The character of Raiden in Mortal Kombat has been for a long time considered to be kind of a cheat player since his moves are so easy to pull off and he can come at a player from so many different angles. He’s also been considered as one of the weakest since a lot of his attacks don’t seem to do much damage and his fatalities have been some of the most pacifistic in the franchise. But Rayden is actually a pretty interesting character being that he’s one of the most powerful in the franchise and has remained one of the most low key most often.
Here’s a few things you might not have known about him already.
10. He could be Shao Khan’s brother.
Even gods and tyrants have mothers and fathers it seems, and while it’s been established in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation that Rayden and Shao Khan are brothers, it’s still uncertain in many other renditions of the game.
9. He was promoted to the status of an Elder God.
After so much sacrifice and effort to keep Earthrealm from the hands of Shao Khan and everyone else he was finally rewarded by being granted the role of an Elder God.
8. He’s the equivalent of Superman in Mortal Kombat.
You might not see it really since there’s so many other powerful and overwhelming characters in MK, but Rayden is essentially more powerful than any of them. As a god he’s one of the few beings that can do whatever he pleases without anyone being able to stop him.
7. He was the Highlander and a Warrior.
To be a little more accurate he was portrayed by the guy that starred in the original Highlander in the first movie and the guy that was in The Warriors in the second.
6. He’s based on the lightning fury from Big Trouble in Little China.
Watch this movie again and you’ll see the very definitive parallels between the lightning fury and Rayden. There’s no doubt of where the inspiration came from.
5. He’s been on TV before.
Mortal Kombat was on TV before in a couple of different ways. There was a cartoon at one point and a live action TV show at another. Neither of them really went that far.
4. He can turn into an electric eel.
As one of his special fatalities he can actually turn into an electric eel that wraps around the opponent and, well, you get the idea.
3. He’s also known as Raijin.
Raijin is essentially the same character albeit with a different appearance from Japanese mythology. He too is the god of thunder and storms.
2. The character turned 25 this year.
Despite the character being several millennia old or older Rayden’s creation took place just two and a half decades ago. He was one of the original characters from the first Mortal Kombat and was brought back for nearly every game after.
1. It still hasn’t been decided how to spell his name.
It seems like a silly thing really but every now and again you’ll see his name as Raiden or Rayden. It’s like the creators can’t make up their minds.
Did you happen to know any of these facts about Rayden?
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