What does it take to become a man with no enemies?
With Kentaro Miura gone and Takehiko Inoue unlikely to pick up Vagabond again, Vinland Saga remains the only torchbearer of the seinen Big Three. Makoto Yukimura’s semi-fictional historical account of the socio-political condition of Norway and early Norse settlement in America feels like an epic of its own kind. Berserk and Vagabond mostly deal with a single or a group of individuals, whereas Vinland Saga encompasses the state, society, and people. It brings forth a quite historically accurate and well-researched portrayal of violence, war, conflicts, slavery, politics, deceit, and the human condition. However, I think, more than the intimate depiction of society as it was, Vinland Saga’s success lies in one of the most extensive scrutiny of inner conflicts, a man’s fight to become a person with no enemy, to found a nation with no war, to dream of a society with no slavery. Being born into one of the most violent races and one of the most violent times in history, being driven for decades by rage and revenge, what Thorfinn achieves (or tries to achieve) is the epitome of humanity. Vinland Saga is ultimately a story of character development, forgiveness, repentance, sacrifice, and redemption; to seek light at the end of the tunnel; to cherish life amidst death; and to find hope even in the darkest of times.