Emperor of Rebellion

What an amazing episode. Easily one of the best in this season and maybe the second best in the whole show. It has a really intense and powerful confrontation between Thorfinn and Canute.

The characters are so well-written, especially Thorfinn, who is fighting his own inner battles and taking responsibility for his past mistakes. The relationship between Thorfinn and Canute is really interesting because they have different ways of thinking and living.

The visuals in this episode are really great, with beautiful drawing and attention to detail in the characters designs. The voice acting and music are also on point and add a lot to the scenes. Its not just Thorfinn who is amazing in this episode, but also Canute and Einar. They all have fantastic moments. And the background music is just peak!

The best episode of this amazing season! They've done a great job with the direction and combination of visuals and soundtrack. That famous scene "I have no enemies" gave me goosebumps - it's noticeable that the entire team, including the voice actor, artists and composer, put all their effort into delivering just this one line in a way that you'll never forget. Ever since the second episode of the first season, when Thors first said these words to little Thorfinn, we understood that the whole story would lead precisely to the moment when the protagonist would remember his father's most valuable lesson, and this scene did not disappoint at all in terms of conveying the importance of these words.

The confrontation between Thorfinn and Canute was also very atmospheric and tense. The colorists managed to properly convey the ominous atmosphere that surrounds Canute and his army, while they stand almost motionless under the setting sun.

P. S. Did you know that the scene with Canute and the sea is based on the old legend about King Canute the Great, the real-history prototype of this character? According to legend, the king was tired of the flattery and fawning of his courtiers, and when one of them said that the king could demand obedience from the sea, Canute demonstrated the impossibility of this act, showing that not everything is in the power of kings. There are many illustrations of this legend, some of them are several centuries old.

I've been waiting for this episode to be published since reading it, and that was 4 years ago. Mappa did a great job adapting this MASTERPIECE of a chapter. Thorfinn is indeed one of the best written characters of all time, if not the best.

He is just a beautifully written character. A man fighting against his demons, taking responsibility of all the mistakes that he has done in the past. An EMPTY man. Let's not forget the amazing dynamic that the anime holds between Thorfinn and Canute making them great rivals with different mindsets and way of living. At the end, ladies and gentlemen, THIS is Thorfinn Karlsefni, the best character of all fiction!

This is to an extent the biggest part of the story yet. This episode is what the foundations of the rest of the show build upon.

This episode was a vital part of the plot - the interactions between the characters, and the duality of Thorfinn and Canute and their development from the first season was amazing. And while Thorfinn became a slave, we see how free he truly is in this episode.

Adaptation from the manga can be very difficult to achieve. The panel I'm covering is of course the 'I have no enemies panel' - I don't really think the anime stayed perfect to this to be honest, but the music and timing of it were still amazing. It was a bit lacklustre for such an iconic panel. But when that's the only fault I can point out, it just testifies to the general standard of the anime, and the message the panel conveyed still stands.

I do feel there is also a slight case to be made about pacing here - I feel like the 100 punches could've happened last episode, but I'd much rather see it steady than let the episodes snap too short and feel rushed, so it's not a criticism.

As usual, music, art, and in particular the voice acting stood out as brilliant. Einar's actor this season as a whole really deserves credit as one of the performances of the show, and Thorfinn and Canute also really shine in their roles.

Overall the episode was great; I've mentioned the streak of good episodes and this has continued it very well - all that remains now is the end of the arc, and hopefully the start of another.

9.4/10. Not perfect but damn close.

Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 22: "The King of Rebellion" - I just witnessed Cinema..., and witnessed Peak! Can't ask for anything more than this.

What an incredible episode, and maybe this was also one of the best episodes in the entire series, no question, maybe the best in this season and at this point there was so many fantastic episodes, so just wow...

The confrontation between Thorfinn and Canute is finally here, and oh man.., it was one of the best moments in the series by far! Canute has changed a lot as well just like Thorfinn. Loved seeing Einar speaking his mind in front of Canute and not being scared a bit.

A lot of really nice shots of Thorfinn and Canute this episode, they went all in the character design details. And once again the voice acting, the music was on point!

What a freaking GOAT Thorfinn..., ,,I have no enemies'' Goosebumps at max level!! What a powerful moment man. I am still shaking after what I witnessed!

And the most unbelievable thing is that no just Thorfinn was amazing in this episode, Canute and Einar was also so fantastic!

For me, this was the highlight of the season, but the finale is still to come, but this season, this story, this anime is something else...