Makoto Yukimura’s Representation of Violence Shaped the Raw Aestheticism of ‘Vinland Saga’

Makoto Yukimura’s masterpiece Vinland Saga is a testament to how historical fiction should be executed. Even though the events in this manga are not 100% historically accurate, their realistic depiction of the Viking life is commendable.

The author managed to capture the bleakness of a time when life had little meaning to it. Here, people thrived on wars, and familial bonds held little to no importance in the greater scheme.

In such a scenario, a grand depiction of violence forms the aesthetic of Vinland Saga, giving it a sensational side appreciated by fans. However, the author himself has, time and time again, taken an aversive stance against brutality, an aspect reflected in his later depictions of Thorfinn.

Violence: A necessary tool for historical accuracy

When writing about Vikings, one cannot discard the violent tendencies that automatically came with Viking ethos, as they were rowdy people with a penchant for cruelty and a warrior mindset. Yukimura candidly describes their lifestyle in a recent interview with Le Figaro on how Vikings conducted their drinking parties where any minor discrepancy could cost your head.

At one of these banquets, one of the participants took out his sword and killed the person who had just handed him the cup. When asked why he had done this, he explained that the alcohol was contaminated by the grease from the beard of the person who had given him the glass!

Despite this being shocking, the author still wanted to portray a time when humanity viewed life in a very different manner than our world accurately.

It also must be mentioned that Vinland Saga’s initial dive at violence was absolutely necessary to give Thorfinn his character development. The author made him walk a path of violence so that he could turn to pacifism organically.

Had Thorfinn never experienced the futility of war, the quest for revenge would have stayed intact within him. But Yukimura is also not discarding the utility of violence as he agrees that many people are excited by a gruesome depiction in entertainment.

Thus, he tried to aestheticize it not because he believed in it but because some characters in his story would perceive it that way. Here, we cannot forget Thorkell, whose most memorable personality trait is his relentless thirst for battle at any given moment.

Role of forgiveness in Vinland Saga

Thorfinn’s journey from a boy hellbent on vengeance to a man unwilling to draw a weapon reflects Yukimura’s philosophy. For him, the path to forgiveness will always be a route to choose rather than having an eye-for-eye mentality.

In another interview with Anime News Network, he expresses how if he,

were to choose between the two paths of the story, I would definitely choose a path of healing and forgiveness out of this situation.

This aspect also shines from Yukimura’s depiction of Hild, a character who had all the right to be fueled by retaliation. But she chose to forgive even after seeing her father getting killed before her own eyes. Doing so, Yukimura also opened another angle for Thorfinn, who now not only could forgive those who hurt him but also get forgiveness himself.

But Yukimura also agrees that the Bible helped him tremendously to come to a conclusion about love and forgiveness. Its denouncement of violence is something that Yukimura personally agrees with, which is apparent by his way of molding the story toward the end.