TV Anime (24 Eps)

Wit Studio

NHK

Adventure

Action

Summer 2019

 

Vinland Saga

Vinland Saga follows the journey of the young viking Thorfinn, who is orphaned after his father is assassinated. Taking refuge with those very same assassins, Thorfinn's childhood takes place on various battlefields and warships, consumed only by thoughts of revenge. As he learns the world isn't as black and white as he once thought, Thorfinn may one day grow to be a man as strong as his father and discover a new fabled land that will lead his people to prosperity.

OP: MUKANJYO by Survive Said The Prophet

ED: Torches by Aimer

OP 2: Dark Crow by Man with a Mission

ED 2: Drown by milet

Availability: English Dub by Sentai Filmworks
English Dub by VSI Los Angeles

1.	Somewhere Not Here	2019.07.07
Thors Snorrensson grows weary of his life as a warrior. During a great naval battle between the Jomsvikings and Jarls, he seizes the opportunity to abandon his position and disappear. Fifteen years later, he leads a quiet life with his family in Iceland. Yearning for a life beyond their village's shores, his son Thorfinn is captivated by the tales of the accomplished adventurer Leif Erikson in his journey to a far away land called Vinland.

2.	Sword	2019.07.07
In Danelaw within viking occupied England, war has broken out once again. Denmark's King Sweyn has sent his retainers out in force to gather warriors in preparation for his spring invasion. When a Jomsviking warship docks in the village, Thors knows his fifteen years of peace are about to come to a close. His old friend Floki greets him as the legendary Troll of Jom and calls upon him to participate in the attack on the English so that he may return to the battlefield with honor and spare the village punishment for his past crimes. The village is in celebration over the upcoming invasion though only Thors understands what is really in store for them. In a secret meeting, Floki strikes a deal with the mercenary Askeladd to punish Thors for his desertion from the Jomsvikings.

3.	Troll	2019.07.07
Thors departs with only five men from the village aboard their warship. Leif accompanies them with his boat as part of Thors' plan to return those men home safely. His plan is interrupted during the voyage when he discovers that Thorfinn has stowed away on their ship. They arrive on the Faroe Islands located between Iceland and Norway to resupply and are met by Askeladd and his mercenary band. Knowing Thors is more than just the washed up old warrior that Floki described, Askeladd is taking no chances when he springs his trap.

4.	A True Warrior	2019.07.28
Finding themselves trapped in the narrow channel, Thors has no choice but to fight Askeladd's men. Armed with nothing but his fists, he defeats them all, including the mighty berserker Bjorn. Despite how ineffective his underlings were, Askeladd is a skilled fighter and manages to strike a shallow blow but ultimately even he is no match for Thors. During the duel, Bjorn takes Thorfinn hostage, leaving Thors no choice but to surrender. Askeladd admits Thors was the greatest warrior among them and promises to return his men safely to Iceland, as he gives the command to his archers to kill the Troll of Jom. As they sail away, Askeladd and his crew discover Thorfinn has stowed away on their ship and are taken aback when he declares that he is going to kill them all.

5.	The Troll's Son	2019.08.04
Askeladd's band arrives in England with Thorfinn following at a distance like a stray dog, hungry and thirsty. When he sneaks into their camp at night, he attempts to slay Askeladd in his sleep but decides he can't do something so cowardly. The next morning, Thorfinn challenges him to a duel and is easily toyed with by the viking warrior. Realizing how weak he is compared to them, Thorfinn chooses to use his knife instead of the unwieldy longsword. When he is defeated a second time, Askeladd promises Thorfinn that if he achieves greatness on a battlefield, he will reward him with a final duel.

6.	The Journey Begins	2019.08.11
As more Danes arrive in preparation for the springtime invasion, Askeladd's band begins pillaging nearby villages for spoils. In retaliation, the English attack the viking camp in a night raid. Thorfinn is attacked by his first real opponent and manages to kill him with his dagger. After this trial by fire, Thorfinn spends the next years following Askeladd from one battlefield to the next, eventually growing into a formidable warrior.

7.	Normanni	2019.08.18
After years of relentless attacks, King Sweyn decides to rest his army for the winter. Looking for opportunities elsewhere, Askeladd and his men sail for France where they encounter a Norman lord seiging a castle. Thorfinn is sent as an envoy to offer their services for half of the spoils, though he grows more disgruntled that his promise of a duel hasn't been honored. As morning breaks, Askeladd's men appear on the battlefield. Having carried their ships over land, they cross the moat with ease and loot the entire castle before the Normans discover what has happened. For Thorfinn's part in felling the castle's commander, Askeladd agrees to give him another duel after they escape the angry Norman army.

8.	Beyond The Edge of The Sea	2019.08.25
Taking a rest in Gorm's village in Jutland, Askeladd finally honors their duel. Though Thorfinn has grown much as a warrior, Askeladd easily gets the better of his temper by pretending to forget about Thors. Askeladd spares him once again, knowing he can't dispose of such a valuable resource that will continue to follow along until he's had his revenge. The Danish invasion resumes that spring and Askeladd's band returns to England. Their journey north meets with little resistance until they reach the fortified city of London.

9.	The Battle of London Bridge	2019.09.01
At the battle of London Bridge, Thorfinn is tasked with killing Thorkell, a viking who chose to side with the English. Not motivated by riches or fame, Thorkell only seeks a stronger opponent and single handedly helps the weaker English army hold the vikings at bay. Even unarmed, Thorkell is too strong for Thorfinn's reckless attack and Askeladd sails away thinking he has lost a valuable asset. King Sweyn similarly abandons his attack and leaves his son Prince Canute in charge of capturing London.

10.	Ragnarok	2019.09.15
Askeladd's camp becomes more restless over a disappointing year in pillaging but when he learns that Thorkell has broken though the siege and captured Canute, he realizes that his ship has really come in. Taking his army on the move once again, he intends to ambush Thorkell and sell Canute to the highest bidder.

11.	A Gamble	2019.09.22
When they catch up to Thorkell, he strangely releases his prisoners while goading them on. Askeladd executes his plan by starting the forest on fire, allowing Thorfinn to rescue Canute in the confusion. Even stranger, Thorkell doesn't put up much of a fight since he also intends to travel to King Sweyn's camp.

12.	The Land on The Far Bank	2019.09.29
Askeladd leads his band into Wales where he is met by commander Gratianus of the Morgannwg Kingdom. He allows them to travel through Wales in an effort to preserve their non-agression pact with the Danes and to curry favor with Canute when he eventually becomes King. On their uneventful march through the countryside, they are met with messengers from Brycheiniog who lead them straight into a roadside ambush.

13.	Child of a Hero	2019.10.06
Their ambusher is Asser of Brycheiniog who intends to use Prince Canute as leverage against the Danes who have repeatedly broken the non-agression pact with Wales in the past. Seeing no other choice, Askeladd reveals that he is the son of Lydia, a captured Welsh noblewoman, and through her is a direct descendant of the legendary hero King Artorius. As such, he has never been loyal to the Danes and is only interested in controlling Canute to keep Wales safe.

14.	The Light of Dawn	2019.10.13
Askeladd's band is caught in a snowstorm while passing though Mercia. They locate and seize a small village to secure their shelter and food. Knowing there isn't enough food for everyone and that any released captives will alert the area to their presence, Askeladd orders his men to kill all of the villagers. The slaughter is witnessed by the village's lone survivor, a young woman who was praying for forgiveness over a ring she had stolen from the town market.

15.	After Yule	2019.10.20
Thorkell reaches Gloucester only to be disappointed in learning that the English nobles intend to make peace with the Danes by accepting their rule. Morale in Askeladd's camp deteriorates when a English troops are encountered nearby. Ragnar is sent out with the counter force but is betrayed when he realizes the earlier skirmish was just a ruse to lure him out. Mortally wounded, he calls for Askeladd and reveals that the Danish court is split between choosing Canute and his brother Harald for the throne. King Sweyn simply decided to remove one of the princes by bringing Canute to war, intending for him to die in battle. With his dying breath, Ragnar begs Askeladd to keep Prince Canute safe and to help him grow into a stronger man.

16.	History of Beasts	2019.10.27
Alerted by the sole survivor, Thorkell nears the village with an English army. Many of Askeladd's men believe that his luck has finally run out and attempt to defect but are cut down by Thorkell for their cowardice. Though he successfully crosses the nearby river and destroys the bridge, Thorkell's relentless taunts from the opposite bank eventually lead Askeladd's men into a total mutiny.

17.	Servant	2019.11.03
Askeladd attacks his former allies as Bjorn and Thorfinn escape on a sled with Prince Canute and the priest. The sled is eventually overtaken and Prince Canute is captured by the mutineers. Feeling left out, Thorkell crosses the river and orders his men to kill everyone except Askeladd. Thorfinn returns on horseback just in time to duel Thorkell over Askeladd.

18.	Out of The Cradle	2019.11.17
Thorfinn attacks with surprising caution but is unable to penetrate Thorkell's chain armor with his dagger. At the sled, Prince Canute awakens to find Bjorn fighting off the mutineers in a berserker rage. Thorkell continues to reveal his relationship with Thors and asks Thorfinn what it is to be a true warrior. At the same time, the drunken priest asks Prince Canute what love is. For the first time, Canute stands on his own and ends the fight between Bjorn and the mutineer Atli. With his first two vassals following, Prince Canute departs for Thorfinn and the others.

19.	United Front	2019.11.24
Thorkell has had so much fun he decides to tell Thorfinn about Thors while allowing him to recover. He reveals that he is the brother of Sigvaldi, leader of the Jomsvikings. After fighting together for many years, Sigvaldi gave his daughter Helga to Thors, making Thorkell a great-uncle to Thorfinn. After Thors had faked his disappearance from the Jomsvikings, Thorkell had encountered him by chance when he returned for Helga to escape together. He couldn't understand why Thors would leave and wants to know what kind of life he led in Iceland. Prince Canute arrives to put an end to their duel by declaring that he will march against King Sweyn's army with Askeladd and Thorkell following him.

20.	Crown	2019.12.01
Prince Canute confronts Floki's army to gain safe passage to King Sweyn. Though they detect an ambush, Prince Canute and King Sweyn discuss the nature of the crown. King Sweyn ran his own father out of the country and believes that the crown demands a King use his rule to increase his power. Since the crown would never choose a weakling like Canute, it demands that he dies. Knowing the King is a slave to the crown as much as he commands it, Askeladd secures the day's peace by reminding him of Prince Canute's victory in capturing London.

21.	Reunion	2019.12.08
While traveling on a river in York, Prince Canute is shot by an assassin's arrow. Though the victim was merely a decoy put in place by Askeladd, Thorfinn succeeds in killing the assassin. As he sheathes his dagger, he is greeted by the familiar face of Leif Erikson. Their reunion is not the joyous one he had hoped for as Thorfinn refuses to return to Iceland without avenging his father. Thorfinn demands his final duel with Askeladd and Prince Canute agrees to officiate. Askeladd accepts but has to settle another matter with the mortally wounded Bjorn first. The two fight for the last time and Askeladd bids his only friend farewell.

22.	Lone Wolf	2019.12.15
Thorfinn can see Askeladd's demeanor is different from their other duels. Askeladd throws his sword away and begins to taunt him, provoking Thorfinn into a blind rage. Disappointed that he never learned to control his anger after all these years, Askeladd begins a tale about how to kill someone that you hate. The first man he ever killed was his own father, who named him Askeladd (covered in ash) due to his chores at the blacksmith. As the son of a captured Welsh slave, he grew up on tales about King Artorius and his promised return to expel the invaders from their homeland. When his mother finally succumbed to ill treatment, Askeladd resolved to get close enough to his father to enact his revenge. At present, Askeladd reveals he has only been using these "duels" as a tool for keeping Thorfinn around.

23.	Miscalculation	2019.12.22
When King Sweyn announces their next goal will be Ireland, Askeladd believes his plan to use Prince Canute is working perfectly. Everything crashes around him when the King declares they will first attack Wales because of their continued resistance. Delusional from his wounds, Thorfinn is thrown in prison after starting a fight. Leif visits him in prison and begs for him to return home and suggests that they could travel together to the paradise of Vinland. He reminds Thorfinn that Thors came to Iceland to escape from war and that if he were alive, he would want to go to Vinland also.

24.	End of the Prologue	2019.12.29
King Sweyn calls Askeladd forward and reveals that he knows his intentions and asks him to choose between Prince Canute and Wales. Askeladd draws his sword and gives his true name as Lucius Artorius Castus, the legitimate King who deserves to rule Britain, and beheads King Sweyn. Prince Canute reluctantly orders the guards to avenge the King and ends Askeladd's suffering by delivering the finishing blow himself. Thorfinn arrives just in time to witness Askeladd take his final breaths, distressed that he will never take his revenge. Askeladd asks Thorfinn how he plans on living his life and tells him to go beyond the world that Thors lived and become a real warrior. Canute then picks up his father's crown and sits on the throne as King.

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