History Characters / MortalKombatRaiden

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I (Hanzo Hasashi)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot (Bi-Han)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKano Kano]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [=Raiden=] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II (Kuai Liang)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn/General Shao]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]

* ForWantOfANail: A Shaolin champion hailing from China whose powers come from an amulet rather than a powerful demigod.

-->'''Raiden:''' ''(exhales)'' By the Elder Gods, I hate that nickname.

* EmbarassingNickname: "Thunder Lad" as revealed in an intro with Johnny Cage.

* DecoyProtagonist: As Earthrealem's champion he's given the main focus early on, [[spoiler:but after he wins the tournament he disappears into the background for the rest of the story mode, only playing a small role afterwards.]]

->Following Kronika's defeat, a now-mortal Raiden briefly advises Liu Kang to create a new timeline as the new Keeper of Time. Before they can begin, however, Shang Tsung suddenly appears through a portal and tells them that without Kronika's crown, history cannot be changed and their attempt would result in a potential TimeCrash. Raiden ends up once again forced to repeat the events that had just transpired, but now with Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, and his brother Fujin's intervention in order to retrieve Kronika's crown. Unfortunately, his suspicions about Shang Tsung are eventually proven correct when it's revealed his true plan is a coup d'etat to take the crown for himself and become the new Titan of Time in Kronika's stead. By the time he realizes this, however, it is too late. Shang Tsung takes control of the crown and drains him of most of his soul, placing the thunder god in a near-death state. Depending on the ending chosen, he either ends up reset alongside the timeline or enslaved by Shang Tsung, becoming Dark Raiden once more.

* 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.]]

* 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]].

* 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]].

*** 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.]]

** 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, [[spoiler: he 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, [[spoiler: he 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.]]

* 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]].

** 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]].
** 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.]]

* 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. Moreover, his future self's warning was too vague and laconic to be useful, which further influences his past self's indecisiveness.]]

* 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. He then hits another threshold when he realises that Shao Kahn is "he who must win", so he accepts Outworld's victory, though this gamble actually pays off. [[PyrrhicVictory Just.]]
* GoodIsNotSoft: Even at his most benevolent, Raiden has no issue with [[spoiler: consigning Geras to the depths of the Sea of Blood, dooming him to be submerged forever.]] In general, he is more than willing to kill and maim (often brutally, since it is Mortal Kombat) to defend peace.

** 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.

** 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]].]]

** 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.]]

* StealthPun: One of his Fatalities involves using his staff while electrocuting the opponent. [[spoiler: Basically, he's using a lightning rod.]]

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: ''[=MKX=]'' Dark Raiden appears to be slightly more amicable than his counterpart from the old timeline. For one thing he doesn't resurrect dead warriors and send them to kill Shaolin Monks such as with zombie Liu Kang in [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception Deception]] and, despite being [[ObviouslyEvil clearly evil]] in ''11'', he's still able to interact with the Special Forces in a reasonable way with no threats or coercion, even attempting to console Cassie when [[spoiler: Sonya dies.]]

* 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.]]

* 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 Kitana'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 versions of the same gods cannot coexist in the same timestream, Dark Raiden ends up disintegrating as a result before he knows what's happening, only leaving Shinnok's amulet behind.]]

* 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/MortalKombat1992 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 (though the vagueness of the warning didn't help matters). 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.]]

* InSpiteOfANail: In spite of all the changes made to the timelines, Raiden goes dark in both the original and rebooted timelines, albeit through different circumstances. [[spoiler: ''[=MK11=]'' strongly implies that this is partly due to Kronika's subtle manipulations.]]

** 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.

* DecoyProtagonist: As Earthrealem's champion he's given the main focus early on, [[spoiler: but after he wins the tournament he disappears into the background for the rest of the story mode, only playing a small role afterwards.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[BadassBoast There are fates worse than death.]]]]

** 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,]] 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]] 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.]]

** 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 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.

** Mostly in the movies such as the first one, but it pops from time to time in the games.

* ForcedToWatch: Shinnok [[spoiler:forces Raiden to watch as he corrupts the Jinsei in ''X''.]]
* 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]].

* 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.

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Raiden appears to be slightly more amicable than his counterpart from the old timeline. For one thing he doesn't resurrect dead warriors and send them to kill Shaolin Monks such as with zombie Liu Kang in [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception Deception]] and, despite being [[ObviouslyEvil clearly evil]] in ''11'', he's still able to interact with the Special Forces in a reasonable way with no threats or coercion, even attempting to console Cassie when [[spoiler: Sonya dies.]]

* HumbleHero: In sharp contrast to Kung Lao, he's perfectly content with his life as a farmer and only agrees to become an Earthrealm champion for the greater good. When Liu Kang comes to recruit him, Raiden even needs some convincing to walk away from his simple life to fight for Earthrealm. He also expresses surprise when he wins the right to be Earthrealm's champion, and even during the tournament, when he gets plenty of hostility from Outworld fighters, he never shows anything but soft-spoken respect, even to the rude and aggressive General Shao. At least a few kombatants, including his friend Kung Lao, find it annoying, and Shao is downright insulted by Raiden's "false modesty".

-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat 4'' (Michael Garvey/Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'' (Allan Stagg/Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' (Herman Sanchez), ''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, English; Santos Alberto, Latin American Spanish), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Richard Epcar, English; Todd Dakins, Face Model; Creator/ChristopherLambert, English (Voice and Face Model, Klassic MK Movie Skin Pack DLC); Creator/GerardoReyero, Latin American Spanish), ''Mortal Kombat: Onslaught'' (Creator/TravisWillingham); ''Mortal Kombat 1'' (Creator/TravisWillingham, English; Creator/GerardoReyero (Thunder God Raiden), Latin American Spanish))

-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat 4'' (Michael Garvey/Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'' (Allan Stagg/Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' (Herman Sanchez), ''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, English; Santos Alberto, Latin American Spanish), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Richard Epcar, English; Todd Dakins, Face Model; Creator/ChristopherLambert, English (Voice and Face Model, Klassic MK Movie Skin Pack DLC); Creator/GerardoReyero, Latin American Spanish), ''Mortal Kombat: Onslaught'' (Creator/TravisWillingham); ''Mortal Kombat 1'' (Vincent Rodriguez III (Mortal Raiden) and Travis Willingham (Thunder God Raiden), English; Armando Guerrero (Mortal Raiden) and Creator/GerardoReyero (Thunder God Raiden), Latin American Spanish))

Main series: [[Characters/MortalKombat1992 MK (1992)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatII 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]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat1 MK1]]\\
[-Spinoffs: [[Characters/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero Mythologies: Sub-Zero]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatSpecialForces Special Forces]]\\

->'''Debut Game:''' ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1992''\\

!Raiden

->In the New Era created by Fire God Liu Kang, Raiden is now a mortal living in the village of Fengjian alongside a new incarnation of Kung Lao. Designated as a new Champion of Earthrealm by Liu Kang, Raiden is now being trained in the ways of kombat.

[[folder:Raiden]]

[[folder:Dark Raiden]]

[[folder:Tropes related to Raiden in The New Era ([=MK1=] onwards)]]

->Raiden has always been a person of little ambition: his humble life as a farmer in the village of Fengjian along with his parents, sister and best friend Kung Lao is enough to satisfy him. Yet still, his martial arts teacher, Madame Bo, always noted a spark of greatness in him, and he would prove himself worthy to Lord Liu Kang by becoming one of his chosen champions for the upcoming tournament between realms. While reluctant to leave his loved ones behind, he still accepts his role for the good of the realm.

----

* AdaptationalWimp: From being the series' iconic god of thunder for generations to a simple, mortal farmer with martial arts skills. Even when he gets an amulet of thunder and lightning, it pales in comparison to the godlike abilities he once had.

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I (Hanzo Hasashi)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot (Bi-Han)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [=Raiden=] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II (Kuai Liang)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn/General Shao]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [=Raiden=] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]

->For tropes applying to his previous God forms, [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden click here]].

->In the New Era created by Fire God Liu Kang, Raiden is now a mortal living in the village of Fengjian alongside a new incarnation of Kung Lao. Designated as a new Champion of Earthrealm by Liu Kang, Raiden is now being trained in the ways of kombat. For tropes about him, check [[Characters/MortalKombat1 here]].

-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'' (Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat 4'' (Michael Garvey/Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'' (Allan Stagg/Carlos Pesina), ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' (Herman Sanchez), ''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, English; Santos Alberto, Latin American Spanish), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Richard Epcar, English; Creator/ChristopherLambert, English (Voice and Face Model, Klassic MK Movie Skin Pack DLC); Creator/GerardoReyero, Latin American Spanish), ''Mortal Kombat: Onslaught'' (Creator/TravisWillingham); ''Mortal Kombat 1'' (Vincent Rodriguez III (Mortal Raiden) and Travis Willingham (Thunder God Raiden), English; Armando Guerrero (Mortal Raiden) and Creator/GerardoReyero (Thunder God Raiden), Latin American Spanish))

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [=Raiden=] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn/General Shao]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]

->In the New Era created by Fire God Liu Kang, Raiden is now a mortal living in the village of Fengjian alongside a new incarnation of Kung Lao. Designated as a new Champion of Earthrealm by Liu Kang, Raiden is now being trained in the ways of kombat.

* 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''.

* TheChooserOfTheOne: Later games reveal that the title of "Chosen One" which defines Earthrealm's champion is entirely up to Raiden's definition, and that no other god or realm needs to behold to it or even ''agree'' with it. In fact, some openly mock or question Raiden's judgment...until Liu Kang proves why he is ''deserving'' of such a distinction.

[[folder:Raiden (mortal)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/raiden_mk1_render.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Whatever experience I lack, I make up for in heart."'']]
* TheAce: Quickly establishes himself as the best of Liu Kang's chosen champions, first by defeating the other three (Johnny, Kenshi, and Kung Lao) to earn the right to represent Earthrealm, and then sweeping through Outworld's finest, including Kitana, Sheeva and General Shao.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Raiden's new life as a simple farmer has humbled and grounded him a great deal.
* ChosenOne: Raiden is the New Era's Champion of Earthrealm.
* DecoyProtagonist: As Earthrealem's champion he's given the main focus early on, [[spoiler: but after he wins the tournament he disappears into the background for the rest of the story mode, only playing a small role afterwards.]]
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Raiden is initially a mundane (though highly skilled) martial artist, only gaining his familiar lightning magic from an amulet gifted to him by Liu Kang in preparation for the tournament. It's implied to be the same amulet that belonged to the original Raiden.
* EvilMeScaresMe: Zigzagged. [[spoiler:He is made aware of not only his godly counterpart, but also of his time as Dark Raiden. While he understands why Liu Kang would take measures to prevent him from falling into hate and darkness, he believes that he might need the power "only great rage can bring" and seeks out Scorpion to learn how to channel his rage as Dark Raiden did.]]
* FarmBoy: Prior to meeting Lord Liu Kang, he and Kung Lao were this. Raiden was content with this life, while Kung Lao wanted a life beyond it.
* {{Gaslighting}}: PlayedForLaughs as he attempts to wiggle out of paying for his and Kung Lao's dinner by "remembering" different terms for their bet.
* NeverShallTheSelvesMeet: Averted. [[spoiler:His arcade ending shows that he met (and was saved by) his godly counterpart, and Liu Kang had informed him of what the previous Raiden was like.]]
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: In addition to the victories that the player plays through in his Chapter, he defeats Kotal, Motaro, and Sheeva in the tournament offscreen.
* SwappedRoles: In the 'New Era' timeline, Raiden is the young, idealistic champion of Earthrealm, while Liu Kang is the Protector of Earthrealm playing the role of wise mentor.
* TeachHimAnger: Invokes this trope on ''himself'' in his Tower ending, seeking out Scorpion to learn how to channel his rage.
* YoungerAndHipper: Due to being a mortal human in the new timeline, Raiden is much younger and more inexperienced than his previous versions.
[[/folder]]

** 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]] by adopting crueler methods to [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans make Earthrealm "safe" from external threats.]]]]

* 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 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.]]

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [=Raiden=] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn/General Shao]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]