Ragnarök is a manhwa created by Myung Jin Lee
and distributed by Tokyopop in North America, and by Chuangyi in Singapore. There are currently 10 volumes in circulation, published in English in North America by TOKYOPOP from May 21, 2002 to April 6, 2004. The manhwa is also published in English in Singapore by Chuang Yi.
This manhwa became the basis of the widely popular Korean MMORPG, Ragnarok Online
developed by Gravity Corp. Currently, the online game is divorced from the story of
the manhwa. Currently the manhwa is at halt as the creator is working with Gravity
Corp. to help in the production of future expansions of Ragnarok Online.
There is an anime series based on the MMORPG titled Ragnarok The
Animation.
Story
Ragnarök follows the life and adventures of the warrior Chaos, who is an amnesiac that cannot remember anything from before the last two years in his life. He resides in a fictional
city cited as Payon (Fayon in the English release), inhabited by a long lineage of warriors. The newest leader in line to
claim the head position of the village is a young woman by the name of Iris Irine, who trains with her close friend Chaos
to become a suitable leader for her people.
Elsewhere, A mysterious warlock fights her way through the minions of a valkyrie to achieve her destiny and invoke the
resurrection of the "fallen god". Little does she know Chaos is this man...
Characters
The heroes
- Chaos: A Rune Knight who has lost the memory of his childhood. Chaos came to live in Payon, a village of great
warriors, and became best friends with Iris Irine, the heir to leadership of the village. When Fenris Fenrir arrived in Payon,
Chaos learned that he was the reincarnation of Balder, the God of Light. With his memories
starting to return and his powers growing with every battle, Chaos struggles to unravel his past and find his true destiny. Chaos
appears to be a newer name than his original in this lifetime. In a flashback, he wears the name tag of "Vermillion". It has also
been noted he got his name by a dragon knight when he found him in a bloody area with slain soldiers and a young girl in his
arms.
- Fenris Fenrir: The reincarnation of the Wolf God, Fenris has become a powerful
warlock, and upon returning to life began searching the world for Balder, who had also been
reborn as a mortal. Fenris wields many forgotten sorceries, as well as the magical demon-slaying staff Laevatein. Notably, she
has the curious ability to copy any spell that strikes her. During her journey, she has come to care deeply for Chaos as well as
her memory of Balder, and sees Iris Irine as both a friend and a rival for Chaos's affections.
- Iris Irine: The heir to leadership of Payon, village of warriors. Iris is a cleric in training and knows many healing
spells. She uses Rune Cards (papers that are concealed with magic) inscribed with magical runes to debilitate the enemy and help
her allies. Iris has been best friends with Chaos for years and cares about him a great deal (She even calls herself as Chao's
girlfriend sometimes). Though she considers herself dignified and lady-like, she's prone to throwing tantrums and acting childish
when she's excited. She wields the magic-destroying sword Chonryongdo, one of three legendary dragon blades. It should be noted
that in the English version, there are multiple variations of the spelling of "Chonryongdo" (eg, Chernryongdo) though none
reflect the actual Korean spelling, Hepburn Romanisation suggesting instead Cheongryongdo.
- Loki: The most powerful member of the Assassins Guild, Loki had never even been wounded twice in combat before
encountering Chaos. When the Assassins Guild was almost totally destroyed by Sakurai (who had framed the act on Chaos), Loki
hunted Chaos down and attacked him. Chaos eventually managed to convince Loki that they were not enemies, and Loki has joined
forces with Chaos to hunt down the true culprit. Loki is apparently totally devoid of emotions (though there is some debate on
this topic) and has a hard time fathoming them in others. He wields "The Might" ("Cosmic Energy" in the English release), the
most powerful form of magic in the world, and has been described as ' the one who is human and not.'
- Lydia: A thief who travels with a two-tailed cat named Ses. Lydia fancies herself a treasure hunter like her father,
and is searching the world over for magical artifacts. Her greatest wish is to find Alfheim, the hidden city of the elves, the
one treasure (The treasure of Avariel in the original release) her father could never locate. Lydia started hanging out with
Chaos and the gang in order to steal Iris's dagger, Chonryongdo, and later latches on to Loki. She is known as Lidia in the
English release.
- Reina (Name not stated in the original release): An elfish archer that Chaos and his friends have run into during
their time in the city of Geffen. She appears to be the last of her kind and wishes to protect the secret of Alfhiem, the ancient
city of the elves. She doesn’t like Lydia as she is trying to steal the treasures of Alfhiem but she puts aside her differences
with her and Loki during their adventure in Alfhiem while battling a powerful assassin (Juliana Lucille) and wizard (The city
Mayor). Since the manhwa has been halted it is unsure what will become of her after her, Lydia, and Loki’s adventure.
The Villains
- Sara Irine: One of the twelve Valkyries of Freya. She is first seen attempting to hunt down Fenris Fenrir, although
the warlock escapes. She then devastates Fayon with an army of Giants. Sara is, in fact, the half-sister of Iris. For some
horrible, unknown reason, Sara's (and Iris's) father killed Sara's mother and tried to kill Sara as well. Sara fled the village
of Payon and became consumed with a thirst for vengeance. She met and killed her father during the attack on Fayon, earning
Iris's hatred. She wields the legendary Sword of Retribution, Haeryongdo, and has vowed to finish Iris the next time they
meet.
- Sakurai (Skurai in the English release), the Cursed Prosecutor (AKA. The Cursed Swordman, Murderer of Payon): A
mysterious man with a terrifying power. Sakurai (Skurai in the English release) wields the demon sword Talatsu, a weapon that
drains the blood of whoever it injures, and receives also the memories of that person (Talatsu also learns the fighting
techniques of the person it sucks the blood out, as Sakurai stated in volume 10). Guided by the Beholders, Sakurai arrived in
Payon while it was under attack by Sara Irine and slew all the non-combatant villagers, including Iris's mother. He then traveled
to the Assassin's Guild and killed every assassin there, then framed Chaos for the entire event. He seeks the blood of Chaos, as
he believes it can fully quench the thirst of Talatsu and free Sakurai's soul from its bondage to the demon. Sakurai's dark past
hides a terrible tragedy: he was once an honorable knight and the selling of his soul to Talatsu was to allow him the power to
save his lover, the princess Tiara (Titania in English release), who was killed however by another demon that was disguised a
prince.
- Himmelmez: Another of the twelve Valkyries, Himmelmez and her undead forces encountered Chaos and his band while
searching for the magical crystal known as the Heart of Ymir. She has vast hordes of undead beasts at her disposal, and her cloak
of darkness can transform into many different weapons, including axe-blades, drills, and even a giant cannon.
- Bijou the Witch: A massively deformed witch who is in the employ of Himmelmez. She has a potent set of weapons like
her master. Not the least of these is a troll that is nearly unbeatable. Her preferred tactic is to use her large claw-hand to
cut and deliver poison. She is killed by Sara. During her death it appears that her and Himmelmez have been friends for a long
time. She may have begun altering her body to better help her friend.
- Zenobia Sadi Freile: The most powerful of the twelve Valkyries of Freya, Zenobia is a dark elf, and seems to be
pulling the strings of everyone else. She has both helped and hindered Chaos's band in the past, and seems to be manipulating
Sara Irine as well. Her true intentions are still a mystery. She wishes most, apparently, to continue to preserve the ancient
heritage of Alfhiem and the elves.
Other characters
- The Beholders: Hugin and Munin, two mysterious individuals who are able to transform into crows. They are the eyes of
Odin, Allfather of the Gods, and are acting to influence events in Midgard. They are the ones
who directed Sakurai to attack first the village of Payon, and then the Assassins Guild. They also acted to save both Sakurai and
Sara Irine from the dragon Tiamat (Nidhogg in the English release) that Chaos exorcised during the battle (by accident, but
mostly sure, due to his flashbacks). Their true motives are a mystery. However, Munin seems to have a more sadistic side than the
silent Hugin, who displays occasional compassion, such as when he kills a monster about to devour a child.
- The Asgard Rangers: A wild band of strangely-dressed women who consider themselves to be the champions of truth and
justice. However, they seem to simply attack targets at random, then declare their victims to be 'unrighteous,' justifying their
own extreme actions. Their wild poses and wacky antics serve to hide their considerable fighting skills. They seem to be a parody
of sentai groups like Sailor Moon and Power Rangers.
- Lord and Lady Irine: The father and mother of Iris. They both die at the hands of Sakurai and Sara Irine. Lady Irine
seems to be the brains behind the operation but the Lord is not dumb, just easily blinded by love of his daughter. Lord Irine is
also father to Sara, by another mother, who he later kills for unrevealed reasons. Lord Irine's dying request is for Iris not to
hate her sister. Lady Irine is implied to have been killed by Sakurai in an attempt to protect the children (Nuri and Seri).
- Matthew and the Guards: The accomplished guards of Payon are lead by the massive, if not lovable, Matthew. His hair
resembles a rooster's crest, leading Chaos to call him 'chicken head'. He has a blatant infatuation with Iris but never lets it
get in the way of duty. The main weapon of the guards is a wall of lethal cannons. These valiant souls go down defending their
home. Matthew is made into a zombie by Himmelmez in order to make a foe Chaos would not willingly fight.
- Ses (Sessy) the Cat-o-Two Tails: This cat can talk, though Lydia would prefer it couldn't. He (A 'She' in the English
release) seems to be more reasonable and rational then her owner. According to the Official Player's Handbook found at the start
of each volume after the first, she provides a 50% bonus on Pickpocketing Saves. While this is relatively illogical both in
wording and use, Ses does seem to do all the work in most of Lydia's criminal escapades.
- The Assassins Guild: This group of Arabic inspired warriors are dedicated to preserving the balance of power within
the entire continent. This means favoring good OR evil as the balance shifts. The policy doesn't exactly make them friends with
anyone. Most are slaughtered by Skurai. Taulin and a small band of others survive because they accompany Loki to battle Surt's
minions. The survivors are eventually stationed at the Guild headquarters to rebuild and recover the heavy losses taken.
- General Karl Johann Spiegal: Commander of the forces of Volsug, he is a competent and good natured man. He is forced
to imprison Chaos and his companions but assures them that he trusts them and would support them as a witness. When the forces of
Himmelmez attack the city, he takes Fenris and Iris to the fragment of the Heart of Ymir. He becomes critically wounded but is
stabilized in time.
- The White and Black Mages: These non-speaking characters constantly show up in the background of any major crowd. They
are mimics of their namesakes from the Final Fantasy RPG series. They appear to be a tribute to that popular series.
- Angelina Kidman: This spunky young woman is the announcer for the Geffen magic tourney and the prime secretary (As
said in the original release) of the Witch Guild. She has a lecherous co-host, Frontain Rod, who is more concerned with the
breasts of female competitors.
- Frontain Rod Kimacue: He is the co-host announcer of the Geffen magic tourney, by angelina's side, and the account
manager of the gravity research union (As said in the original release). He is a rather perverted person, who keeps peeking on
women's breasts with his binoculars. Although he seems to be only an old perverted man, he has a lot of knowledge about magic and
fighting techniques. He regonizes every single move that Fenris uses and is being curious about who Fenris really is. Just like
he stated in the original release; "I have no idea, that how I should be reacting to Fenris's techniques. She's a complete
mystery, and I'd really like to know who she really is and where does she come from".
- Gustav Kube the Magician: A novice magician who explains the city of Geffen to our heroes. His character model would
later be used as the basis for Mage in Ragnarok Online.
See also
External links
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