is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura. The series is published by Kodansha, and was first serialized in the boys-targeted manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from April to October 2005 before moving to Monthly Afternoon, aimed at young adult men, where it ran from December 2005 to July 2025, with its chapters collected in 29 volumes. Vinland Saga has been licensed for English-language publication by Kodansha USA. The series is a dramatization of the story of the Icelandic explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni and his expedition to find Vinland. The story covers Thorfinn's fictional counterpart's transition from a bloodthirsty, revenge-filled teenager to a pacifistic young man.
Inspired by the King of Norway, Olaf Tryggvasson, Yukimura decided to write Vinland Saga as a story about slavery. However, Yukimura's editor was against the original idea of Thorfinn being a slave, so the character was changed to a Viking. The author agreed because he wanted Thorfinn to understand the tragedy he caused as a Viking in later parts of the story. Yukimura projected his feelings during the Cold War and the September 11 attacks onto Thorfinn's character. Thorfinn is traumatized by his actions as a warrior and decides to find Vinland, a place where people of different races can live together peacefully.
The manga has been adapted into an anime television series produced by Wit Studio, with a first 24-episode season aired from July to December 2019. A second 24-episode season produced by MAPPA aired from January to June 2023.
By August 2022, Vinland Saga had over 7 million copies in circulation. The series won the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival's Grand Prize in 2009 and the 36th Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga in 2012. It has been critically acclaimed, with praise given to the story, art, characters, themes, and setting.
Synopsis Setting Vinland Saga is initially set mostly in England in 1013 AD, which has been mostly conquered by the Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard. As King Sweyn nears death, his sons, Prince Harald and Prince Canute, argue over his succession. The story draws elements from historical accounts of the period, such as The Flateyjarbók, The Saga of the Greenlanders, and The Saga of Erik the Red.
Plot
War Arc In 1013 AD, the young Thorfinn works for Askeladd in the hopes of challenging him to a duel and killing him in revenge for his father Thors's death, when they were attacked by him on a journey to England. Askeladd's company finds employment as mercenaries under King Sweyn in the Danish invasion of London. They are opposed by the British and Thorkell the Tall, Thorfinn's great-uncle who served with Thors in the Jomsvikings. When Thorkell takes Sweyn's son Prince Canute captive, Askeladd's company captures the prince with the intent of selling him to either side for a profit. Askeladd changes his plan to act on his personal agenda as a descendant of Artorius, to secure his mother's homeland of Wales from being invaded. Askeladd is ultimately forced to sacrifice himself by killing Sweyn during an audience when the king announces his plan to invade Wales, feigning madness as Canute kills him, so the Prince could take over Dane-occupied England without question. A shocked Thorfinn tries to assassinate King Canute, but is sentenced to a life of enslavement when stopped by Thorkell.
Slave Arc Two years after Askeladd's death, a 19 year old Thorfinn works on a farm in Denmark owned by Ketil, a rich farmer who treats slaves well. He later befriends another slave named Einar who helps him treasure his life after learning of his past. With the help of Einar, and Ketil's father Sverker, Thorfinn learns to let go of his dark past. By this time, Canute has become both King of England and Denmark after poisoning his brother Harald, and begins a campaign with Ketil's farm, tricking Ketil's sons Thorgil and Olmar into justifying the seizure, with Ketil's men easily defeated by Canute's Jomsvikings. Thorfinn confronts Canute to convince him to spare the farmers. Upon witnessing Thorfinn's transformation into a pacifist, Canute relinquishes his claim to the farm. When their friend Arnheid is killed by Ketil in rage, Thorfinn remembers his father's words about the peaceful lands of Vinland and agrees with Einar to reach them together. The two are subsequently released from their enslavement, and they depart with Leif Erikson, an old friend of Thors, to sail back to Iceland.
Eastern Expedition Arc After being reunited with his family, Thorfinn shares his plans to settle in Vinland. To finance their journey, Thorfinn, Leif, Einar, and Leif's adopted son, Thorfinn "Bug-Eyes", devise a plan to travel to Greece and sell narwhal horns. Thorfinn's crew is later joined by Gudrid, an Icelandic girl fleeing an unwanted marriage; Karli, a baby boy the crew find orphaned on the Faroe Islands alongside a dog; and Hild, the daughter of an inventor with a grudge against Thorfinn. After attempting to fight a group of Jomsvikings, the group are captured and end up in service under Thorkell. Thorfinn recommences his journey with his crew, drawing away the assassins around a set of islands while the rest of the crew escapes toward Odense. They meet Captain Vagn, the leader of a rebel camp of Jomsvikings who seeks to usurp power from Floki before it goes into the hands of Floki's grandson Baldr. The surviving men of Vagn's camp swear allegiance to Thorkell, who defeats Floki and captures him and Baldr. Thorfinn is temporarily made leader of the Jomsvikings and carries out orders from Canute to disband the Jomsvikings and spare Floki and Baldr from execution. Free from the Vikings, Thorfinn's group continues their journey.
Vinland Arc Two years later, Thorfinn's crew returns to Iceland with the wealth they acquired from selling narwhal horns in Greece. Thorfinn and Gudrid marry and raise Karli as their son. With the resources promised by Halfdan, Thorfinn begins to assemble a crew to settle in Vinland. Thorfinn creates a peaceful haven where weapons are no longer necessary by clearing a portion of the forest and successfully cultivating wheat. Additionally, he and his companions are able to negotiate a peaceful relationship with the native Mi'kmaq, who come to see them as tranquil settlers. However, as time passes, tensions regarding resources and diseases brought by the settlers stoke conflict between the settlers and the natives. War eventually breaks out between the two factions, and Einar is unintentionally killed after the two sides broker a truce. As a stipulation of the truce, Thorfinn and his settlers agree to leave Vinland, but Karli hopes they will one day find peace on Vinland no matter how many years it takes. Thorfinn returns home and meets his newborn child while the natives cultivate wheat given to them by Thorfinn.
Production
Makoto Yukimura created Vinland Saga to convey that violence does not lead to positive outcomes. The protagonist, Thorfinn, was designed to evolve from an aggressive teenager into a mature individual, embodying the writer's personal aspirations. One of Yukimura's initial concepts was a story about a slave, inspired by King Olaf Tryggvason, who regained his throne after being enslaved. However, Yukimura conceived Thorfinn as facing greater hardships than Tryggvason, intending for him to learn about oppression and human suffering. The author later noted that Thorfinn lacked notable skills or an imposing physique, so his main character's distinction came from his experience of human pain. While Thorfinn's appearance evolved across the series' four arcs, Yukimura focused intently on his psychological development. Following editorial feedback, the protagonist was re-envisioned as a Viking, a change Yukimura accepted as it allowed Thorfinn to later understand the tragedies he caused. Yukimura found it challenging to draw the Slave Arc because of the impact it would have on readers.
Yukimura began serializing Vinland Saga in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in April 2005. After a two-month hiatus, the series transferred in late December 2005 to Kodansha's magazine Monthly Afternoon, a move prompted by Yukimura's inability to maintain a weekly schedule. For illustrations and fight sequences, Yukimura visualized them mentally before drawing, citing Battle Angel Alita and its creator Yukito Kishiro as major influences. He typically worked with three assistants for nearly twelve hours a day, aiming to produce 30-page chapters. Some techniques required 18-hour workdays, and he maintained a pace of one completed page per day, acknowledging that intense competition in the manga industry resulted in high-quality work. Yukimura initially projected a 10-year completion timeline, later revising it to 14 years with an estimated 20 volumes across four parts. This estimate later expanded to over 22 volumes, and Yukimura expressed uncertainty about when he would reach the Vinland arc, often struggling with the story's direction. Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Yukimura transitioned to fully digital artwork from chapter 168, though he continued inking by hand before scanning and digitally finishing the pages.
Yukimura structured the series into four story arcs: the War arc, the Slave arc, the Eastern Expedition arc, and the Vinland arc. In November 2019, he announced the manga had entered its final arc, which he expected to span more than 50 chapters and 1,000 pages, taking several years to complete.
Influences
Although the manga draws from the Saga of Erik the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders, Yukimura found their length challenging to read in full. His research included a trip to Canada for artistic inspiration. Yukimura's fascination with Vikings began with anime he watched as a child, and he was intrigued by aspects of their culture, such as lenient sentences for crimes committed while intoxicated. A 2003 research trip to Scandinavia was complicated by a language barrier, as he spoke no Norwegian and little English. He described the Oseberg Ship as the most beautiful he had ever seen. Yukimura compared Vikings more to wokou than to samurai, noting Vikings were more expressive and free, whereas samurai were quiet and bound by obedience to their master or honor. He also conducted research in Denmark, Iceland, France, Britain, and Canada, and constructed full-scale models to ensure realism, though this process was time-consuming.
While depicting Vikings as heroes, Yukimura also aimed to portray the era's harsh realities. Consequently, Thorfinn was drawn with a serious expression in the first arc and grappled with his sins in the second. To balance the tone, the character Thorkell was made more comical. Editors advised against giving Canute a beard, fearing it would undermine his appeal, but Yukimura insisted on historical accuracy. Conversely, although Thorfinn matured in the second arc, he was depicted clean-shaven to avoid an overtly strong appearance.
Yukimura's interest was piqued by the historical Thorfinn, and the scarcity of information about him allowed for creative freedom. He considered the dynamic between Thorfinn and Askeladd well-executed, with Askeladd becoming an ambiguous character due to his multifaceted portrayal. Most characters were written as figures Thorfinn relies on, with Askeladd—his mentor and enemy—as the exception. Parenting emerged as a recurring theme, exemplified by Askeladd guiding the young Thorfinn. The relationship between Einar and Thorfinn was also complex, as they were often unable to help one another, and Yukimura explored the consequences of revenge. Canute was created as Thorfinn's foil to represent differing values.