Record of Ragnarok III

The Record of Ragnarök continues with fights 7, 8, and 9 with the fate of all humanity on the line! Hades VS. Qin Shi Huang: This one is definitely one of the better fights; the attacks and how they are countered make the back and forth very exciting and dynamic. The backstory behind Qin Shi felt somewhat long, but was very interesting. Hades backstory happened to be rather short, as he is a major god in Greek theology and fairly well known, but it does a good job at showing us the specific version of Hades and his motivations. Beelzebub (Baal) VS. Nikola Tesla: I was somewhat unsure ofthis one when I saw Tesla was almost exclusively animated in CG while Baal was not. While there was a brief moment or two where the model looked off, I'd say it was rather well done and by the end I was satisfied with the fight. Seeing the other great minds of humanity in the stand was a highlight of this portion, as they add to the humor of the eccentric personality of Tesla. Given the lord of flies happens to be from the Bible, they had to do a lot of writing to integrate him into the hierarchy of Valhalla. Tesla had less of a backstory; rather, they spent a decent chunk of that time to explain theorical science to make sense of how Tesla fights. Apollo VS. Leonidas: This is one that feels like a miss. I'm getting tired of seeing Greek gods as this is number 5, and while Leonidas thematically makes for a good rivalry, neither characters' backstory really compels me to root for them or grasps my emotions like the other fighters this season. Another thing that bothers me about this fight is that it might be the shortest in the series thus far. The ending teasing the next season and a special mystery has me wanting me more, but now I've got to wait probably a least another year. 8/10; still continuing strong

Record of Ragnarok impresses me because it consistently delivers. You keep thinking there's no way it's going to, but just like a Christopher Nolan movie or something there's just a certain level of quality with every season that they keep hitting. The consistency is unreal and rare in modern anime. This anime feels like a 2007 anime and an old school anime period. That is a high compliment coming from me as someone who grew up during that time period. This anime does not have unnecessary ecchi sexual content, or cringy teenage edgelord protaganists who don't kill enemies. Although some people have complained about theCGI, and I'm not a fan of CGI either, only 5% of this season is even CGI. Just a little bit of the fight with Tesla, but it doesn't really take you out of it. So you don't have to worry about CGI in this anime. They make sure that the vast majority of it is done in traditional style and it looks really, really good. This is coming from someone that absolutely detests and hates CGI more than anybody else. Tesla ended up impressing me the most, and I thought he was going to be the weakest character this season, but he ended up impressing me the most. He was very inspirational, and his entire segment was very emotional, and in my opinion, the best fight of the season as well. Record of Ragnarok is what I wish more animes could be like, but so many are focused on overly sexual, ecchi/hentai-lite content and trying to appeal to that demographic instead of just telling a really good story with great action. Record of Ragnarok understands the basics of what being a good anime is about, and that's why everyone likes it and its rating is extremely high.

Story I feel like the third season was the weakest one so far in this series. We were introduced to characters with potential, but their development felt very mediocre, especially when compared to Season 2, not to mention the exceptional character work of Season 1. We did get some advancements in the overall story, but to be honest, nothing major happened, this entire season served primarily as build-up for the final season or movie. Visuals The art style is certainly unordinary, and I feel like it offers a small breath of fresh air compared to other anime that were airing concurrently. However, the animation and effects are nothinggroundbreaking. For most viewers, the technical execution is probably below average, but I suspect this is due to a very specific style choice combined with a limited budget. Conclusion Unfortunately, this season mostly functions as a build-up for the next installment. I wasn't actively bored while watching it, but I certainly expected a little more and was left slightly disappointed. Let's hope the next season wraps up the whole story well and finally delivers some interesting fights.

This season turned out to be far better than the previous one. The duels feel much more deliberate, both in terms of character writing and emotional tension. The clear highlight is Hades vs Qin Shi Huang, which for me is the most emotionally and thematically heavy duel so far—Hades as the eldest brother who carries the weight of responsibility for his siblings, and Qin Shi Huang as a king who has no choice but to keep moving forward without ever backing down. The fight becomes bitter yet memorable, because no matter who wins, there is always a value that has to be sacrificed. The Teslavs Beelzebub duel is somewhat held back by Tesla’s visuals, which feel inconsistent and oddly handled, but Beelzebub’s flashback is strong enough to salvage the overall experience. Meanwhile, Apollo vs the Spartan king sits in a neutral spot—not bad, but not particularly memorable either. Overall, despite its visual shortcomings, season 3 feels more mature and meaningful than its predecessors