Ragnarok the Animation

Ragnarok the Animation is an anime and aenimeisyeon series based on the MMORPG Ragnarok Online, produced in the first quarter of 2004 and was broadcast on TV Tokyo of Japan. In 2005, it was broadcast on SBS in Korea. It has 26 episodes. The Philippine and Brazilian distributor of the game, Level Up! Games, Inc., cooperated with ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation for local licensing and distribution rights of Ragnarok the Animation. On January 22, 2007, FUNimation Entertainment announced the U.S. license of Ragnarok on the website's Kickoff 07.

The story happens in the same world of Rune-Midgard. 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.

Roan
The main protagonist, Roan (ロアン) 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 wrong after some advice from the Legendary Witch in Payon and Comodo. However, it was too late as Roan made it only on time to see Yufa leave with her brother. Afterwards, the group heads towards Glast Heim to save Yufa and to stop Dark Lord. On the way, they are confronted by a possessed Yufa 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 Yufa. However, he finds her to be unable to truly hear his words. Tricking Roan, Yufa kisses him with her tongue thus sliping a cursed ruby into his mouth, which he then swallows. Upon realizing this, the cursed ruby begins to kill Roan. Unable to draw his sword, Roan allows Yufa to stab him with a cursed blade. Eventually, Yufa 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, Yufa and the rest of the surviving group reunite to defeat Dark Lord. In the end, Roan and Yufa were each seen wearing a ring, implying that they are now married.

Yufa
The love interest of Roan, Yufa (ユーファ) 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 Yufa away and prompts her to leave the group (and Roan) behind for her brother, Keough. Keough eventually corrupts Yufa 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 Yufa to allow her to see what she had done. Holding the dying Roan in her arms, Yufa 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, Yufa sealed Dark Lord away with a Magnus Exorcismus spell. At the end of the series, it is implied that Roan and Yufa married.

Takius
The third character to be introduced to the series, Takius (タキウス) is a mage who wears a blindfold ("Takius Blindfold") and searches the world for the ultimate truth. Her mission for this "ultimate truth" was put on her by her teacher, Zephyr (who also gave her the blinder). With the blinder and her original staff intact, Zephyr 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 blinder 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 Zephyr, her master was betrayed by the Dark Lord, who had been using Zephyr from the beginning. As a result, he falls from a collapsing wall, only to be saved just in time by Takius. However, just then, Zephyr's Lord of Vermillion spell was activated, curshing the platform the two were dangling from and both of them fell. 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 Zephyr summoned). Takius's staff would then come crashing down from the air, cancelling the Meteor Storm spell Dark Lord was using (somehow, the wand seems to contain a Sage class magic called Spellbreaker, which is the reason of the spell cancelling effect). Maya carries out her wand as a memory of her. Her real name is Catherine (キャスリン), but hates being called that for unknown reasons. Speculations may involve being considered to be related to High Wizard Katherine Keyron, a monster within the final level of the Lighthalzen Biolabs although is considered not canon since Lighthalzen didn't appear during that time - not to mention they have different hairstyle and class.

Maya
Maya (マーヤ) is the next person after Takius to be introduced in the anime. She's 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 self-made cart. She met Roan and Yufa 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 Yufa during their fight with a Golden Thief Bug. She later changes her rather roguish ways after becoming attached to Yufa and the rest of the group. She has a known affinity for monsters, never being seen without her pet Poring named Poy-Poy. In Episode 7, she befriends an "Alice" (monster who resembles a human maid) but sadly she meets a tragic end because of the actions of Zealotus (a half monster who despises humans) in Episode 19. In their final confrontation in Comodo, Maya nearly kills Zealotus for revenge but Alice's spirit comes to Maya and convinces her to forgive Zealotus. She then makes peace with Zealotus, but too little too late. Maya only ever uses two skills in the series, Mammonite and Cart Revolution. Maya is the only member of the group to not "advance" to another job. She does, however, throw potions much like an Alchemist.

Iruga
Like Yufa is childhood friends with Roan, Iruga Alam (イルガアラム) is childhood friends with Keough and is an assassin. After witnessing his friend "die" in Glast Heim, Iruga decided to protect both Yufa 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 Iruga 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, Iruga and Keough fatally struck each other at the same time. However, Iruga managed to stab Keough's wound, freeing his friend's heart from the evil the Dark Lord placed in it. Unfortunately, within the process, Keough dies with Iruga.

Judia
A hunter who has developed a relationship with Iruga. At first, Judia (ジュディア) is a terrible hunter, but after a chance encounter with Iruga, she improves a 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 Minstrel or Gypsy. She falls in love with Iruga 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 Yufa holds his hand and keeps calling him "Big Brother Iruga". By the end of the anime, she has Iruga's child which was the product of giving her life force to Iruga when he was injured with a sword which is enchanted with poison (can be seen in the end of episode 17 and the beginning of episode 18). In the Japanese version she speaks with a Kansai accent; in the Philippine version she speaks in the Bisaya accent.

Dark Lord
The main antagonist of the series, Dark Lord (ダークロード) 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) is childhood friends with Iruga 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 Iruga's protests, Keough distracted the knight as Iruga got Roan and Yufa out. However, before Iruga 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 Iruga 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. Iruga nicknames him Haze after he turns to the dark side.

Zephyr
Zephyr also known as Zephyrus (ゼフェル) is a wizard, and Takius'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. Zephyr once had a family, but they had lost their lives due to a failed experiment of his. Coupled with the ridicule of the public, Zephyr 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 Takius or after. He is eventually saved by his former pupil, but too late for both of them. In the anime, Zephyr was the only character to have attained an "aura" which signifies the ultimate power he has gained through mercilessly killing hundreds of monsters and people (in Ragnarok Online it instead represents reaching level 99).

Zealotus
Jiltus (ジルタス) is the offspring of a monster father and a human mother. Because of the prejudice of her monster half, Jiltus and her mother were forced to leave their village. The cruelty of the villagers left a deep hatred of humans in Jiltus' heart. After her mother's death, Jiltus 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. Jiltus (Zealotus) is an actual monster in the game.

Baphomet
Baphomet (バフォメット), a towering, horned goat-like being who is the first to best the entire group of protagonists, possessing immense power, but 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 the 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 the evil himself. His weapon is a large hammer in the anime, while in the game he uses a purple scythe. Baphomet is an actual MVP (boss) in the game.

Melopsum
Melopsum (メロプシュム) 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 is trapped in a cave near Comodo, teaching him not to use the sword arrogantly and that pure strength is not enough. In her last appearance to Roan, she (and two dancers indirectly) teach Roan to tell the enemies moves and gives him a sword that was used to seal herself away, entrusting him to use it to protect those he loved.

Skills used in the anime
Cold Bolt

Summons large shards of ice to fall from the sky to hit a single or multiple enemies. Can be countered by Sightrasher or Firewall.

Used by: Takius

Frost Diver

Encompasses a target(s) in ice and disabling movement. Can be countered with Sightrasher or Firewall.

Used by: Takius

Heal

Heals a friendly target. Destroys an undead target.

Used by: Yufa, Melopsum (Crusader Form), Male Priest

Holy Light

Summons a weak ball of light to hit an enemy. Damage is amplified if shot at an undead target.

Used by: Yufa

Lightning Bolt

Lightning is manifested in one's hand and is then shot at a target.

Used by: Takius

Magnum Break

Your sword is filled with energy, and then is struck against the ground to create a large explosion.

Used by: Roan, Keough

Blessing

Angels grant a target a strength enhancing blessing.

Used by: Yufa

Increase Agility

Increases a target's speed using magic.

Used by: Yufa

Magnus Exorcismus

Calls down a Grand Cross around the target. Any Demon family and Undead monsters entering the area of the effect suffer Holy property damage.

Used by: Yufa

Thunder Storm

Summons a thunder storm to electrocute multiple enemies.

Used by: Takius

Ruwach

Summons a ball of magic light to circle around you, revealing any hidden enemies.

Used by: Yufa

Double Strafing

Shoots 2 strengthened arrows at a target.

Used by: Judia

Sonic Blow

Repeatedly stabs a target with enhanced katars.

Used by: Iruga

Aqua Benedicta

Turns water contained in a bottle into holy water.

Used by: Yufa

Cart Revolution

Smashes your cart into multiple enemies.

Used by: Maya, Merchants Group

Angelus

Boosts the party's defenses by summoning the Angelus bell.

Used by: Yufa

Double Attack

Slashes your opponent twice quickly.

Used by: Rai

Blitz Beat

Commands your falcon (which appears to be on fire when you cast this spell) to attack multiple enemies.

Used by: Judia

Quagmire

Turns the targeted area of ground into mud, rooting anyone who stands on it.

Used by: Zephyr, Male Mage

Fire Pillar

Sets a small area of fire which explodes if someone steps on it.

Used by: Zephyr

Gangster's Paradise

Increases recovery rate when 2 rogues are sitting next to each other.

Used by: Mistress

Adrenaline Rush

Increases strength and speed by increasing heart rate.

Used by: Mistress' Blacksmith

Snatch

Takes an item from the enemy.

Used by: Mistress

Graffiti

Draws on the ground.

Used by: Mistress' Rogue

Devotion

Allows the Crusader to take the damage of 6 of his party members.

Used by: Roan, Melopsum (Crusader Form)

Reflect Shield

Forms a barrier around your shield, reflecting all damage.

Used by: Roan, Melopsum (Crusader Form)

Holy Cross

Slashes twice to form a cross shape.

Used by: Roan, Melopsum (Crusader Form)

Arrow Shower

Summons many arrows to fall from the sky.

Used by: Judia

Jupitel Thunder

Summons an extremely powerful ball of thunder to electrocute an enemy.

Used by: Zephyr, Deviruchi

Throw Stone

Throws a stone at a target.

Used by: Iruga

Charge Arrow

Shoots an enhanced arrow at a target.

Used by: Judia

Shield Charge

Rockets from behind the shield activate to knock back an attacking enemy.

Used by: Roan

Grand Cross

Summons a holy cross on the ground and damages all who are inside it, including the caster.

Used by: Roan

Shield Boomerang

Throws a shield in its rocket boosted form. The shield returns to the caster.

Used by: Roan

Venom Splasher

Turns a target into a "poison bomb". The target will then explode after a few seconds, dealing splash damage around it and poisoning enemies by chance.

Used by: Iruga

Lord of Vermilion

Summon explosive bolts of destruction to a targeted area.

Used by: Zephyr

In-game events
Japan, Indonesia, and Philippines have held some sort of in-game events to commemorate the release of the anime. On jRO, players could speak to an NPC in Comodo then carry out quests paralleling the anime, while two characters modeled after Roan and Yufa roamed around Prontera while being controlled by their respective seiyuu on pRO. In idRO, there are NPC with appearance similar to the anime's main characters, located in Alberta, that will give questions during a weekly event right after the current anime episode ends, based on what happened in the episode.

Japanese voice actors (seiyū)

 * Roan - Daisuke Sakaguchi
 * Yufa - Nana Mizuki
 * Takius - Aya Hisakawa
 * Maya - Haruko Momoi
 * Iruga - Kazuya Nakai
 * Judia - Minako Arakawa
 * Poi-poi - Fujiko Takimoto
 * Keough/Haze - Takehito Koyasu
 * Zealotus - Mariko Suzuki
 * Zephyr - Nachi Nozawa
 * Baphomet - Mugihito
 * Baphomet Jr. - Nao Nagasawa
 * Melopsum - Rumi Ochiai
 * Dark Lord - Yōsuke Akimoto
 * Alice - Saki Nakajima

English voice actors

 * Roan - Greg Ayres
 * Yufa - Carrie Savage
 * Takius - Jennifer Seman
 * Maya - Luci Christian
 * Iruga - Charles Baker
 * Judia - Caitlin Glass
 * Poi-poi - Majken Bullard
 * Keough/Haze - Robert McCollum
 * Zephyr - Mark Stoddard
 * Zealotus - Colleen Clinkenbeard
 * Baphomet - Cole Brown
 * Baphomet Jr. - Chris Cason
 * Melopsum - Christine Auten
 * Dark Lord - R. Bruce Elliot
 * Alice - Monica Rial

Episode list

 * 1) Why Do You Wield That Sword? (その剣は何のためにあるのです)
 * 2) Be Good To Me, Big Brother (よろしくね、お兄ちゃん)
 * 3) I Believe (私は信じてます)
 * 4) Is That the Best You Can Do? (それはお前の力なのか)
 * 5) What Did You Just Say? (今、なんていったの?)
 * 6) I Won't Let Anyone Get In My Way! (誰にも私の邪魔はさせないんだから)
 * 7) Will You Comfort Me?!? (なぐさめてくれるの!?)
 * 8) Life Is Precious (命の尊さを知らぬものは不幸だ)
 * 9) All For the Truth (全ては真理のために)
 * 10) You're My Brother, Aren't You?!? (兄さんなんでしょ!)
 * 11) All is Only Despair (この世にあるのは失望だけだ)
 * 12) I Can't Do It (僕じゃダメなんだ…)
 * 13) The Protector (守る者…)
 * 14) Why Won't You Answer? (どうして答えてくださらないのです)
 * 15) Don't Worry, I'm Here (大丈夫、俺がいる)
 * 16) I Can't Save Anyone (何も救えない…)
 * 17) You Are Already Tainted (すでにお前も汚れている)
 * 18) I've Known All Along (みんなわかってたんや)
 * 19) We'll Always Be Together (ずっといっしょだよ)
 * 20) It's Okay (もう、いいや…)
 * 21) I Need You (お前が必要なんだ)
 * 22) Who's the Lonely One? (寂しいのはどっち!)
 * 23) Good Bye (さよなら…)
 * 24) Place of Reckoning (全ての決着をつける場所)
 * 25) One Who Realizes His Mistake (過ちに気付きし者)
 * 26) For the Sake of Our Future (私達の未来のために!)