Ragnarok is the final competition between the Gods and humanity, with the strongest fighters in history facing off against the most powerful gods from several pantheons. The warriors selected represent the very best either side has to offer as they fight to the death over whether humanity deserves to survive.

Currently, the competition is about to begin its eighth round in the Record of Ragnarok manga, with 14 champions — or 15, depending on personal opinion — having battled so far. Every competitor is powerful, but without a doubt, some are stronger than others.

Updated by Lauren Turner & Ajay Aravind on December 14, 2023: Record of Ragnarok quickly gained popularity among viewers. Luckily, the second part of Season 2 premiered on Japanese TV on July 12, 2023, but viewers have no idea when the rest of the manga will be adapted. Until then, fans can review the best fighters in the series. As such, we've revamped this list with more information for Record of Ragnarok fans.

This article contains spoilers for the Record of Ragnarok manga.

15 Poseidon Is Widely Considered The Most Fearsome God

Many consider Poseidon to be the most fearsome god, thanks to his cruelty and overwhelming strength. He did not care much for living beings, which became evident when he killed his older brother without hesitation, and he considered humans to be nothing more than dirt Poseidon may have been defeated by a swordsman renowned for his failures, but in terms of power, he was similar to Zeus.

He was highly skilled with his trident, and he could unleash dozens of attacks in the blink of an eye. While using his godly speed, Poseidon could seemingly attack from every direction at once. As the God of the Seas, he could also manipulate water, but he's way down at the bottom of this list for a good reason.

14 Heracles Ascended To Godhood After Drinking Ambrosia

Heracles was born human, but he ascended to Godhood after drinking Ambrosia. He may have fought for the Gods, but he was against destroying humanity. Heracles was a man of honor, and he admitted that he loved all humans, no matter how sinful they were.

Heracles was considered to be the most righteous god, and when he was defeated, the other Gods and humans who were in attendance booed his opponent. Other than his Godly physical traits, Heracles possessed immense pain tolerance. He wielded a club that offered special techniques that revolved around the legendary 12 Labors that he had completed.

13 Jack The Ripper Is A Master Of Stealth And Strategy

Jack the Ripper is considered the most notorious serial killer in human history, but that did not disqualify him from fighting on humanity's behalf. He looks like a sophisticated British gentleman, but he's actually a cold-blooded killer who enjoys seeing the fear on his victim's face.

Jack was a stealth master, and he was highly proficient with knives, which he could throw with incredible aim and speed. He was born with a special power called the Soul Eye, which allowed him to see people's emotions as colors. This lets him manipulate people with ease. His Divine Weapon was a pair of gloves, which allowed him to turn anything into a Divine Weapon.

12 Raiden Tameemon Is The Greatest Sumo Wrestler In History

The fifth round was a battle between Shiva and Raiden Tameemon, who is considered the greatest Japanese sumo wrestler of all time. He was a perverted man, but he fell in love with his Valkyrie, who allowed him to use his muscles to their fullest extent.

Raiden was highly skilled in unarmed combat, which explains why he was chosen to fight Shiva. He possessed the strongest muscles in human history, and he was able to manipulate his muscles to surprising degrees. He could focus his muscles in specific areas in order to increase his offensive and defensive capabilities.

11 Kojiro Sasaki Is The Embodiment Of Learning From Failure

Throughout his entire life as a swordsman, Kojiro Sasaki lost every single duel he ever fought. Luckily for humanity, Sasaki is the perfect embodiment of learning more from failure than success. Every defeat shapes him into a better swordsman, as his mental visualization skills allow him to replay his duels over and over again until he surpasses his opponent.

Thanks to this skill, Sasaki defeats Poseidon, earning humanity's first victory over the Gods. In terms of skill, he's one of the best humanity has to offer, but he likely would have had little defense against an opponent with more physical power than the God of the Sea. This also explains why so many Record of Ragnarok characters are stronger than him.

10 Lü Bu Is The Fiercest Warrior And Humanity's First Champion

Humanity's first champion, Lü Bu is the fiercest human warrior. During his life, he was the strongest person in China's legendary Three Kingdoms Period, and during Ragnarok went toe to toe with Thor, the strongest Norse God. His love for battle is his defining characteristic, but no one on Earth could hope to challenge him.

Lü Bu still strives to improve and creates the Sky Eater, a strike so powerful that the force literally parts the clouds as far as the eye can see. In terms of sheer physical power, no human could hope to match him, but against the Gods, Lü finally found an opponent he could not surpass.

9 Shiva Possesses Devastating Levels Of Power

One of the highest-ranked gods in Record of Ragnarok, Shiva possesses devastating levels of power. Combining godly strength and speed with the skills and poise of a master dancer, Shiva is truly a daunting opponent that very few could hope to match.

Combining his dances with spontaneous combustion gives Shiva a deadly fire-based attack that allows him to cut through the seemingly indestructible sumo wrestler Raiden Tameemon. Despite being victorious, Shiva lost three of his arms in the battle. Furthermore, a confrontation between rounds shows his reluctance to face off against Zeus, the most powerful of the Greek Gods.

8 Hades Commands Respect From Both Mortals And His Divine Peers

Originally, Hades was not supposed to take part in Ragnarok, only stepping into a vacant slot after Buddha switched sides. Nonetheless, he immediately imposes an intimidating figure and is the rare antagonist to command the respect of everyone on both sides, even his younger brother, Poseidon. The respect of other Gods is a testament to his power and honor, as he sees himself as the protector of his younger siblings.

During the Gigantomachy, Hades single-handedly defeats all the Titans who attempt to break out of Tartarus when the Olympians are distracted. He fights similarly to his brother Poseidon but with significantly superior skill and power. At the same time, Hades pales in comparison to a few other characters in Record of Ragnarok.

7 Qin Shi Huang Is The Legendary King Of The Underworld

When Hades is announced as the Gods' substitute, the Valkyries respond with the only mortal in history who they believe even stands a chance against the King of the Underworld: China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. They make a smart pick as Qin is able to deliver one of the closest victories of the entire tournament.

Qin has a distinct fighting style he develops himself, which allows him to counter Hades' most powerful strikes. His eyes' special ability allows him to see and disrupt the qi energy flow going through his opponent's bodies. Qin's fighting style allows him to overpower multiple gods and shows that he deserves the title of King more than anyone else.

6 Hajun's Abilities Are As Eerie As They Are Overwhelming

The sixth round of Ragnarok saw several changes in the combatants, the final one coming with the emergence of the demon Hajun. Despite his brief appearance in the series, Hajun quickly establishes himself as one of the strongest competitors in the whole tournament. He can easily break through divine artifacts with weapons he forges from his own body.

Hajun's abilities are both eerie and overwhelming, with every strike having the power of a death blow. In a weaker form, he destroys half of the underworld in perhaps the most impressive pre-Ragnarok display of power. The overwhelming nature of his power is Hajun's only weakness, as he loses his composure when faced with an opponent who can match him.

5 Adam Is The Strongest Human In Record Of Ragnarok

There are few stronger things than a parent's love, so it's not surprising that a man who sees himself as the father of humanity is also the strongest human in Record of Ragnarok. Adam's willpower stands out above other humans as he goes toe to toe with Zeus, despite taking heavy damage. Adam's ability to copy any god's technique he witnesses makes him the Valkyrie's trump card for the tournament.

What stands out about this ability, compared to other anime copycats, is that he's able to improve upon the original attacks and use them better than their creators. Unfortunately, copying godly techniques is too much strain for a mere mortal to handle. This is partly why he doesn't rank higher on this list.

4 Buddha Is One Of The Most Skilled Combatants In The Story

While most deities decided to destroy humanity, Buddha decided to defend it. Despite originally being slated to fight for the Gods, Buddha immediately switches sides upon entering the arena, pledging to fight for humanity. He quickly emerges as one of the most skilled fighters of the whole tournament — Buddha wipes the floor with Zerofuku, an amalgamation of the Seven Lucky Gods.

Buddha's ability to see his opponent's soul allows him to predict their moves with perfect accuracy, making him nearly untouchable. Buddha even adapts against Hajun, whose soul is clouded by darkness. He manages to bisect the demon, showing he has the power to match his skill. There's no doubt that Buddha is one of the strongest characters in Record of Ragnarok.

3 Thor Lives Up To His Reputation As Soon As He Enters The Arena

The Gods open up Ragnarok with the proclaimed most powerful Norse God. Thor quickly lives up to his reputation, launching attacks that no subsequent fighters have been able to match in terms of sheer power. Even blocked strikes from Mjölnir prove enough to break Lü Bu's bones, and Lü Bu's Sky Eater is no match for Thor's own ultimate attack.

Even outside of Ragnarok, Thor's accomplishments have few equals, as he single-handedly defeats both an invasion of giants and Lü Bu's entire army with ease. He's not as fun as the MCU's Thor, but none can doubt this version's capabilities as a warrior.

2 Odin Is The Uncontested Leader Of The Norse Pantheon

Odin is the leader of the Norse Pantheon, which makes him one of the Chief Gods alongside Zeus. As of right now, Odin has not fought in battle. However, he is scheduled to represent the Gods in one of the tournament's future rounds, and he will likely be accompanied by his two iconic ravens.

Not much is known about Odin's abilities, but he is known for being quite wise. That being said, it looks like he has the power to steal life. He demonstrated this power when he got excited in the greenhouse near the arena, where the flowers around him wilted and died before vanishing.

1 Zeus Is The Strongest Character In Record Of Ragnarok

The chairman that oversees all rulings of the collective pantheons, Zeus deserves his reputation as perhaps the strongest character in Record of Ragnarok. The son of Kronos has mastered his father's most powerful attack, which allows him to stop time itself. Zeus' attacks are lightning-fast, and his ability to bounce back from Adam's attacks shows an incredible amount of durability.

At times, Zeus might have been outmatched by Adam, but in the end, his own godhood gave Zeus the advantage. The first man did significant neurological damage to himself in order to keep up. Without that weakness, even Zeus may have been overpowered, but Adam's weakness ultimately gave the King of Olympians the edge.