Rate the Fighter (MK11): Raiden

Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition!

Welcome back to Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition. Last time we took a look at Kabal, a super sonic speedster working for a big bad criminal organization. Today, we'll be taking a look at a shocking character who was slightly teased at the end of the last post. This next character is not only one of the most recognizable fighters in the entire franchise, but he also happens to be one of the most powerful. Bringer of truth and light, this demigod often finds himself at odds with his own actions, leading to some of the biggest events in Mortal Kombat history. The character I refer to is none other than Raiden.

Raiden, now corrupted, as he
appears in Mortal Kombat 11.

Raiden, the God of Thunder

Raiden, much like Liu Kang, made his first appearance in the very first Mortal Kombat arcade game. A powerful demigod who can control thunder and lightning, he is known as the Defender of Earthrealm and as such, his ultimate goal is to protect our world from those who attempt to conquer it. After Shinnok's defeat at the hands of Cassie Cage at the end of Mortal Kombat X, something known as the Jinsei, which is basically Earthrealm's life force, becomes corrupted by the fallen Elder God. Though Raiden is able to rid the tainted liquid and restore the Jinsei to its original state, it comes at a steep price in the form of Raiden's entire being becoming corrupted. Sporting a much darker appearance as well as a much more cruel personality, the newly formed Dark Raiden vows to no longer sit idly by and wait for potential threats to Earthrealm. He will seek his enemies out and destroy them before they destroy that which he protects...

Appearance

Like I mentioned above, Raiden has gone full dark side, meaning that his default appearance is now that of Dark Raiden, a version of the character that was first introduced in Mortal Kombat Deception. However, if Dark Raiden isn't your cup of tea and you'd rather play as Raiden prior to his corruption, then I have good news for you. Raiden's more recognizable classic appearance is available to unlock. In terms of how the two versions of Raiden differ appearance wise, Dark Raiden will have glowing red eyes, red lightning, and the main change to his outfits will be the type of armor he wears. For "Klassic Raiden", his eyes will be glowing blue, his lightning will be blue, and his outfits will consist mainly of different looking kinds of robes.

Dark Raiden (Top) in comparison to Klassic Raiden (Bottom)

As for which Raiden I personally prefer, I go ahead and equip regular Raiden rather than any variation of Dark Raiden. This is mainly due to the fact that this version of Raiden serves more of a purpose in the story than Dark Raiden, so I more or less identify him as that specific version of the character. Overall, Raiden looks pretty awesome no matter which skin you select for him, with his darker self having cooler looking armor while his lighter self resembles his appearances in past Mortal Kombat games. For these reasons, I give Raiden's appearance an 8/10.

Equipment

Consisting of his iconic bamboo hat, stave, and medallion, Raiden has some very unique looking gear. Of course, I'll be sharing with you guys a list of my favorite pieces. Without further ado, let's begin.

Hats

• Haokah
• Truth and Light
• Unconquerable Spirit
• Emissary of the Elder Gods
• Relentless Element
• Face of the Guardian

Staves

• Chain Lightning Staff
• Cloudflash
• Thundercrack
• Rod of the Heavens
• Truth Bringer
• Jinsei Stave

Medallions

• Sky Temple Sigil
• Infinite Fortune
• Eternal Watchman
• Supernatural Kombatant
• Godsend

When it comes to Raiden's equipment, I mentioned before that they are quite unique. I have to say that I really love his equipment for this reason in particular, as no other characters really seem to have these kinds of mythical, ancient feel to them. But you know, I suppose that when you're such an important character in the franchise (as well as a demigod), getting the special treatment is to be expected. So in the end, thanks to the sleek, ancient design of Raiden's unique gear, I'm going to give his equipment a 9/10.

Moveset

Raiden's attacks and special moves largely consist of him summoning lightning to electrify his opponents. I know, I know, who would've guessed? It's quite the "shocking" realization. Now that the puns are out of the way, let me go into detail about how I use this character. Like with a lot of characters, I find myself using special moves more than I do combos. My favorite special move of his is without a doubt the Torpedo move. A move that dates back all the way to the very first game, Raiden propels himself forward, grabbing his opponent and pushes them against a wall. It's a great move that can't be escaped from and enhancing it will cause Raiden to slam the opponent on the ground, dealing more damage. Other special moves include Lightning Bolt, Electric Burst, and Storm Cell, just to name a few.

Ending off this section of the review, I'm going to give Raiden's moveset a 9/10. While I have yet to pull off any huge combos with Raiden, or any combos at all for that matter, I'm able to get the job done when it comes to fighting my opponents. However, if you're curious as to what some of Raiden's best combos look like, refer to the video below.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

For the video below, the fatalities and fatal blow aren't switch around that much like they were for Liu Kang and Kabal. However, the fatal blow appears first in this video, followed by the first and second fatality. Keep that fact in the back of your brain as we move on.

Fatality #1, Alternating Kurrent:

• This fatality is honestly a massive letdown. It starts off really promising with the opponent's arms and legs being torn off with lightning. It isn't until Raiden clumps them together and blasts them to the sides with a ball of lightning that it becomes anticlimactic. It really would have been better if he had blown everything below the neck into a bloody mess. 5/10.

Fatality #2, Direct Kurrent:

• This fatality is way, waaaaaaay better than the first one. What really makes it for me is the sound the opponent's body makes when Raiden yanks their torso off of their bottom portion. It's so gory and disgusting sounding... I love it. 9/10.

Fatal Blow, Thunder Take You:

• Raiden's fatal blow is relatively simple, but I must say that I do like that they incorporated his stave into rather than just him using his lightning and hands. When I first saw it, I didn't really think highly of it, but after seeing it over and over again, it's started to grow on me. 7/10.

Closing Thoughts

When it comes to my final thoughts about Raiden, the most important thing I have to say about him is the fact that he's a pretty balanced character in terms of how he plays. In my honest opinion, he seems like he should be the go to character for newer players, given versatility and unique designs. It's a shame that one of his fatalities and his fatal blow aren't mind blowing like a lot of the characters I've already reviewed. Raiden's always had a history of his finishing moves not being that good and it's a shame to see it continue somewhat in this game.

Raiden gets a 9/10.

Who's Next?

Next up is a true classic character that even people who don't play Mortal Kombat will recognize. In the next blog post, we'll take a look at the yellow clad, fire wielding hell spawn who's most popular for shouting at you to come over by him. Yep, that's right. The mascot of the franchise: Scorpion!

Stay tuned, mortals!