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Record of Ragnarok (Shuumatsu no Valkyrie) is a popular manga and Netflix anime series where 13 of humanity's greatest historical and legendary figures face off against 13 powerful deities in a final tournament to prevent the extinction of mankind. [1, 2]

The narrative structure and character rosters define the core of the series:

📜 The Premise

Every 1,000 years, the Council of Valhalla votes on the fate of humanity. Disgusted by mankind's continuous destruction of the Earth, the gods unanimously decide to wipe them out. Before the decree is passed, the eldest Valkyrie, Brunhilde, proposes a loophole: Ragnarok. It is a clause in the Valhalla Constitution that allows humans and gods to settle their differences in a series of 13 one-on-one battles to the death. The first side to secure 7 victories wins. [1, 2]

⚔️ The Fighters

To level the playing field, Brunhilde orchestrates "Volundr" (or Voland)—a process where Valkyries transform their bodies into divine weapons for the human fighters. [1]

Humanity’s Roster:

• Lu Bu (Chinese Warlord)

• Adam (The First Man)

• Kojiro Sasaki (Legendary Swordsman)

• Jack the Ripper (Notorious Serial Killer)

• Raiden Tameemon (Sumo Wrestler)

• Qin Shi Huang (Chinese Emperor)

• Nikola Tesla (Inventor)

• Leonidas I (King of Sparta)

• Okita Soji, Michel Nostradamus, Simo Häyhä, Grigori Rasputin, and Sakata Kintoki [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Gods' Roster:

• Thor (Norse)

• Zeus (Greek)

• Poseidon (Greek)

• Heracles (Greek)

• Shiva (Hindu)

• Zerofuku/Hajun (Buddhist)

• Hades (Greek)

• Beelzebub (Demon/Christian)

• Apollo (Greek)

• Susano'o-no-Mikoto (Japanese)

• Loki, Anubis, and Odin [1, 2, 3]

📺 Media and Reception

• Manga: Written by Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui, with illustrations by Ajichika. It began serialization in Comic Zenon in 2017.

• Anime: The anime adaptation is produced by Graphinica and features dynamic, high-stakes tournament action.

• Adaptation Choices: On community forums like Reddit, discussions often focus on how the authors alter historical and mythical figures to make the fights fast-paced and dynamically matched, avoiding one-sided lore disputes (agreement level: consensus, CharacterRant). [1, 2, 3, 4]