What does it mean to be a true warrior? What does it mean to be a man, or more importantly, a good person? These are questions that I have been pondering for a very long time. Especially in a day and age where there is so much toxicity and a warped perception of their meaning.
In a world where social media, politics, and pop culture media can often promote toxic values, understanding these concepts and answering these questions is essential. And one piece of media has rekindled the fire of my curiosity and bundled all of these questions together.
Vinland Saga is an epic anime that charts the journey of Thorfinn, a young Viking warrior driven by a fierce desire for revenge. However, beneath the surface of this thrilling action-adventure story lies a deeper theme interwoven in the story perfectly embodied in one phrase said by Thorfinn’s father Thors:
A true warrior does not need a sword
Words that echoed throughout the entirety of Vinland Saga, and made Thorfinn into the man that he became, influencing and changing the entire world around him. But as evident, it was much more than just a phrase. But what does it mean?
Much like Thors, everyone in Vinland, and many people in real life want to become a warrior, or strive for one type of greatness or another. Going out in a blaze of glory is seen as the ultimate goal, with any alternative presented as weakness or “unmanly”, all examples of an unhealthy and dangerous type of masculinity.
So… they pursue their path of the warrior. The path of death and destruction. Some do it because they love it, some do it due to societal and familial pressure, and some feel like they have no other choice, thus continuing the cycle of violence.
Thors’ choice to escape from a cycle of violence and seek a peaceful life for himself and his family can be seen as an example of healthy masculinity. He realized that the never-ending cycle of fighting and killing was not the way of a true warrior and chose to pursue a different path.
Thors understood that true strength comes not from wielding a sword, but from having the courage to break away from destructive behaviors and mindsets. His actions demonstrate that being a true warrior is not about the ability to fight, but about the ability to make difficult decisions and prioritize peace over violence.
In the context of the theme, “a true warrior needs no sword,” unhealthy masculinity can be seen as the antithesis of what it truly means to be a warrior. While unhealthy masculinity often associates physical strength and violence with masculinity, a true warrior embodies inner strength, wisdom, and self-control. A true warrior doesn’t seek violence or aggression but rather seeks to live in harmony with the world and those around them while growing and improving alongside them.
This theme seems to show up in many of my favorite types of media. One of which is in “Vagabond”, a manga series based on the historical figure Miyamoto Musashi and the novel “Musashi” written by Eiji Yoshikawa.
Similarly, Musashi’s journey to becoming “unrivaled under the sun” emphasized the importance of self-mastery and the avoidance of violence whenever possible. Every “enemy” he faced, all of the masters, were small pieces of the puzzle that was this lesson.
Both Thors and Musashi understood that being a true warrior is more than just knowing how to use a sword — it requires a deep understanding of oneself and a commitment to living a virtuous life.
Sure, it’s tempting to go after everyone’s throat and call yourself the greatest, but to get there you need to look into the void, and the void looks back.
Tearing something down is much easier than building it. It takes a lot of willpower to resist the ego. And violence and the ego come hand in hand you get lost along the way, releasing your inhibitions and tossing aside your ideals to become a shell of what you were.
And of course, although I have been talking about masculinity and what it means to be a man, this does not mean that the topic is exclusive to gender. Another great example of this is Xena, who much like Thorfinn and Musashi was born on the battlefield but outgrew it and became something more than just a hero, understanding that by helping others you help yourself.
All of these characters and more come to the realization that the true battle is within them, and that the external battles they fought were just distractions from their true selves. By shedding their ego and focusing on what truly matters, they were able to become better warriors and, in some cases, better people.
The idea that “you have no enemies”, a phrase that Thors also embodies is part of this, as it emphasizes the importance of looking within and finding peace, rather than constantly seeking out conflict with others.
It comes down to the fact that you need to get past your ego and see that there are bigger and more important things than thrusting yourself into every single battle and losing yourself in the process. The more you chase after something external, the more you run away from yourself.
In a way, that’s what being a true warrior is. Not straying from the path, putting others ahead of his own selfish desires, picking the harder choice — fighting for peace not war, ending the cycle of violence, in turn, finding yourself(one could say it partly mirrors the Dokkodo but that can be a topic for another time)
So… In closing, “A true warrior does not need a sword” goes beyond fictional warriors. It is a mindset, a way of existing that requires one to be in control of their own ego and desires. Through fiction and the examples of Thors, Musashi, and Xena, we can see that true strength and wisdom come from defeating the only enemy that you have — yourself and not the empty pursuit of external glory.
It is not about being the most powerful or winning every battle, but about having the courage to face yourself, the deepest and darkest parts of your soul and come out a better person. As they say, it is easy to chop down a tree, but planting and nurturing it is much more difficult. And the biggest showing of growth is to plant a tree whose shade you won’t live long enough to sit under. Or as the Bhagavad Gita says:
You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.
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Previously Published on Medium
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