MANGA REVIEW | "Record of Ragnarok" - Volume Eleven
With his lone arm raised, Shiva reigned victoriously. It was a hard-fought battle in the last Record of Ragnarok volume, with the Hindu god going toe-to-toe with the sumo phenom Raiden. Now that the gods are one win ahead of humanity, hope for all living creatures has become bleak. But then, a ray of light appears in Volume Eleven. And his name is Buddha!
At first, it would seem like Buddha would fight on the side of his own kind. Even when Zeus himself comes to ask for his help, Buddha seems keen to fight. But those who paid attention to his antics in Volume Nine will know that the beacon of enlightenment has a soft spot for us puny humans. In fact, one could say that it’s because of humanity that Buddha even has a purpose in the first place!
As he entered the fighting grounds, those humans in attendance trembled with fright. But once he spoke in the name of humanity, those fears from the people changed to hope. At long last, a god has arrived to battle in their name. The other gods, as you can imagine, don’t take the news too well, as they showcased anger and rage in the most delightfully funny ways. Record of Ragnarok may be a badass fighting tournament arc, but as the likes of Dragon Ball and even Booty Royale will show, there’s always room for laughter.
But don’t get too comfy here. Just because a god is fighting for humanity doesn’t mean the other gods don’t have some sort of plan. So who in the gods’ names will they send? Upon their arrival, it would appear it’d be a seven-on-one battle between Buddha and the Seven Gods of luck known as the Shichifuku. Yet again, the gods had a trick up their sleeves, as those seven gods become one super god: Zerofuku!
And what a fight this will be when it finally happens! Alas, not a single punch is thrown in this volume of Record of Ragnarok. Instead, we get a flashback to Zerofuku’s life, and how he was originally a good-hearted god who took on the suffering of others. He saw how all of the people felt grateful for his healing works, but — as you can imagine — not all suffering went away. All it did was amplify vices and turn the healed into assholes (including the first boy whom Zerofuku helped)!
It all leads to the big reveal of how humanity — be it those who suffered and those who don’t — worshipped Buddha. Here was a cool cat who was happy to feed the poor and give to the needy, all without a care in the world. And there’s where the difference between Buddha and Zerofuku lies, as the latter legit wants all of praise for his work, whereas Buddha couldn’t care less. From at that point, the rage for human grew, to the point where Zerofuku had to break apart in order to regain control of his humanity.
However, with humanity now in the gods’ crosshairs, the time for Zerofuku to reemerge has arrived. And he couldn’t have asked for a better opponent. Volume Eleven of Record of Ragnarok delivers the right amount of build-up for what could be the biggest stakes fight yet. The question now is this: will Enlightenment reign supreme, or will the suffering bee far too overwhelming? I can’t wait to see what Record in Ragnarok has in store next!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.