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Tropes for Mortal Kombat: Desperation, I-K

  • Icon of Rebellion/Rebel Leader/Voice of the Resistance/Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: Darrius as leader of the Sedian Resistance.
    • All of his former allies, in the eyes of Raiden.
  • I Choose to Stay: Sonya decides to remain in Outworld with her ex-husband and daughter, crediting Kira's influence regarding her decision.
    Sonya: I've been thinking a lot since we rescued Cassie...and I think it would be best for me to stay here. I can't fight Kano if I'm busy vomitting, crying, and yelling the entire time. Plus, Cassie needs me to be close by right now. The reason Kano and Raiden managed to kidnap her is my lack of judgement and care. If she's going to recover, she should have both parents nearby. Someone opened my eyes recently by reminding me that my daughter's life is more important than revenge."
  • I Control My Minions Through...: Raiden controls his henchmen through Fear and Corruption.
  • I Did What I Had to Do: Many of Raiden's ex-allies now see him as a heartless Knight Templar who's willing to throw them under the bus when he refuses to reconsider his invasion of Outworld.
    • Nitara was strong-armed by Raiden into serving him in order to protect her people.
  • I Have You Now, My Pretty: To ensure that Johnny Cage or Cassie do not stop him, Raiden and Kano kidnap Cassie and is held as a bargaining chip to stop Sonya and Team S-F. But Cassie, along with Kevin, breaks out in chapter 23, with the help of Kira, Kabal and Sonya.
    • In a flashback chapter, Nell is kidnapped, raped, and tortured for days by Kano and Tasia makes it clear she intends to do the same. Luckily, Kira eventually helps Nell escape.
  • I Have Your Daughter: Raiden and Kano hold Cassie hostage, though she plans to escape with Kano's son, Kevin, who despises his own father. Cassie and Kevin break out in chapter 23, with the help of Kira, Kabal and Sonya.
  • I Lied: Raiden's response to Skarlet and Daegon when Baraka is pitted against Ruby, as Raiden had promised Skarlet that she would kill Ruby earlier on. Who knows if he plans to betray his henchmen?
  • Informed Flaw: While all of the kombatants on Kotal Kahn's side are loyal to each other despite their flaws, those on Raiden's side are only there because they fear him - some are even contemplating of defecting from Raiden (Nitara and Daegon) or have done so (Scorpion).
  • I Owe You My Life: In Sub-Zero's chapter, Cassie tells her mother and the others to lay off of Scorpion, as he's the reason that she's still alive.
    • Skarlet feels this way toward Daegon for restoring her legs.
  • I Should Have Been Better: Sonya feels she should have been a better wife and mother to her family.
  • It's All About Me: Raiden turned to dictatorial tactics because he thought it was the only way to keep Earthrealm safe, but after kidnapping and torturing Cassie, his selfish side shows, mass-zapping his former allies for daring to question him.
  • It's Personal: On both sides of the fence:
    • Kano has one big target on his back. If Johnny and Sonya don't kill him for aiding Raiden in kidnapping and later, torturing Cassie, then Kabal will, as Kano not only masterminded his maiming at the hands of Kintaro, but also raped his widow, resulting in Kevin's conception. Kevin also wants revenge on Kano for torturing him.
    • Tasia lost her hands thanks to Kira and now she wants revenge.
    • Goro wants to kill Kotal Kahn (for killing his father and cutting off his arms) and Sheeva (for stealing his throne)
    • Daegon wants to not only kill both Taven and Rain, but he also wants to kidnap and torture Takeda for the crimes of his father and those of his teammates.
    • Delia is gunning for Raiden's head after he used mind games and Break Them by Talking speeches to turn Daegon against his mother and brother.
    • Skarlet wants payback on Ruby for defeating her in Chapter 28.
    • Li Mei wants Hotaru's head on a spike following his mass slaughter of her fellow villagers.
    • Scorpion starts off as part of Raiden's team, but flips when he witnesses Cassie and Kevin being tortured one too many time's and Raiden threatening worse to Takeda and Jacqui should he betray him.
    • Tanya and Mileena want to kill Kotal Kahn, Kitana, Jade/Delia, Rain and Ruby.
    • Raiden himself is one big target for his allies because of his list of crimes so far: invading Outworld, kidnapping and torturing Cassie, allowing Kano to torture his own son Kevin, psychologically and physically abusing his ex-allies, mass-zapping the Lin Kuei or Team S-F, attacking the Edenian Resistance, threatening to torture Takeda or Jacqui, berating his own minions, tricking and strong-arming Scorpion, Daegon and Nitara into serving him and ordering the destruction of Li Mei's village, blatantly insulting the Elder Gods.
  • It's Personal with the Dragon: Sonya wants Kano's head after he and Raiden kidnapped and tortured Cassie.
    • Li Mei's gunning for Hotaru after he and the Seidan guard slaughter her fellow villagers on Raiden's orders.
    • Liu Kang and Delia are awaiting a rematch with Shang Tsung and the feeling is completely mutual.
  • Ignored Epiphany: In chapter 18, Raiden has moments reflecting that he's gone over the edge and starts doubting his actions, especially once he realizes that Armageddon has not been averted, but it doesn't stick and he immediately starts blaming his problems on the Elder Gods.
    • Nitara has this in chapter 39.
    • Daegon also experiences this in chapters 43 and 44.
  • Insane Equals Violent: This is what happens to Raiden. As Lampshaded by Kung Jin in chapter 56, nobody never knows when he'll go Ax-Crazy - he could appear calm and collected one minute, but in the next one, he'll cackle like a madman. And woe to anybody that compares Raiden to Shao Kahn and/or Shinnok. They get zapped, as this is his Berserk Button.
  • Interrupted Suicide: Remorseful for the role he inadvertently played in Shinnok's near-konquest of Earthrealm, Scorpion offers to commit hara-kiri. Raiden, however, had other plans: he molds Scorpion into The Dragon by manipulating his emotions.
    • Jax attempted to kill himself once but Vera stopped him.
    • Kevin tried to kill himself several times by overdosing or suicide by cop in the past.
  • Iron Lady: Jade, Delia, Sonya, and Ruby qualify as this.
  • Irony: Raiden claims that he's invading Outworld just so he can "protect" Earthrealm from external threats at all costs, yet many of his former allies see a tyrant who isn't so different from Shao Kahn or Shinnok in terms of invading the other realms, especially in chapter 54, when Kung Jin calls him out again.
  • I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure: Raiden threatens to have Takeda and Jacqui tortured if Scorpion defects, and reiterates his warning in chapter 63. Scorpion, Jax and Kenshi go Papa Wolf on Raiden's threats toward their children. Sonya and Johnny also don't take kindly to him continuing to threaten Cassie after she is rescued.
    • Raiden also threatened to destroy Nitara's people if she didn't serve him. Considering he ordered Hotaru to burn down Li Mei's village to break her, it isn't hard to believe he'll fulfill his threat to Nitara as well if she doesn't tread carefully.
  • Journey to Find Oneself: The gist of Kai's chapter.
  • Jerkass Thunder God: As if being an evil tyrant wasn't enough, Raiden is also a rude, callous and sociopathic asshole for a god.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Raiden only cares for himself.
    • Kano also counts as this towards his son Kevin.
  • Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: After his Heroic Sacrifice at the end of Mortal Kombat X, Raiden Came Back Wrong as a deranged and insane Mad God, and crosses this by invading Outworld, and it all goes downhill from there.
  • Kansas City Shuffle: While Fujin leads the heroes (and Quan Chi) to the Sky Temple to distract Raiden, Sonya and Kira infiltrate the Black Dragon hideout to rescue Cassie.
  • Karma Houdini: Raiden gets away with insulting the Elder Gods in chapter 63.
  • Kick the Dog: After he Came Back Wrong, Raiden's My Way or the Highway attitude on "protecting" Earthrealm and willingness to throw his allies under the bus has alienated many of them (especially Fujin, Johnny Cage, the Lin Kuei (Sub-Zero and Frost), Team S-F (Jax, Jacqui, Kung Jin, Sonya, Cassie, Takeda, Kenshi), Bo' Rai Cho, Kai, Kira, Scorpion, Delia, Jade, Taven, Shujinko, Ashrah, Sareena and Li Mei among others; Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kitana, Smoke, Nightwolf, Stryker, Kabal and Sindel were already alienated by him, while Kotal Kahn, Reptile, Ermac/Jerrod, Erron Black, Ferra/Torr, Sheeva, Ruby, Rain, Kevin, Darrius, Khameleon, Chameleon and Dairou have a negative view of Raiden given what he's done so far), to the point that they're now Arch-Enemies.
    • Kano tortures and abuses Kevin.
  • Kirk Summation: Fujin gives one to Raiden in chapter 24, when he calls out the thunder god's savagery.
    • Delia tries to stop her son Daegon from supporting Raiden, but he just ignores it.
    • Kano gets called out for abusing his son Kevin by Scorpion, Sonya, Cassie and Kira, yet the mercenary ignores it.
    • Many of Raiden ex-allies (especially Fujin, Sonya and Kung Jin) call him out for his savagery, comparing him to a blood-thirsty and homicidal maniac in chapter 54.
  • Kneel Before Raiden: When Cassie objects to Kevin's torture by Raiden, the thunder god forces Cassie to grovel before him in chapter 22. This, along with Raiden's threat to kill Takeda, becomes the breaking point for Scorpion to pull a Heel–Face Turn. Anybody can see that Raiden's really gone to the dark side when Scorpion pulls this.
  • Knight Templar/Well-Intentioned Extremist: Hotaru and Raiden count as this.
  • Knight of Cerebus: Raiden, who takes it up to eleven. You clearly know that he's a blood-thirsty and deranged Mad God whom you don't want to cross.
  • Kubrick Stare: Kung Jin gives one to Raiden in chapter 54.

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