Vinland Saga is a truly rare phenomenon in the world of anime and manga due to its specific subject. Sure, there have been many historical manga series, some of which have even been inspired by European history, but such a detailed insight into the lives of Vikings is something that we have not seen before. In light of that, the characters of Vinland Saga have absolutely no special powers and are basically regular people with better or worse fighting skills. Taking that into consideration, we have decided to compose a list of the 12 strongest Vinland Saga characters so that you can know the balance of power in the series.
12. “Ear”
The “Ear” was a member of Askeladd’s group, known for his remarkable hearing. His real name is not known. As a deceased character, his story and history are relatively unknown, save for his brief appearances in the manga. The “Ear” is, of course, known for his hearing ability, which enabled him to distinguish between people and animals, as well as to determine the speed of one’s movements.
He was also able to hear an ambush even if the ambushers were standing still, which made him an exceptionally useful ally. Although his fighting skills have not been revealed, it is assumed that he was able to hold his own in a fight. He was ultimately seen decapitated in the manga, although it is not known how exactly he died.
11. Vagn
Vagn was a Jomsviking at the end of the 10th century. In the manga, he is one of the leaders of the Jomsvikings after Sigvald’s death. He knows about the real cause of Thors’ death and therefore is at enmity with Floki, and also intends to deal with him once and for all. Despite his frightening, brutal, and very serious appearance, Vagn often gives vent to feelings, sobbing at the unexpected discovery of Eskil and the enemy in the person of Thorfinn, the son of Thors.
He hates Floki and wants to take revenge on him for an act as heinous as the assassination of Thors. According to Hilda, Vagn is an ordinary barbarian who does not care about the lives of ordinary farmers at whose expense he lives and eats. According to her, he could easily take possession of the land of farmers and set up his camp there, not caring about the fate of the people. According to Thorkell, Vagn is no different from Floki and also seeks to seize the power of the remaining Jomsvikings in order to eventually create his own independent army.
10. Canute
Canute is the King of Denmark, the son of the Danish king Sven Forkbeard and Gunhilda. . Thorfinn has to guard Canute throughout the English campaign. In the beginning, he appears physically weak, timid, shy, and soft, not at all suitable for the role of the future king, but subsequently changes greatly. After the death of his father Sven Forkbeard and the serious illness of his older brother Harald Knud, he became the king of Denmark, England, and Norway, the ruler of Schleswig and Pomerania from the Knutling dynasty.
Initially, Canute was neither a skilled commander nor a worthy ruler and heir to the kingdom, but by 1015 Canute is remembered as a talented strategist, politician, and sovereign. He is remembered for his cunning and self-interest, the ability to manipulate people and force them to do what he needs.
9. Torgrim
Torgrim is a former member of Askeladd’s band and Atli’s brother. Initially, he was presented as a physically powerful man with short hair, but his appearance changed over the years and he has, in the meantime, become more warrior-like. He had a very close relationship with his brother, even before leaving Askeladd’s band and going to live in solitude with his brother.
Although the exact extent of his physical and fighting abilities is unknown, Torgrim must have been strong because, just like his brother, he is one of the few survivors of the battle with Thorkell. This is why it is presumed that the is a skilled fighter and a very strong character, although, as we have said, the exact extent of this is not known.
8. Atli
Atli is a former member of Askeladd’s band and one of the three survivors among the crew members, besides Thorfinn and Torgrim. After Askeladd’s death, he became a thief who was caught by the Jomsvikini Vagna. He is dedicated to his cause as long as he is paid for it and as long as he stays alive.
Fulfilling Askeladd’s orders and having fun in the “barbaric” way in his spare time, Atli is no different from other Vikings. Atli is an ordinary robber who is no different from the same people. He was not famous for his special skills in terms of battles. He was also a thief, but he was eventually caught by the Jomsvikings.
7. Ragnar
Ragnar was Canute’s chief vassal, having served him since childhood. He also served his an adoptive guardian. After the death of Ragnar, Canute, who had previously been a very timid person, underwent a dramatic change of personality, becoming a much more masculine and feared ruler, as we have seen later in the manga. Ragnar played the role of the guardian of Prince Canute and he was also his idol. Although he was a flawed person, Ragnar ultimately fought for good.
Canute, his royal protégé, was treated like his biological son, something that Ragnar realized shortly before his death. He was also the only person who actually know about Canute’s hobbies. Although he cared a lot for him, he was not sure how to handle Canute becoming more courageous; since he was the one who had spoken and fought for the prince since his birth, this change confused him, as Canute began to stand up for himself. This was a result of Thorfinn’s constant taunts that Canute was a helpless little boy.
6. Bjorn
Bjorn was Askeladd’s deputy, as well as his most faithful and devoted follower. Bjorn was a stocky man with dark, unkempt hair that fell down to his neck. His beard was initially quite overgrown, after which he used a rope to tie it so that it now resembles a goatee. He was wearing a soft cloak with buckles on the chest and a nose helmet.
Bjorn is extremely devoted to Askeladd, who considers Bjorn to be his only real friend, which is why he has made him his second-in-command. He alone (apart from Thorfinn) remained loyal to Askeladd when the rest of the band turned against him. He carries with him “berserk mushrooms”, thanks to which he becomes incredibly strong and insensitive to pain, but for the duration of their action, he practically loses his mind and therefore uses it extremely rarely.
5. Floki
Floki is a Jomsviking commander. He was one of the principal Viking commanders during Sweyn Forkedbeard’s invasion of England and later remained in that position under Canute. As one of the series’ principal antagonists, he hired Askeladd to kill his former comrade Thors. Floki only briefly showed up in battle when he fought with Askeladd after he killed Sweyn Forkbeard.
But, since it is known that only the best and most exceptional among the Jomsvikings are at any point named commanders, his fighting abilities as well as his strength must be colossal. Sigvaldi and Sweyn usually assigned him, particularly with very delicate tasks, such as persuading Thors to rejoin the Jomsviking ranks and trying to persuade Thorkell to renounce his allegiance to the English, which seems to indicate that he also has some diplomatic skills, aside from being a powerhouse character.
4. Thorfinn
Thorfinn, also called Karlsefni, is the protagonist of the manga and anime Vinland Saga. He is a former member of Askeladd’s band, as well as the son of the legendary Thors, the most famous Jomsviking warrior before his mysterious defection earlier in the story. His mother Helga is the daughter of the chief Sigvaldi and Thorkell’s nephew, which gives Thorfinn the right to the leadership of the Jomsvikings.
Thorfinn is an enormously skilled fighter who has a lot of battle experience, due to being raised on the battlefield. He is one of the few Vinland Saga characters with peak human abilities, as most other characters are quite regular in this department. He has enhanced durability and agility, he is faster than your average Viking, as well as stronger than an average person. He is also quite skilled with weapons.
3. Askeladd
Askeladd, also known as Lucius Artorius Castus, was a cunning, mysterious Viking who commanded a band of mercenaries that included Thorfinn, and was known as Askeladd’s band. He is best known for being hired by Floki to assassinate Thors, Thorfinn’s father, although he would later personally take Thorfinn in.
Askeladd is known as a master swordsman, but he is also able to assess the situation and make the right decision for the greatest benefit. Cunning, agile, and far-sighted, he is also very attentive to detail both in and out of battle. An excellent leader, thanks to his charisma, he has great authority among the people of his squad, as well as among the people of Thorkell and Canute.
2. Thorkell
Thorkell, nicknamed Thorkell the Tall, is a Jomsviking. Standing at 2.3 m, Thorkell is one of the tallest characters in the series. He is best known as the leader of a large detachment of Viking mercenaries, fighting for money under the banner of the King of England, Ethelred II. He is in love with battles and suffers greatly from the lack of a worthy opponent until he meets Gogus in a duel. He was a friend and colleague of Freydon. During the English War, he goes over to the side of Canute.
Many call Thorkell the strongest Viking and for a reason because skalds compose ballads about his great battles, about his cruelty and respect during battles. Thorkell’s weapons are mainly two huge battle axes, which he swings like toothpicks, but sometimes he also uses improvised means, such as when he took a huge wooden pillar dropped on him from the fortress and began to wave it, thereby crushing the bones of enemies into dust.
The physical of strength Thorkell is simply phenomenal; he can easily kill a bear with his bare hands in a matter of seconds. He also fought a huge monster that was much bigger and stronger than himself, but Thorkell was, ultimately, only pleased and he fought with a monster with undisguised happiness.
He managed to defeat the monster with a chokehold and, instead of killing it, made it his pet, so that he entertained him during moments of boredom. Thorkell admits that the only person stronger than himself is Thors, his good friend. Also, during the war, he shreds enemies in batches with incredibly fast blows, one can read bewilderment and fear from the reaction of enemies.
1. Thors Snorresson
Thors Snorresson is the husband of Helga, father of Thorfinn and Ylva, and a former commander of the Jomsvikings, where he earned the nickname “Troll of Jom”. Despite being a fearsome warrior, his personality changed drastically after the birth of his daughter, in such a way that he decided to desert the Jomsviking and elope with his family to Iceland to escape the war.
To a large extent, Thors is considered the greatest fighter to have appeared in the series, defeating the likes of Askeladd and Thorkell in barehanded solo combat. He was so strong that Floki did not want to fight him, even with a whole squadron of Jomsvikin warriors to his credit. He is considered to be a master in hand-to-hand combat.
