Capcom vs SNK 2/Raiden

Introduction

Overview

Strategy

Combos

Matchups

Health (at Ratio 2)
15600	Extremely High
Stun
80	Average
Dash Length
16 Frames	Average
Dash Type
Hop	Corpse Hop=Yes, Proj. Hop=Yes
Run Speed
5.6	Extremely Slow
Roll Distance
120 pixels	Average
Roll Duration
28f	Long
Wakeup Speed compared to Ryu
1f	Below Average

Story

Raiden is an Australian professional wrestler. He was known for violence, often maiming his opponents and injuring them heavily. Geese Howard noticed this, and hired him on as a henchman. He excelled at this, mostly due to his violent nature. When Geese started The King of Fighters, Raiden entered to find strong fighters to hurt. While he did well in the beginning, he eventually fought against Andy Bogard, who swiftly dispatched him. Humiliated by his defeat, he changed his ways. He went from a heel wrestler (a violent, villain persona wrestler) to a face wrestler (a heroic and fan favorite wrestler), renaming himself to Big Bear. Nowadays, he hangs out with the Bogard brothers and Joe, and enters tournaments under either of his characters to relive his glory days mostly.

Gameplay

Raiden is a very unique character. He's a large, big-body style character mainly, with the highest health value possible in the game. He has a few solid buttons, neat pressure strings, a 421P Rekka in Combination Body Blow for knockdowns, and a strange but useful invincible special with [4]6P Giant Bomb. His useful neutral tools allow him to get a knockdown with his Rekkas and run his notably useful guard crush strings, especially in K-Groove. While he does have a command grab, he doesn't use it often. Instead, he uses his abnormally long range and high damage punch throw to threaten a tick throw from very far away. This has powerful conjunction with his guard crush strings, as the opponent essentially has to guess between a tick throw or a rekka, and then even after the rekka, they have to guess between the 214P followup which is a strike and the 214K followup command grab. Even better, Raiden can use his 63214P Poison Breath for an extremely plus on block special, allowing him to reset this situation constantly.

Raiden does have to struggle around some big weaknesses however. The biggest ones being his size and speed. Raiden wants to get close, but can't crouch under much of anything, and isn't fast enough to evade any pokes either. His poor jump arc doesn't help, forcing him to often just walk and block or risk a gimmick option to get in. Raiden comes equipped with plenty of gimmick options, like Giant Bomb which will blow through opponents mashing buttons or throwing poor fireballs. Still, if the opponent knows how to beat these tools, Raiden isn't left with much that isn't notably high risk. Raiden is an interesting big body character with hints of both the grappler and the guard crush style in him, who has to struggle through neutral and especially on defense to win.

Groove Selection

Best - K: K-Raiden is easily his best Groove. While his run isn't the greatest, it's much better than his dash, and run is always better for approaching. Having hop helps him evade things, and hop j.2HP Flying Body Press lets him threaten a very useful crossup. Rage sends his damage up high, and especially sends his guard crush high, allowing Raiden to realistically guard crush with a few moves. Blocking vs. a Raged Raiden is scary, and if he does land a hit, he hits like a truck. He has plenty of scary good setups into his throw and 360 and especially his 720, as low jump LK is a very good tool to set it up. Just Defend is useful to call out pokes aggressively, make jumps a bit less risky, and to beat pressure strings where the opponent doesn't change their timings. His level 3 6321463214P Fire Breath super is also incredibly useful, being able to confirm from his rekka ender easily. This lets him do MASSIVE damage from clean hits, and gives him very realistic 2-touch potential. K-Raiden has everything he needs and more, and is solidly his best Groove.

Useful - N/P/C: N-Raiden is essentially a lesser K-Raiden. He maintains the mobility, but gains a roll, which can be very useful for roll cancels. RC Rekkas and RC Poison Breath especially can be very useful. He sacrifices K-Raiden's guard crush ability and massive damage output, as only the level 3 version of Fire Breath juggles, meaning N-Raiden has to activate Max Mode. Though this isn't a huge weakness, as Raiden has decent dizzy potential, and one dizzy with two bars will likely end the round. P-Raiden gets very consistent parry punishes, and still has hop to use for better mixup potential. His punishes up close are great, but even a far parry can at least get him a throw thanks to his amazing punch throw. P-Raiden won't have meter often, but when he does, he can do massive damage. C-Raiden gets more access to supers overall, upping his damage, and airblock somewhat makes up for losing hop. His level 2 combo does decent damage when using his 236236P Crazy Train super, and while it isn't quite as damaging as a level 3 Fire Breath, he has access to it more often.

Worst - A/S: A-Raiden has one massive weakness, and that's lacking any synergy with Custom Combo. While Raiden's CC is simple and does good damage, he lacks any utility with it in the same way the best A-Groove characters have. His only real anti-air CC being in the corner, no good blocked CC, and all of the utility it has like being able to confirm a CC after a Rekka being done better by level 3 Fire Breath holds him back a lot. Otherwise, all of what A-Raiden has, C-Raiden also has. S-Raiden similarly struggles, as he loses any high damage potential until very low health. Raiden can charge and not be too scared of getting hit thanks to his high health, but it's still not a great thing to deal with, and S-Groove has very little strength otherwise.

Raiden is a big body character who dishes out damage and crushes guard with the best of them when he gets in. He has to struggle to get the opponent sitting still, but if he can, he shines with powerful blockstrings and massive damage, especially in his best Groove. Raiden is best in K-Groove.
Pros	Cons
Damage: Raiden is capable of dishing out massive damage, especially with Rage, where he can juggle after his 421P > 214P with a level 3 Fire Breath Health: Tied with Zangeif and Chang for the highest health value possible, Raiden can take plenty of hits and keep going Guard Crush: Using his 63214P Poison Breath, Raiden can constantly reset pressure, all while threatening a powerful strike/throw mixup, allowing him to melt opponents guard bars Strike/Throw: While you may think this is because of his command grab, Raiden actually uses just his simple punch throw for this. This is because his punch throw has abnormally long reach and high damage, allowing him to threaten a throw from farther out than anyone else can Giant Bomb: [4]6P Giant Bomb is a unique special with tons of invincibility on the startup, and it can be spaced out to be fairly hard to punish. If your opponent doesn't know how to deal with this, Raiden's neutral becomes much better	Big and Slow: Raiden has to struggle through neutral vs a lot of the top tiers since he is both a very large hurtbox and not very mobile. CvS2 is almost entirely about neutral, so this weakness can't be understated No Reversal: While Giant Bomb does have invincibility, it isn't a true reversal, forcing Raiden to rely on system mechanics to escape pressure Weak Normals: Raiden lacks any sort of ridiculous button like many of the top tiers, and will often just be walking forward and blocking in neutral to get into close range K-Groove Reliant: Because of the strength of K-Groove and his synergy with it, Raiden can only really compete in K-Groove, which means many teams simply can't have Raiden and still succeed

Normal Moves

Far Normals

5LP

Far Jab
Far Light Punch
5LP / Far LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	500	5	SP/SU	Mid	High	4	4	10	18	+1	+1	None
A quick upward chop. Slow, but can work as a very short but useable anti-air.

5MP

Far Strong
Far Medium Punch
5MP / Far MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1100	11	None	Mid	High	9	10	13	32	-1	-1	None
A big palm strike. Most times you may get this normal because you're trying to get close 5MP, but it still has uses. Works as an anti-air, but the vertical range on the hitbox is short, so you can't press it too early. Useable poke.

5HP

Far Fierce
Far Heavy Punch
5HP / Far HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1600	16	None	Mid	High	10	6	15	31	+5	+5	None
A big gut punch. No cancels, but does the highest damage a single button can do, so it's definitely a worthwhile thing to punish with from ranges that 2LP and 2LK/MK will whiff at. Really slow as a poke, but if landed you are +5 and get good damage.

5LK

Far Short
Far Light Kick
5LK / Far LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	500	5	SU	Mid	High	6	6	7	19	+4	+4	None
A quick midsection kick. Really good button to pressure with while threating a strike/throw mixup. Great poke, decent range and pretty fast, you can throw it out and risk nothing. Has good active frames for a light normal.

5MK

Far Forward
Far Medium Kick
5MK / Far MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1000	10	None	Mid	High	9	10	14	33	-2	-2	None
A long ranged toe kick. Has good range, but as a poke it's slow and not rewarding at all. Not that useful.

5HK

Far Roundhouse
Far Heavy Kick
5HK / Far HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Far	1400	14	None	Mid	High	14	8	18	40	-9	0	None
Raiden does a standing dropkick. A very unique normal. While it can go over lows that is pretty much it's only good use. The reason why this normal is -9 on hit and 0 on block is because the movehit data for air normals is used for this button. On block it causes a lot of pushback and is 0. This was most likely customized data specifically for this button. On hit, it causes very little pushback and is -9, which was the result of air normal hitstun and pushback being used here. In terms of practicality, this button kinda sucks, it's punishable on hit, but it's still unique and unlike any other normal in the game.

clMP

Close Strong
cl.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1100	11	SP/SU	Mid	High	7	7	11	25	+4	+4	None
A downward elbow strike. Your go-to confirm into HP Combination Body Blow and Crazy Train. Decent meaty and up close button. Has a very short proximity range, your best confirm into it is from a crossup j.2HP but you can get it from a typical jump-in but it has to be deep.

clHP

Close Fierce
Close Heavy Punch
cl.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1600	16	SU	Mid	High	6	8	26	40	-8	-8	None
A slow, powerful clothesline. Nothing really that special with this button, it's unsafe but does have a cancel to super. Most likely seen when Raiden fails to get his punch throw.

clLK

Close Short
Close Light Kick
cl.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	600	6	SP/SU	Mid	High	3	6	7	16	+4	+4	None
A quick midsection knee. Pretty much the same as 5LK, you can pressure with this button and continuously threaten a punch throw. Has a really, really short activation range but the data is pretty much unchanged from 5LK outside of 100 extra damage so it doesn't change too much. Has a special cancel unlike 5LK, but the only special it combos into is LP Combination Body Blow, but since the activation range is near nonexistent you cannot combo into it from chains like 2LP.

clMK

Close Forward
Close Medium Kick
cl.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close	1100	11	SU	Mid	High	6	8	14	28	0	0	None
A goofy looking upkick. Can be an up close anti-air for short hops, but much like Raiden's other close normals the activation range is really short. Can't be used for anything else, the super cancel and relatively weak damage makes it not worth using in most situations.

2LP

Crouch Jab
Crouching Light Punch
2LP / cr.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	300	3	SP/SU	Mid	Low	4	4	6	14	+5	+5	None
A fast crouching jab. A good jab as they come, it doesn't hit low but it's really fast and plus. Great button for ticking/pressuring, and is Raiden's go-to jab starter.

2MP

Crouch Strong
Crouching Medium Punch
2MP / cr.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1000	10	None	Mid	Low	8	4	19	31	-1	-1	None
A quick low punch. While a serviceable poke, the fact that this button has no cancels makes it very unrewarding in his combos and neutral game. Pretty short ranged and slow in recovery.

2HP

Crouch Fierce
Crouching Heavy Punch
2HP / cr.HP

First Hitbox

Second Hitbox

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	900+600	9+6	None	Mid	High	11	2+3	29	45	-8	-8	None
An upward axe handle swing. While it's supposed to be one of Raiden's anti-airs, it's painfully slow. The second hitbox (the one that is meant to anti-air) starts up in 13 frames, and considering the massive 29 frame recovery, throwing it out there expecting a jump is not going to lead to good results. Cannot cancel the first hit for combo purposes, it should only be used as a very early anti-air.

2LK

Crouch Short
Crouching Light Kick
2LK / cr.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	400	4	SP/SU	Low	Low	4	5	11	20	-2	-2	None
A quick low toe tap. Unlike 2LP, 2LK can combo into HP Combination Body Blow, so it should be used for light confirms into it. Good poke, but due to the big 11 frame recovery and being minus it's not the best pressure option.

2MK

Crouch Forward
Crouching Medium Kick
2MK / cr.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1000	10	SP/SU	Low	Low	6	7	14	27	-2	-2	None
A slower toe tap. Essentially a slower 2LK, but cannot be confirmed into from any ground normal. Has enough hitstun to combo into LP Poison Breath for guard break strings. If you're too far out to get close 5MP, use this normal to confirm into HP Combination Body Blow from a jump-in.

2HK

Crouch Roundhouse
Crouching Heavy Kick
2HK / cr.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1300	13	None	Low	Low	9	8	24	41	HKND	-8	None
A sweeping heel kick. Pretty good startup for a sweep, and being -8 means it's pretty safe with good spacing. While being pretty committing without a cancel, landing this sweep awards Raiden a knockdown and can begin his strong pressure.

j.LP

Jump Jab
Jumping Light Punch
j.LP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	600	6	None	High	High	8	22	-	-	-	-	None
A quick aerial palm strike. One of your many air-to-airs. Small damage with okay startup. Pretty outclassed by j.LK unless the opponent in the air-to-air situation is above you.

j.MP

Jump Strong
Jumping Medium Punch
j.MP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1200	12	None	High	High	10	11	-	-	-	-	-
A slower aerial palm strike. If you want damage from your air-to-air you can use this button, but it is very slow in startup so you need to read the jump most times.

j.HP

Jump Fierce
Jumping Heavy Punch
j.HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1400	14	None	High	High	11	8	-	-	-	-	None
A double palm chop. One of Raiden's main jump-in attacks, it is the most damaging air normal Raiden has. As an air-to-air the small disjoint makes it useable but it's even slow than j.MP so the reads are still necessary.

j.LK

Jump Short
Jumping Light Kick
j.LK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	600	6	None	High	High	4	22	-	-	-	-	None
A quick outward leg kick. One of Raiden's best normals. Has really good range, and is especially scary in hop grooves where he can use a 4-frame high in tandem with his lows and threaten a punch throw afterwards, and he then gets in for more pressure. Great air-to-air and jump-in. It's really fast and has the range to land from most air-to-air positions, but due to the low hitbox those situations are not beneficial to use this normal for.

j.MK

Jump Forward
Jumping Medium Kick
j.MK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1100	11	None	High	High	7	11	-	18	-	-	None
Raiden sticks his leg out. Good air to air and a very long ranged move overall. If j.LK lacks the hitstun for jump-ins or setups, j.MK can be used as an alternative Very okay jump-in, not the best one Raiden has.

j.HK

Jump Roundhouse
Jumping Heavy Kick
j.HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
//+	1300	13	None	High	High	9	8	-	17	-	-	None
Raiden does an aerial dropkick. Decent air-to-air if done early, but the lack of active frames compared to startup frames can make it a little difficult to use. Can be a jump-in, but Raiden has better options.

Command Normals

Body Press

Bear Stomp
3HK

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1400	14	None	Mid	High	13	6	19	38	+2	+2	None
Raiden does a goofy looking stomp in front of him. While looking useless on the surface, as the range is nonexistent and has no visible threat in neutral, this command normal has some specific but very helpful uses due to it's big disjoint on the ground. The main purpose of this normal is to punish low hitting attacks on the ground. While there are many cases where this normal can work, the most noteworthy examples of this are Blanka's Slide/Rolling Ball, and Cammy's Spiral Arrow, which are moves that you will see a lot of if you face those characters. Keep in mind the startup for this move is 13 frames so you may have to preemptively stick it out in neutral, which might lead to it getting beat out during it's recovery. It's a risk that Raiden can take though, as his high health can spare him of some mistakes he makes in neutral.

Body Press

Body Press
j.2HP

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	1300	13	None	High	High	5	22	-	27	-	-	None
Raiden stretches his arms outward as he does a flying crossbody. This is Raiden's main cross-up tool. It just adds on to his mix-up game. The main move to confirm into close 5MP, can land at close and farther range.

Throws

Piledriver

Piledriver
Punch Throw
Near Opponent, 4/6HP

Throw Range

Piledriver

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close /+	2100	22	None	-	-	3	1	13	17	-	-	None
Raiden grabs and piledrives his opponent. An absolutely scary throw. At a huge range of 85 pixels, it boasts the longest normal throw range in the game. It also does great damage, especially when raged. Raiden prefers this throw in a vacuum over his 360 as he can activate it instantly and it gives him great pressure afterwards. This is also his go-to throw over his kick throw does not share the same range.

Bear Hug

Bear Hug
Kick Throw
Near Opponent, 4/6HK

Throw Range

Bear Hug

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Close /+	1000 + 200 (up to 17 times)	10	-	-	-	5	1	13	17	-	-	None
Raiden puts his opponent in a chokehold and squeezes them. While this throw can do more damage than the punch throw, most times it's equal to it, and it does not have the same range as the punch throw at 52 pixels, and starts up two frames slower, therefore essentially making it outclassed by the punch throw. If you need to use one of Raiden's normal throws, use the punch throw every time.

Special Moves

Giant Bomb

Giant Bomb
[4]6+P / Charge B, F+P
Charge ,+

Startup Hitbox

Active Hitbox

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP Charge ,+	1800	18	None	Mid	High	26	24	14	64	HKND	-14	23 Frames (Full Body)
Raiden takes a sprinter's stance and charges forward. While having a ton of i-frames, it is not a true reversal, and the startup is too much to be a good reversal. You can catch people off guard with this move, and even anti-air with it, but it has to be spaced in order to make it safe. Completely useless as an RC because the i-frames of the move itself exceed the i-frames given from the roll cancel. Shortest ranged of the three, can whiff from longer ranges in neutral. Cannot be combo'd into due to the startup.
MP Charge ,+	2000	20	None	Mid	High	34	26	14	74	HKND	-16	31 Frames (Full Body)
Raiden takes a sprinter's stance and charges forward. Takes the same uses as the LP version, but takes on even more range, about 3/4 screen.
HP Charge ,+	2200	22	None	Mid	High	42	28	14	84	HKND	-18	39 Frames (Full Body)
Raiden takes a sprinter's stance and charges forward. Has the most i-frames, but has the slowest startup and recovery, but can land from almost all ranges on the screen. If the screen doesn't scroll, HP Giant Bomb can land from fullscreen. Can be used as an anti-zoning tool, but it requires specific timing and the projectile being fast enough to pass through Raiden before his i-frames run out.

Poison Breath

Poison Breath
63214+P / HCB+P
+

Startup Hitbox

Active Hitbox

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP +	1200, 1100	12, 11	None	Mid	High	17	-	51	68	HKND	+9	None
Raiden spits a poison mist from his mouth. While the recovery seems big, that is only if this move doesn't connect. If it does, Raiden immediately recovers, and it leaves him +9 on block. On top of that, it knocks down on hit, giving him more pressure and mixups. Raiden's go-to guard string pressure tool, at range it can hit a majority of characters who are crouching. It's even more dangerous on big characters like himself, Sagat, Zangief, and Chang, where it can land at wonky ranges meaning Raiden gets more room to pressure. Pretty weak damage for combo purposes, only use it for guard string pressure.
MP +	1300, 1200	13, 12	None	Mid	High	21	-	75	96	HKND	+9	None
Raiden spits a poison mist from his mouth. Can be a decent RC anti-air, but Raiden has better options. It's 4 frames slower in startup but 24 frames slower in recovery, so it's best to use the light version for any pressure purposes.
HP +	1400, 1300	14, 13	None	Mid	High	24	-	101	125	HKND	+9	None
Raiden spits a poison mist from his mouth. Not used much, on whiff it's absolutely dreadful, with a triple digit recovery time of 101 frames, whiffing this attack almost certainly doesn't end well.

Thunder Crush Bomb

Thunder Crush Bomb
360+K
+

Throw Range (LK)

Throw Range (MK)

Throw Range (HK)

Success

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LK +	2200	22	None	-	-	3	1	27	31	-	-	None
Raiden piledrives his opponent, then jumps up and throws them down from the air. Has the most range but weakest damage. Considering the fact that it does only 100 more damage than the punch throw and needs a 360, as well as sharing the exact same 85 pixel throw range, most times Raiden wants his punch throw over this move.
MK +	2400	24	None	-	-	3	1	27	31	-	-	None
Raiden piledrives his opponent, then jumps up and throws them down from the air. Has slightly less range but does 200 more damage. Not too many uses for this version.
HK +	2600	26	None	-	-	3	1	27	31	-	-	None
Raiden piledrives his opponent, then jumps up and throws them down from the air. Has the least range at 79 pixels, but does the most damage. If you want damage out of your meterless throws this is the option. Although, Raiden's 360 does somewhat make it difficult for him to pressure afterwards so keep that in mind.

Super Dropkick

Super Dropkick
[KK]
Hold

Active Hitbox

Active Hitbox (Falling Down)

Landing Hurtbox

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
Hold for 1~8 Seconds Level 1	1400	14	None	Mid	High	18	17	42	77	HKND	-35	None
Raiden does a big leaping dropkick. Similar to Boxer's Turn Around Punch, this move will increase in strength as you hold 2K for longer periods of time. It's not Raiden's strongest move unlike KOF 13, as this move fills one role and one role only, that being Raiden's main choice of anti air. If RC'd, dropkick fills a big hole in Raiden's defense. There isn't that much upside to charging this move for longer period of time. Most of the time Raiden will just need to charge a lvl.1 dropkick and use it for his anti air game, but if he does end up charging more levels then that's fine. In terms of what two kicks to use, MK and HK are the best ones since Raiden has access to 5LK, 2LK and j.LK, all good normals, while only losing access to 2MK, j.HK and 3HK. He doesn't spend much time holding a charge but if he has to then he can afford to lose those normals for extended periods of time.
Hold for 8~24 Seconds Level 2	1800	18	None	Mid	High	18	18	42	78	HKND	-35	None
Raiden does a big leaping dropkick. Adds slightly more range and 400 more damage. Raiden most likely gets this by accident when preparing to charge a lvl.1 dropkick for anti air purposes.
Hold for 24~48 Seconds Level 3	2200	22	None	Mid	High	18	20	42	80	HKND	-38	None
Raiden does a big leaping dropkick. Adds even more damage and range. Nothing much else.
Hold for 48 or more Seconds Level 4	3800	38	None	Mid	High	18	21	42	81	HKND	-39	None
Raiden does a big leaping dropkick. If you somehow get this level, it will deal big damage, around lvl.2 super damage. It's not a good idea to deliberately try and get to this level of charging since it's not Raiden's main gameplan, and it requires a very long amount of charge to do so, which is again misusing Raiden's kit.

Combination Body Blow

Combination Body Blow
aka CBB/Rekka
421+P / RDP+P
+

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP +	800	8	None	Mid	High	13	16	18	37	-13	-13	None
Raiden lunges forward with a gut punch. Raiden's main meterless combo tool. Deals good damage and guard bar, although if not followed up is very unsafe, so use Raiden's followups no matter what. LP Version combos from lights, but does the least damage. If done raw this move can land at times but has long recovery so it's a bit of a risk. Has two followups, Headbutt (214P) and Suplex (214K). Both can be done without CBB connecting, they just need to be inputted during the active frames.
MP +	900	9	None	Mid	High	14	16	18	38	-14	-14	None
Raiden lunges forward with a gut punch. If you have trouble comboing into the HP version from 2LK, use this version instead. Has one extra frame of startup and 100 more damage.
HP +	1000	10	None	Mid	High	15	16	18	39	-15	-15	None
Raiden lunges forward with a gut punch. The main move to confirm into off of cl.5MP, 2LK and 2MK. Deals the most damage but also has the longest startup, so lights other than 2LK won't be able to combo into it. The 2LK cancel is really tight, but the cl.5MP and 2MK ones are easy.

Headbutt

Headbutt
during CBB
214+P / QCB+P
+

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
1300	13	None	Mid	High	12	4	27	43	-7	-7	None
Raiden does a big headbutt. The main followup from CBB. Since it is only -7, it is very hard to punish at range, and on hit puts the opponent very close to him, allowing Raiden to continue his pressure and push a left-right mixup with j.2HP. Also the main juggle into lvl.3 Flame Breath, leading to massive damage.

Suplex

Suplex
during CBB
214+K / QCB+K
+

Throw Range

Success

Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
2200	22	None	-	-	24	13	13	50	-	-	-
Raiden attempts a back suplex. While the grab is unblockable, it leaves a massive gap in between the initial hit of CBB and the grab attempt. On hit it does do good damage, but leaves Raiden far away from his opponent, having to get in again to resume his pressure. While this followup is supposed to be used in tandem with headbutt for an in-built strike-throw mixup, the grab is very noticeable and can be jumped out of. Even worse, there is an option select that denies the mix-up entirely. If the opponent simply holds up-back after blocking a CBB, they will block the headbutt but also jump out of the throw attempt and get a free combo. The only way to prevent this is to slightly delay the headbutt so it hits opponents who are holding up. This in of itself is kind of a mini-mixup but still relies on the much better headbutt followup to do the work. If the opponent forgets this move exists, you can use it once or twice to catch them off guard, but there are hard counters to this move that can be learned quickly so don't use it too much.

Lariat Drop

Lariat Drop
623+P / DP+P
+

Throw hitbox

Success

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
LP +	1600	16	None	-	-	25	1	65	91	-	-	None
Raiden jumps and attempts a flying lariat drop. Distance is dependent on strength. All versions have the same startup, active and recovery time. LP version can work up close, but point blank it will fly over the opponent at times. The measly 1 active frame makes this move hard to land in any up close mixup scenarios. This can work for any surprise tactics but due to the long recovery on whiff and how difficult it is to not whiff the move, Raiden prefers his other mixup tools to scare the opponent. Whiffs on most crouchers. This applies to all three versions.
MP +	1700	17	None	-	-	25	1	65	91	-	-	None
Raiden jumps and attempts a flying lariat drop. Has more range, can be used at midscreen but keep in mind the 1 active frame makes it very difficult to land, and the opponent simply walking back can avoid the move entirely.
HP +	1800	26	None	-	-	25	1	65	91	-	-	None
Raiden jumps and attempts a flying lariat drop. Has very long range, can land from near fullscreen. It can work as a yolo anti-zone tool, but it carrie's too much risk to little reward. Still very difficult to hit.

Super Moves

Flame Breath

Flame Breath
6312463214+P / HCB,HCB+P
aka Fire Spit/Flame Spit
+

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	2100	0	None	Mid	High	19	-	67	86	HKND	-27	9 (Full)
Raiden spews fire from his mouth. Alright anti-air, but not really worth spending meter for unless it's a desperation super. Very unsafe.
+	3400	0	None	Mid	High	19	-	67	86	HKND	-5	15 (Full)
Raiden spews fire from his mouth. Doesn't have many reliable cancels and the damage is alright. Is safe, but this version is not a good way of spending 2 bars.
+	5000	0	None	Mid	High	19	-	67	86	HKND	-4	23 (Full)
Raiden spews fire from his mouth. Raiden's main lvl.3 combo ender. Lvl.3 Flame Breath gains a property that the other levels don't, and that's juggle potential. After a connected CBB headbutt followup, Raiden can do a Lvl.3 Flame Breath and juggle into it, but it doesn't connect partially, he gets a full connect, getting all of the 5000 damage that the move has. This makes his combo damage insane when raged or when he has a Lvl.3 at his disposal. Raiden doesn't have to do CBB to get a full connect. He can juggle into Flame Spit from anything as long as the Flame Spit hitbox connects. The list includes: late connect Giant Bomb, anti-air Poison Spit, and Alpha Counter. The fact that Raiden can confirm into this move from anything that puts the opponent really high is really valuable.

Destruction Drop

Destruction Drop
720+P
+

Throw Range (LK)

Throw Range (MK)

Throw Range (HK)

Success

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	3200	0	None	-	-	6	1	27	34	-	-	9 (Full)
Raiden piledrives his opponent then lariats them down to the ground. As a desperation super, it can replace Raiden's punch throw in strike throw mixups if you can hit 720s well. Really good damage for a level 1, gives a lot of reward for not that much cost. Has insane range at 102 pixels, and the range only increases with each version.
+	4800	0	None	-	-	6	1	27	34	-	-	15 (Full)
Raiden piledrives his opponent then lariats them down to the ground. Like Fire Spit, Lvl.2 Destruction Drop has no real uses and Raiden is better off just waiting until he gets a level 3. While it has even larger range at 110 pixels, it's still a redundant move in Raiden's kit.
+	6400	0	None	-	-	6	1	27	34	-	-	23 (Full)
Raiden piledrives his opponent then lariats them down to the ground. Raiden's scariest throw. Not only does he get crazy damage and a true reversal, but the range is insane, at 118 pixels, he can grab opponents from distances that jabs would whiff at, meaning they can't quite poke out of the throw. It is a true 1f command grab so if the opponent wasn't already jumping they are getting grabbed. Can land from all of Raiden's tick throw setups, and considering it's massive range, Raiden can throw on extra tick throw pressure on top of it. Between lvl.3 Fire Spit and lvl.3 Destruction Drop both have their uses, so Raiden has to pick and choose where to spend his meter wisely, although in a vacuum if Raiden has a level 3 and hits CBB on an opponent with around 30% then he should absolutely use Fire Spit but both have a time and place.

Crazy Train

Crazy Train
236236+P / QCF,QCF+P
+

First Hit

Tackle Ender

Version	Damage	Stun	Cancel	Guard	Parry	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Adv Hit	Adv Block	Invul
+	2600	0	None	Mid	High	9	6 [16] 5 [21] 15	14	56	HKND	-5	9 (Full), 13 (Full, during tackle ender)
Raiden does a downward elbow followed by a gut punch and ends with a tackle. A true reversal and the main lvl.1 super Raiden has. Decent desperation super and great combo ender. Unlike other levels, this super almost never falls out of combos, but does have limited range.
+	3800	0	None	Mid	High	9	6 [9] 6 [8] 3 [18] 4 [19] 15	14	56	HKND	-5	15 (Full), 13 (Full, during tackle ender)
Raiden does a downward elbow followed by a short series of attacks and ends with a tackle. Really good damage with a lvl.2 cancel, optimal one being an HP Giant Bomb right after the Giant Bomb that ends the lvl.2. Can fall out in the corner or at longer ranges from jump-in confirms.
+	6600	0	None	Mid	High	9	5 [12] 8 [8] 3 [14] 4 [2] 6 [16] 4 [20] 15	14	56	HKND	-5	23 (Full), 13 (Full, during tackle ender)
Raiden does a downward elbow followed by a flurry of attacks and ends with a tackle. Huge damage. While being Raiden's highest damaging lvl.3. in terms of what Raiden wants to spend all of his resources on, he has better options. Can still fall out of combos in the corner and at range.

Colors