The epic ending to the Nordic tale told by the Vinland Saga anime is coming up soon and anime fans can’t wait. Manga readers may think they know what’s next for Thorfinn, but it turns out that animation company WIT Studio has some unexpected plot twists planned for Vinland Saga episodes 20 through 24.
The story of the anime is based on the Vinland manga series by writer and illustrator Yukimura Makoto. The creator has stated that he plans on writing four major story arcs. The first is called War, while an unnamed final arc just started releasing in late 2019 (For more details, see our article on Makoto’s plans for the Vinland Saga’s ending).
Based on the pacing of the anime, it’s very likely that WIT Studio is targeting Chapter 54 as the stopping point for Vinland Saga Episode 24’s ending. But exactly how WIT’s writers will reach that stopping point might differ from the original story.
WIT Studio director Shuhei Yabuta has been talking about the making of the anime for months. In recent weeks, he noted on Twitter that since “there is no guarantee that there will be a continuation [Vinland Saga Season 2], it [the first season] must be made satisfying by itself. It’s a mistake to think that you can enjoy it simply by making it formless, so you must do everything you feel is necessary.”
Following the release of Episode 19, the director also revealed that “there will be some adjustments from the manga in future episodes,” including Vinland Saga Episode 20 and beyond. He explained that WIT Studio thinks the changes are “necessary” in order to “enjoy this series as an independent content. I hope you enjoy our attempt!”
At the same time, the director promised that the overall “outline will not change.” That probably means that the anime’s final scene will remain the same as the manga, which isn’t too surprising since the ending of the War prologue arc sets up the story for the next story arc. After all, they don’t want the anime to diverge so much from the source material that Vinland Saga Season 2 becomes impossible.
19話をご覧いただきありがとうございました！
本シリーズも残すところ5本。今後の話数ではいくつか原作と違う試みがあります。大筋が変わることはありませんが、本作をより楽しんでいただくためにと考え、取り組んで参りました。楽しんでいただけたら嬉しいです。#VINLAND_SAGA #ヴィンランド・サガ https://t.co/p5ik8TYkzY
— やぶた (@yabshu55) November 25, 2019
It’s also not surprising that WIT Studio is changing the ending of the Vinland Saga anime by adding some anime original content. WIT Studio has been doing that from the start, and even the epic opening scene showing Thors fighting in the Battle of Hjörungavágr was anime-original content.
Episodes 1 through 4 even reordered the events for linear storytelling rather than relying on flashbacks like the manga. Episodes 5 and 6 fleshed out Thorfinn’s childhood even more with anime original content.
Let’s just hope that Vinland Saga episodes 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 do justice to the manga creator’s vision. Stay tuned!