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8 anime to watch before Vinland Saga season 2 starts

By Gokul Chettiyar
Modified Jan 06, 2023 10:38 GMT
Anime to watch before Vinland Saga season 2 starts
Tanjiro, Hyakkimaru, Eren, and Violet (Image via Ufotable, Tezuka Productions, MAPPA, Kyoto Animation)

With Vinland Saga season 2 soon set to premiere in the Winter 2023 anime season, fans of the anime have a lot to look forward to. Season 2 of the anime will adapt the Slave Arc, which will be unlike what viewers witnessed in the first season. While it will evidently have fewer raid attacks, fans will still be served with a gritty storyline.

After Canute killed Askeladd, Thorfinn lost his purpose in life. Thus, with no purpose to serve, Thorfinn will now be in Jutland, Denmark, after being enslaved and bought by landowner Ketil. Here, as he begins his new life alongside his new friend Einar, he will be forced to face all the sins he has committed.

Attack on Titan and 7 other anime to watch before Vinland Saga season 2 premieres

1) Dororo

Hyakkimaru as seen in Dororo (Image via MAPPA)
Hyakkimaru as seen in Dororo (Image via MAPPA)

Dororo follows the story of Hyakkimaru, a character similar to Thorfinn. Both of them are driven by anger and are out for revenge. While Thorfinn lost his father to Askeladd, Hyakkimaru lost his body parts and limbs due to his father.

Both anime are dark and driven by the plot and the protagonist's development in reaching his goal.

2) Kenpuu Denki Berserk

Guts as seen in Kenpuu Denki Berserk (Image via OLM)
Guts as seen in Kenpuu Denki Berserk (Image via OLM)

Kenpuu Denki Berserk is very similar to Vinland Saga in that both shows are serious, gritty, and realistic. They are based on a much older theme, where warriors used to fight with swords and other weapons.

If anything, the Vinland Saga has a lot to thank Berserk for, considering how it played a big part in making the 'dark fantasy' genre a major hit.

3) Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Rudeus Greyrat as seen in Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Image via Studio Bind)
Rudeus Greyrat as seen in Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Image via Studio Bind)

While Vinland Saga may be quite different from Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation in terms of genre, the two anime share some similarities.

Mushoku Tensei's plot is heavily influenced by Rudeus Greyrat's character growth. In a similar vein, the Vinland Saga's plot is driven by Thorfinn's character development, motivated by his desire to avenge his dead father, Thors.

4) Attack on Titan

Founding Titan as seen in Attack on Titan Final Season (Image via MAPPA)
Founding Titan as seen in Attack on Titan Final Season (Image via MAPPA)

Fans of the Vinland Saga should surely watch Attack on Titan, given how both series portray the tragic cruelty of war.

Both series feature a protagonist who is out for revenge at the beginning due to the loss of a loved one. While Thorfinn was out to take revenge for his father Thors's death, Eren's initial goal was to kill all titans due to his mother Carla Yeager's death.

5) Youjo Senki

Tanya Degurechaff and Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakov as seen in Youjo Senki (Image via Nut)
Tanya Degurechaff and Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakov as seen in Youjo Senki (Image via Nut)

Youjo Senki is quite similar to Vinland Saga in the fact that both anime have a main character who is a child. The two anime focus on them and their journey as they work towards a goal.

Furthermore, both anime use beautiful artwork to depict brutal battlegrounds and unsettling situations. The major difference between the two anime is that Attack on Titan is a seinen, while Youjo Senki is an isekai.

6) Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Tanjiro and Nezuko as seen in Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable)
Tanjiro and Nezuko as seen in Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable)

While there are many differences between Vinland Saga and Demon Slayer, both anime feature a teenager as their protagonist as they strive towards a goal, motivated by family relationships.

While Thorfinn went after Askeladd to avenge his father, Demon Slayer's protagonist, Kamado Tanjiro, goes after Kibutsuji Muzan to take revenge for his family, while also trying to find a cure for his sister Nezuko, who has been transformed into a demon.

7) Monster

Johan Liebert as seen in Monster (Image via Madhouse)
Johan Liebert as seen in Monster (Image via Madhouse)

Monster is similar to the Vinland Saga in the fact that neither anime contains any fantasy elements. They are both dark Seinen stories as they portray darker elements of society.

While Monster was based in the 80s and 90s in Germany and former Czechoslovakia, Vinland Saga season 1 was mostly based in England, with the second season set to be based in Jutland, Denmark.

8) Violet Evergarden

Violet Evergarden as seen in the anime (Image via Kyoto Animation)
Violet Evergarden as seen in the anime (Image via Kyoto Animation)

While many may think that Violet Evergarden and Vinland Saga do not have a lot of similarities between them, the protagonists in the two series are quite similar in terms of their personalities given their upbringing.

Both Thorfinn and Violet Evergarden spent the majority of their childhood immersed in war, as they lost touch with emotions after having committed atrocious sins during their respective times. The upcoming second season will prove just how similar Thorfinn is to Violet Evergarden.