If you missed my article on Hercules, it can be found here.
Raijin, also known as Karinari-sama, Raiden-sama, Narukami, Raiku, and Kamowakeikazuchi-no-kami, is the Japanese God of storms, lightning, and thunder. The Shinto in Japan worshiped him. Because of the events surrounding his birth, he is also a death deity. Because of his link to the dead, he is also a God of destruction.
Raijin is the son of Izanami and Izanagi. They are the parents of the Japanese deities. He was unfortunately born after the death of his mother and is associated with death as well as storms. As you can see, he has a terrifying appearance as a byproduct of his birth. I supposed death and storms work together as some storms prove fatal. He has many siblings, most notably Susanoo, Fujin, Tsukuyomi, and Amaterasu. He has a son, Raitaro, who is also a thunder god. I haven’t found a wife or consort at all.
Even with Raijin having been born of his mother’s rotting corpse, his father commanded him to slay his mother again when Izanagi ran from Izanami out of the cave. Raijin was also considered a trickster. At one point, Sugaru was ordered to imprison Raijin. Invoking Kannon (the Buddha of Compassion), Raijin gave himself up to Sugaru and the emperor and was forced only to bring good fortune and rain to Japan.
Raijin and his brother Fujin are always depicted together. Fujin is the God of wind. Together they are a powerful force to be reckoned with. So much so that it is said that they were the reason the Mongol invasions failed. They brought typhoons that sank the Mongol ships.
Raijin makes sense to me in this game. I really think that Smite missed a unique opportunity to have both brothers as playable characters and maybe some kind of bonus if both brothers are on the same team on the battlefield. Would you want to meet these brothers? I think meeting them might be possible to be ok. I would not want to meet them in battle, though. Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, have fun storming the castle!
