Record of Ragnarok (Episode 17) - Requiem

The fight between Hercules and Jack the Ripper is coming to a conclusion, but will there be a shocking outcome? This could change everything!

Record of Ragnarok (Episode 17) – Requiem

What happened?

Jack appears to be on his last legs. He took a colossal blow from Hercules and still he fights. However, Hercules has drawn him in and now there’s nothing left to use as a weapon. This fight is as good as over. Well, that’s exactly what Jack the Ripper thought too. He ducked down and thrust his hands into Hercules’ chest. His blood-soaked gloves became a divine weapon and pierced Hercules. Even as Hercules died, he embraced Jack the Ripper and applauded him for a fight well fought. Jack won but had no words to explain how he felt.

He left the arena as humans and gods lambasted him and threw stones. If anything that helped because despite winning for humanity, he could continue to play the villain. Zeus was understandably furious, Ares was inconsolable, and even Loki seemed shaken. So much so that he went for a walk where he bumped into Buddha. Loki was concerned that the valkyries were able to provide the humans with so much power and wondered if Buddha had anything to do with it. Buddha didn’t deny it and was soon surrounded by the seven Pillars of Heaven who sought justice.

Record of Ragnarok Episode 17 Jack the Ripper defeated Hercules

What did you think?

Well, I said Jack the Ripper would win in a victory in that would please no one. It was a fairly clever tactic from the writer and you could actually feel the overwhelming grief, not least from Brunhilde who created a shrine for Hercules alongside Adam and Lu Bu, promising to join him when this was all over. There were a lot of ugly tears shed in this episode and while I don’t think it hit the emotional levels of Kojiro Sasaki’s fight, it did end well.

Then we had the showdown between Loki and Buddha that quickly escalated when the Seven Pillars of Heaven arrived. I loved that Kojiro came to back up Buddha and then the arrival of two more potential fighters for humanity – Isami Kondo and Souji Okita. I don’t know where they are going with this, but it promises to be fairly exciting. I’m wondering if Buddha will be permitted to fight for the humans or whether he will be forced to fight against them. That could make things interesting.

Record of Ragnarok Episode 17 Loki and Buddha

What have you learnt?

So far this series has used a fairly consistent formula. We meet the fighters, they exchange a few blows to show how good they are, we get a flashback from one fighter, a couple more blows, a flashback from the other fighter, some more blows, the fight intensifies, and maybe one more mini flashback, and then finally, the conclusion. That makes whatever is happening with Buddha and Loki that much more interesting because it’s changing things up. Now, it could revert back to the formula and probably will, but until then, it’s caught my attention.

It just goes to show that having a formula isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sure, this series is guilty of overdoing it, but that made a change to the formula that much more noticeable. I think it shows that you can do this intentionally. Allow the audience to get comfortable with a process and then switch it up. It’s a great way to revive their interest. It’s also good to not rely on a formula too much. On its own, it can get stale. Hopefully, this season will give us something fresh for the fifth fight, especially as so much is at stake.