Vinland Saga Creator Explains Main Themes Behind Series

Vinland Saga is currently gearing up for the debut of the anime’s second season, and the original creator behind the series has explained more of the themes behind the story that have registered so well with people around the world. Vinland Saga’s anime debut came a few years ago, but made quite an impact with fans as Makoto Yukimura’s original manga franchise had offered a whole new kind of story following Vikings and their cultural trials. But as the series gets ready for its second season adaptation, there are lots of questions as to what to look forward to next.

With Vinland Saga Season 2 returning next January as part of the Winter 2023 anime schedule, the first season has kicked off a special rebroadcast in Japan to help audiences get re-acquainted with the anime’s first season before the new episodes. Opening up all about the series’ first and second season’s production in a special interview with the anime’s official website, original series creator Makoto Yukimura explained the themes behind the series and how the creator was inspired to take his Viking story forward in new ways. 

“Initially, I hadn’t set out to make a story with a Viking protagonist. I thought about the theme I wanted to write about and how best to portray it, and ultimately ended up settling on Vikings,” Yukimura explained. Upon reflecting that the creator wanted to write a series where the theme was how to come to terms with violence, he ultimately settled on Vikings because it felt like a time period that was the most accepting of death and violence as part of their core culture. 

“The Vikings of this age had a society where it was common sense not to view those who enacted violence as even the slightest bit evil,” Yukimura elaborated further. “I personally hate violence, so a key element in writing this story was relaxing my modern sense of morality.” This exploration of violence in a new way is also why fans have liked the first season so much, and why fans are curious to see how it evolves with the second season premiering next year. 

If you wanted to catch up with Vinland Saga’s first season, you can now find it streaming with HIDIVE and Netflix. How did you feel about the violence and themes in the first season? Does it make you excited for Season 2’s premiere? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!