History YMMV / VinlandSaga

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The series is overall more popular in the West than in Japan, but this applies especially to the anime. It has been only received decently in Japan, while it has been met with critical acclaim by Western audiences and topped many charts for 2019 and 2023.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhof: The series is overall more popular in the West than in Japan, but this applies especially to the anime. It has been only received decently in Japan, while it has been met with critical acclaim by Western audiences and topped many charts for 2019 and 2023.

** What brought Thors to his belief in the idea of a “true warrior”? While the desire to leave a life of war seems a straightforward result of having a family, it really doesn’t explain why he became the type of pacifist who wouldn’t even use lethal force against bloodthirsty pirates. Though most of his past remains a mystery, it’s revealed that all of his status was due [[SelfMadeMan to his fighting skill]]. It’s possible that Helga and Ylva were the first individuals he’d ever actually valued and that having a family made him view the [[WhatMeasureIsAMook people he’d been killing]] through a new lens. It’s also possible that Thors had despised violence for most of his time with the Jomsvikings, considered any killing a NecessaryEvil to not be executed for betrayal, and was provided a chance to escape by nearly drowning. Another interpretation comes from the last time Thorkell saw Thors in the manga: Thorkell says Thors “gazed through [him] to the horizon…as though full of pity.” If Thors had already been told of Vinland by Leif, that probably colored his views of how he ought to change to be worthy of living there someday.

** Was Askeladd honest when telling Bjorn that he was his only friend, or [[spoiler:did he just view the dying man as a loyal subordinate? Askeladd conspicuously avoids responding when Bjorn says that he’d always wanted to be the former’s friend, only conceding friendship once Bjorn repeats himself.]] In the fight with Thorkell's men, Askeladd outright says that he hates all Vikings, and the only people he seems to respect (Thors [[spoiler:and Canute]]) exhibit a degree of kindness that Bjorn definitely does not. [[spoiler:Additionally, Askeladd doesn’t hold any grudge against Atli for mortally wounding Bjorn in the first place, but sends the man off with gold to make a fresh start. Though the beatdown Askeladd gives Thorfinn definitely seems to partially result from anger at Bjorn's death, even that isn’t conclusory. Before this, the only two subordinates Askeladd had left were Bjorn and Thorfinn; even if he didn’t care about Bjorn as an individual, it makes sense he’d be upset at losing his loyal {{Dragon}} while the kid who yearns for his death remains.]] Askeladd is also repeatedly shown to be a ConsummateLiar and, even at his most evil, isn’t one for pointless cruelty. [[spoiler:He may have just wanted to pull a LetThemDieHappy.]]

* {{Woolseyism}}: A scene [[HeresJohnnyHomage homaging]] the "Heeere's Johnny!" SignatureScene of ''Film/TheShining'' had Thorkell say "Found you!" in the original, but it was irresistible for both scanlators and official translators to take it a bit further for more laughs, instead having him say "Heeere's Thorkell!" or "Theeere's Floki!"

* GrowingTheBeard: The move to a monthly Seinen is considered by many to be where the story really improves, along with Art Evolution.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The notion of a viking in England having an Eastern sword is not as bizarre as it sounds. By the time the story takes place, vikings were raiding and trading with peoples throughput the Mediterranean, Northern Africa and the Near East. In particular, Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon men were prized as mercenaries in Byzantium, which would also serve to explain his knowledge of Greek and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

* {{Narm}}: In a few episodes of the anime, Thorfinn briefly does an AirplaneArms NinjaRun akin to Manga/{{Naruto}} unlike in the original manga. This is hard to take seriously, given the Early Medieval European setting, and the anime coming around the same time as the "Invade Area 51 by Naruto running" forced meme.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Besides the romance stuff above, many readers complain about the TimeSkip glossing over the actual merchant stuff in Constantinople, since it was at the height of its power, and further character development and worldbuilding could have been milked out of stuff like the Varangian Guard, the Eastern Roman culture compared to Askeladd's Roman dream, etc.

* {{Woolseyism}}: A scene homaging the "Heeere's Johnny!" SignatureScene of ''Film/TheShining'' had Thorkell say "Found you!" in the original, but it was irresistible for both scanlators and official translators to take it a bit further for more laughs, instead having him say "Heeere's Thorkell!" or "Theeere's Floki!"

* MagnificentBastard: Askeladd Olafson introduces himself to the audience sacking a fort and robbing it of its riches with a series of clever schemes, barely shedding a drop of blood. Leader of a group of Viking raiders, Askeladd was born the son of a slave and a lord. Murdering his father years later after his mother's death, Askeladd framed one of his brothers after ingratiating himself to his family. Playing the cutthroat court of King Sweyn with clever gambits, Askeladd has the caretaker of the weak prince Canute murdered to build Canute into an ideal candidate for the throne. Also driven by his desire to protect his maternal homeland of Wales, Askeladd finds himself briefly outplayed by Sweyn who demands he kill Canute or see Wales invaded by the Danes. Askeladd instead chooses to [[spoiler:kill Sweyn and allow Canute to kill him, achieving all his goals posthumously by making Canute a beloved, respected King and knowing the young man will forge Askeladd's ideal kingdom and defend Wales out of gratitude]].

* AccidentalAesop: In the Baltic Sea War arc, [[spoiler:a dying Viking on a battlefield finds to his dismay that his religious beliefs are mistaken, as Valhalla and Valkyries etc. are not real and he just drifts away into TheNothingAfterDeath]]. In a way, this is akin to an ImagineSpot of Thorfinn during the Farmland Saga arc, being more of a critique of [[spoiler:the Viking way of life]] than anything else. But then later once the story finally reaches Vinland, [[spoiler:a Native American shaman's vision of the future of North America up to the first atomic bomb tests is a key factor in setting up the historically inevitable conflict between the Norse and the natives]]. While one could read this as [[spoiler: just psychic/ESP stuff happening to be true regardless of religion]], it may also come off as [[spoiler:"Norse religion wrong, Native religion right"]].

* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: Thorfinn's "Oh Sh.." and the look on his face when he realizes he just broke his (technically) superior's chin.

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: Happens at least once a fight scene, and there are *a lot* of fight scenes.
** Three Words: ''"BOW BEFORE ME!"''
** Thorfinn finally getting angry again and punching one servant hard, all after he just told Einar to keep his calm. Followed by the Funny moment above.

** Askeladd is drawn from an actual [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Askeladden Norwegian folk tale]], reflecting Askeladd's viking heritage.

* {{Woolseyism}}: A page homaging the "Heeere's Johnny!" SignatureScene of ''Film/TheShining'' had Thorkell say "Found you!" in the original, but it was irresistible for both scanlators and official translators to take it a bit further for more laughs, instead having him say "Heeere's Thorkell!" or "Theeere's Floki!"

* {{Woolseyism}}: A page homaging the "Hereee's Johnny!" SignatureScene of ''Film/TheShining'' had Thorkell say "Found you!" in the original, but it was irresistible for both scanlators and official translators to take it a bit further for more laughs, instead having him say "Hereee's Thorkell!" or "Thereee's Floki!"