Leonidas

Leonidas is introduced as the strongest Spartan king and, according to Brunhilde, the greatest rebel in human history, a man who continuously fought against the will of the gods.

Within the setting of Record of Ragnarok, he is also described as “the man who received the most admiring gazes in all of human history,” standing at the pinnacle of heroic charisma.

He fights in the 9th round of the Ragnarok tournament as humanity’s representative.

Initially unwilling to participate, he ultimately enters the arena when he learns that his opponent will be Apollo, the sun god he despises above all others.

Leonidas is stubborn, rebellious, and absolutely uncompromising about fighting by his own will.

He openly states that he does not want to entrust his life to a god he has never met and rejects divine authority outright.

He has a coarse, brash way of speaking and frequently insults the gods, especially Apollo, whom he calls a “damn sun god” and a “piece of crap.”

At the same time, he is deeply loyal to his comrades and moves people through his convictions and fearless attitude.

Leonidas claims he actually does not enjoy fighting itself, but he believes that when it is time to fight, it must be entirely by his own decision.

One of his favorite “hobbies” or pleasures is “personally breaking the noses of arrogant idiot gods”, showing how much satisfaction he gets from defying divine arrogance.

Leonidas lives by a simple but powerful creed:

“Now is the time to fight.”

“When I fight, it is always by my own will. That is ‘Sparta.’”

He does not fight for vague notions of glory or because a god commands it.

He fights because his own judgment tells him that this moment is the time to stand and resist.

In the 9th match, when Apollo asks why he fights so desperately, Leonidas answers that it is not for revenge, and not even for humanity, but because this is his time to fight.

This resolve is what defines him more than any title as king or general.

Leonidas’s burning hatred for Apollo is rooted in a divine oracle that once shaped the fate of Sparta.

Apollo had delivered an oracle that became a curse on Sparta, binding their actions with religious constraints.

During the historical Battle of Thermopylae, the crisis coincided with the festival honoring Apollo known as the Carneia, during which all military actions were forbidden.

The Spartan citizens feared Apollo’s divine punishment, and the Gerousia (the council of elders) believed they could simply wait until the festival ended and still win the war.

Leonidas found this unacceptable.

He refused to let an unseen god decide his life or the fate of his people, declaring that:

He hated the idea of entrusting his life to a god he had never met.

If divine punishment were to fall, he would accept it alone.

In a dramatic act of defiance, he smashed a statue of Apollo standing in the council chamber, rejecting the oracle and the fear that ruled his city.

This act marked Apollo’s oracle as a “curse” in his eyes, and he vowed to make Apollo take responsibility for that curse.

Because of this history, when he hears that the god representative in the 9th round of Ragnarok will be Apollo, Leonidas’s attitude changes instantly.

He finds the idea “interesting” and willingly volunteers to fight, explicitly to kill Apollo with his own hands.

During their match, he calls Apollo “damn sun god” and “the one I hate most in the world.”

Even so, when he hears Apollo’s personal philosophy in battle, Leonidas admits that it is “annoying as hell” but also says he likes it, and promises to kill him with full power and killing intent.

In his backstory, Leonidas is portrayed as the core figure in the Battle of Thermopylae, reinterpreted through the lens of Record of Ragnarok.

When war threatened Greece, the timing overlapped with the Carneia festival, during which all warfare was forbidden by Apollo’s religious law.

The people of Sparta and the council feared Apollo’s wrath and decided to postpone any military action until after the festival.

Leonidas opposed this decision.

He declared that he did not want to “fight,” yet insisted that “now is the time to fight”, rejecting any delay caused by divine restriction.

He chose to depart to war alone, accepting that if any divine punishment were to fall for breaking the oracle, it should fall on him alone.

This decision embodied his belief that Spartans fight only by their own will, not by the convenience of gods.

Moved by his resolve, 300 Spartan soldiers decided to follow Leonidas of their own free will.

They fully understood that this likely meant death, but they chose to stand and die with their king rather than live under the shadow of fear and oracles.

Leonidas accepted their resolve and allowed them to join him.

Together they marched to Thermopylae, fought to the bitter end, and died in battle as a united Spartan force, their determination becoming legendary.

Refusal and Acceptance of the 9th Match

Before the 9th fight of the Ragnarok tournament, Brunhilde visits Leonidas in his waiting room to ask him to represent humanity.

Leonidas responds with complete disinterest, rejecting her request with an immediate “no” and saying that if he ever participates, it should be either the first or the final match, not the ninth.

However, when Brunhilde mentions that the god representative for the 9th round will be Apollo, Leonidas suddenly becomes interested.

He confirms that this is Apollo the sun god, and when Brunhilde says yes, he smiles and calls it “interesting”, promptly changing his mind and volunteering to fight.

His reason is simple:

He wants to settle the score with Apollo, the god whose oracle became a curse on Sparta, and he wants to break that god with his own hands.

Fighting Style and Relics

Leonidas wields a divine weapon (Volund) forged by Geirölul, taking the form of a shield.

This shield is not just defensive; it is packed with hidden mechanisms and brutal surprises.

Key features of his divine armament include:

A hidden blade built into the shield.

A chain mechanism that allows the blade/shield to extend and retract freely, giving him mid-range striking capability.

A transformation system that allows the shield to shift into a mace-like weapon, enhancing his offensive power.

This combination fits Leonidas perfectly:

He stands like an immovable wall, yet his attacks can lash out suddenly and violently, turning defense into devastating offense.

Dynamic with Apollo in Battle

At the start of the 9th match, Leonidas insults Apollo by calling him a “damn sun god.”

Apollo responds that such words are worthy of divine punishment, but Leonidas calmly replies that he hates Apollo more than anyone else in the world and has no fear of angering him.

Their battle is not just physical but ideological.

Apollo expresses his own philosophy as a god, and Leonidas, though annoyed, ends up acknowledging and even liking that worldview—while still vowing to kill Apollo with all his might.

When asked about his true motivation, Leonidas makes it clear:

He is not driven by revenge or duty to humanity alone.

He fights because this moment is the one where he is meant to fight, staying true to his Spartan identity and personal creed.

Final Moments

In the final exchange, Leonidas is ultimately defeated in the clash against Apollo.

As he loses and his existence begins to completely disintegrate, Sparta’s soldiers who are watching the battle shout to him that his fight was “the most amazing, coolest Sparta” they had ever seen.

Hearing this, Leonidas shows a full, radiant smile in his final moments.

While being held in Apollo’s arms as his body fully disappears, he dies satisfied, having lived and fought entirely on his own terms.

With Brunhilde

Brunhilde is the one who recruits Leonidas as the 9th human representative.

Leonidas initially refuses her request and shows a lazy, uninterested attitude.

Once he hears the name Apollo, however, he eagerly accepts, revealing his deep grudge and personal stake in the match.

With Spartan Soldiers

Leonidas is a leader who inspires absolute loyalty through example, not fear.

His decision to fight against the oracle moves 300 Spartan soldiers to follow him to certain death.

Even during Ragnarok, the Spartans watching his fight admire him deeply and affirm that he embodies the ideal of Sparta.

With Apollo

Apollo is both Leonidas’s greatest enemy and, in a sense, a worthy counterpart.

Leonidas sees Apollo’s oracle as a curse on Sparta and demands that Apollo take responsibility in the arena.

Despite his hatred, Leonidas respects Apollo enough to say he “likes” his philosophy, even as he tries with all his might to kill him.

“I hate the idea of entrusting my life to a god I’ve never met.”

“If divine punishment falls, let it fall on me alone.”

“Now is the time to fight.”

“When I fight, I always fight by my own will. That is Sparta.”

“I hate you more than anyone in the world, you damn sun god.”

“Your philosophy is annoying as hell… but I like it. I’ll kill you with all my killing intent.”

These lines capture Leonidas’s essence: a man who refuses to bend to fate, oracle, or god, and who chooses every battle—especially his last one—by his own will.