, also called and , is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga series Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura. Thorfinn is introduced as a teenage warrior of Askeladd's Viking company. He hates his commander for slaying his father Thors and has sworn to kill Askeladd in a duel. To earn the right to fight such a duel, Thorfinn must complete difficult tasks for Askeladd, such as sabotage or the killing of enemy generals. After over a decade of being a Viking, the adult Thorfinn starts questioning his actions and reflects on his earlier dream of a land without violence.
Yukimura based the fictional character on Thorfinn Karlsefni, an Icelandic explorer who explored Vinland alongside Leif Eriksson. Yukimura took multiple liberties when creating the ficitonal Thorfinn as a soldier who initially commits horrible acts as a Viking but grows up to be more caring in later chapters, trying to understand other people and redeem himself. Thorfinn is also heavily influenced in this by the king of Norway Olaf Tryggvason. In the anime adaptation of Vinland Saga, multiple voice actors portray Thorfinn's child and adult personas.
Initial critical response to Thorfinn was mixed. Although his backstory and loss of innocence were considered tragic, he was criticized for his rude demeanor. Nevertheless, his fight scenes were praised. The protagonist's growth across the story arcs was praised for giving the character further depth, most notably when living as a slave. The portrayal of Thorfinn's character was also the subject of analysis by scholars for how the brutal man rejects toxic masculinity and becomes a more positive model. The actors voicing Thorfinn were also praised.
Creation
The concept of Thorfinn, according to Yukimura, is that of a protagonist fated to do violence. He wanted to create a violent character who grows to love peace after a major conflict ended the idea of a revenge quest which would be end point of traditional storytelling. Another major influence was Kenshiro, the protagonist of Fist of the North Star, a manga he often read. While Kenshiro was always portrayed as heroic fighter in chaotic world, Yukimura had mixed feelings about how the protagonist tried to help others, which gave him ideas for what type of hero Thorfinn could be as he believed Kenshiro had the potential of changing society in early chapters. Thorfinn is loosely based on the historical personage of early Vinland explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni. The story of the real Thorfinn attracted Yukimura when he was reading a book. There is little information about the real Thorfinn, which gave Yukimura more freedom in developing the fictional character. Several fans asked Yukimura about Thorfinn's birthday. Yukimura replied that the birth date of the real Thorfinn is not known. Nevertheless, he gave his fictional Thorfinn's birthday as February 3.
Yukimura's editor was against the original idea of Thorfinn being a slave; so the character was changed to that of a Viking. The author agreed as he wanted Thorfinn to come to understand the tragedy he causes as a Viking, in later parts of the narrative. Yukimura believes Thorfinn's growth with fellow Viking Askeladd was well executed. Yukimura insists that when writing the characters, most of them are there to help Thorfinn's needs, with Askeladd being a rare exception, as he is both Thorfinn's mentor and an enemy. Thorfinn's and Askeladd's relationship is also meant to look like father and son, as in the beginning of the series, Yukimura was planning Askeladd's death and how Thorfinn would react to that. Another complicated relationship involves Einar and Thorfinn, as the two cannot help each other due to a dark narrative in which they are involved. Among several things Thorfinn does in the manga is learning the effects of revenge and how it affects others.
The staff discussed what kind of condition Thorfinn was in as he returned from the events of the season finale. They could not use him effectively as a character without working out just how much savagery remained in him. Thorfinn's and Einar's relationship was also an essential part of the story in terms of its entertainment factor, so the staff was glad they spent so much time on it. That relationship was seen as one of the strongest parts of the anime.
While Thorfinn's design changes across the manga, Yukimura paid attention to the several cuts in Thorfinn's hands, a result as a sign of his always fighting alone. Thorfinn becomes an adult in the second story arc, but he shaves his beard. The author explained that the reason for causing Thorfinn to lose his beard was that it made him look too strong when he wanted Thorfinn to look weak. The final story arc was heavily based on real life events as Thorfinn meets the natives of Vinland: the Mi'kmaq. In August 2023, he was conflicted about how to make this arc look more hopeful.
Characterization and themes
Thorfinn's childhood involves his desire to seek adventures around the world. His desire to be a warrior worries his father, Thors, who tries to educate him by claiming he should not have enemies. Yukimura emphasizes that these teachings reflect how people often feel the need to compete with each other to succeed at life. Instead, Thorfinn has to learn that he should only do things he love rather than joining the Vikings which were common in such era. However, Thorfinn becomes corrupted with rage when marauders kill his father, relinquishing his humanity to become a warrior, something the first opening theme of the anime series highlights. As a symbol of his transformation into a warrior, Yukimura has Thorfinn constantly carry the dagger Thors gave him before dying. Thorfinn was also meant to wear Leif's headdress, as it is claimed only a warrior may wear it. However, the author found it redundant and Thorfinn only keeps the dagger in the first story arc as a form of memento. Thorfinn's relationship with his father and Askeladd was based on Yukimura's thoughts when he became a father. Yukimura regards the father and son relationship as a common theme Vinland Saga explores. Due to Thorfinn's harsh upbringing, Yukimura said there was little room for humor involving Thorfinn in the first story arc. As a result, Yukimura created more characters like Thorkell, who are often the subject of comedy due to their personalities contrasting with that of Thorfinn. Askeladd's death in the first story arc causes Thorfinn to have a mental breakdown to the point it feels like seeing Thors dying again as a result of still feeling his enemy was another father.
One of the earliest concepts when drawing Thorfinn for the manga was making a story about a slave. Despite being a slave, Thorfinn would face several challenges in reaching his goal. He was inspired by the King of Norway Olaf Tryggvason, who lost his position as a king and became a slave but managed to reacquire kingship. Unlike Tryggvason, Thorfinn was written to face several new problems. Yukimura wanted Thorfinn to learn about oppression and human afflictions. Yukimura stated that Thorfinn does not have a notable skill or great strength. In order to stand out as a main character, he was written to experience the pain human beings suffer. After Thorfinn is a slave, the character grows to the point that he might be unrecognizable. Thorfinn's enslavement also resulted in his being more expressive due to his wrath. While Thorfinn becomes a pacifist during his time as a slave, he still tells himself that there are times in which violence is often needed. During his life as a slave, Thorfinn realizes the pain he has caused as a Viking as a build up to have him properly search for redemption in his new quest. This eventually leads to his relationship with the vengeful Hild whose village was taken by the Vikings. As the final arc of the manga was written, Yukimura expressed joy when writing Hild forgiving Thorfinn.
In the following story arcs, where Thorfinn expresses himself more frequently, Yukimura writes that the protagonist is still wrathful. The vengeful hunter Hild was created to remind Thorfinn of his sins as a Viking, in the same way, that the series starts with Thorfinn wanting revenge against Askeladd. Thorfinn's quest for Vinland comes from Yukimura's interest in how the people of Northern Europe reached the Americas more than 400 years earlier than Christopher Columbus' discovery. However, when he looked into it, he wondered how the Icelanders, who originally came from Norway, went further to Greenland and Vinland. Yukimura's thoughts about the Cold War and the September 11 attacks were projected onto Thorfinn's character, who is traumatized by his actions as a Viking and so decides to find Vinland in order to make a land where people from different races are able to live together peacefully.
Thorfinn's characterization changes once again when ending his time as a slave, and he has a dream involving the creation of a peaceful country. This was inspired by an escape from Norse society, which, as Thorfinn states, creates chaos and believe there is nothing wrong with their actions. Initially, Thorfinn hates that society but is too weak to change it. This leads to Thorfinn's meeting Prince Canute, who wants Thorfinn to realize his dream. Even though Thorfinn stops being a warrior, he has no right to condemn others. No matter what violent enemy he meets, Thorfinn feels that he has done something worse in the past. Yukimura believes this is how Thorfinn should be written. Thorfinn's quest for redemption once grown-up is relatable to Yukimura's life due to how he has been focused on his work for two decades. Thorfinn was written to be an ideal hero, something that Yukimura finds it hard to write but believes it is his job as a write to give his readers such protagonist.
With the story taking several dark turns, Yukimura believed that the manga would benefit by exploring arranged marriages. In contrast to the traidiion, Thorfinn marries Gudrid out of love. Once the series's fourth story arc started, Yukimura reflected on Thorfinn, telling a friend that the protagonist highlights how people can change in contrast to others, such as Thorkell, who do not want to change. While Yukimura aimed to give the manga a hopeful ending, he found it challenging to decide on Thorfinn's destiny, as the one from history suffered a tragic ending, also giving the fictional Thorfinn an apparent tragedy. Yukimura claimed he wrote the manga with the intention to see if Thorfinn managed to become a kind person.
Yukimura's take on Thorfinn's growth is different from the anime version, as the manga incorporates flashbacks, while the anime shows events in chronological order. In episode six, the staff revealed the process of how in East Anglia Thorfinn gained the ability to fight, as well as his internal feelings. The staff thought the scene showed him truly stepping into the world of battle as part of Askeladd's band, showing his transformation into a warrior. Writer Hiroshi Seko enjoyed the first fight between Thorfinn and Thorkell due to how action-packed it was.
Anime casting