Thorgil vs. Thorkell: Who Is Stronger & Who Would Win a Fight?

The world of Vinland Saga is full of some of the strongest warriors because the entire storyline follows Viking warriors. Because Vikings value strength above everything else, it is understandable why the most respected people are the strongest fighters. We’ve seen two incredibly strong fighters: Thorgil and Thorkell. So, who between Thorgil and Thorkell would win in a fight?

Thorkell would win in a fight against Thorgil because he is the bigger, stronger, and more experienced fighter of the two. Of course, Thorgil himself is a very strong and skilled fighter, but we haven’t seen him fight the same kind of competition that Thorkell has fought, and that’s why the older Viking wins this one.

One thing that tends to make Vinland Saga fighters difficult to match against one another is that they are almost always reliant on their size and strength. As such, Thorkell, the biggest and strongest character in the storyline, is undoubtedly the better warrior than Thorgil. But let’s get over this topic to see why the older warrior is stronger and better.

Size

Viking warriors in the storyline of Vinland Saga tend to put a premium on their size, and that’s why the strongest warriors tend to be quite big. While Thorgil isn’t the biggest character in the storyline, he is bigger than most other Vikings and just as big as his father, who he believed used to be a legendary warrior. Of course, he isn’t exactly a tall fighter, but he has the muscle mass that allows him to easily brutalize smaller opponents.

The tallest and biggest character in the entire Vinland Saga storyline is Thorkell the Tall, who is more of a monster than a man. The guy stands 7’7” and weighs nearly 400 pounds. That means he is superhuman in terms of his physical attributes and is much bigger than the next biggest guy in the manga and anime. The fact that Thorkell is so much bigger than all of the other characters makes him the most fearsome warrior alive in the period of Vinland Saga.

This is an unfair matchup because no other person in Vinland Saga comes close enough to Thorkell’s incredible physical attributes. Thorgil is a great man in terms of his size, but even he looks like a child next to Thorkell.

Thorgil 0, Thorkell 1

Strength

One of the things that Ketil was quick to notice about his son was that Thorgil was quite monstrous in his personality and strength. We saw his strength on full display when he slaughtered some of the guards of King Canute and was able to chop some of them in half with a single swing of his sword. That is how strong Thorgil is, as he could easily handle trained soldiers capable of fighting on par with some of the other well-trained fighters in Vinland Saga.

Because he is superhuman in size, Thorkell is on an entirely different level in his strength. The only other Viking he deemed stronger than him was Thors, who we know is Thorfinn’s father. Other than Thors the Troll, Thorkell has never seen anyone come close to his superhuman strength, especially considering that we saw him hurling boulders over his head like they were nothing. As such, Thorkell’s superhuman physical attributes put him on a level far above any of the other characters.

There aren’t a lot of characters that could chop a man in half with a swing of a sword, but only one character can lift boulders over his head. This is why Thorkell is far stronger than Thorgil, who may be strong compared to the ordinary person but is like a child compared to Thorkell’s strength.

Thorgil 0, Thorkell 2

Speed

Even though he is a brutish man with incredible strength, Thorgil is also a very quick fighter that knows how to swing a sword with incredible speed and accuracy. He may be big, but he isn’t a bumbling idiot, as he is quite quick, especially considering that he was trained by Snake, who Thorfinn said could match his speed. As such, being trained by a speedy fighter allowed Thorgil to develop his speed. And we saw him using his speed against Canute’s guards when he could chop them to bits before they could even react.

Being as big and strong as Thorkell comes with a price, as he isn’t a very fast character. Most of the fighters that fought Thorkell tried to use their superior speed to their advantage because they knew he couldn’t match their speed. As such, the only two characters to give Thorkell some trouble in a fight are Thorfinn and Garm, who are both two of the fastest characters in Vinland Saga. But while he may not be fast, he certainly isn’t a bumbling idiot that lacks coordination.

Thorkell may not be slow, but he isn’t quite as fast as the other characters in Vinland Saga. That is why Thorgil may give him a good fight, as he is faster than the bigger and stronger Thorkell.

Thorgil 1, Thorkell 2

Skills

We know that Thorgil is an exceptionally skilled fighter that learned from one of the most skilled swordsmen in Vinland Saga. Being the disciple of Snake, a smart, quick, and skilled swordsman, allowed Thorgil to develop his skills. As such, despite being a brutal and savage fighter, Thorgil is quite skilled with a sword and is able to swing it with the type of incredible speed and accuracy that weaker fighters can’t comprehend. Of course, he can also be quite smart in a fight as he doesn’t just rush into things without thinking twice.

Thorkell is often considered the strongest out of all the Vikings of his era, but he certainly isn’t as skilled as the other Vikings we’ve seen. His favorite weapon is an axe, which has always been the weapon of choice for most Vikings. Thorkell wields his axe with great skill, but he is often considered more of a brute than a skilled warrior. Then again, he makes up for his lack of skill with his incredible size and strength.

Thorgil is a very skilled warrior, as he needs to be skilled enough with a blade to stand out in a world where Vikings should be strong. Of course, while Thorkell is skilled in using an axe, he hasn’t shown the same kind of finesse and grace Thorgil has shown.

Thorgil 2, Thorkell 2

Experience

Thorgil left home early to become a Thegn working under King Canute, which is why he garnered enough experience in the war against England. He started fighting early and rose as one of the strongest Thegns in Denmark, as he often boasted about what he did on the battlefield during the war. But he is still just in his mid-20s, which means he doesn’t have the same experience as the other Vinland Saga characters.

Don’t let the youthful appearance fool you because Thorkell is close to 60 years old, as he is Thorfinn’s great-uncle. That is why he has decades of experience as a fighter, as Vikings never stop fighting until they die. This implies that Thorkell has been fighting since his teenage years, especially because someone his size must have been trained to fight very early. And because he was a Jomsviking, Thorkell must have fought some of the strongest characters in the storyline.

Thorkell has been around for a long time, which means he has the same experience that the other characters in the storyline don’t have. As such, he has decades of experience, while Thorgil is still just getting started in gaining experience as a warrior.

Thorgil 2, Thorkell 3

Thorgil vs. Thorkell: Who Wins?

As you can see, there’s a good chance that Thorgil can give a good fight to Thorkell because he is a fast, skilled, and smart fighter. He isn’t even a pushover in terms of his size and strength. However, because Thorkell is so much bigger, stronger, and more experienced than Thorgil, there’s a good chance that this giant would win in a fight against Ketil’s son. Of course, there’s a good reason why Thorkell is known as the strongest warrior in Vinland Saga.