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Originally Posted by MooMooFarm
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I think I get it. His role as both mentor and mortal enemy to Thorfinn makes him "Vegeta," but it's far from a guarantee that such characters would fall in the end of their own faults or from the Hero's blade.
They might just die a glorious battle death for example. While I don't think Askeladd particularly appreciates Valhalla -- he'd rather be going down the road to Avalon -- truth is, he's leading Vikings. In such a case a Viking's death is as good as any.
There are a lot of uber characters in manga and anime, though; what makes Askeladd unique is that he's also a complex and well-rounded character while at it. We know parts of him, so we're not being deliberately kept in the dark. But what do those fragments mean? Does he hate all Danes? Does he hate himself? What are his motivations? And if he's such a disillusioned old bastard, why is he even keeping Thorfinn alive? Why was he so nice to the traitor, and so honest to the prince? Is he really honest in the first place? What drove him to seek out a King Arthur of his own?
Questions abound. Interesting questions with interesting possible answers: a mark of a good character.
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Actually, such things can always be like oh he died of old age or something, or maybe you won't even see him dying before the story ends. I mean, is Thorfinn even acknowledged as a real person in history? Cause I can't see Thorrs as a real person in history. Not talking about his fighting ability, I mean that he chose to take his wife somewhere else. Sure, it can happen, but in real life, how many times does a guy who holds such power abandon it for some concept he had in his head? Not saying he's an idiot, just saying it's amazing if history had someone in such a position (unlike say, the Pope or Dali-Lama or any position where going OHHH I GOT IT would kinda be acceptable) that they'd just take off. =]
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Well, you'd be surprised in that many individuals in history abandon power for various reasons, including disillusionment.
I've never encountered a historical "Thors" in what little reading I've done of the period, so he's probably a creation of the author, nor is there an "Askeladd." There's a "Thorfinn," but the timeline is iffy. A "Thorkell" certainly exists though in the role he's just started playing in the story. And of course, Canute the Great is gloriously real much to the dismay of Anglo-Saxons everywhere. Interestingly enough, it took me quite some time before I eventually made the connection between the pretty little prince in the manga and the mighty historical figure. Coincidentally enough, right about the time when he leveled up big time and became enlightened in the ways of the world.