He is meant to represent the Vikings in general due to his love for violence and childish personality, which Yukimura carefully wrote to appeal to young readers.

[1] His design also evokes the feeling of a villain from young readers' manga who relies on a single type of skill and can be easily defeated.

Nevertheless, Yukimura avoids making him look uncool or stupid, as he believes the younger demographic would enjoy Thorkell, as the author notes that the young readers are also prone to violence like the character.

[4] Once the series' fourth story arc started, Yukimura reflected on Thorfinn, telling a friend that the protagonist highlights how people can change in contrast to others like Thorkell, who do not want such an effect.

[2] As the series is notorious for its violent first story arc, Yukimura noted that all the characters, including the protagonist Thorfinn, had no room for jokes.

[6] When it comes to the Merchant arc of the manga, Yukimura felt like he made a big gamble with writing Thorkell as a warrior because during his Nortic period it was weird to have elders as fighting as a result of the lower lifespan people had.

Due to the multiple moods Thorkell displays in a few moments, Otsuka believes the handling of the character can be taken differently if it were an anime or a live-action.

In particular, Thorkell's views on religion and life and death were clearly different from those of other humans, so the voice actor thought it would be interesting to be able to express that properly.

This same love of war leads him to kidnap Prince Canute, son of the Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard who aims to conquer lands.

[11][12] Before the defection of Thors, Thorkell worked with and highly respected the man, resulting in a fondness for his son Thorfinn when facing him as the protagonist takes Canute from him.

[13] Nevertheless, Thorkell makes peace with Thorfinn's group out of respect in order to aid Prince Canute in killing King Sweyn.

[15][16] In the manga's second story arc which takes place in the next few years, Thorkell continues to be a warrior but is disappointed by the growth of Canute, expecting him to deliver a prosperous utopia.

According to Anime News Network, the character "represents the slightly more exaggerated style of action and characterization", surpassing the already overpowered Thors, but in a more comical yet dark fashion as he does not care about his own wounds.

[29] The Fandom Post found the relationship between Thorkell and Thorfinn interesting but lamented how the latter is not changed by the fact that both know Thors or are related by blood.

[30] In a general overview of the manga, Anime News Network described Thorkell as possessing "psychotic enthusiasm", which is both "charming and terrifying", which makes him one of the most appealing fighters from the series' first story arc alongside Thorfinn and Askeladd.

According to Ashley D. Lake from University of California, Riverside, Thorkell, Thorfinn, and Askeladd are described as war veterans who seek Thors' answer to what makes them true warriors.

[38] In "European Middle Ages are seen through the prism of Contemporary Japanese Literature", the medievalist Maxime Danesin noted Yukimura takes liberties while also borrowing elements from real life when writing the character of Thorkell, giving him supernatural strength as well as alternative relationship with Canute.