Vinland Saga
Movies
Alternate Title
ヴィンランド・サガ
Synopsis
An historical tale set in England, Vinland Saga follows Thorfinn, a young Viking warrior with exceptional skills. After the death of his father Thors at the hands of a leader of mercenaries by the name of Askeladd, Thorfinn joins his company in order to exact revenge by killing Askeladd in a duel. However, he soon finds himself caught in the middle of a war for the crown of England.
Background
Vinland Saga began as an historical manga written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura. Published by Kodansha, the series was first serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine before moving to Afternoon in December 2005. As of August 2018 there are 21 tankobon volumes in print. The manga is licensed in English by Kodansha USA.
An anime adaptation was announced in March 2018. It is being directed by Shuhei Yabuta with scripts by Hiroshi Seko, character designs by Takahiko Abiru, music by Yamada Yutaka, and animation produced by WIT STUDIO. Survive Said the Prophet will perform the opening theme song, "Mukanjyo." The anime will premiere in Japan on July 7 and will be available to stream in Japan and abroad through Amazon Prime Video. The anime will run for 24 episodes.
Characters
Thorfinn (Voiced by: Yuto Uemura, Shizuka Ishigami (childhood))
A noble among the Jomsvikings, Thorfinn is a teenage warrior who joins Askeladd’s company in order to exact revenge on him for killing his father. In order to face off against him in a duel, though, he must first complete various assignments for Askeladd. Thorfinn is loosely based on the early Vinland explorer, Thorfinn Karlsefni.
Thorkell (Voiced by: Akio Ohtsuka)
A Jomsviking general and the brother of the chief, Thorkell has superb physical strength and generally dual-wields axes in combat. He used to work with Thorfinn’s father Thors prior to his defection and as such has a soft sport for Thorfinn.
Bjorn (Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto)
Askeladd’s second in command, Bjorn loves combat and is a berserker who is able to enter powerful rages by ingesting certain mushrooms.
Thors (Voiced by: Kenichiro Matsuda)
Thorfinn’s father, Thors is a Jomsviking general known as “The Troll of Jom” due to extraordinary combat skills. After the birth of his children, he becomes tired of fighting and fakes his own death in order to become a rural farmer.
Canute (Voiced by: Kensho Ono)
The 17-year-old prince of the Danes, Canute has a feminine appearance and timid personality and is unable to function without his retainer Ragnar. Because of this, he is mocked by the Vikings he works with.
Askeladd (Voiced by: Naoya Uchida)
The commander of a powerful band of Vikings, Askeladd is a particularly skilled fighter with high intelligence. He is the son of a Welsh princess who was captured by a Viking raider, making him half-Danish and half-Welsh.
Floki (Voiced by: Atsushi Ono)
A company commander in the York Army, Floki is a severely rigid and jealous man who orders Askeladd to kill Thors.
Leif Ericson (Voiced by: Yoji Ueda)
A cheerful old man who travels the Atlantic Ocean, Leif is a Christian from Greenland who has spent 11 years searching for the missing Thorfinn in order to gain Thors’ favor.
Helga (Voiced by: Ao Takahashi)
Thorfinn’s mother, Helga has a calm and loving personality.
Ylva (Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame)
Thorfinn’s older sister, Ylva inherited her mother’s beautiful looks. Determined and headstrong, she enjoys activities seen as unbecoming of a lady including whale fishing.
Ragnar (Voiced by: Jin Urayama)
Canute’s loyal retainer, Ragnar is known for his sharp mind.
Willibald (Voiced by: Satoshi Hino)
A Christian monk who works for Canute’s teacher, Willibald has long, unkempt hair which makes him appear old although he is only 23. He is a stubborn alcoholic.
Asgeir (Voiced by: Ryota Takeuchi)
The second in command of Thorkell’s company, Asgeir often instructs the company in place of Thorkell, who is only interested in combat.
Sweyn (Voiced by: Takayuki Sugo)
The King of Denmark and Canute’s father, Sweyn is leading the charge against England. He usurped the throne from the previous king and is obsessed with increasing his political power.
Torgrim (Voiced by: Hiroki Goto)
A high-ranking officer in Askeladd’s company, Torgrim has an impressive physique and a rowdy personality. He is brothers with Atli.
Atli (Voiced by: Shinya Takahashi)
Atli is a high-ranking officer in Askeladd’s company like his brother, Torgrim. Unlike his older brother, however, he is cowardly and could hardly be considered a Viking.
Ari (Voiced by: Mitsuhiro Ichiki)
Neighbor to Thorfinn’s family, Ari is in love with Ylva. Among the young men of his village, Ari has a strong constitution, and after Thors’ departure he vows to make a name for himself on the battlefield.
Halfdan (Voiced by: Yoshimitsu Shimoyama)
The chief of the village neighboring the village Thorfinn and his family live in, Halfdan relentlessly honors the law above all and believes that order is created by binding people in chains. He is proficient with iron chains as both weapons and instruments of torture.
The Ear (Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa)
International Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video
- Bilibili
Official Links
Staff
- Original Creator: Makoto Yukimura
- Director: Shuhei Yabuta
- Series Composition: Hiroshi Seko
- Screenplay: Kenta Ihara
- Character Design: Takahiko Abiru
- Color Design: Hashimoto Satoshi
- Art Director: Takeda Yūsuke
- Background Art: Bamboo
- CGI Director: Takehana Mayu
- 3DCGI: Chiptune
- Filming Director: Kawashita Yūki
- Special Effects: MADBOX
- Editor: Kimura Kashiko
- Sound Effect Director: Hata shōji
- Music: Yamada Yutaka
- Sound Production: Sound team・Don Juan
- Animation Production: WIT STUDIO