Spoiler Warning: This article contains major manga spoilers about Buddha’s fight for round six in Record of Ragnarok that is yet to be animated. Read at your own risk.
Yes, He did! Hooray for the humans as they have achieved another point thanks to Buddha. The founder of Buddhism shocked many bystanders in the arena, as well as fans when he walked inside the battlefield not to represent his fellow Gods, but his beloved humans. However, even with his confidence and abilities, it still wasn’t an easy win for the divine being.
Buddha did something that even the God of Fortitide, Hercules, couldn’t. Instead of talking to the Gods like Hercules wanted to after his win. Buddha took the stage and represented the oppositional side without hesitations. Humans and Gods inside the arena were confused, shocked, and dumbfounded due to his unexpected behavior. Even the Lord Gods, such as Odin, were greatly upset.
Buddha borrowed Heimdall’s megaphone and told everyone his plan. He even highlighted in his speech that anyone who would get in his way will be killed. Well, defying the Gods was a big thing. Hence, many were to question Buddha’s strength. I mean, out of all the fights this would be the first one where a God battles another God.
Buddha’s opponent wasn’t revealed in season two final episode part one nor what happened after his fearless announcement. However, in the original manga, Heimdall insisted that he would be fighting for the Gods’ because it is what’s written in the Gods’ official roster of challengers.
Zeus went in to settle that matter and said that he couldn’t care less as it was such a great development. As we said before, battles and wars excite the mighty Zeus. However, the Lord God, Odin, did have one question for Buddha.
Buddha, you’re going to make an enemy of all the Gods? Are you sure you want to do that?
Odin to Buddha (Record of Ragnarok: Round Six)
Irrelevant. This is the word that Buddha said to Odin. For him, good or bad guys, enemies or allies, it is all the same. Buddha believes that in the universe, he is the honorable one and that the only person who can move him is none other than himself. The Gods found him boastful for these remarks but Zeus still agreed to his plan. And with this, the heavenly traitor’s path to victory began.
What We Know About Buddha So Far
The betrayal of Buddha didn’t start when he decided to fight for humanity. He was actually suspected by Loki as the God lurking behind the shadows offering help to the humans and valkyries. Loki’s suspicions were in fact on point for the power of the Völundr was actually generated from one of Buddhism’s power called Samavadhāna.
Buddha is one of the four sages. Together with Buddha are other influential divine philosophers, namely Jesus, Socrates, and Confucious. Although they are Gods, during the fight in round six they confidently showed that they support their fellow sage, Buddha.
Buddha is much like Hercules but different in some ways. If Hercules was a demi-god, Buddha is a demi-human and a demi-god as stated in the manga. He is considered a full God and possessed powers greater than others. Buddha was able to ascend into the heavens as a God after reaching enlightenment.
When he was still a human, Buddha went by the name Gautama Siddhartha. His father, Suddhodana, was the leader and King during the Ancient Times. His father believed that his prince son was destined to be a well-respected leader destined to rule the world. Buddha lived a luxuriously stable life getting almost everything he needs and wants. However, he still wasn’t satisfied for he still had unanswered questions.
After visiting a distant relative who is also a King named Jataka, Buddha decided to change his fate. Although Jataka was gravely ill and do not have much time to live, Siddhartha complimented him for all the work he has done for himself, his country, and its people. But, King Jataka expressed that his life doesn’t deserve that much compliment because he had been living a life dictated by those who are higher than him.
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This made the adolescent Buddha think of his own existence and realized that his life is no different from his distant relative for he was destined to replace his father as King before he was even born. This encounter with King Jataka greatly helps Buddha in reaching enlightenment.
Buddha lives his life by his own rules. Ever since being enlightened, he believes that no one can dictate how he should and must live his life. As described by Brunhilde in the manga, Buddha is a God whose will is dedicated by no one. He doesn’t listen to anyone, not even to the Chairman of the Gods’ Council, Zeus.
In seasons one and two (part 1) of the series, we see Buddha as someone who has an easygoing personality. He is laid back and lowkey, very much like our Indian Patheon, Shiva. Due to his likable personality, he is considered the fan’s favorite God among all the Gods. He has also been seen as being playful around Zeus and is not threatened by Loki at all. Therefore, the heavenly traitor is no doubt a very interesting divine being.
The Heavenly Traitor’s Victory: Major Spoilers
Let’s say that Buddha has already planned out what he wants to do probably even before agreeing to fight for the Gods. Helping the oppositional side by teaching them how to use the Völundr is enough evidence to prove that he also does not wish for the extinction of the human race.
Before entering the battlefield Buddha saw and talked with Brunhilde. When he saw the valkyrie crying due to the lives which were sacrificed, Buddha told her that he will be representing the Gods in the next round, but will take the human’s side instead. This didn’t even shock Brunhilde as she is aware of the fact that in the heavens Buddha is the one who hates the Gods more than anyone.
Who is the Enlightened’s Challenger for Round Six?
When Zeus accepted Buddha’s decision he already had someone in mind to replace him, the Seven Gods of Fortune: Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Ebisu, Daikokuten, Fukurokuju, Jurojin, and Hoteison. If you have seen the series you should know that they have already appeared in season two episode six even before going on the battlefield.
Yes, the God of Mankind, Buddha, fought seven Gods. But, it’s not what you think. The deadly match between Gods and humans is a battle between a single representative of each side per round. The Seven Gods of Fortune didn’t violate any rules for they were able to fuse into one revealing Zerofuko or the God of Misfortune. Zerofuko is Buddha’s first opponent for round six. First – take note of that.
Without detailing too much about how the fight went, I can say that Buddha encountered difficulties during the fight not just because his opponent is strong but because they somehow have a shared history. Zerofuko was once known as a kind and warm-hearted God. In fact, he is so kind that he was willing to give good fortune to people in exchange is that he removed all of their misfortunes.
Zerofuko: The Jealous God’s History
When he came down from heaven he saw a lot of humans suffering from unimaginable sorrows under the burden of the Eight Pains: death, old age, sickness, birth, skandhas, failing to attain what one seeks, meeting with the hated ones, and parting from their loved ones. Hence, he decided that by absorbing all of the people’s misfortune, he can carry their burdens for them making them happier.
Realizing that he can attain his goal by absorbing what made them unhappy, he traveled far hoping to save more. However, this made a huge toll on his body. By absorbing all of their misfortunes, Zerofuko had to endure unimaginable pain from the sorrow and struggles he got from the humans. But, regardless he was still happy, not until he found out the true nature of humans.
The people whom he has helped do not even recognize nor acknowledge the good things he did. He was judged by his filthy appearance which was all because of the misfortunes he got from the humans. Zerofuko was confused for he realized that the humans whom he took misfortunes from went back to their old ways. They weren’t as happy as he thought they would be.
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When he saw Buddha filling the eyes of humans with joy and contentment, he got confused and furiously questioned him. He asked why the humans are not even happy despite his huge sacrifices for them. Which Buddha answered that happiness is not something you do to others, it is something you’ve got to attain yourself.
This made Zerofuko jealous, embarrassed, angry, and sad. He became a jealous God and ran away from everything with tears of frustration. His divine love quickly turned into hatred which birthed the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. However, before even unleashing all the hatred he split himself into the Seven Gods of Fortune.
During his battle with Buddha, Zerofuko blamed him for what happened to his life. He promised to give Buddha the divine punishment in front of everyone. Fortunately, this didn’t happen. It was obvious during their battle that the enlightened being was far stronger than Zerofuko. The power that his Six Realms Staff overwhelmed his opponent too much. But the good thing is that Buddha’s intention was never to kill Zerofuko, but to save him.
Buddha told Zerofuko that he is his own master and that the Jealous God should love himself. Zerofuko came to the realization and figured out that no one understood him better than the opponent his fighting. Both still fought and exchange feelings through their punches. Zerofuko lost but was able to redeem himself and achieve genuine happiness.
Zerofuko was just swayed from the right path; but, thanks to Buddha he was able to go back to his original self. However, this wasn’t the end of round six because it was just beginning to get more intense.
Hajun: The Berserker of the Netherworld
Zerofuko redeeming himself and losing the fight immediately turned the enlightened as the winner. However, the body of the former Jealous God got back up, and two massive dragons came out of it. Many trembled in fear of the unknown, and even Buddha stood back as a reflex of what was happening in front of him.
As mentioned earlier, it was not an easy win for the God of All Mankind. It wasn’t Zerofuko who gave Buddha a hard time, it was Hajun. Hajun is the Demon Lord of the Sixth Heaven. His presence and appearance are as sinister as they can be. This made the bystanders inside the Valhalla Arena tremble in fear and confusion as to what happened. Not even Brunhilde nor Hermes could explain what they were witnessing.
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Buddha was not able to predict his opponent’s next attack, unlike his first fight with Zerofuko. The lack of light within Hajun made it impossible for the God to use his future vision. During the early part of their battle, Hajun’s fierce attack using his Heaven Piercing Demon Drill was able to pierce right through Buddha’s supposed damageable shield and instantly took out Buddha’s left eye.
Buddha was fighting a lord who is believed to have destroyed half of Helheim or Hell a long time ago. Hades, King of the Netherworld, explained that the only possible way that the Netherworld’s Berseker re-emerged is that someone has planted the little detritus which was left to Hajun to Zerofuko.
No matter how powerful the genuine monster is, Buddha believed that his friend was still inside him. Hajun offensively laugh and told Buddha that Zerofuko is already gone for he had consumed him a long time ago. This made the enlightened angry and decided to fully fight Hajun because he won’t have to worry anymore that he would hurt his friend.
Using his powerful Six Realms Staff. Buddha’s emotions transformed his staff into the technique called Fifth Realm: Preta Realm. The Salakayas (Scythe of the Wild God) form of Buddha’s staff can only be achieved when he is already overwhelmed with hatred. It is a formation of the staff that even Buddha has not yet seen for had always rejected the thought of hatred because for him it was poison.
Both were equally strong and were desperate to win. Buddha not only wanted to win the match for the humans but also to avenge his friend. But in the middle of their fight, Hajun was able to stab Buddha’s abdomen resulting in him bleeding so much. Even with so much blood lost, Buddha held his staff with so much energy and determination to defeat his opponent. He showed no fear of the sinister Demon Lord instead he actually called him weak… weaker than Zerofuko.
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Even with Hajun’s non-stop assault, Buddha stands strong pushing Hajun to his limits. The evil berserker amputated his own arm and turned it into one of his strongest weapons. The Demon Lord countered the Karma Destroying Samsara Cycle of Buddha using his Blaze of Glory technique. It was almost the end for the human race’s side but Zerofuko came to offer a helping hand to his friend.
Zerofuko intertwined his fate with Buddha just like the former valkyries who fought in the earlier rounds. Through this, both performed the Völundr creating the ultimate powerful divine weapon, the Great Nirvana Sword: Zero. This weapon can only be achieved by those who were able to attain the Great Nirvana in the Pure Lands, and that only is Budda.
This newly acquired power of Buddha even made Hajun speechless. This technique holds power that is associated with the Seven Gods of Fortune and of course Zerofuko. Powerful, huh? Hajun showing his emotions while trembling in fear allowed the enlightened to again use his future vision avoiding all the Demon Lord’s attacks and countering them. Thus, Buddha is now one step ahead of his opponent, Hajun, on the battlefield.
Finally, Buddha defeated the great Demon Lord by slashing him using his Blade of the Celestial Eye’s Awakening: Mahapari Nirvana technique. This battle was the end for the Demon Lord, the redemption of Zerofuko, and a step closer to humankind’s victory. Indeed, round six of the Ragnarok showed how fearless Buddha is, that even defying the Gods does not make him worry or scared. He showed that his life was truly dictated by no one but himself and with that, the Heavenly Traitor won the fight against two opponents.
Record of Ragnarok Season 2 Part 1 ended with a cliffhanger on round six; however, worry no more because it was announced that Part 2 is coming this year. I know that like me, we just can’t wait for this intense fight of Buddha vs. Zerofuko and Hajun to come to life!
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