Vinland Saga: Will Thorfinn Fight Again? (& What Will He Fight For)

One of the things that we know about Thorfinn in Vinland Saga is that he started out as someone whose only goal was to avenge his father by killing Askeladd in a fair duel, and that was the reason why he fought so hard to become strong and to earn a duel from the man that he worked under for more than a decade. However, after Askeladd’s death, Thorfinn lost his will to live and no longer wants to fight as a result of the fact that he felt that he no longer had anything to live or fight for. He is also haunted by the ghosts of the people he killed for his needless revenge. So, will Thorfinn ever fight again?

Thorfinn will eventually find the reason to fight again but his reason for fighting has more meaning because his goal is to make sure that he protects his friends and comrades and achieve his dream of reaching Vinland. As such, he will eventually fight again for a good reason and not for needless violence.

The evolution of Thorfinn from an angry teenager to a pacifist and an idealistic young man is one of the things that fans should be excited about in the current events of the Vinland Saga anime. His growth is the perfect example of character development in any kind of story. So, with that said, let’s look at whether or not Thorfinn will ever fight again.

Does Thorfinn Fight Again?

During the early part of Vinland Saga, we saw a young Thorfinn as a kind and happy child that lived with his family in Iceland. However, he became an angry teenager that only wanted to fight and kill after witnessing the death of his father at the hands of Askeladd, who killed Thors in a dishonorable way. His father’s death changed him because Thorfinn’s only goal was to kill Askeladd in an honorable duel so that he could avenge his father.

Throughout the first season of Vinland Saga, Thorfinn worked his way up to become a good fighter while working for Askeladd’s mercenary band so that he could become strong enough to kill him. He came close but this goal was taken away from him by Canute when Askeladd was killed by the prince at the end of the first season. Thorfinn was forced to be sold into slavery after he attempted to kill Canute out of anger.

Meanwhile, in the second season of Vinland Saga, what became clear was that Thorfinn had become a shell of his former self because he no longer had a reason to keep on going. He lost his will to live and his purpose in life when Askeladd was killed. This was the reason why he was lifeless and emotionless during the early part of Vinland Saga as he was simply going through the motions. And when Fox was slashing him, Thorfinn didn’t even try to fight back as he simply wanted the man to kill him.

In that regard, Thorfinn has lost the will to fight even though we all know that he is a very gifted fighter that could defeat almost anyone in a fair duel. Later in the manga’s storyline, he further loses the will to fight when he gets haunted by the people that he killed in the past. This happened after he passed out after he fought back when a group of workers on the farm destroyed the crops that he and Einar were growing. After that, he made a promise to never hurt anyone again.

After Thorfinn made a vow to never hurt anyone again, he became a more empathetic person that grew to be quite friendly to the people around him on the farm. He made friends with Snake, Arnheid, and a few other people that live on Ketil’s farm. Whenever there was any issue regarding some of the people on the farm, he made sure to try to resolve things using his words first. But does Thorfinn ever fight again?

Thorfinn will indeed find the resolve to fight again. While he became a person who would rather take the first resort by using his words instead of violence, he will still end up becoming a man that knows when to fight. And this was what became true during the middle part of the Slave arc while he was working for Ketil’s farm.

What Will Thorfinn Fight For?

During the time that Thorfinn and Einar were working on Ketil’s farm, they became friends with Snake, who was an honorable man that worked as the head of the mercenary bodyguards on Ketil’s farm. However, Thorfinn learned the hard way that he needed to fight.

When Gardar, the husband of Arnheid, escaped from a nearby farm to try to rescue his wife, Thorfinn tried to help them. However, Snake tried to make sure that the two didn’t escape because it was his job to make sure that the slaves don’t escape Ketil’s farm. In that regard, Thorfinn had no choice but to fight Snake, who he discovered was stronger than Askeladd but was almost just as fast as he is.

Thorfinn, however, failed to stop Snake. This led to Gardar’s death and Arnheid’s capture. Ketil, who was angry after the disgraceful meeting he had with Canute, was angry at the fact that his personal slave and concubine attempted to escape. He beat her up to death, as this event affected both Thorfinn and Einar mentally and emotionally. After that, Thorfinn and Einar vowed to search for Vinland so that they could create a peaceful world where the injustices and violence of society don’t exist.

As such, Thorfinn has now become a pacifist that will not fight anyone without a good reason. He even respects the people around him and will only fight people whenever there really is a good reason for him to fight them. That was the case when he fought Snake, who he loved and respected as a friend. Thorfinn fought Snake to protect a friend, and that was the best reason for him to fight someone who he also regarded as a good friend.

Thorfinn is no longer the same child that fought and killed for no good reason. In that regard, the only reason for him to fight is when it is the last resort, as was the case in that scene with Snake during Arnheid’s escape. Nevertheless, Thorfinn no longer fights to kill but to protect people and to reach his goal of getting to Vinland, where he can establish a world that’s peaceful and free of slavery.