Overview
Record of Ragnarok (Shuumatsu no Valkyrie) opens with a council of gods deciding that humanity no longer deserves to exist. The Valkyrie Brunhilde makes a startling proposal: a tournament of 13 one-on-one duels between gods and humans. If humanity wins seven, the world is spared. Each fight is a specific pairing that puts mythological and historical figures in the same arena.
OtaHub's take
The source is a manga written by Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui and drawn by Azychika, serialized in Monthly Comic Zenon since 25 November 2017. According to Wikipedia it has reached 28 volumes and is still running, alongside spin-offs such as Kitan: Jack the Ripper no Jikenbo and Kinden: Kamigami no Apocalypse. One duel per spotlight character keeps the series easy to follow and lets the authors spend a whole stretch on each fighter's past.
The anime is a Netflix ONA release. Season 1 has 12 episodes and premiered on 17 June 2021, produced by Graphinica. Season 2 came in two parts in January and July 2023, 15 episodes in total, with Yumeta Company joining. Season 3 began on 10 December 2025 with Yumeta Company and Maru Animation, and season 4 was announced in June 2026. Yasuharu Takanashi composed the music for the early seasons.
In its recent analysis, OtaHub has paid particular attention to Odin, the god who stays outside the matches and is suspected of having an agenda of his own. That is reader speculation, so treat it as something to watch rather than official information. Verdict: suited to viewers who like action built around individual showdowns, mythology and historical names reimagined in an exaggerated style.
