The penultimate episode of “Vinland Saga” Season 2 — Episode 23 “Two Paths” — sees both Thorfinn and King Canute reach the end of their character journeys, which in different ways portray them reconnecting with humanity.

Season 2 got a lot of flack from Season 1 fans for being a completely different show. Unlike the first season, Season 2 is not an action-packed gorefest; it’s a slow-burn period drama where fights are sparse and the focus is directly the development of its protagonist (Thorfinn), who transitions from a remorseless killer whose sole motivation is revenge into a wiser man who realizes that violence should only be used as a last resort. In short, Thorfinn grows into a man who can fully embrace his father’s philosophy that he doesn’t have any enemies; no one does.

Season 2: Episode 23 comes after Thorfinn endures 100 punches from a guard known for killing bears in order to speak to Canute to convince him to withdraw from Ketil’s farm and vacate his claim to it. The whole affair was orchestrated by Canute from the beginning, as he set up Ketil’s son, Olmar, into lashing out against his guard in order to give him pretense to seize the farm, which he needs to fund his occupying forces in England. Going into his encounter, Thorfinn is greatly outnumbered and has almost nothing to bargain with Canute. He is also no match for Canute’s wits, as he has become a cunning tactician in the years the two have been apart.

So Thorfinn simply choses to do none of that and admits he will run if Canute is committed to taking the farm. However, he acknowledges that he wants the same thing as Canute — a land without slavery and war — but he has his own way of achieving it. Whereas Canute wants to create order through conquest, Thorfinn wants to settle North America, or Vinland, which is a land unscathed by European conquest. Specifically, Thorfinn wants to create a peaceful land for those that cannot live in the world Canute is building.

Canute realizes that his seizure of Ketil’s farm is both unnecessary and would create more work for Thorfinn, as it would increase the number of people who could not live in the “paradise” he wants to create (the seizure of Ketil’s farm requires the banishment of him and his clan). Despite selling Thorfinn into slavery, Canute realizes that he still has an ally and friend in Thorfinn, one who is willing to endure great pain just to “admonish” him.

In a remarkable way, Canute’s encounter with Thorfinn sees him embrace some of his nonviolent philosophy, choosing to withdraw his occupying forces in England. Rather than spark a rebellion, it gained him the respect of the English people, whose nobles appreciated the trust Canute placed in them.

It’s a unique climax to an anime that goes far beyond simply “killing the bad guys.” “Vinland Saga” Season 2 might be more slower paced, but it has refreshing insights on the nature of war and conflict and how it is best to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Our protagonist, Thorfinn, is born into a world and culture that praises conquest for conquest’s sake, which is much of the focus of Season 1, whereas Season 2 compliments that by highlighting the perspectives of the conquered, like Thorfinn’s best friend, Einar, who has both English and Dutch blood but doesn’t fully belong to either group and as such, was subject to violence from both.

I fully understand the whiplash viewers get from Season 1 to Season 2, but if you’re able to overcome it, I think Season 2 is well worth a watch. It’s not going to entertain you in the same way, but its ideas challenging unnecessary violence and its thesis on what it means to be a man (or adult) might change your perspective on these themes that are so prevalent in other shows, even beyond anime.