Why The Record Of Ragnarok Anime Is Banned In India

There's no other Netflix anime out there quite like "Record of Ragnarok," which chronicles a grudge match between a group of powerful valkyries and the gods themselves for the fate of humanity. It's quite the novel premise, albeit one that plays extensively with sensitive subject matter in the form of alternative depictions of religious deities. Unfortunately, one key character in the series' lineup has gotten it outright banned in India.

Prior to the initial international release of "Record of Ragnarok" in 2021, the President of the Universal Society of Hinduism Rajan Zed released a statement (preserved by Kotaku) urging Netflix to ban the show for its depiction of the Hindu god Shiva. Of course, Netflix went ahead and released the anime in most territories anyway, but the listing for India was taken down. To date, neither "Record of Ragnarok" Season 1 nor Season 2 are available in the country.

While Zed's appeal wasn't necessarily why Netflix removed "Record of Ragnarok" from its slate in India, it was probably for a similar reason. Per an exploration from Anime News Network, Indian laws and regulations generally hold streaming services accountable for the nature of the content on their platform, while also strictly forbidding media that purposefully offends the religious beliefs of Indian citizens. In essence, Netflix most likely didn't want to risk controversy over the depiction of Shiva (and potentially other religious figures) in India, and opted to scrub "Record of Ragnarok" instead.

Anyone holding their breath about "Record of Ragnarok" eventually seeing a release in India probably shouldn't hold out hope. While other anime have, at times, censored elements and cut out scenes to make the production stave off controversy in certain territories, it's unlikely that Netflix's god-fighting anime could take that approach with regard to Shiva. The Hindu god is a major part of the show's story right from the get-go, and he also has a large role to play in "Record of Ragnarok" Season 2. Removing him outright just doesn't seem like a realistic possibility.

"Record of Ragnarok" has also gotten along quite well outside of the controversy with India. The series has amassed quite a bit of popularity on Netflix, with the premiere of Season 2 getting it to trend on the streamer's list of the top 10 most popular shows for that week. While "Record of Ragnarok" hasn't yet been confirmed for Season 3, any subsequent installments of the show will probably stick to what has demonstrably worked in terms of content. As such, the trend of the anime staying outside of India will continue as well.