It's interesting watching this back after the seasons end. When Askeladd is lying he swears on his father's name,( who he hates) and when he's honest he swears on Artorius's name.
thats a good catch ... you can also see he's disturbed by the whole thing, in that later he says how he hates all the people he grouped with... And the one that grabbed Thorfin was the one he said is his only friend.
@@ashutoshjha6450 You do know that in english adding an s already makes it plural right? No need to add "two" when *daggers* with an s already signifies more than one dagger m8.
His first vow before the fight (which was the one he broke) he said in the name of Olaf and Odin but the vow he actually doesn't break he says Artorius really makes you thonk
05:20 this is a very amazing foreshadowing of Askeladd's actual ambition as a person. He wanted to have some strong figure to lead him and everyone, but then he noticed from Thors's look that he denied his offer and then just said it was a joke to not lose face. The author of vinland is really something else
That's such a rad interpretation, I thought the same thing. I then also thought, what is Askeladd isn't saying that as an offer of leadership to Thors, but rather asking, "Why don't you simply take leadership of us, since you can?" I'm not sure which is right, but the emotional interpretations for Askeladd as a character are interesting
@@awsomesaucers97 Askeladd meant it when he asked Thors to be their leader because he saw him as a man worth following but he also knew it wasn't realistic so he passed it off as a joke. Later he puts that faith into Canute.
@@Chris-qh5tz I get that entirely, I feel like that's probably the "correct" interpretation of the scene. But considering Askeladd himself was offering to follow Thors, you have to consider if Askeladd is wondering why no one of serious strength is following him yet. I have to assume Askeladd doesn't understand this about Thors and the differences between them as two strong leaders of men
If anyone could take the mantle of Artorius. It would’ve been Thors for sure. I could only imagine how amazing it would’ve been if he took Askeladd’s offer and became the leader. He probably would’ve gone to Jomborg to face Floki, and then end up reluctantly taking the leadership roll of the Jomsvikings. The entire story would’ve gone in a different path just from that one choice. He could’ve become chief of Jomsborg and taught them all to be true warriors.
He was fighting calmly, not ruthlessly like he did back in his prime so he wasnt holding back much and yes he could have probably taken them if there were no hostages
@@Asferprivate There is no probably, if they were fighting to the death Askeladd has no chance after cutting to shallow on the first strike. As for the rest of the group, he would still die to the archers.
souswodaem1 it seems like had he killed Askeladd the archers might not have fired since they were waiting on his command and if he's dead they had no reason to although the opposite may be true as well and they would have fired regardless
@@souswodaem1 yeah it sucks but he took those arrows on purpose since they had the advantage of his son being held hostage along with the other men from the village
At first when I heard the line "a true warrior doesn't need a sword", I got goosebumps. I thought he meant the a true warrior is one who is such a master at combat that they don't need any tool like a sword to win. Their body and mind are enough. But after reading the Ketil Farm arc (in the manga), I truly understand what he meant. He meant that a true warrior of the world doesn't need to hurt anyone, doesn't have any "enemies". A true warrior can see the good in others and strives to save everyone. A true warrior always takes the first resort (the last resort being always that of violence). And for that, they doesn't need a sword.
Yeah but the sad part is thors is easily the best character and thorifin is trash asf. It’s sad that the prologue is the best arc in the series. They shouldn’t even make more seasons of this lmao.
@@jyggaswoop2774 Shut up bro, if you only like fights ok, but don't say that thorfin's character is trash or that the prologue is the best arc as a fact when in reality it's your taste that is trash, go watch dragon ball or smth kiddo
5:29 Man, the visual grimace on Askeladd's face sells home how much: 1. He wanted to Thors to be the leader. 2. His pained and disappointed expression at Thors' silent refusal. And 3. How saddening it is to have to follow through with the assassination because Thors' refused. Because despite being the assassination target, Askeladd sees the greatness of Thors'.
@Amin Draoui You are mistaken. By that time Askeladd had already won the fight. He had archers aiming at Thors and he was 100% sure Thors won't kill him. Therefore he was actually asking Thors seriously. For Askeladd always dreamed to serve a worthy master.
Yeah, and when he states he's willing to die rather than yield in from of his men he doesn't seem to be either. It's odd given his goals and attitudes later. Yet somehow doesn't feel out of character... Just nuanced.
Askeladd is waiting for the return of King Arthur. But he has grown old and he is tired of waiting so he wants to make a perfect king. A worthy King to follow.
*SPOILER* Damn he revealed his true heritage to Thors who he had never met before, a whole decade before he made it offical. He was dead serious too when he told Thors to become their leader as he was tired of waiting for Artorius to finally return. He Wanted to follow a true king and i guess Thors fit perfect. This show truly is a Masterpiece and underrated. In the future this will be one of the best series ever. I am glad i was a day one watcher of The anime and lived while it aired. Wow.
Vinland saga used to be one of those masterpieces manga that are overlooked but now I'm glad it gets more recognition. I just hope other masterpiece manga gets the same treatment as well.
I live inside your house yeah. Mangas like vinland saga, berserk and Kingdom are amongst the bestsellers and highest respected mangas. However historical mangas usually have bad adaptations. I mean Kingdoms anime adaptation was just hidious. I’m glad Wit studio succeeded with this adaptation. (I guess they had to since Vinland saga is going to be their next money maker after Attack on titan ends)
@@abcbcacba Really hope we gets to sees vagabond, kingdom and 20th century boys anime. This manga are all very successful but no one tries to do anything about it. Well kingdom and 20th century boys does have a live action but they're mediocre.
8:54 I love askeladd’s facial expression here. He knows he’s killing a good man and is genuinely unhappy with it. Almost like he is forcing himself to despise Thors
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”Jesus christ died on the cross and was resurrected after 3 days, when you accept him as your lord and savior and have faith in him and keep God's commandments you will be saved. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding
I like how entered the duel as "son of Olaf", but later accepted the fact that he lost and withdrew his troops in the name of his ancestor Artorius, whom he truly respected. He started taking Thors seriously and respected him.
SPOILER DO NOT, I REPEAT, NOT CONTINUE READING THIS IF YOU HAVENT READ THE MANGA with that out of the way... Yeah it was pretty touching how in one of Thorfinn's visions when he thinks he's in ''Valhalla'', Askeladd just sits there on top of a pillar and welcomes him. Not only that, how he stopped that Spear guy without violence, using the same trick as Askeladd did on Thorfinn. And his image appeared behind thorfinn. Never thought I'd miss this guy so much, Askeladd is and will always remain one of my most favourite anime characters to have ever existed
Zero Z obito is so bad written lol, he is one of the dumbest character I have seen, the way he gets manipulated. Itachi though is incredibly badass, more than any characters, and he also had a lot of potential.. they just didn’t use it, idk I feel like this character should have been much more things. And yeah askelaad is the GOAT, he is perfectly written, idk if you could do better
Zero Z and I disagree with your opinion ;) you have the right to think like that, I am just exposing why I think you shouldn’t, why in my opinion, it is a bad opinion ;). But anyway I wasn’t trying to offend you, just discuss
Whether he actually believed he was Arthur returned, or if he was just shocked by such stoic dignity in a Dane I'm not sure - but something about Thors definitely moved him.
It's interesting how Askelad actually has some interest of thors. Being in recent ep he dislikes nords being savage animals because of their sense of constant ravaging of pride of a warrior to get to Valhalla. But for thors, he never displayed that sense against askelad. Yet thors stood tall as a true warrior knowing he was going to die and wanted askelad to keep his vow which he did. Warriors dont need swords to become one.
After watching last eps, I can discover More from the begginings ones, love this anime. For Example When askelad asked him to become his leader, he wasnt thinking in his band, he was thinking in his revolution.
Notice how Askeladd at the end says he swears on his ancestors name artorius (his true heritage, and a hint to his background) instead of his father’s to honor his promise with Thor at the end. Considering how he’s been keeping it a secret from his men, he must really respect Thor
@trandmain There's also the possibility that, being a bunch of scandinavian mercenaries without formal education and likely growing up in small villages, they probably didn't have knowledge of the history of an island on the other side of the continent, not to mention history reaching 8 centuries into the past.
I actually think he wanted Thor’s to lead them. When Bjorne interfered, you could see he wasn’t happy about it. But he saw it as an opportunity to claim victory. In the series you could see that askelad fell in love with thors. In several occasions his memory goes back to when he fought Thor’s. Also we know that askelad was looking to serve the next person he felt worthy of serving.
A little trivia for you. The name "Askeladd" is taken from an ancient Norwegian fairy tale about a boy named Espen "Askeladd", meaning quite literally "ash lad" or "a boy of ash", a name his two brothers Per and Pål gave to him because all he did was "sit by the fireplace, digging in the ash" while they were out hunting and foraging. There are several tales starring him and his adventures, the most prominent being his discovery of a giant troll living in a mountain nearby. In that tale, Espen Askeladd challenged the troll to an eating contest for his life and tricked the troll into cutting open his own stomach and, soon as the giant was dead, Espen stole all his gold and treasure and returned home, rich as a king. The tales sometimes have different characters and usually serve as an inspirational tale for discovery and adventure and that using your head is much more than brute strength and his nickname has become synonymous with trickery and deception in Norway. Askeladd's battle with Thors, who was known as the Troll of Jom, seems to me to be a direct reference to the tale mentioned above.
What I love about this scene is that Askeladd realizes that Thors is trying to break his sword, so he decides to turn that around on Thors, by allowing him to strike his armor, gambling on the sword breaking instead of killing him... just to find out that this was Thors' intention all along. It's a great way to show (not tell) that Thors was literaly 2 steps ahead of Askeladd. Outwitting Askeladd is no small feat either, dude's as cunning as a fox, but Thors understanding of strategy is far beyond even Askeladd's reaches.
@@nexuswolf780 I'm talking about Thors intending for Askeladd to open up his torso and Thors thus breaking his own sword as part of the ruse that makes him defeat Askeladd. Askeladd does remark on it after the fact, but that doesn't negate the "show, don't tell" aspect. The opposite of a "show, don't tell" would be if Askeladd merely flat out said: "Thors is always two steps ahead" and that's it.
@@h.a.9880 it's a show and a tell, Askeladd doesn't remark on it, he fully explains it. And he basically does say that Thors is two steps ahead. "Wow what a guy, I Fell for his trap. Etc"
The tone in Askeladds voice when he says "He was a man who was worth more than a hundred bratty kids like you" feels like there is genuine undertone of sadness and regret. Killing the one man that was probably the closest he ever saw to the promised hero that his mother told him about.
He really did not want to kill him. You even see that, episodes later, when he was somewhere in Britain, he thought about Thor for a split second, about following someone noble and righteous.
Askeladd hated the Norse and glorification of violence. Thors was the first Norseman he met that repudiated violence and even went so far as to throw away his weapon and sacrifice his life to protect those he cared about, which clearly struck a chord with Askeladd. So some snot-nosed Norse brat charging him and risking ruining that sacrifice for a cheap shot at revenge pissed Askeladd off like nothing else.
@@ResultsHazy not only the first, but literally the strongest. He was and still could have been the bloodiest warrior out there, something the other Vikings could only dream of being. Yet he abandoned that path. Askeladd knew he’d never meet someone better
Zero Z no, in that episode when he confronts the ennemies standing in front of his men and son , he thinks about the situation and said that he would have no problem fighting Askelaad and his men alone but he wouldn’t be able to fully protect his son. So if Thorfinn wouldnt have been there, Thors would still be alive 🤧
Micheal93k True I forgot about that but like hes op af, he could have used one of the soldiers as a shield or simply just dive in the water. Thors could even throw a fricking sword at the archers. We have seen Thors in a similar situation at episode 1 lol .
No, Askleladd saw Canute as a king and true warrior, someone who fights with words so there isn't a need for battle/draw swords. Askeladd only admired Thors, he never saw him as a king. You have to remember at this point Askeladd is tired and looking to pass off his role, so he could die with the knowledge that he tried. He would never follow Thors, though the anime doesn't really make that clear.
Thors: "A true warrior doesn't need a sword" Thorfinn:*uses knives* Thors: "You weren't supposed to do that..." EDIT: Don't read the replies, they are full with spoilers that I luckily haven't read.
In a market that's saturated with heroes that effortlessly one shot every challenge they face, this fight where two men have to actually put in effort to win in life or death battle is an unbelievably fresh breath of air.
I sure am glad to see an anime accurately depicting how fragile swords are. Most anime have swords you'd think are made of adamantium. Swords break quite easily if you abuse them and if not they sure lose their edge quickly if you keep hitting steel or stone.
I love how much more meaning this scene gets in retrospect. Even askelaad asking Thors why he thinks he’s the leader makes more sense when you realize askelaad doesn’t want to be one of them.
I love how the line "a true warrior doesn't need a sword" also fits with the philosophy of The Art of War, because Sun Tzu believes that a general must resort to violence as the last resort. Thors was forced to resort to violence because he has no choice, but he believes that there is always another option that's why he thinks he's incomplete as a true warrior. Peace is always an option.
This scene has so much more impact when you rewatch it after seeing the whole show. Seeing how amazing Askeladd is first hand makes you realize how much of a monster Thors is in this scene.
In japan there is a legend of a mighty warrior who died just like that. His name was Saito Musashibo Benkei, said to be the greatest samurai of his time and he defeated an army of 1000 warriors by himself before succumbing to his injuries and died standing tall, with arrows littering his whole body.
"A True Warrior, Needs No Blade." "You Have No Enemies. No One In The World Is Your Enemy. There Is No One You Need To Hurt." After reading that in the Manga, I felt a spiritual awakening of some kind. Now, at first you'd just think Thors would be saying that because a True Warrior would be able to take down lots of warriors, or everyone without needing a blade. But upon reading that for the first time, I immediately interpreted his line as this: A True Warrior fights for peace. Any warrior can say they do, but a True Warrior doesn't kill others in the name of peace, he fights for peace with peace itself. Violence is not the first answer for every situation, nor is killing them. Thors see's a True Warrior as someone who avoids the lust for blood and violence for the sake of peace. They understand the pain one goes through after causing so much death, and how little they gain from it. He realized that killing in the name of "Peace" only brings more war. A True Warrior doesn't exactly have enemies in the world, and Thors realized this after killing several people without an actual reason besides "Honor and Glory". He realized that there are other reasons to live and fight for, not just senseless killing and preaching it's for Honor or Glory or even Peace. After naming Ylva, he realized that fighting for ones you loved most is a much more beautiful reason, as it does not necessarily need you to harm people. Keeping those you loved safe without needing to fight can be called "Cowardice", but Thors realized it didn't really matter. Honor or not, if those he loved were to die, what would Thors actually be able to fight for? I like to think that's why he found killing pointless. He understood what the other side may feel if he happened to kill the ones they loved. People follow by example. If one were to fight wars without a blade, nor killing people and become victorious, would a follower not want to be as strong willed and capable, as well as feeling more inclined to the ideals/beliefs from said Warrior? This can probably be interpreted as something else, but this is my view of it. Now when Askeladd asked if Thors wanted to be their leader, I feel like he actually meant it. After learning his backstory, it becomes more apparent that Askeladd went down his own path of redemption and realized how little of a "True Warrior" he could be when compared to his Ancestors. Although he didn't stray from the path of killing, he knew what a True Warrior was. Perhaps upon seeing how Thors is strong, but as well as kindhearted despite the odds, it takes not only a strong will and strength to be such a Warrior, but that he was simply fighting to protect what he loved. Later in the story, Askeladd talks about how he wanted to protect his home from the King. Even if it's years later, him meeting Thors was probably the reason why he did something that seemed a bit uncharacteristic in the end of his life. I thought he was just a scumbag, but even I understood why he killed the King. He just didn't want them to wage war on his home that he loved. He even states that Thors was more valuable than even 100 of brats like Ari at the time. He respected and maybe even saw Thors vision of what a True Warrior is, since he too saw it once, but never followed that path only. This is my main reason why Vinland Saga and Vagabond are undoubtedly amazing pieces of media in my eyes. They don't have twists and turns like some stories or Dragonball explosive fights/hype building, but it sends a simple message about what it means to be Human through beautiful drawings. That in itself is something a lot of people tend to forget. Anyways, it's a great show and manga. Definitely give it a shot, as well as Vagabond.
Looking back now you can tell in these scenes that thorrs is the only one askeladd has any sliver of respect for. The face he has when bjorn takes thorfinn hostage says it all
I like how subtle movements in their face implies that they acknowledge each other as a respectable and honorable person. Its noticeable how Thors kinda gave Askeladd the sign that he's gonna give his life in exchange for the withdrawal of his troops. Due to war experience; he probably already knew about the archers. Askeladd acknowledges this deal with great respect and instead of swearing by his father's name, he swears by Artorious' name. Amazing detail holy crapioli. (idk if im overthinking this but in 2:08, the scene kinda looks like Askeladd doesnt care about his crew's cheers. strongly suggesting that Askeladd hates his crew and is actually serious about a battle for once. i mean he actually hated them but still.)
After watching the latest episode 22, These two scenes 5:19 and 8:00 finally make sense. I was confused when i first read this. These too, are actually Asheladd's truest words of himself.
@@vicount3944I had berserk in my watch list for 2 years now so I'll check it out and I don't think i have ever heard of vagabond or kingdom so I'll give them a try to......now anime wise what do you recommend....I watch all the mainstream ones but I hold these anime high: Aot, Vinland Saga, Death note, Promised Netherland, Hxh, Dr Stone, Monster, (and to an extent Naruto and Mha)....From this list can you recommend me something that is like any of these and extremely good
Crazy looking back and seeing askelad look younger now. This show is incredible each episode I watch I just feel the deeper meanings in little moments that I can tell I just wont understand until later
After seeing the ending of season 1, and knowing Askeladd killed an entire room of kings guard while laughing and goofing off, watching Thor's absolutely body him is damn impressive considering he wasnt even trying to kill him.
After watching the rest of the series, you now know that at 5:17 Askellad thinks that Thors is the reincarnation of Artorius/King Arthur as he has returned from Avalon, and wants to uphold the promise he gave his mother, as he now does with Canute.
In the Vinland Saga universe, Thors is the strongest character. Get a lot of respect from his friends or enemies, including Askellad, especially Thorkell, another super human character, yet the author KILLED Thors in the beginning episode!! That's some bold move and I appreciate it even more because his death gives a major impact for the story.
If people notice when thors died the ost played was the same one that played when thorfinn swears off violence in season 2 Honestly how symbolic,This anime is a masterpiece which doesn't get deserving attention
And Thors just trying to outfight Askeladd into submission he was not trying to kill him, but imagine if they fought before, when Thors still in the JOMSVIKINGS, prolly the battle will be over in a minute and askelladd's dead lol
