Vinland Saga Season 2, set to air in January 2023, is one of the most highly anticipated new releases for anime fans. The official Vinland Saga twitter posted their production report along with a sneak peek of Thorfinn’s new character design.
Manga fans may notice some changes. Consistent with the trailer, Thorfinn’s anime design lacks his signature slicked-back ponytail.
According to the production team, however, a considerable amount of thought went into this style. Director Yabuta Shuhei writes:
“I intentionally made the hair shorter than the original story as it would be easier to control the animation, but in the end, Abiru had put it together well. I struggled balancing out the connection with season 1 and Thorfinn’s internal changes.”
The Vinland Saga season 2 PV released back in June 2022 gave fans a brief taste of what’s coming in January 2023. While relatively minor changes, these statements help to understand the thought process of the production team. Character designer and animation director Takahiko Abiru explains:
“While keeping the features of season 1, I tried to restrain the facial expressions particularly around [Thorfinn’s] eyes in the new design, as I was expecting the changes from his growth in the mid and later stages of the story. By the way, I was designing the character by also keeping season 3 in mind.”
As of now, there is no confirmation of Vinland Saga season 3. Although, Abiru’s statements do hint that the production team are confident about future adaptations. Given that shift in tone that ‘Farmland Saga’ takes in the manga, it’s yet to be determined how anime-only fans will interpret season 2.
How much of the manga will be adapted in Vinland Saga season 2?
Going off of the PV and promotional material released so far, Vinland Saga season 2 will adapt the manga’s Slave Arc which is often called ‘Farmland Saga’ by fans — taking place roughly between chapters 55 to 99. Presumably, the entirety of the arc will be covered as the trailer shows scenes and characters (such as Leif and Bug-Eyes) who don’t appear until the arc’s climax.
With so much to cover already, it’s unlikely that any parts of the Eastern Expedition arc will appear in season 2 beyond a brief hint of what’s to come. But if speculation about Vinland Saga season 3 proves correct, it means that there’s plenty left to adapt.
Keeping fans excited for the upcoming release, the Vinland Saga official Twitter started the Vinland Saga Map series which tracks the events of the anime on a world map. Episode 1 of the first season started all the way back in Iceland. How far will Thorfinn and his crew travel on the map in the speculated season 3? Fans will just have to wait and see!
When will Vinland Saga season 3 release?
Animation director Takahiko Abiru’s statement will undoubtedly get fans buzzing about the future of Vinland Saga season 3. It’s important to remember, however, that “keeping Season 3 in mind” is not a production confirmation.
4 years have passed since the release of Vinland Saga season 1, and while Director Yabuta Shuhei’s previous project, Attack on Titan, saw seasons in yearly succession after a 4-year gap, any assertion that Vinland Saga season 3 will move in the same direction is merely speculation.
That said, the Vinland Saga manga is still on-going with over 100 chapters left to adapt — not including the estimated 44 chapters that will be covered in Vinland Saga season 2. And with Vinland Saga chapter 195 set to release in the July 25th publication of Monthly Afternoon, there’s no shortage of content for the future.