Record of Ragnarok is an all-out battle royale between gods and humans, with the survival of the latter as the prize. After the gods come together to decide the fate of humanity, the Valkyrie, Brunhilde, proposes a duel instead, giving us a fighting chance throughout 12 intense rounds. There’s just something satisfying seeing these larger-than-life figures from myth and religion duking it out in an arena with all their might, guts, and pride on the line.
Now that season 3 has been recently released, check out SEA Wave’s High Five review of this action-packed anime. You know the drill, spoilers ahead so be warned!
Unstoppable Forces Meet Immovable Objects
From L to R: Thor vs Lü Bu, Zerofuku vs Buddha, Beelzebub vs Tesla| Photos from Netflix
The main draw of Record of Ragnarok has always been the fights. Mythological figures and human legends colliding is a spectacular sight to behold. The very first episode of season 1 saw the Norse god Thor face off against China’s Lü Bu, a warlord during the Han dynasty, setting the stage for the wild ride to come.
This third season offers the most intense battles of the series so far—the moment weapons clash, it’s an explosion of color—the camera shakes, the ground quakes, and the crowd goes wild. If you’re wearing headphones, it’s best to keep the volume to a medium level since the impact of each strike is accompanied by resounding scraping of metal or a battlecry. But nevertheless, you won’t be able to take your eyes off these epic fights.
Lore-Accurate Depiction
Photo from Netflix
As a myth and history enthusiast, I found that there was a balance between accuracy and embellishment when it came to depicting the gods and humans duking it out. While the anime has definitely ruffled a lot of feathers with its overt depiction of some figures and deities of religious significance, it has also managed to stay true to key facts about the human characters that it portrays.
There’s the fact about Tesla, one of the contenders in season 3, as they fleshed out his story well and made sure to include Dane, his older brother who died early and may have strongly influenced his decision to pursue the sciences. Another fact they got right is King Qin as the first emperor of unified China, and Leonaidas being the commander of the 300 against the Persian army during the Battle of Thermopalye— his motivation for fighting in Ragnarok was embellished since the Spartans revered Apollo.
Either way, the balancing act between faithfulness and exaggeration helps make this show worth the watch, making for relatable characters with overpowered abilities.
Soundtrack Befitting Ragnarok
Each of the motifs for the fighters had an overwhelming drum beat and melodious lyre sound that hyped up each battle. Some of the songs have haunting harmonies, eerie whistling, or ferocious guitar riffs that exuded power. All in all, these songs fit the characters they represent and make for a good listening experience if you want something intense to go with an equally extreme fight scene.
Hit or Miss Visuals
A limited budget prevents Record of Ragnarok from reaching the heights that it deserves. Some scenes look like motion pictures with how limited and simple the animations are, while others can get detailed and incorporate 3D animation. This contradiction hampers the overall enjoyment of the series. The show does try to make up for it with the climactic scenes, and how expressions of anger and sadness were translated well on screen, especially with the Valkyrie duo of Burnhilde and Göll, who often experience these moments as they are backing up humanity.
Narrative Foils in Battle
Hades vs King Qin | Photos from Netflix
The matchups per fight are interesting, since each god and legend is the antithesis of the other. Season 1 had god vs man, and technique vs technique, and season 2 had genuineness vs deceit, and selfishness vs selfishness; now, season 3 has king vs king, magic vs science, and pride vs pride.
By pitting characters who are similar to each other yet have opposing values, you get to see clashing ideals in parallel with clashing fists and weapons. In some ways, the gods could be seen as an aspiration that humans are trying to achieve, or a status quo they want to topple; while humans are the flaws and truths that gods do not want to see or acknowledge. This makes each matchup interesting to watch.
Record of Ragnarok season 3 ends on a cliffhanger, and we can’t wait for the upcoming, possibly, last season that will feature the final battles to determine humanity’s survival. And as we wait for the ultimate result, we look back on season 3 fondly. This series is definitely reaching its end, yet it still manages to entertain us along the way.
SEA Wave rates Record of Ragnarok season 3 with 3 out of 5 waves.