Vinland Saga Season 2

After his father's death and the destruction of his village at the hands of English raiders, Einar wishes for a peaceful life with his family on their newly rebuilt farms. However, fate has other plans: his village is invaded once again. Einar watches helplessly as the marauding Danes burn his lands and slaughter his family. The invaders capture Einar and take him back to Denmark as a slave.

Einar clings to his mother's final words to survive. He is purchased by Ketil, a kind slave owner and landlord who promises that Einar can regain his freedom in return for working in the fields. Soon, Einar encounters his new partner in farm cultivation—Thorfinn, a dejected and melancholic slave. As Einar and Thorfinn work together toward their freedom, they are haunted by both sins of the past and the ploys of the present. Yet they carry on, grasping for a glimmer of hope, redemption, and peace in a world that is nothing but unjust and unforgiving.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Thorfinn Main

Uemura, Yuuto Japanese

Einar Main

Takeuchi, Shunsuke Japanese

Askeladd Supporting

Uchida, Naoya Japanese

Thorkell Supporting

Ootsuka, Akio Japanese

Canute Supporting

Ono, Kensho Japanese

Thors Supporting

Matsuda, Kenichirou Japanese

Snake Supporting

Komatsu, Fuminori Japanese

Ylva Supporting

Nabatame, Hitomi Japanese

Erikson, Leif Supporting

Ueda, Youji Japanese

Arnheid Supporting

Saco, Mayumi Japanese

Fujiyama, Naokado Producer

Ootsuka, Manabu Producer

Matsumoto, Hitoshi Producer

Hasegawa, Hiroya Producer, Production Manager

Reviews

May 30, 2025

NegativeMan007

Recommended

If Season 1 was about the cycle of violence, Season 2 is about breaking it. Gone are the chaotic Viking raids and brutal battlefield duels — instead, we find ourselves on a quiet farm, watching a broken Thorfinn live as a slave.
Yep, you heard that right: the once rage-fueled warrior is now tilling soil and reflecting on the blood-soaked path that brought him here.
Season 2 shifts genres entirely. It’s no longer an action-drama with political intrigue; it’s a philosophical character study. The show trades swords for shovels and replaces war cries with existential dread — and somehow, it works even better.

Season 1’s central theme was ... the destructive nature of revenge. Season 2 builds on that and asks a deeper, more unsettling question: What’s left when revenge no longer drives you?
Thorfinn is at rock bottom. He’s traumatized, guilt-ridden, and emotionally vacant. His arc this season is about rediscovering his humanity — through hardship, reflection, and a deeply unlikely friendship with Einar, a fellow slave who’s just trying to survive.
Their relationship is the emotional core of the season. Einar is an outsider to violence, and his horror at Thorfinn’s past forces Thorfinn to confront the monstrous things he once justified. It’s a slow, painful healing process, and the show doesn’t rush it.
There’s a powerful thread of nonviolence running through the entire season. The idea that strength comes not from domination but from endurance, empathy, and forgiveness. It’s surprisingly profound — almost Tolstoyan — in its messaging.
Also worth mentioning: Canute’s story runs in parallel, and while it’s more plot-heavy and political, it complements Thorfinn’s arc well. Canute, once timid and idealistic, is now a hardened king making morally gray decisions for the "greater good." He and Thorfinn are on opposite trajectories — one rising to power, the other falling into humility — but both are shaped by trauma and haunted by their pasts.

This is Thorfinn’s season through and through. But Einar steals the spotlight in a lot of ways — he’s grounded, relatable, and refreshingly normal in a cast of warriors and kings. His presence humanizes the story.
Other notable characters: Arnheid: Her subplot is heartbreaking and underscores how the cruelty of the slave system crushes hope. Ketil: A "master" who wants to believe he’s kind, but whose moral cowardice becomes dangerous. Snake: A stoic, intriguing side character who blurs the lines between duty and personal code.
And of course, Canute. His Machiavellian turn is one of the most interesting things in the show — he’s not evil, but he’s certainly not innocent. He believes in peace, but enforces it through fear. A sharp contrast to Thorfinn’s passive philosophy.

MAPPA took over from Wit Studio, and while the tone of the season didn’t demand flashy animation, they delivered where it mattered. The action is sparse but deliberate, and the facial expressions, body language, and atmospheric backgrounds are on point.
There are moments — quiet conversations under overcast skies, wind rustling through wheat fields, long silences — that hit emotionally because of how restrained and beautifully directed they are. The pacing might feel slow to some, but it’s all in service of the tone.
Also, shoutout to the "punch dream" scene — one of the best portrayals of internal transformation I’ve ever seen in anime. Visually poetic.

The soundtrack is somber and ambient, much like the season itself. It knows when to step back and let the silence do the work — and when to lean in with emotional force.
The opening theme (“River” by Anonymouz) is melancholy but hopeful, setting the tone for Thorfinn’s journey toward redemption. The ending themes are equally restrained and reflective.
It's not flashy, but it resonates.

Let’s be clear — this season is slow. Like, deliberately slow. It’s about emotional growth, so the narrative takes its time. There are no major battles until near the end, and even then, they’re less about who wins and more about what it costs.
If you go in expecting another action-heavy Viking saga, you might be disappointed. But if you appreciate long-form character development and meditative storytelling, Season 2 is incredibly rewarding.

Vinland Saga Season 2 is a bold shift in direction — from blood and steel to soil and soul. It's not just a sequel; it's a deconstruction of everything the first season set up. It trades vengeance for forgiveness, conquest for cultivation, and action for introspection.
And somehow, it's even better for it.
This isn’t a season you watch for thrills. It’s a season you live through — much like its protagonist. A quiet, powerful masterclass in storytelling.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jan 11, 2025

aljaz

Mixed Feelings

I have the same feeling I had with manga. It is Vinland Saga, there is a lot to love. But pacing is way too slow, or what I felt with manga at this point is that it stumbles around a lot. There are a lot of very interesting parts and scenes, but there was also a few somewhat pointless sidestories and uninteresting dilemas.
At most I see it as an achievement, author managed to turn a war tale into something pacifistic, yet still somewhat interesting.
Also, I simply don't like first opening and ending. They are not bad, but S1 had many bangers and compared to them, ... they are just plain. Also, I dislike how loud piano tends to be in emotional moments. I am trying to feel the scene, but instead I feel piano is the most pronounced (and annoying) part of many sad scenes.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Apr 22, 2025

sk8erbyern

Not Recommended

Funny

I gave this a 4 because of the presentation. Music is beautiful, directing and voice acting are very well done. The story and the dialogue tho, utter trash unfortunately. It is way too obnoxious and childish. We are watching these shows with ENG sub so maybe we are losing some context lost in translation but that's ultimately what I can comment on. It's already way too common for shonen anime dialogue to be nonsensical crap (my fav. show is Code Geass btw, it's not like I am a hater) but there should be something else to make the viewers suffer through that crap. Vinland S2 ... didn't have that. The message it is trying to convey is trash but this is further amplified thanks to the fact that the delivery (dialogue) is also trash. Stupid chain of events we call "the story" does not help either.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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