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ヴィンランド・サガ [Vinland Saga] #5-6
Vinland Saga Omnibus, Vol. 3
In a gambit to become the power behind the Danish and English thrones, Askeladd has taken the prince, Canute, and plunged deep into a winter storm behind enemy lines. Canute's father, King Sweyn, gives him up for dead in his haste to suppress English resistance. But Askeladd's small band can't outrun the tenacious maniac Thorkell forever, and when the warriors finally clash, a storm of sweat and gore ensues that will turn a boy into a man and a hostage into a ruler of men!
"Gripping doesn’t begin to describe Vinland Saga. 5 stars.” – ICv2
"Deeply engrossing… If you have any interest at all in Vikings, the Medieval period, or pirates, this is not a series you want to miss.” – Anime News Network
"For those who love Berserk, you’ll love this too... Worth the long wait." – A Case Suitable for Treatment
From the acclaimed author of Planetes
"Gripping doesn’t begin to describe Vinland Saga. 5 stars.” – ICv2
"Deeply engrossing… If you have any interest at all in Vikings, the Medieval period, or pirates, this is not a series you want to miss.” – Anime News Network
"For those who love Berserk, you’ll love this too... Worth the long wait." – A Case Suitable for Treatment
From the acclaimed author of Planetes
450 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 29, 2014
189 people are currently reading
921 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 295 reviews
March 31, 2025
What the Hell is Askeladd up to? Deep into winter , slow flurries about almost as much as mayhem =, massacres and the ever threatening Thorkell and his renegades. As for Thorfinn he has happy to stick with his commission as long as he's close to Askeladd with duelling opportunities! I feel these two volumes dropped the nuanced and clever references and story building present in the first two volumes, and sacrificed them for (clever) pure storytelling, still good, but not as good as the openers, one thing I have no doubt I am going to see this one through to the end, especially as Askeladd's true goal has now been revealed! Three Star, 7 out of 12 read.
2025 read
2025 read
October 13, 2025
Shaping up to be one of the most intriguing, unique stories I have read.
August 18, 2024
3.75/5
The fight scene between Thorfinn and Thorkell was the highlight of this volume.
The fight scene between Thorfinn and Thorkell was the highlight of this volume.
June 27, 2018
I knew this volume would be something special when a man punches a horse in mid-move and knocks it the fuck out.
So this volume is just a ton of backstabbing and betraying, but in the best way possible. On top of that we have a rematch we've been waiting for. Thorkell is hot on the trails of the band and he wants some blood. Thorfinn would gladly face off again and this time the match goes for a lot longer. Tons of "oh shit moments" and a lot of great fights. Deaths all around and this series starts to really pick up drive by the end.
Good: The art is damn amazing. The fights, small or big, have such power behind them you can't help but love it. The dialog ranges from sad to laughing out loud without losing itself to anime cliches. I also thought the ending sets up a whole new chapter in most of these character's life. Very interesting direction.
Bad: Some of the stuff with the prince was really boring.
Overall this was epic as all hell. I thought volume 2 was really good but this is finally great. A 4.5 out of 5.
So this volume is just a ton of backstabbing and betraying, but in the best way possible. On top of that we have a rematch we've been waiting for. Thorkell is hot on the trails of the band and he wants some blood. Thorfinn would gladly face off again and this time the match goes for a lot longer. Tons of "oh shit moments" and a lot of great fights. Deaths all around and this series starts to really pick up drive by the end.
Good: The art is damn amazing. The fights, small or big, have such power behind them you can't help but love it. The dialog ranges from sad to laughing out loud without losing itself to anime cliches. I also thought the ending sets up a whole new chapter in most of these character's life. Very interesting direction.
Bad: Some of the stuff with the prince was really boring.
Overall this was epic as all hell. I thought volume 2 was really good but this is finally great. A 4.5 out of 5.
May 11, 2020
If you like watching Game of Thrones or Vikings on television, then you need to read this awesome manga.
This volume is rare re-read for me as I remind myself of where I left off in the story and just how wonderful the series is. I started on it about five years ago, driving to a library 30 miles away to get the first three volumes. Last year I was able to order all the current volumes for one of the libraries where I work, but until coronavirus hit I did not have enough time to tackle these thick double-sized volumes. Four through eleven are now waiting on my shelf.
Set in England in 1013 when most of the country is occupied by invading Danes, this volume has the four main characters pitted against each other in bloody combat. Askeladd is the cunning strategist (and former pirate) who hopes to use a naive young hostage, Prince Canute, to take control of the throne. Giant warrior Thorkell the Tall hopes to steal Canute away for reasons that are secondary to the fact that he just loves fighting. Young Thorfinn Karlsefni is waiting for his chance to avenge his father's death at the hands of Askeladd and is willing go through Thorkell -- who is twice as tall -- if he gets in the way.
It's all based on real historical events and people, but dramatized in true manga fashion with a mix Fist of the North Star and Lone Wolf and Cub.
Great art, great action, great characters. Now for the new stuff!
This volume is rare re-read for me as I remind myself of where I left off in the story and just how wonderful the series is. I started on it about five years ago, driving to a library 30 miles away to get the first three volumes. Last year I was able to order all the current volumes for one of the libraries where I work, but until coronavirus hit I did not have enough time to tackle these thick double-sized volumes. Four through eleven are now waiting on my shelf.
Set in England in 1013 when most of the country is occupied by invading Danes, this volume has the four main characters pitted against each other in bloody combat. Askeladd is the cunning strategist (and former pirate) who hopes to use a naive young hostage, Prince Canute, to take control of the throne. Giant warrior Thorkell the Tall hopes to steal Canute away for reasons that are secondary to the fact that he just loves fighting. Young Thorfinn Karlsefni is waiting for his chance to avenge his father's death at the hands of Askeladd and is willing go through Thorkell -- who is twice as tall -- if he gets in the way.
It's all based on real historical events and people, but dramatized in true manga fashion with a mix Fist of the North Star and Lone Wolf and Cub.
Great art, great action, great characters. Now for the new stuff!
September 3, 2025
When I read The Bugle Call, tome 1 was inspired by Vinland Saga, I had to check it out. And now I can't stop. A huge Saga in every sense of the word. I am slow-burn falling in the love with the characters. The story covers Thorfinn, son of Thors, a Jom Viking of the Danes, and their conquest of Saxon Britain. Great use of history, Arthurian legends, and Viking details and maps. Every volume has depictions of horrific violence, this one in particular rides the line on what I can handle, but being in black and white somehow makes it more palatable and the focus is on the skill of the artist and the details. I felt the intensity of the Viking battles, and was so pleased to have that juxtaposed with the story of the Monk and his conversations with the Danish prince what is Love?. A simple question? Not a simple answer.
June 19, 2017
The exciting action-packed mnaga Vinland Saga continues with Volume Three.
Askelaard and Thorkell are racing to find and capture Prince Canute. We learn a great deal more about the motivations for all the main characters. This is an important volume in the story as we see Thorfinn learn about his father's history and Prince Cantue, losing a close friend, begins to grow into the leader he is supposed to be.
The action continues unabated in this volume. The artwork is top-notch. The historical setting is phenomenal. Makoto Yukimura does a great job of creating a typical Japanese manga story and setting it in 1000 AD England. Instead of Samurai we have Vikings. I also appreciate her slightly subversive take on how the women in these societies viewed all the killing- not as Vikings, but as mothers and sisters and daughters. Well done! Full of great action and superb fight scenes-this is a violent and graphic story. That's why I enjoyed it so much. Great series so far!
Askelaard and Thorkell are racing to find and capture Prince Canute. We learn a great deal more about the motivations for all the main characters. This is an important volume in the story as we see Thorfinn learn about his father's history and Prince Cantue, losing a close friend, begins to grow into the leader he is supposed to be.
The action continues unabated in this volume. The artwork is top-notch. The historical setting is phenomenal. Makoto Yukimura does a great job of creating a typical Japanese manga story and setting it in 1000 AD England. Instead of Samurai we have Vikings. I also appreciate her slightly subversive take on how the women in these societies viewed all the killing- not as Vikings, but as mothers and sisters and daughters. Well done! Full of great action and superb fight scenes-this is a violent and graphic story. That's why I enjoyed it so much. Great series so far!
August 10, 2022
This just gets fecking better
June 30, 2024
Z tomu na tom coraz lepsze!
March 22, 2024
An unexpected though promising arc for one specific character in particular has me rather intrigued.
August 22, 2021
It's funny everyone is fighting with lances and there is Thorkell literally swinging AN ENTIRE LOG around the battlefield.
June 1, 2025
Father... I no longer seek your salvation. If you will not give it to us, then we have no choice but to recreate paradise with our own hands!
4.5 stars. Still really loving my time with this reread. This volume had some of my favourite scenes, moments that were burned into my memory, even though I couldn't remember exactly how and when they took place. Askeladd saying fuck you to the Danes. Canute's introspection ahead of his 180. THORKELL PUNCHING A FUCKING HORSE TO DEATH. The flashback to Thors. T__T I really hope we keep getting Thors flashbacks; he's still my favourite character, and every time I see him I tear up. I really enjoy the direction that things are going now, and the larger part that Canute is going to play from now on. The relationship between him and Ragnar made me so emotional! And it devastates me that Askeladd will see no repercussions for what he did, just because it technically led to a good outcome (Canute coming into his own). But hey, I can still cross my fingers for what will happen in the future.
This volume especially impressed me with the art. No matter how hectic the fights and battles get, they're boarded really well, and I can always understand and follow along. And the art itself is just so beautiful. Often very violent and exaggerated, but still so good. And I love the facial expressions. Thorfinn is always making weirdo confused faces or murderous angry faces, and they're always pure gold.
I might end up taking a small break in the series while I wait for my library to get more copies, or who know, I might just buy them myself. This is just such a huge favourite.
July 24, 2023
This continues to improve, actually. The relationship between characters deepens, there’s some fun plot twists, the art has even improved, and it looked fantastic before. The only negatives is the weird tonal shifts, usually around one character who is the kind-of antagonist, a big beefy guy that I hoped would be a one off in earlier volumes. Even he has grown on me a bit more. But it’s still strange when humour is injected when it’s a pretty grim dark tale, generally. I don’t think it assists anything the story is going for, and is more of a holdover manga trope that wasn’t shirked.
September 27, 2024
Awesome battle's: check
Amazing character development : check
A lot of WTF moments : check
Emotionally gripping storytelling : check
I'm completely on the Vinland hype train !
Amazing character development : check
A lot of WTF moments : check
Emotionally gripping storytelling : check
I'm completely on the Vinland hype train !
June 29, 2023
Nie może być inaczej, każdy tom tej mangi jest wspaniały.
July 9, 2017
Artwork is still strong but there was a sequence in the middle about what makes a true warrior that didn't really work for me. Hopefully that will be expanded on down the road. Shifting alliances and the emergence of a prince push the story along.
6/10
6/10
June 8, 2021
As Askeladd and his men struggle to fight through the snow to escort Prince Canute and his retainer Ragnar to the Danes’ base in Gainsborough, the forces led by Thorkell are closing in on the Vikings’ position. For much of this volume, it is a race against time before the violence ensues, whilst loyalty hangs in the balance and who will be the ones to first shed blood.
Askeladd is driven by his personal goals, including to protect the fragile Canute who is determined to rule as the Danish King, he is willing to sacrifice anything, whether it is Ragnar, so that the prince can step out of his comfort zone, or even his own men who are losing trust with their leader and willing to turn against for their own survival.
This volume is predominately action-orientated and Makoto Yukimura’s art shines throughout as just life before, the action is very heightened from Thorkell throwing a spear with such force that he pierces multiple men at a distance, to Thorfinn having a second round in his Shonen-styled fight with Thorkell. Although Thorfinn still feels side-lined as the main protagonist, there’s more nuance with everyone else, such as Thorkell revealing to be Thorfinn’s great-uncle and shows us a side that isn’t just a battle-hungry warrior.
As impressive the action is, especially in the highly-detailed large panels that are gory and blood-splattering, a lot of the best stuff from Vinland Saga is the quieter stuff, in contrast to the mayhem of war going on. This is very apparent in the characterisation of Canute, someone who was born in a position that he didn’t want to be in and due to being raised through a fragile innocence, thanks to Ragnar, his own father doesn’t love him and is willing to sacrifice him in the war, so that Canute’s brother Harald shall be crowned.
There is an alcoholic Christian priest that initially serves as a funny supporting character for the Vikings to do some some comedic banter, especially when they don’t understand the concept of love as told by the priest. However, this ultimately becomes an epiphany for Canute, who not only has to come to terms with his own relationship with his father, the King, but also the violent nature of humanity, so instead of seeking help from his Christian Lord, Canute chooses to stand up and sets to create his own paradise.
Vinland Saga is one of barbaric action and political intrigue and although there are some faults along the way, the story is so powerful that it is exciting to see where our flawed protagonists head towards their final destination that is Gainsborough.
Askeladd is driven by his personal goals, including to protect the fragile Canute who is determined to rule as the Danish King, he is willing to sacrifice anything, whether it is Ragnar, so that the prince can step out of his comfort zone, or even his own men who are losing trust with their leader and willing to turn against for their own survival.
This volume is predominately action-orientated and Makoto Yukimura’s art shines throughout as just life before, the action is very heightened from Thorkell throwing a spear with such force that he pierces multiple men at a distance, to Thorfinn having a second round in his Shonen-styled fight with Thorkell. Although Thorfinn still feels side-lined as the main protagonist, there’s more nuance with everyone else, such as Thorkell revealing to be Thorfinn’s great-uncle and shows us a side that isn’t just a battle-hungry warrior.
As impressive the action is, especially in the highly-detailed large panels that are gory and blood-splattering, a lot of the best stuff from Vinland Saga is the quieter stuff, in contrast to the mayhem of war going on. This is very apparent in the characterisation of Canute, someone who was born in a position that he didn’t want to be in and due to being raised through a fragile innocence, thanks to Ragnar, his own father doesn’t love him and is willing to sacrifice him in the war, so that Canute’s brother Harald shall be crowned.
There is an alcoholic Christian priest that initially serves as a funny supporting character for the Vikings to do some some comedic banter, especially when they don’t understand the concept of love as told by the priest. However, this ultimately becomes an epiphany for Canute, who not only has to come to terms with his own relationship with his father, the King, but also the violent nature of humanity, so instead of seeking help from his Christian Lord, Canute chooses to stand up and sets to create his own paradise.
Vinland Saga is one of barbaric action and political intrigue and although there are some faults along the way, the story is so powerful that it is exciting to see where our flawed protagonists head towards their final destination that is Gainsborough.
April 24, 2022
I’m looking forward to continue reading Vinland Saga. I think it’s truly something very special.
December 1, 2022
Overly goofy in a way that doesn’t fit the story with way too much overly exaggerated action and gore. But the philosophizing was eye-rollingly bad. I enjoy this manga but man is this series wildly overrated.
3.5/5
3.5/5
May 20, 2024
One thing is certain about this manga… It’s not just another killing story!
Thorfin is a young Viking around 1013 AD. Fighting his own demons, he tries to grasp what his dead father once told him, “a true warrior doesn't need a sword”. I just finished the third volume and I’m still failing to understand what does this expression mean. Maybe that a true warrior fights for piece, not war. Maybe, that killing brings more killing. Making more enemies has no ending and as long as you’re failing to get that, you’ll always end up in despair. I’ve read somewhere that “To truly eliminate your enemies is to realize you have no enemies. No one is inherently your enemy”. Maybe that’s what it’s all about. Anyway, if you like manga or Vikings, just read Vinland Saga! You won’t regret it! 😉
Thorfin is a young Viking around 1013 AD. Fighting his own demons, he tries to grasp what his dead father once told him, “a true warrior doesn't need a sword”. I just finished the third volume and I’m still failing to understand what does this expression mean. Maybe that a true warrior fights for piece, not war. Maybe, that killing brings more killing. Making more enemies has no ending and as long as you’re failing to get that, you’ll always end up in despair. I’ve read somewhere that “To truly eliminate your enemies is to realize you have no enemies. No one is inherently your enemy”. Maybe that’s what it’s all about. Anyway, if you like manga or Vikings, just read Vinland Saga! You won’t regret it! 😉
April 14, 2024
(Zero spoiler review)
I said in my review of volume two that if things hadn't improved by the end of volume three, I was going to kick this series to the curb. So, did things improve? Yes, but only just barely. I'll never understand how people can talk smack about the pacing of Western comics, yet blindly praise manga. 400+ pages here and yet the narrative has barely moved from the end of volume two. Now, that isn't to say that western comics can't be woefully paced, they can. But I would defy anyone to find a Marvel or DC book where barely anything has changed 400 pages (nearly twenty issues) into a run. Of course a modern Marvel or DC run would have to make it to twenty issues, but I digress.
I really can't see myself ever truly falling for this series. It has eradicated most of my most loathed parts of volume one, though in its placed, is an ambling, competently told tale that neither invites excitement, nor disappointment. Its a story. I guess I'll keep going. 3/5
OmniBen.
I said in my review of volume two that if things hadn't improved by the end of volume three, I was going to kick this series to the curb. So, did things improve? Yes, but only just barely. I'll never understand how people can talk smack about the pacing of Western comics, yet blindly praise manga. 400+ pages here and yet the narrative has barely moved from the end of volume two. Now, that isn't to say that western comics can't be woefully paced, they can. But I would defy anyone to find a Marvel or DC book where barely anything has changed 400 pages (nearly twenty issues) into a run. Of course a modern Marvel or DC run would have to make it to twenty issues, but I digress.
I really can't see myself ever truly falling for this series. It has eradicated most of my most loathed parts of volume one, though in its placed, is an ambling, competently told tale that neither invites excitement, nor disappointment. Its a story. I guess I'll keep going. 3/5
OmniBen.
June 8, 2018
4.8 stars
September 30, 2022
4.25/5
Woah.
Woah.
August 24, 2024
May death find those who seek it, for it is the essence of love.
July 27, 2020
Fortfarande inte riktigt lika imponerande som den första boken. Men nu börjar storyn ta fart igen. Riktningen serien går i känns intressant.
May 5, 2022
Que serie del re carajo Vinland.
February 8, 2018
Superb!!!!
May 30, 2015
In various author notes throughout the volume, Yukimura references the importance of violence and what he wants to say about it in this work. It's why he chose vikings as the subject of the series, it was best suited to explore violence. Volume 3 certainly has its share of blood and decapitation, but his message is starting to come forward through the actions and words of the characters. Canute transitions in his grief from a limp shadow of a person to someone of royal bearing. Askeladd's feelings about the world in which he lives are painted in broad strokes as he faces defeat. Thorkell's confusion about Thors' decision to leave the life of the warrior guide his interactions with both Thorfinn and Canute. And as for our main character? Thorfinn has to learn to control himself and listen to guidance from undesired directions if he wants to live. Violence is still his worldview, but should it be? While he himself hasn't started questioning that view, those around him with more years under their belts certainly have, and in part because of him and his father.
While not as graphic as something like Wolfsmund, Vinland Saga is still incredibly brutal. Desertion begets death--and not even from the one that was abandoned. Surviving the plundering of a village doesn't mean you'll actually make it to the next village. Fragile allegiances are easily shattered if someone's death might do more good than their continued life would. On and on, the bodies pile up and just when the senselessness of the violence gets to be too much, there is that brief moment of clarity through the red haze. It might not be reason or logic, but it is a clearer sense of what and why the violence is happening.
Not everything is deep and meaningful (or extremely brutal). More and more it feels like moments of levity are entering the series, usually jocularity while drinking or when English are dealing with the insatiable hunger and thirst of their conquerors. I think I would appreciate this more if the artwork didn't take on a more cartoonish style through these scenes. It reminds me of Tezuka and the parts of his work that I like the least about it--comedic self-insertions or anachronistic cameos in the midst of otherwise series works. Yukimura hasn't dipped to that level in those panels just yet, but when his closing remarks in the volume questioned whether he should possibly add more jokes, I found myself cringing. Here's hoping he keeps the current balance, at minimum. Save the jokes for Ylva's adventures in the bonus manga at the end of the volumes.
While not as graphic as something like Wolfsmund, Vinland Saga is still incredibly brutal. Desertion begets death--and not even from the one that was abandoned. Surviving the plundering of a village doesn't mean you'll actually make it to the next village. Fragile allegiances are easily shattered if someone's death might do more good than their continued life would. On and on, the bodies pile up and just when the senselessness of the violence gets to be too much, there is that brief moment of clarity through the red haze. It might not be reason or logic, but it is a clearer sense of what and why the violence is happening.
Not everything is deep and meaningful (or extremely brutal). More and more it feels like moments of levity are entering the series, usually jocularity while drinking or when English are dealing with the insatiable hunger and thirst of their conquerors. I think I would appreciate this more if the artwork didn't take on a more cartoonish style through these scenes. It reminds me of Tezuka and the parts of his work that I like the least about it--comedic self-insertions or anachronistic cameos in the midst of otherwise series works. Yukimura hasn't dipped to that level in those panels just yet, but when his closing remarks in the volume questioned whether he should possibly add more jokes, I found myself cringing. Here's hoping he keeps the current balance, at minimum. Save the jokes for Ylva's adventures in the bonus manga at the end of the volumes.
July 16, 2024
This series has yet to disappoint. This volume had just as many lore bombshells dropped as the previous one and action that can rival some of the best fights in series such as Dragon Ball. Prince Canut and Thorkell were the standouts of this volume and are quickly developing into characters I enjoy as much as Askeladd. The closest thing to a bad scene for me was the priest's rambling. Overall a great entry that I couldn't put down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 295 reviews