Record of Ragnarok (Episode 8) - Grace Abounding

Zeus has changed his body to maximise his speed and power, but it’s still not enough to hit Adam. However, there’s no way either of them can keep up this intensity. Who will break first?

Record of Ragnarok (Episode 8) – Grace Abounding

What happened?

Normally Zeus would only be able to maintain this form for twelve minutes, however, after the beating he’s taken, it’ll be more like five minutes tops. Even Adam seems wary of this new form and puts his guards up for the first time in the fight. Zeus throws a lightning-fast right hook, but Adam counters. Then he throws a left. Adam counters again. It doesn’t stop there. Zeus throws attack after attack, over and over. Adam doesn’t miss though, but both are pushing themselves too far.

After landing a blow on Zeus, a bead of blood lands on Adam’s eye, blocking his vision. Without his sight, he can’t use Divine Reflection and starts taking a beating from Zeus. All he can do is block, but it was all a ploy to get close enough to grab Zeus. Once he has hold of him, the blows resume. It’s brutal and relentless, but then Zeus drops to his knees and returns to his original form. It looks like Adam has won, but then everyone realises that Adam was already dead.

Record of Ragnarok Episode 8 Adam and Zeus exchange blows

What did you think?

The intensity in this episode was probably the most impressive so far. It wasn’t a pretty fight by any stretch of the imagination as two brawlers throw punch after punch at one another, but it certainly left you breathless. Unfortunately, the outcome was fairly obvious and as soon as I saw that Zeus was still alive, all be it on his knees, I knew what had happened. It was a sad moment, but once more, it did a lot to impress the gods and I can’t help but feel like they’ll spare humanity if only to have a contest like this every thousand years.

After Adam’s soul had shattered, taking Reginleif with him, Brunhilde returned to her chamber to think through her strategy for the next round. Goll was distraught at Reginleif’s death but was consoled by Hrist, another of the valkyries. I loved that it showed Brunhilde losing it and turning to pie. She also has some great lines that are delivered in the most fantastic manner. However, the really exciting moment was the arrival of the next champion.

Record of Ragnarok Episode 8 Adam died fighting

What have you learnt?

There isn’t anything that can’t be improved by adding a samurai master and that appears to be true for Record of Ragnarok. Kojiro Sasaki was a master swordsman before his death four hundred years ago and since then, he has been working on his skills. He certainly showed off some impressive abilities as he caught the spilling milk jug with his sword without letting a drop hit the ground.

Sure, he’s going up against Poseidon, Zeus’ older brother, but this promises to be a far more interesting fight than Adam’s. I’m expecting a lot of fancy techniques, combined with some tense standoffs as both attempt to size up their opponent. Even though the gods won both fights so far, no one will be taking their opponents lightly. It’s definitely improved as it’s gone, although we’re also running out of time.