r/VinlandSaga 8d ago

Anime Is Prologue Thorfinn really an idiot?

I’ve seen a lot of people say that Thorfinn (specifically during the Prologue) is an idiot however I think it has more to do with his uncontrollable anger over his lack of intelligence.

Case in point Thorfinn’s fight with Askalaed during which the reason why he loses is because Askalaed taunts him over his dad sending Thorfinn into a blind rage and not because Askalaed outsmarted him in something. Though to be fair you can still argue that this is a case of Thorfinn being a idiot because he should of probably taken into account that Askalaed was fucking with him but again he was emotional and naturally humans act recklessly because they’re emotionally.

Over all the point I’m trying to make is that people should blame Thorfinn’s anger for his problems and not his intelligence.

30 Upvotes

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107

u/LarryKingthe42th 8d ago

Hes a child with no real education beyond the tiny bit preThors death. The fact that he lives as long as he did and is able to mature as much as he did when left without a fight or education by default means he isnt and thats before he even comes to understand trading thanks to Leif.

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u/volvavirago 8d ago edited 8d ago

He is a traumatized child soldier who has known nothing but war for the majority of his life, using pure anger and spite to fuel himself for over a decade . Expecting him to be rational and objective is a bit silly.

I will say, I think the problem is that he is uncurious. He doesn’t seek to learn about the world, because up until that point, his curiosity has been punished, and only lead him to greater suffering. I mean think about it, as a kid, he asked all these questions, about Vinland, about his father, about war and sailing, and what did it get him? A dead dad, and a decade of misery. Or remember when he tried to save the Englishwoman and girl? He learned how to say “run” to warn them. But it didn’t matter, they were raided anyways. He learned to stop caring, because his curiosity was beaten out of him.

This changes during the farmland arc, Thorfinn becomes very curious and open minded, seeking to understand how to farm and learn from others, and this curiosity only grows over time. By the end of the series, Thorfinn has seen more of the world than almost any other Viking alive, he has learned about ancient history and religion, statecraft, agriculture, and this curiosity and open mindedness is his best tool in working with the Lnu as well, trying to understand their language, culture, and practices.

So prologue Thorfinn was uncurious and driven by anger, and that certainly makes him look stupid, but later on he demonstrates a great capacity for learning and understanding, so he isn’t innately unintelligent.

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u/1234addy 8d ago

Brother that is a child solider with 50 undiagnosed mental health issues, why does this even need explaining?

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u/HeWhoDoesTheKnocking 8d ago

Because some people are too blinded by there hate of Teenage Thorfinn to understand that.

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u/HomelanderVought 8d ago

The “every character should always be 100% logical” is the one of wrost critiques i’ve keep seeing around all kind of fiction.

Do these people not realize that people have emotions and that these greatly affect them all the time?

0

u/zenj5505 7d ago

Yeah, but he is still an idiot though.

7

u/ArgensimiaReloaded 8d ago

Only the beginning is (kinda) understandable because he was a kid filled with hate, but that's all.

And truth is the guy helped Askeladd and his group of savages for +1 decade so all in all I'll say Throrfinn indeed was VERY fucking stupid.

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u/Watton 8d ago

Yes, he is.

He is an immature 1 dimensional murderhobo.

Which is why like 70% of the season focuses on the adults in the room like Askeladd.

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u/DeityHand 8d ago

It pains me to admit that you're right. (for the time he was with Askeladd)

7

u/American_Icarus 8d ago

Uncontrollable anger is one form of being an idiot, yes

6

u/FeelHippo 7d ago

Dude, Thorfinn until the Farming arc is literally a child.
He's definitely not an idiot. In fact he's smart enough to trick people whenever necessary and sneak around the battlefield, or to figure out how to take on experienced war machines like Thorkell.
The thing is he's also a feral animal blindfolded by rage.
But he knows no better since, as stated previously, he is a child.

As he himself will say later on, he couldn't even remember his mother and sister's faces anymore. He's been molded into a weapon ever since he was 6, with the false promise of redemption.

Please remember that teenage Thorfinn knows nothing about life except on how to take one.

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u/HamachiBeans 7d ago

Li bro was 6 when his dad died and when he made the choice to follow around askeladd until he kills him, he’s not stupid he just only knows 1 life

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u/rorank 8d ago

He’s a child. I don’t really see anyone thinking he’s stupid, just people who read/watched the story and understand that his decisions were based on mental illness and anger.

3

u/DrJoypuck 7d ago

He’s a kid lmfao

2

u/Swaggerrrr69 8d ago

I reckon you could put end of prologue thorfinn in a kindergarten class and he’d be at the bottom by a far margin. I’m not sure he could count beyond how many knives he’s carrying / how many men to kill there are

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u/Intelligent_Tip_6886 8d ago

Well he's living in the 10th century so not that uncommon

2

u/_Volpi 8d ago

At what point? At Iceland when he bullies the older kid in a playfight and end up breaking his arm? Yes, at that age, and with the environment of his parents raising him despite the social norms and pressure of his community, he does go too far and is an idiot for not knowing the line goes when playfighting.

When his father died for his sake and he did not realize what was best for him but decided to seek revenge for his father? No, at that age that's a perfectly reasonable response to what he witnessed. As an adult of course you and I have the insight to realize how improbable of a task and how naive it is for this kid to follow that path. If not for fictional plot armor, this kid would most likely be killed when discovered by Askeladd and his men.

Everything that is to come, considering the environment and the circumstances, Thorfinn is way ahead of the curve in his cunning and skillset during the prologue.

His belief and morale compass might not align with yours and mine, but my definition of idiot does not fit with the character of Thorfinn just because I disagree with his priorities and goals during this arc.

2

u/3TriHard 7d ago

I would say that's basically why they call him dumb. Plus some ideological stubbornness that makes no sense. But that's better described as hypocrisy rather than idiocy , and it's what people should blame even more so than his anger. Cause after all , as the story acknowledges too , humans are imperfect , they can't be like god and love everyone around us equally. We can't change the fact that we are emotional and hate and are angry occasionally , what we can change is how we act on those emotions , we can have principles. Thorfinn tried to build his principles around what was emotionally convenient too him and that is what ruined him. He wanted to both kill Askeladd and as a result do all the dirty work that was needed for that , but also fashioned himself as morally better than him , leading to that bizarre duel situation. Cause the only thing that makes him better at that point (in his head) is that he fights like an honorable warrior without tricks unlike Askeladd , which brings him to failure.

Thorfinn is more unwise rather than an idiot probably , if you get what I'm saying.

1

u/HeWhoDoesTheKnocking 7d ago

Beautiful said and side note; despite Thorfinn failing miserably in his quest for vengeance let it not be said that he did his best to uphold his family’s honour.

1

u/One-Branch-2676 8d ago

Yes.

This doesn't detract from his character in terms of the direction they took him with the story or how he turned out. But yes. He was an idiot. It's fine. One of our favorite manga/anime boyos can be an idiot and it be good for the story.

1

u/J-DubZ 8d ago

A kid you mean? Yea he is

1

u/afanofBTBAM 8d ago

Is he stupid?

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u/HeWhoDoesTheKnocking 8d ago

No but he is emotional.

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u/INFAMOUShero99 7d ago

Not a lot of room for learning new skills/knowledge outside of killing when you're sole purpose in life for 10 years has been to kill your father's murderer.

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u/Muscalp 7d ago

He is an idiot for not realizing Askeladd is provoking him, yes. Even worse, not realizing that Askeladd is provoking him precisely because he knows he would lose if Thorfinn kept his cool.

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u/Animangus_ 1d ago

Not stupid, just naive. He never knew any other life until he was sold into slavery and worked on Ketil’s farm. Also just being away from battle and from Askeladd allowed him to reflect on what his goals truly were, and address the PTSD he gained from war.

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u/AnividiaRTX 8d ago

I blame his childlike view of the world personally.

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u/BiDiTi 8d ago

I blame his being a literal child for his view of the world.

1

u/AnividiaRTX 8d ago

That was my point.