Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga is set up in a world where death strolls in every corner. The show takes us back to the time of war between the English and the Danish invaders, commonly known as the Vikings. The series perfectly blends the actual events of history with the fictional tale of a young boy named Thorfinn to create one of the best historical and epic anime.
While some characters of Vinland Saga are gifted with unbelievable strength and swordsmanship, the others, like Thorfinn, are driven by revenge to get stronger. But the only way to survive one more day in Vinland Saga’s world is to get stronger. For the same reason, the series introduces us to several powerful characters from time to time. But if we had to list the ten strongest ones, then who would they be? Here’s the complete list.
Atli
Atli is Torgrim’s brother and one of the well-known members of Askeladd’s band who assisted him in several raids. He was one of those who turned against Askeladd when Thorkell’s army attacked. That said, he never wanted to harm his teammates, and he tried to convince Bjorn till the very end to let them take Prince Canute peacefully.
Although we haven’t seen much from Atli and his combat skills in the series, the reason that he survived in the series for so long speaks of his strength. Despite betraying Askeladd, the latter spared his life and told Atli and his brother to settle down somewhere peacefully.
Torgrim
Similar to Atli, his brother Torgim is also a member of Askeladd’s squad. Compared to his brother, Torgrim is large, stronger, and more cunning. He was a respected member of the squad until he got familiar with Thorkell’s wrath and decided to betray Askeladd to get his life spared.
Torgrim survived every battle and all the raids done during his time with Askeladd, which confirms he is incredibly strong. Moreover, he led the crew of those who betrayed Askeladd, and they acted upon his decisions. However, he has a mental breakdown while fighting Thorkell and loses his fighting spirit completely.
Asgeir
How could someone stay in Thorkell’s gang and still remain feeble? Among all the other fearless warriors of Thorkell’s squad, Asgeir is the strongest one and his most trusted man. Although he can mostly be seen as really calm and collected, Asgeir loses his cool when something is life-threatening for Thorkell. During Thorkell’s battle with Thorfinn, Asgeir steps up to kill Thorfinn, despite knowing that Thorkell will kill him for his actions.
In the anime and manga, Asgeir can hardly be seen fighting a battle, but what we have seen him doing multiple times is, creating strategies for war and lending his far-sighted vision of the battle to Thorkell. The most notable proof of his intelligence is evident from the Baltic Sea War arc.
Ragnar
Ragnar is King Canute’s servant, but he is no less than a father figure to him. If there had to be the most loyal character in the series, then it would definitely be Ragnar. The fact that Ragnar is able to keep King Canute safe for a long time until his own death is enough to prove how strong he is.
Ragnar didn’t just protect Canute until he was alive, but even his death was fruitful for the young prince. His death was one of the major reasons why Canute had to step out of his reserved nature, making warriors like Askeladd, Thorfinn, and Thorkell work for him.
Bjorn
Throughout Vinland Saga season one, Bjorn is revealed to be the only true friend of Askeladd. He was second in command and the longest-living member of Askeladd’s squad. Although he was calm and friendly toward other members of the band, Bjorn was a threat even to his friends in his berserk form.
When Bjorn goes wild, his pupils disappear, and he becomes unbelievably strong as if something supernatural is lending him its strength. While protecting Canute, Bjorn thumped tens of his former teammates and survived even after being seriously injured.
Floki
There’s no second-guessing Jomsvikings’ strength. They are the most fearless and skilled warriors in Vinland Saga. And Floki was not just a Jomsviking warrior, but he was their commander until the disbandment. When Askeladd attacked King Sweyn and his guards, Floki was the only one who could match his strength.
Besides his formidable strength, Floki is quite scheming and a man with a stone heart. He planned Thors’ execution, despite the two being former comrades. Floki remains one of the primary antagonists of the series, most notably in the Eastern Expedition arc.
Thorfinn
The main protagonist of the series couldn’t be ruled out of the list, could he? Especially when he is the son of the most fabled warrior, Thors. Whenever Askeladd wants a job to be done that has little to no chances of success, Thorfinn’s the only one he can trust.
How strong is Thorfinn? Well, his strength didn’t just come to Thorkell’s notice, but Thorfinn was the only one to have impressed Thorkell in a one-on-one battle. Thorfinn’s acrobatic moves and skillful use of daggers made him the most feared warrior at a very young age. With time, we might see him getting even stronger than his father.
Askeladd
Introduced in the series as the primary antagonist and later turned into a dearly loved character, Askeladd is surely stronger than most Vinland Saga characters. Similar to Thorfinn, Askeladd also had the blood of a legendary warrior, and he was a gifted swordsman. He claimed that the first time he used a sword, he felt like he knew how to handle it.
Askeladd is a warrior of such caliber that he could even stand up against Thorkell; God knows, maybe he could’ve even defeated him. Taking down tens of skilled warriors at once feels like a piece of cake to Askeladd. Coming to his intelligence, there’s no other character who has a more strategic mind than Askeladd.
Thorkell
Thorkell is a seven-foot and seven-inch beast who could reach any lengths for a fight that entertains him. He’s the boogeyman among the other warriors and the main reason for the downfall of Askeladd’s crew. While others feared death and even betrayed their own for the sake of their lives, Thorkell would die happily at the hands of someone stronger than him.
Where the multiple members of his crew carried a single wooden log, Thorkell used them as spears and threw them miles away with accuracy, killing several of Askeladd’s comrades at once. Sending a horse flying with a punch and breaking a bear’s spine with a hug are some of his other unforgettable acts.
Thors
Thors’ tales are sung even in the farthest lands. He is Thorfinn’s father and a Jomsviking commander whom even Thorkell couldn’t match. However, he was tired of fighting, so he faked his death after the birth of his daughter and settled with his family in Iceland.
The opening scene of the series starts with Thors taking down an entire enemy ship by himself. Then, in the later episode, he almost defeated Askeladd and his whole crew by himself before he was taken down with trickery. In the manga, Thors easily knocked down Thorkell despite being unarmed, while the latter was armed with one of his axes.
