If historical accounts float your boat, then we are here to help you with your dose of vintage-themed manga. Vinland Saga offers you a variety of themes for contentment.

So, here are some other manga titles that you can enjoy as a leisure activity when you’re running out of options. It’s guaranteed that these titles will lead to your tendency of exacting vicarious pleasure through a fictionalized escapade beyond space and time.

See also: Shounen Jump’s Next Big Three Manga

Manga Similar to Vinland Saga

13. Berserk

Creator: Kentaro Miura

Like Vinland Saga, Berserk also has an old classic vibe, especially since it is based in a historical setting too. Berserk is a well-known cult favorite title that drives a vengeance story sprinkled with fantastical and supernatural elements.

The protagonist of this manga, Guts, is popular as the ” Black Swordsman” who has had to endure a difficult childhood. However, just when Guts thinks that he can finally lean on someone else, this person betrays him for his own selfish deeds.

As demons now pursue him, Guts can only rely on his own strength, caliber, and sword to set things right and punish the one who has tormented his life all this while.

12. Fullmetal Alchemist

Creator: Hiromu Arakawa

Fullmetal Alchemist is severely famous for brotherhood as its subplot, so much so that one of its seasons is literally sub-titled “Brotherhood”. Anyhow, what makes it similar to Vinland Saga is the fact that both storylines largely dwell upon familial links for their progress and fulfillment.

In an attempt to resurrect their mother through forbidden means, both Edward and Alphonse Elric become victims to even greater miseries in the process. While Edward loses his limbs, Alphonse’s body is completely annihilated and so Edward ties his body to a suit of armor.

A new adventure awaits them as they run in pursuit of the Philosopher’s stone, which can not only help Edward who aspires to gain immense power as an alchemist but also help with his brother’s situation. Their escapade soon leads them into unknown territory as unforeseen events and battles mark the path to their destination. The story leads them from one adventure to the other, while we see the two brothers backing up each other no matter what.

11. Kingdom

Creator: Yasuhisa Hara

Set in the ancient background of the warring states period in China. Kingdom brings us the tale of two young boys- Li Xin and Piao, who aspire to become Generals. Their status as orphaned slaves becomes a major hindrance in their path to achieving their dreams and yet they strive.

Destiny eventually drives them apart and Xin is the only one left standing. Determined more than ever, Xin meets Ying Zheng, the crowned prince of Qin. Both despite being rivals become comrades and while Zheng has his own purpose driving him, Xin works hard to climb the social hierarchy.

This manga presents another close-to-real historical narrative marred with bloodshed on the battlefield with a political background pushing the theme. Thus, making it similar to Vinland Saga.

10. Baltzar Militarismus

Creator: Michitsune Nakajima

Known as Gunka no Baltzar in Japanese, this manga is set in the 19th century when an ambitious officer who rose to his ranks swiftly is assigned a new project, but this time off-field. The new job requires him to work as a trainer at a military school in Baselland without any firm backup while civilians raise their voices against firearms.

The new assignment is rather tricky and unexpected, and something he isn’t exactly prepared for despite its seemingly facile facade.

Like Vinland Saga, Baltzar Militarismus is related to the military, its code of conduct, and the resolution of unforeseen battles.

09. Imperial Guards

Creator: Daisuke Satou with Yuu Itou

Alternatively titled “Koukoku no Shugosha”, has been adapted from the historical war novels of the same name. The manga maps out the story of the two warring sides- The Imperial City (Koukoku) and The Empire (Teikoku).

The trajectory of the events is mainly narrativized from the protagonist, Shinjou Naoe’s perspective as Teikoku’s desperate stance of invading Koukoku outnumbers Shinjou’s army consisting of barely 600 men. The unfolding narrative vividly portrays the challenges faced by the main character as the thirst for power guides the other battalion while Koukoku’s Defence forces try their best to hold them back.

This series is an underrated masterpiece, wherein the creator has fused the gory reality of wars with the mystical world of dragons and sabertooth tigers.

08. Marginal Operation

Creator: Yuri Shibamura (story) Daisuke Kimura (art)

30-year-old Ryouta Arata suffers from a fallout when his company is dissolved. Looking forward to emancipating himself, he goes on to seek an employment opportunity with “Operators”. His misconception regarding this position leads him to believe that he’s engaging in a game. However, the truth leaves him stupefied once he finds out that it isn’t a game he’s playing, rather has been turned into a mercenary.

Embroiled in a real war in Tajikistan, Ryouta’s conscience is then put to test as finds himself in control of the lives of these soldiers.

The manga is quite similar to Vinland Saga’s storyline since it also deals with heavy and dark themes correlating to military, bloodshed, and warzones endangering innocent lives.

07. Altair: A Record of Battles

Creator: Kotono Katou

This is another historical and military-led manga directed towards the shounen demographic like Vinland Saga. Altair: A Record of Battles or Shoukoko no Altair is about Tughril Mahmut, an officer who serves the Turkiye Stratocracy.

War is waged as the neighboring empire seeks to invade their country’s peace. Meanwhile, the Divan gets caught up in the enraging civil dispute raised by two sects of the country differing on their opinions regarding this matter. The resulting warzone introduces Mahmut to a whole new world of politics, diplomacy, and alliance as he tries his best to keep the battle at bay.

The manga also received an anime adaptation. It didn’t form part of one of the mainstream anime trends but its audience did respect how the plot was politically nuanced and discussed realistic issues related to wars and the human psyche that pushes these ideas forth. However, the pacing of the storyline fell off and viewers often found themselves lost in the sea of information that the anime tried to pile on.

06. The Heroic Legend of Arslan

Creator: Yoshiki Tanaka

Loosely based on the 19th-century Persian folktale of Amir Arsalan-i Namdar, The Heroic Legend of Arslan or Arslan Senki puts across the medieval setting of the Pars Kingdom.

Throughout the plotline, young Prince Arslan is forced to come to terms with the ravages of war once the neighboring Lusitania occupies their land. Arslan believes in the existence of an uncorrupted world and in its search he goes to war to redeem the lives of his loved ones. As he finds himself surrounded by foes on all sides, he also finds the meaning of life while following his instincts and forging alliances with unexpected sources.

The manga traces its similarities with Vinland Saga as both stories are set in medieval warring circumstances.

05. Ad Astra: Scipio to Hannibal

Creator: Kagano Mihachi

The infamous First Punic War during the 3rd Century BC shapes the thematic thrust of this manga. The initial defeating blow of the Roman Republic subjects Carthage to unlikely aftermath. However, the son of the previous General – Hannibal Barca is declared by the prophecy to be the ultimate ruler of Rome in time.

Hannibal’s genius puts together an army of 50,000, which he then leads into the Second Punic War. His invasion is then met by an equally menacing contender, Scipio, who prepares his army of 100,000 Romans.

Ad Astra: Scipio to Hannibal is yet another manga like Vinland Saga which follows historical events portraying two battling sides playing their parts to retain their empires’ glory.

04. Issak

Creator: Shinji Makari

Following yet another narrative of fulfilling one’s personal vendetta in a historical setting, Issak ends up being quite similar to the Vinland saga manga. The background of the storyline involves Europe being embroiled in the Thirty Years’ War.

The namesake protagonist of the series embarks on a quest, coming all the way from East Asia, to get a hold of the man responsible for his master’s death and also for the theft of something that Issak deemed invaluable.

His only objective behind joining the war is to find this man and put an end to this tussle for good.

03. Angolmois: Genkou Kassenki

Creator: Nanahiko Takagi

This military-based historical fiction read is yet another manga similar to Vinland Saga as it falls under the same category or genre.

It’s quite an underrated piece of realistic war-time story-telling that has stayed hidden from a lot of manga readers for reasons unknown. Nevertheless, all those who have had the good luck of being acquainted with this title have always spoken at length about how much it grants them an opportunity to be transported back in time and witness all the gory historical events transpire in front of them.

This manga marks the beginning of the samurai’s advent in history and relates the incidents of Japan’s infamous civil war, the Genkou war, and the brutality it gave birth to.

02. Blood and Steel

Creator: Qiao Jingfu

The Power-hungry group of Wudong who only believe in surpassing everyone and becoming the strongest, exterminate Qincheng. This only marks the beginning of their bloodthirsty rampage that seeks to eliminate all those adversaries who question their supremacy.

However, unknown to popular belief, an unlikely alliance is formed between the one standing swordsman of Qincheng, named Yan Heng, who was saved by the “Wudang Hunter”, a man on his way to avenge the deaths of his dear ones. Together, the two of them stride toward getting their revenge on Wudong.

Once again, through this manga, we get to take a glimpse into a world similar to Vinland Saga where the protagonists are hell-bent on avenging their loved ones in an ancient setting.

01. Historie

Creator: Hitoshi Iwaaki

Topping the list of these historical genre mangas similar to Vinland Saga is Historie (no puns intended there).

The author of this manga took a great lot of artistic liberty to fictionalize the plot especially since it revolves around a real person, Eumenes – Alexander the Great’s General.

It has been a well-observed pattern that history has a pretty biased approach. On one hand, it chooses to glorify and sing the tales of certain individuals, on the other, it lets others get overshadowed by the former’s grandeur. Eumenes suffered from a similar fate as his individual identity gets invalidated and all that remains is his position as a General. All the struggles that he had to face to attain this spot have never been talked about. What all he went through, all the people he met in his time, and more. This is all ‘his-storie’. (coloredmanga.com)

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We hope this suggestion list of manga similar to Vinland Saga is to your liking. Thank you for reading this far. We would love to hear your take on this manga, and even if you have any more recommendations of your own, feel free to leave them down in the comments section.

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