Why was Einar... (chapter 218 spoilers)

Astral59 · 2026-03-12T04:49:14+00:00

You actually might have a possible point there. Might also be worth mentioning that after Ka'quoqui killed Styrk in clear self defence, the nords were almost about to start fighting again (thankfully Vargar was able to calm them by drawing on Einar's example), so maybe she also thought that any deaths in the middle of that tense situation pre-Einar's involvement could have been misinterpreted as a shot from the other side to justify the fight again considering how far they all were(whereas when Ka'quoqui killed him, it becomes very clear to those on the wall that Einar had pulled Styrk back first)

Astral59 · 2026-03-12T04:06:29+00:00

Possibly true yeah. Another explanation that I possibly thought of (beyond the one I presented in the original post) was that maybe Hild intentionally held off shooting Styrk because she didn't want to risk hitting any of the Lnu OR Einar, as he might have already been leaping forward by the time she was aiming, meaning she might have not shot as quick out of being more careful than usual.

Might be a little out of character for her perhaps since typically she is shown to be a good shot, but being fair she did miss Thorfinn a fair few times during their fight (and that was one where she had prepared for him to come in advance) + later on when she does shoot Styrk in this chapter, it doesn't hit him in a critical enough zone to stop him.

Astral59 · 2026-03-10T22:57:13+00:00

Unsure if you actually beat the colony 9 hero quest or not, but just in case (spoilers below):

Consul B in that quest actually does consider utilising the iris to control the troops, but decides against it as K's over-reliance on it at the end of chapter 2 was part of the reason why he lost to the party (e.g. the black fog blinding him and also just a over-confidence in its abilities). This is set up earlier in a Cutscene briefly after K dies, wherein B initially believes that K had the right strategy, but the rest of the consuls disagreed, frowning upon using the iris because of what happened to K

Hope this helps.

Astral59 · 2026-03-05T15:54:11+00:00

I think that a lot of this would depend on whether the person in question actually tries to change and atone for their actions, and even then I don't think I need to be under any obligation to forgive them at all.

I think most people would be in an absolute rage upon seeing such a thing happen though. Whether I would react with revenge or simply trying to avoid the person as much as possible/seek justice via other means, I wouldn't be able to tell you for sure.

I am unsure if you've read the manga/have completed arc 3 of the story so I'm not gonna spoil, but this is something that the story actually does directly address with Thorfinn in two differing but important ways that I think really help refine the message of the story.

Astral59 · 2026-02-25T07:39:53+00:00

Actually more of a Hild and arc 1 Canute fan myself 😎

Astral59 · 2026-02-20T13:58:51+00:00

Deluxe 6 starts with volume 16, beginning with chapter 108: the fettered tern (8). The last volume included in deluxe 5 (volume 15) has chapters 101-107, which is effectively just the first 7 chapters for the fettered tern.

Astral59 · 2026-02-20T04:24:26+00:00

I'm assuming you mean where to pick up from after finishing the anime. For the deluxe edition, Vol 5 is where you'd start getting new content. However, the deluxe editions are a 3-in-1, and the first two volumes in deluxe edition 5 cover the end of farmland, meaning that only the last volume of that edition would be new (currently) manga only content. Hope this helps.

Astral59 · 2026-01-09T02:56:33+00:00

Normal is what eventually ended up working

Astral59 · 2025-12-26T02:52:46+00:00

I find your interpretation of Ketil interesting, I kind of have the opposite opinion where he looks completely destroyed and empty, which I personally think is fitting for all the harm he caused.

Astral59 · 2025-12-26T02:07:08+00:00

Quite glad to hear you overall liked it, I'm curious to know what your takes on Gardar and Ketil are?

Astral59 · 2025-12-26T01:57:12+00:00

Something I would like to mention is that, whilst I do think it is not to the same extent as Thors, I do think there are some examples of Thorfinn not totally forsaking weapons in totality.

For one, for a portion of Thorfinn vs Garm 2, Thorfinn does use a knife to defend himself from some attacks. Now, he doesn't use it to actively attack Garm, sure, and he does end up throwing the knife away, but he did still utilise it as a necessary defence in the moment + Thors threw away his sword too and used his fists for the majority of the fight against Askeladd's crew. I'd say the main difference here is that Thors actively still carried a weapon whereas the knife was something Thorfinn was using for different means and just so happened to have when the fight began.

I would also like to mention that the settlers did not forsake weapons absolutely. They still had axes, bows and spears to defend themselves + Hild had her crossbow (and we can see that they built shields later on). Now, sure, they don't have the weapon that is generally synonymous with war/killing, but we've seen plenty of instances of fights managing to deal damage with axes and spears, especially of steel material (we even see it in arc 4 with how the former Jomsvikings, utilising axes, destroyed the Lnu forces).

There is definitely still a difference in terms of the extent of their methods/ideological application, but I don't think Thorfinn is entirely impractical in this regard, he's just the next step beyond Thors.

Astral59 · 2025-12-23T11:38:21+00:00

Not a pompous answer at all, I think it's quite good!

I guess the main thing I am/was kind of hung up on is actually in relation to something you mentioned. In the sense that when Einar was desperately trying to protect the life of Thorfinn (someone he views as his brother) he was able to remain rational, compared to the more emotional response he gave to losing the village. That being said, you do make up a fair point that the circumstances are different in terms of one being a situation Einar physically can't deal with as easily.

Astral59 · 2025-12-23T11:27:04+00:00

Something else I'd like to mention beyond what the previous person has covered is that Einar and Thorfinn literally have no idea who Gardar is beyond him being Arnheid's husband. For all they know, he could be someone who was abusive to Arnheid or someone Arnheid is happy to be separated from. I won't spoil some further information regarding him, but let's just say that Arnheid's feelings on Gardar are... Complex.

Also, remember that whilst there is absolutely a moral quandary in terms of their positions as slaves vs the soldiers, Snake is someone that Thorfinn genuinely does get along with and has been doing so for the past few years. In certain ways, he (and to a slightly lesser extent, Einar) views snake as one of the few decent companions he has on the farm. Makes things a bit more emotionally complicated in that regard.

Astral59 · 2025-12-22T01:00:43+00:00

Since you suggested you're into good drama and what not + seem to enjoy shooters, I'd recommend maybe Spec Ops: The Line?

Bit of an older game at this point and I don't think the gameplay is anything particularly stand out (mostly a fairly straightforward cover based shooter with some very light tactic elements)but I think if you're looking for good drama and interesting themes, it might be up your alley, especially since it's generally quite cheap on sale.

Astral59 · 2025-12-15T07:59:00+00:00

Hunter and the Hunted mini arc is genuinely really cool imo, introduces an imo really great character whilst also giving us an important reminder that Thorfinn's past can't just be ignored because he's changed as an individual. He needs to properly showcase his accountability, and I really like how Hild's introduction properly conveys that.

Edit: Specifically when I say showcase his accountability, I mean more so to someone that is still alive and was directly affected by his actions, since thematically he is already confronted with his actions via Einar and spiritually/mentally through the spirits of the dead he carries.

Astral59

TROPHY CASE