Honestly, most people went into the fourth round of the anime thinking the same thing: why him? Out of every legendary hero, every conqueror, and every saint in human history, Brunhilde picks the most reviled serial killer to represent us. It felt like a slap in the face. But that’s exactly why Record of Ragnarok Jack the Ripper is the most fascinating character in the entire series. He isn't just a monster; he's a mirror.
You’ve got Heracles on one side—the literal God of Fortitude, a guy who loves humanity so much he’s willing to beg Zeus to spare them. Then you’ve got Jack. A man who drinks tea while 19th-century London burns around him. It’s the ultimate "Good vs. Evil" trope, but the show flips the script in a way that makes you feel dirty for rooting for the "bad" guy.
The Genius of Record of Ragnarok Jack the Ripper and His "True" Volundr
If you haven't realized it yet, Jack is the only fighter who treats Ragnarok like a game of 4D chess. Everyone else is out here swinging hammers or trading punches. Jack? He lies. He lies about everything.
First, he tells Heracles those giant scissors are his Volundr. Nope. Then he says his pouches are the divine weapon. Wrong again. The reveal that his gloves are the actual Volundr—meaning anything he touches, from a pebble to a literal building, becomes a god-killing weapon—is arguably the best twist in the manga. It’s not just a power-up. It’s a testament to his character. He doesn't win because he’s strong. He wins because he’s the only one willing to play as dirty as the world that made him.
Basically, his ability to turn the very environment of London into a weapon shows how Jack isn't just fighting a god; he's weaponizing human misery. When he used the clock face of Big Ben to slice off Heracles’ arm, it wasn't just a cool action beat. It was the "weakest" human using the symbols of his own era to maim a deity.
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Why the Color of Fear Matters
Jack’s right eye is his most terrifying asset. It’s a form of synesthesia that lets him see the "colors" of emotions. Most of us see a person and guess how they feel. Jack sees a literal hue. For him, the world is a canvas, and he "paints" by terrifying people until they turn that specific shade of fear he finds so beautiful.
It's pretty messed up, honestly.
But look at his fight with Heracles. Throughout the entire slaughter, Heracles never changes color. He stays a brilliant, unwavering hue of love and justice. This breaks Jack. For the first time in his life, the Ripper meets someone his malice can’t stain. That’s the real battle—not the knives or the Labors of Heracles, but whether Jack can force a "good" being to feel the same darkness he does.
A Backstory That Hits Too Hard
The show doesn't excuse what he did, but it explains it. Born in the London slums to a prostitute mother who only "loved" him because she thought he was her ticket out of poverty—that's a rough start. When she found out his father (a wealthy man named Jack Smith) had moved on, she snapped. She told young Jack she wished she’d aborted him.
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That’s the moment the kid "died" and the Ripper was born. He saw her love turn to pure, ugly hatred right before his eyes. So, he killed her to see what color she’d turn next.
It’s tragic because Jack is a product of human failure. He represents the parts of us we don't want to show the gods. While Lu Bu represents our strength and Adam represents our love, Jack represents our scars. He is the trash of humanity that Brunhilde decided was sharp enough to kill a god.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ending
The conclusion of the fourth round is one of the most polarizing moments in the community. Jack wins, but he’s the only victor who gets booed by his own side. The humans hate him. The gods hate him. He stands alone in the arena, soaked in the blood of the only person who actually showed him unconditional love.
Heracles’ final act wasn't an attack; it was a hug.
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He lost the physical fight but won the spiritual one. By refusing to hate Jack even as he was dying, Heracles gave Jack the one thing he’d been searching for: a color that wasn't fear. If you look at Jack in the later chapters or episodes, he’s different. He’s still a gentleman, still a bit of a creep, but he’s haunted. He carries the weight of the god he murdered.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore of Record of Ragnarok Jack the Ripper, there are a few things you should check out to get the full picture:
- Read the Spin-off: There is a dedicated manga called Jack the Ripper no Jikenbo (The Case Files of Jack the Ripper). It reveals that the "Jack" we see in Ragnarok actually killed the real historical Jack the Ripper and stole his name. It adds a whole new layer to his "gentleman" persona.
- Watch the Visual Cues: In the anime, pay close attention to the lighting during his fight. The shifts in color aren't just for flair; they represent Jack’s literal point of view.
- The Shakespeare Connection: Jack quotes Hamlet and The Tempest throughout his fight. He views himself as a tragic character in a play he didn't ask to be in. Understanding those plays gives a lot of context to his dialogue.
Jack isn't a hero, and he’s barely a man by the end of it. He’s a weapon. But in a tournament where the survival of the species is on the line, maybe a monster is exactly what we needed. He proved that even the most broken parts of humanity have the "will" to survive, even if it means killing the very best of us.
To truly understand Jack, you have to look past the knives. You have to look at the gloves. They represent the idea that anything—no matter how mundane or "human"—can become divine if the person wielding it has enough malice, or enough desperation, to make it so. Jack didn't just beat a god with tricks; he beat a god by being the most "human" thing in the arena: a beautifully flawed disaster.