It was always Raiden in the arcade versions.

God, I forgot about "Rayden", lol.

Lol I used to always spell his name, Rayden..lol also not to get him mixed up with Raiden from MGS/Fatal fury

The issue pains me, because 'Rayden' would distinguish the actual pronunciation, but 'Raiden' would keep consistency with recent games.

I used Rayden regularly when I was younger (Mainly because I grew into this series through the Genesis, I figure) but have readjusted myself to Raiden in recent years... so I suppose I'd prefer Raiden.

Raiden is the name of the actual mythological thunder god (though alternately he's called Raijin)...so I'd prefer that.

I always preferred and stuck to "Raiden", even as a kid, 'cause I knew that the Arcade versions were always the "real" versions of the game, so the true spelling was that one.

Raiden. I grew up in the arcades, it's Raiden. Even when I got the plug n play MK1, it was Raiden.

Rayden just looks wrong to me. So I'd prefer Raiden, but I guess it really doesn't matter how they spell it the character will be the same regardless.

The intent was for his name to always be "Raiden."

However, in the games before MK4, he was called "Rayden" in the home-release versions of the game to avoid confusion with Raiden from Fatal Fury.

However, once a loyal fanbase was established, and there was no longer a fear of any confusion the name was changed back to (and kept as) Raiden, permanently.

In my personal opinion, Raiden is the correct spelling, and Rayden was just a placeholder, so-to-speak. There's no need to go back to Rayden, changing it again would just be too confusing. Let's just keep it Raiden, shall we?

It was a legal thing, not a popularity/confusion thing. Some other company owned the license to the name "Raiden" on the home consoles. Possibly the space shooter game with that title.

After MK4 though, that trademark lapsed or was no longer held or whatever so they could go back to spelling his name right on the home systems.

I have always used Raiden in terms of writing, and pronounced it like Rayden. I believe those are the correct(or at least intended by the MK team) ways on both accounts.

Y'know what I never understood about people who mispronounce MK characters' names? The announcer says them out loud!

Raiden

Except for Reiko; we didn't hear his name pronounced aloud until Konquest Mode in Deception, and not by an announcer until Armageddon.



I was unaware that "Raiden" and "Rayden" were pronounced differently.

Raiden is normally pronounced with an "I" sound instead of an "A" sound, just like how the Japanese term "Kai" isn't pronounced "kay."

Did you...not play MK4?

Because I owned that game. Both regular AND Gold. In both, his name is definitely said aloud when you pick him and when he wins fights.

And it was always said "Ray-ko". Which is how it looks anyway. "I before E unless it sounds like weigh" and all that...

Well, we're both right. I made a mistake in my original post. And I own both MK4 and MK: Gold (in fact, I bought a Dreamcast just for MK: Gold).

However, in MK4, Reiko was pronounced "REE-ko," and then "RAY-ko" from Deception onward.

I remembered that there was something up with the pronunciation of his name, and I typed my last post in haste, before correctly remembering what was different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuD1vVng9WM&feature;=related

The way the announcer is pronouncing it actually sounds like it could be interpreted as either "Ray-ko" or "Ree-ko". I've always heard it the first way, so the pronunciation in the later games never surprised me since it was the same to me, while you apparently hear it the second way.
I guess it's kinda like how some people swear Raiden's flying noises sound like "Johnny bought a car". Personally, I never heard that either.

I like it better like "Rayden".

But I guess it was always ment to be "Raiden", which I don't like as much but it really doesn't matter, at all.

This is really the thread killer. Everything that needs to be said is here.

For me...when he is in Television shows or Movies, he is Rayden 'Smartbuttski' God of Thunder and when it comes to the games he's Raiden 'Badnewsbringer' God of Thunder. But only for a sense of tradition...although how much of a tradition a 17+ year old game/story really has, I don't know. Either way, its the same deity.

What's with this Reiko crap? We've always heard it pronounced since the character was created in MK4... And it's always been Ray-ko.

As for Rayden...

I've always spelled it Rayden because of the pronunciation and because it's the way it's in the movies and Conquest (I think).

Raiden is the consistent and true-God-name spelling though, so I say keep Raiden.

I hear REEko.

In terms of the look of the name. "Raiden" looks better. I lvoe the classic one too and it wont bother me either way really. Maybe there will be an easter egg in there.