Vinland Saga Thorfinn is the protagonist of Vinland Saga, written by Mukuto Yakimura. He was Thors Snorresson’s son, a legendary Viking warrior, and Helga. He also had masterful archery and Swordsmanship qualities. The story of this series is that Askeladd, the Viking Mercenary Leader, killed Thorfinn’s father, and he joined Askeladd’s band to kill him. In the first season, it is shown that he takes revenge on his family. Moreover, in the second season, the story changes as he becomes a disregarded enslaved person with no reason to live.
History and Present
History
Vinland Saga Thorfinn was born in 980 AD in Iceland. He was raised in a traditional manner, but his father left his warrior wealth and the legendary band of warriors of Jomsborg, which is the Jomsvikings. Thorfinn always wanted to become like his father, but his father was against warriors because he tried to educate Thorfinn instead of having enemies. But, Thorfinn was unaware of his father’s past.
His childhood was shattered because, at the age of 16, he had to see his father killed by Askeladd, who was the Viking leader. His father was out for a battle, and Thorfinn hid under the ship’s barrel. Thor won the war, but he had to sacrifice himself in exchange for Thorfinn’s life. After that, Thorfinn was filled with aggression to take revenge for his father’s life.
Present
After the death of Thor:
Vinland Saga Thorfinn joined the band of Askeladd and spent years in harsh training and battles to become a strong warrior. Seeing the murderer of his father in front of his eyes must not be easy for him. But, he was practicing under his band to kill Askeladd, which gave him the strength to fight back to back.
Askaladd knew that Thorfinn must kill him, but he used Thorfinn’s emotions for his battles. Thorfinn was killing innocent people back to back on the order of Askeladd. On the other hand, he was hurt because he didn’t want to kill, but slowly, he became stone-hearted.
Thorfinn’s revenge:
Once, in a battle between England and Denmark, Throffin’s face-to-face fight with Thorkell, who was from England’s side and the commander serving for Prince Canute. He fought for Dannis until he changed sides and started fighting for Canute. Askeladd planned to take Canute and Ragnar’s right hand to the king. Thorfinn did precisely what he told him.
Canute came to the side of Askeladd until his band rose toward him. In the end, Askeladd murdered King Swen (Canute’s father) on the order of Prince Canute. Moreover, he killed Askeladd to show his legendary kingdom that Canute had taken revenge on him.
So, the revenge of Vinland Saga Thorfinn was unfulfilled because he did not murder his father’s criminal.
Vinland Saga Thorfinn character development
Thorfinn character development is noticeable throughout the whole series, however, from being an innocent boy who never killed an ant to the man who mercilessly killed innocent people. Throughout the series, we have seen changes in Thorfinn’s character. He also started killing people mercilessly in the blindness of his father’s revenge. In the revenge of his father, he slowly lost his identity and the kind of person he was. However, after meeting Prince Canute, he changed himself as Canute was an ambitious person; even after getting betrayed by his father, he owned the kingdom and also followed morals and ethics.
Thorfinn Vinland Saga season 2
Vinland Saga Thorfinn was not able to be recognized in season 2 because in season 1, we saw Thorfinn full of revenge, and warriors missing. In season 2, he became an enslaved person on Ketil’s farm.
Because there was only one purpose of his life to kill Aseladd, as of season 1, Askeladd was killed by Canute. So, now he is empty and being a slave. Einar, his new farm companion, was the only thing that happened right with him.
Thorfinn was blank after the death of Askeladd, and killing people for 11 years continuously is now his biggest nightmare. The entry of Elinar comes with a new beginning as they share a bond. It allows Thorfinn to take out that guilt and those nightmares.
Where to watch the Vinland Saga?
Vinland Saga is available on Netflix (except in Japan and China), Amazon Prime Video (available in the United States and a few other regions), Crunchyroll, and Funimation (available only in the US and Canada). If you are looking for a good translation, choose Crunchyroll instead of Netflix, as Netflix failed to provide an exact translation.
To End
Thorfinn is a character in the anime series Vinland Saga. In season 1, it is shown that Askeadd has killed his father, and his only goal is to kill Askeladd. However, Askeladd was killed by Prince Canute. After that, the purpose of his life was nothing. In season 2, he was living with the guilt in his heart that he killed people, and that became his nightmare. Lastly, in the finale of season 2, Einar, who was Thorfinn’s companion, starts a new society that is far from war and Vinland.
Read: 10 Must-Watch New Anime Coming In 2024
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Thorfinn based on a real-life person?
Yes, Thorfinn is a real-life character based on explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni. Along with Thorfinn, some other characters, like Prince Canute, are also based on real people.
2. Did Askeladd care about Thorfinn?
During the last moments of his life, Askeladd was in the hands of Thorfinn and told him to follow the values of Thors (his father). Although, their relationship was seen like a father-son duo other than the hatred.
3. Is Thorfinn an evil character in the Vinland Saga?
It is not correct to say it was a bad character because he was the protagonist of the series, but he killed so many people and saw Askeladd raping women, killing people mercilessly, which was wrong.
4. Does Thorfinn have a wife?
Yes, Thorfinn married Gudrid, the widow of Thorstein Eiriksson. She was living under the care of her brother-in-law in Greenland.
5. Does Thorfinn have scars on his body?
Yes, Thorfinn scars can be seen on his face and arms. On his face, he has a scar on his left cheek, and on his arm, he has a big scar straight on his forearm and right upper arm.
6. Does Thorfinn die in Vinland Saga Season 2?
No, Thorfinn did not die in season 2. Instead, he became an enslaved person on the farm of Ketil. There, he met Einar, who became his companion and helped him move on from his past.
