Record of Ragnarok (Japanese: 終末のワルキューレ, Hepburn: Shūmatsu no Warukyūre, lit. 'Doomsday Valkyrie') is a Japanese manga series written by Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui and illustrated by Azychika about a fighting tournament featuring prominent historical figures against gods from various mythologies, with the fate of mankind in the balance. It began in Coamix's (formerly also published by Tokuma Shoten) seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Zenon in November 2017. It was licensed in North America by Viz Media in June 2021.
Record of Ragnarok | |
終末のワルキューレ (Shūmatsu no Warukyūre) | |
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Genre | |
Manga | |
Written by |
|
Illustrated by | Azychika |
Published by |
|
English publisher | |
Magazine | Monthly Comic Zenon |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | November 25, 2017 – present |
Volumes | 23 |
Manga | |
Ryo Fu Hō Sen Hishōden | |
Written by | Takeo Ono |
Published by |
|
Magazine | Monthly Comic Zenon |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | October 25, 2019 – November 25, 2022 |
Volumes | 7 |
Original net animation | |
Directed by | Masao Ōkubo |
Written by |
|
Music by | Yasuharu Takanashi |
Studio | |
Licensed by | |
Released | June 17, 2021 – July 12, 2023 |
Runtime | 24 minutes |
Episodes | 27 |
Manga | |
Kitan: Jack the Ripper no Jikenbo | |
Written by | Keita Iizuka |
Published by | Coamix |
Magazine | Monthly Comic Zenon |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | October 25, 2022 – present |
Volumes | 6 |
Manga | |
Kinden: Kamigami no Apocalypse | |
Written by | Otsuhiko Naruse |
Illustrated by | Ippei Okamoto |
Published by | Coamix |
Magazine | Monthly Comic Zenon |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | June 25, 2024 – present |
Volumes | 1 |
The manga was adapted as an original net animation (ONA) series by Graphinica and premiered in June 2021 on Netflix. A second season by Graphinica and Yumeta Company premiered in January 2023.
Plot
editThe Gods' Council assembles once every millennium to decide the fate of humanity, deciding that mankind's 7 million years of irredeemable history gives justification for their extinction. But the valkyrie Brunhilde proposes giving humanity one last chance to prove their worth and the gods agree to hold the tournament of Ragnarök, where humanity will be spared if they can beat the gods in seven out of thirteen matches. Humanity's representatives are the Einherjar, notable humans across history who are each granted a valkyrie who becomes a powerful weapon tailored for their user's combat style called "Volund", at the risk of losing her life if the user is killed.
Media
editManga
editRecord of Ragnarok is written by Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui and illustrated by Azychika. It began in Coamix's (formerly also published by Tokuma Shoten) Monthly Comic Zenon on November 25, 2017.[3] Its chapters has been collected into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on May 19, 2018.[4] As of November 20, 2024, twenty-three volumes have been released.[5]
On June 17, 2021, Viz Media announced that they had licensed the series for English release in North America. The first volume was released in digital starting in Fall 2021 and in print starting in spring 2022.[6][7]
A spin-off manga titled Shūmatsu no Valkyrie: Ryo Fu Hō Sen Hishōden (終末のワルキューレ異聞 呂布奉先飛将伝) was serialized in Monthly Comic Zenon from October 25, 2019,[8] to November 25, 2022.[9] Its chapters have been collected into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on April 20, 2020.[10] As of December 20, 2022, seven volumes have been released.[11]
A spin-off manga centered around the Jack the Ripper character titled Shūmatsu no Walküre Kitan – Jack the Ripper no Jikenbo began serialization in Monthly Comic Zenon on October 25, 2022.[12] Its chapters have been collected into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on March 20, 2023.[13] As of November 20, 2024, seven volumes have been released.[5]
A spin-off manga from the viewpoint of the Gods titled Shūmatsu no Walküre Kinden: Kamigami no Apocalypse is set to begin serialization in Monthly Comic Zenon on June 25, 2024.[14] The first volume was released on November 20, 2024.[5]
Record of Ragnarok
editNo. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | May 19, 2018[4] | 978-4-19-980495-3 | October 26, 2021 (digital)[15] January 18, 2022 (print)[16] | 978-1-9747-2786-5 | |
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2 | September 20, 2018[17] | 978-4-19-980517-2 | April 19, 2022[18] | 978-1-9747-2787-2 | |
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3 | March 20, 2019[19] | 978-4-19-980557-8 | July 19, 2022[20] | 978-1-9747-2977-7 | |
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4 | July 20, 2019[21] | 978-4-19-980581-3 | October 18, 2022[22] | 978-1-9747-2978-4 | |
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5 | November 20, 2019[23] | 978-4-19-980603-2 | January 17, 2023[24] | 978-1-9747-2979-1 | |
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6 | April 20, 2020[10] | 978-4-86720-119-0 | April 18, 2023[25] | 978-1-9747-2980-7 | |
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7 | June 19, 2020[26] | 978-4-86720-155-8 | July 18, 2023[27] | 978-1-9747-2981-4 | |
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8 | September 19, 2020[28] | 978-4-86720-168-8 | October 17, 2023[29] | 978-1-9747-2982-1 | |
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9 | December 19, 2020[30] | 978-4-86720-187-9 | January 16, 2024[31] | 978-1-9747-4277-6 | |
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10 | March 18, 2021[32] | 978-4-86720-204-3 | April 16, 2024[33] | 978-1-9747-4278-3 | |
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11 | June 18, 2021[34] | 978-4-86720-240-1 | July 16, 2024[35] | 978-1-9747-4614-9 | |
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12 | September 18, 2021[36] | 978-4-86720-263-0 | October 15, 2024[37] | 978-1-9747-4912-6 | |
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13 | December 20, 2021[38] | 978-4-86720-285-2 | January 21, 2025[39] | 978-1-9747-5163-1 | |
14 | March 19, 2022[40] | 978-4-86720-316-3 | — | — | |
15 | June 20, 2022[41] | 978-4-86720-389-7 978-4-86720-390-3 (SE) | — | — | |
16 | September 20, 2022[42] | 978-4-86720-415-3 978-4-86720-416-0 (SE) | — | — | |
17 | December 20, 2022[11] | 978-4-86720-446-7 978-4-86720-447-4 (SE) | — | — | |
18 | March 20, 2023[13] | 978-4-86720-480-1 978-4-86720-481-8 (SE) | — | — | |
19 | July 20, 2023[43] | 978-4-86720-522-8 978-4-86720-523-5 (SE) | — | — | |
20 | November 20, 2023[44] | 978-4-86720-585-3 978-4-86720-586-0 (SE) | — | — | |
21 | March 19, 2024[45] | 978-4-86720-626-3 | — | — | |
22 | July 20, 2024[46] | 978-4-86720-671-3 | — | — | |
23 | November 20, 2024[5] | 978-4-86720-701-7 | — | — |
Ryo Fu Hō Sen Hishōden
editNo. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | April 20, 2020[10] | 978-4-86720-120-6 |
2 | September 19, 2020[28] | 978-4-86720-169-5 |
3 | December 19, 2020[30] | 978-4-86720-188-6 |
4 | June 18, 2021[34] | 978-4-86720-243-2 |
5 | December 20, 2021[38] | 978-4-86720-286-9 |
6 | June 20, 2022[41] | 978-4-86720-391-0 |
7 | December 20, 2022[11] | 978-4-86720-448-1 |
Kitan: Jack the Ripper no Jikenbo
editNo. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | March 20, 2023[13] | 978-4-86720-482-5 |
2 | July 20, 2023[43] | 978-4-86720-524-2 |
3 | November 20, 2023[44] | 978-4-86720-587-7 |
4 | March 19, 2024[45] | 978-4-86720-627-0 |
5 | July 20, 2024[46] | 978-4-86720-666-9 |
6 | November 20, 2024[5] | 978-4-86720-700-0 |
Kinden: Kamigami no Apocalypse
editNo. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | November 20, 2024[5] | 978-4-86720-699-7 |
Anime
editIn December 2020, it was announced that the series would receive an anime series adaptation produced by Warner Bros. Japan and animated by Graphinica. It is directed by Masao Ōkubo, with series composition by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, characters designs by Masaki Saito and music composed by Yasuharu Takanashi. Licensed by Netflix, the series premiered on June 17, 2021, on the streaming service.[47] The opening theme is "Kamigami" (KAMIGAMI-神噛-, lit. "Gods" / "God Biting"), performed by Maximum the Hormone,[48] while the ending theme is "Fukahi" (不可避, lit. "Unavoidable"), performed by SymaG.[49] In North America, the first season has been licensed for home video release by Viz Media and was released on Blu-ray on April 4, 2023.[50]
In August 2021, it was announced that the series was renewed for a second season.[51][52] The main staff returned from the first season, with Yumeta Company producing the series alongside Graphinica, and Yuka Yamada writing the scripts alongside Fudeyasu.[53] The season consists of 15 episodes, with the first 10 episodes premiering on January 26, 2023, and the remaining five releasing on July 12 of the same year.[54][55] The opening theme is "Rude, Loose Dance" (ルードルーズダンス, Rūdo Rūzu Dansu), performed by Minami, while the ending theme is "Inori" (祈, lit. "Prayer"), performed by Masatoshi Ono.[56]
Reception
editBy March 2021, the manga had over 6 million copies in circulation.[57] By June 2021, the manga had over 7 million copies in circulation.[58] By December 2021, the manga had over 9 million copies in circulation.[59] The manga placed sixth in Rakuten Kobo's second E-book Award in the "Long Seller Comic" category in 2024.[60]
Record of Ragnarok ranked fifth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2019 ranking of Top 20 manga series for male readers.[61] The series ranked fifth on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2018".[62] It placed twelfth on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2020".[63] In 2019, the manga ranked 20th on the fifth Next Manga Awards in the Print category.[64]
In October 2020, Rajan Zed, the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, made a statement addressed to Coamix, criticizing the depiction of Hindu deities in manga and urged the company "not to trivialize Lord Shiva and other highly revered Hindu gods and goddesses in its manga publications".[65] The anime received backlash for its depiction of Shiva by a large group of Indian Americans, calling the series "highly disturbing to them" as it trivializes the deity.[66] To avoid further criticism, Netflix altered the trailer to remove Shiva, and later removed the anime itself from its streaming library in India.[67][68][69]
See also
edit- Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem, another manga series written by Shinya Umemura
References
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External links
edit- Official website at Manga Hot (in Japanese)
- Official website at Monthly Comic Zenon (in Japanese)
- Official anime website (in Japanese)
- Record of Ragnarok on Netflix
- Record of Ragnarok (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia