Electricity has always been a fascinating force of nature for mankind, and it was relatively recently in human history that it was finally harnessed as both a weapon and a tool. Of course, with a better understanding of how electricity works, out came the fictional characters who have caught lightning in a bottle and managed to wield power even cooler than fire (both literally and figuratively).
Unlike fire, electricity is easier to control and doesn't destroy indiscriminately. Poetically, video game characters who brandish lightning and electricity like weapons have the personality to match their powers. Most of them are calm and collected — until their enemies push a few buttons, and they discharge all that blitz. These video game characters best represent what it means to wield electricity like the batteries they are.
8 Raiden (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance)
His name literally means "god of thunder and lightning" in Japanese, but let's call him by his real name, Jack. "Raiden" is a name taken by too many characters. Jack is a super-soldier which, in the Metal Gear mythos, is a dime-a-dozen, since their clones are all mass-produced and shipped all over the world like action figures. That's Kojima world-building 101. However, what makes Jack special is that he managed to outlive the other clones of Big Boss.
It's all thanks to Raiden's cybernetics and his generational luck, being born in a more futuristic setting. This made him tougher, stronger, and faster. Additionally, Raiden has some subtle but nifty electricity powers. He can distribute that energy across his body, allowing him to run faster or power up his punches. True to his name, he uses this electricity to also unleash some rapid unseen attacks against his enemies, complete with lightning theatrics.
7 Raiden (Mortal Kombat Games)
It was mentioned before that "Raiden" was already taken, and it's all thanks to this guy. Out of all the Raidens, Mortal Kombat's Raiden seems to deserve that name best. He's literally the eternal God of Thunder, encapsulating the true meaning of his name.
Sure enough, Raiden is a mature character holding plenty of restrained wrath within him, which he manages to unleash at all the right moments. He has a plethora of lightning and electric attacks at his disposal, the most visceral of which involves electrocuting his enemies until their heads explode.
6 Raiden Shogun (Genshin Impact)
Speaking of another Raiden, Genshin Impact has one as well — but she's more temperamental and more omnipotent. Raiden Shogun, or Ei, rules her country of Inazuma with an iron fist that has loosened lately, thankfully. Still, that doesn't mean she's a pushover compared to other Raidens.
Raiden Shogun has the ability to call up a legendary lightning sword from her chest and slice her enemies to bits. Beyond that, she also powers up her whole team, giving everyone enough energy and charging them up to be more powerful. Oh, and she also has a puppet who goes haywire from time to time and unleashes the full extent of her powers, which is about as scary as a thunderstorm.
5 Lightning (Final Fantasy 13)
One doesn't need to be a Final Fantasy fan to know what Lightning is capable of as the main character. She has several games under the Final Fantasy 13 title and so far has been fantastic as one of the few female MCs at the games' helm. When it comes to fighting, she's nigh un-catchable and a furious fighter.
In addition to her swordsmanship skills and physical weapons, Lightning is also an accomplished mage who wields Thunder Magic proficiently. With it, she can move at speeds too fast for the eye, leaving only flashes of red or pink trails of electricity in her wake. Apart from that, she can rain down an array of angry lightning forks and bolts against her opponents.
4 Pikachu (Pokemon Games)
All these cool-looking lightning gods and superheroes are mere sparks when compared to the popularity of this electricity surge: Pikachu, a rodent who's too upper-crust to evolve like the other Pokemon in Ash's pockets, is still the best poster boy of the franchise.
His choice not to evolve into Raichu does have a good reason, as Pikachu's design is far better. Regardless, Pikachu has the skills to back up his stubbornness. One rub from his cheeks is all it takes to zap other Pokémon into submission. He also uses his electricity generously outside of battle, which can be pretty handy in the event of a power outage.
3 Razor (DOTA 2)
DOTA 2 has a sizable collection of lightning and electricity users, but Razor stands tall among them as one of the "OG" concepts back when DOTA was just a mod for Warcraft 3. Even in the sequel's lore overhaul, Razor remains as the Lightning Revenant and thus represents his powers well.
He's an offensive-focused hero who deals impressive damage, but tends to put himself in harm's way as he's not that tough. Thus, his spells and abilities are all lightning-focused, from laying down expensing plasma fields that zap enemies, to being a literal walking thunderstorm that picks on the weakest targets.
2 Darth Sidious (Star Wars Battlefront 2)
The Sith in Star Wars are known primarily for three things: bad skincare, red glowsticks, and unlimited electric power at the tip of their fingers. Darth Sidious is the best among them. He specializes in all three Sith checkboxes, but his go-to method of dispatching his opponents is usually frying them to death with Force lightning.
It's technically not electricity, but rather a manifestation of Dark Side powers that take the shape of electric currents — but the effects are the same. Simply seeing Darth Sidious using the Force Lightning, especially in games like Star Wars Battlefront 2, is both a thing of beauty and a comedic masterpiece considering all the flips he does. He also has a cultural pedigree that's hard to match, and he's even more popular than Pikachu.
1 Zeus (God Of War Games)
But who's more popular than a geriatric power-hungry despot and a lightning rat? None other than the God of the Sky and the head honcho of all the Greek myth gods, Zeus. He's prominently featured in God of War 3 and as expected, he has the most powerful electricity powers here. He can hurl lightning bolts like they were darts, and even kill titans.
It's also worth noting that God of War 3 did the Zeus portrayal masterfully, as he's quite close to his unabridged and un-Disney-fied Greek myth counterpart. He is lightning-quick when it comes to evading child support, and disappears like a flash of electricity when held accountable by his illegitimate sons. Not really shocking for those who know the stories.