History YMMV / RecordOfRagnarok

%%* Heartwarming in Hindsight:the whole character of poseidon dictates how a god should be perfect,have no minions,be self-sufficient and neither conspire against others and although at first glance it is a sign that he is a sociopath with no interest in others it actually describes a person perfectly:his beloved older brother hades who was able to bring order to the underworld by himself (without subdites),battle the titans by himself to protect his brothers (being self-sufficient) and voluntarily handed over to zeus the leadership of the greek pantheon (without conspiring),proving that poseidon was only trying to live up to hades' standards.

** Many fans were questioning the addition of Michel Nostradamus into the roster, seeing how he was a French Prophet in life. Then when he appears, he is revealed to be so strong that he’s considered humanity’s WildCard.

* Heartwarming in Hindsight:the whole character of poseidon dictates how a god should be perfect,have no minions,be self-sufficient and neither conspire against others and although at first glance it is a sign that he is a sociopath with no interest in others it actually describes a person perfectly:his beloved older brother hades who was able to bring order to the underworld by himself (without subdites),battle the titans by himself to protect his brothers (being self-sufficient) and voluntarily handed over to zeus the leadership of the greek pantheon (without conspiring),proving that poseidon was only trying to live up to hades' standards.

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:After Poseidon's death,]] Zeus wishes to send another Greek divinity, stating that Greece has a debt to repay. It becomes much harsher if you remember that Greece is among the nations with the most debts in the entire world. Add the fact [[spoiler:that Heracles will die in the next fight and it's even harsher since, in a way, Greece not only didn't repay its debt but also added another one]]. This becomes '''even''' harsher because [[spoiler:as of the start of Round 9, other than Zerofuku, only Greek gods have died in the Ragnarok, with the only one that survived being Zeus. One would be forgiven for thinking that Apollo would die in his fight considering everything, and while he does survive, that comes at the cost of the Einherjar's only Greek fighter]]. Does the author has something against Greece or what?

** This wouldn't be the only time Adam is rendered DeadThanDead. [[spoiler:Though circumstances are ''much'' different in the SeasonFinale of ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel''.]]

*** Einherjar Hitler[[labelnote:Explanation]]Being one of, if not the single most infamous person is history, Hitler finds himself on a lot of fan rosters, often replacing Jack the Ripper as a representation of humanity's evil. However, the idea of ''Adolf fucking Hitler'' fighting against gods to save humanity is ridiculous even by the standards of this manga, so rosters that include him are almost always mocked.[[/labelnote]]

** Were all of Beelzebub's experiments done in order to find something that could kill him? He does display a sort of curiosity about Hajun that doesn't quite match with that idea

** Zeus's explanation as to why the Greek pantheon should fight in the 4th round raise doubts; since if the reason was to avenge the humiliation of Greece for the death of Poseidon, why did he send Heracles and not Apollo? Was it because he really believed that Heracles would win his round or was it to force Brunhilde to make a sadistic decision since no matter how it goes she would lose a loved one (a friend or a sister), punishing specifically her for overstepping the boundary with the win from the previous round?

** Zeus's actions in the 4th round raise doubts since if his objective was to avenge the humiliation of Greece for the death of Poseidon, why did he send Heracles and not Apollo? Was it because he really believed that Heracles would win his round or was it because As is well known, the friendship of her adopted son with the Valkyries is a form of punishment to force Brunhilde to make a sadistic decision since no matter how it goes she would lose a loved one (a friend or a sister)? Her anger at how Was it due to mourning for Heracles or anger at the humiliation that his pantheon had 2 defeats?

* EvilIsSexy: Likely the reason why Poseidon is popular despite not having a very likeable personality. He has a handsome face and a muscular body he exposes with his outfit, certainly evoking the traditional image of Ancient Greek beauty.

*** The second match is generally liked thanks to Adam's [[PapaWolf charisma and his lines about protecting his children]], however, [[spoiler:his eventual defeat at the end of the battle has split the fandom into those who disliked it cause they think Adam deserved to win after giving his best for the sake of mankind, with his loss ruining an otherwise great fight and those who find that Adam losing, but still inspiring his children to win Ragnarok, all while [[{{Determinator}} keeping fighting after dying]] and [[DiedStandingUp still standing]] made for a sad yet heartwarming moment that would have been spoilt had Adam won, and that his loss serves the storytelling purpose of upping dramatic tension and ensuring the reader knows that no one is safe.]]

*** The battle of Heracles vs Jack the Ripper, unlike the other fights (where the audience generally cheered for the champion of humankind), divided the readers completely. From Heracles's side, his supporters claim that Heracles, the pinnacle of justice and goodwill among the Gods, should win against Jack, who is a scumbag and a vicious serial killer with no empathy, also arguing that he's fighting for humankind and that he will try to convince the Gods to spare humanity, while Jack's camp accuses Heracles of being a massive hypocrite that, despite claiming to fight to save the humans, chooses to fight for the Gods, and that his victory would lead humanity a step closer to utter annihilation, preferring to root for the [[EvilISCool cooler and sophisticated Jack]], who at least will bring victory to humankind despite being evil. This seems to be an IntendedAudienceReaction, as, even in the own manga, some of the humans wonder many times if they should root for a despicable individual like Jack, while Heracles's former human friends are completely rooting for his friend despite the fact that his victory may contribute to their disappearance. Strangely enough, the ending of the battle didn't end being as divisive as the ones of rounds 2 and 3 as, [[spoiler: though many supporters of Heracles were sad he lost, most agree him dying and managing to redeem Jack by being the first person able to [[SympathyForTheDevil understand and show him true love and respect]] was a fitting way to give closure to his character, managing to save the vilest human to ever exists from his inner demons and sticking to his goal of guiding humans even with all the bad things and vices they carry.]]

** Poseidon is one of the least sympathetic characters of the manga and [[HateSink clearly designed to be disliked]], but this hasn't stop fans from finding him a great villain due his chilling and imposing presence and his ideal of what a god should be, that he follows no matter the situation, making him a badass antagonist you can root against without feeling conflicted. [[EvilIsSexy His good looks also help]].
* MagnificentBastard: [[BigBrotherInstinct Hades]] is the brilliant God of the Dead and the eldest of the Greek brothers. Deciding to replace Buddha in the tournament to avenge Posedion's death, he fights Qin Shi Huang in Round 7. Faced with a counter to his own skillset, Hades makes up for his disadvantage with sheer tactical genius. Deducing that Qin's Heavenly Hand of Defense could simply be overpowered and covering himself in his own blood to feel when the invisible Tortoise Ripple hit him, figuring out that by changing his attack trajectory he could render Tortoise Ripple useless, he puts his foe on the defensive several times. Using his trump card of empowering his Bident with his own blood, he takes Qin's arm and would have won if the First King did not get a last-second Revolund. Hades [[GracefulLoser accepted his death]] happy to have faced a [[WorthyOpponent true king]], and apologizes to his brothers for not being strong enough. One of the few Gods to respect their foe from the beginning despite his anger over his brother's death and connecting with Qin over the duty of a King, Qin's only words for his foe after the end of the fight are "my friend".

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:After Poseidon's death,]] Zeus wishes to send another Greek divinity, stating that Greece has a debt to repay. It becomes much harsher if you remember that Greece is among the nations with the most debts in the entire world. Add the fact [[spoiler:that Heracles will die in the next fight and it's even harsher since, in a way, Greece not only didn't repay its debt but also added another one]]. This becomes '''even''' harsher as, so far, [[spoiler:other than Zerofuku, only Greek gods have died in the Ragnarok, with the only one that survived being Zeus. You might start to believe that Apollo will die once his turn to fight will come considering everything]]. Does the author has something against Greece or what?

** Were all of Beelzebub's experiments done in order to find something that could kill him? He does display a sort of curiosity about Hajun that doesn't quite match with that idea.

** Fan rosters[[labelnote:Explanation]]Probably the most common type of unique fan creation for Record of Ragnarok, in which someone creates a new roster for either or both sides with new gods and historical/mythological figures. Creators of these rosters often times have very obvious biases towards a certain mythology and/or a certain country's history (often times their native country) and tend to include very obscure gods and figures. In those cases, fans are very quick to poke fun of them.[[/labelnote]]

* {{Narm}}: The portrayal of Jack the Ripper as the embodiment of the worst evils of humankind as well as the reaction of disgust from both Gods and humans towards him anytime he appears on-screen ended up being laughable to some readers, as there have been people who have committed more heinous acts than the ones of Jack through the history of our species, including some serial killers who had a higher body count than Jack's one (whose confirmed victims number only five) and, while the fans agree that the murders that Jack performed were horrible, they are not enough to warrant him so much hate among the audience of the Ragnarok. Even better when you consider that Rasputin, one of the other fighters announced, can have an equally bad, or even worse, reputation.

* SignatureScene: While the series has a lot of memorable scenes, perhaps the most remembered one is the one where Adam reveals to Zeus and the spectators that [[PapaWolf he's fighting to save his children (basically the entirety of humankind) from annihilation and he, as their father, doesn't needs a reason to protect them]], prompting the entire human population watching Ragnarok to pray in unison for Adam's victory. That scene is pretty much what elevated Adam to the most popular character of the series, and is one of the most quoted lines of the manga by fans.

*** The second match is generally liked thanks to Adam's [[PapaWolf charisma and his lines about protecting his children]], however, [[spoiler:his eventual defeat at the end of the battle has split the fandom into those who disliked it cause they think Adam deserved to win after giving his best for the sake of mankind, with his loss ruining an otherwise great fight and those who find that Adam losing, but still inspiring his children to win Ragnarok, all while [[{{Determinator}} keeping fighting after dying]] and [[DiedStandingUp still standing]] made for a sad yet heartwarming moment that would have been spoilt had Adam won.]]

* UnexpectedCharacter: The list of humans includes expected heroes like UsefulNotes/SasakiKojiro, UsefulNotes/LuBu, and King Leonidas, as well as highly unexpected or seemingly randomized picks such as UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla and [[UsefulNotes/{{Nostradamus}} Michel Nostradamus]], neither of whom were fighters of any kind and UsefulNotes/SimoHayha, who is more well-known for being a sniper, thus unsuited for a tournament style one-on-one fight.

** For characters who don't receive much screentime, the supporting Valkyries are popular in the fandom due their character design and their support to humans. Among them, [[SplitPersonality Hrist]] is generally the most liked, thanks to her fun double personality and her good looks. [[spoiler: Many cheered when she, unlike her previous two sisters, managed to survive thanks to Kojiro's victory.]]

*** The following fight, Raiden Tameemon vs Shiva, also was a point of contention to some. Ignoring that the human representative is another very-hyped Japanese fighter (and the most obscure one outside of Japan), the beginning of the fight wasn't particularly interesting (especially after coming from the well-liked 4th round), with fans complaining it was a rehash of Adam vs Zeus with both fighters limiting themselves to do little more than throw physical attacks to each other and even with a subplot focusing on Loki/Buddha interrupting the fight (the first true interruption since Red Hare joined the fray for Lu Bu) that merely served to hype future contestants such as Buddha himself or Bishamonten and that didn't lead to anything major. However, once the flashbacks of Shiva/Raiden were revealed (giving both of them the characterization they needed) and Shiva got finally serious after being on the receiving end of the fight for most of the match, most fans consider the fight improved considerably, and the final clash is believed to be awesome both in terms of storytelling and art. Also, [[spoiler:though some fans were quick to call Shiva's [[SuperMode Tandava Karma]] a convenient way for him to win the fight, Raiden's death is considered badass (as he never fall to the ground and went out with dignity, even being recognized by Shiva himself) and bittersweet (Raiden dies embraced by his valkyrie Thrud, who decides to die along with the man she loves).]]

* AmericansHateTingle: [[LoserArchetype Sasaki Kojiro]] is, obviously, popular among Japanese readers, being one of the most portrayed warriors in the fan arts. However, his introduction raised a few eyebrows among Western readers, as, after [[spoiler: the deaths of likable and badass warriors such as [[BloodKnight Lü Bu]] and, especially [[PapaWolf Adam]] (who came close to winning his intense fight), with the third representative of the humans being a Japanese swordsman, very few people thought he was going to lose and give three consecutive defeats to humankind.]] Doesn't help that, [[spoiler: Kojiro, the only Japanese warrior so far, managed to win his fight, with some readers claiming that the authors favored him for his nationality. To make things worse, since there are three other Japanese warriors that are going to fight for the humans, some are fearing that the non-Japanese fighters are going to lose and get axed in favor of the Japanese ones]]. This sentiment died a bit [[spoiler: when Jack the Ripper (An English European) won his fight against Heracles while Raiden (A Japanese sumo-wrestler) lost to Shiva.]]

** Poseidon is a a prideful JerkAss who sees himself as perfect by simple virtue of being a god, and scoffs at the very idea of being helped by others. He's also a terryfing force of nature who makes every other god who aren't at the top of their pantheons quake. He defeated Adamas in an utter CurbStompBattle and pushed Kojiro to his absolute limits. Even if he did lose, he more than earned his ego.

** Hades, oddly enough, can feel this way to some. His backstory isn't as fleshed out as his opponent's and receives less narrative focus, with Qin Shi Huang getting the lion's share of development. Some also argue his fighting style isn't very complex and is too reminiscent of Poseidon's, making him come off as recycled instead of having his own charm.

* MagnificentBastard:[[BigBrotherInstinct Hades]] is the brilliant God of the Dead and the eldest of the Greek brothers. Deciding to replace Buddha in the tournament to avenge Posedion's death, he fights Qin Shi Huang in Round 7. Faced with a counter to his own skillset, Hades makes up for his disadvantage with sheer tactical genius. Deducing that Qin's Heavenly Hand of Defense could simply be overpowered and covering himself in his own blood to feel when the invisible Tortoise Ripple hit him, figuring out that by changing his attack trajectory he could render Tortoise Ripple useless, he puts his foe on the defensive several times. Using his trump card of empowering his Bident with his own blood, he takes Qin's arm and would have won if the First King did not get a last-second Revolund. Hades [[GracefulLoser accepted his death]] happy to have faced a [[WorthyOpponent true king]], and apologizes to his brothers for not being strong enough. One of the few Gods to respect their foe from the beginning despite his anger over his brother's death and connecting with Qin over the duty of a King, Qin's only words for his foe after the end of the fight are "my friend".

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: For a guy that's supposed to hate even his fellow gods, it's conspicuous that all of Poseidon's attacks are named after his mythological lovers. Additionally, [[spoiler: his elder brother Hades fights to avenge him after his death, implying they were close]]. Is Poseidon's hatred exaggerated or are these just exceptions to an otherwise uniform hatred?

* MemeticMutation: With the airing of the anime, [[https://img3.gelbooru.com/images/f0/27/f0279a78a1ae3d4fc01ce557a801a413.jpeg this shot of Aphrodite having her breasts hold by her golem servants]] didn't last long until being noticed by viewers, [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/statues-holding-aphrodite-breasts-parodies/photos who proceeded to make their own version of the image featuring different characters from other franchises]].
** A gif of her breasts getting blown into her face by sudden updraft has also made for a viral post on Tumblr.
* {{Narm}}: The portrayal of Jack the Ripper as the embodiment of the worst evils of humankind as well as the reaction of disgust from both Gods and humans towards him anytime he appears on-screen ended up being laughable to some readers, as there have been people who have committed more heinous acts than the ones of Jack through the history of our species, including some serial killers who had a higher body count than Jack's one (whose confirmed victims number only five) and, while the fans agree that the murders that Jack performed were horrible, they are not enough to warrant him so much hate among the audience of the Ragnarok. Even better when you consider that Rasputin, one of the other fighters announced, can have an equally bad, or even worse, reputation.

** Buddha: You wouldn't think that the enlightened sage would have an ego, but this version has one, and he can back it up. He doesn't give a single fuck about what any of the gods demand from him, up to and including Zeus and Odin, tells them to "Shut up" ''multiple times'', and decides to fight on the side of humanity because he knows damn well nobody can stop him. And sure enough, neither Zerofuku nor Hajun (who is outright stated to be one of the strongest beings in the world) are no match for him. Throughout Heaven and Earth, He Alone Am The Honored One.
** Qin Shi Huang: Compared to him, the others are downright humble. His introduction has him bust into the Gods' viewing platform, take Hades' seat, throw Ares around like a ragdoll, and make Hermes serve him wine. He enters the battle by walking down a platform held up by every other emperor of China, who see being used by him as step stools as an honor. He then proceeds to not only defeat Hades, one of the Chief Gods, but shatter his weapon as well, all while being an arm short. Even Hades respects him, as he doesn't call him "human" or use his name, but calls him King.

** Raiden Tameemon: At first, he seems like a hedonistic blowhard who seems more interested in indulgence than the fate of humanity. But his fight with Shiva proves that he's far from that. During life, he had to restrain himself fro. Using his full strength because people thought he was a monster. And when that full strength is unleashed against Shiva, he utterly cripples the God of Destruction. Even Zeus admits that most other gods would have lost to Raiden.

* AwesomeEgo: Qin Shi Huang. The first emperor of China may have an ego that makes the gods look humble but he more than backs it up with his sheer confidence, skills, and accomplishments.
* BaseBreakingCharacter: