Vinland Saga is a popular seinen manga series written and drawn by author Makoto Yukimura. It tells the semi-historical tale of Thorfinn Karlsefni and his adventures across medieval Europe in the Viking era, but Thorfinn is no ordinary Viking raider. His quest is highly personal, and Thorfinn doesn't even know what he truly wants from himself.
Season 1 adapted the Vinland Saga manga well with its sharp animation, solid voice acting, and exciting action sequences. Now, the ongoing manga will get adapted again early in 2023's anime season, and longtime fans have plenty to look forward to. The next leg of Thorfinn's adventure will feature new locations, new characters, and dramatic new quests.
This article contains spoilers for Vinland Saga.
10 Season 2 Will Introduce Its New Best Girl, Gudrid
Every anime series needs a Best Girl, and Vinland Saga's anime is about to get one. Season 1's main cast was entirely male, but Season 2 will introduce the lovable young lady Gudrid, who's nothing like the brutish Thorkell or the insecure prince Canute.
Gudrid will appear after Thorfinn buys his own freedom, and they will soon become friends. Gudrid will be introduced as Sigurd's reluctant fiancé, and Gudrid is desperate to break free and soar the world like a bird. She is also a total dandere, a pleasant change of pace in the blood-soaked Vinland Saga.
9 Season 2 May Introduce Another Best Girl, Hilde
Depending on how Vinland Saga's anime is paced, Season 2 may find time to introduce another major female character, Hilde. She lives on the Norwegian coast and has a score to settle with Thorfinn. When Thorfinn's crew arrives in the area, Hilde will attack with a crossbow, aiming to kill.
Thorfinn must learn the truth and try to make peace with the vengeful tsundere Hilde. If Thorfinn can negotiate a truce, he might make use of Hilde's advanced engineering expertise. Hilde is like Vinland Saga's own Mei Hatsume of My Hero Academia fame, but she won't work for just anyone, and she is slow to trust others.
8 Fans Want To Meet Einar, Thorfinn's New Best Friend
Vinland Saga is about to introduce a new Best Boy as well, an optimistic young man named Einar. He and Thorfinn will meet on Ketil's farm in Denmark, though at first, Einar will find himself overwhelmed by the work. He's now enslaved and has never dealt with harsh working conditions like these before.
Anime fans will empathize with Einar, a hardworking but unprepared fellow whose dreams might be crushed before they even begin. Then again, Thorfinn might warm up to Einar and befriend him. If they work together, they might accomplish incredible things neither could do alone.
7 Thorgil Should Be Fun To Watch
Anime fans will enjoy meeting wholesome new characters like Gudrid and Einar, but they will also meet unsavory types like Thorgil, Ketil's eldest son. Thorgil is yet another Vinland Saga character who thinks bloodshed and warrior honor mean everything, just like Thorkell and Askeladd's men.
Thorgil isn't pleasant, but he will drive the story forward as a formidable challenge to Thorfinn. Thorgil is a threat to Thorfinn physically and ideologically, with Thorgil opposing Thorfinn's pacifistic views while also carrying weapons. Surviving on Ketil's farm will be much tougher with a cocky thug like Thorgil around.
6 Thorfinn's Nightmares Will Be Terrifying To Watch
The antihero, Thorfinn, claimed a high body count during his time traveling with Askeladd's band of raiders. Thorfinn's fighting days are over, but deep down, he still remembers everyone he has ever killed. Thorfinn is haunted by their faces every night, an expression of his guilt and remorse.
Thorfinn's nightmares were horrifying in the manga, with the bloody, mangled bodies of his fallen enemies trying to drag him into a deep crevasse. Those scenes may be ten times scarier in the Vinland Saga anime, complete with chilling, moaning voices and creepy music to match.
5 Thorfinn's Redemption Begins In Season 2
Sometimes, it's not an anime villain who needs redemption, but a brutal antihero like Thorfinn Karlsefni. Thorfinn never became evil in Vinland Saga's story, but he nearly lost himself to violence, hatred, and revenge. It hurt his soul, and now, Season 2 will begin the recovery process.
Seinen anime fans will see a new side to Thorfinn when he leaves the battlefields to rethink his life. It won't be easy, such as those nightmares, but Thorfinn will find a much better purpose in life after this process is done. Spending time on Ketil's peaceful farm will turn Thorfinn into a newer, better man.
4 Vinland Saga Fans Will Meet Thorfinn's New Family
Thorfinn lost his beloved father, Thors, early in Vinland Saga's first season, but he still has an older sister named Ylva, who may appear again in Season 2. Ylva is now old enough to start her own family, and during Thorfinn's absence, Ylva will do just that.
When Thorfinn returns home to Iceland after many long years, his family will be bigger than he remembered. His mother and sister are alive and well, and Thorfinn will realize he's an uncle. He will meet his young nephew, Marl, in the village, along with an unnamed nephew and niece.
3 Vinland Saga Fans Can Look Forwad To More Humor
Overall, Vinland Saga is a serious seinen story with limited humor, especially in the earlier arcs where Thorfinn is a brutal antihero filled with rage. In Season 2, Thorfinn will finally relax and become more positive, and he may laugh and make jokes.
Vinland Saga's upcoming season will have more jokes per episode than Season 1 did and more heartwarming humor overall. Thorfinn is now much more likely to laugh, have fun, tease people, or make hilarious reactions to things. This is doubly true when he's spending time with Einar or Leif Ericson.
2 Thorkell Will Return For More Action & Character Development
In Season 1, Thorkell was a villain who always resorted to violence. Now, he will be a roguish antihero who always resorts to violence, and his relationship with Thorfinn will keep evolving. Thorkell is still rough and brutal, but he is no longer the boogeyman of Vinland Saga.
This means fans will see a new side to Thorkell and explore more of his relationship with Thorfinn, a relative of his. Along the way, Thorkell will also dive headfirst into some chaotic and bloody battles, the same as ever. He will be stronger, fiercer, and funnier in battle than he's ever been.
1 Fans Will Watch Thorfinn Assemble His Own Crew
Thorfinn was a loner in Vinland Saga Season 1, with him being a reluctant member of Askeladd's crew and refusing to take orders from anyone except Askeladd himself. Thorfinn wasn't a team player back then, but in Season 2, Thorfinn will build his own medieval pirate crew.
Thorfinn doesn't fancy himself a ship captain, but he will still flex his leadership muscles in the upcoming story arcs. Thorfinn will recruit one member after another, pooling everyone's talents and experience to create a formidable crew of adventurers. Einar is welcome to join, along with Leif, Gudrid, and more.