Vinland Saga: An end which was anticipated yet unexpected

Makoto Yukimara announced The Vinland Arc is the last and final arc in the Vinland Saga series. The Vinland Saga has four different arcs – War Arc, Slave Arc, Eastern Expedition Arc, and the final arc being Vinland Arc.

This manga which is mostly curated for young adult- men with the themes of leadership, revenge, angst and outwardly bravery has the viewers engaged since the start of its publishing. The anime adaptation has two seasons which mostly covered the earlier arcs of the manga, building a strong foundation for the story to form.

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What are the Vinland Saga arcs about?

The story is about the rise and journey of Thorfinn Karlsefni, a Viking warrior in discovering Vinland. The plot starts off with a dark theme of revenge for his father’s death, which Thorfinn plots for right from the beginning. He works under Askeladd, who instead work as mercenaries for the King of London invaded by the Danish. While Askeladd has an agenda of their own by kidnapping the Prince and selling him for a profit to the side which claims high price. Thorfinn insists on saving his homeland from being invaded and gets into this message for help. But it’s later on revealed to be a plan or a strategy by the King so that the Prince to have the invaded place of England, and during the course of events, Askeladd dies. Thorfinn, in a fit of rage, tries to kill King Canute, but is enslaved for life. This part covers the whole War Arc of the Vinland Saga.

The Slave Arc as the name insists, was the arc of Thorfinn working as a slave. He works in a farm under Ketil, where he is treated well and befriends Einar, a fellow slave and Ketil’s father. The close companionship with good hearted people, Thorfinn lets go of his past and darkness and embraces being a pacifist. After two years, King Canute becomes the King of Denmark and England having ultimate power over most of the lands. He works with Ketil’s son to take up his land, but is dismissed by the pacifist Thorfinn. Later on Thorffin, along with his friends Leif and Einar leave for the peaceful land of Vinland.

The Eastern Expedition Arc is where they as a group reach Thorffin’s family and plan to reach Greece for settling in Vinland. Along the journey of planning, Thorffin meets Hild, Karli and Gudrid and embark on their journey. They get caught by Thorkell men during a fight against them. They try to escape and fight though later on, but get caught by the Vikings. After multiple circumstances, Thorffin and the gang gets relieved of the Vikings and continue in their journey.

The final arc being – The Vinland Arc of the Vinland Saga shows where Thorffin and Gudrid get married and tries to find a way of living in Iceland. The crew along with Thorffin work on gaining necessary resources for a living and a peaceful lifestyle, but are met with unexpected situations brought by natives and people immigrating. With the imminent war threat, Thorffin decides on leaving Vinland to gain more peace and keep the place less stained with war and famine.

Announcement about the Final arc

Makoto Yukimara announced that the Vinland Saga is at the final arc and the manga is about to end with 1000 pages left, 5 years back. Considering the recent news, it was expected by the fans and fellow manga followers that the final arc may get it’s end soon either in December 2024 or early 2025.

What can be expected from the final arc?

The fans are expecting multiple possibilities for an ending – being an open ending, happy ending or a sad ending. We can either expect Thorffin to live in Vinland peacefully with his family and crew or expect him to sacrifice himself during the war or ongoing fights. Considering the fan opinions and comments, everyone expects Thorffin to have a brave death like a warrior where he sacrifices himself for the greater good being the peace of the country. This aspect is where the end can live up to the original plot being the story of a warrior Viking man, seeking peace instead of revenge. It upholds the moral value of being a peace making human without being driven by revenge or hate towards someone and be courageous enough to protect what he believes in.

Also Read: Vinland Saga Season 2: Drowning in the Shadow

Animeking: Final Thoughts

Vinland Saga has rich characters and storytelling, with twists in each arc where there is a redemption in the main protagonist. The growth in life is evident through his character and with his shifts in seeking solace and peace signifies the very nature of humankind and what is all that they need at the end of the day.

Source: TodayAnimeNews

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