Raiden's MK9 Visions Explained | Canon Ball

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#MortalKombat #MortalKombat9 #Raiden

[@epicbanana3669]

Theory: regarding what you say at 4:29, Kung Lao fakes his death during MK3 to go live a peaceful life in secret. Maybe it's still an "angry coz kung lao is dead" punch, because liu doesn't know lao faked it. Maybe Kung Lao faked his death to allow liu kang the strength to beat kahn. But that's absolutely too much credit for netherrealm.

[@FlashX212]

Interesting how Lao from the OG timeline is SO different compared to the one from the second and third timeline

[@youraveragemachine1013]

​@@FlashX212i do like how they basically give lao og timeline personality to raiden tho

[@NiCoNiCoNiCola]

Bro just asked Shao for a chiropractic massage

[@MattSayYay]

9:09 - I think that’s just the filter in the visions, Smoke’s cyber form was likely meant to be grey, but it looked blue because all the visions were in blue.

[@GhostFan-ev4di]

Its crazy that since mk9 all we've gotten from Mortal Kombat now in later games is time travel(and multiple timelines)

[@bananacakesmckanzee7290]

Did mkx have time travel?

[@TheDigitalApple]

Nothing new has happened in MK for over a decade. That’s just sad, all we’ve gotten is poor imitations of the Midway timeline

[@TheGraveKnight]

So at this point we're now the MKCU

[@GhostFan-ev4di]

​@@TheGraveKnightyup pretty much

[@Lord_Of_Eggs]

@@bananacakesmckanzee7290 11 did

[@AzurknightOMEGA]

8:42 it actually is Bi-Han's mask and the nose portions make it clearer as Kuai-Liang's mask has a slit in the nose portion, Bi-Han's does not and also, while harder to see, the cheeks also show this as Kuai-Liang's has some kind of buttons inside the cheeks and Bi-Han's mask has more screen-like cheeks. So I think the mask in the shot is Bi-Han's.

[@deadhelix]

i was going to say cause i paused and was like “isn’t it bi hans or am i stupid???”

[@rubercaine]

Was about to write the same thing, you beat me to it. 😄

[@EndoScorpion]

MK3 being based in Chicago makes sense. Not only because the Midway name being a reference to Chicago, but also based on character endings... Nightwolf cleansed his people's sacred land, using it as a safe-haven for the heroes to form a plan of attack against Shao Kahn's invasion. Nightwolf's Motaka tribe is supposedly based on the Lakota people, who are based in central US, west of Chicago. Stryker received visions from Raiden and instructed to travel West, but then travels back to "the city he swore to protect" to defeat Shao Kahn's invasion. There's no mention in this game where he is from and which city he swore to protect. However, a bio card in Armageddon's premium edition states Stryker is NYPD. The narrow river and short, uncovered bridges seem more like Chicago, as opposed to NY's much wider rivers and bridges with huge girders. Which would also imply the MK9 invasion is in Chicago too, as that game also has bridges that look very much like what they do in Chicago.

[@gr-8166]

The most obvious to the city reference is the bridge arena in 9. The arena in which we can see other bridges in the background but which is a bit vague yea but Chicago’s iconic view includes the river bridges. Even in Dark Knight it was the reason why Rises had to be shot elsewhere because the city was just easily recognizable.

[@Supernir]

Makes sense

[@KombatGod]

Great video as always. A couple things I'll add: about Liu Kang's blow to Shao Kahn, MK Gold reveals that Kung Lao was thought dead after his "final battle" with Shao Kahn, so it is possible that Liu Kang could have been enraged at the news of his death. About the "soulnado" not existing prior to MKDA, that is true when talking about the proper in-game text, but if you look up concept art for the Soul Chamber stage from MK3, the vortex of souls in the background is indeed labled "soulnado", so the concept did exist in the developers' mind since MK3. Still, no big soulnado is shown in the game's intro, I know.

[@EndoScorpion]

UMK3 endings for Liu Kang and Kung Lao talk about Kung Lao's apparent death. Liu Kang's ending says this enraged him and gave him the strength to beat Shao Kahn. MK4 just confirmed it as canon endings.

[@KombatGod]

@@EndoScorpion that's right.

[@nono9543]

Still can't get over how Shao Kahn won Armageddon despite us seeing him get yanked away by Onaga

[@GhostFan-ev4di]

Well thanks to mk11(and now mk1 2023) apparently mk armageddon could've happened similar and various ways(I can't believe I gotta accept that)

[@nono9543]

@@GhostFan-ev4di Oh so that implies that the Midway timeline and the Netherrealm timeline aren't exactly sequels to each other. Rather that the Netherrealm timeline is a continuation of events similar to Midways but with a different outcome. I see. Multiverse theory is a bitch lol

[@elmaster48]

I like to think that Taven was the one who defeated Blaze, and that causes his ending where everyone gets a power boost, the detail is that Shao Kahn would be able to assimilate the fact he just got a power boost and overpowered Onaga before he realizes that he also got a power boost, and once he killed Onaga he jumped right at the pyramid and killed Taven and took his power, thus making him winner of armageddon, maybe not slayer of Blaze but he still got the power.

[@EndoScorpion]

@@GhostFan-ev4di But the multiverse only happened because of the fight between Fire God Liu Kang and Kronika-absorbed, crown-wearing Shang Tsung. Before that there was only one timeline. However, before aftemath there was only one timeline and you could only stop or go back in time. So Liu Kang, at the dawn of time, would have no way of getting to the pre-reset partof MK11. Meaning Aftermath is canonically impossible, based on the established lore or MK11. And thus so is M1K. Basically, time-travel and multiverse ruined MK. And the writers have been tripping over themselves and constantly rebooting to try to fix their crap. The only way they can fix it is if they pick uip from Armageddon, ignore MK9 onwards, and pretend like timetravel is impossible in MK.

[@GhostFan-ev4di]

@@EndoScorpion I feel like the reason the writers went the multiverse route is so they can have an excuse not to run into any dead corners

[@saloz9483]

Like that midway was based thrown in there. Also seeing Dark Raiden bio makes me frustrated we still haven't really had a big story with Dark Raiden and probably never will unless they make new era Raiden turn dark or something.

[@jaernihiltheus7817]

Even if they do do it again they'll just retcon it out in the next game like they did in mk11

[@jaernihiltheus7817]

@charleshastings7260 honestly, i works really well for comics, and probably would've worked fine if this was following mk2 or mk3. The issue is that by the time they got to armageddon MK had its own mythology that doesn't work with multiverse shenanigans & time travel, it also had its own aesthetic & universe as this gothic 70s kung fu meets dark fantasy political thriller meets techno eldritch horror with a side of hero's journey. It was far to late to push things in the NRS direction without it feeling extremely awkward and out of place - ruining everything it touches in the process.

[@Mysteriouslydarkstorys]

Holy cow, the attention to detail when it comes to the vision of Johnny's death was something i completely missed. I finally understand now why Raiden just yeets away and seemingly drops Motaro for no reason but it all makes sense now

[@simony17y]

10:10 Midway "being based" made me suddenly recall a cheeky remark on MK's story I've seen somewhere: "Midway's MK = art house, NRS' MK = Hollywood".

[@jaimediaz6621]

Pretty sure Bi-Han's mask is used in the vision of his death. There's no middle line that cuts through the upper portion of the mask. It also has the angled edges versus Kaui Liang's smooth curve.

[@Cloxer]

I am thrilled you made this video, this is something that I've been wanting to see explained the most since some of the MK Games like Deadly Alliance i haven't fully played and some of Raiden's visions did confuse me some so this is pretty helpful Also happy birthday, i am happy i found this channel through your MK9 kritique.

[@ironyoshi27]

That midway was based line had me rolling on the floor 😭 (happy birthday btw)

[@ironyoshi27]

10:08

[@zel3079]

Always was 🗿

[@K-11609]

I think the Kano imprisoned flashback is nothing more than a nod to how he was put in chains during the tournament in MK2 as an Easter Egg, or something like that. Also with Jax's arms, it somewhat works because of the circumstances regarding how he gets them. The prior timeline had him volunteer to get his arms replaced, whereas in MK9 he was forced to because Ermac ripped them off.

[@EndoScorpion]

Wasn't MK3 Liu Kang enraged due to Kung Lao's supposed death during the final battle?

[@inductivegrunt94]

Raiden really needs to get his eyes checked with all these visions of his. Dude really changed a lot with these visions and did help and hinder many different characters. Happy Birthday Snake! And Midway is based!

[@SuperGamefreak18]

I always felt why the visions were so confusing was because how future raiden sent them they were put into a destroyed amulet of shinnok. It was a quick message sent to the past in its state it was lucky he must win made it to him clearly. That amulet had no way of sending a clear message back if it didn’t break maybe.

[@fyour1st527]

MK9 creators that don't even work there: " I was just trying to finish before the deadline..."

[@pato6738]

Personally I like to think the inconsistencies on this game (like sometimes they take stuff from the original games and sometimes from the Shaolin Monks game, sometimes from the MK vs DCU, and sometimes they depict a new thing all together like Cyrax and Sektor in the original tournament) tell us this was a different timeline than the original (which ended with Taven victorious) this one started like the Midway one, had some differences but still go till Armagedon but on this one Shao Kahn beat Blaze which lead to a reboot. It would explain why Raiden uses an amulet that he literally never had 8 games in the past

[@TerceiroMundista]

My man just called Hsu Hao one of the most important characters in MK, knowing damn well what the comment section was gonna be

[@hurricane7727]

Hsu Hao Succeeded in Destroying the Other World investigation Agency Hq that had Portals and Destroyed it regardless of his Death which Limited Special Forces Movement

[@niceboifeast8838]

8:41 I think that IS Bi Hans mask, just too beat up to recognize

[@EndoScorpion]

Yeha, the damage on the side makes it looks like the circluar vent on Kuai Liang's mask, but if you look on the bridge of the nose part, it looks more like Bi Han's.

[@HellNutcase]

8:41 But this is Bi-Han's mask.

[@RugaQwarrcall]

Honestly kinda seems like some weird in-between of the masks. The outer portion is similar to Bi-Han, but the mouthpiece seems closer to Kuai Liang's while still also being a bit unique.

[@HellNutcase]

@@RugaQwarrcall It's 100% Bi-Han's mask, just bent.

[@vaggos2003]

​@@RugaQwarrcallMK9, bpth the game itself and its marketing, has this weird obsession with giving Bi-Han Kuai's costume, if we are to judge from Raiden's visions, Quan Chi's illusion and the devs claiming that the Sub-Zero in the trailers would totally be the elder Sub-Zero.

[@shawerful5209]

The vision of raiden talking to the main heroes in deadly alliance, always gave me chills

[@kennethglenn3613]

Happy birthday you absolute legend

[@YSL8704]

I personally like the Raiden vs Liu Kang fight, and it’s because of the terrifying implications of it… Imagine there being billions, maybe even TRILLIONS of timelines, and over and over and over and over again you and someone you’ve known for a long time, that’s basically like a father to you, have fought, it’s a never ending cycle, it happens again, and again, and again, timeline after timeline, the same exact thing happening, and you don’t even realize it… That’s a terrifying thought… But I see why you don’t like it…

[@luizkorynga]

Happy birthday Snake

[@orizach01]

I never understood the "he must win" line, if he was truly referring to the time in mk3 where Shao invaded Earthrealm, why did he suddenly remember this invasion so much later? why did he think about that specific moment?

[@simony17y]

Well, he had Shao Kahn standing right in front of him as a memento. 😉

[@TheDigitalApple]

It’s Snakes birthday hurrah!

[@aleanddragonITA]

10:25 I guess he got found out by Barakka so the Fight was against an Intruder instead of Kung Lao revealing himself in front of Shang Tsung and so being recognized as an Official Participant

[@PigMan161]

Holy shit, I have literally always wanted this video

[@edrianraneses5864]

I do hoped you make a Subzero (Mortal Kombat 1) | Wasted Potential video soon enough pal

[@TheDigitalApple]

M1K proved someone has a vendetta against Sun Zero, Bi Han especially.

[@edrianraneses5864]

@@TheDigitalApple Sub zero yes

[@EndoScorpion]

@@TheDigitalApple A vendetta against Scorpion too (the real Scorpion I mean). And Kitana, as she is redundant now that Mileena is basically Kitana, but transforms into the monster Mileena for combat. And Sindel, bringing back Twindel to kill of Sindel. I mean, there's so much in M1K that just feels spiteful towards past MK, despite relying solely on past MK as NRS writers can't tell an original story.

[@realmjumper8154]

Just a genuine question. In the cyber-smoke vision is the model actually blue or is it the tint of the vision since all of the visions are featured in a blue hue. I have just been wondering that since it was pointed out.

[@younezzz]

Happy birthday lad

[@jasonblundelldobebussing]

What about a 30+ years old version of Raiden with glasses, also known as The 4th Child Of Snake. Can you explain him?

[@SonicHaXD]

10:08 MIDWAY WAS BASED XD

[@siddharthghosh3963]

Hey, maybe you can make a video on who killed who in the aftermath of MK Armageddon based on the opening cutscenes of MK9 and Armageddon?

[@pious83]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hl6QoJZ6nbemrLM

[@MazeDaGr8]

Happy Bday Mr Snake

[@xavierwalko4175]

Happy Birthday bro! Maybe try to figure out some sort of crossover story? (New MK VS DC/Injustice, or maybe Street Fighter if you want a challenge.) Also I like Fate too.

[@spider-manunknown9193]

I personally think that the opening of MK9 is not the original timeline and instead is a replica of it with some miner differences with Shao Kahn winning Armageddon instead of Taven. So The Midway era is the very first timeline and all got altered after Armageddon thx to Kronika. So MK9 opening is possibly a timeline that’s almost exactly like the original timeline.

[@CC-fl7lk]

yea thats how i see it too. cause it feels like mental gymnastics tryna make sense of it being the same as mk9😭

[@crossovanon3401]

2:04 a great moment of Quan chi getting slapped lmao

[@MegaJetty1]

Happy birthday!

[@Pol74698]

8:51 probably just a beta Dark Raiden model, note the different colors of eyebrows. The expression, though, makes me think this isn't Dark Raiden on his last legs, but rather a battered and bruised Dark Raiden who is still battling

[@Pol74698]

Scratch that part about the "beta model"

[@VerdantRange]

The continuity errors with Raiden's visions really help with the fan theory that Kronika had reset the timeline after Taven's ending and what we see at the start of MK9 is from a later timeline.

[@legionbeast]

Not using Geras as the trump card during Mortal 1 Kombat's time mayhem by using his unkillable fixed point aspect is certainly one of the most wasted aspects of his character. Oh and Happy Birthday!

[@nabilahmed579]

Geras as a concept would realistically been busted and broke as hell in the actual story, which is why they have the plot fuck him over lmao

[@Takejiro24]

Happy Birthday, Snake! 🎂🎉

[@ianreynoso3043]

Happy birthday the4thsnake 🎉🎉 Also it’s my birthday as well

[@Makoto03]

Great video and happy birthday. :)

[@blacksabbath9631]

Here’s more interesting thought for you regarding timeline/multiverse/repeats in MK, Snake. Basically, if replica of NRS plots goes toes-to-toes and MK1 (just like MK9) come through three games (DA, Deception and Armageddon), so it means um…..NRS need to repeat now MKvsDC💀

[@aleanddragonITA]

What if they do InJustice 3 And MKvsDC is a function that allows M1K to connect with IJ3? I already saw it in another Game of Dragon Ball that can connect with an One Piece Game And so you could have Goku VS Luffy

[@gabrixsonico]

Excellent video, thank you very much for making it, I always found it curious about Raiden and these visions Is there something else that with these visions of Raiden made changes to the original timeline? I would like to know, why did it take so long for the story with Shinnok to happen in MKX and also how until then there was no armageddon? And the original timeline as it should currently be?

[@pacman10124]

best vid you've made in a while imo snake

[@iPeedabed]

Happy birthday 4th snake🎉🎉🎉

[@MannerdDesert7]

4:20 I think the idea is that Kung Lao did die in the original timeline (or at least was thought to be dead), in Liu Kang & Kung Lao’s MK3 ending he dies fighting Shao Kahn & this was assumed canon until retconned in MK Gold. I’m assuming who ever was responsible for creating the vision forgot Kung Lao didn’t actually die.

[@TheRealVbros]

@@aleanddragonITA he was referring to mk3, not armageddon

[@fvzw.]

happy birthday, 4th snake :)

[@harukami912]

About the vision where Sub-Zero bows to Raiden: In MK9, Smoke bows to Raiden _exactly_ like that after being saved from the Cyber Lin Kuei by him.

[@hurricane7727]

That was Actually Sub Zeros Mk Deadly Alliance ending

[@turdfurgesin9563]

I don’t know how serious I take Armageddon’s intro I think it’s multiple timelines because the intro to Armageddon depicts Sub-Zero and Scorpion fighting which at this point of the story makes no sense because Scorpion swears protection over Sub-Zero because he knows it was Quan Chi that deceived him.

[@diojoestar9646]

Happy birthday !!!

[@cameronjohnson9361]

I think kung Laos almost death at the end of 3 explains that particular image Lao was always the trigger in both timelines it just happened earlier and I also took that scorpion one as him finisher stealing

[@xxmegamuertexx69]

8:38 I think it is Bi Han's mask, i mean it doens't have that line in the middle which Kuai Liang has

[@yezki8]

0:38 theory: Raiden killed or knocked out Taven here, which ensure the doom

[@The4thSnake]

Interesting.

[@21eienni]

That's cool! And happy birthday! (a bit late, sorry)

[@thesbleeder2162]

My theory: Kronika reset time just before Armageddon, so Raiden's message went to a Raiden in a new timeline. There are too many differences... Quan Chi being involved... Kitana not knowing about Mileena... Jax being on Shang Tsung's island, etc.

[@nonverbalpie8151]

Happy Birthday Snake.

[@desrochessimon3044]

Happy Birthday, 4th Snake!

[@cagedcoco1681]

Kronika watching Snake's videos be like: "You'll never figure out all my inconsistencies, but you are welcome to try, of course. :)"

[@cagedcoco1681]

Off topic but related: I like the idea that all the inconsistencies is why Kronika was going insane during MK11, she kept making more of them and kept getting mad that others were pointing them out 😂

[@aleanddragonITA]

Headcanon The Fourth Snake was the Only Time Keeper before Kronica (mentioned by Geras in M1K) He died when Midway closed and Kronica claimed his powers when NetherRealm Studio was made

[@TheMemeRepository]

A third option might be that Scorpion decapitated Sub-Zero first & then burned him in both timelines, with the only deviation being that he removed his hood-face first in the NRS timeline. But yeah, no real way to tell.

[@SteveOh_]

Hell yea, I've been waiting for this video since I was 13

[@HaloDarkKnight117]

Literally plot vision

[@nobodyjr8413]

Hey happy birthday snake 🎉👑

[@jaimegabriel6041]

"Midway was based"

[@milanbeerepoot4260]

10:11 idk how this caught me off guard i should know better by now

[@TheBlackSerpentBeta]

Happy birthday, nerd Keep up the great work

[@rashadmiller25]

Happy birthday 4th snake

[@dareelcabbagelord1332]

Happy birthday man 🎉

[@jakebailey5834]

Happy birthday 4th Snake

[@Sumsuch000]

Happy Birthday.

[@ryanbarrie9143]

Happy birthday snake

[@MannerdDesert7]

8:40 is that Kuai Liangs helmet, they look pretty similar but the shape of the nose guard looks more like Bi-Han. Maybe it was a holdover from when they hadn’t made both costumes yet.

[@AmethystReaver]

Man i really miss when Mk was only about other realms trying to conquer earth and had none of these bullshit time travels

[@hurricane7727]

That was all Prior to Mk9.

[@nabilahmed579]

Tbf, mk9 did not involve time travel that much and it was a lot more about setting up a new continuity at all. It is where mk11 started involving the timeline nonsense where it starts to get ridiculously convuluted

[@NIkolasCarr]

Merry birthday 🎉

[@DeathScepter]

Happy birthday and I am going to like this video for you produce good content

[@DeathScepter]

out of respect for the4thsnake, please report any telegram for they are spam

[@dar_dar3655]

Happy birthday Snake!

[@scubba2short]

Whatever happened to Armageddon Blaze Shao Khan?! I just can't believe his timeline wouldn't exist. With all the branch universes & that Khan being so powerful wouldn't he be a god or Titan?! #bringbackTitanShaoKhan

[@Axel_Kasai]

There should be a titan shao Kahn but I don't think it'd be the one that won Armageddon.

[@Bacxaber]

*Kahn

[@MegaAmir46]

Would love to see you go over Liu Kang vs Raiden multi timeline battles from MK11..some the areas I feel were supposed to depict multiple games (like Liu Kang in black/white at warrior shrine I assume to be MK1)

[@projesusantisatan3583]

Happy birthday I hope you’re enjoying it

[@GiubileiFernando]

To me MK9 is not a direct sequel to Armageddon, after all the timelines shown in the intro of 11 I think Raiden or someone else changed the timeline a couple of times between Armageddon and 9, MK 9 is just the timeline that stuck around.

[@nate-is1jv]

Happy birthday and have a great day

[@JulianCaesaro]

So basically… MK Shaolin Monks was the original second timeline, and the mk series has just been having references to past unmentioned timelines until they got mentioned in a new part of the story overall, and mk9 was really the first clue of some things that happened 🧐🤔 Wow crazy take

[@wildpig6986]

8:42 they do use Bi-han mask because there is no line streak on top of the mouth piece

[@kurozunakabuto9682]

Here's to hoping the next game doesn't reset the timeline Tho Havik will make it happen

[@EndoScorpion]

I frickin hope they do reset it, and/or merge all the timelines into one. This multiverse crap needs to die. We need to go back to the original timeline and pretend like none of this time crap ever happened, or is even possible.

[@kurozunakabuto9682]

@@EndoScorpion that will be a very messy universe With how they (in-universe) explain that Kronika death cause the timelines to break of to separate universes

[@EndoScorpion]

@@kurozunakabuto9682 Not if they pick up from Armageddon and pretend like MK9 onwards never happened. But even if they don't, and just merge what they have now into one timeline... it would still be far less messy than having a multiverse. Multiverses and time-shenannigans are messy, and we'd all be better off when they finally do away with it all.

[@czechpatriot2230]

@@EndoScorpion Well Disney is dying which mean that Marvel is aswell so lets hope this trend will end with them.

[@Axel_Kasai]

​@@EndoScorpionthey wouldn't just pretend everything from 9 onwards didn't happen. Just gotta deal with it 😂

[@PrimeWolfi]

Happy shared Birthday Snake

[@lizardking4465]

Happy birthday bro

[@cokelife5831]

I always thought 2:30 is from mk vs dc when sub zero goes to raiden to make peace

[@felman87]

Happy Birthday!

[@cfdesignsonline]

"Midway was based" 😂🤣

[@rydn_x]

I think in Raiden’s bio in either mk Armageddon or deception it mention that shinnok approached Raiden and offered him a alliance but Raiden would pretend to be a ally

[@MysticEle]

Happy 🎂 day Snake!

[@saimkhan-2113]

soulnado is present in MK3 behind the Shao kahn temple 10:02

[@gonzalotorres5282]

Happy birthday! :gun: Sorry, is all what I could get. My debt is...

[@RAIN_2001]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

[@cagedcoco1681]

Happy belated birthday 🎉

[@Taitosalad]

12:24 will wish a happy birthday instead.