‘Record of Ragnarok’ Season 2 Ending Explained: Who Wins Between Hercules and Jack the Ripper?
Welcome to the Ending Explained for Record of Ragnarok, Season 2 on Netflix. The series is based on the manga of the same name, written by Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui and illustrated by Ajichika. The series tells the story of an ultimate tournament where humanity’s existence is at stake. Gods against humans will fight in spectacular battles. If the gods win the tournament, then humanity will cease to exist, but as well all know humanity in its stubbornness will not step down without a fight.
This season of the series has improved a bit when it comes to the animation department, which was a big letdown in the first season. The improvement is still small, as this is still the biggest shortcoming of the series. However, the style still maintains the elements that make Record of Ragnarok feel like a show that could have been produced in the 90s. From music to character design, it seems like season 2 will surely entertain those who are in search of big battles and even bigger stakes.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for Season 2 of Record of Ragnarok. Read at your own risk.
Who Wins Between Hercules And Jack The Ripper?
The start of season 2 finds the tournament in its fourth round. Previously in season 1, the gods managed to win two of the first three rounds and are right now in the lead. However, thanks to master Kojiro Sasaki, and his victory against Poseidon, humanity still has a chance to come out on top. The fourth round starts, and the choices for fighters are quite controversial. Especially because we see that Brunhilde is close to the person fighting for the gods, none other than the legendary hero, Hercules.
Hercules is very well-loved, not only by the gods, for whom he is fighting in this match but also by humanity itself. His reputation as a great hero, and as a great person, follows him around. Brunhilde and Goll encounter him before the match begins, and they seem to have a nice relationship. However, when Brunhilde reveals who is Hercules’ opponent, everyone feels disgusted by the choice. Hercules will fight against the infamous Jack the Ripper, who is considered to be the incarnation of humanity’s malice.
The fight starts, and it seems like a very unbalanced matchup. Hercules is basically invulnerable to any attack; he is super strong and also seems to have endless stamina. Meanwhile, Jack is lanky and doesn’t seem to have any martial capabilities, but he does seem to be cunning. The battle continues, and Jack manages to deceive Hercules many times about what his weapon is. It is revealed that Jack’s actual divine weapon is actually his gloves, which have the ability to turn anything he touches into a divine weapon. Jack promises he will make Hercules fear before dying.
The battle continues, and the fighters’ ideals come to life. Hercules looks for justice and peace, while Jack looks for the feelings he has been denied to have since childhood. In the end, wounded and weak, Jack manages to kill Hercules by transforming his own blood into a divine weapon and stabbing Hercules with his own hands. Hercules praises Jack’s strategies and leaves without fear, which Jack accepts as a personal loss even when he wins the match. Both gods and humanity cry out for Hercules, while Jack is despised by both. Shakespeare concludes that this is what humans are, beauty and ugliness at the same time.
Who Wins Between Raiden and Shiva?
The second match of the season is between Raiden Tameemon, the highest-ranked sumo wrestler during the 19th century. Raiden’s story is quite peculiar, as he couldn’t stand up until he was three years old, and during that first time when he stood by himself, he broke the bones in his arms and legs. Not because his bones were weak, but because his muscles were too strong. Raiden then focuses his life on the search for becoming the perfect sumo wrestler. It is this sport that helps him focus on his inhuman strength and transforms him into a champion.
On the other side, we have Shiva, the god of destruction, who is also looking for the same thing as Raiden. Many times during the fight, we see that Raiden and Shiva are actually very similar in their philosophies. Both of them are fighting for their loved ones. Shiva for his friends, and Raiden for the ones he loves. Which in this case is his Valkyrie companion, Thrud, a big woman who had never received the attention of a man, until she met Raiden, who fell in love with her at first sight.
The battle is brutal, and they end up using their best techniques. Raiden manages to cut three out of the four arms Shiva has, and Shiva does the same with Raiden, taking one arm from the wrestler using his legs. In the end, Raiden dies, losing the match, but Shiva has changed, and now his perception of humans is completely different. Both Shiva and Zeus admit that humans are pretty tough. Meanwhile, Goll overhears a group of gods planning to take out Buddha, who is suspected of being a traitor, and give the humans the ability to use the valkyries. However, before Goll is killed by the gods, she is saved by Jack the Ripper’s arrival.
After the match, we also see Zeus find Buddha in question and ask him to participate in the next match of the tournament. Buddha accepts because Zeus is the boss. However, when he steps into the arena, he announces that he will be fighting on humanity’s side. To everyone’s shock, it seems that one of the most powerful gods in existence will fight for humanity’s survival. Who will be Buddha’s rival? We will have to wait for season 3 to find out.
