Raiden is one of Mortal Kombat's most iconic fighters. The character has been around since the series' first game, and if there was any doubt about his importance, he was the one Mortal Kombat fighter played by a marquee actor - Christopher Lambert - when it came time for the 1995 movie. In fact Raiden owes his existence partly to another movie, John Carpenter's 1986 classic Big Trouble in Little China.
Raiden is loosely based on a Japanese thunder god, Raijin, but in the Mortal Kombat games he serves as a protector of Earthrealm and the leader of his chosen allies. Some of his powers include lightning, flight, and even teleportation. The character is popular enough that he has appeared not just in other fighting games like Injustice 2, but as an unlockable secret in NBA Jam and NFL Blitz. Perhaps only Scorpion and Sub-Zero have more cachet.
The seed for Raiden was discovering Raijin at Chicago's Field Museum in the early 1990s, Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias explains on Twitter. The deity is typically depicted as a pot-bellied demon with a drum, though, so Tobias and fellow creator Ed Boon decided to replace him with a lightning-throwing warrior, stripping away his original religious aspects. Tobias worked on stories and sketches - one of which included a triangular hat similar to Lightning, one of the Storms from Big Trouble in Little China. The shape helped give Raiden "a distinctive silhouette" versus other characters, Tobias says.
Mortal Kombat's Raiden Has Almost Nothing In Common With Big Trouble In Little China
In Big Trouble in Little China the Storms serve as guardians for Lo-Pan, the evil sorcerer at the center of the story. Lightning has "zero characterization in common" with Raiden, Tobias explains, adding that he knew people would still make comparisons so long as the hat was shared between them. In fact, as a thunder god, Raiden is supposed to be more powerful than most Mortal Kombat characters, standing above them as an authority figure - rather than being subservient like Lightning.
This plot role was taken so seriously by the Mortal Kombat team that it later retconned the story to say Raiden never fought in the first game's tournament. It might make sense for a magical henchman like Lightning to go up against human mortals, but while Raiden can take mortal form, few enemies should be his equal. To paraphrase Big Trouble in Little China's Jack Burton, he should be able to look that big ol' storm right square in the eye and say "Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it."
Source: John Tobias/Twitter