Rain



''The Edenian race is descended from the gods. That is the reason for our longevity, our nobility, and our strength. But I am more than a distant relation to the deities of old. I am a direct descendant of Argus himself.'' -- Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Bio

Rain is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

About Rain
Rain was originally meant to appear in Mortal Kombat 3, but didn't actually appear until Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Rain was originally a red herring inserted by the game developers; a character shown in the game's intro sequence who did not actually exist within the game itself. Many MK fans searched for him in vain, with the eventual realization of his status as a joke character (named after a Prince song, Purple Rain) dawning. He would however, soon make an actual appearance in the console versions of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy as a full-fledged character with his own history (that of a traitor to his realm) and move set, to the delight of many fans, as well as the chagrin of others. His popularity is mixed within the MK fanbase.

Storyline
Rain is from the ancient realm of Edenia. As a small child, he bore witness to the invasion of his home world at the hands of Shao Kahn. During the chaos that ensued, Rain was smuggled away while his father stayed behind to perform his duties as a general in the Edenian army. Edenia's armies were crushed in the Outworld invasion, and Rain's father was subsequently killed by Kahn.

Thousands of years later, Rain mysteriously returned during the invasion of Earthrealm and was attacked by Kahn's extermination squads. Given the choice to fight for Kahn or be killed, he knowingly turned his back on his homeworld, and he chose to side with Shao Kahn. Either out of fear, cowardice, or ulterior motives, he aided Kahn in his plans for the conquest of Earthrealm. Trained in the art of combat, Rain fought whole-heartedly to destroy Earth's warriors.

As Rain has not appeared as a playable character in years, and Deadly Alliance offered no insights to his current whereabouts, details about Rain's fate remain unknown. His Mortal Kombat Trilogy ending stated that Kitana confronted Rain and was able to turn him against the Emperor by informing Rain of his father, an Edenian general's stand against Shao Kahn leading to his subsequent death. After learning this, Rain was furious, and embarked on a one-way suicide mission to stop Kahn.

Rain appears as a non-playable character in Mortal Kombat: Deception, in Konquest mode. He can be found in both Edenia and Outworld, and is involved in two separate sub-quests to be undertaken by Shujinko. In the second sub-quest, Rain is shown to have been slain by Jade. It is uncertain how many different events taking place in Konquest mode are canon.

During the events of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Rain learned of his true Edenian heritage. Quan Chi informed Rain that he is actually a direct descendant to Argus, the protector god of Edenia. Rain then started to refer to himself as a prince of the realm, as seen in Armageddon's Konquest mode, but he still chooses to fight on the side of evil, although he no longer serves Shao Kahn. He wishes to kill both Taven and Daegon in order to be able to win the ultimate prize and power promised from defeating Blaze. Rain confronts Taven in Arctika, but he is beaten in battle, eventually escaping in a watery portal.

In Rain's Armageddon ending, it is revealed that he is actually the half-brother of Taven and Daegon, being the son of Argus whose identity his father had tried to keep hidden. Imbued with the power of Blaze after defeating him, Rain becomes a full god, and Argus proclaims him as the new Protector of Edenia. However, Rain instead uses this power to enslave the realm. Argus, having ascended to the status of Elder God after Rain's own ascension, is unable to stop him

Power and abilities
Being the half-god he is, Rain wields immense power, representing the element of water. His powers being related to such, he is able to fire jet streams of water to either propel himself or attack opponents. In addition, he is able to create vortexes of water which allow him to easily teleport from one place to another or escape. In addition, he is able to conjure up lighting blasts from the sky to blast his opponents into the air.

Memorable moves

 * Mind-Control Orb: Rain projects a light-blue sphere at his opponent, which shatters as it hits. A successful hit allows Rain to move his opponent's body in any direction for a split-second. (MKT)
 * Shocking Bolt: Rain raises his arm and summons a blue lightning bolt to strike his enemy. This attack is given to Nightwolf in Deception. (MKT, MK:A)
 * Super Roundhouse: Rain roundhouses his opponent clear to the other side of the screen. Connecting with a second Super Roundhouse immediately after the first will not send the opponent back across the screen, meaning an infinte Super Roundhouse combo is impossible, despite rumors to the contrary. However, if a punch is landed on the midair opponent, then the effects of the Roundhouse return, allowing for an infinite combo all the same, if timed correctly. (MKT)
 * Water Blast: Rain shoots a high-pressure stream of water at his adversary, knocking them down. (MK:A)
 * Mystic Vapors: Rain submerges himself in a small pool of water and emerges behind his opponent. (MK:A)
 * Windy Feet: Rain propels himself forward with a blast of water from behind. (MK:A)

Fatalities

 * Upside Down Uppercut: Rain uppercuts his opponent into the air in several sections and they fall back down upside down. (MKT)
 * When Lightning Strikes: Rain sends a bolt of lightning that strikes the opponent over and over until they explode to pieces. (MKT)

Other finishers

 * Friendship: Rain makes it rain around his opponent causing a few flowers to grow at their feet. (MKT)
 * Animality: Rain turns into an elephant and blows his opponent's skin off their body by yelling out of its trunk. (MKT)

Movie appearance
Played by Tyrone Cortez Wiggins, Rain made a brief appearance in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. He was killed by Shao Kahn at a relatively early stage in the film, for not destroying Kabal and Kurtis Stryker, when Shao Kahn knocks him into a fire pit using his Wrath Hammer. This abrupt end, before any display of Rain's fighting or magical abilities, was seen by fans as an example of the film's inability to deal properly with the large number of characters introduced within its running time. It is implied that Rain was the general of Shao Kahn's extermination squads, ranking higher than Motaro, Sheeva and Ermac, as all three contend to fill the role after Rain's death (a role eventually awarded to Sindel). This, however, contradicts Raiden's threat of killing all four of Kahn's "generals" at the start of the movie. Stock footage of Rain's demise is used for Baraka's death in a later scene.

TV appearance
Rain made an appearance during one episode of Mortal Kombat: Conquest where he was played by Percy Brown. Shao Kahn sends him to kill Kung Lao so as to eliminate Earth's Grand Champion before the next tournament. Rain does battle with the monk, whom he is able to damage greatly, but Rain also becomes injured during the fight. As Kung Lao's friends arrive, Rain escapes in his weakened state. He appears later in the episode after being trailed by Siro. While the two are in combat, Kitana intervenes, forcing Rain to flee once again. Kitana then reveals that she and Rain were once friends, but he had become seduced by the power offered by Shao Kahn and chose to betray his homeland of Edenia.

Rain also appeared in an episode of the animated Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm series. He was portrayed as Kitana's ex-fiance who was thought to have been killed in battle against Shao Kahn thousands of years ago, sparking jealousy in Liu Kang. He went unmasked throughout this episode.

Trivia

 * One of the codes in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 activated the message: "Rain can be found in the Graveyard."


 * When Jade defeats Rain in Konquest mode, she says "Purple? Rain chooses his wardrobe most curiously." This may be a play on Purple Rain, or a humorous reference to Prince's wardrobe.


 * Mortal Kombat Deception also has a "backwards speech" sample which states: "Rain is Purple, get it?"


 * Although Rain is considered a joke character by many (considering his pointless role in the arcade version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3) and has only appeared in a handful of games, he has a large fanbase.


 * His bio, before it was retconned, had him as an ex-member of the Lin Kuei who left to work for Shao Kahn. This bio was allegedly given to Tremor, a difference being that Tremor went to work for the Black Dragon instead of Shao Kahn.


 * In Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, Rain was once engaged to Kitana, causing Liu Kang to become jealous whenever he made an appearance. Rain's former relationship with Kitana was also included in Mortal Kombat: Conquest.  The relationship between them has never existed in the games.


 * In UMK3 and Trilogy, Rain's roundhouse kick sends the opponent flying off the screen and back on the other side. However, it only does about one-third as much damage as anyone else's roundhouse kick.


 * In early versions of Armageddon, Karate was supposed to be his unarmed fighting style.