Bloodshot, the star of Sony's new action film, is unquestionably the face of Valiant Entertainment and has been since the company's start in the 1990s. Through Bloodshot also comes the future legacy of another important Valiant character: Rai. This futuristic swordsman features many of the same design schemes as his present day predecessor, but with a far different story.

Here's the story on how Valiant's violent antihero gave rise to its cyberpunk swordsman, plus a look at Rai's current comic book series and the possibility of him hitting the big screen.

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Rise of Rai

Rai first appeared in the non-Valiant original book, Magnus Robot Fighter #5. Rai is the head enforcer of a highly advanced but socially dystopian Japan in 4001. He ensures society -- created by the patriarch Father -- is maintained as it should be. Rai is a living immune system of the country's controlling machine Host, aiming to protect the country and the A.I. that created him. This A.I., called Grandmother, intentionally designed Rai to resemble the "present day" Valiant character of Bloodshot.

Rai not only shares the same grey skin as Bloodshot, but the same red emblem on his chest, which also manifests as a sort of bindi on his forehead. Thus, the vaguely Japanese theme in Bloodshot's look is taken literally for Rai, who Grandmother designed to inspire similar heroism in her own people. The Rai of 4001 is also only one of a handful of different Rais. The second Rai even became injected with the Blood of Heroes, which was actually the nanite plasma that gave the original Bloodshot his powers.

The world they live in is not perfect, however. Japan in 4001 is so big, it now juts out from the Earth itself. Those closer to Earth are deemed as more expendable, creating a caste system that bolsters a corrupt government. The Rai in the original series was Tohru Nakadai, the 42nd member of the line. He initially shunned the legacy in order to marry and raise a family, but after his father's death, he is forced to become the new protector of Grandmother and thus, his country.

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Rai (2019 Series)

Rai was brought back in 2013 as part of the Valiant Entertainment reboot, with a backstory very similar to his classic origin. The main changes were that he was specifically created by the Japanese patriarch Father and was not explicitly based off of Bloodshot. Born to a human mother but incorporating both human biology and advanced technology, the Rai of the 41st century (or Rai X) is one in a long line of  New Japan's spiritual guardians.

Upon discovering Father's tyranny, however, he rebels against him to restore freedom to the country. A new series, written and drawn by Dan Abnett and Juan Jose Ryp, sees Rai, along with his childlike predecessor Raijin, travel throughout their post-apocalyptic world to track down and kill Father. These Rais -- namely Raijin -- not only have immense warrior training, but also incredible technological capabilities befitting their cyborg physiology.

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Future Movies?

Vin Diesel as bloodshot in Valiant movie

Bloodshot being adapted for film creates the possibility of his phenotypical descendant hitting the big screen in the near future. Vin Diesel said Bloodshot plants seeds for the wider Valiant Universe and, in the original continuity, no hero was spawned from Bloodshoot more than Rai. Given how much closer modern Bloodshot comics are tied to franchises like Harbinger, however, Rai fans may be waiting until 4001 for the spirit of Japan to come to the big screen.

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