Vinland Saga is one of the best animes that one could watch now, much like Attack On Titan and it is like an anime that is recommended to people who are new to the anime world.
The first season of the anime was released in 2019 by Wit Studio, and the anime received a very amazing response for its epic tale that showcased Thorfinn’s journey from being a child to becoming a warrior to fighting English men.
On the path to revenge Thorfinn grew up on the battlefield for almost ten years following Akeladd orders because he wanted to kill him for killing his father. This path to revenge was utterly brilliant with the end that no one saw and was quite emotional.
The second season of the anime was released earlier this year and saw Thorfinn as a slave with no purpose after Askelad’s death. Working on the farm and realizing what he has been doing, Thorfinn’s path to redemption is only just beginning, and it is the best thing out there to watch.
This series has always been loved for its amazing storytelling, and season two had the fans love the series more than ever by seeing Thorfinn seeking a path to redemption and making this right in life.
But have you ever imagined what would have happened if Thorfinn had begun as a slave and probably not spent his days on the battlefield for almost a decade, not seeking revenge? Well, this is what the author had planned for Thorfinn but this idea was discarded by his for a very good reason.
Farmland arc felt like i was peeping a completely different series
Love the twist to the classic violent medieval shows (ie Berserk and Claymore)
Instead of Thorfinn staying as a merciless warrior he becomes a slave full of regret for his kills pic.twitter.com/XYvbWxoVTj— Wictor🧯 (@Wictor2501) March 25, 2022
Makoto Yukimura Was Told To Change His Intial Idea For Vinland Saga
Like most of the authors, Makoto Yukimura, the author of Vinland Saga, originally had many drafts of what Thorfinn’s journey could have been like. One of his initial ideas that he presented to his editors showcased Thorfinn starting as a slave rather than later making him a slave.
The editor seemed really blunt with his response to this idea and told Yukimura that this was not going to work at all. The editor goes on to say that since Yukimura was planning a story about the Vikings, he should have included the Vikings and war from the very start and not a slave.
This is how the editors forced Makoto Yukimura to change his initial idea and instead of making him a violent warrior on the battlefield before making him a slave, which did not work as a charm for the series but also impressed the editors about this story and thus began the serialization.
What could have happened if Thorfinn was a slave from the beginning?
Now that we know that there was an initial idea that was going to start Thorfinnn as a slave rather than making him a slave later, we could perhaps speculate on this plot a bit more.
It would have been very helpful if Yukimura had said more about his initial idea for Vinland Saga, but there isn’t, so let me paint a picture of what could have happened if Thorfinn had been a slave from the beginning.
From my understanding, Vinland Saga’s narrative sees Thorfinn on the path to redemption for the rest of the series after season one. The narrative that Yukimura built in season one was indeed very crucial to Thorfinn’s journey.
Starting Thorfinn as a slave would not have worked better, given that we would not have known much about his journey as a warrior. Thus the premise of his path to redemption would not have been as heavy as it is now. Even though Thorfinn would have had a past as a Viking, the flashback would not serve as great as the whole arc.
Probably Makoto Yukimura may have had a very different journey for Thorfinn if he had planned for the protagonist to start as a slave. We are sure we would have loved it anyway, but the current plot is indeed amazing and it is hard to see anything other topping it.
What do you think would have happened if Thorfinn had started as a slave and not as a warrior? Comment down below to share your thoughts.
