There are no supernatural elements to be found in the world of Vinland Saga. No transformations, no world-ending threats, and the bloody battles that were a major part of the anime’s first season have been put on the back burner for the most part. Where Thorfinn was introduced as a blood-thirsty dagger-wielding soldier looking for revenge on the man who murdered his father, the second season of the epic from creator Makoto Yukimura and Studio MAPPA sees the protagonist trading his weapons for farming tools. So how did this season become the best anime of 2023?
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Thorfinn’s Progression
To start examining how Vinland Saga has been able to hit so hard in this latest season, you need only look at the changes that Thorfinn has undergone from the first to second season of Vinland Saga. Season 1 saw the young viking enacting any bloody action in an effort to get his shot as Askeladd, with the murderer of his father giving the protagonist the option to take a “swing” at him whenever he desired. The catch was Thorfinn needed to follow his twisted mentor on his swath of death and destruction. The first season finale took the opportunity to throw a monkey wrench not only into Thorfinn’s plans but perhaps the expectations of the audience.
Askeladd is killed while the leader of the viking corps was attempting to protect his people and his homeland, depriving Thorfinn of his ultimate revenge that had been his modus operandi for nearly all of Vinland Saga’s initial offering. When Season 2 begins, we see a very different version of Thorfinn, seemingly fine with being a slave on a farm, caring little for returning to his homeland, checking up on his remaining family, or even avoiding death. Thorfinn was a broken man and in that, we are able to see the viking protagonist carve out a meaning for his life outside of the battlefield. In a world as bleak as Vinland Saga, can peace be found anywhere?
We Need A Little Help From Our Friends
Thorfinn this season is joined by Einar, a simple villager who lost his family to raiders that were not much different from Askeladd. Despite losing that much more than his new friend, Einar kept relatively upbeat and rolled with the punches, wearing his emotions on his sleeve. Einar created a perfect foil for Thorfinn in this fact, as the slave anxiously farmed for his freedom, even though he didn’t have a homeland waiting for him in the same way that Thorfinn did. Shockingly enough, these two protagonists were far from the most tragic characters that arrived in this second season.
A major element introduced recently was the relationship between Arnheid and Gardar, a former married couple that was destroyed by war and sold into slavery after losing their son. The couple only gets a few episodes to focus on their terrible situation, but their heart-wrenching journey makes for some of the hardest-hitting emotional beats of the series. Gardar is killed by the former soldier turned farmhand known as Snake and we are able to see the tragic path that led to his demise while wading through a tear-inducing cart ride with his wife. I’d be hard-pressed to think of a moment that affected me more in the world of anime as of late than the episode featuring Gardar’s passing, but of course, Vinland Saga attempts to one-up itself.
Iron Fist Ketil
The owner of the farm that houses the likes of Thorfinn, Einar, Arnheid, and Gardar is “Iron Fist” Ketil, one of the most complicated figures ever to be introduced in Vinland Saga history. First talked about as a legendary soldier with a potential heart of gold, the sheer layers that we are able to see from this figure are stunning. Ketil goes from a character that is trustworthy and struggles with his position as a slave owner to a petty, vindictive man whose relationship with Arnheid causes his ego to spiral out of control and lead to the deaths of his underlings in the face of an insurmountable army under Canute.
As Snake details, the reputation of Ketil was far more than it was cracked up to be, as the name “Iron Fist” proved to be quite far from the truth. Ketil also gave anime viewers the opportunity to be introduced to his sons, Thorgil and Olmar. The siblings simply could not be more different as Thorgil might just be the best soldier that the series has ever introduced while Olmar longs to live up to the reputation of both his father and brother, to no avail. The two sons represent the two sides of Ketil and make for quite a complicated pair that perfectly reflect their father’s character.
Canute of Thrones
Finally, one of the biggest characters to return this season is practically the inverse of Thorfinn in Canute. First introduced as a meek and mute would-be king, we see Canute take to his crown with ruthless efficiency, striking down his enemies and working to make sure that his kingdom is secured. Canute is struggling with inner demons of his own, however, as the head of his deceased father is whispering in his way, accommodating the bloody tasks he takes in order to gain power. It’s an extremely interesting dynamic and unfortunately, one that has put Canute on a path of conflict with Thorfinn.
Now, Thorfinn is set to have a face-to-face with Canute and their roles have been utterly reversed. Thorfinn is now the pacifist and Canute is looking to maintain his new kingdom regardless of how many people he needs to murder to do it. Vinland Saga presents a bleak world with few solutions, and certainly far fewer that are peaceful, and it’s in that dichotomy that the series is able to present the weighty themes that make it the best anime of 2023.
Do you think that Vinland Saga takes the crown for best anime of 2023? What has been your favorite moment of this latest season? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of vikings.
