First Round Shuumatsu no Valkyrie vs. Spy x Family

[Brandish μ]

Shuumatsu no Valkyrie Takumi Fukui, Shinya Umemura & Ajichika		Spy x Family Tatsuya Endou

 

[Ramen]

2 of my current favourite manga.....this is a really tough one.

 

[Shadowlord123]

Both are really good at what they're centred and I've been enjoying them a lot, but since I have a personal preference for tournaments and fights, I'll vote for Shuumatsu no Valkyrie.

 

[Ramen]

Voted Shuumatsu for the simple reason that I enjoy the mythologies and how they've tweaked them. Also, the fights were too good.

 

[Nie Li]

I'm supporting Spy x Family.

I tried giving Shuumatsu a chance a while ago and followed it until very recently but as much as I like its premise, there are many things in that manga that I just can't enjoy. Mostly related to just how nerfed all the gods are and godlike the humans are (even without the special weapons).

I don't mind humanity winning, but they're not good fights nor representations in my book.

 

[Orion]

All the best @MarmaladeSky

Shuumatsu no Valkyrie
Written by: Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui
Illustrated by: Ajichika

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The Pitch
​

Gods vs. Humanity. One-on-one battles to the death. A coliseum-esque setting, great commentary, and an audience from all depths of history. It’s a goddamn hype fest! Sit back and enjoy a spectacle of the highest order.

Spoiler

Premise (MAL)
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High above the realm of man, the gods of the world have convened to decide on a single matter: the continued existence of mankind. Under the head of Zeus, the deities of Ancient Greece, Norse mythology, and Hinduism, among others, call assembly every one thousand years to decide the fate of humanity. Because of their unrelenting abuse toward each other and the planet, this time the gods vote unanimously in favor of ending the human race.

But before the mandate passes, Brunhild, one of the 13 demigod Valkyries, puts forth an alternate proposal: rather than anticlimactically annihilating mankind, why not give them a fighting chance and enact Ragnarök, a one-on-one showdown between man and god? Spurred on by the audacity of the challenge, the divine council quickly accepts, fully confident that this contest will display the utter might of the gods. To stand a chance against the mighty heavens, Brunhild will need to assemble history's greatest individuals, otherwise the death knell will surely be sounded for mankind.

Spoiler

Characters

And without further ado, here’s the roster

Spoiler: Gods

Gods shown so far

Spoiler: Loki

Spoiler: Odin

Spoiler: Thor

Spoiler: Shiva

Spoiler: Buddha

Spoiler: Heracles

Spoiler: Poseidon

Spoiler: Bishamonten

Bonus (not fighting)

Spoiler: Aphrodite

Spoiler: Humans

Humans shown so far

Spoiler: Adam and Eve

Spoiler: Sasaki Kojiro

Spoiler: Okita Souji

Spoiler: Jack the Ripper

Spoiler: Lu Bu

Spoiler: Raiden

​

I guarantee you’ll know a good portion of the participants, and be excited to see them in action. And if you don’t know someone, fret not. The writing duo does a great job in fleshing out the backstories, merging history/legends with their personal touch. After learning about them, you’ll be fully immersed and take your place as a fan, cheering your contestant on. To give a feel, here are the fanbases you may join:

Spoiler: Fanbase

Lu Bu's crew

Zeus or Adam

Heracles (Alcides)

​

Besides the combatants, there are other notable characters, chief among them, Brunhilde and her valkyrie sisters. Brunhilde has one of the best character introductions I’ve seen. In the hall of Vallhalla, she alone stood up to an audience of Gods, taunted them, and ensured Ragnarok. She is the leader of Humanity, calls the shots and provides great color commentary. She’s risking her and her sister’s lives, as they will make pacts with the selected humans to transform into weapons, matching those of the Gods. This is known as Volund. Imo, she’s a great character to follow because she’s not perfect, she has her share of mistakes/lapses, and is ruthless, alienating some of her friends for victory. One of the major questions is, will all the sacrifices she made to save humanity be worth it?

Spoiler: Brunhilde

Spoiler: Valkyrie Sisters

Spoiler: Hlokk

Spoiler: Hrist

Spoiler: Randgriz

Spoiler: Reginleif

Spoiler: Göll

Spoiler: Thrud

​

On the God’s side we have the dynamic duo, Ares and Hermes. Although they’re not fighting, they are heavily involved in backstories and analyzing the fights. They play off each other well, Hermes is more analytical/clever, while Ares is more a hypeman.

Spoiler: Hermes and Ares

The Fights
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The main reason we’re here. SnV does a great job of consistently providing top-tier fights. Each fight is a different story from the last and the combatants all got their own abilities, fighting styles, weaponry. Since it’s been mentioned on the thread, yes, the Gods don’t necessarily have all the abilities in their myths. As stated before, Umemura and Fukui added their personal touch and they do well in explaining both the Gods/Humans abilities. Furthermore, the Gods do still hold a noticeable edge in power and physicals, but the Humans with their own special talents and Volund can compete. And that’s what makes it exciting, as there’s a high unpredictablity factor.

Additionally, Aijecka’s art is dynamic and fluid. It definitely captures the magnitude/impact of the feats performed and jumps out the page. Here’s a small peek of what to expect.

Spoiler

Facial Expressions

One of my top highlights, as these are absolutely god-tier and capture the emotion of any given moment

Spoiler

Art and Visuals
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Ajichika's art is incredible and unique. The attention to detail is always on point. You’ve seen many images by now, but here are some additional images that I loved.

Spoiler

Spoiler: Hermes and Zeus

Final Words​

The story is simple yet compelling. It’s relatively a toddler (33 chaps), but the early returns speak for themselves. Copies are selling like hot cakes, strong reviews, and recently got its own section here at MH. So, raise your hand and my valkyries will guide you to Valhalla!

I promise it’ll have you like

​

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[Ramen]

I feel so proud knowing I told you to read it @BD_Beno

 

[Marmalade]

You too @BD_Beno

Spy x Family, an introduction

Spy x Family is the story of a spy, an assassin and an esper making an unlikely family. It all starts when Loid Forger, a spy that goes by the code name "Twilight" is tasked with an important mission, to keep the peace between two countries. As this operation is of great importance, Loid is forced to go undercover to make sure the mission succeeds. And For this cover, he needs a family.
He finds Anya, a young orphan and Yor, a woman in desperate need of a husband.
That sounds like the perfect little family, doesn't it?
Unknown to Loid, Anya and Yor both aren't what they appear to be. Anya, also known as "Subject 007", has the ability to read minds. Yor is actually an assassin.

This combination leads to a lot of heartwarming, hilarious and interesting situations - but not without an interesting plot.

So why should you vote (and more importantly read) this masterpiece?

Besides an interesting plot, the visuals are gorgeous.

Spoiler

Anya definitely is a unique character, she tries hard at everything she does.
Like helping out Loid with his missions, which often lead to rather comedic situations.
She does her best to make friends at school and studies hard

Spoiler: But not too hard

They adopt a dog
This innocent looking giant fluffy cloud not only is a loyal pet to the family.
He too is a bit special, just like the rest of the family.

Spoiler

Spoiler: So fluffy

Yor is more than a plain perfect wife.

She takes care of Anya is if it's her own child

Spoiler

Does whatever she must do in order to protect her family

Spoiler

But also might murder you in your sleep

Spoiler

And then there is Loid, who's more than just a master spy.
He's an amazing father

Spoiler

He's someone that looks after his family, even it's a makeshift one.

Why vote for Shuumatsu no Valkyrie when you can vote for this family and their antics?

​

 

[HereNThere]

If Spy x Family had a more consistent schedule, I'd vote for it. But it doesn't, so my vote goes to Record of Ragnarok.

 

[Marmalade]

Mhn, I get that!
I think it's supposed to come out every two weeks, has been pretty consistent so far in 2020 - though sometimes it's just an cute little extra rather than an actual chapter

Still want to start reading Shuumatsu, it looks pretty cool - just haven't had the time for it yet unfortunately

 

[ItsSamu]

Haven't read either so based on the campaigns and what I'd rather read first, Spy x Family. Both intrigue me though!

 

[Gladiolus]

Voted for Shuumatsu no Valkyrie, not only because I like it a lot, but because I haven't read Spy x Family. Sorry fans of Spy x Family

Btw, nice post defending SnV @BD_Beno, you truly are based as always

 

[lakhan220]

OK, good campaigns @BD_Beno and @MarmaladeSky . Now, i m tempted to read Shuumatsu no Valkyrie.
But as of now, I read spy x family and the hilarious reactions of Anya, the dynamics of Loid and Yor and the situations which arise from their efforts to live as a family are eye capturing. Not to mention, the individuality and uniqueness all 3 brings at the table too.

So, my vote goes to spy x family.

 

[Juviii]

 

[Belserion]

OK, good campaigns @BD_Beno and @MarmaladeSky . Now, i m tempted to read Shuumatsu no Valkyrie.
But as of now, I read spy x family and the hilarious reactions of Anya, the dynamics of Loid and Yor and the situations which arise from their efforts to live as a family are eye capturing. Not to mention, the individuality and uniqueness all 3 brings at the table too.

So, my vote goes to spy x family.

I feel like Shuumatsu would really appeal to you Lakhan. It's got that Madara level hype characters

While it pains me not to support Marms this round, my vote goes to Shuumatsu because it's one of my favourite ongoing manga atm. Spy x Family is on my to read list though and that campaign only cements my interest.

 

[Ramen]

It's got that Madara level hype characters

Of course it does..

 

[yadayada]

Why does every thread have people saying "I don't read X, so I'm voting y"? If you don't have an informed opinion over which series is better then don't vote at all, like, wtf. Might as well call the whole thing "MH's popularity poll".

Anyways, spy, but both are great.

 

[Demonspeed]

Honestly didn't expect to enjoy Shuumatsu as much as I do. Overall I think I like SxF more but the recent chapters of Shuumatsu have been better. I am getting a bit tired of all the Anya focus.

Will think a bit more before votin.

I'm supporting Spy x Family.

I tried giving Shuumatsu a chance a while ago and followed it until very recently but as much as I like its premise, there are many things in that manga that I just can't enjoy. Mostly related to just how nerfed all the gods are and godlike the humans are (even without the special weapons).

I don't mind humanity winning, but they're not good fights nor representations in my book.

We found him! The traitor among Humans!

 

[Nie Li]

We found him! The traitor among Humans!

I swear I wish I enjoyed it!
Everywhere I look everyone is hyping hard with Shuumatsu and I actually envy your hype.