A True Warrior (Vinland Saga)

A True Warrior is the fourth episode of the first season of Vinland Saga.

Plot
Surrounded by Askeladd and his warriors, ordered to kill him by Floki, Thors takes desperate measures to protect his crew and a stowaway Thorfinn, and tries to avoid becoming the man he once was.

Why it Rocks

 * 1) There's near constant action and awesome fight scenes throughout this episode, and it's all long, brutal, intense, and exceptionally well animated.
 * 2) The fight between Thors and Askeladd is a highly promising one as we get a fantastic view of the skill both possess and lack. It's also done in a realistic way rather than an over-the-top way, with excellent choreography that tells a story about both characters.
 * 3) The fight between Thors and Bjorn is also awesome and brutal.
 * 4) It gives a great degree of character development to just about everyone involved, Thorfinn, Thors, Leif, Askeladd, and even many of the minor characters, and it's only the 4th episode of the series. What's even more impressive is how it uses the action scenes to do so, not taking random breaks to show flashbacks, but to have the characters develop during the fighting.
 * 5) Thorfinn quickly goes from almost completely foolish to much more careful and devoted, which will remain for the rest of the series.
 * 6) Askeladd, though he seems like an utter scumbag, has a very different side of himself shown that one would not expect and allows the audience to see him in a different light.
 * 7) It also does a fantastic job advancing the plot, taking many great twists and turns to introduce you properly to each of the characters. Plenty of things happen that one genuinely does not expect and one can only imagine how the plot progresses afterwards.
 * 8) Askeladd is perfectly introduced as both a scoundrel and a man of his word, this contradiction play major parts in his character later on and he's given a lot of personality to boot, making him a very intriguing villain that you'll spend the rest of the season with.
 * 9) It explores several themes that become more prominent as the series progresses, like the value of mercy, what truly makes a warrior, and the consequences and truth of war and the Viking lifestyle, showing the overall theme of the show as a deconstruction of such a life rather than a glorification of it.
 * 10) Plenty of awesome lines throughout, especially Thors' line "a true warrior doesn't need a sword."
 * 11) As stated in the main page for the series, it's not afraid to kill off major characters, and this episode is a prime example, giving a final twist that's unexpected and utterly tear-jerking, and one that changes how the series progresses. It also does a great job in the last few minutes showing the emotional impact of that scene on many other witnessing characters. The effects of this tragedy are shown even further in the next episode, The Troll's Son, and further still during certain future episodes.
 * 12) It does a practically perfect job setting up the main plot and many of the major themes, as well as Thorfinn's obsessive desire for revenge against Askeladd.

Reception

 * The episode received 9.7/10 stars on IMDb from 2.9 thousand reviews.