Record of Ragnarok pits gods and human heroes against each other in 13 rounds of a once in millennium fight for humanity’s survival. Last volume, we saw Brunhilde step up to defend humanity by choosing the legendary Chinese warrior Lü Bu to fight the Norse God of Thunder, Thor. We got the backstories of the two opponents, and we got the chance to see just how much the gods are set on destroying humanity. Now in Record of Ragnarok Volume 2, we see Adam and Zeus face off after the conclusion of Lü Bu versus Thor.
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Record of Ragnarok Volume 2 is features art by Azychika, a story by Shinya Umemura, and a script by Takyumi Fukui. The series is published and localized in English by VIZ Media through their VIZ Signature imprint. Additionally, its translated into English by Jo Yamakazi and features touch-up art & lettering by Mark McMurray.
The initial expectation of an easy first win for the gods in the Valhalla Arena is shattered as the human hero Lü Bu (with some help from Brunhilde on the sly) proves to be a match for the mighty Thor. But can Lü Bu stand up to the thunder god’s most powerful attack? With the tournament going into its second round, a surprising fighter for the gods decides to step into the ring. His human opponent? None other than the first man himself—Adam!
One thing that manga does that always makes me excited is the intro page. In nearly every volume you’ll get a page dedicated to reminding you of the story so far and the key characters. For Record of Ragnarok though, they add one more element: the roster. In it, you get a breakdown of the 13 heroes and the 13 gods who are set to battle against each other. But don’t worry, you don’t who is matching up against who, which allows you to enjoy without spoilers.
Record of Ragnarok continues to be beautiful and dynamic because of how differently the creative team has envisioned the roster of deities and heroes. If you looked at the pages, you would never know exactly where references for the characters came from. The designs are thoroughly unique and entertaining and the fight scenes are something to behold. But the fights work not only because of the illustration but because we get a build-up of history and context around the character, their culture, and their story.
While the art remains a hyper-stylized stand-out, its Record of Ragnarok Volume 2’s choice to throw Abrahamic mythology into the ring is something we don’t usually see in stories of pantheons and heroes. Most of the time, we only see polytheistic pantheons entering battles, but here, we see Adam, a hero among men for his hatred of the gods and need for knowledge. This leads to his match-up against the god of gods Zeus.
The fight itself is hard-hitting and offers the least backstory so far, but at the same time, the fight elements are so fast-paced that it holds you, keeping you flipping the pages to see what happens next.
Like the volume before it, Record of Ragnarok Volume 2 leaves its audience hanging but in a great way. The pacing of the story is nearly perfect with fights spaced out with story and lamentation from Brunhilde and Gier at humanity’s results in the first fight. There is a lot of shock and fun in Record of Ragnarok that is so much more than the anime that was released last year.
Record of Ragnarok Volume 2 is available wherever books are sold April 19, 2022.
Record of Ragnarok Volume 2
TL;DR
Like the volume before it, Record of Ragnarok Volume 2 leaves its audience hanging but in a great way…There is a lot of shock and fun in Record of Ragnarok that is so much more than the anime that was released last year.
