Thorkell (Vinland Saga)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Japanese
Akio Otsuka - English
Joe Daniels (Sentai Filmworks dub)
Patrick Seitz (Netflix dub)
| Thorkell | |
|---|---|
| Vinland Saga character | |
 Thorkell, as drawn by Makoto Yukimura | |
| First appearance | Vinland Saga chapter 18 |
| Created by | Makoto Yukimura |
| Portrayed by | Takeshi Hayashino (stage play) |
| Voiced by |
|
Thorkell (Japanese: トルケル, Hepburn: Torukeru), also known as "Thorkell the Tall" and "Thorkell the Invincible", is a fictional character from Makoto Yukimura's manga Vinland Saga. Thorkell is introduced as a commander from the Jomsviking, Viking mercenaries or conquerors allied with the King. He switches sides to fight for the English before choosing to ally himself with Prince Canute. He opposes the Vikings with whom the lead character, Thorfinn, works, but instead becomes interested in the protagonist for being the son of the warrior Thors, who is married to his brother's daughter. He is once again prominent in the series' third story arc, where he joins forces with the older Thorfinn as there are plans to make a revolution within the Jomsviking.
Thorkell was created as a contrast to the other fighters appearing in the manga, who were serious personality-wise. As a result, Yukimura enjoyed writing Thorkell because it made his acts of violence easier to draw. He is meant to represent the Vikings in general due to his love for violence and childish personality, which Yukimura carefully wrote to appeal to young readers. In the anime adaptation, Thorkell is voiced by Akio Otsuka in Japanese, Joe Daniels in the English dub by Sentai Filmworks, and Patrick Seitz in the Netflix dub.
Critical response to his character was positive for how comical he is as well as his large design. His fights in the anime were also praised for the choreography presented, especially when he faces Thorfinn, to the point of being nominated as one of the best fighters of the year by Crunchyroll.
Casting
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The character of Thorkell is modeled after Thorkell the Tall, a man known for his bravery and build. Manga author Makoto Yukimura imagines that there were men like these "monsters" everywhere during the Viking era, both famous and unknown.[1] His design also evokes the feeling of a villain from young readers' manga who relies on a single type of skill and can be easily defeated. However, Yukimura wanted Thorkell to be more unique and give Thorkell the feeling of having a lot of strength.[2] Yukimura specifically created Thorkell as a representation of what the Vikings stood for. When it comes to his personality, despite being introduced as a grandfather, he acts like a child in all of his appearances. Nevertheless, Yukimura avoids making him look uncool or stupid, as he believes the younger demographic would enjoy Thorkell, as the author notes that the young readers are also prone to violence like the character. In retrospect, Yukimura finds Thorkell refreshing because he never hides his true emotions. Whenever he is drawn, the character is shown enjoying his actions.[3]
An addition to the anime adaptation of Vinland Saga is the first scene where Thors fights alongside Thorkell before retiring from the forces. The team was also careful with adapting the first fight between Thorfinn and Thorkell. Nevertheless, anime writer Hiroshi Seko believes Yukimura's version of the narrative is stronger.[4] Once the series' fourth story arc started, Yukimura reflected on Thorfinn, telling a friend that the protagonist highlights how people can change in contrast to others like Thorkell, who do not want such an effect.[2]
As the series is notorious for its violent first story arc, Yukimura noted that all the characters, including the protagonist Thorfinn, had no room for jokes. However, Thorkell is an exception and helpful to write comedy, as his characterization is that of a cheerful man who can change the violence into comedy. While Yukimura dislikes violence, he feels that he can handle the cruelty characterization Thorkell has.[5] In retrospect, Yukimura regards Thorkell as an ideal madman, with his obsession for fights highlighting this concept.[6] When it comes to the Merchant arc of the manga, Yukimura felt like he made a big gamble with writing Thorkell as a warrior because during his Nortic period it was weird to have elders as fighting as a result of the lower lifespan people had.[7]
In the anime adaptation, Thorkell is voiced by Akio Otsuka in the Japanese version. Since Thorkell is in charge of comedy and there is a cute side, Akio Otsuka was especially with the pitch of his character serving as a comic relief.[8] Otsuka thinks that searching for the criteria for where Thorkell feels frustration and fear is the boundary between whether or not the image of Thorkell can be clarified. Otsuka noted that Thorkell was popular not only for his superhuman strength but also for his sense of honor. Due to the multiple moods Thorkell displays in a few moments, Otsuka believes the handling of the character can be taken differently if it were an anime or a live-action.[8]
Otsuka had learned about the Anglo-Saxon and Roman invasions a long time ago and could imagine that there were various conflicts among the people of Europe. In particular, Thorkell's views on religion and life and death were clearly different from those of other humans, so the voice actor thought it would be interesting to be able to express that properly. In his case, Otsuka tries to find out what kind of sound comes out of the body that fits in with the picture. In the case of Thorkell, although his body is large and he has a childish inside, the actor thought that he would make a voice like a lion. He tried to make a sound that does not force you to go along with the thin face and the hairstyle that looks like it is falling upwards.[8]
In the English localization of Vinland Saga, Joe Daniels plays Thorkell in the Sentai Filmworks dub and Patrick Seitz in the Netflix dub.[9] The stage play adaptations of the manga feature Takeshi Hayashino as Thorkell.[10]
Role in Vinland Saga
Thorkell is a general of the Vikings mercenaries Jomsviking and uncle-in-law of Thors, father of the mercenary protagonist Thorfinn. He fights with a band of Vikings called the Death Seekers, who share his love for war. This same love of war leads him to kidnap Prince Canute, son of the Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard who aims to conquer lands.[11][12] Before the defection of Thors, Thorkell worked with and highly respected the man, resulting in a fondness for his son Thorfinn when facing him as the protagonist takes Canute from him. Thorkell duels twice with Thorfinn, initially defeating him in combat despite losing two fingers. When Thorkell attacks Thorfinn's superior Askeladd, the young protagonist attacks him in rage and manages to defeat him, taking an eye in the process.[13] Nevertheless, Thorkell makes peace with Thorfinn's group out of respect in order to aid Prince Canute in killing King Sweyn. When Askeladd pretends madness to kill the king, Thorkell tries to face him out of confusion until Canute kills the Viking.[14] Thorfinn attempts to kill Canute in response, but Thorkell stops the young warrior.[15][16] In the manga's second story arc which takes place in the next few years, Thorkell continues to be a warrior but is disappointed by the growth of Canute, expecting him to deliver a prosperous utopia.[17]
Thorkell returns in the third's manga arc in the Baltic Sea, demanding war. He meets an adult Thorfinn in joy and explains to his former enemy that the Jomsvikings need him as the new leader.[18][19] Thorkell joins the present leader Floki's team to take down rivaling Vagn's side who opposes the group. However, upon realizing realizes that Vagn has been killed without getting a chance to duel him, he faces the murderer, the mercenary Garm for the sake of a battle. Due to both fighters receiving several injures, the fight ends as a draw and they befriend.[20] Thorkell is once again contacted by Thorfinn's group with Thorfinn's ally Einar proposing the idea to declare war against the leader Floki which he eventually accepts due to his love of war.[21] Thorkell goes along with Thorfinn's plan to disband the Jomsvikings.[22] Despite joining forces and being successful in the process, Thorkell challenges him to another if he wants to leave. As Thorfinn reluctantly takes the offer, a young woman named Gudrid confronts Thorkell in rage, claiming that he should stop the fight as Thorfinn does not want to get involved in violence again. After making her confess that she loves Thorfinn, Thorkell quits the duel, telling Thorfinn to take care of her.[23]
Although Thorkell does not appear in the final arc, it is revealed he had a child named Cordelia who has been slaved by a man named Halfdan after unknown circumstances. As Thorfinn releases Cordelia, it is revealed that Thorkell's wife lied about Cordelia's gender so that Thorkell would not allow the child to fight like men.[24]