Record of Ragnarok is good and I'll die on that hill (but not the anime)

I've been reading Record of Ragnarok's manga for years at this point, eagerly following each development (even if the trajectory is predictable) because I think, deep down, my battle shonen-loving heart craves tournament arcs stretched into an entire seinen series. Azychika's coordinated team effort to convey an incredible array of dynamic and wonderfully weird renditions of mythological gods and historical heroes, warriors, soldiers, and more. It's a series I happily devour every month, each time Monthly Comic Zenon blesses up, especially with the latest conclusion of Round 11. It feels like just yesterday it was still Round 10 and I was cheering for Soji Okita, but here we are.

The anime is a pretty egregious disappointment, especially Season 1. The animation is subpar, especially when seeing the potential from Graphinica and Yumeta Company on stuff like the Muv-Luv Alternative anime. I even held out hope that their collaboration would especially pay off with Season 3, given Nikola Tesla's the closest the series has come to a mecha fighter, but now it's Yumeta Company and Maru Animation, with what looks like a CG Tesla.

I know I'm not alone in loving this series, though. At Anime Expo's Netflix showcase, I may have been the lone person in the hall (seriously) to cheer for Round 8's contestants to be revealed, but when I later showed up to WB Japan's Record of Ragnarok reveals? The whole room erupted at the same moment. All I'm saying is, give the manga a chance. It's beautifully drawn, and each battle goes on just long enough without overstaying its welcome (except maybe Round 5). It's led me to embrace other tournament and death game manga, especially RoR's sister series, War of Greedy Witches, also produced in Monthly Comic Zenon. It's a bit weird that Ragnarok is localized by Viz while Witches is sold by Yen Press, but I'll happily buy both.

Who is your favorite fighter in the series, and for Rounds 12 and 13, who would you like to win? And where does Siegfried factor into all of this? Do you think Sakata Kintoki has what it takes to tackle the greatest of primordial gods?