This Unforgettable Line Is the Greatest Anime Quote of Al...

This Unforgettable Line Is the Greatest Anime Quote of All Time Thorfinn and Askeladd looking off into the distance after the prologue

By Branson Garza Published 18 minutes ago Branson is a Senior Writer for ScreenRant. Anime has been a major part of his life since he was able to raise his hands in the air for a Spirit Bomb. As a journalist, Branson focuses heavily on listicles and op-eds detailing the industry's greatest shonen series. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Anime, unsurprisingly, is filled with some of the most memorable quotes of any art form. Out of every great quote in anime, there's one that stands above the rest.

Vinland Saga is one of the most profound anime series ever, and it didn't start like that. The first season of the series was soaked in blood, as Thorfinn had his eyes set on revenge and nothing else. The second season took the series to new heights, showcasing some of the greatest emotional maturity in anime.

There are a few great quotes within Vinland Saga, and out of all of them, one has cemented itself as both the best in the series and, arguably, the best in all of anime.

Vinland Saga Is a Top-Tier Anime

It's Both an Amazing Shōnen and Seinen Series

Vinland Saga anime best episode Thorfinn attacking Canute

Thorfinn lashing out at Canute after Askeladd is killed, thwarting his revenge plans in Vinland Saga

Vinland Saga is such a great anime series that it transcends genres. The series started in the shōnen category before evolving and placing itself within the more mature seinen category. It was first published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine before moving to Monthly Afternoon, a publication aimed at an older audience.

There aren't many series that can jump from genre to genre without losing their fan base on their voice. Vinland Saga did the opposite, growing its fan base by showing its range and just how ambitious the series wanted to be.

MAPPA has done an excellent job bringing this series to life as well. While fans are clamoring for a third season, it's not hard to see why it hasn't come yet. MAPPA isn't a studio to rush through projects, and given how great the first two seasons of Vinland Saga are, the third is set to be another masterpiece.

Vinland Saga's Second Season Is Powerful

Thorfinn Made Legitmate Progress As a Human Being on Ketil's Farm

Thorfinn's time on Ketil's Farm was exactly what he needed. He was enslaved, and, in a way, that's what he wanted. At this point in the series, Thorfinn is completely shattered emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. He devoted his entire life to revenge, and just when it seemed he would get it, it slipped out of his hands.

Askeladd's death in front of Thorfinn was the final push needed to break Thorfinn. Not only did he not get his revenge on his father's killer, but he also lost Askeladd, someone who had turned himself into a father figure for the young man. Without either his biological father or his father figure, Thorfinn was completely lost.

Thorfinn found a true friend in Einar, a fellow slave also looking for some kind of redemption. Together they worked tirelessly, and while the two were great for one another, Thorfinn truly met the man he needed to in Sverkel.

Vinland Saga Has The Best Quote in Anime

Sverkel Was Exactly Who Thorfinn Needed to Meet

Sverkel standing in front of a plowed field

Sverkel is Ketil's father and wise old man living on the farm. He imparted a lot of wisdom on to Thorfinn, but nothing was more impactful than his quote about redemption. Thorfinn was lost, broken, and most of all, empty. Sverkel told him that being empty isn't such a bad thing.

"Being empty means anything can fit inside you. If you want to be reborn, empty's the best way to be." - Sverkel

When Thorfinn was wondering how to progress from nothing, how to move on from the man he once was to the empty shell of a man he found himself to be, Sverkel told him this: "Just keep learning as you do it. One thing after another… Being empty means anything can fit inside you. If you want to be reborn, empty's the best way to be."

Sverkel's quote was exactly what Thorfinn needed. He needed to understand that starting from zero, in a lot of ways, is a good thing. Feeling empty can be worse than feeling bad, but for Thorfinn, feeling empty could mean that he can metaphorically go wherever he wants without having to worry about emotional baggage from his past.

Vinland Saga Will Only Get Deeper from Here

Somehow, the Series Is Set to Get Even Better

Nobody could have predicted what Vinland Saga would become. The first season was incredibly brutal, violent, and calamitous: three signs of a great modern-day shōnen series. Vinland Saga could have maintained a focus on action, and nobody would have complained, but the series had something bigger in mind.

Vinland Saga is the best anime series about emotional growth out there. It's set in a realistic time period in which the Vikings were terrorizing England and the Nordic countries, and yet, it's so much more than outer conflict.

The series places a premium on hope, redemption, and asserting oneself against "fate" or "destiny". Thorfinn was destined to be a war-crazed man fixated on vengeance, but thanks to the people around him (like Sverkel), he was able to forgive himself and finally move on from the horrors he'd inflicted and had inflicted upon him.

There may never be another anime series quite like Vinland Saga. It's deeply profound, skillful in its portrayal of violence, and an overall masterpiece. Sverkel's quote to Thorfinn only highlights just how great this series is and why it stands out in anime as one of the best to ever do it.

42 9.2/10

Vinland Saga

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed Action Adventure History Release Date 2019 - 2023 Network Netflix

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Yûto Uemura
Mike Haimoto

Genres Action, Adventure, History Powered by

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Anime
Vinland Saga

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