Black Clouds and Thunderbolts! My spice temple, ruined! I will no longer hide while you villains destroy my hard won empire! This place is mine... here I am King! Come face me Cooper. With Clockwerk's black heart, I will show you true power. You are nothing. Come, face the mighty Rajan, Lord of these hills!
― Rajan[src]
Rajan was a member of the Klaww Gang. He was the producer of the illegal spice that played a major part in the Klaww Gang's master plan. He was the main antagonist of "A Starry Eyed Encounter" and "The Predator Awakes" of Sly 2: Band of Thieves.
He was voiced by David Scully.
Biography[]
Early life[]
A teenage Rajan, after making a spice deal.
Rajan grew up poor on the streets of Calcutta. He started his life of crime by selling illegal spices on the black market. As he got older, his business expanded and he eventually earned a seat in the Klaww Gang as its spice manufacturer. He since crowned himself "The Lord of the Hills," and although he went to many great lengths to convince others of his "royalty," it was mostly to convince himself.
Cairo theft[]
Rajan, along with the other members of the Klaww Gang, stole the body parts of Clockwerk (a robotic owl who was killed around two years prior) from the museum in Cairo they were being exhibited in. After his parts were stolen, Rajan received Clockwerk's wings and heart.
The ballroom party[]
Wanting to show his wealth off to the people of India and to show how prestigious he was, Rajan bought an "ancestral" palace and planned to hold a ball to showcase the Clockwerk Wings mounted on a huge golden statue. To ensure that his party went smoothly, he obtained both a helicopter and a jeep to protect the palace from any intruders. He invited the other members of the Klaww Gang (except the recently incarcerated Dimitri Lousteau) to his ball. Unbeknownst to him, Inspector Carmelita Fox and her subordinate, Constable Neyla were attending his party undercover to arrest him. It was during this time that the Cooper Gang planned to steal the wings during the ball. Noticing that not all of his guests were enjoying the ball, Rajan ordered his guards to be on the look-out for any prowling guests as he did not want any bad press from the event.
Rajan watching Sly and Carmelita dance, while Murray steals the Clockwerk wings behind him.
During the party, Rajan and fellow Klaww Gang member, Jean Bison watched a disguised Sly Cooper dance with the undercover Constable Neyla. Rajan complimented the fellow from the side, calling him graceful, though this fell on deaf ears as Bison began to belittle Rajan for not moving any of his spice shipments, much to Rajan's annoyance. During this time, his attack helicopter was destroyed by Murray who had used a mothballed turret. He later talked to his guards in the palace's vault room via speaker and told them to not let anyone into the palace's inner workings, fearing it might smear his ‘flawless reputation’. He warned them that it would be unwise to cross a man with a position such as his. Bentley had also destroyed the surface-to-air jeep that was prowling the palace grounds using his RC chopper.
Rajan, fleeing the palace into the surrounding jungle.
Two guards approached Rajan and told him that the bridge connecting the guest house and the palace had been destroyed. Angered, he ordered them to get all the manpower they could find and investigate. Sly, still disguised, began to dance with the undercover Inspector Fox. Rajan, completely engrossed with the two dancing, didn't notice Murray cutting the Clockwerk wings free from the statue behind him. Though once Sly and Carmelita's dance had finished, a surprised Rajan noticed that the wings were missing. Realizing that her dance partner was her rival, Sly Cooper, Carmelita dropped her undercover act and began arresting guests, though Rajan escaped before he could be arrested. With his reputation disgraced, he fled deep into the nearby jungle and found a hiding place inside some ancient temples.
Spice operation in the jungle[]
Rajan holding Clockwerk's heart inside his spice temple.
Still in hiding, Rajan used the Clockwerk Heart, which also acted as a powerful pump, to increase spice production ten-fold. Cautious after losing both of Clockwerk's wings, Rajan split the heart in half and used one half on top of his staff, keeping it with him at all times. Wanting to also steal the Clockwerk Heart, the Cooper Gang ventured deep into the jungle after Rajan. To make sure both pieces of the heart were safe, Rajan used an elephant-powered satellite array to spy on all communications in the immediate area. The satellite was destroyed when the elephant went berserk after eating rage-inducing spice plants fed to it by Sly. He would also take a daily tour around the temple to make sure everything was going as planned. During one stroll, he was lured to some local watermelons by Bentley. Having an uncontrollable love for the melons, Rajan would eat them whole, but would fall asleep as a side effect. Bentley used this to his advantage by stealing the blueprints off his person while he was asleep. These blueprints, totaling three, give a complete overview on the jungle nest's spice operation, being then critical to obtain so that Bentley may properly encapsulate further planning and steps of action in regards to Rajan. Noticing that the three blueprints were gone, Rajan quickly retreated back to the temple.
A defeated Rajan, knocked unconscious by Murray.
Having both his blueprints stolen and his satellite destroyed, Rajan retreated into his temple fearing what would happen next. Seeing an attack helicopter, piloted by Bentley, trying to destroy the dam above the temple, he ordered his gunships to attack the chopper offering a barrel of spice to the one who brought the chopper down. Bentley was successful and the dam was destroyed. It was during this time that Sly destroyed the heavily guarded spice grinder, much to Rajan's shock. Sly had also stolen half of the Clockwerk Heart that was being used as a spice pump, with the help of Constable Neyla.
The Cooper Gang's final assault against Rajan came when they destroyed the door holding all the water from the dam back, flooding the surrounding temple. Completely enraged with all the things the Cooper Gang had done, he left his hiding place and screamed, daring the Cooper Gang to show themselves. Hoping to get the remaining part of the heart from his staff, Sly and Neyla ventured towards the raging tiger, avoiding the bolts of lightning coming from the heart itself. After being betrayed by Neyla, a surprised Sly was hit by one of the bolts rendering him unconscious and making him fall into the arena below. Rajan followed to finish the job. He was then confronted by a horrified and angry Murray, who was trying to protect Sly. Rajan began to insult Murray, calling him a " fat pathetic weakling," which then escalated into a fight. After a lengthy battle, Rajan was knocked unconscious and was subsequently arrested alongside Murray, Sly and a framed Carmelita by Constable Neyla and The Contessa. Though, since Rajan is not seen being carted away in the cutscene, the details of his confinement are left unknown.
New business[]
Rajan reformed.
After he served his prison sentence, Rajan reformed and established Karpet King, a series of rug establishments all over North America. He became a well respected salesman for the company.
Characteristics[]
Physical appearance[]
Rajan is a large tiger with royal orange fur and royal purple stripes. On his head is a violet purple turban, and he wears a crimson vest as well as plum and emerald pants. He also wears forest green shoes and occasionally carries a long wooden staff, which at one time had half of the Clockwerk Heart on top.
Personality[]
Who's "The Murray"? All I see is a fat, pathetic weakling!
― Rajan questioning "The Murray's" entrance[src]
Rajan was very self-conscious of himself because of his likely unforgiving past. He went to great lengths to convince others (and himself) of his royalty. He also became enraged when something of his that he owned was destroyed, which the Cooper Gang used to their advantage to drive Rajan out of hiding. He was also rude to those he thought little of, calling Murray "a fat, pathetic weakling."
Abilities[]
Rajan was shown to have some fighting prowess, using his staff to good effect and being able to hold off Murray for a short while, as well as knocking out Sly in one hit. He was also able to use the Clockwerk Heart to cast lightning. Also, he was apparently very enduring, being able to take blows from Murray and being immune to Bentley's sleep darts.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Rajan is seen wearing a vest in the cutscenes, but his in-game model lacks this piece of clothing.
- The portion of Rajan's beard below his chin is shown orange in the cutscenes but is similar to the rest of the beard in the game
- Rajan is the only member of the Klaww Gang and the first boss overall to be defeated by Murray. He is also the first boss to not be defeated by Sly and the seventh overall villain in the series.
- The Sanskrit word "Raja" means "king."
- His spice temple appears in one of Black Baron's paintings.
- He is the only boss in Sly 2 to appear on more than one episode selection screen.
- His voice actor, David Scully, also voiced Dimitri, Octavio and LeFwee.
- Rajan is one of the few bosses in the series Sly never verbally interacts with directly. The others are Jean Bison, the Mutant Fish, Wildman Weezner, Grizz, and the Moat Monster.
- According to Bentley, Rajan has an aversion to water, but in reality, tigers are shown to swim well in water.
- In Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, while battling El Jefe, Sly may mention the former spice lord, saying "You know I beat your cousin Rajan too, right?," due to them both being tigers.
- The part about Rajan and El Jefe being cousins is illogical because they are different types of tiger. Sly also was not the one who defeated Rajan; that was Murray.
- Rajan apparently never learned of Dimitri's capture at the end of "The Black Chateau," as he expressed anger and surprise at the fact his fellow Klaww Gang member had ceased placing orders for spice.
- Rajan is the very first villain of the Sly Cooper games to be the main antagonist of more than one episode.
Behind the scenes[]
Rajan was originally designed to be Neyla's father, though this had to be changed to simplify the story.[1] This also explains why they are the same species of tiger.
Appearances[]
- Sly 2: Band of Thieves
- 2. "A Starry Eyed Encounter"
- 3. "The Predator Awakes"
- 7. "Menace from the North, eh!" (mentioned)
- 8. "Anatomy for Disaster" (cutscene)
- The Adventures of Sly Cooper, issue 2 (cameo)
- Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
- Goodbye, My Sweet (Turban appears)
- Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
- 1. "Turning Japanese" (mentioned)
References[]
- ↑ September 2004 issue of Play Magazine, page 42