Garm

"And who says you need to have a point to fight?! We fight because it's fun! Just look at them! They're having the time of their lives! There's no meaning in their life or death. They're just enjoying the spectacle of violence. War is pleasure. Everyone loves playing this game. The rules are simple, but the game is deep - how can you protect your own life while taking the opponent's? You've had your fun with it, too, haven't you? Just remember that. And let's have fun with it. Don't try to bring meaning into war. What good's a life, anyway? Only use for it, is having fun knocking one another around."

- Garm

Garm (ガルム) is a major antagonist of the Eastern Expedition Arc. He is a pompous and brash man looking for the thrill of a fight. He is quite intrigued by Thorfinn due to recognizing his combat prowess and hoping Thorfinn is the fight he has sought after for so long.

Due to his similar love for combat, it was sarcastically implied that he's Thorkell's bastard son, however, his flashback proved that this isn’t the case as his father was a different man who detested Garm for how he is.

Appearance
Garm is a young man of average height and a lanky build. He keeps his hair in a 'spiked up" style and has sparse eyebrows. In the latter half of the Baltic Sea War Arc, he's shown wearing a headband. Garm always has his custom-made spear with him.

Personality
"There's nothing better than two men trying to kill each other. Nothing could possibly be better than a fight to the death."

- Garm

Garm can be considered as a psychopath. He thinks of killing as a fun game and genuinely does not understand why Thorfinn would not want to kill people anymore. In a lot of ways, Garm is quite similar to Thorkell in his love of combat as they both constantly search for a real challenge. Garm is quite simple in his behavior, only wishing to fight strong opponents and enjoy the thrill of battle, claiming that there is nothing better than a fight to the death. He generally seems to be a bit of a death seeker as he remarks at the end of his first fight with Thorfinn that he really thought that he'd be the one who might be able to kill him in combat. This can be seen again at the end of his fight against Thorkell, with him telling Thorkell that the next time they fight, Thorkell should finish the job and kill him.

Garm has also a very cocky and cheeky personality. He loves being at the center of attention. He is prone to making himself as much noticeable as possible and loves putting on a show, as seen when he dropped his identity as a spy just to reveal himself in a flashy way in front of everyone. He also likes playing the role of a villain, as seen when he kidnapped Leif, Einar, and Gudrid, and left only Bug-Eyes behind to leave him with a message for Thorfinn, to force Thorfinn to join the coming battle at Jomsburg on the side of the attacking forces, because Garm wanted to face Thorfinn in battle again. Garm is very reckless in that regard. He killed and beheaded Jomsviking commander Vagn even though his mission was was to kill Thorfinn, although as he himself said, he did it because he thought that he was helping Floki, being unaware that he also angered Thorkell by doing so. Despite the fact that Floki shoved Garm's recklessness into his face by calling him out for his action, Garm disregarded that immediately by telling Floki that he can kill Thorkell and how Vagn's head is proof of that. Even when Floki warned Garm that if he kills Thorkell, King Canute will react and how they would have to face the combined might of Denmark and England, Garm disregarded the danger of that as well and told him that he would kill King Canute and every enemy they would have to face as well. Despite Garm's cockiness, he is smart and skilled enough to notice and eliminate assassins, is a efficient hunter and tracker, and can generally gauge a person's level of strength and skill by their demeanor. He's also good at spying under the enemy as he did so twice, killing Vagn, one of the principal Viking commanders, with ease. Garm is also an expert in combat.

Garm is quite blunt when expressing his opinions and desires and only seems to care about the thrills of combat. He has an utter dislike for the idea of living a peaceful life as a farmer. Throughout his second interaction with Thorfinn, Garm claims that he is his friend implying that he has a warped idea about the meaning of friendship as if it is something only relating to combat. This says a lot about how he views people, with those that are worthy opponents being his friends, and him having no respect for those who he considers weak. In fact, he does not seem to know much about life outside of fighting and the idea of a normal life disgusts him.

History
As a child, Garm was ostracized by other children and the adults, being known as Garm the Hellhound. Even his own father didn't acknowledge him as his son. This was most likely due to Garm's psychopathic nature, having bit off the ear of another boy when playing due to not knowing when to draw the line since he sees combat as just a game. The kids threw stones at Garm and insulted him whenever he wanted to play together with them. One day, one of the kids brought 3 young, armed men to Garm, planning to teach Garm a "lesson". One of the men pointed his weapon at Garm and told him that they're looking for a new player in their "games", which made Garm happy. It ended up with Garm killing all three of them, with Garm being happy that he won the game. However, angry vikings and farmers suddenly appeared in front of Garm, insulting Garm and wanting to kill him for what he did. Garm jumps happily in the air because he has more people to play with, grabs a spear, and proceeds to kill them all while laughing happily.

Garm's first appearance in the story is him noticing and eliminating an assassin who tried to kill Baldr. Garm points out to Floki that his precious grandson would be dead if it wasn't for him and that he would appreciate some gratitude. Garm asks Floki when he's going to get a real challenge and informs him that if he gets too bored of this, he's going to end up killing him instead. Floki sends Garm on a mission to kill Thorfinn when he learns that Thorfinn could be a threat to Baldr's claim to chieftaincy. During his mission, Garm disguises himself as a viking under Vagn and beheads him. After following his tracks, Garm and his companions meet Thorfinn in the middle of a forest. Garm asks Thorfinn for a fight but to get Thorfinn in the mood to fight just in case, he shows him Vagn's decapitated head that's hanging on his spear. Garm mocks the dead Vagn and says that he didn't seem strong when he fought him, and then asks Thorfinn what he's going to do now that Garm has killed his rearguard, but much to Garm's surprise, Thorfinn has taken off and ran away. Slightly angered, Garm throws Vagn's head aside and chases Thorfinn, leaving his companions behind.

While running away, Thorfinn says that as long as they don't have horses, they shouldn't be able to catch up to his running speed, but Garm suddenly appears behind him and asks him why he's running away, having caught up to Thorfinn with ease. He tells him that running away is no use since he's faster than him anyways. Thorfinn thinks that the length of Garm's spear will be a hindrance in the woods and how he can beat Garm with his bare hands. After introducing themselves to each other, Garm asks where Thorfinn's weapon is and throws a knife on the tree besides him, wanting to lend him the knife for the fight. Garm then points out that a knife is a deadly weapon despite its small size compared to the spear, pointing out his neck and heart, vital spots one should aim for. Annoyed that Thorfinn hasn't picked up the knife yet, Garm tells him that he will regret it if he doesn't use it, and quickly thrusts his spear besides Thorfinn's head. The attack was so fast that Thorfinn didn't realize it happend until it already happend, as he was shocked after getting cut and realizes that Garm missed him on purpose. Garm continues attacking Thorfinn despite him telling Garm to wait. Thorfinn analyzes Garm, pointing out that he's wielding his spear with one hand and that he has never seen anything like Garm's throw-like thrust before. Garm is holding the spear by the end to maximize its reach and the speed of the switch is extreme. Thorfinn wonders how Garm keeps it from flying right out of his hand and remarks Garm's ability to being able to pull the spear back just as quick, and how he can do it with either hand. He declares Garm to be a natural, a real spear expert, and Garm is happy with Thorfinn being able to dodge his spear. Thorfinn gets close to Garm and the end of Garm's spear hit a tree, leaving Garm at the disadvantage. Thorfinn points out that the long handle of Garm's spear is still a downside in the forest and thinks that he has Garm beaten, but Garm was just kidding, splits his spear in two, and stabs Thorfinn in the abdomen, suprising him.

Garm reveals that his spear is a custom-made one that can be split into two, becoming short spears which he dual wields, and says that he has no weaknesses. Thorfinn, exhausted and now injured, is puffing. Garm tells him to hang in there and how he made sure not to do any vital damage, but that the next one will be fatal. He throws another knife besides Thorfinn's feet, wanting to lend him this knife as well. Garm asks Thorfinn what his plan is and tells him that there are only two outcomes to this situation - either he dies, or Thorfinn dies, ordering Thorfinn to pick up the weapon he lent him, but Thorfinn refuses and runs away again. Disappointed and annoyed with Thorfinn's decision, Garm points out that he has already showed Thorfinn that he will win any foot-race. All by himself now, Garm thinks while walking circles. He assumes that Thorfinn not having a weapon on him suggests a total lack of motivation and wonders who turns heel and runs when another man challenges him to a duel, as well as if Thorfinn is even a warrior, but then corrects himself by saying that Thorfinn's speed was the kind of speed one hardly ever comes across. Garm is annoyed that things had to go like this when he finally found someone who might be able to kill him. Garm's companions from before caught up to him and ask him where Thorfinn is, while Garm ignores them and thinks of finding whatever thread he can pull to motivate Thorfinn to fight. One of his companions then wonders why Thorkell and Vagn's troops became allies out of nowhere, to which Garm replies that it has to be Floki who they're planning to fight. Garm gets excited that there will be soon a war in Jomsborg and wants to put on a show, wanting to invite Thorfinn as well.

Since Thorfinn was still nowhere to be found, Garm and his companions meet up with Thorfinn's crew, but Leif pretends to not know Thorfinn, however, Garm saw through his bluff immediately. Einar asks Garm and his companions who they are, while Garm says that he'll leave one of Thorfinn's crew behind to relay the message, while taking the other three. He points at Bug-Eyes and tells him to stay behind to tell Thorfinn that Garm has his companions, that Thorfinn has to join the coming battle at Jomsborg on the side of the attacking forces, and that Thorfinn should bring his own weapons with him. Giggling to himself, Garm tells one of his companions that that made him sound like such a villain just now, while he points out that Garm is the actual villain. Garm points his spear at Thorfinn's crew and tells them to keep it civil and come along, but Bug-Eyes suddenly hits Garm's spear aside with his wood stick and warns Garm. Garm gets excited and prepares to fight him, but Bug-Eyes claims to not have his trusty steel on hand today, which makes Garm wonder what's up with Thorfinn and his crew. Although Garm ordered one of his companions to toss him his sword, Bug-Eyes declares that he refuses to use another man's sword. Garm lets go off his spear and is fine with a barehanded fight, but Bug-Eyes warns him again and tells him to come again tomorrow. Confused, Garm bends down to pick up his spear after realizing that Bug-Eyes doesn't wanna fight. Suddenly, Bug-Eyes goes for a swing with his wood stick, thinking that Garm is wide open, but Garm knocks him out cold with one punch and takes the others hostage.

After going back to the Jomsvikings Main Base, Jomsburg, Garm is welcomed with Floki's vikings attacking him, to which he reacted by killing and mutilating a bunch of them, and then showed the others that he has Vagn's head, asking them why they attacked him out of the blue, wanting to speak to Floki. Floki is angry with Garm, which confuses him. He informs Garm that Thorkell sent back the war fund which Floki paid to Thorkell for his help. Garm points out that he only killed Vagn because he thought that he was helping Floki by doing so. Floki reminds him that his mission was to kill Thorfinn and asked him how that proceeded, to which Garm casually admitted that Thorfinn got away. Floki says that the only choice left is to offer Garm to Thorkell as an apology, to which Garm replied that since Thorkell is on the enemy side, he can go ahead and kill him. Floki considers Garm's comment as absolute balderdash, saying that there is no warrior who can kill Thorkell, but Garm points out that he can, using Vagn's head as proof. Floki reminds Garm that if he kills Thorkell, King Canute will react and they would have to face the combining might of Denmark and England, but Garm disregards the danger of that as well, declaring that he will kill Canute too and that Floki should leave all the tough guys up to him. Angered with Garm's actions of killing Vagn but letting Thorfinn escape, Floki imprisons Garm after realizing that he will stop at nothing, and plans to hand him over to Thorkell as an apology.

During his imprisonment, Garm met the same people who he previously kidnapped, Leif, Einar, and Gudrid. Realizing that he messed up, Garm apologizes to them and tries to set up the mood. Gudrid wonders if Garm got a score to settle with Thorfinn, which confuses Garm who answers that all he wants to do is fight worthy foes and how it's all he needs to be happy. Gudrid accuses him to be sick in the head and points out the normal things Garm could do instead: tending sheep, trading goods, and working fields for example. However, Garm, with a bored and dead look on his face, asked Gudrid if normal living is that fun. Garm also points out the difference in values and that if Gudrid asks every last warrior in Jomsburg, if they think normal living is fun, she won't get a single "yes".

After being handed over to Thorkell, Thorkell wonders if Garm really defeated Vagn because Garm doesn't look that tough in his eyes. Garm points out that judging others by appearances is a good way to get hurt and that Vagn was a easy kill who barely put up a fight. Garm declares that Thorkell would last mere seconds against his spear, causing Thorkell's men to beat Garm up. Asgeir orders them to kill Garm, but Thorkell stops Asgeir and his men. Because Garm has killed Vagn and provoked Thorkell without any fear, he sparked Thorkell's interest, who says that Garm will serve as a fun pre-game show. After Thorkell ordered his men to untie Garm and give him a weapon, Thorkell informs Garm that Vagn was not as weak as Garm said and that if he beat him, it only means that Garm is strong, and Thorkell wants to judge his strength personally. Garm tells Thorkell that he's been dreaming of the day where he fought Thorkell, because he's the strongest warrior in the world, to which Thorkell humbly points out that being the strongest isn't just something one can become and how the world is a big place. Shortly before the start of the fight, Garm tells Thorkell that he hopes he's more fun than he last one. Thorkell laughs, assuring Garm that he will certainly try. The fight was evenly matched and both Thorkell and Garm complimented each other's strength. After going at each other for a bit again, Asgeir stopped the match and declared it to be a draw. Because Garm has earned their respect, Asgeir told Garm that they'll let him go this time and to get lost. Garm thanks Thorkell and told him that the next time they fought, Thorkell should finish the job and kill him. After walking away, Garm is happy and claims that nothing could possibly be better than a fight to the death.

Garm appears again later on during the War in the Baltic, in front of a gate of the Jomsvikings Main Base, Jomsburg, searching for his custom-made spear that's been taken from him when Floki imprisoned him. The Guards shoot arrows at Garm who dodges them all easily. He tells them that if they just hand it over to him, he'll leave, but they disregarded that and continued shooting arrows at him while telling him to get lost. After stretching for a bit, Garm charges at the gate, runs up the wall, and gets within the walls. A charging viking tries to kill Garm but he disarms and kills him, and then climbs up the roof of a house and continues searching for his spear. In an attempt to force Floki to open the gate, Thorfinn pretends to take his grandson Baldr hostage. Garm menacingly watches this all on the top of a roof and can't believe that they started the "party" without him. After disguising himself as one of Floki's vikings and getting near the scene, Garm makes himself noticeable by calling out another viking who supposedly has Garm's spear which he was searching for. Without any second thought, Garm drops his disguise and reveals himself in front of everyone. He tells Thorfinn that it's time for their match but Floki warned Garm that he shouldn't provoke Thorfinn because he took his grandson hostage, to which Garm replied that he doesn't care. Sigurd points his sword at Garm and told him to not butt-in because they're busy but Garm told him that he only got business with Thorfinn. Angered, Sigurd prepares to fight Garm. Meanwhile, Floki orders his men to shoot Garm with arrows but Garm dodges them all and dashed at Sigurd who is shocked with his speed. Sigurd swings his chain at Garm but he dodges it by jumping in the air, and attacks Sigurd with his spear. Thorfinn jumps in and saves Sigurd's life by blocking Garm's spear with a knife, which surprised everyone, except Garm who is very happy and thrusts his spear at Thorfinn.

Being more than happy that he was given the chance to face Thorfinn in combat again, Garm ignores Thorfinn's pleas to stop, and repeatedly thrusts his spear at Thorfinn, killing one of Floki's men in the process. To escape Garm, Thorfinn climbs up the roof of a house but Garm chases him down while excitedly laughing. Garm asks Thorfinn why he doesn't stop resisting and fight him for good, using Thorfinn's friends as a reason to force Thorfinn to fight him. Being sick of running away the entire time, Thorfinn takes a fighting stance and they fight. Garm chases Thorfinn down and up the house, but then suddenly demands a time out. He points out that Thorfinn is not trying his hardest, that he isn't coming at him, and that all he does is stopping his spear with his knife. Garm makes it clear to Thorfinn again that if he doesn't want to die, he should better act like it. Thorfinn tells him that he doesn't want to fight him at all and how it's pointless for them to fight. Offended at Thorfinn's comment, Garm responds that one doesn't need a point to fight and how they fight because it's fun. He uses the vikings down the roof who are fighting a war as an example, saying that they're having the time of their lives and how there's no meaning in their life or death, and that they're just enjoying the spectacle of violence. After Garm explained to Thorfinn that war is pleasure and a game, and that Thorfinn shouldn't bring meaning into war, Thorfinn is shocked with Garm's perspective. He then throws his knife away and said that the rule is to win while protecting your own life while not taking the life of others. Garm is confused with Thorfinn's decision but Thorfinn provokes and mocks him, causing Garm to charge at him angrily. Thorfinn stops Garm in his tracks and headbutted him, knocking him unconscious. This was the same tactic that Askeladd used against Thorfinn in the past, and Thorfinn remarks that Askeladd teaching him this has saved his life.

After remembering his childhood, Garm wakes up laughing. He realizes and points out to Thorfinn that Thorfinn was intentionally provoking him. Thorfinn admits it by telling him that if one becomes hot-headed, their movements become simple and they become too fixated on the one mark they're attacking. Garm is pissed at himself for splitting his spear in two and claims that if he had it at full range, he could've won even while being pissed off. He then realizes that his spear is gone to which Thorfinn replied that he threw it away to stop Garm from attacking him, which pisses Garm off. Garm admits that while Thorfinn got more experience than him, he has still better talent than Thorfinn and declares that the next time they meet, it won't go the same way and how he will win and kill him. Thorfinn sighs and wishes for them to be rather friends the next time they meet. Confused, Garm asks him what he means, telling Thorfinn that they're already friends, which surprises Thorfinn. Garm then leaves by jumping down the roof, leaving a confused Thorfinn behind who wonders what's going on inside Garm's head.

Abilities
"He's wielding the spear with one hand! I've never seen anyone throw their thrusts like that. Damn it! I feel like I'm fighting an archer! He's letting the handle of the spear slide down his palm at high speed. He's holding it by the butt to maximize its reach. It's just the speed of the switch that's so extreme. How does he keep it from flying right out of his hand?! He pulls it back just as quick. And he can do it with either hand, too. He's an acrobat...a natural!!"

- Thorfinn

Overall Abilities: Garm is an extremely talented and skilled fighter. He showed his talent as a child by killing multiple armed men with ease by just using a wooden sword and then a spear. He is a very skilled and agile fighter, being able to hold his own against Thorkell in a fight despite the fact that he used a normal spear against Thorkell and not his custom-made spear. He's good at noticing and eliminating assassins, is a efficient hunter and tracker, and can generally gauge a person's level of strength and skill by their demeanor. He's also good at spying under the enemy as he did so twice, killing Vagn, one of the principal Viking commanders, with ease. Even without any weapon at hand, Garm can disarm vikings while he's barehanded and knock adult men unconscious with one punch.

Master Spearman: Garm is a highly skilled spearman, being extremely proficient at using his custom-made spear which can be split into two, becoming short spears which he dual wields. Garm is wielding his spear with one hand and is such a natural at it, that Thorfinn felt as though as if he's fighting an archer. Garm's technique of using his spear emphasizes on range and agility. He can can mutilate body parts with his spear and is also able to throw his spear accurately, impaling someone's neck. When using his "final" attack Beehive Thrust, Garm thrusts his spear multiple times at the opponent in rapid speed, further showing his spearmanship skills.

Spear Throwing: Garm is also able to effectively throw his spear and kill his target immediately in one blow, as shown in Chapter 130 where he killed the assassin who tried to kill Baldr. Enhanced Agility and Speed: Garm's agility and speed are amongst the fastest in the entire series. He was able to easily catch up to Thorfinn despite the later saying that he can't catch up to him without a horse. Even Thorfinn considered Garm and his attack speed as "too fast" as Garm was able to blitz and injure him while holding back. Garm can also keep up with Thorkell in combat, and they were too quick for even experienced vikings to be able to tell what's going on in their fight. Garm is so fast that he can dodge dozens of arrows with ease and run up the wall of a gate. As Garm was running up the wall of the gate, he did a somersault and was able to keep his balance when he arrived on the top, showing a extraordinarily high level of agility. Enhanced Strength: Even as a little kid, Garm was already so strong that he could kill multiple armed adult men with ease by just using a wooden sword and then a spear, destroying the weapons in the process. When older, Garm is so strong with his spear that he can mutilate the body parts of vikings at rapid speed, as well as injure Thorkell, the strongest Warrior in the World. Evem without any weapons, Garm's physical prowess is formidable as he casually knocked Bug-Eyes unconscious with one punch.

Enhanced Durability and Endurance: Garm has a high amount of stamina and pain tolerance. Before his fight with Thorkell, he got beaten up by multiple vikings and didn't seem to be in pain. During his fight against Thorkell, Garm was able to receive hits from Thorkell and continue fighting. When Garm woke up after Thorfinn headbutted him, Garm was more concerned about where his spear is, than the fact that his nose was busted and his face full of blood; not caring that he's injured at all.

Ranged weapons: Garm has knives which are hidden in his boots and although he was never shown using them, he's most likely good at using them.

Trivia

 * In Norse mythology, Garm is a wolf associated with both Hel and Ragnarök, and described as a blood-stained guardian of Hel's gate.
 * When asked if Garm's name is actually Garm, Yukimura replied in 2022 that it's his insulting nickname but he's insensitive to insults from others. That's why he uses the name Garm as his real name.