Raiden (Japanese: 雷電; Chinese: 雷电) is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. Being the eternal God of Thunder, Raiden has been one of the most memorable characters in the fighting game genre as well as the earliest playable Gods in the genre. He has remained a major, central character throughout his appearances, often serving as the deuteragonist of the franchise behind Liu Kang. Raiden made his debut as one of the few original characters in the first Mortal Kombat game.