Record of Ragnarok is back for a second season of mortal vs god action. The first half of the season is out now, with a second bunch of episodes coming later this year. In this anime, the gods have decided to end humanity after seven million years of wickedness. However, the Valkyries jump in on behalf of humanity to suggest giving them a chance to prove themselves. Thus, the tournament of Ragnarok begins.
The first season saw Thor defeat Lu Bu, Zeus defeat Adam, and Kojiro Sasaki defeat Poseidon for the gods to have a two-to-one lead over humanity. The second season is already looking like it’s going to be just as intense, if not even more so, with Jack the Ripper vs Hercules kicking off the second season. If that wasn’t enough, here are five more reasons why you should be watching Record of Ragnarok season two.
The Battles Are Absolutely Wild
Sure, you may have seen some incredible battles in anime over the years like Saitama vs Boros, Gohan vs Cell, or Naruto vs Sasuke in Shippuden. Still, it’s hard to imagine anything like Adam vs Zeus happening in any other anime. Everyone knows Zeus is one of the most powerful gods in all of Greek mythology, but nobody expects Adam to be able to move at nearly the speed of light to dodge attacks and deliver punches that almost kill the King of the Gods.
Record of Ragnarok admittedly doesn’t have the whole build-up that those other shows mentioned do to add an incredibly emotional side to the fights. At the same time, the show doesn’t really need to build backstories for these characters since they’re all based on real-world historical figures and myths. Instead, Record of Ragnarok is essentially all high-action and absolutely mind-blowing battles.
There’s definitely some story to chew on like the Valkyries helping humanity in its fight for survival against the gods. Just don’t expect to get some incredibly deep lesson from Record of Ragnarok. The show simply exists to pit some of the biggest names in history against one another in giant and flashy battles that push the limits of their animation teams.
It’s On Netflix
Just like you wouldn’t expect Nikola Tesla to don what looks like a suit of Iron Man armor, it’s maybe a bit surprising that this is one of the reasons to watch Record of Ragnarok. Still, it makes sense if you think about it. Netflix is the biggest streaming service in the world in terms of subscriptions (Disney+ is gaining ground), with a much further global reach than many of its competitors.
That means most people who read this or are interested in Record of Ragnarok have some way of watching the show. Whether it’s through an account they pay for or someone else they know, just having access to the show is the first step. There’s no need to pick up a Crunchyroll, HBO Max, or Hulu subscription just to watch this anime.
If you don’t have a Netflix subscription, then it’s understandable why someone wouldn’t subscribe just for this show. It’s usually not a sound financial decision to subscribe to a service just for one show. Still, with how widespread Netflix is, it’s likely that someone you know could help you out a bit and share their account temporarily. Just make sure you do it before Netflix starts cracking down on account sharing in a month or two.
It’s the Ultimate Tournament Anime
Most of the time, these tournament anime arcs have great and compelling fights paying off months of story build-up. The only catch is that most of the time, they’re simply there to determine who is the strongest. The stakes aren’t usually as big as some of the other episodes, but the battles are always fantastic to watch. From time to time, a side story with a villain interrupting a tournament or moving through the bracket will increase the stakes, but that’s about it.
In Record of Ragnarok, every battle is a part of the tournament, and the stakes are the highest that they can possibly be, with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance. Not only that, but every battle is essentially the ultimate underdog story of a human taking on a god in what always seems like it will be an impossible battle.
In the end, the Valkyries are able to help balance things out a little bit by turning themselves into weapons for the humans to wield against the gods. Despite that bit of divine intervention, the human combatant is always seemingly the underdog.
That’s also a part of what makes the tournament aspect so fun. The ultimate underdog pulling off an absolutely wild move makes for an unforgettable moment, like when Sasaki’s Thousand Blades combo humbles and defeats the pompous god Poseidon.
The Animation is Top-Notch
Despite the serious stakes in Record of Ragnarok, it’s ultimately a kind of goofy show simply because the premise is so incredibly ridiculous. Adam can deliver a punch with the power of a god faster than the speed of light. Lu Bu has an attack that can split the sky in half. Jack the Ripper has a cloak that’s capable of cutting buildings in half. That’s just what the humans are capable of in Record of Ragnarok.
Along with these larger-than-life skills comes ridiculously fantastic animation. How do you even animate a punch that takes less than 0.000000000000000000001 seconds from windup to landing? Apparently, you slow time down. Even then, it’s a sight to behold.
Lu Bu’s seemingly endless strength is clearly visible in his musculature, but the weight of his attacks and their impact against the equally powerful Thor give everyone watching a clear view of how strong both characters are.
That’s what great animation does in a good battle. The effort put into each blow and the way the characters react when an attack lands elevate the whole experience for the audience. It’s more than just looking cool, but it’s also about telling a story like the absolutely dumbfounded look on Poseidon’s face when he was defeated by a mortal. In an instant, you can learn all about the character without any background.
Many Well-Known Characters
This has got to be one of the biggest reasons to jump into Record of Ragnarok as soon as possible. The biggest barrier to entry in anime and any show is just being able to keep track of all the characters. Remembering names, where they come from, and who they’re associated with can be a chore when first starting a new anime. In this show, every character is either a globally recognizable historical or mythical figure.
On the human side, there are known names like Buddha, Nikola Tesla, Michel Nostradamus, Grigori Rasputin, and Jack the Ripper. The gods also have household names like Zeus, Posideon, Thor, Anubis, and Shiva. Deities like these already have well-established abilities literally written in stone thousands of years ago, but characters like Tesla, Buddha, and Nostradamus aren’t known for being warriors.
That just makes this even more enjoyable since you can kind of formulate what their powers might be based upon what they’re known for, but every battle offers up a surprise that comes from out of nowhere. Nostradamus will probably have an ability where he can foresee enemy attacks, and Tesla will probably use electricity as a weapon. Despite that, it’s the surprise of the “how” rather than accurately guessing the “what” that makes Record of Ragnarok worth watching.
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