Raiden (Japanese: 雷電; Chinese: 雷电)[3] 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. He becomes Dark Raiden at times whenever he gives into evil - such as anger. Raiden made his debut as one of the few original characters in the first Mortal Kombat game. He holds the distinction along with Scorpion and Sub-Zero, in one form or another, of appearing in every generation of Mortal Kombat games as a playable character. A new version of Raiden returns in Mortal Kombat 1 as a playable character, serving as a supporting character in the game's Story Mode.