Vinland Saga is one of those stories that resonate with mature anime fans for years together. At first, readers might think it’s all about seeking revenge for the death of the main character’s father. In that journey, Thorfinn accompanies his dad’s killer, Askeladd, in his escapades to loot villages and annihilate the inhabitants.
Later, in season 2, Vinland Saga changed its tone completely. From Thorfinn wanting to kill and Canute desiring love and peace to Thorfinn incorporating pacifism and Canute sending his men to kill villagers for their land. Because of the tone shift, some fans didn’t really enjoy it as much as they first started watching the series.
A section of viewers wanted Thorfinn to kill and the violence to continue
Most fans reading Vinland Saga realized that the author, Makoto Yukimura, is weaving a deeper story than initially thought. The whole first act was him trying to show the horrors of needless violence and showing fans that one should never lose themselves in the deep well of anger and spend their whole lives trying to make other people miserable.
After Thorfinn’s slave arc began, these fans actually understood the real essence of Vinland Saga and loved the series even more than before.
One fan stated that people used to tell them to read Vinland Saga if they liked Berserk and the fan expected quite a lot of battles and bloody wars, since it’s a story about Vikings and stuff. But rather than dismissing it, the fan kept reading and reading because they found a deeper meaning behind the character’s behavior and words.
Another Vinland Saga fan knew that some folks wouldn’t like it because of the violence being toned down. Though Season 2 didn’t have its shortage of brutality, like the battle for Ketil’s farm, some of these fans still felt that they wanted more.
These fans were clearly missing something big. Thorfinn’s character development after seeing a glimpse of Hell is revered as one of the best moments in the entire series. The change from weeping like a defeated lost man to the sheer guttural scream while escaping the corpses and rising to the land of the living. That is Thorfinn’s defining moment, which made him want to find Vinland, a place free from war and suffering, basically like Valhalla from Norse mythology.
Makoto Yukimura had planned all of this right from the beginning and said this was the direction he wanted to take the manga, irrespective of whether fans liked it or not.
Vinland Saga author’s stance on violence and the change in the story dynamic
During an interview with Anime News Network, Makoto Yukimura talked about how violence was the one trait he could not find himself mixing well with. It was something he truly despised and no matter what he found, there was no redeeming quality to a violent person.
Consequently, his attempts to create naturally aggressive characters always ended in failure. In every case, they acted maliciously and with hostility. He wished he could break out of the cycle, but he couldn’t.
Even if the government told me to go to war, I do not want to go to war. Even if I have to go to jail. I wouldn’t want to yield to that and would rather not hold a gun. If everybody on this planet had the same way of thinking—being against violence—even under threat from the government or those in power, we would never have war.
My hope is to have the younger generation share this kind of value in the future, so there wouldn’t be war in this entire world. This is the one wish that I have. As an optimistic person, this is the only hope I want to express in my story.
When asked what he would recommend fans who want just pure violence, Yukimura-sensei didn’t hesitate to shoot fires at his fellow mangaka and friend, Hajime Isayama, that they better read Attack on Titan instead.
If you’re into my story for the violent aspect of it, at some point, I might not be able to meet your expectations. If you really want to read about things like violence, you should consider Attack on Titan [laughs].
I actually do hear comments from the fans saying that they like Thorfinn from back in the day. ‘What happened to him? He’s only farming!’ I hear their complaints, though, at the same time, I cannot help it. Sorry.
As Vinland Saga is heading to its climax, Yukimura-sensei hopes fans will stick around till the end and enjoy the conclusion he has planned for everyone.
Vinland Saga is available to watch on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
