Vinland Saga may be my favourite manga of all time. It's made me cry at many moments, and Thorfinn's personal journey is beautiful. I haven't quite finished it yet, but what I've read firmly places it as one of my favourite series ever.

So this isn't a review of the whole thing. It's about the part of Makoto Yukimura's manga that got to me most: Thorfinn, and how far he travels as a person.

The quick facts on Vinland Saga

  • Written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura
  • Began in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in April 2005, then moved to Monthly Afternoon that December
  • Finished on 25 July 2025 after 20 years, collected in 29 volumes
  • Published in English by Kodansha USA
  • Adapted into an anime by Wit Studio (2019) and MAPPA (2023), 24 episodes each season

The story begins in England in 1013, a country mostly conquered by the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard. Yukimura loosely dramatises the real Icelandic explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni and his expedition to find Vinland, but the heart of it is his own invention. As he put it, he wanted to show that violence doesn't lead anywhere good.

Spoiler warning: I'm getting into Thorfinn's arc from the Prologue through the Farmland story below, so skip ahead if you're not caught up. I haven't reached the end myself, so the final chapters stay a mystery here.

Thorfinn's arc, stage by stage

A father who'd put down his sword

Thorfinn's father, Thors, was a Jomsviking general who grew tired of battle after his children were born. He faked his own death and became a farmer. Thors is widely considered the greatest fighter in the series, and yet he tries to teach his son that he shouldn't have enemies at all. It's a lesson a young Thorfinn isn't ready to hear.

Revenge as a reason to live

When Thors is killed by Askeladd, Thorfinn joins Askeladd's own band of mercenaries. His plan is simple: earn the right to a duel and kill the man who murdered his father. Askeladd knows it, and he uses that need for revenge to keep a gifted young fighter in his service.

That makes their relationship complicated. Yukimura has described Askeladd as both Thorfinn's mentor and his enemy at the same time.

Losing everything

Then it's taken from him. Askeladd is forced to sacrifice himself, killing King Sweyn during an audience, and Thorfinn never gets his duel. With his revenge gone, he ends up enslaved.

Ketil's farm and Einar

This is where the story changes direction. Thorfinn works on a farm owned by Ketil, a wealthy farmer who treats his slaves well. There he meets Einar, a farmer from northern England who was sold into slavery after his village was attacked.

Einar has little skill in combat, but he proves a loyal companion, and the two become close friends, practically brothers. With his help, Thorfinn starts to treasure his own life and let go of his dark past. The real turning point comes when he finally realises the damage he caused as a Viking, and his search for redemption and pacifism begins.

Towards Vinland

Thorfinn remembers his father's stories of a peaceful land to the west. His new dream is to build a place where people of different races can live together in peace, and he and Einar agree to reach it together.

Yukimura has called Thorfinn a protagonist fated to do violence, and said he wrote the manga to see whether Thorfinn could become a kind person.

If you've finished it, no spoilers please. If you haven't started, the anime is another way in. Which moment got to you first?