Will the Real Raiden Please Stand Up


What's that you say? You mean Fatal Fury as RAIDEN in it? Wait wait wait ... wasn't RAIDEN the lightning God in Mortal Kombat? No. Wasn't Raiden an 80's shooter? Well, yes. So what's the deal? Who's to blame? Maybe we'll never know!

RAIDEN: The Japanese god of thunder (rai) and lightning (den). He prevented the Mongols from invading Japan in 1274. Sitting on a cloud he sent forth a shower of lighting arrows upon the invading fleet. Only three men escaped. Raiden is portrayed as a red demon with sharp claws, carrying a large drum. He is fond of eating human navels. The only protection against him is to hide under a mosquito net. (Source: Encyclopedia Mythica)

To answer your question, for some odd reason, all around the same time, Raiden was all three, a shooting game (above right), a character in Mortal Kombat (above center), and a character in the first Fatal Fury (above left).