The highly anticipated anime Record of Ragnarok, produced by Warner Bros. Japan and studio Graphinica, is already part of Netflix’s growing roster of anime. However, its premiere with great fanfare has had a setback because it has been banned in India. This happened because of various complaints by Hindu practitioners, unhappy with the content of the anime.
In Record of Ragnarok, humanity is on the brink of destruction, as the gods have decided to eliminate it. With the help of the Valkyries, 13 human representatives are sent to face the gods in a battle to decide their survival: Ragnarok. Among the champions of humanity are figures like Adam, Jack the Ripper and Buddha, while on the side of the deities are Zeuz, Loki, and Shiva.
The way in which Hindu deities were portrayed in the manga enraged the leadership of Hinduism in India. In October 2020, Rajan Zed (president of the Universal Society of Hinduism) demanded that the creators of Record of Ragnarok stop taking Hindu gods lightly, as they could cause a wrong impression about them in people who do not they knew a lot about Hinduism.
In the Record of Ragnarok story, the Hindu deity Shiva is depicted as a fierce fighter on the same level as Zeus and Thor. In the anime trailer, Shiva is shown enraged, with his face displaying 5 eyes (which further upset the Hindu community, and the scene was removed from the trailer). These characteristics contradict the symbolism of Shiva in the Hindu religion. Shiva is the ‘destroyer’ god and one of the three main deities of Hinduism. His role is to purge the world, destroying it to be recreated. This is not malicious destruction, but one that allows for evolution and development. Shiva is related to the balance of good and evil.
For the Hindu community (which makes up the bulk of the population in India), the way Shiva is displayed in Record of Ragnarok is insulting and damaging to their religion. It is certain that as long as Shiva remains in the anime, it will continue to be banned in India.
Social Media Author: [RonLaoHu]
