16 Strongest Vinland Saga Characters, Ranked

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.

16. “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, except for his brief manga appearances. The “Ear” is, of course, known for his hearing ability, which enabled him to distinguish between people and animals and 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.

15. 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 revenge 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 seeks to seize the power of the remaining Jomsvikings to eventually create his own independent army.

14. 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, self-interest, and ability to manipulate people and force them to do what he needs.

13. 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 he is a skilled fighter and a very strong character, although, as we have said, the exact extent of this is not known.

12. 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 the Jomsvikini Vagna caught. 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.

11. Ragnar

Ragnar was Canute’s chief vassal, having served him since childhood. He also served him as 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, which Ragnar realized shortly before his death. He was also the only person who actually knew 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 resulted from Thorfinn’s constant taunts that Canute was a helpless little boy.

10. 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 delicate tasks, such as persuading Thors to rejoin the Jomsviking ranks and trying to persuade Thorkell to renounce his allegiance to the English seems to indicate that he also has some diplomatic skills, aside from being a powerhouse character.

9. Bjorn

Bjorn was Askeladd’s deputy and 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 wore 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.

8. 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 can also 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 and the people of Thorkell and Canute.

7. Thorgil

Thorgil is the oldest son of Ketil and is a man that was seemingly born to be a fighter as he doesn’t have his father’s nature as a peaceful and “cowardly” man. While Thorgil is certainly just as big or even bigger than Ketil, he comes with the personality that makes him a natural warrior, as he isn’t afraid of killing a person and going to war. In that regard, he is as true a Viking warrior as any Viking can be.

On top of the fact that he is a strong and large man, Thorgil was trained in the art of the sword by Snake himself, which means that he has skills similar to Snake’s own skills. But what makes Thorgil different is that he went to war and developed his own fighting style while serving Canute. As such, he is a powerful warrior who may not be as fast or skilled as Snake but is certainly physically stronger than his mentor.

6. Garm

Garm is a character set to appear in the Eastern Expedition arc and is the strongest opponent Thorfinn faces during that arc. Of course, we don’t know a lot about him because he hasn’t appeared in the anime, but he is described to be incredibly strong and fast in the manga. And this is due to the fact that he fought both Thorkell and Thorfinn on separate occasions.

In his fight with Thorkell, Garm is able to use his speed to his advantage as he is smaller yet quicker than the gigantic man. His expertise as a spear-wielding fighter allowed him to fight Thorkell from a good range without getting too close to the much stronger fighter. Meanwhile, he proved to be as strong and fast as Thorfinn in their fight. But Thorfinn used Askeladd’s mind games against Garm to defeat him.

5. Thorfinn

Thorfinn, also called Karlsefni, is the protagonist of the manga and anime Vinland Saga. He is a former member of Askeladd’s band and 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 started out as someone weaker than Askeladd but eventually turned into one of the best fighters in the series due to the fact that he was now fighting for something more important than just revenge as he now seeks to protect his friends while making sure that they all get to go to Vinland.

Thorfinn is an enormously skilled fighter with 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. While working on Ketil’s farm, he grew and packed more muscle, which meant that he became stronger even without sacrificing his speed.

4. Snake

While he may be a lazy guy who often likes to sleep during the day and rarely works at all, Snake is an incredibly strong character who ranks near the top in terms of his strength. In fact, his strength was so scary that his mere presence was enough to scare all of the men that were working under him. And he would have to be strong for him to be the leader of a group of mercenaries that are working on one of the biggest farms in Denmark.

When Snake attacked Thorfinn during their first meeting to test whether or not Thorfinn had the will to live, Thorfinn was reminded of Askeladd at that moment. That’s because he would later describe Snake as just as strong as Askeladd. But what makes Snake stronger than Askeladd is that he can keep up with Thorfinn’s speed, which has always been what made him one of the strongest characters in Vinland Saga.

3. Iron Fist Ketil

We don’t know whether or not this warrior truly existed, but Iron Fist Ketil was a legendary figure revered among the Vikings because he was so strong that he destroyed his own weapon while using it in a fight. After destroying his weapon, he had to resort to using his first. And despite fighting barehanded, he was still strong enough to kill more enemies than any of his comrades.

Because Ketil didn’t want to be known as a coward, he claimed the feats of Iron Fist Ketil as his own, as he understood that Vikings that didn’t have the heart to kill and hurt people were known as weaklings. As such, Ketil claimed to be the legendary warrior so that he could become well-known and wealthy, as it is possible that he procured his wealth and lands because people thought that he was Iron Fist Ketil. But while we can’t be sure whether or not Iron Fist Ketil exists, we know that Snake was supposedly one of the followers of this legendary figure.

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 takes a huge wooden pillar dropped on him from the fortress and begins 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 Thors is the only person stronger than himself, 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.