The Battle for Humanity is Here with Netflix’s ‘Record of Ragnarok III’
Survival or extinction? Only fate will decide
The highly anticipated anime series is back! Record of Ragnarok III brings fans into the next rounds in gods versus humans: the battle for humanity. The Japanese anime series—based on the manga by artist Azychika, writer Shinya Umemura, and story structure creator Takumi Fukui—took Netflix by storm during its premiere in June of 2021. Every 1000 years, the gods convene to decide the fate of humanity. When the decision began to lean toward extinction, Valkyrie Brunhilde interfered and proposed a battle (the Record of Ragnarok) to give humans a chance to fight for their existence. This tournament consists of 13 rounds between the gods and the humans. If the humans win just 7 battles, they live for another millennia. But if they lose, they will be obliterated and their souls sent to oblivion in Niflhell.
The battle outcomes between seasons 1 and 2 have the current score sitting at 3-3. Previous battles consisted of gods like Thor, Zeus, and Poseidon and human contenders such as Adam, Jack the Ripper, and Buddha. For the humans to have an equal chance at victory, a Valkyrie merges with a human representative at the start of the battle. While this enhances the human’s abilities, it comes at a fatal price: if the human dies, the Valkyrie perishes with them.
Season 3 has confirmed at least rounds 7 through 9. One highly anticipated battle is between Hades, the Greek God of the Underworld and brother of Poseidon, and Qin Shi Huang, the founder of the Chinese Qin Dynasty. Hades seeks vengeance against the humans for the peril of his brother, aiming to break the tie and energize the gods to defeat the humans once and for all. And while the gods have brute strength and divinity on their sides, humanity’s greatest advantages come through faith and strategy, making this a formidable feast to behold.
Record of Ragnarok is not your average anime battle series. They expertly integrate real stories of humans who walked the Earth—the good and the ugly—and infuse their history within the fictional space in a fight that is both a metaphorical and allegorical representation of our human struggles in real life. Fighters like Adam represent the beginning of humankind, his character imbued with biblical context in a reimagined way that connects one deeper to their spirituality. In direct contrast is Jack the Ripper who also fights on behalf of the humans, representing the darkest and ugliest places humanity goes in our fight for power and control. It is that very spectrum of representation that makes each match gripping, stressful, nail-biting, and self-reflecting.
Season 3 will have matches between the following:
Round 7- Hades (god of the Underworld) vs Qin Shi Huang (founder of the Qin Dynasty)
Round 8- Beelzebub (the philistine deity of Judaism and Christianity) vs Nikola Tesla (one of the greatest scientific minds in history)
Round 9- Apollo (the Greek god of Sun) vs Leonidus (one of the most renowned Spartan warriors)
Combatants for later rounds include: Soji Okita (captain of the Shinsengumi), Michael Nostradamus (famous prophet, Sakata Kintoki (fabled demon slayer), and Simo Häyhä (the deadliest sniper in human history)
The excitement from the fans and the support of season 2 led to the production of the highly anticipated third season. However, no one is more excited than Umemura and Fukui themselves. In an article on TUDUM, Umemura states “I can’t wait to see how that one move by Nikola Tesla appears on screen!” Fukui follows up with “I can’t wait for everyone to see the continuation of the battle between gods and humanity!”
For those new to the series, Record of Ragnarok will take you through a journey with compelling storytelling and insane fight sequences. Each season consists of 13 episodes—with season 3 having 15 episodes—but 1 battle can last anywhere between 3 and 4 episodes, allowing space and breathing room to expand upon the lore of the characters in the arena. This approach, although maddening (and a signature of anime/manga edging), allows fans to be transported into the story through empathy and voracious curiosity. Everything you think you know about the gods and humans depicted in this series will be challenged, expanded, and heavily dramatized in the battlefield. While neither the gods, the humans, nor the audience know who will walk away victors (manga readers, don’t spoil it!), one thing is for certain: you will be utterly stressed out while teetering on the edge of sanity.
For all things Record of Ragnarok and to catch up on previous seasons, visit here.
Season 3 premieres with all 13 episodes on Netflix Wednesday, December 10. Check out a sneak peek below.