Askeladd

==Summary==
Askeladd (アシェラッド, Asheraddo) or Lucius Artorius Castus is a cunning, mysterious pirate Viking. He is the son of a Norse Viking and a Welsh noble woman. Witnessing how his mother, and her people was mistreated by the Norse and the English, Askeladd despises his Scandinavian heritage and embraces the Romano-Celtic heritage of his mother, although, he is nevertheless shown to be a believer in the Norse Gods. Sharing the belief of Welsh people, Askeladd longs for the day when his King Artorius would return and liberate the Briton people from the Germanic oppression. However upon encounter with Prince Canute, he realizes that belief is nothing more than a fairy tale and decides to aid Canute in the greatest cause. Through his Welsh mother, he is a direct descendant of King Arthur and aims to change the world by putting an end to viking culture while keeping Wales safe.
Askeladd's role in the series is the captain of a notorious band of Viking pirates. He is the unlawful murderer of Thors. He's Thorfinn's 'boss' even though Thorfinn rarely listens to him, apart from when he gets a chance to fight Askeladd (his usual reward). He is a mentor for Thorfinn and a catalyst that brings about the change in Canute. Askeladd serves as antagonist and surrogate father-figure to Thorfinn during the first arc of the saga, pushing around the younger man through having killed his father Thors and using the promise of revenge to make Thorfinn follow him.
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: 
Name: Askeladd, real name is Lucius Artorius Castus
Origin: Vinland Saga
Gender: Male
Age: 44 at the time of his death
Classification: Human, Pirate/Viking, descendant of King Artorius
Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Master Swordsman, Skilled hand-to-hand fighter (Disarmed and dislocated 17 y/o Thorfinn's shoulder with ease), Acrobatics (Casually jumped from one longship to another over water), High Pain Tolerance (Can shrug off multiple arrows in his body and being attacked in the heart)
Attack Potency: Wall level (Beheaded 2 vikings at once, cut a man wearing a metal helmet in half, able to kill several men on his own, superior to Floki)
Speed: Possibly Subsonic+ (Caught Thors off guard, superior to 17 y/o Thorfinn)
Lifting Strength: Peak Human
Striking Strength: Wall level
Durability: Wall level
Stamina: Peak Human (Can fight groups of men)
Range: Extended Melee Range with his sword; Several Meters with a thrown hatchet
Standard Equipment: His sword and armor, sometimes a hatchet
Intelligence: Gifted (Askeladd is a cunning, master tactician as well as a skilled politician. His ability to manipulate those around him turned a horde of pirates and raiders into a close-knit group wholly loyal to him. He has shown himself capable of turning enemies into allies, as seen with Thorfinn, Thorkell, and Prince Canute. He could also instantly read a man, an ability he claimed to have picked up from living 40 years among wicked men. Askeladd was a highly skilled swordsman on top of that, displaying a talent for this at age 11 when he defended his mother from his father Olaf. Despite being 44 at the time of his death, he took on multiple opponents at once on his own. He was planning to overthrow Canute's father, the former king of Denmark)
Weaknesses: Highly defensive of his homeland, Wales. This can backfire though, as he decapitated King Sweyn after he threatened to invade Wales if Askeladd didn't betray Canute.
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Losses:
Inconclusive:
Category:Characters
Category:Male Characters
Category:Manga Characters
Category:Vinland Saga
Category:Humans
Category:Sword Users
Category:Pirates
Category:Martial Artists
Category:Anti-villains
Category:Antagonists
Category:Primary Antagonists
Category:Orphans
Category:Weapon Masters
Category:Vikings
Category:Anime Characters
Category:Mercenaries
Category:Leaders
Category:Tragic Characters
Category:Axe Users
Category:Acrobats