TheVinland Sagamanga approaches the end of its English-language run, and its’ cultural impact should not be understated. The series uses the brutal backdrop of Viking warfare to subvert expectations and make peace and kindness seem cooler than fighting to the death.
On October 13th, the final volume of the highly-praised Viking odyssey manga Vinland Saga will be released in English. Author Makoto Yukimura’s masterpiece began serialization in Japan in 2005, with its final Japanese chapter being published last July. In honor of the story finally being completely collected in English, let’s dive into the persisting legacy of Yukimura’s beloved story of peace and growth.
In its twenty-year run, the series has grown from a niche gem to a much-lauded multimedia phenomenon. By 2013, publication of English-translated volumes began, and in 2019, the series finally received an anime adaptation. Since then, the anime has been nominated for countless awards, including Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year award (twice), and the manga has gained considerable acclaim and popularity.
Vinland Saga doesn’t feature a pure, happy-go-lucky protagonist or a magical power system. Additionally, the most recent season of the anime aired back in 2023, and the timeline for a new season has yet to be officially confirmed. Despite all of that, the show is currently ranked as the 11th-most-popular anime on IMDB. So what is it that has kept a mature historical drama in league with the popular staples of the medium?
What is Vinland Saga?
Vinland Saga follows the story of Thorfinn Karlsefni, who is loosely based on the real-life 11th-century explorer. Thorfinn’s father is killed when he is a boy, prompting him to seek revenge for most of his young life. When he ultimately loses the opportunity to enact proper vengeance, he is left to ponder all of the misery he inflicted upon the world in his vindictive pursuit.
The manga is a seinen, which is a classification of manga and anime aimed at young adults. Seinen stories tend to take a more serious and grounded approach to storytelling, often featuring plots and <a href="https://comicvibe.com/nycc-daredevil-launches-new-character-latch-ahead-of-700/” title=”NYCC: Daredevil Launches New Character, Latch, Ahead Of #700″>characters that deal with very difficult, human struggles.
Contrast that with ever-popular shonen manga, which often utilizes fight sequences and over-the-top humor to appeal to a slightly younger, or at least broader, demographic.
Despite it being a seinen, Vinland‘s first several volumes felt a bit shonen-y, if at least because of all of the fighting. Wit Studio took advantage of this to create an anime adaptation that would appeal broadly to fans of popular anime. But by the end of the first season, Thorfinn has no battles left to fight. His bloody quest for revenge has led him nowhere, and now both he and the viewer must reckon with the idea of a shift in the trajectory of his character arc.
The Real Story Begins
Season 2, produced by MAPPA, sees Thorfinn begin to struggle with an extremely troubled conscience. He becomes traumatized by his past and begins a long journey of atonement and growth, swearing off violence forever. It is at this juncture that the real story of Vinland Saga begins to take shape.
Following season 2’s release, discourse online exploded over the development of the story. Dissension about the the second season’s enjoyability persists, but the conversation has only drawn more attention to the series.
Now, surprisingly, a seinen story of peace and pacifism in the face of violence has entrenched itself among the titans of the industry.
An Altruistic Trendsetter
As mentioned, some folks didn’t care for Thorfinn’s pacifistic switch-up. But a large contingent of fans were enchanted by the way the series was able to convey ideas of nonviolent fulfillment, myself included. You don’t have to look for long to find this sentiment in online circles discussing the show.
If you enter ‘Vinland Saga’ into the search bar of YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram, you’ll be met with an array of content using imagery from the manga and clips from the show to promote themes of kindness, self-compassion, and love.
Usually, short-form montages involving anime and manga serve to glorify the badassery of certain characters and fight scenes. But Vinland has conjured the same levels of fanfare and creativity for more benevolent purposes.
Posts like the above receive tens of thousands of likes and views and have carved out an intriguing online trend. The glorification of kindness, growth, and self-improvement are extremely common themes in online discussions around the series. The wisdom of the series has even been harnessed for use in philosophical content on social media.
“I Have no Enemies”
It’s not difficult to see why Vinland Saga has become a vessel for philosophical discussion among manga fans. The series is packed with quotes that wisely, and often concisely, posit its altruistic message. Immediately following the release of season 2, one centrally-important Thorfinn quote went viral: “I have no enemies.”
This peaceful proclamation is a full-circle moment for Thorfinn’s character. When he was a boy, his father tried to tell him that nobody has any enemies, implying that no one has a genuine reason to harm anyone else. After years of undermining his late father’s wisdom, Thorfinn finally understands what it means to be truly strong, like his dad.
Plenty of noncombatant characters in popular anime have captured the hearts of fans with their wisdom. But Thorfinn’s character is considerably more radical than his contemporaries.
He absolutely refuses to engage in violent acts if there exists any other way to resolve a conflict. He imagines a truly peaceful world, not one in which people live peacefully while staying alert to the threat of human violence. In his world, there would be no swords or spears, because nobody has any reason to consider someone their enemy.
Since its utterance in the anime, the quote has gone viral and become synonymous with the series. The quote even became a meme, often playfully referenced by fans online. Its virality became serious enough that Makoto Yukimura has been asked in several interviews about the meaning of the quote and how he created it. In one, he admitted that if something from his manga was to trend, he would hope it would be something like this quote.
The Big 3 of Seinen Manga
I would be remiss not to mention the series’s membership in the “Big 3” of seinen manga. Years ago, manga fans identified a holy trinity of seinen stories, and Vinland Sagawas deemed worthy of a spot. The dark fantasy masterpiece Berserk and the existential gem Vagabond round out the triad.
To folks who don’t care about this kind of online discourse, this news might seem inconsequential. But Vinland being considered in league with Berserk and Vagabond is about as high an honor as a manga can receive. The other two manga are easily two of the most acclaimed series in the history of the medium. Berserk is by far the highest-rated manga overall on MyAnimeList.net, and Vagabond is not far behind, in third place.
Vinland Saga, however, has something these other manga lack: a proper anime adaptation. The manga’s success prompted multiple production studios to create a high-budget adaptation that honors itsanime in the 21st century, and Vagabond doesn’t even have an anime
Vinland Saga being applauded alongside these series provides hope that they, too, could receive a worthy adaptation. That’s not to say there is no support for their being adapted; Berserk fans, like myself, are starving for a new anime. But Vinland‘s transcendent success as an anime has broken ground for the idea of seinen stories receiving the love they deserve.
At Journey’s end
Thorfinn’s journey from vengeful brat to optimistic pacifist has impacted millions of readers and viewers. He fits a warrior-to-pacifist character archetype, but turned up to 11, and conveyed in a manner both touching and wildly entertaining.
Despite all I’ve said, I can’t quite deem Vinland Saga a perfect manga. But, like its protagonist, the story’s merits shine a lot brighter than its imperfections.
