With fans ofVinland Sagahaving known for months that the iconic Viking historical series would be ending soon, much of the conversation about the manga has gravitated towards how the series would conclude. This debate was further fueled by creatorMakoto Yukimura’s admission last Decemberthat he had not yet decided on the ending.
While talk of how the series will end is natural, an equally important discussion that been percolating throughout theVinland Sagafandom is the lack of transparency about why it is ending. It’s true thatVinland Sagahas been in publication for nearly two decades, but there are other popular manga that have run for even longer. In line with the discussions about how the series ends,Yukimura recently revealed why he’s ending it- which comes down to a common complaint among the mangaka creative class.
Vinland Saga’s Author Makoto Yukimura Decided It’s Time To Rest
The Successful Series Has Been Going On for Two Decades
In a January 2025 interview with the cultural section of the French newspaperLe Figaro,Yukimura discusses and reflectson his journey writing and drawingVinland Saga. When asked whether he hopes to write another manga as long asVinland Saga, Yukimura replies that he has no interest, at present, in spending another 20 years authoring a manga. According to Yukimura, he just doesn’t want to get back into the monthly grind of generating content for years at a time.
I spent over twenty years onVinland Saga,which is due to the fact that I work very slowly. I can finally see the end of it and I admit that the dominant feeling is that I will finally be able to rest. I don’t feel like working as much anymore. Maybe I say that because I’m a little tired. - Makoto Yukimura
While the question concerned a future manga project, it also explainedwhy Yukimura is endingVinland Saga. As he indicated, he no longer has the enormous amounts of energy required to sustain a long-running series as complicated and intense asVinland Saga. Furthermore, as he further revealed, even if he possessed the energy to continue for a few more years, he has, creatively speaking, run out of ideas.
What’s Next For Vinland Saga’s Yukimura?
Fans Are Excited ABout Any New Projects
The end ofVinland Sagais not the result of some exotic circumstance, as some have speculated, but rather due to two of the most common reasons in the industry: professional and personal burnout, and the fact thatthe story has reached its natural conclusion. For Yukimura, however, the intensity of both factors may have been greater thanwhat other mangaka typically experience.
As he made clear throughout the conversation, Yukimura poured his heart into the series, including research trips to Scandinavia to learn firsthand about how the Vikings lived and fought, as well as personal research closer to home, such as reading books, attending lectures, and consulting Japanese experts on the subject.
Fortunately for Yukimura’s fans, his fatigue isn’t so overwhelming that some rest, relaxation, and time away from the drawing board won’t rejuvenate his creative energy. In fact, he’s made it clear that once he “gets his groove back,”he is ready to jump on a new project. Unfortunately, it won’t involve Vikings or a historical perspective. Instead, he plans to return to his roots: science fiction. That said, whatever he creates next, if his creative process is anything like that ofVinland Saga, it is sure to be a success.
Sources:LeFigaro-Culture
Vinland Saga
Vinland Saga is an adaptation of the historical-action manga series by Makoto Yukimura. Centering around young Thorfinn, the story sees the young man on a quest for revenge following the murder of his father by the mercenary Askeladd. To accomplish this feat, Thorfinn joins Askeladd’s company to bide his time and prepare to face him in the future. The story starts around 1002 AD and revolves around fictional accounts of the Danish invasion of London.
