Warning: Cover may contain spoilers for Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura
Summary
The cover of Vinland Saga tells a unique story for each volume, evolving along with the characters and themes in the series. Issue #11 introduces the mature and ominous Canute, setting the stage for his rise to power and conflict with Thorfinn. Episode #26 introduces a hopeful and happy Thorfinn settling in Vinland but foreshadows potential conflicts with the local residents.
Vinland Saga has a special place among the Seinen Big Three manga series in the way it consistently delivers excellence in its story and little else. Exquisite cover. Makoto Yukimura's historical sword and sandal drama concerns the trials and tribulations of Icelandic warrior-turned-settler Thorfinn Karlsefni as he overcomes personal trauma and seizes his destiny. The best covers of the Vinland Saga manga encapsulate the journey through its peaks and valleys.
While Vinland Saga's cover art has continually improved, leading to many of the most recent installments surpassing older installments, Yukimura has also created truly timeless visuals that emulate historical fantasy anime.
Each volume cover is a bespoke portrait featuring a key character for any section and tells a story about itself. This makes them a desirable addition to any reader's bookshelf, although the luxurious leather-covered hardcover is nothing to sneeze at.
10 Thorfinn isn't the only one who changes drastically in Episode #11
Canute is no longer the meek Prince in the Vinland Saga War Arc
The cover of Vinland Saga Volume #11 shows Canute's growth and fierce expression as he ascends the throne. His vision of peace is ingrained in his blood, and even though he is the villain in this arc, it is still an encouraging sight for readers. For better or worse, Canute has found his voice at this point in the story.
Vinland Saga Volume #11 takes place during the Slave Arc, with Thorfinn and Einar finding their stride as they develop Ketil's farmland. Meanwhile, other fateful developments were occurring in Denmark, for which Canute was responsible, including the poisoning of his brother. However, the most important step in Vinland Saga Volume #11 for Canute is when he realizes he must confiscate his subjects' land, which makes Ketil's farm a target. This leads to the inevitable encounter with Thorfinn and one of the most important moments in the series.
9 Vinland Saga Episode #19 shows one of Thorfinn's strongest opponents
Garm struck a cruel yet playful pose
Thorfinn encountered countless notable enemies and opponents in the Vinland Saga, including Askeladd, Thorkell and Snake. But by the Eastern Expedition, he lost interest in martial arts because he vowed to live a nonviolent life. Hohe soon found challengers who pushed him over that line again, often for no other reason than to seek glory by defeating him.
Garm is introduced in the first chapter of Volume #11, a prodigious and deadly spear-wielding warrior whose penchant for combat helps spark a disastrous power struggle known as the Baltic War. He is self-centered, violently unpredictable, and makes rash decisions on Floki's behalf, leading to a bloody conflict that consolidates power in the Jomsvikings. He's also one of the fastest, most entertaining fighters in this episode and beyond, as Yukimura creates a different beast with more moral brutality than Thorkell's.
8 Episode #18 Ask the Reader if Thorfinn would choose violence
The best cover versions of Vinland Saga tell a unique story
According to Chapter #71, or Part 2 Episode #9 of the anime Vinland Saga, Thorfinn swore to renounce violence to atone for the crimes he committed in his youth. The rest of the Slave Arc tests this resolve as Thorfinn passes with flying colors, gaining freedom and the chance to forge a new path. Thorfinn's quest for peace is tested in the cover of Vinland Saga Volume #18, with the weaponless protagonist surrounded by deadly Jomsvikings.
Issue #18 gives readers a gentle reunion, with especially welcome returns from characters like Thorkell. After Thorfinn's encounter with Hild in Norway, he takes the brilliant engineer with him on an expedition to Greece, only to find reminiscences of his past while Hild keeps an eye on him if he misses oath. Try Thorfinn; hiding only gets him further. When facing off against the Jomsvikings as the War in the Baltic story begins, Thorfinn must keep on track so as not to lose himself as there is a crossbow aimed at him the moment he slips.
7 Vinland Saga Volume #15 Cover introducing Gudrid
The story of the bound fern includes Thorfinn's homecoming
Gudrid is one of the most adorable characters in Vinland Saga and is probably the best companion Thorfinn finds later on for obvious reasons. The cover is somewhat more symbolic than the others, with Gudrid's predicament being likened to a bird in captivity, called the Tied Tern. Surprisingly, it parallels Thor's stubborn desire to follow in his father's footsteps, which provides a wonderful and layered first impression of Gudrid.
Thorfinn returns to Iceland in this chapter, receiving a new look, a clean shave, and offers from his family to settle down and get married. However, Thorfinn has other plans, as does Gudrid, who goes ashore to marry Sigurd, son of local landowner Halfdan. Gudrid's reckless defiance is memorable but sets off a chain of events that pursues her and Thorfinn throughout the Eastern Expedition.
6 Thorfinn reaps a bountiful harvest in Episode #26
The Vinland arc is the most hopeful installment in the series
Thorfinn and his party landed at what Vinland Saga would later call Prince Edward Island Episode #26. This is an example of the series' covers' best qualities in how they represent the manga's characters, until this point, Thorfinn's journey becomes increasingly happy. However, looming over this veneer of hope was an underlying fear of the Norse settlers expressed by some locals.
By Vinland Saga Volume #26, great strides had been made with the Lnu natives as Thorfinn's group continued to develop the land and grow wheat. Exchanges were made, communication was effective between communities and war was avoided. However, the death premonition that the Shaman Miskwekepu'j received raised worries about the coming conflict. The cover gives hope to Thorfinn, but the growing presence of these gold fields is ominous to Miskwekepu'j.
5 Episode #17 Cover introduces Hild, One of the best Vinland Saga characters
Initially of only one note, Hild's character becomes increasingly intriguing as an excellent hunter and engineer
Vinland Saga is essentially the story of Thorfinn accepting his past and building a new future. However, as Volume #17 reminds readers, this past sometimes haunts him in more ways than just nightmares. He thought about his actions meaningfully during the Eastern Expedition Arc after meeting Hild.
First introduced near the end of Issue #16, Hild is a taciturn and curmudgeonly hunter living in Norway, whose fearsome ability to kill bears is initially seen as a boon to Thorfinn's party. The group shares a meal, but Hild reveals a terrifying connection to Thorfinn's past as a warrior, with her grim assertion on display. What follows is a race against time as Hild seemingly holds the lives of Thorfinn's group in her hands, and Thorfinn struggles to find a way to atone for her past deeds.
Vinland's 4 newest settlers gather for a group photo in Episode #25
A touching showcase of Thorfinn's allies of all shapes and sizes
Most of the best Vinland Saga covers rely heavily on one character, but this is an example of the hopeful energy in the Vinland Arc. Thorfinn's group has found land they can call home, regardless of their upbringing and previous lives. Particular highlights of this photo include Karli and Karli's mom looking happy and on her feet, Mr. Ugge looking more paranoid than ever, and Cordelia rising above everyone, living her best life. It's a lovely portrait and an increasingly cheerful image for the series in its most recent releases.
Vinland Saga Volume #25 begins with the final journey to North America, but it takes it further south to reach Vinland. It was a hopeful sight when they discovered the ruins of Norse architecture, but previous hostility to the local Aborigines created a new challenge for Thorfinn. In addition to cultivating the land and building a lasting home, Thorfinn also had to keep the peace with the residents who lived there.
3 Episode #6 Shows Thorfinn at his most violent
Askeladd's most trusted tool features an iconic duel
Vinland Saga is a different beast when reviewing the War Arc or Season 1 of the anime. Thorfinn is a killing machine motivated by Askeladd's promises, a chance to avenge his father, becoming the perpetually dangling carrot for the teenage warrior. The cover shows how far he has gone to the bottom, the dead bodies lying at his feet, notably men much older than him.
The important events of Vinland Saga Volume #6 are basically all related Thorfinn's duel with Thorkell and Prince Canute's epiphany about peace. This is a thrilling read with some of the most intense action in the series, especially considering the terrifying power differential between the two warriors, even though Thorfinn stubbornly fights on. However, the episode's important developments for Canute essentially steal the show, which is saying something when the main draw is a David and Goliath-sized battle.
2 Thorfinn's Chaos Pushes to the Limit in Vinland Saga Episode #20
The war in the Baltic region is escalating more and more dangerously
Much of the Eastern Expedition Loop features Thorfinn's revelation about who was behind his father's murder. The power struggle around him is also tied to the same man, Floki, as the Jomsvikings struggle to stand behind a clear leader. The volume cover fittingly foreshadows Thorfinn's struggle to keep from rage, hoping to rise above it.
The events of Episode #20 saw conflict erupt with Thorkell excited at the prospect of combat and Garm carrying the smoking gun as the head of the Jomsviking's key leader. Key allies are captured as Thorfinn grapples with the gravity of the situation. Mentioned by Bug-Eyes in Chapter #139, Thorfinn must consider killing his bloodthirsty captors obsessed with a glorious death if he wants to save his friends. However, this is a line that Thorfinn desperately wishes not to cross.
1 Volume #24 is the best Vinland Saga cover for one simple reason
A glimpse of happiness is a rare sight in Seinen Manga
Vinland Saga Volume #24 is the sweetest, most wholesome portrait of a simple scene, as Thorfinn moves through his twenties alongside his wife, Gudrid, and adopted son, Karli. This is an extremely rare sight in the Seinen manga world, but a worthy one, is the culmination of Thorfinn's positive karma. Whether this will be his ultimate fate is another matter.
It's hard to imagine life getting better in Issue #24, as Thorfinn makes progress in getting help for his expedition to Vinland. He performed a beautiful act when he seduced Halfdan so that he would take Cordelia with him and try to atone for taking Gudrid away from her future husband, Sigurd. Still, Sigurd's unexpected return to Halfdan with his new wife and heir is one of the most exciting moments in the series, capping off an important conclusion to the hero's journey.
IN Vinland SagaThe cover of Volume #24 is also very good with images of marital happiness.