Extending his B2 range doesn’t solve his issues. Raiden has a lot of tools but all those tools are lacklustre due to the horrible frame data he has.
He has good mids but those mids will always be outshined by other more complete characters. B12 is good but unsafe and second hit is a high so you can get D2 KB if you try to use it on delay wake up. Fly cancel is safe against faster short range moves but punishable on read by forward advancing moves like shadow kicks or nitro kicks. The only true safe option is far teleport cancel. F3 is supposed to be his stagger but it’s fake because it’s -6 and there is no reason why the opponent shouldn’t poke after you do F3 if they know the MU. F4 is good and leads to good damage only on a punish (F4~storm cell is unsafe and I do NOT recommend you do it unless you already know your opponent doesn’t duck the last hit), but it’s on the slow side. (Granted this move is actually amazing and NRS PLS don’t change F4). F2 however is next to useless. It has less range, is a HIGH and is even slower than F4. The only use it has is the upward hitbox making it useful in raiden’s optimal combos. F11 is safe but F1 has hitbox issues due to differences in staff length so opponents may get hit by the staff but not the staff Hitbox. B31 has a flawless block gap and can’t really be staggered because B3 itself is -9.
His projectiles are frankly garbage due to long startup and lightning strike is probably the most unsafe projectile in the game at -29, cannot be amplified on block and only offers minimal hit advantage (+5) with less damage and amplify will bring the opponent closer to you (the zoning tool that brings your opponent closer). I know of no other full screen check that can be full combo punished by multiple characters from full screen on block, making this move a non-factor unless you are trying to shut down full screen jumps (emphasis on try). (Scorpion with teleport, Kang with dragon kick, Cetrion with geyser, Geras with KB sand trap...) Lightning bolt is not as bad since it travel almost instantly making it good to catch neutral jumps when they try to avoid lightning strike, though it is a tad bit too slow. Amplify makes it safe at -6 and the second bolt is mid.
His jump attacks have good horizontal range making them crap jump ins and they whiff on opponents neutral ducking. So approach in the air is inherently risky.
His D2 and U2 do not hit directly upwards of him so neutral jump in the corner beats nearly all of his wake up options.
He has a great hop 3 with range comparable to B3 but it’s full combo punishable .
He has probably the second best teleport in the game behind scorpion. He has 5 different teleports to choose from and
@MKF30 has shown that you can cancel TP into another TP. However the only safe option is far TP and TP cancelling can be blown up by pokes so it’s ultimately fake.
I am NOT saying his stuff doesn’t work at all. However there is a lot the opponent can disrespect for little risk. As a Raiden player it is imperative you make the opponent respect your options and amazing ability to whiff punish before you can smother them in the corner. All in all. Simple frame data tweaks and fixes to hitbox and KBs are pretty much what he needs to be a great but honest character. I outlined what I want from a future patch in the buffs wishlist thread. I fully agree that it is an uphill battle against most of the cast but he has tools to deal with top tiers. It’s just hard. Really hard sometimes.
