Ragnarok the Animation

Ragnarok the Animation
	File:Ragvol1.gif RtA Vol. 1 DVD Cover
Genre	Adventure, Drama, Comedy
Created by	Gravity, Inc.
Anime
Directed by	Seiji Kishi
Studio	G&G Entertainment

Ragnarok The Animation is an anime based on the MMORPG Ragnarok Online, produced in the first quarter of 2004 and was broadcasted on TV Tokyo of Japan. In 2005, it was broadcasted on SBS in Korea. Ragnarok The Animation has 26 episodes, and a second season is on the way. The Philippine distributor of the game, Level Up! Games, Inc., teamed up with ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation for local licensing and distribution rights of Ragnarok The Animation.

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The story happens in the same world of Rune-Midgard, yet the progression gets darker. An evil entity called the Dark Lord wants to create chaos in the world with the help of seven crystals that represent the seven ambitions (also known as the Seven Strengths) who sealed him away years ago.

Characters

Protagonists

Roan: The main protagonist, Roan (ロアン, voiced by Daisuke Sakaguchi) is a swordsman whose main goal in the anime is to gain power to protect his childhood friend, Yufa. At one point, he believes he has failed in this and goes off alone to get stronger. After a fateful encounter in Byalan, Roan returns to the group as a Crusader, successfully rescuing Yufa. However, as the story progresses, Roan begins to lose sight of his duty. He later realizes his error after some advice from the Legendary Witch in Payon and Comodo. However, it was too late as Roan made it only in time to see Yuufa leave with her brother. Afterwards, the group heads towards Glast Heim to save Yuufa and to stop Dark Lord. On the way, they are confronted by a possessed Yuufa who sends a torrent of undead monsters at her friends. After their victory, she teleports them directly to Glast Heim. With the help and sacrifice of the rest of the party, Roan manages to locate Yuufa. However, he finds her to be unable to truly hear his words. Tricking Roan, Yuufa kisses him and slips the Cursed Ruby into his mouth, which he then swallows. Upon realizng this, the Cursed Ruby begins to kill Roan. Unable to draw his sword, Roan allows Yuufa to stab him with a cursed blade. Eventually, Yuufa breaks free from her mental bonds and frees Roan from the curse she had set on him with a kiss of true love. Then, he, Yuufa and the rest of the surviving group reunite to defeat Dark Lord. In the end, Roan and Yuufa were each seen wearing a ring, implying that they are now married.

Yuufa: The love interest of Roan, Yufa (ユーファ, Yūfa, voiced by Nana Mizuki) is an acolyte and Roan's childhood friend. Though she puts on a smile for Roan, it's obvious she's still mourning the loss of her older brother, Keough. When Keough suddenly returns to life as an evil being, she becomes confused and doesn't know whether or not to fight her brother or protect him. Later, in an effort to save the souls under the control of the Moonlight Flower in Payon, she becomes a Priestess. Eventually, Roan's ignorance and arrogance pushes Yuufa away and prompts her to leave the group (and Roan) behind for her brother. Keough eventually corrupts Yuufa by removing her soul crystal, something that seems to give her the ability to stay pure, and is also consequently one of the key items of Dark Lord's revival. After stabbing Roan in her corrupt state, Keough comes to her in a vision and tells her that he must leave her... but that Roan would protect her in his absence. This vision broke Dark Lord's corruption, and freed Yuufa to allow her to see what she had done. Holding the dying Roan in her arms, Yuufa kissed her childhood love at last. This kiss of true love destroyed the Cursed Ruby ailing Roan, allowing the two to stand together against Dark Lord. With the help of her friends and Roan, Yuufa sealed Dark Lord away with a Magnus Exorcismus spell. At the end of the series, it is implied that Roan and Yuufa married.

Takius: The third character to be introduced to the series, Takius (タキウス, Takiusu, voiced by Aya Hisakawa) is a mage who wears a blindfold (a dark blinker) and searches the world for the ultimate truth. Her mission for this "ultimate truth" was put on her by her teacher, Zephyrus (who also gave her the dark blinker). With the dark blinker and her original staff intact, Zephyrus had the ability to control her. After going mad and being recruited by Dark Lord, he uses this ability to manipulate Takius in favor of Dark Lord's plans. Eventually, Takius is able to conquer her internal struggles, breaking free from her ties with him and removing the dark blinker permanently. To further this transformation she became a Sage, resulting in one final confrontation with the one man she ever loved. During the final battle with Zephyrus, her master was betrayed by the Dark Lord, who had been using Zephyrus from the beginning. As a result, he falls from a collapsing wall, only to be saved just in time by Takius. However, the two are killed from a spell Zephyrus had casted previously. However, this wouldn't be Takius's last appearance in the anime. The voice of Takius would come to Roan during the final battle, encouraging Roan to fight on for he had lost all hope (some believe that Takius has survived the Lord of Vermillion spell Zephyrus summoned). Takius's staff would then come crashing down from the air, cancelling the attack Dark Lord had intended on using. Roan carries out her wand as a memory of her. Her real name is Catherine (キャスリン, Kyasurin), but hates being called that for unknown reasons.

Maya: Maya (マーヤ, Māya, voiced by Haruko Momoi) is the next person after Takius to be introduced in the anime. She is the merchant in the group and usually joins parties to steal loot and make off with their money. Her rather disagreeable way of doing things comes from a tragic event in her childhood where she was beaten in her "hometown" of Alberta after trying to sell apples with her own-made cart. She met Roan and Yuufa in the Prontera Sewers when they saved her from a large number of Thief Bugs. In return, she saves them by delivering a Blue Potion to Yuufa during their fight with a Golden Thief Bug. She later changes her rather roguish ways after becoming attached to Yuufa and the rest of the group. She has a known affinity for monsters, never being seen without her pet Poring named Poi-poi. In Episode 7, she befriends an "Alice" (monster who resembles a human maid) but sadly meets a tragic end because of the actions of Zealotus (a half monster who despises humans) in Episode 19. However, she makes peace with Zealotus afterwards Comodo. Maya is the only member of the group to not "advance" to another job. She does, however, throw potions much like an Alchemist.

Yirga: Like Yufa is childhood friends with Roan, Yirga (イルガ, Iruga, voiced by Kazuya Nakai) is childhood friends with Keough and is an assassin. After witnessing his friend "die" in Glast Heim, Yirga decided to protect both Yuufa and Roan in Keough's memory. Later on in his travels, he meets an amateur female hunter by the name of Judia. After saving her from a couple of bandits, they become companions (or rather she just follows him). When Yirga finds out Keough is alive and now working for evil, he fights his former friend in an effort to bring the real Keough back. During one confrontation, he becomes gravely injured, and is forced to battle Keough in a weakened state numerous times. In the final battle in Glast Heim, Yirga and Keough fatally struck each other at the same time. However, Yirga managed to stab Keough's wound, freeing his friend's heart from the evil the Dark Lord placed in it. Unfortunately, this killed Keough in the process and the two died.

Judia: A hunter who has developed a relationship with Yirga. At first, Judia (ジュディア, voiced by Minako Arakawa) is a terrible hunter, but after a chance encounter with Yirga, she improves and great deal. She has incredible skills with her bow by the time of the anime. She is also apparently able to read tarot cards like a Bard or Dancer. She falls in love with Yirga and comes to understand what he's trying to do in fighting Keough as he is. When she teams up with Roan's group, she gets jealous after Yuufa holds his hand and keeps calling him "Brother Yirga". By the end of the anime, she has Yirga's child. In the Japanese version she speaks with a Kansai accent; in the Philippine version she speaks in the Marinduque accent.

Antagonists

Dark Lord: The main antagonist of the series, Dark Lord (ダークロード, Dāku Rōdo) is the greatest representation of evil within Rune-Midgard. He shows a noticeable superiority to all other monsters in the anime, and proves to be the world's greatest threat, despite being sealed away long ago by the "Seven Ambitions." He is so cunning and devious, he manages to convince three of the seven souls he needs to be revived to work for him. From several scenes, it seems that the Dark Lord consists of two identities, both being equally evil. There is no apparent difference between the two identities, seemingly only shown to explain the different voices of this villain. Dark Lord is an actual MVP (boss) in Ragnarok Online.

Keough: Yufa's elder brother, a knight, and currently a subordinate of the Dark Lord. Keough (キーオ, Kīo, voiced by Takehito Koyasu) is childhood friends with Yirga and accompanied him to investigate Glast Heim. The ruins proved to be too much for the group and forced them to flee. However, their escape route was blocked by an Abysmal Knight. Despite Yirga's protests, Keough distracted the knight as Yirga got Roan and Yufa out. However, before Yirga could make it back Keough was stabbed and the doors of Glast Heim closed. In the beginning it is assumed he died, but the group later learns that he was brainwashed and corrupted by the Dark Lord. Keough's stab wound was made by a "Blade Lost in Darkness," which would become symbolic to what he had become. His main purpose would be to lure Yufa to join the dark side, for she was holding a soul crystal vital for Dark Lord's revival. Merely seconds from death, Keough reforms and apologizes to Yirga for everything. His soul later appears in Yufa's dream sequence telling her not to choose the path he had taken, and to follow Roan for he would protect her. Yirga nicknames him Haze after he turns to the dark side.

Zephyrus: Zephyrus (ゼフェル, Zeferu, voiced by Nachi Nozawa) is a wizard, and Tachius's teacher. He possesses similar characteristics to The Joker. He has a high-pitched laugh and does some very goofy antics throughout the anime, from laughing for no apparent reason, to fighting Roan with a candy cane. However, all that cannot seem to hide his incredible power, knowledge of magic, and his utter insanity. Zephyrus once had a family, but they had lost their lives due to a failed experiment of his. Coupled with the ridicule of the public, Zephyrus was driven insane to the point where he could be easily manipulated by the Dark Lord. The anime is vague on whether he went insane during teaching Tachius or after. He is eventually saved by his former pupil, but too late for both of them. In the anime, Zephryus was the only character to have attained an "aura" which signifies that a character has reached the highest level, 99. He also uses a spell not in the game called Storm Strike.

Zealotus: Zealotus (ジルタス, Jirutasu, voiced by Mariko Suzuki) is the offspring of a monster father and a human mother. Because of the prejudice of her monster half, Zealotus and her mother were forced to leave their village. The cruelty of the villagers left a deep hatred of humans in Zealotus's heart. After her mother's death, Zealotus lived among the monsters and became a cruel being. A chance encounter with Baphomet made her rethink her lifestyle until she is approached by Dark Lord to serve him. She was first seen in Prontera Sewers, manipulating the actions of the Golden Thief Bug. During the anime, she has a particular dislike for Maya because of Maya's love for monsters and relationship with Alice. They eventually resolve their differences. In the end, she sacrifice her life to protect Maya as a sign of their friendship. Her spirit would appear before Maya during the final battle and instruct her on how to defeat the Dark Lord.

Other

Baphomet: Baphomet (バフォメット, Bafometto, voiced by Mugihito), a towering, horned goat-like being who is the first to best the entire group of protagonists, shows immense power, obviously not fighting to the fullest in his fights (and often toying with his opponents). Though considered evil at first, he shows mercy by sparing the group and then respect when Judia rescues his son. It seems Baphomet was one the greatest beings preventing Dark Lord's revitalization, though he never directly interferes until the end. It is unknown whether or not Baphomet is stronger than the Dark Lord. At one point in the series it is revealed that Baphomet is concerned for the "balance of good and evil" which could explain why he opposes Dark Lord while being evil himself. Baphomet is an actual MVP (boss) in the game and described as "the enemy of all that is righteous."

Melopsum: Melopsum (メロプシュム, Meropushumu, voiced by Rumi Ochiai) is a shapeshifting witch who was responsible for a tragedy at Comodo many years ago (although it has been implied that is was just a misinterpreted tale). She seems to be associated with Baphomet, but is a largely mysterious character. She has a particular interest in Roan. She first changed into a Crusader in Izlude Island and saves Roan and convinces him to become a Crusader. Then she changes into an Archer in Payon to teach him the true path that power isn't everything and finally a Monk when Roan's group was on the way to Comodo.

Voice actors

Japanese voice actors (seiyū)

Roan - Daisuke Sakaguchi
Yufa - Nana Mizuki
Takius - Aya Hisakawa
Maya - Haruko Momoi
Iruga - Kazuya Nakai
Judia - Minako Arakawa
Keough/Chaos - Takehito Koyasu
Poipoi - Fujiko Takimoto
Catherine (Young Takius) - Kae Araki
Baphomet - Mugihito
Zephyrus - Nachi Nozawa
Baphomet Jr. - Nao Nagasawa
Archer - Rumi Ochiai
Alice - Saki Nakajima
Dark Lord - Yōsuke Akimoto

Korean voice actors

Filipino voice actors

Dubbing Director - Danilo Mandia

Episode list

1. For What Reasons Do You Wield That Sword?
2. Nice To Meet You, O-nii-chan
3. I Will Believe
4. Is That Your Strength?
5. What Did You Just Say?
6. Because I Won't Let Anyone Interfere
7. Are You Consoling Me?
8. Knowing The Value Of Life Is Unfortunate
9. Everything Is For The Sake Of Truth
10. Brother, Right?
11. There Is Only Despair In This World
12. I Can't Do It Alone
13. Protector
14. Why Don't You Answer?
15. Don't Worry, I Am Here
16. Cannot Save Anything
17. You've Already Stained Yourself
18. Everyone Already Knew
19. We'll Always Be Together
20. Enough Already...
21. I Need You
22. Which One Is The Lonely One?
23. Goodbye
24. The Place Of Absolute Denouement
25. One Who Has Realized Its Mistake
26. For The Sake Of Our Future

External links