# Record of Ragnarok (終末のワルキューレ)
**Record of Ragnarok** (終末のワルキューレ, *Shūmatsu no Warukyūre*) is a Japanese battle manga in which thirteen gods and thirteen humans chosen from all of history fight one-on-one duels to decide whether humanity survives. It is written by Shinya Umemura, drawn by Azychika, and composed by Takumi Fukui, and it has been serialized in Coamix's *Monthly Comic Zenon* since the January 2018 issue.[1](https://catalog.coamix.co.jp/record-of-ragnarok/) • [2](https://www.coamix.co.jp/topics/wm8ig0b3ubq) VIZ Media publishes the English edition under the title *Record of Ragnarok*.[3](https://www.viz.com/record-of-ragnarok)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creators | Art: Azychika; story: Shinya Umemura; composition: Takumi Fukui[1](https://catalog.coamix.co.jp/record-of-ragnarok/) |
| Serialization | *Monthly Comic Zenon* (Coamix), running since the January 2018 issue[1](https://catalog.coamix.co.jp/record-of-ragnarok/) • [2](https://www.coamix.co.jp/topics/wm8ig0b3ubq) |
| Premise | Once every 1,000 years the gods vote on humanity's survival; the valkyrie Brunhilde proposes Ragnarok, 13 one-on-one matches, first side to 7 wins[4](https://ragnarok-official.com/1st/story/) |
| Circulation | Over 14 million copies in print as of early 2023[5](https://realsound.jp/movie/2023/02/post-1254601.html) |
| Awards | *Kono Manga ga Sugoi!* 2019 (male readers edition), Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics 2019, and the 2nd Manga Newspaper Award[5](https://realsound.jp/movie/2023/02/post-1254601.html) |
| Anime | Season 1 streamed from mid-June 2021 on Netflix; season III began TV broadcast April 3, 2026; a fourth season was confirmed on June 27, 2026[5](https://realsound.jp/movie/2023/02/post-1254601.html) • [6](https://ragnarok-official.com/index.html) |
| Volumes | Volume 28 released July 17, 2026; volume 29 scheduled for November 20, 2026[1](https://catalog.coamix.co.jp/record-of-ragnarok/) |
## Premise
The story opens at the Conference of Mankind's Survival (人類存亡会議), a gathering held once every 1,000 years in which all the world's gods assemble in heaven and judge humanity. Because of the foolish acts humans have committed, the gods pass a unanimous verdict of extinction. Just before it takes effect, Brunhilde, one of the half-god, half-human battle maidens called valkyries, objects and proposes a final contest: Ragnarok, in which representatives of the gods and representatives chosen from all of human history fight one-on-one. The format is 13 matches, and the first side to take 7 victories wins; if humanity loses, it is destroyed.[4](https://ragnarok-official.com/1st/story/) • [7](https://wwws.warnerbros.co.jp/anime/wba/result/wb_anime48.html)
The gods treat the proposal as a joke, since humans beating gods seems impossible, but Brunhilde goads them into accepting. She then selects the strongest thirteen fighters from seven million years of human history.[4](https://ragnarok-official.com/1st/story/) The first match pits Thor, the strongest god of [Norse mythology](https://www.edgepedia.org/norse-mythology), against Lu Bu Fengxian, the strongest warrior of the [Three Kingdoms](https://www.edgepedia.org/three-kingdoms) era.[1](https://catalog.coamix.co.jp/record-of-ragnarok/)
## Cast and structure
The roster draws on many mythologies and histories. Gods include Thor and the all-knowing Zeus of Greek myth, and the human side includes figures such as Lu Bu Fengxian, the swordsman Sasaki Kojiro, and Adam, the first human, who can copy any technique a god uses against him.[5](https://realsound.jp/movie/2023/02/post-1254601.html) • [8](https://mechanicalanimereviews.com/2022/04/07/manga-review-shorts-legend-of-dai-vol-1-record-of-ragnarok-vol-2-and-mao-vol-4/) Later rounds feature [Nikola Tesla](https://www.edgepedia.org/nikola-tesla) fighting [Beelzebub](https://www.edgepedia.org/beelzebub) with the power of science, and King Leonidas of Sparta facing Apollo.[9](https://www.viz.com/manga-books/manga/record-of-ragnarok-volume-18-0/product/8801/digital) • [3](https://www.viz.com/record-of-ragnarok)
Brunhilde is the central non-fighting character. As the eldest of the thirteen valkyrie sisters, she proposes the contest, and the valkyries can transform themselves into weapons for their human partners through a process called Völund (神器錬成); one sister becomes Sasaki Kojiro's sword.[10](https://ragnarok-official.com/1st/character/) In the anime Brunhilde is voiced by [Miyuki Sawashiro](https://www.edgepedia.org/miyuki-sawashiro).[11](https://ragnarok-official.com/1st/)
## Reception and sales
The manga placed in several industry awards around its debut, including the male-readers edition of *Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2019*, the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics 2019 list, and the 2nd Manga Newspaper Award.[5](https://realsound.jp/movie/2023/02/post-1254601.html) Cumulative circulation passed 14 million copies.[5](https://realsound.jp/movie/2023/02/post-1254601.html)
Commentary has focused on the directness of the premise. A Real Sound essay argued that few works before it had depicted a gods-versus-humanity confrontation so plainly, without twists in the conflict structure, and credited the series' international popularity partly to its tolerant treatment of many religions' gods in one arena.[5](https://realsound.jp/movie/2023/02/post-1254601.html) A MangaBase editorial compared it with *Kengan Ashura*, noting that *Record of Ragnarok* spends its credibility on a premise of instantly recognizable figures such as Zeus and Tesla, which makes it an easier entry point for casual readers, while its fights can coast on spectacle.[12](https://gameisbase.com/news/record-of-ragnarok-vs-kengan-ashura-tournament-manga/)
## Anime adaptation
The first anime season began streaming in mid-June 2021 and drew large attention in Japan and abroad.[5](https://realsound.jp/movie/2023/02/post-1254601.html) It was produced by Graphinica, a studio known for 3DCG work on titles including *Promare* and *[Girls und Panzer](https://www.edgepedia.org/girls-und-panzer)*, with Masao Okubo as director, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu on series composition, and Masaki Sato on character design.[11](https://ragnarok-official.com/1st/) Season 2 was distributed worldwide on Netflix.[7](https://wwws.warnerbros.co.jp/anime/wba/result/wb_anime48.html) Season III began TV broadcast on April 3, 2026, with Netflix exclusive streaming, and production of a fourth season was announced on June 27, 2026.[6](https://ragnarok-official.com/index.html)
The first season's reception was mixed. A Rice Digital review criticized the adaptation's static action scenes and pacing, arguing that the manga's panel-to-panel fight choreography lost impact in animation.[13](https://ricedigital.co.uk/so-i-started-reading-record-of-ragnarok/)
## Spinoffs
Two official spinoff manga run in *Monthly Comic Zenon*. *Shūmatsu no Valkyrie Kitan: Jack the Ripper no Jikenbo* (終末のワルキューレ奇譚 ジャック・ザ・リッパーの事件簿), drawn by Keita Iizuka, follows the serial killer who fought for humanity in the series' fourth round; its eleventh volume was released July 17, 2026.[14](https://catalog.coamix.co.jp/jacktheripper/) *Shūmatsu no Valkyrie Kinden: Kamigami no Apocalypse* (終末のワルキューレ禁伝 神々の黙示録), with story by Otsuhiko Naruse and art by Ippei Okamoto, is a prequel about the gods competing among themselves for their thirteen slots in Ragnarok after Zeus unilaterally fixes the lineup.[15](https://catalog.coamix.co.jp/ragnarok-apocalypse/)
## References
1. [終末のワルキューレ, COAMIX MANGA CATALOG](https://catalog.coamix.co.jp/record-of-ragnarok/)
2. [月刊コミックゼノン2018年1月号 発売！, COAMIX](https://www.coamix.co.jp/topics/wm8ig0b3ubq)
3. [Record of Ragnarok, VIZ](https://www.viz.com/record-of-ragnarok)
4. [STORY｜アニメ『終末のワルキューレ』公式サイト](https://ragnarok-official.com/1st/story/)
5. [『終末のワルキューレ』なぜ神と人類の戦いが世界で熱狂を生む？, Real Sound](https://realsound.jp/movie/2023/02/post-1254601.html)
6. [アニメ『終末のワルキューレⅢ』公式サイト](https://ragnarok-official.com/index.html)
7. [終末のワルキューレ シリーズ, Warner Bros. Japan](https://wwws.warnerbros.co.jp/anime/wba/result/wb_anime48.html)
8. [Manga Review Shorts: Record of Ragnarok Vol 2, Mechanical Anime Reviews](https://mechanicalanimereviews.com/2022/04/07/manga-review-shorts-legend-of-dai-vol-1-record-of-ragnarok-vol-2-and-mao-vol-4/)
9. [Record of Ragnarok, Vol. 18, VIZ](https://www.viz.com/manga-books/manga/record-of-ragnarok-volume-18-0/product/8801/digital)
10. [CHARACTER｜アニメ『終末のワルキューレ』公式サイト](https://ragnarok-official.com/1st/character/)
11. [アニメ『終末のワルキューレ』公式サイト](https://ragnarok-official.com/1st/)
12. [Record of Ragnarok vs Kengan Ashura, MangaBase News](https://gameisbase.com/news/record-of-ragnarok-vs-kengan-ashura-tournament-manga/)
13. [So I started reading Record of Ragnarok, Rice Digital](https://ricedigital.co.uk/so-i-started-reading-record-of-ragnarok/)
14. [終末のワルキューレ奇譚 ジャック・ザ・リッパーの事件簿, COAMIX MANGA CATALOG](https://catalog.coamix.co.jp/jacktheripper/)
15. [終末のワルキューレ禁伝 神々の黙示録, COAMIX MANGA CATALOG](https://catalog.coamix.co.jp/ragnarok-apocalypse/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Anime and manga › Manga titles, publishers, and magazines › Seinen and josei manga titles › Action and dark fantasy seinen*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license