Raiden is a weird guy. Seriously. One minute he’s this high-tech "tool of justice" talking about protecting the weak, and the next he’s laughing like a maniac while slicing a giant robot dinosaur in half. If you only know him from the memes—you know, the ones about nanomachines and Senator Armstrong’s "mother of all omelets"—you’re honestly missing the most fascinating part of his story.
Most people think Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is just a goofy spin-off where a cyborg ninja goes ham. It's way deeper. It’s actually a brutal, messy, and surprisingly smart look at a man trying to outrun his own shadow.
The Identity Crisis That Defined a Franchise
Let's go back for a sec. When Raiden first showed up in Metal Gear Solid 2, fans hated him. He wasn't Solid Snake. He was this blonde, slightly whiny rookie who got naked and did cartwheels. But that was the point. Hideo Kojima wanted us to feel that frustration. Raiden was a "blank slate," a guy whose memories were basically being rewritten by the Patriots to turn him into a perfect soldier.
Then came the cyborg transformation.
By the time Metal Gear Rising kicks off in 2018 (in the game’s timeline), Raiden is working for Maverick Security. He’s got a family to support. He tells himself he uses his sword as a "tool of justice." It’s a nice sentiment. But honestly? It’s a total lie. He’s a guy who was born into war, raised as a child soldier in Liberia, and nicknamed "Jack the Ripper" for a reason. He’s not a hero; he’s a professional killer who’s really, really good at his job.
Why the "Jack the Ripper" Persona Isn't Just a Power-Up
In the middle of the game, Raiden fights a guy named Monsoon. This is the turning point. Monsoon basically calls him out on his BS. He tells Raiden that "will" is a myth and that we’re all just shaped by memes—not the funny internet kind, but the original definition: ideas that spread and control us.
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This breaks Raiden.
He stops pretending to be a "white knight." He asks his tech guy, Doktor, to turn off his pain inhibitors. He doesn't just embrace the violence; he starts to enjoy it. This is where "Ripper Mode" comes from. In most games, a power-up like this is just a cool mechanic. Here, it’s a psychological breakdown. Raiden realizes that he likes killing. He’s always liked it. The "tool of justice" thing was just a mask he wore so he could sleep at night.
- The White Devil: His nickname as a child soldier.
- The Sword: Not just a weapon, but a "noble" tool Solidus Snake gave him to distinguish him from the "lowly" soldiers who use guns.
- The Pain: Turning off those inhibitors means he feels every cut, every impact. He needs to feel it to be present in the slaughter.
It’s dark stuff. But it’s also what makes him human. Unlike the AI-controlled cyborgs he fights, Raiden is choosing his path, even if that path is covered in blood.
PlatinumGames and the Combat of "Zandatsu"
We can't talk about Raiden without mentioning the gameplay. Originally, the game was being developed by Kojima Productions as Metal Gear Solid: Rising. They wanted a "cut anything" mechanic, but they couldn't quite get the pacing right. Enter PlatinumGames. They took the "Blade Mode" idea and turned it into "Zandatsu"—Japanese for "cut and take."
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Basically, you slice an enemy into dozens of pieces in slow motion, grab their glowing blue spine (their fuel cell), and crush it to heal yourself.
It’s visceral. It’s fast. It’s totally different from the stealthy "Tactical Espionage Action" of the main series. PlatinumGames director Kenji Saito basically threw out the old script and focused on making Raiden feel like a force of nature. He gave Raiden high-heeled feet so he could grip a sword with them and kick-flip people into oblivion. It sounds ridiculous, and it is, but in motion, it’s pure poetry.
The Philosophy of the HF Blade
Raiden’s main weapon is the High-Frequency (HF) Blade. It’s not just a sharp piece of metal. It uses a high-frequency current to weaken the molecular bonds of whatever it touches. That’s why he can slice through tanks like they’re warm butter.
But throughout the game, the sword changes meaning.
At the start, it’s his "tool of justice." By the end, after he takes Jetstream Sam’s sword, it becomes something else. Sam’s sword—the Murasama—doesn't have the same high-tech bells and whistles. It’s a legacy weapon. When Raiden uses it to face Senator Armstrong, he isn't fighting for some abstract concept of "peace." He’s fighting because he believes that the people in power shouldn't be allowed to prey on the weak.
What We Can Learn From Raiden’s Journey
Raiden’s story isn't about becoming a "good person" in the traditional sense. It’s about honesty. He accepts that he is a "Ripper." He accepts that he is a killer. But he decides to use that nature to protect people who can't protect themselves.
If you’re looking to get into the game or revisit it, here are some actionable ways to appreciate the depth of Raiden's character:
- Listen to the Lyrics: The boss themes in Metal Gear Rising aren't just background noise. Songs like "The Stains of Time" or "The Only Thing I Know For Real" are actually internal monologues. They explain the philosophy of the person Raiden is fighting and how they reflect his own internal struggles.
- Watch the Codec Calls: Don't skip the optional radio conversations. There’s a lot of lore about how cyborg bodies work, the ethics of brain-in-a-jar technology, and Raiden’s surprisingly domestic life with his wife, Rose, and his son, John.
- Pay Attention to the Colors: Notice how Raiden’s "Standard Body" at the start of the game is white and "clean," while his "Custom Body" is black and more aggressive. It’s a visual representation of him moving away from the "ideal" soldier and into his true, darker self.
Raiden is a complicated, messy hero for a complicated, messy world. He’s not Solid Snake, and he never will be. He’s something else entirely—a man who looked into the abyss, saw a reflection he didn't like, and decided to keep walking anyway.
If you want to understand the modern action game landscape, you have to understand Raiden. He’s the bridge between the heavy, cinematic storytelling of the early 2000s and the high-octane, "let 'er rip" energy of today. He might be 90% machine, but his heart is more human than most of the "heroes" we see in gaming.
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To truly master Raiden's playstyle, focus on the "Defensive Offense" skill. It’s a dodge that includes a strike, which perfectly encapsulates his philosophy: the best way to protect yourself is to never stop attacking.