Subject: Raiden
Culture: American gamer
Setting: Mortal Kombat
Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)
"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."
Costume
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