Record Of Ragnarok: Adam vs Zeus Fight Review

Humans beating gods? 

With anime serving every unimaginable plot, this blasphemous event is no longer impossible.

However, the first four episodes of the Record of Ragnarok anime left many mortal hearts broken after keeping everyone's hopes up.

To those unaware, Otaku Fantasy covered the first match with this article — Record of Ragnarok: Thor vs. Lu Bu fight review. Though the mortal Lu Bu literally drew first blood, he ended up decimated and sent to oblivion with his loyal followers, who happily got themselves smashed shortly after.

Synopsis

In the famous series with a new season now available on Netflix and every media, Ragnarok is a death battle between humanity and the Gods.

The story of Ragnarok commences in the Council of Valhalla when the gods unanimously agree to destroy humanity. However, thanks to the intervention of a valkyrie, the court decided to stage Ragnarok, in which humans battle to the grave with thirteen divinities in a desperate bid to save humankind.

The rules of this otherworldly battle are straightforward. Each team selects thirteen combatants to compete in one-on-one bouts to the death, with the victorious team having the most kills.

The gods winning Ragnarok only begets the end of the human race. If humans prevail, the divinities will grant them to enjoy their lives for another 1,000 years.

The second match opened the curtains for Adam, the first human, and Zeus, the leader of the gods. One seemed vengeful, while the other appeared adamant about settling thousands of years of dispute. Who will emerge victorious?

Warning: Spoilers

Adam "The First Human" 

Adam, who we thought to be the poster boy of the Record of Ragnarok anime, possesses the charisma of a typical shonen protagonist. His vibe emanates incredible radiance, which matches his silky-smooth skin tone, and we all know this because he is a simple man with an apple, wearing only a leaf to censor his genitals.

But unlike the usual rackety lead character, Adam exudes an unflappable vibe. We weren't sure if we should be disappointed, but contrary to the initial implication, especially of the lead valkyrie, Brunnhilde, there's no hint of vengefulness or hatred from him.

The conspiracies behind his rage ended when Adam announced that he no longer abhors the Gods, but he left a few words that would resonate in the hearts of many — "if you want to save those you love, you don't need a reason."

The narrative of Adam and Eve deviated from the cliché tales of creationism. In the paradise of Eden, Eve drew the attention of a sleazy snake demon called The Serpent, who lusted for her affection. Angered by the woman's rejection, the serpent took a bite of the forbidden fruit and framed it on Eve. 

During the trial of Eve, Adam came to her rescue and killed the snake. As a result, the gods expelled the mortal couple from paradise, not knowing what truly happened, and the rest is history. It's a given that Adam despised the gods due to these events, but birthing the entire human race and living in peace for a long time with his partner may have appeased his feelings.

But how was Adam able to kill The Serpent?

We go back to what Abrahamic religions and their bibles have taught most of us about the father of the human race — that Adam was designed in gods image and likeness. But the Record of Ragnarok's essence goes further than mere appearance.

The anime's plot gave these writings a different meaning, granting the first human cosmic powers and abilities. He calls this ability "Divine Reflection."

While it may be an uncomfortable topic for some, and we know that not everyone would agree, this interpretation should make the most sense. However, being able to replicate the gods' powers doesn't mean that the gods, or at least Zeus, would set Adam on equal footing with him. Otherwise, there'd be no need for another Valkyrie to stick her neck out.

Still, Adam's physique and god-bestowed abilities could easily annihilate most of the gods in the top-tier roster, let alone a mere sleazy snake deity.

The Father Of The Gods

Zeus, the father of the gods, battled against Adam in the second death match. The original slate would pit Adam against the brawny Shiva, but the Indian God was threatened and persuaded by the older deity to give up his place for him.

There may be two reasons behind the switch — one of them is the uncontained excitement that resulted from Thor and Lubu's match. The other is our impression that Zeus had to settle an unfinished business. But to our disappointment, it appeared that the supposed thunder-wielding god of the greeks had nothing to do with Adam. Therefore, another powerful entity must be responsible for the creation of humans.

Zeus rose from power due to the Titanomachy, a war between titans and the gods of Olympus that set him up, together with 11 others (actually twelve Olympian gods), to be the ultimate divine beings worthy of worship. After slaying his father, Cronus, Zeus became the new Lord of the Cosmos and has reigned as the father of the gods since then.

At this moment, we were certain that the cocky god would meet his demise and that another powerhouse, like the mysterious Norse God Odin, would take over and come out as the greater evil. After all, it seemed like Adam was wearing the plot armor. 

But since the boss god seeps the same air as other old geezers of anime, we knew he wouldn't go down without a fight. The other gods must revere him for many good reasons.

Thus, we had to endure another hell of a fight with one of our eyes closed and our fingers crossed. This time, we were 100% rooting for our poster boy, Adam.

Adam vs. Zeus Fight

Heimdall, the show's announcer, and heaven's street punk, blew the horn announcing the beginning of the second match. Adam arrived in the arena first, making a grand entrance with the creatures of paradise. He made the signature pose in "The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo and did it again when he merged with the Valkyrie, Reginleif.

Next to enter the battle stage is the handsome Hermes, playing "Air on the G String" by Johann Sebastian Bach. But to everyone familiar with the mythologies, Hermes is not the muscle type, and his character doesn't seem to lust for a sweaty altercation. That would ruin his butler's suit!

Instead, Hermes heralded the appearance of his father (relationship as per Wiki), who he referred to as "Master." The gods, indeed, have a weird way of expressing their blood ties with each other.

Zeus requested Hermes to add more enthusiasm to his entrance by asking the latter to play the celestial version of the masterpiece he had rendered earlier. The music article "Slayer on the G String," as they call it, required the cosmic violinist to wield multiple instruments, and the outcome intended to give the audience a musical orgasm. It didn't impress much, and maybe it's because the one who'll benefit from this divine artistry is a perverted, old creep.

Zeus, unlike many old geezers of anime, is one horrid being. At this point, we're sure we wanted him gone, but not necessarily in the most horrible way. It may be because of his careless leadership that made the gods dislike humans to the point of eradicating them, or it may be due to the annoying bizarre heart-shaped tongue emphasized during his light moments.

At last, the hideous exchange of words has ended, and it's time to beat some old ass. But before doing so, Zeus made one last unsightly kiss on his fist as a warm-up and giggled like a cute anime girl. 

After some quirky hops from where he stood, Zeus straightforwardly threw the first jab, which his opponent effortlessly evaded. 

The animation displayed the speed of the boss god's attacks, which we found necessary. Zeus unleashed a shower of punches which he called Meteor Jab. However, Adam utilized The Eyes of the Lord to observe Zeus' movements and avoided the strike.

Zeus pounded faster and faster, then used Divine Axe, a strong roundhouse kick, to sever Adam's limbs, but Adam evaded the assault by leaping and doing a front flip.

Adam replied by assaulting Zeus with the same movements he used on him, startling Zeus and leaving him with some minor injuries.

He finished the strike with the same Divine Axe Zeus had used, hurting the god's leg. At this point, we knew the matchup wasn't fair. They would have lost their lower half if it were a human or an average god. Zeus must be really strong to be able to tank it.

Zeus complimented Adam's skill and began to execute strange footwork. He then attempted a lightning-fast kick on Adam, but the father of humans deflected it, and he began to perform a similar stance.

The first half of the bout favored Adam, as Zeus appeared like a kid against the mortal's Divine Reflection. The celestial being took the mirror blows like Yamcha would and ended KO'd despite bulking himself up for the nth time.

Zeus lay unconscious, and everyone thought the battle was over. There have been comments from Heimdall, other gods, Brunnhilde, and the normie audience. Adam had his cocky moment, too. It was just regretful that he did not do a "double-tap," as Zombieland had taught us. After all, it's a battle to the death, and no one would complain if he reduced the god of the cosmos' head to a pulp with his brass knuckles.

Audience Reactions

Zeus' battle with Adam introduced us to new faces, especially on the side of these superior entities. Ares entered the balcony seats to accompany Hermes. This made a lot of sense, as Shiva and Aphrodite were the only remaining deities to exchange thoughts, and the herald of gods seemed to care less about them.

 

You would also see Odin sitting on a distant throne, wearing his apathetic face. While he is an eerie bastard, this long-hair creep is nowhere as shameless as Zeus. Later on, Loki, his nephew, with a design far from Tom Hiddleston's version, joined him wearing Thor's hide. The scene revealed the true connections between these Norse gods, with Odin as Thor's father and Loki as his nephew. 

As we've pointed out in our first Record of Ragnarok fight review, it'll be easy to appreciate the show if you can shift far from MCU's Norse characters. 

Of all these designs, Ares' is the most disappointing, albeit hilarious. The story turned him into a musclehead, contrary to other media's depictions of a cunning god of war. He sips tea from a cup he can only hold with his fingertips and is always the last to decipher what's happening. This moronic spirit would be exploited in the next matches, though it's a delight to know that humans have a chance if he was pitted against a clever mortal.

On the opposing side, we have familiar artists like Michelangelo and some characters from the first testament -- Abel, Cain, and Eve. They cheered for their family's head to the end. We also thought that Cain would have been a good combatant if we based it on the Abrahamic scriptures, though the animation nerfed his design and turned him into a deadbeat kid. 

Then, we have Brunhilde and Goll, displaying a series of crazy push and pull of chuckles and trembles. Zeus stumbling here and there gave them temporary relief until the head of the cosmos did something they failed to anticipate pre-battle.

Adam Vs. Zeus: Who Is The Winner?

After taking quite a beating, Zeus finally realized that there was only one thing he could do -- use his taxing trump card. Although it is a tolling task, the divinity had to do it, or he'll be the first or worse, the only god slain in this do-or-die event.

Through agonizing muscle shifts, Zeus' final form finally came out, and it was far more grotesque than his former self. At last, we saw Adam get serious, and Brunnhilde was again frustrated over the events. 

In his Adamas form, Zeus went straight for a hit, though Adam could still deflect the titan's initial punches. But Zeus' game plan was more than just tanking everything the human gave off. He wanted to wear off Adam's endurance, as using Divine Reflection for an extended time must be costly. The valkyries used the term "overheating" to describe Adam's condition.

Because of sheer dumb luck, tiny drops of Zeus' blood from a powerful punch fell on Adam's eyes, distracting and ultimately blinding him. Incapacitated for a split second, Zeus took advantage and pummeled the human with all his might. 

The Greek God had to finish the mortal quickly as he was also in a race with time. Like any other berserk and power-up ability, the Adamas form consumes too much energy and life force. When it seemed like a stalemate, Loki pointed out that whoever breaks first loses. 

Zeus continued to pound the first mortal to death, nailing every blow and kick, while Adam could only stand guard. Zeus eventually wore Adam down and then sent him reeling. Instead of falling, Adam clutched Zeus' hair and refused to die.

The two combatants then furiously attacked each other. Adam and Zeus threw all they had at one other until Adam had seemingly struck another knockout, bringing Zeus to his knees.

Everyone thought the human race had won. Even Heimdall took a while to realize what really happened. While Zeus knelt on the ground and tried to catch his breath, he praised Adam for his conviction to save humanity, which gave him the willpower to last. 

To everyone's shock, the world's first mortal and the father of humankind, died moments ago before the god fell on his knees. Yet, he continued to fire strong punches as a living warrior would, though that did not ensure his victory.

Despite the cries and griefs of humanity, Adam faded away with Reginleif, granting another triumph in favor of the gods.

How Strong Is Adam?

With speed reaching 0.0000000001 seconds or faster, Adam is easily one of the strongest personas in the competition. He was able to snap Zeus' neck with a single punch and was able to do it unscathed. 

However, the miscalculation happened when the god used its celestial endurance and strength to outlast the mortal, who overheated during the exchange. 

Adam could have won if he did not waste a second and continued showering Zeus with fatal punches to the head while the latter was knocked out. Also, he could have charged before Zeus changed to his Adamas form.

The fight demonstrated that Adam is unquestionably the strongest human being ever, at par with the greatest gods such as Zeus. His power levels may reach unimaginable heights, making him one of the most formidable fighters in the series.

Adam vs. Zeus Fight Review: Final Thoughts

The story build-up to glorify Adam's character, only to kill him off in the end, is very effective for the emotional thrust they used at the end of the match in Episode 8 - Grace Abounding. Though badly beaten, humanity offered the best salutations as Adam's essence dissipated into thin air. 

The producers also led us to think that Adam was Record of Ragnarok's poster boy, as having the typical young-looking male protagonist is a lure for fans who quickly jump on every shonen bandwagon. This is a praiseworthy strategy, and we'd like to see how it would go well with the next cast. Who's it gonna be?

Zeus' character design was lazy, but we understand how the illustrators wanted him to veer from the usual bulky deity surrounded by females who wished to bore the next demi-god. The lump of muscles that go on and off looked gross and they added this element as if his persona wasn't disgusting enough.

Hating Zeus' guts only resulted in dismay when he emerged victorious, which may be what they intended. But what we felt as a Netflix audience is nothing compared to Brunhilde's anger and distress upon Adam's death. As the story goes on, the valkyrie's rage becomes more apparent, implying that what motivates her might have something to do with an arrogant god's mistakes or maybe all of them.

These episodes covering the Adam vs. Zeus match made us want to google Brunnhilde's reason for assisting humankind in Ragnarok. However, we suppose she will use the same reason as Adam to hide her true intentions: "You don't need a reason to protect someone you love."

The executions of alternating fight scenes and narrations are fantastically hemmed and sewn in the right place and time. You know that you're consuming a wonderful spectacle when you get lost in the tale and left with nothing to bicker about. 

The could haves and the should haves are confined within the storyline and, if raised in a discussion, will be blamed on the character, not on the maker.

We surmise that the Record of Ragnarok creators spent more time hyping up this match to establish certain points necessary in the next episodes. However, it gave us a ray of hope that it would be easier to predict the outcomes of the next matches if we paid attention to how these characters were presented in the show.

We forecast that notable gods would win: Shiva, Buddha, and other deities still being worshipped by present civilizations. Also, human underdogs may have higher chances of winning as it is easier for writers to play around with this element.

Overall, the Record of Ragnarok gave us surprising outcomes so far and was capable of serving them in an impeccable manner. We say this without comparing it to the manga, and we don't want to spoil the fun with the familiar and unsought social media opinion that the manga is better or whatever.

The lads here definitely have their own thoughts on whether Adam can defeat Zeus, and for all the anime lovers out there, turning your favorite anime character into a keychain and taking it with you is a great idea.

Keychains can be used as decorations, or they can be practical. Whenever you open the door with a key and see your customized anime character on the keychain, it feels like you have entered the world of animation again.

The presence of customized keychains can enhance your uniqueness and express your love for anime characters. Keychains Co. can customize your own keychain, place your order now.

Thus, here we are again with our numbers.

Final Verdict:

Battle Intensity: 6/10

Character Hype: 9/10

Story Execution: 8/10

Surprise Element: 9/10

Animation: 7/10

Zeus vs. Adam Fight Overall Score: 7.8

 

Did we entertain you with the Zeus vs. Adam fight review? Buy me a coffee!