Will Thorfinn and Canute Become Friends in Vinland Saga?

Two of the most important characters in the storyline of Vinland Saga are Thorfinn and Canute, as these two figures have seen their fair share of different life experiences and are two of the most prominent characters in the manga today due to the actions that they took for their own personal goals. Of course, they both met under different circumstances compared to the current circumstances in the manga. So, with that said, will Thorfinn and Canute ever become friends in Vinland Saga?

It is unlikely that Thorfinn and Canute will ever become friends in Vinland Saga. That’s because both of them have different ideals and goals in life. While Thorfinn is looking to launch an expedition to the west to establish a settlement in Vinland, Canute is looking to secure a paradise for Vikings in Europe.

Also, it is worth mentioning that too much has happened between Thorfinn and Canute. After all, Canute was the man responsible for killing Askeladd and sending Thorfinn off to be sold as a slave. While things ended up well for Thorfinn, Canute is still someone who has done a lot to him and has already taken an entirely different path in life. As such, let’s look at the dynamic between Thorfinn and Canute.

Were Thorfinn And Canute Friends?

Ever since the first season of Vinland Saga, it was already clear that there were two important figures that the series would explore. The first is, of course, Thorfinn because he is the main character and protagonist of the story. Meanwhile, the second is Canute, who is of Danish royalty and is the most important figure as far as the Danish are concerned.

Thorfinn and Canute met during the war against England when the latter was still just a prince that was ordered to command the Danish army in a battle against the English. When Prince Canute failed due to his lack of military training and experience, he and his armies had to flee. Thorfinn was there with them because he was part of Askeladd’s band of mercenaries, which were contracted to aid the Danish in the war against the English.

During the time when Canute was fleeing together with Askeladd’s men, Askeladd put Thorfinn in charge of keeping the prince protected. Of course, the only reason why Thorfinn listened to Askeladd’s order was that he was promised a duel with him if ever he would comply with the mercenary leader’s commands. Due to the fact that he wanted to kill Askeladd in a fair duel and that this was the only thing he ever wanted in life, Thorfinn agreed to be Canute’s bodyguard.

At that time, Canute was with his personal aid and father figure, Ragnar, who was speaking on behalf of the prince while they were fleeing from Thorkell and the English army. However, Ragnar was quick to notice that Canute, a softspoken and shy teenage boy at that time, wasn’t shy about speaking to Thorfinn and sharing his thoughts on certain matters. This surprised Ragnar, who knew that Canute only preferred to speak to him.

Of course, during that time, the relationship between Thorfinn and Canute was professional because of the fact the circumstances they were in. Thorfinn was put in charge of keeping the prince protected. Meanwhile, Canute was actually the supposed leader of the Danish army that was fleeing from the English. But it was Canute’s conversations with Thorfinn, along with his experiences and the sacrifice of Ragnar, that convinced him to finally step up to the leadership plate and become a true monarch.

Canute became a new person that had lofty ideals for Denmark and was not shy about sharing them with his men. This was the turning point of season 1, as Canute’s transformation from a boy into a man changed things for him and the surviving Danish men, who were able to reach safety. Canute was no longer the coward that he used to be after his experiences on the battlefield. 

During a banquet where Askeladd was present because he was a retainer to King Sweyn, Thorfinn was also there because he had joined the personal guard of Canute so that he could stay close to Askeladd, who he still wanted to duel. However, Askeladd snapped and killed Sweyn when the latter announced his planned invasion of Wales. In return, Canute killed Askeladd.

The fact that Canute killed Askeladd was the turning point in the relationship between him and Thorfinn. That’s because Canute took away Thorfinn’s only goal in life, which was to kill Askeladd. Out of rage, Thorfinn attacked Canute and was about to kill him before the other guards were able to pin him down. This was the turning point in their relationship and in the life of Thorfinn, who was ordered to be sold off to slavery for his actions against Canute.

Will Thorfinn And Canute Ever Become Friends?

At this point in the storyline, it is tough to ever see Thorfinn and Canute ever becoming friends. They were never friends in the first place despite the fact that Canute wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts and opening himself up to Thorfinn during the War arc. For Thorfinn, being around Canute was more of a job that he had to do because it allowed him to stay close to his goal of killing Askeladd.

However, too many things have already happened between the two. Thorfinn tried to kill Canute, who promptly punished him by selling him off as a slave. On top of that, they have two different goals in life in the manga.

As Canute once told Thorfinn, they both have the same goals but walk two different paths. This has become clear in the manga because Thorfinn’s goal was to reach Vinland so that he could establish a peaceful settlement free of oppression, violence, and slavery there. On the other hand, Canute wanted to create a paradise on Earth for the Vikings.

On paper, their goals seem to be similar but are actually quite different in terms of how they try to reach them. Thorfinn, who promised never to kill again after the trauma he endured, now wants to live the life of an explorer so that he could open a new path for his fellow Vikings. But Canute wants to dominate all of Northern Europe and establish a world where the Vikings could live bountifully. 

The problem, however, is that Canute isn’t shy about using, manipulating, and killing other people to reach his goals. On the other hand, Thorfinn has reached a point where he wants to do right by other people and is only looking to create a peaceful land through peaceful means.