Thank you, Yukimura

I first started Vinland Saga several years ago, not really knowing what to expect. As a huge Berserk fan, Vinland was one of the “Big Three” seinen mentioned often in those circles. If in need for another deep, bloody, story to keep one going during the long breaks between chapters, Vagabond and Vinland Saga were must-reads. Viking stories weren’t really my forte, but I went in with an open mind, and this decision was one of the best I’d ever made. 

Vinland Saga is a gruelling, expansive tale, an interpretation of the Saga of the Greenlanders. It focuses on Thorfinn Karlsefni's voyage to the famed Vinland – an isolated area on the cost of today’s Newfoundland. As a writer, I’m amazed by Yukimura’s imagination, how he could use the ancient sagas as the foundation of a story that is about so much more than one journey to Canada. We follow Thorfinn in the wake of his father's murder by Askeladd, watch in dismay as he plummets into a quest for revenge, totally unaware that his father’s killer has been quietly raising him and bestowing the harsh lessons of their world. Thorfinn’s life falls apart a second time and he’s sold into slavery where he has his epiphany to live an honest life free from violence, and as he finally travels to Vinland, he must endure his hardest battle: sticking to his personal morals even when the world is telling him his ideals are fruitless.  

In one of Yukimura’s author notes, he says he wanted to write a story for his son, to show him a version of masculinity that wasn’t focused on violence, but kindness. In Thorfinn, he created a character that is stubbornly, stupidly noble. He wants to see if he can beat his past self, that old Thorfinn drunk on rage and vengeance. He wants to be someone worthy of his father’s name. There are times when Thorfinn’s commitment to nonviolence is frustrating, when, as  a reader, you want him to do the one thing that will quickly remove him from difficulty, but that he never chooses the easier option and accepts the hardship is achingly inspiring. Like Guts from Berserk, Thorfinn is a man impossible to ignore. He is so strong and powerful, commanding awe and reverence with a name that far precedes him, but he uses his strength to protect others. You can’t help but feel proud of him and what he achieves, and what he tried to achieve with the Vinland project.  

The story ends on a quiet note. His best friend dies and the settlers’ dreams dissolve into violence and war, and Thorfinn is left with no choice but to return home. It’s realistic enough, but bittersweet. The loss of Einar is softened by the birth of Thorfinn’s new child, and the dismantling of the Vinland project is balanced by the redemption given to him by Hild. He lost much and gained much but kept to his principles through it all.

I’m as proud of Thorfinn as I am of Yukimura. I and so many others have grown alongside this manga and have become better people because of it. What a startling legacy to give to a child.  

So thank you, Yukimura, for sharing your story with us.