Vinland’s storyprotagonist, Thorfinn, is a true pacifist who refuses to use violence under any circumstances, flipping the most abused shounen game to the top. In this genre, the main characters are usually kind and ‘good’ people, however, they will use their powers and resort to violence to protect their friends or what they hold dear. Thorfinn’s absolute rejection of violence sets aside the Vinland Saga in a genre burdened by stereotypes.
Fans of the Shonen manga and anime are familiar with the ‘strong but kind’ type of character that has become obnoxiously common in the past. The most famous brands paved the way for the popularity of this stereotype. Goku is the ‘gentle Saiyan’ who fights just to have fun and protect the Earth. Luffy fights to free the oppressed and protect his dreams and teammates. The most obvious example is Ichigo from Bleach, who has never hurt anyone before being forced to fight and kill like a Shinigami to protect his friends. What all these characters have in common is that they are generally kind and kind, but are also willing to put this aside and use violence if necessary.
Thorfinn is different from all the other protagonists of Shonen
Thorfinn is completely different. His story in the Vinland Saga starts off bloody and violent. After losing his father, a veteran who later turned to pacifism, Thorfinn vowed to avenge him and joined the warrior crew of Askeladd, his father’s assassin, just for a chance to challenge. he. However, Askeladd was killed in front of Thorfinn’s eyes, depriving him of his only reason to live. After a long time as a hollow human, tormented by the memory of all the people he killed as a Viking warrior, Thorfinn finally realizes that the only way to break the cycle violence is to give it up completely, no matter what happens. case.
This has become clear in the most recent episodes of Vinland Saga Season 2, where Thorfinn has gone from a bloodthirsty warrior to a gentle farmer. Even when Thorfinn and Einar’s prospects for freedom were threatened by the tumultuous events taking place on Ketil’s farm, Thorfinn refused to fight. He openly thinks whether it is right to use violence when threatened or to protect someone, as all other shounen protagonists do, but his conclusions are exactly the opposite. . In episode #17, Thorfinn was forced to fight Ebi, who was trying to kill Gardar. However, he does so without a weapon and just trying to take him down, while his opponent has a sword and is actively trying to kill him. Even if the Vinland Saga is easily identified as a seinen series (thus aimed at young people), Thorfinn’s behavior offers meaningful comparisons with other popular shounen protagonists.
Thorfinn’s true pacifism makes him a unique character
Imagine Ichigo trying to take down Aizen, Luffy throwing punches at Kaido, or even Goku stopping his last Spirit Bomb before Majin Buu. None of these scenarios would have happened in the context of those series. The only character comparable to Thorfinn is Vash the Stampede from Trigun, who is also a pacifist. However, even Vash had to renounce his oath and kill his enemies at one point. Instead, Thorfinn’s decision comes from the unbearable weight of all the deaths he’s caused as a warrior, and his oath of peace is proof of that. His evolution as a character is unmatched in any other TV series. By creating Thorfinn a true pacifist will not use violence even to protect himself or others, Vinland’s story has finally overcome one of the most abused stereotypes of the shounen genre.
Vinland’s story is live now Crunchyroll.
