Naruto and Vinland Saga fandoms divided over who has the better protagonist

Naruto and Vinland Saga fans argue over who has the better protagonist
Naruto and Vinland Saga fans argue over who has the better protagonist (Image via Studio Pierrot, MAPPA)

While Naruto and Vinland Saga are from different genres and have different premises, their online fans have been divided over which show has the better protagonist. Although many anime fans believe that Thorfinn is a unique character, upon giving a closer look, they do not feel the same anymore.

Naruto follows the story of an orphan boy in the Hidden Leaf Village with a Nine-Tailed fox sealed within him. After he was ostracized by the people around him, he wished to become the Hokage to gain everyone's respect.

Meanwhile, Vinland Saga follows the story of Thorfinn, a boy who abandoned his hometown to avenge his father, who got murdered. However, after having lost his goal, he looked to bring peace to the world.


Naruto and Vinland Saga fans debate over the better portagonist, comparing several qualities that give the characters more credibility

As is cmmon, people from different age groups watch various anime shows from the shounen and seinen genres. However, any anime fans have a common belief that seinen anime characters are much more fleshed out and are overall better compared to that of shounen anime characters.

So, whenever fans would try to put anime characters into a tier list, seinen anine protagonists like Vinland Saga's Thofinn and Berserk's Guts are always assigned at the top or the "S tier." However, many anime fans seem to have had enough of the bias as they try to break down how commonly ridiculed shounen protagonists like Naruto Uzumaki have been a much better character than the commonly praised seinen protagonist Thorfinn Karlsefni.

The Vinland Saga character is often praised for negotiating for peace when Canute attacked Ketil's farm. Thus, fans pointed out how Naruto had done the same when he was just 15 years old. However, instead of receiving praise, he was often ridiculed for it as people would mock his "Talk no Jutsu."

Vinland Saga fans tried to make a point as to how Thorfinn stood up to King Canute in the Viking area. As for Naruto Uzumaki, they stated that the character simply told a sad story to the enemy.

Naruto fans instantly realized the bias in their argument as the Vinland Saga fans tried to make their protagonist's feats sound overrated by oversimplifying them. So, they brought in evidence to show how their protagonist would have ideological debates with their enemies to get them to switch sides and become a better person.

Moreover, fans described how both characters have completely different upbringings. While Thorfinn Karlsefni lived a carefree pampered life till the age of five, Naruto Uzumaki was born into misery. People hated him for a reason he was unaware of. Thus, he was alone until the age of 12 when he became a genin and was part of Team 7 alongside Sasuke and Sakura, under the leadership of Kakashi.

The entire argument started to lose hear when Vinland Saga fans acknowledged both anime protagonists to be good in their accounts. Both characters were well-written and had enough reason to fight for peace and tranquility.

Moreover, both characters had their own bad pasts that helped them shape into the people they had become. Thus, they believed that there was no point in arguing which anime had the better protagonist, ending the entire argument on a calmer note. As a possibility, this Twitter debate may lead to anime fans finally giving shounen anime characters some credibility and not just write them off because of their target audience.

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Edited by Priya Majumdar
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