Vinland Saga is an anime set in the Viking era, featuring protagonists and antagonists who face their own unique struggles. While all characters have had difficult times, some particular characters have endured the greatest pain and suffering. These characters have had to fight through seemingly impossible circumstances; some have overcome their struggles and triumphed over their pain and suffering.
This article presents a list of Characters Who Have Suffered The Most in the series. Grief due to the loss of a family member, displacement from home, and physical and psychological trauma have all been dished out, and each situation is unique and heartbreaking in its own right.
10 Garm
Gram, an exceptionally skilled fighter, was introduced in the Eastern Expedition Arc as a major antagonist of Thorfinn. During his childhood, he was seen as a sociopath because he delighted in killing people, seeing fighting as a game. He was excluded by the people of his village, including his father, who refused to recognize him as his son.
He grew up to be a warrior without morals or empathy. He seeks out tough opponents in battle, desiring to experience the excitement of a fight to the end. He is passionate about challenging and engaging in combat with formidable opponents, and he repeatedly attempts to battle Thorfinn during the Baltic Sea War saga.
9 Gudrid
Gudrid was previously widowed and forced into a second arranged marriage. When her husband, Sigurd, attempted to consummate the marriage, Gudrid stabbed him and fled. This experience of having her freedom of choice taken away prompted her to join Thorfinn and his friends on their adventure around the world, despite it being an unusual choice for a woman of the time.
Thorfinn and his companions seek to create a Vinland settlement free of injustice, inequality, and servitude, which may explain why Gudrid joined them. She had never gotten the opportunity to choose her path in life.
8 Arnheid
Arnheid, enslaved along with Thorfinn and Einar, experienced a loss of her home, family, and freedom. She was taken captive and sold as an enslaved person while the men in her village, including her husband, Gardar, were away fighting a neighboring village. Her son was killed since enslaved women with no children were worth more money and Gardar was also eventually enslaved.
She loses her husband when they attempt an escape. She is recaptured and viciously beaten by her master, Ketil, causing her to lose her unborn child and, ultimately, her life.
7 Askeladd
Askeladd is a shrewd and enigmatic Viking renowned for leading a band of mercenaries, of which Thorfinn is a part. Born to a Welsh noblewoman enslaved by Olaf, a Danish Viking warlord, Askeladd was given the name of Lucius Artorius Castus. However, because he worked in smithies and stables to feed and support his mother, he was nicknamed Askeladd (One Covered in Ashes).
After spending two years earning his father's favor, Askeladd exacted revenge for his mother's suffering by killing Olaf and framing one of his half-brothers for the act. For the next 19 years, Askeladd served as a Danish Captain, despising both the Danes and the Vikings, despite being a part of both.
6 Thors
Thors was highly regarded as the commander of the Jomsvikings, the mercenary band. After his children were born, he no longer desired warfare and pretended to have died, settling as a farmer in Iceland.
The Jomsvikings soon figured out Thors was still alive and forced him to go back to battle. Before he could get there, Floki conspired with Askeladd to assassinate him because he felt Thors always looked down on him. Although Askeladd's forces surrounded Thors, he fought back bravely, defeating them all, even Askeladd, without any significant injury. However, he was eventually killed by archers employed by Askeladd.
5 Helga
Helga, Thors' wife, gave birth to Ylva during Thors' time as a Jomsviking. She was the one who showed Thors the path of the "true warrior," and together, they fled and moved to Iceland to start a new life away from the war.
Helga has to cope with the death of her beloved husband. With her husband's sudden passing, the responsibility of caring for the family fell to her, but her delicate health prevented her from shouldering the burden. Ylva, her daughter, ended up taking on much of the strain. Even her son. Thorfinn went missing, reducing her family of four to two.
4 Ylva
Ylva is Thorfinn's elder sibling. After Thors is killed and Thorfinn goes on a mission to avenge their father but never comes back, she takes it upon herself to look after their family and Helga, her mother. Ylva carries a majority of the burden because her mother is weak.
The village recognizes her as a rebel, possibly because she suppresses her grief by working hard. She puts on a strong and apathetic attitude to remain focused on attending to her mum and doing her chores, but she eventually breaks into tears after a few days of intense labor.
3 Ragnar
Ragnar was the chief advisor and protector of Prince Canute. He had served the prince since he was a small boy and was deeply devoted to him, doing everything he could to support and guard him, which included protecting him from multiple assassination attempts. Ragnar's devotion was so intense that he was willing to risk his own life to ensure the prince's safety.
Askeladd saw him as an obstacle to the prince's maturation into a ruler, so he killed him to spur the prince into growing for himself. Ragnar managed to survive his severe wounds and made one last request to Askeladd to say goodbye to Canute, only to be denied.
2 Canute
Canute, the son of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, often encountered mockery because of his delicate figure and devout Christian faith. He discovered his father's intent to dispose of him, prompting a profound bitterness toward him.
The demise of Ragnar deeply impacted Canute, who had dreams in which he begged Ragnar not to leave him as he was the only being who truly cared for him. Canute eventually underwent a striking transformation, developing more willpower and bravery. Afterward, Askeladd recognized Canute's potential and assassinated Forkbeard, resulting in Canute's coronation as King of Denmark. Canute concentrated on his objective of creating a Utopia on Earth, becoming a powerful, ruthless leader and a brilliant military strategist.
1 Thorfinn
Thorfinn, the son of Thors and Helga, is the flawed protagonist of Vinland Saga. After his father's death, he devotes himself to vengeance, joining Askeladd's band, hoping to defeat him in a one-on-one battle. Growing up on the battlefield, Thorfinn becomes a skilled warrior, but he also becomes desensitized to the atrocities he witnesses daily and grows cold and detached.
Thorfinn is furious when Canute denies him the opportunity to exact his revenge on Askeladd. Realizing that Askeladd has effectively taken on the role of his father, he is torn between wanting to kill him and rescuing him. As a punishment for his assault on Canute, Thorfinn is enslaved. He devolves into a hollow shell of his past self, a submissive slave who lacks the youthful energy and the resolve to defend himself. Thorfinn, however, gets a second chance to change his life after regaining his freedom four years later.