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| “ | It's my turn to protect you. | „ |
| ~ Raiden to Snake |
| “ | I learned young that killing your enemies felt good. Really good. In America, my friends, my family... they helped me forget the devil inside... but who am I kidding? I was born to kill! The bit about my sword, that "means of justice" stuff? I guess I just needed something to keep "the Ripper" in check when I was knee-deep in bodies... | „ |
| ~ Raiden embracing his "Jack the Ripper" persona |
Raiden (Japanese; 雷電), real name Jack, is the deuteragonist of the Metal Gear series, appearing as the main protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and a major character in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
He is a Liberian-American special forces soldier and a Counter-Terrorist responsible for resolving the 2009 Big Shell Incident as a new recruit to the reformed FOXHOUND unit. A former child soldier under Solidus Snake, Raiden has been selected by the Patriots to test the S3 Plan at the Big Shell. He later worked alongside the Paradise Lost Army in their anti-Patriot activities, but was captured and forced to undergo heavy cybernetic experimentation. After successfully escaping, Raiden went on to assist Solid Snake during Liquid Ocelot's Insurrection. He later joined the PMSC Maverick as a means to support his family, but re-entered the battlefield once more after Desperado ruined one of their missions, leaving him injured.
Afterwards he became a cyborg, determined in bringing down Desperado, including quitting Maverick especially after they discovered that they were using the same AI training program on kidnapped children, like the one that was used on him in Liberia. Over the course of his quest, Raiden slowly begins to embrace his war criminal side, "Jack the Ripper" and becomes emotionally unstable and sadistic.
He was voiced by Quinton Flynn, who voiced Silver the Hedgehog in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and also voiced Mickey Mouse in Mickey Mouse Works, Elmer Fudd and Swiper the Fox in Robot Chicken, Snowbell in the Stuart Little animated series, Timon in Timon and Pumbaa, Marcus Damon in Digimon Data Squad, Iruka Umino in Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden, Axel in the Kingdom Hearts series, Meriadoc Brandybuck in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The Video Game, and Spider-Man in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
In Japanese, he was voiced by Ken'yū Horiuchi, who also voiced Barazō Mankanshoku in Kill la Kill, Toki in Fist of the North Star, Yahiko in Naruto, Professor Oak in Pokémon, Ogma in Beastars, XR in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and Mr. Whiskers in Brandy & Mr. Whiskers.
Biography[]
Canon[]
Early Life[]
The child that would be known as Jack was born on a rainy day in Liberia in 1983 to unnamed parents, and they were later killed by a clone of Big Boss - Solidius Snake. The man then decided to adopt the child and turn him into a child soldier, having him become a member of the small boy unit of the Army of the Devil. Fighting in the Liberian Civil War, Jack become a feared leader of the small boy unit, gaining the nicknames "Jack the Ripper" and "White Devil". Although trained with rifles, Jack was taught by Solidus the art of blades, considering them more of a noble weapon than guns. Once the war had ended, Jack was placed in a relief center by Solidus, but he was removed and taken to the United States to be placed in foster care.
In the states, Jack was found by the Patriots, whom placed nanomachines in his brain to have him function, and also to manipulate his memories when necessary. Despite forgetting most of his memories of his time as a child soldier, Jack would suffer from nightmares about the events. Once he reached adulthood, Jack joined the United States military, and his skills were noticed by the U.S. Army's Task Force XXI around the mid-2000s. In New York, he would soon meet a woman named Rosemary, and the two began a relationship despite Jack being emotionally distant from her.
Unbeknownst to Jack, Rosemary was a spy for the Patriots who was assigned by the group to enter a relationship with him to keep an eye on the soldier. During his time, Jack would become a member of FOXHOUND<, special unit that was supposedly reformed following the Shadow Moses incident.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty[]
Two years after the tanker incident in which the USS Discovery sunk and Solid Snake was believed dead, Jack was assigned to infiltrate the Big Shell facility to learn why it was constructed. Given the codename "Raiden" despite being briefly nicknamed "Snake", Jack sneaked into the facility and realized that there was another intruder who had entered Big Shell. Raiden would then meet Iroquois Pliskin known as Solid Snake, and managed to stop the destruction of Big Shell by Fatman, whom had set C4 across the facility. During the mission, Raiden would encounter Solidus, whom informed the agent that Pliskin was actually Solid Snake. Raiden continued on his mission, and eventually learned that the Big Shell was actually a disguise for the Patriots' Arsenal Gear.
After learning of the gear's development, Raiden then rescued Emma Emmerich, a computer engineer who had designed the Arsenal Gear's AI. Despite trying to take Emma to safely from the facility, they were attacked by Dead Cell member Vamp, who proceeded to kill Emmerich. He then would encounter Snake, and helped him stop Dead Cell and infect GW, arsenal's AI with a virus to prevent its development from being completed. Once it was done, Raiden was seemingly betrayed by Snake and handed over to Olga Gurlukovich, but later learned it was a ruse so Snake could sneak on board. Meeting up with Snake after being freed by Olga, Rosemary contacted him and admitted that not only she was pregnant with his child, but she was also a spy to the Patriots, much to his rage. Despite his feelings on the matter, Raiden became suspicious of the Colonel's behavior, and had Hal "Octacon" Emmerich to investigate him. Otacon would reveal that the Colonel was an AI formed by the GW, Raiden started to question was Rose even real herself.
After the gear crashed in Manhattan, Raiden battled his adoptive father and managed to stop him from obtaining the data from his cerebral cortex. During the battle, Raiden lamented that he was disgusted by the Patriots, and that he wouldn't be controlled by anyone once Solidus was defeated. Once Solidus was dealt with, Raiden briefly reunited with Solid Snake, and consoled with Rosemary, managing to forgive her.
Becoming a Cyborg[]
Though Raiden and Rose decided to stay together, he started to suffer from nightmares once again, and decided to leave from her after he was falsely informed that she suffered from a miscarriage. Afterward, Raiden came into contact with EVA (now known as "Big Mama"), giving her the location of Big Boss in exchange for information on Olga's daughter. With the help of Big Mama and the Paradise Lost Army, Jack then traveled to Area 51 and managed to rescue Olga's daughter Sunny. Raiden would then give Sunny to Solid Snake and Octacon after deciding to wander across the Earth, as he previously learned of Rose's marriage to Roy Campbell. Once he completed his journey, Raiden returned to help the Paradise Lost Army to find the remains of Big Boss, but he was captured by the Patriots.
Raiden was experimented on by the Patriots, being a test subject of project on exoskeleton enchantments, thus giving him a cyborg body. He later managed to escape with the help of the Paradise Lost Army, and succeed in finding Big Boss' remains after being freed from the Patriots' nanomachines. Despite completing his mission, Raiden realized he couldn't have a normal life from his cybernetic enhancements, and decided to disappear.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots[]
When Raiden learned of Solid Snake's operation to stop Liquid Ocelot, he came back on the radar to warn his ally of ambush by the PMC. When Snake asked for Raiden's help to locate Naomi Hunter, he used his hunting skills to find her, and protected them from several Gekkos during their escape. When Vamp arrived to kill Raiden, he managed to defeat his opponent before jumping on Snake's and Naomi's helicopter.
Despite suffering from critical injuries, Raiden recovered and travelled to Shadows Moses to help Solid Snake defeat the Patriots. Raiden battled Vamp once again and emerged victorious, and was given some advice by Solid Snake, who told the young soldier to not follow the same path he did.
Following the defeat of Liquid Ocelot, Raiden was hospitalized and was given a new body that had artificial skin, allowing him to appear more human. He would reunite with Rose and their son Jack, revealing that her marriage to Campbell was a ploy to prevent Raiden from having to serve the Patriots via leverage. Forgiving Rose, Raiden happily embraced his wife and son, being assured by his lover that he was no beast.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance[]
While providing security detail in an unnamed African country for its prime minister, N'Mani, Raiden and his team are attacked by rogue PMC Desperado. While Raiden fends off their forces, their leader Sundowner kidnaps and executes N'Mani. Raiden is badly wounded in a duel with Sundowner's lackey "Jetstream" Samuel Rodrigues, losing his left eye and arm, but Boris saves him as Sundowner and Sam escape. Doktor later repairs and upgrades Raiden with a more capable cyborg body.
Three weeks later, Raiden infiltrates the breakaway state of Abkhazia after learning that Desperado is leading a military coup there. He plans to capture Andrey Dolzaev, a Chechen extremist leading the forces, to force Desperado into standing down. Desperado anticipates the move and assigns a prototype AI robot designated LQ-84i to stop Raiden. Raiden defeats the LQ-84i in combat and later has Doktor rebuild it as an ally, naming it Blade Wolf. He faces further opposition from Mistral, the commander of Desperado's forces in Abkhazia. After Raiden kills Mistral in combat, Dolzaev commits suicide by blowing up an oil tank he is standing on.
Maverick assigns Raiden and Blade Wolf to investigate a research facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. There, Raiden meets an orphan named George, who was brought to the facility to have his brain—along with the brains of several other orphans—surgically removed and shipped to the United States. He learns that Sundowner inspected the facility in the company of Senator Steven Armstrong, creating an alliance between Desperado and World Marshal, a major PMC Armstrong has invested in. World Marshal plans to condition the children to become killers through constant VR training, and place them inside cybernetic bodies to create new soldiers, similar to Raiden. Raiden rescues George and the unharvested orphans and takes them to Doktor.
Furious, Raiden resigns from Maverick and, with Blade Wolf by his side, launches a one-man assault on World Marshal's headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Though no longer Raiden's employer, Maverick unofficially provides discreet support throughout. As he fights his way through the city's privatized police force and soldiers, Raiden becomes morally conflicted over the dozens of people he has killed. He begins regressing towards his repressed aggressive child soldier persona, "Jack the Ripper", before finally embracing it when he encounters Sam and another operative named Monsoon. He kills Monsoon and infiltrates World Marshal's headquarters before locating and killing Sundowner. There, he learns that Armstrong brought World Marshal and Desperado together to exploit Raiden's desire to avenge N'Mani's death. Armstrong used Desperado to distract Raiden while readying "Operation Tecumseh", a plan to assassinate the President of the United States during peace negotiations with Pakistan to ensure another war on terror.
While Doktor recovers the children's brains, Raiden seeks help from Sunny Emmerich to reach Pakistan in time to stop Armstrong. He encounters Sam on the way and the pair engage in a final duel, from which Raiden emerges victorious. Sunny helps Raiden travel to Shabhazabad Air Base in Pakistan, where he is attacked by Metal Gear EXCELSUS, a hexapedal mecha piloted by Armstrong. He reveals that Operation Tecumseh was a false flag operation, and that his true plan was to frame Desperado for killing American military personnel at the base to turn the American people against them and in favor of World Marshal. Armstrong, being a primary shareholder of the latter, would win the subsequent Presidential election in a landslide, giving him free rein to realize his vision of a social Darwinist society, where the strong will thrive and the weak will be purged. Raiden destroys EXCELSUS, but discovers that Armstrong has augmented himself with nanomachines that give him incredible strength and near-invulnerability, destroying Raiden's high-frequency blade. Blade Wolf intervenes and gives Raiden Sam's sword, which allows him to defeat and kill Armstrong.
Maverick receives approval to create a new cyborg staffing firm, allowing them to shelter the orphans' brains and potentially give them a chance at a better life, while George and Blade Wolf go live at Solis with Sunny. Although Desperado is defeated and the brain-taking operation defunct, World Marshal remains in business. Raiden decides against rejoining Maverick, resolving to fight his own war.
Non-Canon[]
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes[]
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Appearance[]
In his original appearance, Raiden had long, light blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin, which earned him the name 'White Devil'.
Personality[]
Due to his participation in the Liberian Civil War, Raiden was one of the few Force XXI VR subjects to possess actual combat experience. Also, because of his past as a child soldier, as well as his possessing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as a result, he also occasionally pushed away even people he cared about due to his being "afraid of the night." Because of this, he was outwardly cold and distant even to people whom he personally knew, such as his then-girlfriend Rosemary. It was largely because of this cold nature, as well as his pushing people he knew away that resulted in Rosemary initially fearing that he was unfaithful to her. When he first infiltrated the Big Shell, Raiden appeared to be a young and "inexperienced" agent of a "reformed" FOXHOUND unit, occasionally prone to emotional outbursts.
Throughout his mission, however, being that the memories of his past began to slowly resurface, he also began to suspect that he enjoyed killing, and reluctantly informed Rosemary as much. When the memories of his time as a child soldier began to resurface, he gained somewhat of a low opinion of himself, especially in comparison to Solid Snake's accomplishments. He also held some hero worship for Solid Snake, as part of the reason for his agreeing to partake in the Big Shell Incident to take down the terrorist leader was so he'd meet the legend face-to-face, and was initially disappointed when it seemed Snake had truly died in the Tanker Incident.
Although he immensely respected Solid Snake, there were instances where it had its rough spots during the Big Shell Incident, such as when he learned that Snake and Otacon lied to him about whether they knew about the Big Shell being a great big conspiracy, as well as a remark Snake made that got him angered enough to make explosive insults about Snake, not realizing that he was in earshot, and when Snake "betrayed" Raiden at Arsenal Gear to lessen security on-board without warning him beforehand. Prior to finding out that Pliskin was in fact Snake, he also held some respect for Pliskin in terms of mentorship and camaraderie. Nonetheless, he did end up suspicious when Rosemary seemed to be praiseworthy of Pliskin.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Cybernetic Physiology: After becoming a Cyborg, his overall strength, speed, agility, and endurance had increased to incredible levels.
- Immense Strength: The exoskeleton can also bulk up to enhance the strength of Raiden, similar to Solidus Snake's exoskeleton. Allowing him to swing two Gekko with little effort by the wires and was even able to temporarily block Outer Haven. His strength was also enough for him to effortlessly pry open a gate with his bare hands. His strength, although greatly benefiting him, can also get him into big trouble, a notable instance of this was when he arrived at Solis, where he accidentally (and unknowingly) wrecked the front gate's electronic lock. He was strong enough to not only parry a modified Metal Gear RAY unmanned unit's blade, but also to lift it up by the blade and throw the RAY a great distance.
Raiden uses his speed and agility to run up a building in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
- Immense Agility: Raiden is agile enough to springboard across several HEMP missiles towards the RAY unit, as well as jump up to the RAY unit's blade after throwing it a great distance in a small period of time. He later pulled a similar feat with the much larger Metal Gear EXCELSUS. His abilities were likewise improved after his second cyborg upgrade, to the extent that he joked that he wouldn't need any of his eyes to take down any of Desperado's cyborgs if ambushed.
- Immense Durability: Raiden was also capable of surviving falls large enough to kill any ordinary person, as evidenced by his falling down into the cityscape of Denver, although Boris implied that this was largely due to luck He also survived being crushed by Outer Haven.
- Electricity Inducement: His cyborg body appears to conduct electricity or he seems to be highly resistant to it as when he is separated from his H.F Blade the lightning seems to stop. During the attack on Outer Haven, he also appeared amidst several lightning strikes that killed several FROGS.
Abilities[]
| “ | Guns, swords, fists -- doesn't matter. If he wants a fight, I'll give him a fight. | „ |
| ~ Raiden to Boris on fighting Senator Armstrong |
- Very High Intelligence: Raiden is a practiced killer who mastered the art of combat and murder at an early age, easily proving himself capable of matching experienced soldiers and even defeating his mentor and adoptive father, Solidus Snake, a master swordsman, in a one-on-one sword fight. His skills also lend themselves well to espionage and infiltration, allowing him to sneak onto the Big Shell and stay hidden for much of his mission. By the time of Metal Gear Solid 4, his sword skills have grown, showcasing an incredibly effective swordplay style that combines Capoeira's elements with more traditional styles. Plus, decpite Desprado's clever Planing and scheming thanks to Armstrong, Raiden managed to foil all of their plans gradually, and killed every member of it one by one.
- Master Hand to Hand Combatant/Martial Artist: His training with Solidus suggested some emphasis in melee combat. His fighting style seems to be comprised of Boxing, Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Capoeira, Judo, Jujitsu, Krav Maga, and Aikido. He was able to fight against Vamp during their final fight, even when disarmed and had two throwing knives lodged in his forearms he was still able stand on equal grounds with him. He also fought against the nano-machine enhanced Senator Armstrong, a former college football player and Navy soldier, in hand to to hand combat managing to push him back with his strikes and even managed to use a grappling technique to throw him back a couple of feet away.
- Sword Mastery: His training with Solidus suggested emphasis in bladed weapons, his sword fighting style is a self taught form of Kenjutsu. He fought and defeated his former mentor Solidus Snake in a sword fight during the Big Shell Incident. During the Guns of the patriots Incident, he fought against the knife master, Vamp, even stabbing through himself to gain the upper hand and he later fought multiple FROGS with his arms missing. During the attack on the prime minister, Raiden was able to slice apart a Metal Gear RAY and duel against Jetstream Sam, though lost due to the latter's better swordsmanship. After getting a new cyborg body, Raiden managed to defeat the advanced LQ AI robot Blade Wolf. He was able to fight and defeat every member of the Winds of Destruction including Mistral, Monsoon, Sundowner, and won in his rematch against Jetstream Sam due to his new enhancements.
- Knife Mastery: Raiden is also highly skilled in using knives in combat. His knife fighting style seems to be a mix of Tantojutsu and Kali. He was able to duel Vamp, a "wizard with knives", in a knife fight even managing to wound him several times throughout their confrontation. He could also use his combat knife in conjunction with his sword for dual welding maneuvers reminiscent to his former mentor Solidus Snake. He is even capable of attaching his knife to his foot for more unorthodox attacks against his opponents. He is also skilled at knife throwing such as when he saved George from a robot by taking it down with a single throwing knife.
- Master Marksmanship: Raiden is adept with a variety of guns, from small arms to surface-to-air missiles.
- Master Acrobat: Even before his cybernetic enhancements, Raiden was capable of pulling off agile maneuvers.
- Military Training: Due to his harsh childhood, training from Solidus and the Army's virtual training, his mental state and capacity were well suited to combat operations behind enemy lines.
- Expert Tracker: Raiden is also skilled at being attuned with nature, also known as scouting, which he gave Solid Snake pointers in it when contacting him about in South America.
- Stealth: As a soldier, Raiden is trained in stealth tactics.
Equipment[]
- High-Frequency Blade: Raiden weapon of choice is a high-frequency blade. The blade is reinforced by a powerful alternating current and resonates at extremely high vibration frequencies. This oscillation weakened the molecular bonds of anything it cuts, thereby increasing its cutting ability allowing it to cut through almost anything. Throughout his career, Raiden has used four different swords.
- Mr. X's sword: The first is a ninjato or chokuto sword used by Mr. X given to him by Solid Snake.
- Second sword: The second was carried by him as a cyborg which resembled a tactical version of a ninja-style sword.
- Third sword: After a new upgrade cyborg body, Raiden received a new HF Blade from Maverick which resembles a modernized katana though this sword was broken during his fight against Senator Armstrong.
- Jetstream Sam's sword: The final sword he used was Jetstream Sam's VT7 high-frequency blade known as the "Murasama" which he acquired after defeating Sam. It is a katana that glows red due to HF tech. The original blade dates back to the 16th century and originally belonged to Sam's father.
- Combat Knives: After becoming a cyborg, Raiden carried two combat knives on his person resembling the Yoroi Toshi from Warren Thomas. One next to his sword and another on the inside of his right calf. After gaining a new cyborg body, Raiden stuck using only one knife next to the scabbard on his back which resembled his high-frequency blade.
- Throwing Knife: Raiden used this throwing knife to destroy a robot attacking George.
- Heckler & Koch Mark 23 Phase 2 Prototype: Raiden used this handgun as his sidearm of choice during the Big Shell Incident given to him by Solid Snake. He would carry this gun in his holster when he became a cyborg, though never used it and discarded it after receiving his new cybernetic body.
- M4A1: Raiden picked up this assault rifle used by Solid Snake during his first encounter with Vamp.
- Heckler & Koch PSG-1: Raiden used this sniper rifle to cover Emma across the oil fence.
- FIM-92 Stinger: Raiden used this missile launcher to fight AI-controlled Metal Gear RAYs.
- Cybernetic Bodies: Raiden had two cybernetic bodies. One was white and clear resembling the exposed muscles of a human body which came equipped with a retractable visor and head protection. He also had elevated pieces on his feet, near his heel portion. These act as grips for his HF blade, in the event that he attempted to use a break-dance-like maneuver to cut up enemies. Raiden's cyborg body during this time appears to be pressurized in some manner, as shown during the two occasions in which he fights Vamp, when knives are propelled out of his torso, as well as when he disengages his visor. The other was a black tactical armored exoskeleton with curved spikes on the forearms and shoulders. This one could energize itself with the electrolytes of other cyborgs.
Other Media[]
Super Smash Bros.[]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
Raiden appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker that increases the direct attacks to any character.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Raiden returns in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a legendary-ranked primary attack-type spirit which only can be summoned using the cores of Solidus Snake, Rosemary, any 3 attack cores, and one neutra core.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale[]
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Evolution Skateboarding[]
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Quotes[]
| “ | No, never heard the name before. I'll pick my own name and my own life. I'll find something worth passing on. | „ |
| ~ Raiden abandoning his dog tags and his regrets. |
| “ | No. I just don't fear death. | „ |
| ~ Raiden to Vamp. |
| “ | I am lightning. The rain transformed. | „ |
| ~ Raiden, before fighting FROGS. |
| “ | I am Raiden. Jack is no more. | „ |
| ~ Raiden. |
| “ | I have always been alone... Always! Don't leave me here... alone... | „ |
| ~ Raiden to Solid Snake. |
| “ | You're right...about me, I mean. I knew something was...off. After the Patriots, I thought I could walk off the battlefield and into a normal life...but here I am, surrounded by death, arguing philosophy with terrorists. I told myself this was about justice, about protecting the weak...but I was wrong | „ |
| ~ Raiden to Monsoon. |
| “ | Pain. this is why I fight. | „ |
| ~ Raiden on why he fights. |
| “ | I'm saying... JACK IS BACK! | „ |
| ~ Raiden to Monsoon. |
| “ | I chose this. They're kids, you son of a b**ch! | „ |
| ~ Raiden to Sundowner. |
| “ | I was wrong. You're not greedy... you're bats**t insane! | „ |
| ~ Raiden to Senator Armstrong. |
| “ | I said my sword was a tool of justice. Not used in anger. Not used for vengeance. But now... Now I'm not so sure. And besides, this isn't my sword. [...] OK. Let's dance. | „ |
| ~ Raiden to Senator Armstrong. |
Gallery[]
Images[]
Trivia[]
- Voted 42nd on Famitsu's poll for the most popular video game character in 2010.
- In the secret theater of Metal Gear Solid 3, he was voiced by Charlie Schlatter, who also voiced The Flash in the DC Animated Universe, and Kevin Levin in Ben 10.
- In the "Janus Vu" mission of Ground Zeroes, he was voiced by Kiefer Sunderland via reused voice clips.
- Raiden's japanese voice actor, Kenyu Horiuchi, also voiced Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
- Raiden in DEATH BATTLE fought Wolverine and won. He returned to fight Excalibur from Warframe, but lost.
Extarnal Links[]
- Raiden on the Metal Gear Wiki
- Raiden on the Inconsistently Admirable Wiki
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