Hellsing is popular anime series based on a bestselling Manga. Set in modern day England it follows the events of a secret order called the Royal Order of Protestant Knights or better known as the Hellsing Organisation. Hellsing’s purpose is to combat vampires, zombies and other supernatural demon sprits that threaten the United Kingdom. The style of the series uses a lot of gore, blood and violence to give it a dark and gothic look but includes heroism and antagonistic elements to the story.
Hellsing’s main weapon and the story’s protagonist is Alucard (Dracula spelt backwards), Alucard is in fact a vampire himself. Used by the Hellsing Organisation as the only logical weapon believed to be able to defeat these evil forces.
Hellsing is lead by Integra Hellsing who inherited the organisation from her father after his death at the age of twelve and is currently the last remaining member of the Hellsing family.
The Hellsing Organisation has numerous other characters that make up the rest of its private army. One particular member is also a vampire that was turned by Alucard in first episode of the anime series. Seras Victoria was taken hostage by a vampire posing as a priest, in order to kill the vampire Alucard shot through Seras then giving her the choice to save her life by converting her to a vampire and to become Alucard’s protégé serving the Hellsing Organisation.
Integra’s loyal servant Walter was once a member of Hellsing’s fighting force before becoming a butler. Alucard refers to Walter as the Angel of Death and the two share a personal admiration of each other.
Hellsing has other foes not just vampires and ghouls but other groups and organisations one in particular is Millennium created before the end if World War 2. Millennium is a group of Nazis that escaped to South America when Nazi Germany was defeated by the allies. The group’s purpose was to research the paranormal and supernatural forces to apply them for military means. Millennium was supposedly defeated in 1944 by Alucard and Walter during the Warsaw uprising. Many members escaped and went into hiding to only just remerge.
Another organisation that is more of a competitor than an enemy is the Vatican’s Iscariot Organisation that is a secret wing that is not supposed to exist. Their purpose is the same goal as Hellsing to rid the world of evil forces which includes some of Hellsing’s subordinates Alucard and Seras in particular. The Iscariot Organisation like Hellsing has its own powerful weapon known as Alexander Anderson a human priest with enhanced abilities most likely due to genetic engineering. Anderson has a dislike for Alucard and Seras as they are both demons whether they are fighting for the same side or not, he classes them as monsters that are unholy.
The Manga has been converted into two different series the first one often referred to as Hellsing the TV – Series produced between 2001 and 2002. Hellsing Ultimate is the latest adaptation of the Manga that is still been produced so far four episodes have been aired in Japan. In comparison Hellsing Ultimate follows the Manga a lot more closely with more detail than the original series. Also many fans considered the original to follow the Manga loosely as the series had to introduce characters not in the Manga and due to budget restraints further into the series it left the ending disappointing and unclear. This was the main reason behind the release of Hellsing Ultimate on a bigger budget with a closer following of the Manga.
