Parents' Guide to Vinland Saga

Parents need to know that Vinland Saga is a historical fiction series about the perils of war and revenge. Violence is frequent. Most scenes involve gruesome battles between armies or one-on-one combat, with bloody and graphic depictions of stabbings, dismemberment, beheadings, and death. Thorfinn (voiced in the English dub by Aleks Le and Laura Stahl) is only 6 years old when he witnesses his father's murder and is forced into war. Montages show him learning to kill -- first animals, then people -- while still a small child. The context of war in the Middle Ages brings up depictions of slavery and implications of sexual violence, suicide, and prejudice against others based on religion and nationality. Characters curse ("s--t," "hell") and verbally threaten others. Nudity involves characters backsides; a child's bottom is shown when he is spanked by a parent, and adult's backside is shown when bathing. Although graphic, the series ultimately questions violence and promotes a complex look at war that aims for peace instead of fighting.