In recent years, Netflix has understood the cultural impact of anime and how the medium is good for business. To date, the streaming service has been bringing action anime such as Baki Hanma, Sakamoto Days, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run to its roster. Of all these various hard-hitting animated series, the one Netflix exclusive series with the highest stakes pits mankind against the gods in a fight for survival. With three seasons under its belt so far, Record of Ragnarok has confirmed that a fourth season is in the works that will bring in more deities and legendary members of mankind.
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Record of Ragnarok introduced its third season last year, once again bringing some wild legendary figures from history and remaking them to wield an anime aesthetic and power set. On the human side of the aisle, the likes of Qin Shi Huang, Nikola Tesla, and Leonidas of 300 fame represented mankind. On the flip side of the aisle, this trio faced down deities such as Hades, Beelzebub, and Apollo, respectively. With the confrontation still taking place after nine rounds, Record of Ragnarok announced that a fourth season was in production while also sharing new artwork to celebrate the occasion. You can check out the major new art from illustrator Azychika below.
Why Record of Ragnarok is Worth Watching
On paper, one might not think that Jack the Ripper, as vicious as the real-life figure was, would stand a chance against Hercules from Greek mythology, but this didn’t stop Record of Ragnarok from giving Jack a serious upgrade. Throughout the fighting anime where the fate of the world hangs in the balance, each of the humans is granted some wild technology and/or superpowers that make them eligible to stand toe-to-toe with the gods. While the battles have ranged from lower-level to earth-shattering, such as the fight between Zeus and Adam, the first man, Ragnarok always finds a way to make its fights interesting.
Unfortunately, despite the levels of action that are a part of Netflix’s exclusive anime series, this didn’t save Record of Ragnarok from controversy. Early in the anime’s run, India actually banned the anime from its country due to the portrayal of Shiva, India’s god of destruction. In 2021, the Universal Society of Hinduism specifically criticized the series for its depiction of “the Destroyer,” with Netflix banning the anime original from its own platform in India. As of the writing of this article, Record of Ragnarok has not been confirmed to ever debut in India.
Luckily, the fighting anime adaptation could continue for much longer than a fourth season, as the manga’s creative team is still working on the series to this day. Debuting in 2017, Record of Ragnarok has not confirmed that a grand finale is in its future. Fingers crossed that all the battles between humanity and the gods will find their way to Netflix.
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