Vinland Saga has finally come to a close after 20 years of serialising, concluding one of the most popular and brilliant historical tales that retells the life of a legendary adventurer. Its Thousand Year Voyage arc was brought to a close in a surprising and open-ended manner, but one that works brilliantly thematically and maintains the core of the manga’s ethos in an emotional yet realistic manner. The series has truly been one of the best depictions of kindness and redemption in the manga medium, and while it is definitely sad seeing it go after so long, the story of Thorfinn Karlsefni is one that will stay in the hearts of readers for years to come.
Chapter 220 of Vinland Saga, titled “Somewhere Not Here”, saw Thorfinn and the Nords finally deciding to leave Vinland after a bitter and exhausting war brought about by suspicion, plague and war-mongering. After an earnest and heartbreaking sequence where Thorfinn recounts his friendship with Einar in the previous chapter, the protagonist says his goodbyes to his Lnu friends like Plmk, and shakes the hand of Miskwekepu’j, the man who detested and suspected the Nords but finally saw the wrong in his ways through dialogue with Thorfinn. Thorfinn gifted a bag of wheat seeds and a hoe to Plmk before embarking and gave him the rundown on how to cultivate it.
Vinland Saga‘s Ending Is Absolutely Brilliant
As they were leaving, Thorfinn shouted to Ka’Qaquj to throw down the sword before it brings about disaster in a final plea to disarm, and to no one’s surprise, the violent man scoffed at Thorfinn. A shocking turn of events is when it was revealed that Niska had sneaked onto the ship and that she and Bug Eyes would get married and go somewhere else to live together. Shocked but still happy for his friend, Thorfinn and the others wished them well. The envoy finally reunited with the women and children on the uninhabited island, and Thorfinn finally held his newborn son for the first time in a truly beautiful moment. Back on Vinland, Plmk was sowing the fields and patiently waiting for the plants to bud. After waiting and waiting, wheat sprouted, marking the end of the manga.
The story has featured themes of dialogue, hope, legacy, and redemption, and the ending hammered in all these themes amazingly. Bug Eyes and Niska’s love was proof that two people from different circumstances and worlds can find solace within each other. Thorfinn pleading with Ka’Qaquj again, and his handshake with Miskwekepu’j shows that dialogue should never be given up on. The wheat fields that Plmk worked hard for a long time on were something made possible only by the collaboration of two people, and the seeds budding signify that there is always fruit to bear if enough work is put in. The ending of Vinland Saga is beautiful in many other ways, like Thorfinn’s conclusion with his family and the ambiguity of the Nords’ next home, but overall, it is a fantastic and worthy conclusion to an all-time great manga.
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