist Type III]] (protecting Earthrealm is still his priority, [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis but his new methods are similar to those of his enemies]]).
* ArtifactOfDoom: [[spoiler:Dons Shinnok's amulet on his pectoral as his BattleTrophy at TheStinger of ''MKX'' and wears it into ''11''.]]
* BattleTrophy: [[spoiler:He is seen wearing Shinnok's amulet in TheStinger of ''MKX'' and wears it as part of his costume in ''11''.]]
* BadassBoast: More like an ultimatum/warning [[spoiler:to the new rulers of the Netherrealm, Liu Kang and Kitana]]:
--> '''Dark Raiden:''' [[spoiler:Time and again, we've defeated our enemies. But we've exacted no retribution. Demanded no remuneration. What have we gained for our mercy? More intrigue. More senseless violence. As the new rulers of the Netherrealm, heed me. No longer will I simply defend Earthrealm. I will seek out and destroy all who threaten it. No mercy will be shown. No quarter given. (''[[PastVictimShowcase brings out and tosses Shinnok's still-living head to the floor]]'') Shinnok was an Elder God. [[CompleteImmortality Impossible to kill.]] [[FateWorseThanDeath There are fates worse than death.]]]]
* BadassCape: Tattered and torn in ''Deception'', ''Armageddon'', and ''9''. He drops this in ''X'', though his concept art in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' shows that he was intended to keep it.
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: [[spoiler:In his ''MKX'' arcade ending, he starts to become more like Shao Kahn after attempting to conquer Outworld. In the same game, Kotal Kahn's ending shows him invoking Mortal Kombat to defend Outworld in response to Raiden's attempted invasion of Outworld; this effectively reverses Raiden's role [[HeWhoFightsMonsters into becoming what he once fought against.]]]]
* BerserkButton: Threaten Earthrealm, and he will not hesitate to destroy your realm.
* BlackKnight: Has this as an alternate outfit in ''[=MK9=]'' and ''MKX'', and as the default costume for ''Deception'' and ''Armageddon''.
* CameBackWrong: A less extreme example than most, but according to Fujin, he should have been resurrected as a blank slate. Instead, he comes back DarkerAndEdgier. In the new timeline, he is now [[TheCorruption corrupted]] after absorbing Shinnok's evil and purifying the Jinsei at the end of ''MKX''.
* CharacterDevelopment: After he CameBackWrong, Raiden becomes a KnightTemplar JerkassGod who uses underhanded and devious methods in defending Earthrealm in both timelines. This is further expanded in his ''MKX'' arcade ending, [[spoiler:where he goes on the offensive by invading Outworld with brute force, and plans to conquer other realms in order to "protect" Earthrealm.]]
* ColdBloodedTorture: Does ElectricTorture to Shinnok before beheading him in the opening of ''MK11''.
* ContinuityRebooter: In ''9'', he sends a message to his past self on the brink of destruction at Shao Kahn's hands, which starts the entire alternate timeline of the series.
* TheConqueror: [[spoiler:Attempts to conquer Outworld by brute force in his ''MKX'' arcade ending. Also gives hints of this at the end of ''X''.]]
* CoolHat: Even his iconic straw hat gets a [[EvilCostumeSwitch darker variant]] in both timelines.
* CorruptTheCutie: Becomes a cynical and [[JerkassGod jerkass god]] after he CameBackWrong in both timelines.
* CurbStompBattle: In his MKX arcade ending, [[spoiler: he swiftly invades Outworld and crushes its weakened army. Kotal Kahn's ending shows him invoking the Mortal Kombat tournaments in a last-ditch attempt to stop the thunder god from destroying Outworld.]]
* DarkMessiah:
** After his attempt to destroy Onaga failed, he reconstituted darker, and became disgusted with the humans' doings. Shujinko's screw-up souring him only made things worse.
** It's unknown how he becomes Dark Raiden again in ''MKX'' [[spoiler:(likely by absorbing the corruption of the Jinsei Chamber) but he exhibits very much of the same behavior.]] He's a little less jaded because so far he has yet to demonstrate any disgust with those he is sworn to protect but ''everyone else'' is fair game (to the point that he gets so aggressive towards Outworld in Kotal Kahn's arcade ending that Kahn attempts to get the Elder Gods to invoke Mortal Kombat ''against Raiden'').
** In his non-canon ''Deception'' ending, [[spoiler:he still kills Shujinko, despite the fact that he managed to save Earthrealm]].
* TheDarkSide: [[spoiler:After he CameBackWrong at the end of ''MKX'', he begins to adopt a HeWhoFightsMonsters mentality in dealing with threats against Earthrealm.]]
* DarkIsEvil: His EvilCostumeSwitch in both timelines indicate his changed nature and grim outlook.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Happens to him in both timelines, as he takes a more aggressive approach to defending Earthrealm.
* DarthVaderClone: More so in the [[spoiler:new timeline. Felt the Elder Gods have done nothing to stop the other realms from invading Earthrealm and [[FaithHeelTurn sees them as more burden than help]]. CameBackWrong after absorbing the Jinsei's corruption, and DrivenToVillainy after beheading Shinnok at the end of ''MKX''. As shown in his ''MKX'' arcade ending, he goes on a warpath by conquering the other realms, starting with Outworld. [[HeWhoFightsMonsters This effectively reverses his role into what he was originally]], with Kotal Kahn invoking Mortal Kombat to stop Raiden's invasion.]]
* DeathEqualsRedemption: Implied, though the short window of opportunity he has to act upon makes it hard to tell which case it is. Right as Shao Kahn is about to drop the hammer, Dark Raiden's eyes return to their original blue coloration as the beaten and bloodied thunder god utters [[ArcWords "He must win"]] with his final breaths.
* DecapitationPresentation: At the end of ''MKX'', Raiden [[spoiler:after exposure to dark magic brought all of his repressed feelings of anger about Earthrealm constantly being put in danger to the surface, approaches the new rulers of the Underworld revenant Liu Kang and Kitana and warns them that he is going to take a more proactive approach to keeping Earthrealm safe by seeking out and destroying any threat to it. He demonstrates that his threat is not an idle one by tossing the head of Shinnok, who is ''still alive'' thanks to his immortality as a former Elder God, at their feet.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:Gives shades of these in his BadassBoast at the end of ''X''.]] Threaten Earthrealm, and you will face an angry thunder god who would not hesitate to kill you AND destroy your realm. Also does this in the original timeline.
* DrivenToVillainy:
** In the original timeline, after his attempt to destroy Onaga failed, Raiden reconstituted darker, and became disgusted with the humans' doings. Shujinko's screw-up souring him only made things worse.
** In the new timeline, [[spoiler:he CameBackWrong as a [[FaceHeelTurn revenge-bent god]] [[KnightTemplar who will go on]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist a warpath]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters to destroy Earthrealm's enemies]], and seems to have JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope by beheading Shinnok. He further plunges into villainy in his ''MKX'' arcade ending by launching a surprise invasion of Outworld, and plans to conquer other realms.]]
* EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: Has this as an alternate outfit in ''[=MK9=]'', and as the default costume for ''Deception'' and ''Armageddon''.
* EvilAlbino: Not a true albino, but his skin is completely white after he CameBackWrong in both timelines.
* EvilCostumeSwitch: [[PaintItBlack Samurai-like]] [[BlackKnight armor]], ShouldersOfDoom, BadassCape, [[EvilWearsBlack a darker variant of]] [[NiceHat his iconic straw hat]], HellBentForLeather, [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red lightning]] and FemmeFatalons? Is it a no-brainer that he became evil after his FaceHeelTurn in both timelines? Both his main and alternate outfits are more or less unchanged from ''Deadly Alliance'', but the color schemes are now primarily darker colors, mostly [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver blackish-red]] in ''Deception''. He functions as this for normal Raiden in ''9'' and ''X''; an alternate costume/cutscene cameo in the former, and an alternate costume/resurrection in the latter.
* EvilFormerFriend:
** Bo' Rai Cho's MKX Arcade ending shows him [[spoiler:severing his friendship with the thunder god when the eccentric drunk gets wind of Raiden's surprise assault on Outworld. His dogma being "No realm deserves to be subjugated", Bo' Rai Cho decides to train the Outworld warriors in order to deny the thunder god a chance to destroy Outworld.]]
** He becomes this to [[spoiler:the revenants who haven't been revived at the end of ''MKX''.]]
* EvilOverlord: In his ''MKX'' arcade ending, [[spoiler:it's shown that he's set his sights on conquering Outworld, and possibly other realms. The same game also shows Kotal Kahn (who took over Outworld after deposing Mileena) invoking Mortal Kombat to stop Raiden from invading his realm, in a reversal of roles.]]
* EvilSoundsDeep: Or at least, DarkerAndEdgier Sounds Deep''er''.
** His narration in ''Deception'' (in his ending, where he [[spoiler:kills Shujinko]]) is a fair bit deeper than that of his narration from ''Deadly Alliance''.
** As part of his BadassBoast at the end of ''X'', [[spoiler:his voice starts to have PowerEchoes similar to the revenants.]]
* EvilWearsBlack: Wears an all-black outfit after he CameBackWrong in both timelines.
* FaceHeelTurn: After his resurrection, he becomes [[FaithHeelTurn disillusioned]] with the way of humans and tried to destroy anything that could possibly harm Earthrealm. In the alternate timeline, [[spoiler:the Jinsei's corruption was the final straw for him, indicating that he is willing to destroy anybody that wants to harm Earthrealm after presenting Shinnok's head to the new rulers of the Netherrealm, Liu Kang and Kitana, as an example.]]
* FaithHeelTurn: In both timelines, he has begun to see the Elder Gods with disgust.
* FemmeFatalons: Gains these as part of his EvilCostumeSwitch at the end of ''[=MKX=]''. They are [[PaintItBlack black]], like his new outfit.
* FlingALightIntoTheFuture: Pretty much what he does in ''[=MK9=]''. After the events of ''Armageddon'', he sends a message across time and space to his past self of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 the first game]]'s timeframe, in order to [[CosmicRetcon prevent]] a repetition of events. He believes that, with proper warning, his past self will not make the same mistakes that brought the fate of the timeline which ends with ''Armageddon''. [[spoiler: However, in the rebooted timeline, [[IdiotBall his past self fails to interpret the message properly]], constantly [[FatalFlaw making the wrong choices]] until it was almost too late. Also, even if the events were slightly altered here and there, most of the goings-on in the new timeline hasn't changed much - the more things change in this new timeline, the more they seem to stay the same - indicating that Armageddon might trigger in a different way.]]
* ForcedIntoEvil: Happens to him after he CameBackWrong in both timelines.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: During ''Deception'' and onward, combined with RedEyesTakeWarning (SupernaturalGoldEyes in ''MKX'').
* GoodIsNotNice: He's an OmnicidalNeutral at best. He will not hesitate in outright killing anybody who so much as threatens Earthrealm, or giving them a CruelAndUnusualDeath while he is at it. Worse if you are immortal, as Dark Raiden's grand reappearance in TheStinger of ''X'' is presenting [[spoiler:[[OffWithHisHead what he]] [[AndIMustScream had done with]] [[CompleteImmortality Shinnok]] to [[FallenHero Liu Kang and Kitana]]]].
--> '''Dark Raiden:''' "There are [[FateWorseThanDeath fates worse than death]]."
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: He becomes a heel in ''Deception'', but reverts to a face at the beginning of ''9''/end of ''Armageddon''. [[spoiler:Raiden goes heel again at the end of ''X'', when he vows to go an a warpath against those who dare to attack Earthrealm.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: Implied in the last few seconds of his life in the original timeline. As he sends his message, his [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]] slowly turn blue again.
* HeelRealization: [[TheAtoner Quite possibly]] [[MustMakeAmends the entire reason]] he attempts to change history in ''9'', coupled with [[TheBadGuyWins Shao Kahn's victory]]. His revival of Liu Kang is one of the key events shown in the flashback message he sends to his past self.
* HellBentForLeather: His EvilCostumeSwitch has a slight leathery feel.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:His BadassBoast at the end of ''X'' indicates that [[KnightTemplar he will]] go on a warpath and [[WellIntentionedExtremist destroy any realm]] that might pose a major threat to Earthrealm by reducing Shinnok to a mere living head, and seems to have further plunged into it in his ''MKX'' arcade ending by invading a still-recovering Outworld. The same game also shows Kotal Kahn invoking Mortal Kombat to stop Raiden's invasion in a reversal of roles.]]
* HornsOfVillainy: Invokes these in his CoolHat.
* IdiotBall: If he would have been more specific with his message, [[spoiler:the amount of casualties suffered on the heroes' side would have most likely been avoided]].
* JerkassGod: Some of his intros in ''MKX'' seem to indicate that he's taking a more aggressive and militaristic stance on defending Earthrealm. [[spoiler:The ending cutscene at the end of MKX also shows this personality change this following his FaceHeelTurn.]] His ''MKX'' Ladder Mode ending shows his new philosophy in action when [[spoiler:he and the Shirai Ryu [[CurbStompBattle launch a surprise assault on Outworld and swiftly crush its weakened army.]]]]
* JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler:After he CameBackWrong at the end of ''MKX'', Raiden believes that the Elder Gods have become more burden than help, as he saw that both Shao Kahn and Shinnok mocked them for their cowardice and incompetence, hence why he took matters into his own hands and decided to take a more hardline and militaristic stance in defending Earthrealm.]]
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: After purifying the Jinsei, he quickly crosses this after his FaceHeelTurn at the end of ''MKX'', [[spoiler:starting off by [[OffWithHisHead decapacitating]] [[CompleteImmortality Shinnok]] and then threatening [[TheEmperor Liu Kang and Kitana]] with a similar [[FateWorseThanDeath fate]] if they think of invading Earthrealm, and further plunges into it by invading Outworld in his ''MKX'' arcade ending.]]
* KnightTemplar: As part of his BadassBoast at TheStinger of ''MKX'', he becomes this.
--> '''Dark Raiden:''' [[spoiler:[[WillNotBeAVictim No longer will I simply defend Earthrealm.]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist I will seek out]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters and destroy all who threaten it.]] [[LeaveNoSurvivors No mercy will be shown.]] [[OmnicidalManiac No quarter given.]]]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:He beheads Shinnok as a warning of what could happen if anybody dares to invade Earthrealm at the end of ''MKX''.]]
* LeaveNoSurvivors: In both timelines, he wouldn't hesitate to destroy anything and anybody if they harm Earthrealm.
* LightIsNotGood: Though he generates lightning, Dark Raiden is pretty much a JerkassGod version of the thunder god who CameBackWrong in both timelines.
* MakeAnExampleOfThem: [[spoiler:[[OffWithHisHead He beheads]] [[CompleteImmortality Shinnok]] and threatens [[TheEmperor Liu Kang and Kitana]] with a similar [[FateWorseThanDeath situation]] if they dare invade Earthrealm at the end of ''MKX''.]]
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: He goes ballistic in his non-canon ending for ''Armageddon'', has powers now greater than the Elder Gods themselves, uses them to eliminate all other realms, automatically making Earthrealm forever safe for there is no other realms to ever harm it again, and also serves as the inspiration for [[FaceHeelTurn Dark]] [[OmnicidalManiac Raiden's]] [[BadassBoast return speech]] at the end of ''[=MKX=]''.
* OmnicidalManiac: See the MurderIsTheBestSolution trope above.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: At the end of ''MKX'', [[spoiler:he decides to go on a warpath after seeing Earthrealm get invaded too many times.]]
* PaintItBlack: See the EvilCostumeSwitch trope above.
* TheParanoiac: [[spoiler:After he CameBackWrong in ''MKX'', Raiden fits this personality type quite well, as years of war, the deaths of many of his allies (especially his protege), and a massive GuiltComplex have turned him into a ruthless ControlFreak [[KnightTemplar determined to protect Earthrealm]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist at all costs (even if it meant invading other realms)]], and who rarely ever has a PetTheDog moment.]]
* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler:Beheads Shinnok at the end of ''X'' and threatens Liu Kang and Kitana, the new rulers of the Netherrealm, with a similar fate if they think of invading Earthrealm again.]]
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler:In Scorpion's MKX arcade ending, he makes the Shirai Ryu ninja as the Jinsei's guardian for eternity.]]
* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: Happens to him in both timelines:
** In the original timeline, he starts off as Earthrealm's protector-god and mentor to Liu Kang, then becomes an Elder God in ''Deadly Alliance'' only to resign his status, and after he CameBackWrong in ''Deception'', [[spoiler:he becomes a vengeful god who wishes to lash out and destroy those who have harmed Earthrealm.]]
** In the new timeline, he again starts off as Earthrealm's protector-god and mentor to Liu Kang, but this time, their relationship becomes strained to the point that they're ArchEnemies at the end of ''[=MK9=]'', and after his HeroicSacrifice at the end of ''X'', [[spoiler:he CameBackWrong as a [[FaceHeelTurn revenge-seeking god]] [[KnightTemplar who will go on]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist a warpath]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters to destroy Earthrealm's enemies]], and seems to have JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope by beheading Shinnok. He further plunges into villainy in his ''MKX'' arcade ending by launching a surprise invasion of Outworld, and plans to conquer other realms.]]
* TheBusCameBack: He is absent from ''Mortal Kombat 9'', given that he was essentially erased from history, but it doesn't stick, as Raiden becomes [[spoiler:dark again following his purification of the Jinsei at the end of ''X''.]]
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: In both timelines, his EvilCostumeSwitch is [[PaintItBlack black,]] and the lightning he radiates is red.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Complete with demonic glow.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Implied, though the short window of opportunity he has to act upon makes it hard to tell which case it is. Right as Shao Kahn is about to drop the hammer, Dark Raiden's eyes return to their original blue coloration as the beaten and bloodied thunder god utters [[ArcWords "He must win"]] with his final breaths.
* RogueProtagonist: [[spoiler:Becomes this at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', when he vows to go on the warpath and destroy anybody who threatens Earthrealm.]]
* SlasherSmile: Briefly sports one in the opening of ''MK11'', as he's about to behead Shinnok.
* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: After his FaceHeelTurn, [[spoiler:Raiden beheads Shinnok at the end of ''X'' and threatens [[TheEmperor Liu Kang and Kitana]], the new rulers of the Netherrealm, with a similar FateWorseThanDeath if they think of invading Earthrealm again.]]
* SourOutsideSadInside: A lot of Raiden's aggression comes from the TraumaCongaLine that his FaceHeelTurn brought him in the first place in both timelines.
* StanceSystem:
** In ''Deception'' he has Nan Chuan and Jujutsu as unarmed styles, and Staff as weapon style.
** In ''Armageddon'' he drops Jujutsu.
* StartOfDarkness: After his FaceHeelTurn at the end of ''X'', [[spoiler:he begins to adopt extremist and dictatorial methods when it comes to protecting Earthrealm, and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope things go downhill]] when he invades Outworld in his arcade ending. Irony abound as Kotal Kahn is forced to invoke Mortal Kombat in a reversal of roles.]]
* ShouldersOfDoom: Gains these as part of his EvilCostumeSwitch in both timelines.
* TakingYouWithMe: In ''Deception'', he tries to pull this off against Onaga, but in vain. It actually works straight when used as a Fatality in that same game.
* TrailersAlwaysLie:
** All promotional art of Raiden in ''Deception'' as well as his appearances throughout most of that game's Konquest Mode use his depiction from ''Deadly Alliance'', perhaps as to not spoil the transformation he had undergone there.
** A similar thing occurs in ''X'', where the trailers showed Raiden delivering his "fates worse than death" line but looking completely normal when it was definitely [[spoiler:Dark Raiden]] who said it.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: [[spoiler:Becomes this after he CameBackWrong at the end of ''MKX''.]]
* TookALevelInJerkass: Certainly gives shades of this following [[spoiler:the events of ''MKX'', when he decides to take matters into [[WellIntentionedExtremist his]] [[KnightTemplar own hands]] and [[HeWhoFightsMonsters aggressively protect Earthrealm from external threats.]]]] [[BreakTheCutie His grim outlook]] and [[TheCynic cynical view]] mark a stark contrast from his pre-FaceHeelTurn GodIsGood attitude.
* TheUnfettered: In both timelines, he wouldn't hesitate to destroy anything and anybody if they harm Earthrealm. The new timeline shows him adopting a no mercy, no PetTheDog approach to protecting Earthrealm by [[spoiler:beheading Shinnok. His ''MKX'' arcade ending further indicates that the he has no qualms conquering other realms.]]
* VillainCorner: Raiden undergoes this treatment in both timelines, but more explicitly in the new one.
* WalkingSpoiler: While his appearance in ''Deception'' and ''Armageddon'' is treated as a LateArrivalSpoiler by fans, [[spoiler:his reappearance at the end of ''X'']] certainly is a WhamEpisode.
* WellIntentionedExtremist:
** Saving the Earth first by [[spoiler:resurrecting Liu Kang and making him into a killer zombie]], and then by destroying all the other realms, even those that were harmless to the Earth itself... yeah.
** Certainly gives shades of this in his BadassBoast in [[spoiler:''MKX'', as he is willing to destroy anybody if they dare try to invade Earthrealm.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: In his ''MKX'' arcade ending, [[spoiler:Bo' Rai Cho severs his friendship with Raiden after the eccentric drunk gets wind of the corrupted thunder god's surprise invasion of Outworld.]] Also becomes this to [[spoiler:Liu Kang, Kung Lao and the revenants that have not been restored to life.]]
* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:CameBackWrong as a darker version of himself]] in both timelines.
* WillNotBeAVictim:
** In his ''MKX'' arcade ending, it's shown that [[spoiler:years of defending Earthrealm from outside threats have yielded no results, especially after Shinnok's second defeat at the end of ''MKX''. In a change of tactics, [[TheConqueror he decides to preemptively attack and invade Outworld,]] which was weakened by [[CivilWar the civil war after Shao Kahn's death.]] Kotal Kahn, who now leads Outworld (after usurping the throne from Mileena), is unprepared by this surprise attack and desperately invokes Mortal Kombat in order to stop Dark Raiden's invasion. This event [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis effectively reverses Raiden's]] [[NotSoDifferent role into]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters what he once fought against]].]]
** Also gives this as part of his BadassBoast at the end of ''MKX'' to [[spoiler:[[FallenHero Liu Kang and Kitana,]] the new rulers of the Netherrealm:]]
--> '''Dark Raiden:''' Too long have I allowed Earthrealm to endure the horrors of war. Time and again we've defeated our enemies. But we've exacted no retribution. Demanded no remuneration. What have we gained for our mercy? More intrigue. More senseless ''violence!'' As the new rulers of the Netherrealm, heed me. [[WillNotBeAVictim No longer will I simply defend Earthrealm.]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist I will seek out]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters and destroy all who threaten it.]] [[LeaveNoSurvivors No mercy will be shown.]] [[OmnicidalManiac No quarter given.]] ''[Opens up a satchel and tosses the [[OffWithHisHead severed]] [[AndIMustScream head]] of Shinnok on the floor]'' Shinnok was an Elder God. [[CompleteImmortality Impossible to kill.]] There are ''[[FateWorseThanDeath fates worse than death]]''.\\
--> ''[Raiden teleports away, leaving burn marks on the carpet. The camera then pans to show who Raiden was talking to - Liu Kang and Kitana, who have become the [[TheEmperor new rulers of the Netherrealm.]] They look at the severed head of Shinnok before looking at each other and have puzzled looks.]''
* WhosLaughingNow: Tired of seeing his realm constantly invaded, [[spoiler:Raiden [[FaceHeelTurn finally snaps]] at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. He sure had enough of it and vows to go on a warpath against those who dare attack his realm, as part of his BadassBoast.]]
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Less so in the original timeline, but in the new one he is [[spoiler:certainly sick of having the realm he sworn to protect under constant threat. His speech gives traits of both ThenLetMeBeEvil and WillNotBeAVictim.]]
[[/folder]]
[-Spinoffs: [[Characters/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero Mythologies: Sub-Zero]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatSpecialForces Special Forces]]\\
Non-videogame: [[Characters/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders of the Realm]]-] ]]
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!! Spoilers for ''Mythologies'' will be unmarked
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!Raiden
[[quoteright:287:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fe113429bd1134e9d1ccf44dfa4142ce.png]]
-->[[caption-width-right:287:''"Thunder take you!"'']]
-> '''Debut game''': ''Mortal Kombat'' (Carlos Pesina)
-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat 4'', ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'', ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'', ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'', ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'' (Michael Garvey), ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'', (Creator/RichardEpcar), ''Mortal Kombat 9'' (Richard Epcar), ''Mortal Kombat X'' (Richard Epcar, English; Creator/GerardoReyero, Latin American Spanish), ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' (Richard Epcar), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Richard Epcar)
-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat: The Movie'' (Creator/ChristopherLambert), ''Mortal Kombat: Annihilation'' (Creator/JamesRemar), ''Mortal Kombat: Conquest'' (Jeffrey Meek), ''Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm'' (Creator/ClancyBrown), ''Mortal Kombat: Legacy'' (Ryan Robbins)
-> Raiden is the eternal God of Thunder and former protector of Earthrealm. Being a god, he possesses many supernatural abilities and a radically different outlook on life than a mere mortal.
-> When Earthrealm was young, Raiden was its protector. With the aid of the Elder Gods, Raiden managed to defeat Shinnok, a rogue Elder God who wished to rule it, and managed to banish him in the Netherealm. 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 human form to compete. One year later, the Thunder God found that he had no choice but to accept Shang Tsung's offer of Mortal Kombat in Outworld. When Shao Kahn reached the Earthrealm by merging it with the Outworld, Raiden was able to protect the souls of his Choosen Warriors, but couldn't join the fight himself. Following Liu Kang's defeat of Shao Kahn, Raiden and his warriors again entered battle when Shinnok escaped the Netherealm to once more wage war against the Gods; when the Forces of Light emerged successful, he was granted the status of Elder God and turned over his position as Earthrealm's protector to Fujin.
-> 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, gathering his warriors to stop the Deadly Alliance. This time, disaster struck the heroes. Raiden confronted the two sorcerers in front of the Soulnado chamber, but was defeated by the Alliance as Onaga, the Dragon King, entered the scene. In a desperate measure, Raiden released his godly essence, the effect of which was a single, massive explosion that apparently killed him but did not harm Onaga. While Raiden's essence soon gathered again in the Earthrealm, since his essence was corrupted because of Onaga, he had now became furious with the way Earthrealm's inhabitants had treated their own realm. He started by punishing Shujinko for his unwilling role in the Dragon King's return.
-> His doings in ''Deception'' caught the attention of the Forces of Light; Raiden joined their ranks during the Battle of Armageddon in an attempt to secretly uncover and prevent any plans that could harm Earthrealm.
-> Raiden is the linchpin of the entire plot of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. Having received visions of his future self's death at the hands of the Outworld emperor, he believes it is his duty to avert the terrible fate that awaits the realms at the end of the timeline. However the visions are unclear and do not specifically indicate what must be changed, leaving Raiden to interpret them of his own... [[spoiler:However, Raiden does not realize the meaning of his visions until it is too late, and by then, most of Earthrealm's defenders are killed off (save for himself, Sonya and Johnny Cage). Things do not get better in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' as Shinnok mounts an invasion, hoping to corrupt the Jinsei, Earthrealm's life force. Raiden manages to save Earthrealm by purifying the Jinsei, but the process corrupts him. He is now in his [[DarkMessiah Dark]] [[FallenHero Raiden]] persona, where [[KnightTemplar he]] vows to go on the offensive to protect Earthrealm from external threats after presenting Shinnok's head to the new rulers of the Netherrealm, Liu Kang and Kitana.]]
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[[folder:Raiden]]
* TheAce: He's the Protector-God of Earthrealm, but the events of ''[=MK9=]'' and ''MKX'' have transformed him into a BrokenAce. It's implied he's lost all faith he had in the Elder Gods after ''MKX''.
* AccidentalMurder: During the finale of ''9'', when [[spoiler: Liu Kang tries to attack him with an ElementalPunch of fire, Raiden defends himself with a blast of lightning, and the combination of Liu Kang's fire and the lightning burn Liu Kang to death, much to Raiden's horror.]]
* AllAsiansWearConicalStrawHats: His iconic hat has been present in all of his outfits.
* AllMythsAreTrue: Seems to be the case if his relationship with Nightwolf is any indication.
* AllOfThem: Raiden is a master of all 750 variants of Jujitsu.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: His unlockable second costume in ''9'' is Raiden [[spoiler:(post-''Deadly Alliance'' as Dark Raiden)]].
* ArchEnemy:
** Shinnok, a fallen Elder God, is his main arch rival, as he had attempted to invade Earthrealm several times, notably in ''Mortal Kombat 4'' and ''Mortal Kombat X''.
** Shao Kahn as well, especially since future Raiden sends a message to his past self to avert Armageddon in ''9''.
** [[spoiler: Becomes this to Liu Kang following the events of ''[=MK9=]'', as the latter has now become [[TheEmperor the emperor of the Netherrealm]] following Shinnok's defeat at the end of ''MKX''.]]
* BadassCape: Gets a pimpin' one in ''Deadly Alliance'' and the [[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse DC crossover]].
* BattleAura: In the first game, ''4'', and ''Deadly Alliance'', his body constantly generates lightning bolts.
* BigGood: He is one of the only gods who actively help the Earthrealm warriors and guides them as their mentor. Made more visible in ''9'', where he tells the characters to act according to his visions. [[spoiler:This doesn't end well, however.]] In fact, by the time ''9'' rolls around he could quite easily be read as a deconstruction. God or no, Raiden is exactly as fallible as every other character on the roster, and it costs Earthrealm dearly.
%%* BoltOfDivineRetribution
* BroughtDownToBadass: Even if he was in the Netherrealm in ''9'', he still managed to hold off against Quan Chi's revenants.
* BrainBleach: Offers an in-universe version in his combat intro in ''11''.
-->'''Raiden''': Do you remember being a revenant?\\
'''Sub-Zero''': [[CallBack I recall being]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Quan Chi's slave.]]\\
'''Raiden''': Let us purge that memory.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: A side-effect of using the Kamidogu to track the source of it's corruption. The possession happened twice: the first time, he fought Scorpion only to get nearly strangled by his chained kunai. The second time, he relapsed, impaled Fujin to a wall and used his thunder powers to shock everyone on Shang Tsung's island under Havik's orders]].
* BreakTheCutie: Happens to him in both timelines. The rebooted timeline shows how his vain attempts to avert Armageddon ultimately led to a lengthy TraumaCongaLine that not only drove him past the DespairEventHorizon, [[spoiler:but culminated in his FaceHeelTurn at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' after his HeroicSacrifice. It seems that save for a few changes in the timeline, most of the goings-on in the new timeline hasn't changed much - the more things change in this new timeline, the more they seem to stay the same - indicating that Armageddon might trigger in a different way.]]
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally a random JerkassGod in the first game, Raiden’s look and abilities made him popular with players, resulting in him being promoted to the BigGood of the series and eventually one of the most important to the story in the wake of the live action film’s portrayal of him as the MentorArchetype for the heroes.
* BrokenAce:
** Though he is the protector god of Earthrealm, mentor to Liu Kang and Kung Lao, and a faithful supporter of the Elder Gods, he starts to become more of this. He gets corrupted (and reforms as [[DarkMessiah Dark]] [[FaceHeelTurn Raiden]] after doing a HeroicSacrifice to stop Onaga, and becomes [[FaithHeelTurn disillusioned]] with the way mortals have treated their Earthrealm. By ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', [[spoiler:he [[FatalFlaw constantly screws up in choosing his decisions,]] [[IdiotBall misinterprets and fails to understand the visions he gets from his future self,]] [[HurtingHero loses many of his friends over the course of the game,]] [[GodIsFlawed is spurned by the Elder Gods for technicalities]] and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone accidentally kills Liu Kang in self-defense]] [[WhatTheHellHero (but not before Liu Kang calls out on him).]] This GuiltComplex carries over to MKX, where he is still distraught over the loss of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, and is unable to restore the remaining revenants (blame Scorpion for his RevengeBeforeReason). Ultimately it takes an emotional toll on him, where he has to deal with Shinnok's attempted invasion of Earthrealm. He finally snaps at the end of MKX, when he decides that [[FaceHeelTurn he]] will take a [[WellIntentionedExtremist more]] [[KnightTemplar aggressive]] approach to defending Earthrealm (he adopts a [[OmnicidalManiac much more ruthless persona]] after purifying the Jinsei). In his arcade ending in MKX, [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope this even spirals into something much worse]], where he attempts to [[TheConqueror invade Outworld]] by brute force until Kotal Kahn invokes Mortal Kombat in order to stop Raiden; Raiden is suggested [[HeWhoFightsMonsters to start becoming more like Shao Kahn]] [[NotSoDifferent by adopting crueler methods]] to [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans make Earthrealm "safe" from external threats.]]]]
** Raiden's character arc seems to show that even [[GodIsFlawed gods can be subject to the same flaws]] as mortals, and allows for more CharacterDevelopment; instead of a "goody-goody" god that we saw in the original timeline, we now see a [[GodOfGood god who is willing to help the heroes.]] The rebooted timeline also shows [[TraumaCongaLine the personal toll]] it is taking on him, [[HeroicBSOD something which continues to grow]] and he never recovers from it. Crossing the DespairEventHorizon ([[NiceJobBreakingItHero losing many of your heroes and friends,]] being stressed out of dealing with multiple invasions and being unable to restore most of the fallen heroes to the side of good) and carrying a big GuiltComplex ([[IdiotBall failing to interpret visions,]] [[WhatTheHellHero being called on by your protege]] and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone accidentally killing him]]) are indicative of a broken man who has lost perspective. Ultimately, this leads him [[StartOfDarkness to finally snap]] and pull off a FaceHeelTurn after being [[BreakTheCutie put through multiple rounds of hell.]]
* BrokenPedestal:
** Even though he is the protector-god of Earthrealm and a [[ParentalSubstitute father-figure for Liu Kang and Kung Lao,]] his desperate efforts to reboot the timeline leads to a chain of events that not only would lead to the deaths of many of his champions (especially Liu Kang, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone who dies at]] [[MyGreatestFailure his own hands by accident]], but not before [[WhatTheHellHero he blames Raiden]] for their situation), [[spoiler:but culminates in his own FaceHeelTurn at the end of ''X''.]]
** In both timelines, Raiden started out with great faith in the Elder Gods only [[FaithHeelTurn to lose it due to their inaction]]. He even [[WhatTheHellHero calls them]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech out several times]] for their slackness in maintaining the stability of the realms.
*** [[VideoGame/MortalKombat4 After being promoted to Elder God]], [[spoiler:he could not interfere [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance when Shang Tsung and Quan Chi killed his protégé Liu Kang]] in the original timeline]]. Disgusted at his peers for their refusal to intervene, he renounces his position as an Elder God, gathering his mortal allies to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance the Deadly Alliance]].
*** In the new timeline, he begins to see the Elder Gods with disgust after their refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 Shao Kahn's and]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Shinnok's invasions of Earthrealm.]] [[spoiler: In his ''MKX'' arcade ending, Raiden wondered if passively defending Earthrealm from outside threats was a good idea. He decides to take matters into his own hands, opting to destroy all threats to Earthrealm's safety, with Outworld topping the hit list.]]
* ButterflyOfDoom: In ''9'', his attempts to change the future end up with ''very'' drastic consequences:
** He [[spoiler: saves Smoke from being captured and cyberized by the Lin Kuei, which leads to the Lin Kuei capturing and cyberizing the second Sub-Zero instead, as well as the Lin Kuei swearing loyalty to Shao Kahn.]]
** Then, he [[spoiler: encourages Kung Lao to fight Kintaro instead of Liu Kang. Immediately after Kung Lao wins, Shao Kahn [[NeckSnap snaps his neck from behind]], killing him.]]
** Finally, he [[spoiler: rams Motaro through a bridge to stop him from killing Johnny Cage, killing him. At this point, Shao Kahn stops fooling around and sacrifices Shang Tsung to empower Sindel, who kills nearly all of Raiden's warriors.]]
* TheCameo: He appears as an [[SecretCharacter unlockable character]] in ''[[VideoGame/UnrealChampionship2TheLiandriConflict Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict]]'' (with Shao Kahn serving as the announcer), ''NFL Blitz'', and ''VideoGame/NBAJam: Tournament Edition'' (alongside Shinnok), as well as making a bonus round cameo in a pinball machine, ''Bally's 1994 World Cup Championship''.
* CharacterDevelopment: The rebooted timeline portrays him as one of the gods who was willing to aid many of his fellow Earthrealm defenders (especially Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Johnny Cage).
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Raiden’s ending in the original game portrayed him as an arrogant God who came to replace Mortal Kombat with a tournament for gods that will destroy the world with its scope. The rest of the franchise seems to have treated this as CanonDiscontinuity.
* CompleteImmortality: Raiden has lived for millions of years. At the end of ''Deadly Alliance'' to try and stop Onaga he self-destructed by releasing his godly essence [[ComeBackWrong only to reform later]] [[FaceHeelTurn as a darker]] [[EvilCostumeSwitch version of himself]]. Similarly, at the end of ''Mortal Kombat X'', [[spoiler:he releases his essence to purify the Jinsei, but it corrupts him, turning him into Dark Raiden once again.]]
* TheCynic:
** He becomes this in the original timeline, where he's dismayed at his fellow Elder Gods for their decision to stay firm on their decision not to interfere. Disgusted at [[JerkassGods his peers]] for not stepping in, Raiden relinquishes his Elder God status and returns to Earthrealm to gather support against the coming storm, and informs his allies of the impending threat of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi in ''Deadly Alliance''.
** In the new timeline, he becomes increasingly cynical about the Elder Gods' refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm against Shao Kahn's invasion in ''9''. This, along with Liu Kang's and Kung Lao's deaths, ultimately push him into the DespairEventHorizon.
* CynicismCatalyst: [[spoiler:The deaths of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, along with the [[JerkassGod Elder Gods']] refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm in ''9'']] have made him increasingly cynical.
* ADayInTheLimelight:
** In ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DCU]]'', he's the focus of the ''MK'' side's Chapter 7.
** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', he's the focus of Chapter 16.
** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', he's the focus of Chapter 10.
* DeadpanSnarker:
** Mostly in the movies such as the first one, but it pops from time to time in the games.
** Raiden does this quite a bit more in pre-fight banter in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', especially if he's facing a comedic character.
* DespairEventHorizon: Seems to have crossed this in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. [[spoiler:The deaths of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, along with the [[JerkassGod Elder Gods']] refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm in ''9'' have made him increasingly cynical.]]
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: In [=MK9=], Raiden has visions of future events [[spoiler: As seen by his [[TimeyWimeyBall past/future self]]]]. Trying to take advantage ''or'' ignore these visions causes much of the strife of the game's story mode. Raiden either still contemplates or is still receiving visions in [=MKX=], [[spoiler:which causes him to send Cassie Cage to kill Shujinko before he can release Onaga and start the path to Armageddon]].
* EleventhHourSuperpower: In the middle of a BookEnds moment in ''9'', [[spoiler:he's re-empowered by the Elder Gods, and he manages to put the BigBad in his place]]. Sadly, this [[GameplayandStorySegregation doesn't do anything gameplay-wise]], aside from [[PowerEchoes making his]] [[VoiceOfTheLegion voice distorted]].
* EnemyMine: In the intro for ''Deception'', he briefly joins Shang Tsung and Quan Chi when attempting to stop the Dragon King. [[spoiler:He considered doing it again with Quan Chi in ''9'', to save Earthrealm from Shao Kahn's invasion... but Quan Chi had already allied himself with Shao Kahn.]]
* EnergyBall: His signature projectile attack sends a bolt of lightning flying at his opponent.
* EurekaMoment: During the climax of ''9'', [[spoiler: he points out to Quan Chi that Shao Kahn can ''only'' merge the realms through victory in a Mortal Kombat tournament; otherwise, he will face the judgment of the Elder Gods. As soon as he says this, Raiden realizes that the message "He must win" actually refers to Shao Kahn himself; as his invasion of Earthrealm is considered an unlawful breach of the rules of Mortal Kombat, Shao Kahn must be allowed to merge Earthrealm with Outworld so the Elder Gods can punish him]].
* EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: The motif behind his alt. in ''Deadly Alliance'' (which would be passed on to his darker persona in ''Deception''). Among other things, his pants are replaced by hakama and a katana is fashioned to his waist. The costume also [[CompressedHair reveals]] Raiden to have {{long hair|edPrettyBoy}} (it's somewhat noticeable in his default costume, but you have to squint).
* FailureHero: He becomes this in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. His actions to change the future only makes things worse, he slowly loses the trust of Liu Kang, gets many heroes killed through his indirect actions to change the past and only barely wins the battle because the Elder Gods arrive to help him at the last moment.
* FallenHero: Liu Kang sees him as this in ''9''. [[spoiler:He actually ''becomes'' it at the end of ''X''.]]
* FaithHeelTurn: He started out with great faith in the Elder Gods in both timelines, only to lose it because of their inaction.
** As an Elder God, Raiden could not interfere when Shang Tsung and Quan Chi killed his protege Liu Kang many years later in the original timeline. [[WhatTheHellHero Disgusted at his peers for their refusal to intervene]], he renounced his position as an Elder God, gathering his warriors to stop the Deadly Alliance.
** In the new timeline, he begins to see [[BrokenPedestal the Elder Gods with disgust]] after their refusal to intervene on behalf of Earthrealm to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 Shao Kahn's]] and [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Shinnok's invasions.]]
* FatalFlaw: [[spoiler: His biggest weakness is that he tends to deal in half-measures. He had many opportunities in [=MK9=] to swing the momentum over to Earthrealm's side, whether it's his bargaining with Scorpion, him advising Cyrax to go against the Lin Kuei, doing nothing while Sub-Zero is taken or only telling Liu Kang to defeat Shao Kahn instead of finishing him, but his moves were sort of wishy-washy. In contrast, Shao Kahn is far more decisive, snaps Kung Lao's neck, unleashes a hyper-powered Sindel on Earth's special forces as soon as things become troublesome and unleashes armies on Earthrealm to aggressively push for a total victory.]]
* TheFettered: In contrast to his less-restrained persona, Raiden is respectful of other realms, possibly to a fault. He believes that the only real way to deal with other realms is to stay out of their business and tend to Earthrealm's needs only, even if those other realms are demonstrating hostility. Sadly the Elder Gods don't really give him any support in his way of doing business, which either makes him look ineffective or causes him to descend into a WellIntentionedExtremist.
* ForcedToWatch: Shinnok [[spoiler:forces Raiden to watch as he corrupts the Jinsei in ''X''.]]
* GodIsDispleased: He is the Guardian of the Earthrealm, standing against Shao Kahn and other realm menaces and recruiting Earth warriors to fight with him. That, until ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' [[spoiler:in which Raiden died at the hands of Onaga. Reviving later with desire of vengeance and seeing Earthlings don't learn from their mistakes, the god goes by himself in a RoaringRampageOfRevenge leaving Earthrealm to its own luck and reviving [[TheHero Liu Kang]] as a RevenantZombie for his own goals.]]
* GodInHumanForm: He has an ethereal true form, but takes the appearance of a human to fight and interact on the mortal plane in the series.
* GodIsFlawed: In spite of his godly power, he has some trouble interpreting correctly his visions in ''9''. [[spoiler:It screws up things badly for the heroes' side, leaving only [[AdamAndEvePlot Johnny Cage and Sonya]] as the survivors among his champions.]]
* GodOfGood: One of the few gods of the series who actively helps the heroes.
* GodWasMyCoPilot: ''He'' of all people supports Mileena's rule because she is the only just claimant to Outworld's throne, regardless of her leadership capabilities. Although according to multiplayer conversations, her stubbornness is really getting in the way of his efforts to help her. However, Raiden may very well be PlayingBothSides to Earthrealm's advantage, as he only asserts Mileena's legitimacy when facing Kotal. Against Mileena herself, Raiden either refuses to be entangled in [[EnemyCivilWar the current situation]] or forgoes neutrality to tell Mileena that her rebellion must end.
* GodzillaThreshold: He hits it in ''9'' when the Elder Gods [[TheGodsMustBeLazy refuse to aid Earthrealm against Shao Kahn's invasion]], especially after [[spoiler: Sindel slaughters most of his warriors. This leads him to approach Quan Chi in the Netherrealm, offering the souls of his deceased warriors, and his own, to him in exchange for his aid in fighting the invasion. Sadly, Shao Kahn had already made the same offer to Quan Chi in exchange for the Netherrealm aiding Outworld.]]
* GratuitousJapanese: Subverted. Many people assumed that he was speaking Japanese during his torpedo move, but Midway later clarified that Raiden was only speaking gibberish.
* GuiltComplex: [[spoiler:Gets one in ''9''. He constantly misinterprets the message his future-self sent and doesn't realize what it really meant until the final chapter. By then, his attempts to change the original timeline resulted in [[FromBadToWorse terrible repercussions for many characters]]. [[ItsAllMyFault He realizes this is all his fault.]] By ''MKX'', it is shown that he still hasn't recovered from this, and mentions to Bo Rai Cho that he still deeply regrets losing Liu Kang and Kung Lao to Netherrealm's evil, and is desperate to [[BackFromTheDead restore the remaining revenants to the side of good.]] But before he could do anything, Scorpion unwittingly dooms them to stay as revenants by killing Quan Chi, thereby dashing any hopes of Raiden restoring them to the living.]]
* {{Hammerspace}}: He usually pulls his staff out of nowhere when he uses it.
* TheHero: His role in ''9'' is ultimately revealed to be this, albeit in a SupportingProtagonist fashion.
* HeroicBSOD: Seems to have crossed this threshold in ''9'' with [[spoiler:the deaths of most his allies (including Liu Kang, whom he accidentally killed himself), the futility of his actions to prevent Armageddon (including [[WhatTheHellHero getting called out by Liu Kang]]), and the Elder Gods turning their backs on him due to technicalities. He was about to [[DealWithTheDevil strike up an alliance with Quan Chi]], for Fujin's sake!]] He further plunges into this after [[spoiler:his HeroicSacrifice]] at the end of ''MKX''.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Fujin and Bo' Rai Cho, being his fellow God and serving a MentorArchetype role for Raiden's champions, respectively.
* HotGod: He takes the form of a handsome man in blue and white and wearing a hat. In his alternate outfits for ''Deadly Alliance'' to ''Armageddon'', he goes shirtless with a great mane of white hair.
* HurtingHero:
** It's hard not to feel sorry for Raiden during the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. [[spoiler:His actions slowly keep making things worse for Earthrealm, the heroes die one by one under his watch, and the Elder Gods seem to be pulling a major TheGodsMustBeLazy trip. By the end of the game, his actions narrowly prevented Armageddon from happening, but at the cost of [[KillEmAll practically all of Earthrealm's champions]]. Even Liu Kang, Raiden's favored champion, is [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone dead (although unintentionally) by his own hand]] at the end, after having [[RageAgainstTheHeavens first turned on him for the tragedies he so far caused]]. He carries the guilt of his actions throughout the entire game and you can tell it takes its toll. By the game's ending, he's emotionally exhausted. And TheStinger at the end just makes it even worse.]] Seriously, the guy probably needs a hug badly when all's said and done.
** This gets even ''worse'' in ''X''. [[spoiler:It seems that at least some of the villains (Kano for sure, possibly others) are only too eager to remind him it was his fault. The guy just can't catch a break.]]
* IdiotBall:
** A glaring one in ''Mortal Kombat 9'' has Raiden standing back and doing nothing [[spoiler:as Lin Kuei cyber-ninjas attack Sub-Zero and take him away, even going as far as to stop Smoke from helping out. This is despite the fact that, in a nearly identical situation involving Smoke, Raiden didn't hesitate to blast all of the cyber-ninjas with lightning, taking them out and saving Smoke.]] He stated that if he got involved that it would make the situation worse, but even then that was a flimsy excuse at best... especially considering his attempts to ''not'' intervene in the game's events were only making things worse.
** Another moment in the comics: he uses one of the Kamidogu in an attempt to track down the source of it's corruption. Afterwards, not only can he no longer use the Jinsei to heal himself, but [[spoiler: he's now prone to the Blood Code's corruption too, to the point where Havik manipulated him into shocking everyone fighting in Shang Tsung's island, allowing Reiko to abduct Mileena, Ermac, Sonya, Johnny and Kotal Kahn to offer as sacrifices.]] For someone dedicated to protect Earthrealm, he may be just as prone to endanger it.
* ImprovisedLightningRod: Uses his staff as a makeshift lightning rod in one of his Fatalities in ''X''.
* InSeriesNickname: In ''9'', Nightwolf (one of the few spiritually aware Earthrealm dwellers; he's apparently communed with Raiden a few times in the past) occasionally refers to him as [[AllMythsAreTrue Haokah, the spirit of thunder and lightning in Lakota mythology.]]
* InSpiteOfANail: [[spoiler:He transforms into Dark Raiden following the events of ''MKX''. This time, instead of being corrupted by Onaga's energies, it's the negative essence of Shinnok that Raiden exposed himself to in order to cleanse the Jinsei is what did the thunder god in.]]
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Even in modern games, his name is still pronounced "Ray-din" instead of the more accurate "Rye-den." This may have to do with the situation in the SpellMyNameWithAnS example.
* JerkassGods: [[spoiler:At the end of ''X'', he takes a hardline stance in Earthrealm's defense, starting off by beheading Shinnok and threatening the new rulers of the Netherrealm - Liu Kang and Kitana - with a similar fate if they think of invading Earthrealm. The Ladder Mode endings show his new philosophy in action when he [[CurbStompBattle swiftly invades Outworld and crushes its weakened army.]]]]
* LargeHam: He occasionally is prone to making dramatic statements with vocal emphasis, especially once Creator/RichardEpcar started voicing him. Christopher Lambert's portrayal isn't too far off either.
* LargeAndInCharge: Second-heaviest of the kombatants at 350 pounds. Goro has him beat by 200 pounds. He is also 7 feet tall [[WordOfGod according to canon]] (although, like most heights in this series, [[YourSizeMayVary it's not accurately conveyed in most cases]]).
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Same warning as with Liu Kang. If you plan to play ''Armageddon'', remember that Raiden became DarkerAndEdgier.
* LightningCanDoAnything: Uses his electric powers to stop Johnny Cage from becoming a revenant, and also to heal his stab wounds in ''X''.
* LikeASonToMe: In ''X'', he mournfully expresses this sentiment towards [[spoiler:Liu Kang and Kung Lao]].
* LudicrousGibs: The usual side effect of many of his electric fatalities is to have the opponent violently explode.
* TheManBehindTheWoman: Seems to be behind Mileena's rule in ''Mortal Kombat X'', because she is the only just claimant to Outworld's throne, regardless of her incompetence. Although according to multiplayer conversations, her stubbornness is really getting in the way of his efforts to help her.
* MeaningfulName: Raiden is Japanese for "thunder and lightning." It is also an alternate name for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raijin Raijin]], the Shinto god of thunder, lightning, and storms.
* MegatonPunch: One of his fatalities is an explosive uppercut that literally blows his enemies into pieces.
* {{Mentor|s}}: To Liu Kang. Perhaps most evident in the movie, the DC crossover, and ''9''.
* MrFanservice: In his alternate outfits from ''Deadly Alliance'' to ''Armageddon''.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:After he accidentally fries Liu Kang in self defense in ''9''.]]
* MyGreatestFailure: Losing a lot of his fellow Earthrealm defenders, especially Liu Kang and Kung Lao, to the Netherrealm's evil in ''9''. This takes an emotional toll on him and spirals into a GuiltComplex in ''X'', in which [[DespairEventHorizon he never recovers from.]] The death of Liu Kang in particular hangs over him like a shadow as [[spoiler:he is the one responsible for it, delivering his soul straight to Quan Chi himself]]. Not only were his misinterpretations the reason for Liu Kang's loss of faith but he adds the ultimate cherry on top at the end and harshly blames himself for giving Liu Kang genuine reason to embrace his role as a Revenant. Even his intro dialogue with certain characters in ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' lament what he allowed to happen to Liu Kang.
* NiceGuy: Very much a wise and benevolent God who cares for Earthrealm and innocents outside his jurisdiction. However, both timelines have him undergo events [[BreakTheCutie that do a number on him]].
* NiceHat: An iconic feature of the character is his conical rice hat, which sometimes is given a samurai war hat motif in various costumes. In particular, his Master of Storms variation in ''MKX'' has him wear a hat that sparkles with lightning and has glowing kanji.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:His role in ''9'' ultimately falls into this. Most of the casualties on the heroes' side can be traced to his doings. He deeply regrets this.]]
* OneManArmy: Is able to take on the entirety of the [[spoiler:army of fallen heroes that Quan Chi had resurrected to serve him]]. This is while away from Earthrealm, where Raiden's powers are at their strongest.
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:The ending of ''9'' shows that Shinnok had been manipulating the events of the story the whole time, and it is strongly implied that he, too, messed with the timeline just as Raiden did (for example, Quan Chi, his servant, was not present in the original events, but features heavily here). So really, Raiden didn't actually make things worse at all, since Future Raiden could not account for the Elder Gods and in retrospect Raiden made barely any significant changes, and his role in the new timeline is actually roughly the same it was in the first.]]
* ParentalFavoritism: In ''Annihilation'' only, which shows Shinnok favoring Shao Kahn over Raiden as his son.
* PhysicalGod: It's been stated his true form is ethereal, but he has to take a physical form to participate in mortal events.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: His friendship from ''MKII'' has him summoning a miniature version of himself called "Kidd Thunder!"
* PsychoElectricEel: His Animality from ''Trilogy''.
* RelatedInTheAdaptation: In ''Annihilation'', Raiden is Shao Kahn's brother and son of Shinnok.
* {{Retcon}}: Raiden's story in the first title was much more self-serving, as he had been invited by Shang Tsung to compete and does so in order to prove mortals are puny when matched with a god. His ending from that game has him overthrow the tournament and turn it into a showcase of the gods (that eventually destroy the world). Later games throw this characterization out the window and instead portray him as a concerned protector who feels he must participate in order to avert disaster (as this happens [[RetCanon after the first movie also changed the entire story of the first game]]).
* RedBaron: Defender of Earthrealm and the God of Thunder.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: He [[WhatTheHellHero calls out]] [[JerkassGods the Elder Gods]] for their inaction in both timelines.
** Dismayed at his fellow Elder Gods for their decision to stay firm on their decision not to interfere, he relinquishes his status as an Elder God and gathers his Earthrealm allies to stop [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance the Deadly Alliance of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi and to avenge Liu Kang's death]] in the original timeline.
** Raiden calls them out again [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 when they refuse to intervene on behalf of Earthealm to stop Shao Kahn's invasion.]] It seems that after he [[spoiler: CameBackWrong at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', [[FaithHeelTurn he began to see the Elder Gods more burden than help]], hence his reason to take matters into his own hand, first by [[KickTheSonOfABitch beheading]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil Shinnok]], and, in his ''MKX'' arcade ending, [[HeWhoFightsMonsters invading Outworld in a]] [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis reversal of roles]].]]
* RideTheLightning: Whenever he teleports, there's a bolt of lighting that strikes his position.
* SenselessSacrifice:
** During the intro of ''Deception'', he sacrifices himself and releases his godly essence into a massive explosion in order to kill Onaga, but the Dragon King is unharmed.
** His final actions at the end of ''Armageddon'', which set up the events of ''9'', could also be seen as this, since [[spoiler:his past self really does make things MUCH worse before they get any better]].
** He does manage to purify the Jinsei and rid it of Shinnok's taint at the end of ''X'', but [[spoiler: the process has [[TheCorruption corrupted]] him, turning him into Dark Raiden.]]
* ShockAndAwe: He is the God of Thunder, after all. He controls lightning in many different ways.
* {{Shotoclone}}: Starting in ''MKX'' when he got the Rising Thunder as an anti-air. His projectile is the signature lightning bolt and his forward dash is the Electric Fly.
* SilenceYouFool: In the first movie. And he's a GOOD guy.
* SimpleStaff: Since ''Mortal Kombat 4'', Raiden has frequently been seen with a staff that is sometimes used in gameplay.
* SpannerInTheWorks: In ''9''. Despite being out-gambitted by [[spoiler:Shinnok and Quan Chi]], Raiden is poised to be this to them because he managed to survive everything. [[spoiler:Quan Chi]] didn't expect that, though [[spoiler:Shinnok]] [[TemptingFate believes it won't make any difference.]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: In the console ports up to ''4'' and side material such as the movies, TV series and comic books, Raiden is sometimes called Ra'''y'''den, because of copyright issues as a ShootEmUp was also named ''VideoGame/{{Raiden}}'', or possibly to keep from confusing him with Raiden from the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' series. Curiously, sketches from ''Deadly Alliance'' also use the Ra'''y'''den spelling.
* SupportingProtagonist: Becomes this during the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', with most of the plot revolving around his attempt to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong.
* StanceSystem:
** In ''Deadly Alliance'' he has Nan Chuan and Jujutsu as unarmed styles, and Staff as weapon style.
** In ''X'', his variations are [[ShockAndAwe Thunder God]], [[TeleportSpam Displacer]] and [[TrapMaster Master of Storms]].
* StealthPun: One of his Fatalities involves using his staff while electrocuting the opponent. [[spoiler: Basically, he's using a lightning rod.]]
* StrippedToTheBone: In one of his [[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse DC crossover]] fatalities, he uses his electric powers to burn off all the opponent's flesh, leaving behind their smoking skeleton.
* SympathyForTheDevil: Mournfully [[MyGreatestFailure expresses]] [[LikeASonToMe this sentiment in regards to Liu Kang and Kung Lao]] in the new timeline, considering how they've been turned into killing machines by Quan Chi.
* TeleFrag: One of his Brutalities in ''Mortal Kombat X''. The opponent is briefly confused as to where Raiden has gone to, [[BloodyHilarious then blow apart messily]].
* TeleportSpam: He's always had a teleport but it becomes the focus of his "Displacer" variation in ''MKX'', which allows him to zip back and forth mid-combo in order to attack his enemy from both sides (he can also do a delayed teleport in this mode, allowing him to phase out briefly then phase back in once his opponent is confused where he'll reappear).
* TimeAbyss: As a god, he's millions of years old if not older.
* TookALevelInCynicism: Becomes this in ''MKX'', as he's not only mournfully expressing his sentiments regarding Liu Kang and Kung Lao, but also grows increasingly tired of constantly defending Earthrealm from external threats like Shinnok and Shao Kahn.
* TraumaCongaLine: Pretty much the events of ''9'' and ''X'' are this for him. The rebooted timeline shows [[TraumaCongaLine the personal and emotional toll]] it is taking on him, [[HeroicBSOD something which mushrooms]] and he never recovers from it. Crossing the DespairEventHorizon ([[NiceJobBreakingItHero losing many of your heroes and friends,]] being stressed out of dealing with multiple invasions and being unable to restore most of the fallen heroes to the side of good) and carrying a big GuiltComplex ([[IdiotBall failing to interpret visions,]] [[WhatTheHellHero being called on by your protege]] and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone accidentally killing him]]) are indicative of a broken man who has lost perspective.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In ''9'' he rams Motaro through a bridge to save Cage, killing Motaro. Unfortunately, this action causes Shao Kahn to take off his kiddie gloves and [[spoiler:empower Sindel with Shang Tsung's soul (and all of the souls Shang absorbed by proxy), leading to her bloody NoHoldsBarredBeatdown of the heroes and their subsequent resurrection and enslavement at the hands of Quan Chi]].
* YourHeadASplode: His Fatality. And yes, it's related to electricity. A continuous jolt to the neck and KABOOM!
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dark Raiden]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/raiden_mk.png]]
-->[[caption-width-right:350:[[BadassBoast There are fates worse than death.]]]]
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: His skin is grayish-white like the revenants, albeit without the VolcanicVeins.
* AntiVillain: Applying the SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains, he qualifies as both a [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Type II]] (having his hand be forced into being a ruthless protector by invading forces and the incompetence of humans/the Elder Gods) and [[WellIntentionedExtremist Type III]] (protecting Earthrealm is still his priority, [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis but his new methods are similar to those of his enemies]]).
* ArtifactOfDoom: [[spoiler:Dons Shinnok's amulet on his pectoral as his BattleTrophy at TheStinger of ''MKX'' and wears it into ''11''.]]
* BattleTrophy: [[spoiler:He is seen wearing Shinnok's amulet in TheStinger of ''MKX'' and wears it as part of his costume in ''11''.]]
* BadassBoast: More like an ultimatum/warning [[spoiler:to the new rulers of the Netherrealm, Liu Kang and Kitana]]:
--> '''Dark Raiden:''' [[spoiler:Time and again, we've defeated our enemies. But we've exacted no retribution. Demanded no remuneration. What have we gained for our mercy? More intrigue. More senseless violence. As the new rulers of the Netherrealm, heed me. No longer will I simply defend Earthrealm. I will seek out and destroy all who threaten it. No mercy will be shown. No quarter given. (''[[PastVictimShowcase brings out and tosses Shinnok's still-living head to the floor]]'') Shinnok was an Elder God. [[CompleteImmortality Impossible to kill.]] [[FateWorseThanDeath There are fates worse than death.]]]]
* BadassCape: Tattered and torn in ''Deception'', ''Armageddon'', and ''9''. He drops this in ''X'', though his concept art in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' shows that he was intended to keep it.
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: [[spoiler:In his ''MKX'' arcade ending, he starts to become more like Shao Kahn after attempting to conquer Outworld. In the same game, Kotal Kahn's ending shows him invoking Mortal Kombat to defend Outworld in response to Raiden's attempted invasion of Outworld; this effectively reverses Raiden's role [[HeWhoFightsMonsters into becoming what he once fought against.]]]]
* BerserkButton: Threaten Earthrealm, and he will not hesitate to destroy your realm.
* BlackKnight: Has this as an alternate outfit in ''[=MK9=]'' and ''MKX'', and as the default costume for ''Deception'' and ''Armageddon''.
* CameBackWrong: A less extreme example than most, but according to Fujin, he should have been resurrected as a blank slate. Instead, he comes back DarkerAndEdgier. In the new timeline, he is now [[TheCorruption corrupted]] after absorbing Shinnok's evil and purifying the Jinsei at the end of ''MKX''.
* CharacterDevelopment: After he CameBackWrong, Raiden becomes a KnightTemplar JerkassGod who uses underhanded and devious methods in defending Earthrealm in both timelines. This is further expanded in his ''MKX'' arcade ending, [[spoiler:where he goes on the offensive by invading Outworld with brute force, and plans to conquer other realms in order to "protect" Earthrealm.]]
* ColdBloodedTorture: Does ElectricTorture to Shinnok before beheading him in the opening of ''MK11''.
* ContinuityRebooter: In ''9'', he sends a message to his past self on the brink of destruction at Shao Kahn's hands, which starts the entire alternate timeline of the series.
* TheConqueror: [[spoiler:Attempts to conquer Outworld by brute force in his ''MKX'' arcade ending. Also gives hints of this at the end of ''X''.]]
* CoolHat: Even his iconic straw hat gets a [[EvilCostumeSwitch darker variant]] in both timelines.
* CorruptTheCutie: Becomes a cynical and [[JerkassGod jerkass god]] after he CameBackWrong in both timelines.
* CurbStompBattle: In his MKX arcade ending, [[spoiler: he swiftly invades Outworld and crushes its weakened army. Kotal Kahn's ending shows him invoking the Mortal Kombat tournaments in a last-ditch attempt to stop the thunder god from destroying Outworld.]]
* DarkMessiah:
** After his attempt to destroy Onaga failed, he reconstituted darker, and became disgusted with the humans' doings. Shujinko's screw-up souring him only made things worse.
** It's unknown how he becomes Dark Raiden again in ''MKX'' [[spoiler:(likely by absorbing the corruption of the Jinsei Chamber) but he exhibits very much of the same behavior.]] He's a little less jaded because so far he has yet to demonstrate any disgust with those he is sworn to protect but ''everyone else'' is fair game (to the point that he gets so aggressive towards Outworld in Kotal Kahn's arcade ending that Kahn attempts to get the Elder Gods to invoke Mortal Kombat ''against Raiden'').
** In his non-canon ''Deception'' ending, [[spoiler:he still kills Shujinko, despite the fact that he managed to save Earthrealm]].
* TheDarkSide: [[spoiler:After he CameBackWrong at the end of ''MKX'', he begins to adopt a HeWhoFightsMonsters mentality in dealing with threats against Earthrealm.]]
* DarkIsEvil: His EvilCostumeSwitch in both timelines indicate his changed nature and grim outlook.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Happens to him in both timelines, as he takes a more aggressive approach to defending Earthrealm.
* DarthVaderClone: More so in the [[spoiler:new timeline. Felt the Elder Gods have done nothing to stop the other realms from invading Earthrealm and [[FaithHeelTurn sees them as more burden than help]]. CameBackWrong after absorbing the Jinsei's corruption, and DrivenToVillainy after beheading Shinnok at the end of ''MKX''. As shown in his ''MKX'' arcade ending, he goes on a warpath by conquering the other realms, starting with Outworld. [[HeWhoFightsMonsters This effectively reverses his role into what he was originally]], with Kotal Kahn invoking Mortal Kombat to stop Raiden's invasion.]]
* DeathEqualsRedemption: Implied, though the short window of opportunity he has to act upon makes it hard to tell which case it is. Right as Shao Kahn is about to drop the hammer, Dark Raiden's eyes return to their original blue coloration as the beaten and bloodied thunder god utters [[ArcWords "He must win"]] with his final breaths.
* DecapitationPresentation: At the end of ''MKX'', Raiden [[spoiler:after exposure to dark magic brought all of his repressed feelings of anger about Earthrealm constantly being put in danger to the surface, approaches the new rulers of the Underworld revenant Liu Kang and Kitana and warns them that he is going to take a more proactive approach to keeping Earthrealm safe by seeking out and destroying any threat to it. He demonstrates that his threat is not an idle one by tossing the head of Shinnok, who is ''still alive'' thanks to his immortality as a former Elder God, at their feet.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:Gives shades of these in his BadassBoast at the end of ''X''.]] Threaten Earthrealm, and you will face an angry thunder god who would not hesitate to kill you AND destroy your realm. Also does this in the original timeline.
* DrivenToVillainy:
** In the original timeline, after his attempt to destroy Onaga failed, Raiden reconstituted darker, and became disgusted with the humans' doings. Shujinko's screw-up souring him only made things worse.
** In the new timeline, [[spoiler:he CameBackWrong as a [[FaceHeelTurn revenge-bent god]] [[KnightTemplar who will go on]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist a warpath]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters to destroy Earthrealm's enemies]], and seems to have JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope by beheading Shinnok. He further plunges into villainy in his ''MKX'' arcade ending by launching a surprise invasion of Outworld, and plans to conquer other realms.]]
* EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: Has this as an alternate outfit in ''[=MK9=]'', and as the default costume for ''Deception'' and ''Armageddon''.
* EvilAlbino: Not a true albino, but his skin is completely white after he CameBackWrong in both timelines.
* EvilCostumeSwitch: [[PaintItBlack Samurai-like]] [[BlackKnight armor]], ShouldersOfDoom, BadassCape, [[EvilWearsBlack a darker variant of]] [[NiceHat his iconic straw hat]], HellBentForLeather, [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red lightning]] and FemmeFatalons? Is it a no-brainer that he became evil after his FaceHeelTurn in both timelines? Both his main and alternate outfits are more or less unchanged from ''Deadly Alliance'', but the color schemes are now primarily darker colors, mostly [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver blackish-red]] in ''Deception''. He functions as this for normal Raiden in ''9'' and ''X''; an alternate costume/cutscene cameo in the former, and an alternate costume/resurrection in the latter.
* EvilFormerFriend:
** Bo' Rai Cho's MKX Arcade ending shows him [[spoiler:severing his friendship with the thunder god when the eccentric drunk gets wind of Raiden's surprise assault on Outworld. His dogma being "No realm deserves to be subjugated", Bo' Rai Cho decides to train the Outworld warriors in order to deny the thunder god a chance to destroy Outworld.]]
** He becomes this to [[spoiler:the revenants who haven't been revived at the end of ''MKX''.]]
* EvilOverlord: In his ''MKX'' arcade ending, [[spoiler:it's shown that he's set his sights on conquering Outworld, and possibly other realms. The same game also shows Kotal Kahn (who took over Outworld after deposing Mileena) invoking Mortal Kombat to stop Raiden from invading his realm, in a reversal of roles.]]
* EvilSoundsDeep: Or at least, DarkerAndEdgier Sounds Deep''er''.
** His narration in ''Deception'' (in his ending, where he [[spoiler:kills Shujinko]]) is a fair bit deeper than that of his narration from ''Deadly Alliance''.
** As part of his BadassBoast at the end of ''X'', [[spoiler:his voice starts to have PowerEchoes similar to the revenants.]]
* EvilWearsBlack: Wears an all-black outfit after he CameBackWrong in both timelines.
* FaceHeelTurn: After his resurrection, he becomes [[FaithHeelTurn disillusioned]] with the way of humans and tried to destroy anything that could possibly harm Earthrealm. In the alternate timeline, [[spoiler:the Jinsei's corruption was the final straw for him, indicating that he is willing to destroy anybody that wants to harm Earthrealm after presenting Shinnok's head to the new rulers of the Netherrealm, Liu Kang and Kitana, as an example.]]
* FaithHeelTurn: In both timelines, he has begun to see the Elder Gods with disgust.
* FemmeFatalons: Gains these as part of his EvilCostumeSwitch at the end of ''[=MKX=]''. They are [[PaintItBlack black]], like his new outfit.
* FlingALightIntoTheFuture: Pretty much what he does in ''[=MK9=]''. After the events of ''Armageddon'', he sends a message across time and space to his past self of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 the first game]]'s timeframe, in order to [[CosmicRetcon prevent]] a repetition of events. He believes that, with proper warning, his past self will not make the same mistakes that brought the fate of the timeline which ends with ''Armageddon''. [[spoiler: However, in the rebooted timeline, [[IdiotBall his past self fails to interpret the message properly]], constantly [[FatalFlaw making the wrong choices]] until it was almost too late. Also, even if the events were slightly altered here and there, most of the goings-on in the new timeline hasn't changed much - the more things change in this new timeline, the more they seem to stay the same - indicating that Armageddon might trigger in a different way.]]
* ForcedIntoEvil: Happens to him after he CameBackWrong in both timelines.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: During ''Deception'' and onward, combined with RedEyesTakeWarning (SupernaturalGoldEyes in ''MKX'').
* GoodIsNotNice: He's an OmnicidalNeutral at best. He will not hesitate in outright killing anybody who so much as threatens Earthrealm, or giving them a CruelAndUnusualDeath while he is at it. Worse if you are immortal, as Dark Raiden's grand reappearance in TheStinger of ''X'' is presenting [[spoiler:[[OffWithHisHead what he]] [[AndIMustScream had done with]] [[CompleteImmortality Shinnok]] to [[FallenHero Liu Kang and Kitana]]]].
--> '''Dark Raiden:''' "There are [[FateWorseThanDeath fates worse than death]]."
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: He becomes a heel in ''Deception'', but reverts to a face at the beginning of ''9''/end of ''Armageddon''. [[spoiler:Raiden goes heel again at the end of ''X'', when he vows to go an a warpath against those who dare to attack Earthrealm.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: Implied in the last few seconds of his life in the original timeline. As he sends his message, his [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]] slowly turn blue again.
* HeelRealization: [[TheAtoner Quite possibly]] [[MustMakeAmends the entire reason]] he attempts to change history in ''9'', coupled with [[TheBadGuyWins Shao Kahn's victory]]. His revival of Liu Kang is one of the key events shown in the flashback message he sends to his past self.
* HellBentForLeather: His EvilCostumeSwitch has a slight leathery feel.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:His BadassBoast at the end of ''X'' indicates that [[KnightTemplar he will]] go on a warpath and [[WellIntentionedExtremist destroy any realm]] that might pose a major threat to Earthrealm by reducing Shinnok to a mere living head, and seems to have further plunged into it in his ''MKX'' arcade ending by invading a still-recovering Outworld. The same game also shows Kotal Kahn invoking Mortal Kombat to stop Raiden's invasion in a reversal of roles.]]
* HornsOfVillainy: Invokes these in his CoolHat.
* IdiotBall: If he would have been more specific with his message, [[spoiler:the amount of casualties suffered on the heroes' side would have most likely been avoided]].
* JerkassGod: Some of his intros in ''MKX'' seem to indicate that he's taking a more aggressive and militaristic stance on defending Earthrealm. [[spoiler:The ending cutscene at the end of MKX also shows this personality change this following his FaceHeelTurn.]] His ''MKX'' Ladder Mode ending shows his new philosophy in action when [[spoiler:he and the Shirai Ryu [[CurbStompBattle launch a surprise assault on Outworld and swiftly crush its weakened army.]]]]
* JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler:After he CameBackWrong at the end of ''MKX'', Raiden believes that the Elder Gods have become more burden than help, as he saw that both Shao Kahn and Shinnok mocked them for their cowardice and incompetence, hence why he took matters into his own hands and decided to take a more hardline and militaristic stance in defending Earthrealm.]]
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: After purifying the Jinsei, he quickly crosses this after his FaceHeelTurn at the end of ''MKX'', [[spoiler:starting off by [[OffWithHisHead decapacitating]] [[CompleteImmortality Shinnok]] and then threatening [[TheEmperor Liu Kang and Kitana]] with a similar [[FateWorseThanDeath fate]] if they think of invading Earthrealm, and further plunges into it by invading Outworld in his ''MKX'' arcade ending.]]
* KnightTemplar: As part of his BadassBoast at TheStinger of ''MKX'', he becomes this.
--> '''Dark Raiden:''' [[spoiler:[[WillNotBeAVictim No longer will I simply defend Earthrealm.]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist I will seek out]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters and destroy all who threaten it.]] [[LeaveNoSurvivors No mercy will be shown.]] [[OmnicidalManiac No quarter given.]]]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:He beheads Shinnok as a warning of what could happen if anybody dares to invade Earthrealm at the end of ''MKX''.]]
* LeaveNoSurvivors: In both timelines, he wouldn't hesitate to destroy anything and anybody if they harm Earthrealm.
* LightIsNotGood: Though he generates lightning, Dark Raiden is pretty much a JerkassGod version of the thunder god who CameBackWrong in both timelines.
* MakeAnExampleOfThem: [[spoiler:[[OffWithHisHead He beheads]] [[CompleteImmortality Shinnok]] and threatens [[TheEmperor Liu Kang and Kitana]] with a similar [[FateWorseThanDeath situation]] if they dare invade Earthrealm at the end of ''MKX''.]]
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: He goes ballistic in his non-canon ending for ''Armageddon'', has powers now greater than the Elder Gods themselves, uses them to eliminate all other realms, automatically making Earthrealm forever safe for there is no other realms to ever harm it again, and also serves as the inspiration for [[FaceHeelTurn Dark]] [[OmnicidalManiac Raiden's]] [[BadassBoast return speech]] at the end of ''[=MKX=]''.
* OmnicidalManiac: See the MurderIsTheBestSolution trope above.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: At the end of ''MKX'', [[spoiler:he decides to go on a warpath after seeing Earthrealm get invaded too many times.]]
* PaintItBlack: See the EvilCostumeSwitch trope above.
* TheParanoiac: [[spoiler:After he CameBackWrong in ''MKX'', Raiden fits this personality type quite well, as years of war, the deaths of many of his allies (especially his protege), and a massive GuiltComplex have turned him into a ruthless ControlFreak [[KnightTemplar determined to protect Earthrealm]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist at all costs (even if it meant invading other realms)]], and who rarely ever has a PetTheDog moment.]]
* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler:Beheads Shinnok at the end of ''X'' and threatens Liu Kang and Kitana, the new rulers of the Netherrealm, with a similar fate if they think of invading Earthrealm again.]]
* PetTheDog: [[spoiler:In Scorpion's MKX arcade ending, he makes the Shirai Ryu ninja as the Jinsei's guardian for eternity.]]
* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: Happens to him in both timelines:
** In the original timeline, he starts off as Earthrealm's protector-god and mentor to Liu Kang, then becomes an Elder God in ''Deadly Alliance'' only to resign his status, and after he CameBackWrong in ''Deception'', [[spoiler:he becomes a vengeful god who wishes to lash out and destroy those who have harmed Earthrealm.]]
** In the new timeline, he again starts off as Earthrealm's protector-god and mentor to Liu Kang, but this time, their relationship becomes strained to the point that they're ArchEnemies at the end of ''[=MK9=]'', and after his HeroicSacrifice at the end of ''X'', [[spoiler:he CameBackWrong as a [[FaceHeelTurn revenge-seeking god]] [[KnightTemplar who will go on]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist a warpath]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters to destroy Earthrealm's enemies]], and seems to have JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope by beheading Shinnok. He further plunges into villainy in his ''MKX'' arcade ending by launching a surprise invasion of Outworld, and plans to conquer other realms.]]
* TheBusCameBack: He is absent from ''Mortal Kombat 9'', given that he was essentially erased from history, but it doesn't stick, as Raiden becomes [[spoiler:dark again following his purification of the Jinsei at the end of ''X''.]]
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: In both timelines, his EvilCostumeSwitch is [[PaintItBlack black,]] and the lightning he radiates is red.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Complete with demonic glow.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Implied, though the short window of opportunity he has to act upon makes it hard to tell which case it is. Right as Shao Kahn is about to drop the hammer, Dark Raiden's eyes return to their original blue coloration as the beaten and bloodied thunder god utters [[ArcWords "He must win"]] with his final breaths.
* RogueProtagonist: [[spoiler:Becomes this at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', when he vows to go on the warpath and destroy anybody who threatens Earthrealm.]]
* SlasherSmile: Briefly sports one in the opening of ''MK11'', as he's about to behead Shinnok.
* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: After his FaceHeelTurn, [[spoiler:Raiden beheads Shinnok at the end of ''X'' and threatens [[TheEmperor Liu Kang and Kitana]], the new rulers of the Netherrealm, with a similar FateWorseThanDeath if they think of invading Earthrealm again.]]
* SourOutsideSadInside: A lot of Raiden's aggression comes from the TraumaCongaLine that his FaceHeelTurn brought him in the first place in both timelines.
* StanceSystem:
** In ''Deception'' he has Nan Chuan and Jujutsu as unarmed styles, and Staff as weapon style.
** In ''Armageddon'' he drops Jujutsu.
* StartOfDarkness: After his FaceHeelTurn at the end of ''X'', [[spoiler:he begins to adopt extremist and dictatorial methods when it comes to protecting Earthrealm, and [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope things go downhill]] when he invades Outworld in his arcade ending. Irony abound as Kotal Kahn is forced to invoke Mortal Kombat in a reversal of roles.]]
* ShouldersOfDoom: Gains these as part of his EvilCostumeSwitch in both timelines.
* TakingYouWithMe: In ''Deception'', he tries to pull this off against Onaga, but in vain. It actually works straight when used as a Fatality in that same game.
* TrailersAlwaysLie:
** All promotional art of Raiden in ''Deception'' as well as his appearances throughout most of that game's Konquest Mode use his depiction from ''Deadly Alliance'', perhaps as to not spoil the transformation he had undergone there.
** A similar thing occurs in ''X'', where the trailers showed Raiden delivering his "fates worse than death" line but looking completely normal when it was definitely [[spoiler:Dark Raiden]] who said it.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: [[spoiler:Becomes this after he CameBackWrong at the end of ''MKX''.]]
* TookALevelInJerkass: Certainly gives shades of this following [[spoiler:the events of ''MKX'', when he decides to take matters into [[WellIntentionedExtremist his]] [[KnightTemplar own hands]] and [[HeWhoFightsMonsters aggressively protect Earthrealm from external threats.]]]] [[BreakTheCutie His grim outlook]] and [[TheCynic cynical view]] mark a stark contrast from his pre-FaceHeelTurn GodIsGood attitude.
* TheUnfettered: In both timelines, he wouldn't hesitate to destroy anything and anybody if they harm Earthrealm. The new timeline shows him adopting a no mercy, no PetTheDog approach to protecting Earthrealm by [[spoiler:beheading Shinnok. His ''MKX'' arcade ending further indicates that the he has no qualms conquering other realms.]]
* VillainCorner: Raiden undergoes this treatment in both timelines, but more explicitly in the new one.
* WalkingSpoiler: While his appearance in ''Deception'' and ''Armageddon'' is treated as a LateArrivalSpoiler by fans, [[spoiler:his reappearance at the end of ''X'']] certainly is a WhamEpisode.
* WellIntentionedExtremist:
** Saving the Earth first by [[spoiler:resurrecting Liu Kang and making him into a killer zombie]], and then by destroying all the other realms, even those that were harmless to the Earth itself... yeah.
** Certainly gives shades of this in his BadassBoast in [[spoiler:''MKX'', as he is willing to destroy anybody if they dare try to invade Earthrealm.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: In his ''MKX'' arcade ending, [[spoiler:Bo' Rai Cho severs his friendship with Raiden after the eccentric drunk gets wind of the corrupted thunder god's surprise invasion of Outworld.]] Also becomes this to [[spoiler:Liu Kang, Kung Lao and the revenants that have not been restored to life.]]
* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:CameBackWrong as a darker version of himself]] in both timelines.
* WillNotBeAVictim:
** In his ''MKX'' arcade ending, it's shown that [[spoiler:years of defending Earthrealm from outside threats have yielded no results, especially after Shinnok's second defeat at the end of ''MKX''. In a change of tactics, [[TheConqueror he decides to preemptively attack and invade Outworld,]] which was weakened by [[CivilWar the civil war after Shao Kahn's death.]] Kotal Kahn, who now leads Outworld (after usurping the throne from Mileena), is unprepared by this surprise attack and desperately invokes Mortal Kombat in order to stop Dark Raiden's invasion. This event [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis effectively reverses Raiden's]] [[NotSoDifferent role into]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters what he once fought against]].]]
** Also gives this as part of his BadassBoast at the end of ''MKX'' to [[spoiler:[[FallenHero Liu Kang and Kitana,]] the new rulers of the Netherrealm:]]
--> '''Dark Raiden:''' Too long have I allowed Earthrealm to endure the horrors of war. Time and again we've defeated our enemies. But we've exacted no retribution. Demanded no remuneration. What have we gained for our mercy? More intrigue. More senseless ''violence!'' As the new rulers of the Netherrealm, heed me. [[WillNotBeAVictim No longer will I simply defend Earthrealm.]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist I will seek out]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters and destroy all who threaten it.]] [[LeaveNoSurvivors No mercy will be shown.]] [[OmnicidalManiac No quarter given.]] ''[Opens up a satchel and tosses the [[OffWithHisHead severed]] [[AndIMustScream head]] of Shinnok on the floor]'' Shinnok was an Elder God. [[CompleteImmortality Impossible to kill.]] There are ''[[FateWorseThanDeath fates worse than death]]''.\\
--> ''[Raiden teleports away, leaving burn marks on the carpet. The camera then pans to show who Raiden was talking to - Liu Kang and Kitana, who have become the [[TheEmperor new rulers of the Netherrealm.]] They look at the severed head of Shinnok before looking at each other and have puzzled looks.]''
* WhosLaughingNow: Tired of seeing his realm constantly invaded, [[spoiler:Raiden [[FaceHeelTurn finally snaps]] at the end of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. He sure had enough of it and vows to go on a warpath against those who dare attack his realm, as part of his BadassBoast.]]
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Less so in the original timeline, but in the new one he is [[spoiler:certainly sick of having the realm he sworn to protect under constant threat. His speech gives traits of both ThenLetMeBeEvil and WillNotBeAVictim.]]
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