Record of Ragnarok is a seinen manga written by Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui and drawn by Ajichika. An animated series adaptation produced by Graphinica studio was produced by Netflix in 2021, with a second season that premiered in January 2023. While we’re waiting for the new chapters and episodes, we are going to introduce you to the characters of Record of Ragnarok, i.e., the fighters of the two major teams from the series.
How many fighters are there in Record of Ragnarok?
As everyone knows by now, the Record of Ragnarok sees the gods and their chosen fighters, some of whom are the gods themselves, while others are specially chosen warriors, fighting the humans to decide the fate of humanity. The fighters are divided into two teams, with each team having 13 fighters, which means that there are a total of 26 fighters in Record of Ragnarok. Now, these are not all the characters from the series, but not all characters are actually fighters (e.g., the Valkyries, a lot of deities, etc.), which explains the small number. But, the gods have introduced two additional fighters to their team, and the humans have introduced one, which means that there are 29 fighters in total introduced in Record of Ragnarok. In the sections that follow, we are going to introduce these fighters.
Record of Ragnarok: All 14 members of Team Humanity
In this section, we are going to introduce all 14 members who are fighting on the side of Humanity in the series. Some of them have already won or lost their fights, while some are yet to be introduced. It is also known that, before choosing the final list, Brunhilde went over a large list of candidates who were not chosen, among which are Abraham Lincoln, John Lennon, Mother Teresa, Salvador Dali, Marilyn Monroe, Che Guevara, Steve Jobs, Mahatma Gandhi, Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, Pablo Picasso, Nefertiti, Sakamoto Ryoma, Hideyo Noguchi, Marianne, and Cleopatra. Now, the 14 fighters are:
Lü Bu
Lü Bu was the strongest of Chinese warriors and the best fighter in the Three Kingdoms War of China. With his cruelty and love of thrills, Brunhild chose him to represent humanity in the first round of the Ragnarök tournament, to intimidate the gods from the start. Lü Bu fought Thor with a spear from the Volund of the Valkyrie Randgriz, able to shatter any shield in its path. Lü Bu also demonstrated extraordinary strength, endurance, speed, and agility, especially with her red horse, and with her Sky Eater technique so powerful that it can open a huge gap in the clouds of the sky.
Adam
Adam is the first human in history, technically recognized as File No. 00000000000″. As the father of mankind, he faces Zeus, the father of the cosmos, in the second round of Ragnarök. As he was created in God’s image, he has special eyes, the “Eyes of the Lord,” which allow him to see in advance any combat technique being used on him, even coming from a god, to be able to dodge it, regardless of how fast it is. His eyes also allow him to copy combat techniques he has already seen, and to be able to reuse them, even if it involves a slight bodily transformation, such as his fingers becoming momentarily hooked when he uses a Serpent technique.
Kojirō Sasaki
Kojirō Sasaki is reputed to be “the biggest loser in history.” Indeed, he has never won a fight in his life. However, he has an excellent fighting spirit: just by analyzing an individual’s movements, steps, breathing rate, heart rate, and eyelash rate, Kojiro can form an image of that person in his mind. , and deduce its combat capabilities. When he confronts this person, he can complete the repertoire of fighting techniques of the image in his head, and when he is at rest, he can simulate in his mind fights against the people whose image he has modeled until to be able to defeat them, or possibly learn their techniques.
Jack the Ripper
An infamous British serial killer who lived at the end of the 19th century and the representative of humanity in the fourth round. In it, he faces Heracles, the god of strength, showing us the longest fight to date, a clash between evil and justice. Jack has a peculiar ability that allows him to perceive with his right eye the emotions of people in the form of colors, which he developed during his hard childhood years.
Raiden Tameemon
A Japanese sumo wrestler and humanity’s representative in the fifth battle of Ragnarok. His real name is Tarōkicho. Known as the peerless rishiki, despite never having risen to the rank of yokozuna, he is considered the greatest sumo wrestler in history. He possessed abnormally developed muscles from birth, so during his childhood, he was forced to develop an internal shell of muscles to avoid being crushed to death. He was born during the Edo period, in a village where he liked to help the weak with his enormous strength, but when the Great Tenmei Famine arrived, he left to become a professional wrestler and be able to feed the people by himself.
Buddha
A human who achieved enlightenment and, thus, godlike status. All this after his older brother revealed that he was never happy in his life and regretted not having done what he wanted instead of what others expected of him. Although Zeus had planned for her to be his fighter in the sixth round, he rebelled against the gods and decided to represent humanity against Zerofuku, who is an amalgamation of the Seven Gods of Fortune.
Qin Shi Huang
One of the representatives of humans to participate in Ragnarok. Born with the name Yíng Zhèng, he is considered the first emperor of China, since he was the first historical ruler to bear this title, after killing the demon Chi You and reuniting in 221 BC. all the kingdoms then divided under his rule by him, although he is considered by many to be a tyrant. He looks like a young man blindfolded and wearing a dress that, curiously, resembles that of Chinese empresses, including five zhijiatao in his hands.
Nikola Tesla
A 20th-century inventor famous for his inventions and discoveries that changed the world forever, and humanity’s representative during the eighth bout where he faces Beelzebub. Known as the “Definitive Mad Scientist of His Time,” Nikola Tesla is a man of science who deeply loves his work and the laws of physics, and because of this, he refuses to allow anyone to compare them to magic – even though Brunhild considers it the only human in history who can be called a sorcerer.
Soji Okita
He is one of the fighters of Ragnarok, he is always accompanied by his partner Kondō Isami. He was part of the Shinsengumi, a special police force from 19th-century Japan. This whole team, but Okita especially, is known for their amazing swordsmanship skills, which Okita demonstrates in battle. His supernatural abilities are manifested through him looking like and being skilled like he was during his Golden Age, i.e., his peak.
Michel Nostradamus
Michel Nostradamus was a famous French astrologer, physician, and supposed prophet from the 16th century. His prophecies are famous around the world for their supposed accuracy, although this is still a matter of interpretation. Nostradamus has a very quirky and lively personality, but he is incredibly powerful as he almost destroyed the Bifröst and is the only human to be cast to Helheim, out of which he can escape without much trouble. Brunhilde considers him to be her trump card against the gods.
Sakata Kintoki
Sakata Kintoki is a Japanese folk hero that comes from the Heian period. He is a strong man with supposedly great intelligence, but since he has yet to properly fight in the manga, his overall powers and abilities are a complete enigma for everyone, so it is really not known what he can do, but he is obviously strong enough to represent humanity.
Simo Häyhä
Simo Häyhä is a guy from Finland who was a sniper and war veteran from the 20th century. He is considered to be the deadliest marksman in all of human history, a trait he received while fighting in the Winter War. Since he has yet to be introduced officially in the manga, we know nothing about him and his role in the story, including his potential powers and abilities that have yet to be revealed.
King Leonidas
While alive, King Leonidas was a famous Spartan ruler and general who faced the Persian Army and died in a heroic battle. Since he has yet to be introduced officially in the manga, we know nothing about him and his role in the story, including his potential powers and abilities that have yet to be revealed.
Grigori Rasputin
Grigori Rasputin was an infamous Russian mystic associated with the Romanov family; he is a notorious figure in Russian history and was associated with stories that involved dark magic and the occult. He was assassinated, although the story of his death is crazy, as he supposedly died only after being killed several times (poisoned, shot, burned, and drowned). Since he has yet to be introduced officially in the manga, we know nothing about him and his role in the story, including his potential powers and abilities that have yet to be revealed.
Record of Ragnarok: All 15 members of the Gods Team
In this section, we are going to introduce all 15 members who are fighting on the side of the Gods in the series. Some of them have already won or lost their fights, while some are yet to be introduced. Now, the 15 fighters are:
Thor
He is the strongest Norse god and the representative of the gods in the first confrontation with Lü Bu. In combat, he wields his hammer Mjöllnir, which is actually a living being that, when awake, releases intense heat and allows Thor to unleash all his power without destroying him, removing his Járngreipr gauntlets, which act as limiters of his strength. A battle freak, he has a great interest in combat, especially with strong opponents. In the fight against Lü Bu, he manages to win and kill him, feeling joy for having faced an enemy at his height but also showing a veil of sadness for the one who was the only one who forced him to give his all.
Zeus
Known as the “King of the Cosmos,” he is the ruler of the gods and the head of the Council of Valhalla. He is a very frail old man but can dramatically increase his muscles. His special ability is Adamas, thanks to which he compresses his muscles to make his body hard as a diamond, as well as a blow he learned from his father Kronos before defeating him, which allows him to unleash a punch so powerful and fast overcome time itself. He fights in the second encounter with Adam and, after a tough fight, finally manages to defeat him. It is from this fight that Zeus ceases to underestimate humans. He watches the ensuing battles with interest, scolding his children if they give in to fear or despair if a god is severely harmed.
Poseidon
The god of the sea fights in the third round against Sasaki Kojiro. He deeply hates humans and believes that a god is enough for himself and does not need support, help, or allies: this is demonstrated by the fact that he almost killed and had his older brother Adamas erased from history when these, irritated by the fact that he had been Zeus to be elected as the new king of the cosmos after the Titanomachy, had hatched a conspiracy.
Heracles
A Greek demigod and champion of Olympus who fights in the fourth round against Jack the Ripper. In the past, he was a human known as Alcaeus, fragile and weak, but in his will to defend justice, he continued to strengthen himself until, during the assault of the gods on Thebes, unable to protect his city, he decided to drink the ambrosia, the blood of Zeus, managing to fight on par with Ares. Before the fight was over, Zeus intervened, offering the man to become a god.
Shiva
He is the god of creation and destruction in Hinduism and one of the participants in the tournament. In the second round, he is replaced by Zeus but returns to represent the gods in the fifth match where he faces Raiden Tameemon. Several millennia ago, encouraged by his best friend Rudra, he started his way to the top of Svarga, and ended up establishing himself as the most powerful of the Hindu gods. His four arms give him extraordinary strength, and with his battle dance, he is able to synchronize with the universe becoming unpredictable for his enemy. He wins the match using his final form called tandava karma in which he will end everything as his destroyer prophecy says by engulfing himself in extremely hot flames.
Hades
Brother of Zeus and Poseidon and ruler of the Underworld. He presents himself as an elegantly dressed man, with flowing hair and his right eye covered by a monocle. Despite not being on the fighter list, he reaches Valhalla during the sixth bout after hearing of Poseidon’s death and decides to take Buddha’s place by fighting for the gods in the seventh round against Qin Shi Huang, to avenge his slain brother. However, Hades ends up in turn defeated and killed by his opponent, still feeling respect for him both as a warrior and as a king.
Beelzebub
He is one of the Ragnarok fighters. He was responsible for “creating” Hajun by implanting evil seeds into Zerofuku as proof of his many experiments; as well as saving Adamas from death at the request of Hades. He will go out in the eighth round and will face Nikola Tesla.
Zerofuku
The original entity that gave rise to the Seven Gods of Fortune. In the beginning, he had the noblest heart of all the gods, and his favorite hobby was bringing joy to the world. However, everything changed when he discovered humans. His gentle nature made him feel great pity for them, so he decided to travel the world to absorb all the misfortune from him. However, despite his best efforts, he only made them sink lower.
Bishamonten
Originally, he was planned to be one of the Ragnarok fighters. However, when Buddha went over to the opposite side, he was aware that this would be the perfect opportunity for him to take revenge on him and at the same time make him carry out his divine punishment. He and the Seven Gods of Fortune met again as a single being: Zerofuku, his original identity, for the first time in thousands of years, to face him in the sixth round.
Hajun
Known as the berserker of the Underworld and the Demon King of Sixth Heaven, Hajun was an extremely powerful demon who caused the destruction of half of Helheim before it was ruled by Hades, until one day he suddenly disappeared without a trace, killed by his own power. Beelzebub was able to find its remains, with which he created a parasite-like seed that he implanted into Zerofuku. It suddenly manifests itself during the sixth Ragnarok match, taking possession of Zerofuku to fight against Buddha. After an initial calm behavior, he showed his sadism and arrogance, calling himself the supreme being.
Odin
The king of the Norse gods and father of Thor. He is shown as a very tall, stocky middle-aged man with white beard, hair, and robes (black in the anime). He is always in the company of his two ravens Huginn and Muninn who speak for him. He shows up in the stands of the other superior gods by witnessing Ragnarok. After the end of the sixth meeting, Odin surprises Beelzebub in his room as he understood that he is behind the appearance of Hajun, stating that he has been waiting for a long time the preparation of Ragnarok and will not allow anyone to interrupt it
Loki
The Norse god of tricks and sworn brother of Odin, has a very devious demeanor and loves to make fun of everyone. He finds Brunhild’s plan to make gods fight humans amusing, convinced that there is no way for mortals to defeat a god. Poseidon’s fall overturns his beliefs, but the god continues to have fun behind the scenes, to see who will be the next to be defeated. He intuits the true nature of the völundr and for this he confronts Buddha, whose philosophy reflects the concept of the weapons of the Valkyries, and accuses him of treason, attempting to lynch him with the help of Bishamonten. His powers include shapeshifting, levitation, and the creation of portals, with which he can teleport and also summon two hooks tied to a chain from the palms of his hands.
Apollo
Apollo was the handsome Greek god of the sun, but also beauty and poetry. There are numerous legends concerning themsečlves with Apollo’s adventures but he did help the Sun shine on Earth. Since he has yet to be introduced officially in the manga, we know nothing about him and his role in the story, including his potential powers and abilities that have yet to be revealed.
Susano’o no Mikoto
The brother of Amaterasu, Susano’o is a powerful deity associated with being two-faced and sneaky, but also with severe storms and the sea, as well as numerous other legends. Since he has yet to be introduced officially in the manga, we know nothing about him and his role in the story, including his potential powers and abilities that have yet to be revealed.
Anubis
Anubis was the Egyptian god of Death and mummification, one of Egypt’s most famous deities; he had the body of a human and the head of a jackal, but he still hasn’t been seen in any of the manga chapters. Since he has yet to be introduced officially in the manga, we know nothing about him and his role in the story, including his potential powers and abilities that have yet to be revealed.
