Raiden (Metal Gear) - Appearances

Appearances

In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty the player takes control of Raiden in the Plant chapter; he is introduced as a newly recruited, virtual reality-trained member of FOXHOUND with no live combat experience before his current mission. Assisted via Codec by his commanding officer, the Colonel, and his girlfriend Rosemary, Raiden's initial objective is to rescue several hostages from a terrorist group known as the Sons of Liberty. Raiden is helped by the mercenary Solid Snake and the spy Olga Gurlukovich across his mission. As the story progresses, Raiden is revealed as a former child soldier for the Sons of Liberty's leader, Solidus Snake, during the Liberian Civil War. After the war's end, Raiden was given a normal life and tried to forget his past. An organization known as The Patriots is revealed to be controlling his actions, however, with his commanding officer revealed as their computer-generated AI One of their spies, Rosemary, becomes Raiden's girlfriend, and the two fall in love. Raiden defeats the Patriots' enemy, Solidus, after being told by their AIs that his death would also trigger the deaths of Olga's child and Rosemary. He later reunites with Rosemary, and both decide to stay together to raise their unborn child.

Although Raiden does not appear in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, his character is the subject of self-parody throughout the game by debuting character Raikov. Raiden also appears in an early promotional trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, fighting for control of the franchise with Solid Snake in a series of comic scenes. A sequel to the trailer was produced entitled "Metal Gear Raiden: Snake Eraser" in which Raiden travels to the past to assassinate Solid Snake's progenitor, Big Boss, but fails comically. In the English version of the trailer, Raiden was voiced by Charlie Schlatter instead of Quinton Flynn. The Metal Gear Solid 2 version of Raiden appears in the Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus expansion pack, where he is an unlockable character.

In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, set five years after Metal Gear Solid 2, Raiden is said to have disappeared after rescuing Sunny, the daughter of the late Olga Gurlukovich, from the Patriots, and is searching for the corpse of Big Boss for Big Mama. The trauma of his breakup with Rosemary, coupled with the apparent miscarriage of his child, have made Raiden believe his only place is on the battlefield. Outfitted with a cybernetic exoskeleton as a result of The Patriots' machinations, Raiden joins Snake's group in their fight against Revolver Ocelot who wants to obtain the Patriots' powers. After several encounters with Ocelot's men, a wounded Raiden stays in the ship Outer Heaven to protect Snake as he shuts down the Patriots' AIs. In an epilogue, Rosemary reveals to Raiden that their child was not miscarried; her marriage to Roy Campbell was a hoax to protect her and their son from the Patriots. Upon hearing this news, Raiden reconciles with Rosemary. This incarnation of Raiden appears as a playable character in Metal Gear Online.

Raiden is scheduled to appear as the main character in the upcoming Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Four years after Gun of the Patriots Raiden joins the private military company (PMC) Maverick Security in multiple tasks while raising money for his family. However, they are attacked by a group of terrorists called Desperado Enterprises that kill his protectee and leave Raiden near dead. Saved by Maverick Security, Raiden starts working with them to fight Desperado.

The Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty 2007 comic book adaptation by Alex Garner retells Raiden's role in the series, with few changes made to the story. His relationship with Solidus is explored when he remembers his past; when about to be killed by Solidus, Raiden is saved by Snake. The game's novelization by Raymond Benson provides minor modifications to Raiden's history, except for the moment he receives Olga's sword, resulting in a change to his battle psyche. When Raiden kills Solidus he cuts the rope on Federal Hall's flagpole, causing an American flag to fall over his enemy's body. This scene was deleted from the original game due to the September 11 attacks.

Outside the Metal Gear series, Raiden appears in the game LittleBigPlanet as a sticker and a playable sack-boy character. He may be accessed by buying the Metal Gear Solid 4 downloadable content. In Evolution Skateboarding, Raiden is one of the unlockable characters. He also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a collectible sticker and in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood as an alternate skin for Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Raiden is playable in the video game PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, using his Revengence appearance.