Vinland Saga (manga)

Vinland Saga (Japanese: ヴィンランド・サガ, Hepburn: Vinrando Saga) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura. The series is published by Kodansha, and was first serialized in the boys-targeted manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from April to October 2005 before moving to Monthly Afternoon, aimed at young adult men, where it ran from December 2005 to July 2025, with its chapters collected in 29 tankōbon volumes. Vinland Saga has been licensed for English-language publication by Kodansha USA. The series is a dramatization of the story of the Icelandic explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni and his expedition to find Vinland. The story covers Thorfinn's fictional counterpart's transition from a bloodthirsty, revenge-filled teenager to a pacifistic young man.

Inspired by the King of Norway, Olaf Tryggvasson, Yukimura decided to write Vinland Saga as a story about slavery. However, Yukimura's editor was against the original idea of Thorfinn being a slave, so the character was changed to a Viking. The author agreed because he wanted Thorfinn to understand the tragedy he caused as a Viking in later parts of the story. Yukimura projected his feelings during the Cold War and the September 11 attacks onto Thorfinn's character. Thorfinn is traumatized by his actions as a warrior and decides to find Vinland, a place where people of different races can live together peacefully.

By August 2022, Vinland Saga had over 7 million copies in circulation. The series won the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival's Grand Prize in 2009 and the 36th Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga in 2012. A 24-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Wit Studio aired from July to December 2019. A second season produced by MAPPA aired from January to June 2023. The manga has been critically acclaimed, with praise given to the story, art, characters, themes, and setting.