Episode 21

## Resonance

* Screenshot
* Title

## Episode Chronology

**Resonance** is the 21st episode overall of the "*Shuumatsu no Valkyrie: Record of Ragnarok*" anime and the 9th episode of Season 2.

## Synopsis

As a child, Raiden had to suppress his full strength so he wouldn’t hurt other people. But now, to win this battle, he’s not holding anything back.

## Plot

The sumo wrestlers see that Raiden is smiling and Kajinosuke Tanikaze notes that he can finally fight with all of his might.

Five year old Tarōkichi observes other kids practicing sumo. Toraji is one of the stronger boys and after defeating several of them in a row, the other don't want to fight him. Toraji then invites Tarōkichi, who happily accepts. Toraji decides to go easier knowing that Tarōkichi has a fragile body and had recently just recovered, however Tarōkichi charges him and sends him flying outside the sumo ring.

Even with the Hundred Seals, Tarōkichi's muscles are still too strong and the kids think he is a monster and start calling him an ogre. Upset over hurting them and their reaction, he cries to his mother, asking her why the gods gave him such a body. Ken explains that he should praise the gods and how before he was able to walk, she was going to the shrine and asking the gods to give him a strong and healthy body.

She is proud of Tarōkichi and wants him to find a way to help the weak. After that Tarōkichi became a kind boy who helped anyone he can by lifting or carrying heavy things. Tarōkichi would have spend his life in Shinano and be loved by everyone, however the eruption of Mount Asama, 1783, altered his future. The volcanic ash destroyed all crops, an epidemic spread and all of Shinano was thrust into famine, and in the next several years, many people died from starvation.

Wanting to help the weak, the 17-years-old Tarōkichi leaves Shinano and goes to Edo, to become a sumo wrestler and earn money to send back to his hometown. Yohachi Urakaze, Tarōkichi's sumo trainer, tells Tarōkichi to fight with all of his might, but Tarōkichi prefers not to, explaining that he will hurt his opponents. Takikaze finds that interesting and tells Tarōkichi to fight him and that if he doesn't defeat him, he will have to go back home.

Not wanting that, Tarōkichi charges at Takikaze, but Takikaze doesn't move and then grabs and slams Tarōkichi on the ground. Tarōkichi can't go back and keep standing and fighting Takikaze, who keeps knocking Tarōkichi down. Tarōkichi finds sumo interesting and starts training each day as it's the first thing in his life that he could attack with all his might. In 1790, Tarōkichi fought his first bout for the Matsue fief under his new name Raiden Tameemon.

Raiden easily picks and throws his opponent out of the ring, causing the crowd to cheer. Raiden kept overpowering his opponents with a single hits and earn enough to send back to his hometown.

However, his heyday didn't last long. Raiden faces an opponent who fears him and he instantly remembers his past when the kids were fearing him and calling him an ogre.

Takikaze is angry that Raiden lost on purpose, but he explains that his mother raised him to use his strength to help the weak, but now he is just bullying the weak. As to not injure his opponents, Raiden ceased using the techniques he was best at. Even so, he kept winning and sending money back to his hometown. His highest rank was "Ozeki", and in his 21-year career out of 285 bouts, he won 254 and lost 10, with 14 undecided, 2 ties, and 5 no-contests. His ten losses and two ties were all against lower ranked wrestlers, as he had no reason fighting those opponents.

As he was effectively undefeated, people called him the Unrivaled Rikishi. No one knew that Raiden retired from the sumo without ever using his full might.

Raiden decides to fight with all of his might against Shiva. He takes a stance and prepares for an open-palm trust. Thanks to Völundr, he is able to control his muscle and further increase the technique power by migrating his muscles to his hand. Raiden strikes Shiva, who attempts to block his palm thrust. However the force is so strong that two of Shiva's arms get blown away and the palm hits his face and sends him flying. Shiva stands up, but has only one arm left.

Zeus notes that if he didn't block with his hands, his skull would have been crushed. Raiden's thrust had such an intense shockwave that it broke the sound barrier. However, Raiden then suffers the recoil of his attack; the quick migration of his muscles has put an unimaginable strain on his body, which has begins to rip apart but is barely being hold by Thrud. Raiden tells Thrud that he needs to migrate his muscles even more.

She is shocked, stating that it will rip him apart. Raiden knows it but concedes that at the moment, he isn't strong enough and wants to put his life on the like as a sumo wrestler. Thrud states he is a fool, but he is the man she fell in love with and agrees. Shiva feels something and turns around. He sees Rudra and is surprised that he came. Shiva then sees the other gods praying and states he can't lose for their sake.

Shiva sticks his fingers in his chest and starts stimulating his heart directly, forcing it to beat faster. According to the legend, when the time comes Shiva will dance the Tandava and destroy the world. However, Shiva will then burn his own flesh, and with his ashes, he will rebuild the world. Shiva activates Tandava Karma and turns red as he burns up. Brunhilde states that Shiva and Raiden are similar and the more hopes and dreams of others they carry, the stronger they become.

## Characters

* Shiva
* Raiden Tameemon
* Kisaburo Onogawa
* Kajinosuke Tanikaze
* Toraji (Flashback)
* Ken Seki (Flashback)
* Hanemon Seki (Flashback, no lines)
* Yohachi Urakaze
* Heimdall (Voice only)
* Göll
* Brunhilde
* Ares
* Zeus
* Hermes
* Thrud
* Indra (No lines)
* Varuna (No lines)
* Agni (No lines)
* Rudra
* Brahma (No lines)
* Vishnu
* Shumbha (No lines)
* Nishumbha (No lines)

## Differences in Adaptations

* Raiden's second flashback is expanded, showing additional scenes.