Sorry Thorfinn, we weren’t watching Season 1 for you.
Summary:
Askeladd is not a good person, but he’s an incredible character.
He experienced a lot of suffering in his past.
Despite all the horrible things he did, there was good in him.
Yes, we said it, and yes, it’s no exaggeration, Askeladd was really a special character in Vinland Saga. He was the thing that made Season 1 so good and so entertaining to watch, and there’s a reason why so many fans still call him their favorite character in the series.
It’s very important to understand that being a good person and being a good character are two very different things. Askeladd was an antagonist, he brought a lot of pain to those around him. He was the one who killed Thorfinn’s father and completely destroyed the boy.
One of the fans described our feelings about Askeladd perfectly: “He’s a bastard and a monster. I absolutely love him.” And it’s true, Askeladd was never a good person, he had questionable morals, was cruel and brutal, manipulated Thorfinn and others, and yet he is a great character.
Askeladd’s past
Askeladd had a difficult upbringing. He had to work to provide for his mother from a very young age. She gave him a dream of a great savior coming back one day and freeing his people from their suffering. However, Askeladd had to learn the hard way that he himself had to be the hero to save him and his mother.
Despite him being a young boy, he was always very intelligent and manipulative. He managed to fool his father into believing that he was willing to submit and respect him. Which allowed Askeladd to execute his revenge and deal with his father. And he only became more unhinged after that.
Askeladd’s past was what shaped him into this ruthless monster we saw in Season 1. It felt like such concepts as sympathy and care were foreign to him. However, that is not entirely true, and we can see it in his relationship with Thorfinn.
There was good in him, too
Fans still argue about whether there was actual care that Askeladd felt for Thorfinn, but we think there wasn’t just hatred and contempt. He became the most twisted father figure for the boy, and no matter how much he said that Thorfinn was stupid and pathetic, Askeladd still tried to save his life.
Of course, that doesn’t magically make Askeladd a good person. All the horrible things he did are still true. But it does mean that Askeladd had another side of him, a truly human one, and that is what makes him such a great character.
No one is purely good or evil, and Askeladd is a masterful example of that. He manages to charm the viewers with his strength, his charisma, and his intelligence, and then he absolutely horrifies them with his brutality.
Askeladd feels like a real person and not just a typical shounen antagonist whose sole purpose is to wreak havoc. He has a complex personality that has fascinated so many fans.
Do you think Askeladd is a great character?
Sorry Thorfinn, we weren’t watching Season 1 for you.
Summary:
Askeladd is not a good person, but he’s an incredible character.
He experienced a lot of suffering in his past.
Despite all the horrible things he did, there was good in him.
Yes, we said it, and yes, it’s no exaggeration, Askeladd was really a special character in Vinland Saga. He was the thing that made Season 1 so good and so entertaining to watch, and there’s a reason why so many fans still call him their favorite character in the series.
It’s very important to understand that being a good person and being a good character are two very different things. Askeladd was an antagonist, he brought a lot of pain to those around him. He was the one who killed Thorfinn’s father and completely destroyed the boy.
One of the fans described our feelings about Askeladd perfectly: “He’s a bastard and a monster. I absolutely love him.” And it’s true, Askeladd was never a good person, he had questionable morals, was cruel and brutal, manipulated Thorfinn and others, and yet he is a great character.
Askeladd’s past
Askeladd had a difficult upbringing. He had to work to provide for his mother from a very young age. She gave him a dream of a great savior coming back one day and freeing his people from their suffering. However, Askeladd had to learn the hard way that he himself had to be the hero to save him and his mother.
Despite him being a young boy, he was always very intelligent and manipulative. He managed to fool his father into believing that he was willing to submit and respect him. Which allowed Askeladd to execute his revenge and deal with his father. And he only became more unhinged after that.
Askeladd’s past was what shaped him into this ruthless monster we saw in Season 1. It felt like such concepts as sympathy and care were foreign to him. However, that is not entirely true, and we can see it in his relationship with Thorfinn.
There was good in him, too
Fans still argue about whether there was actual care that Askeladd felt for Thorfinn, but we think there wasn’t just hatred and contempt. He became the most twisted father figure for the boy, and no matter how much he said that Thorfinn was stupid and pathetic, Askeladd still tried to save his life.
Of course, that doesn’t magically make Askeladd a good person. All the horrible things he did are still true. But it does mean that Askeladd had another side of him, a truly human one, and that is what makes him such a great character.
No one is purely good or evil, and Askeladd is a masterful example of that. He manages to charm the viewers with his strength, his charisma, and his intelligence, and then he absolutely horrifies them with his brutality.
Askeladd feels like a real person and not just a typical shounen antagonist whose sole purpose is to wreak havoc. He has a complex personality that has fascinated so many fans.
