Season 2 of Vinland Saga has pumped the brakes on the non-stop action we have become accustomed to in favor of Thorfinn’s slow-burning tale of enslavement on Ketil’s farm. With the introduction of Snake and his commanding, warrior-like presence, a sliver of Thorfinn’s old life has crept into the mix, leading many to ask: does Thorfinn fight Snake in Vinland Saga? We have the answers.
Do Thorfinn and Snake Fight in Vinland Saga? Answered
Snake and Thorfinn technically fight twice throughout the Slave Arc, currently unfolding in the anime’s second season. Their first, flash-in-the-pan encounter in Episode 4 is a brilliant foreshadowing of their much more legitimate showdown appearing later in the manga.
Depending on what you consider a fight, their first physical entanglement comes on the heels of Fox’s barbaric treatment of the enslaved Thorfinn, who bemoans being alive and doubts whether he truly wants to go on amongst the living. In a rather cheeky display of wisdom only a warrior can dispense, Snake takes a swing at Thorfinn who reacts instinctively, dodging the blow and kicking Snake, who then announces “your body is saying it wants to live.”
Their appetizer confrontation at the Guests’ Fortress gives way to a full-fledged entree in the Chapters 85 and 86 of the manga. Following Arnheid’s husband’s violent escape, subsequent capture and release, Snake is on a mission to apprehend the murderous fugitive. When Thorfinn, Einar, and Arnheid devise a plan to smuggle the gravely injured Gardar from the farm, the scheme falls apart when Snake catches them mid-act.
Does Thorfinn Win Against Snake?
Thorfinn, in the throes his own internal struggle to do no more harm, faces down the justice-seeking Snake with nothing but his fists as weapons, resolved to fight without the intent to kill, and only as a means of defending others with honor.
The two clash in a flurry of lightning-speed saber swings and hand-to-hand combat, with both remarking in awe at one another’s speed and agility. Snake marvels, “how can he dodge slashes one after another” while Thorfinn thinks to himself, “he’s faster than anyone else I’ve gone up against, he’s a seasoned warrior for sure.”
As the two continue to ineffectually bounce off one another, their skills seemingly matched, Snake is unexpectedly choked unconscious by Gardar who musters his last ounce of strength to end the fight once and for all.
While there was no clear winner in Thorfinn and Snake’s climactic duel, it begs the question how things would have transpired had the former been armed with his signature daggers. Hypotheticals aside, the fight pushed both to their limits, and gave each an incredible respect for the other’s battle skills.
That’s everything you need to know about whether or not Snake fights Thorfinn in Vinland Saga. Check out more of this anime’s content at the links below.
