San Diego Comic-Con: Makoto Yukimura Presents a Lively Discussion on Vinland Saga

Award-winning author Makoto Yukimura made his first appearance at San Diego Comic-Con to an excited but tightly packed crowd. Unfortunately, the panel room was much too small for someone of his caliber, as many were left waiting outside. Given the focus on his Viking epic, Vinland Saga, the Kodansha-sponsored Q&A spent most of its time on Yukimura's background working on the series. Fans who were curious to hear about his earlier work, Planetes, may have to wait until the day Dark Horse brings him back.

The panel started with Yukimura's childhood and how he became a manga artist. In previous interviews, the author shared he wasn't a great student. “One year, I flunked a class, so I couldn't continue to go to school, and that's how I started drawing manga,” he laughed. His admiration of the medium drove his interest, and he was greatly influenced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Disney movies. Jabbathe, a character in the first chapter of Vinland Saga, shares a name and nature similar to a certain intergalactic slug creature. “Even if I said that was my original character, I don't think anyone would believe me.”

Soon after, the jovial manga author unveiled a surprising secret about his hit story: “I don't really like Vikings.” Originally, he had this vision depicting a story with violence and peace but needed a historical subject matter. Stories taking place in Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, feudal Japan, or China had already been written about by other Japanese creators. Luckily, he fell on Vikings, which were appropriately violent for his research. Because sensory details such as smell and taste can't be transmitted through books, Yukimura decided to break into his savings and travel to learn more.

Moving into more personal details, the panelists questioned Yukimura's creative endeavor when writing the father-son dynamics in his manga. By pure coincidence, he explored those stories without consciously thinking about those themes. He has three sons, but he jokingly fears they'll take him down one day. “Until that days come, I'll enjoy my life with you guys for a few more years.” In addition, he went into detail on the models he based his designs on. “I made a cape and a shield of a Viking, but I don't know why I made it.” There was a model boat in Denmark that he based Thorfinn's ship on, but it was in such a huge box that he feared he'd be stopped by customs. Luckily no one stopped him. However, they did stop him when it came to the bigger battleship. Having physical items as a model helps translate his vision across the four or five assistants on his team.

Diving into the manga creation process, Yukimura divulged when he made the switch to digital media. “I started with traditional mediums, but once the pandemic happened, I switched completely to digital.” Now, he uploads the manuscripts to the cloud to share with his crew, and this method is becoming a standard in Japan. “Mainly, I work on drawing the human characters as well as coming up with stories and phrases for the characters. My assistants work in the details of the backgrounds.”

When asked about his thoughts on the Vinland Saga anime, he shared a similar concern over the animators. “During the time I watched seasons one and two, I was mind blown. But I started to get worried. If the animation staff continues to produce such a high quality [work] for twenty-four episodes straight, they might die!” He disclosed how director Shūhei Yabuta would still be working when taking the manga author's calls, whether early in the morning or late at night. “I would like to give the highest praise to the animators who created the anime because they respect my original work and made sure it transfers to people around the world.”

Now switching to the topic of upcoming story spoilers, he spoke about how Thorfinn and his crew have now met the native people of the new land. “I can't hide the fact that this story is based on real history, so you can speculate something unfortunate is going to happen.” Earlier, he held back on what he intended to say because he was still debating how to transform the sad situation into an interesting read.

Closing off the panel, the cheerful author welcomed live questions from fans. The first question asked what games Yukimura enjoys playing. Surprisingly, he loves Dungeons & Dragons and tabletop games in general. On the flight to San Diego, he watched the theatrical movie and realized how thankful he was for D&D's expansion to Japan. Another interesting question involved the biggest lesson he's learned after all these years. “What I learned is that there's no way you can work as a mangaka without communicating with people from outside. For example, our conversation will nurture me into becoming a better creator and will be reflected in my work too.”

On questions related to Vinland Saga, a fan asked if Yukimura would consider a spin-off expanding Olmar, Snake, and others in Istanbul. Regrettably, he doesn't have anything on his plate like that. “I get messages from people in Istanbul who are mad at me for not writing about them. I feel hurt for making them mad all the time, so I am considering revisiting the story about Istanbul.”

Before moving on to the final question of the panel, Yukimura drew his family crest. The crest is two hawk feathers crossed over in a circle and represents two hawks who are mated as a couple. This was passed down from his ancestors, who were warriors in Japan. “I have samurai blood,” exclaimed Yukimura.

The last fan asked the Vinland Saga author about Berserk author Kentarō Miura. “My deepest condolences for the passing of Miura-sensei. We planned to go to dinner together before his passing, but it never happened.” Miura deeply influenced him and showed him what a human could do during one's lifetime. “Looking at his work, we can all tell that he reached the pinnacle of human ability to create story and art.” Lightening the mood, Yukimura laughed that he might pass away sooner if he worked as hard as Miura. “He lives within me.”