Alucard (Hellsing)

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Alucard
Alucard in Vol. 3 of the manga
Publisher Young King OURs First appearance Hellsing volume 1 Created by Kouta Hirano
Characteristics Alter ego Vlad III Dracula Affiliations Hellsing, Protestant Church, British Crown, Order of the Dragon, Eastern Orthodox Church, Catholic Church Notable aliases Count Dracula, Vlad Ţepeş, Kazıklı Bey, J.H. Brenner, No-Life King/No Life King Abilities Vast superhuman strength, Superhuman Stamina, Superhuman Durability, Flight, Immortality, ability to pass through solid objects, Shapeshifting, Teleportation, Psychokinesis, Hypnosis, Telepathy, regenerative healing, Summoning an army of souls (familiars)

This article deals with Alucard from the Hellsing series. For other uses, see Alucard.

Alucard (アーカード, Ākādo^?) is a character from the anime and manga Hellsing. He was created by Kouta Hirano.

Alucard is the protagonist of the Hellsing manga, and also the most powerful warrior of the Hellsing organization (and arguably the world). He is not only a vampire, but also one of the most ancient ones. He usually dresses up in a Victorian fashion, including a charcoal suit, riding boots and a flamboyant and intricately knotted bowtie, covered by a long red trench coat. He also wears a fedora hat with a wide, floppy brim and a pair of circular, heavily tinted, wire-framed yellow sunglasses. He does wear other outfits, however (see Clothes and release states). He has an unbelievably vast range of supernatural powers, and is an expert gunfighter, his enhanced strength allowing him to wield pistols that most would consider heavy weaponry.

He fights with ferocity and often extreme cruelty, rarely shooting to kill until his target has been totally disabled and humiliated. He has a massive ego, and frequently gives enemies more than one chance to kill him before retaliating, just to demonstrate his enormous powers. Despite his thirst for battle, Alucard is not without feelings. He has mixed emotions that tie him with his master, Integra Hellsing, a friendship with Walter, and expresses genuine concern towards his fledgeling, Seras Victoria.

In the anime (both TV series and OVA) Alucard is voiced by Nakata Jouji (中田譲治). In the English dub of both series, he is voiced by Crispin Freeman.

Contents 1 Name 2 History 3 Personality 4 Powers 5 Weapons 6 Release states 6.1 Clothes and release states 7 The Dracula connection 8 References

[edit] Name

Among fans there is some disagreement how the main character's name should be written. In the original Japanese material, his name is アーカード, romanized ākādo. Since Japanese generally uses a long 'a' to represent the sound of syllable-final English 'r' (e.g. dokutā for "doctor"), ākādo would normally correspond to English "Arcard". The spelling "Alucard" would also be justified because of the "Dracula" anagram, although the sounds of "Alucard" would normally be represented by arukādo in Japanese. The spelling "Arucard" is presumably based on the incorrect assumption that the original used arukādo. Due to the fact that different groups released fansubs of Hellsing before the release rights were bought by anyone outside of Japan, all three of these spellings have ended up in use by fans. One of the basic problems is that the Japanese language doesn't distinguish 'r' and 'l', causing variations in this and other names. 'Alucard' was used in the official translation of the Hellsing manga, while the TV series used 'Arucard' (in the subtitles; it is still pronounced 'Alucard' when spoken in the English dub). While both are official, the correct name would have to be 'Alucard' if the anagram is to make sense (Dracula spelt backwards).

[edit] History

Alucard was born in the winter of 1431 as Vlad III Dracula, the son of Vlad II Dracul. He later became known as Vlad Ţepeş (Vlad the Impaler), and as Kazıklı Bey (the Impaling Prince) by the Turks. He lived and reigned intermittently as the voivod of Wallachia until his "death" in 1476, at the age of 45. Alucard recalls "that day" from 523 years ago in chapter 71 Castlevania (2). The circumstances of Vlad's "death" and transformation are shown in chapter 70 Castlevania, but exactly how he became a vampire is unknown. The events shown are similar to the transformation scene in the beginning of Coppola's film adaptation, in which Vlad renounces his faith and drinks blood to sustain his life, thereby becoming a vampire. A shattering crucifix is also seen in both Hellsing and Coppola's film, adding credibility to the parallel.

Centuries later, in 1893, the events of Bram Stoker's novel unfold. Abraham Van Helsing, Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris, and Jack Seward were able to defeat Vlad (then known as Count Dracula) and kill all of his servants. In the flashback dream sequence of volume 4 (episode 2 of the OVA series), Abraham remarks that Mina had been freed from the Count's grasp, just as she was in the novel. It is at this point where Alucard's backstory begins to deviate substantially from Bram Stoker's book. The Count was staked in the heart, but not destroyed. It is uncertain if Dracula was forced into servitude or if he was willing, but from that point on, the Count became a servant for Abraham and his descendants, serving each new generation.

The next known account of Alucard's life is during World War II, in 1944. Count Dracula now went by a new name given to him by Integra's father Arthur, which was Alucard. Alucard, along with a 14-year-old Walter C. Dornez, was sent to Warsaw, Poland, to stop Millennium's vampire production program. The results of this mission are largely unknown at this point in the series. Decades later, in 1969, Alucard was imprisoned in a dungeon in Hellsing manor by Integra's father, Sir Arthur Hellsing. According to Sir Hugh Islands in chapter 75 Heart of Iron, Arthur believed Alucard was "too powerful a drug to be used as more than the occasional medicine". Shortly after Arthur's death in 1989, Alucard was awakened and freed from imprisonment when he absorbed Integra's blood when her shoulder was clipped by a bullet. After just 20 years of imprisonment, Alucard saved Integra (then only 13 years old) from her traitorous uncle, Richard, and became her servant.

[edit] Personality

As he is immortal and nearly invincible, Alucard is very egotistical. He will often belittle people for any or no reason at all. In the heat of battle, Alucard will deliberately restrain himself, giving his opponents a sense of strength, only to come back and completely overwhelm them, thus taking away that sense of strength. It could accurately be said that rather than killing his opponents, Alucard breaks them. An example can be seen in volume 2 when Alucard fights Luke Valentine. When Luke gains an advantage over Alucard, victory seems within his grasp. The tides turn when Alucard shoots off Luke's legs, taunting him with the fact that he can't regenerate them. Alucard then transforms a part of himself into a hellhound and devours Luke, saying "You were more a piece of shit, than a man. Now you can be a piece of dog shit."

Alucard also seems to disagree with killing without a purpose. In chapter 3 of the manga (Murder Club) he lists the two vampires' pointless killing with his list of how pathetic the two are. In the TV version (Club M) Alucard makes his discontent apparent:

You've gone and taken all those lives, and not even because you were thirsty. Is it fun? Is that what it takes for filth like you to get off?

However, underneath his cocky, dark, arrogant attitude, Alucard is deeply sad and envious of humans, for they are blessed with the gift of death, while he himself is unable to die and must walk the Earth for eternity. Over the course of his existence, Alucard has come to realize that life needs death to make it precious. Alucard chose to become a monster to obtain power and escape death, and he regrets it. All of these feelings are shown at various points throughout the series, such as when Alucard tells the Queen that she is "that same saucy filly from 50 years ago, young lady" and that she is "truly beautiful now". He also becomes infuriated when Anderson stabs himself in the heart with the Helena's Nail in volume 8 (because Anderson is making the same mistake that Alucard made), and when Alucard says that Walter's old, aged body was "a trillion times more beautiful" than his new, vampiric body in chapter 74.

Arthur Hellsing explains it the best in chapter 72:

For what they all seem to seek is to wage war, and endless desperate, blood-stained, struggles. Things quite close to crying loudly. I don't think they desire those things at all. On the contrary: all of this is their way of shouting and begging for death.

Despite this he isn't entirely against immortality, rather he believes it a gift that must be earned and meritable only to certain personalities or perhaps characters of sufficient will which he may believe he lacks. As such he views suicide as the lowest of human will, being extremely offended when a GATE officer commits suicide to avoid being brutally killed by Alucard. He happily gave Seras immortality despite his self-reflection due to her indomitable will, courage and unwavering resolve even when facing off against the ghouls and the vampire priest and even when he mortally wounded her. He also viewed Walter in the same regard for a time, even indirectly offering him immortality. It can be said that he believes that he "took" immortality rather than "earned" it.

[edit] Powers

Alucard demonstrates, in Hellsing's various incarnations, an astonishing and overwhelming range of supernatural powers (the range and strength of which have led some critics to remark that he is simply too powerful a character); these include, but are probably not limited to:

• Immortality
• Vast strength (limits are unknown, but Alucard can rip people apart "as if they were wet tissue paper")
• Superhuman senses
• Flight (or, at least, the ability to jump extremely high and land unscathed).
• Great accuracy (Alucard has been known to hit targets at great range using handguns while he is looking the other way)
• The ability to summon a giant, amorphous hellhound named Baskerville, and other creatures such as bats (manga only)
• Super speed
• The ability to pass through solid objects
• Manipulation of shadows into physical form (although vampires controlling shadows isn't unheard of, the artwork sometimes makes it difficult to distinguish between blood and shadows.) (manga only)
• Transformation (Alucard can transform himself or parts of himself into bats, insects, snakes, or a little girl^[1] (in The Dawn))
• Teleportation (anime only)
• Telekinesis (anime only)
• Telepathy
  • Mind Reading
• Mind Control or Hypnosis (fans sometimes call it the 'sex beam' after a remark from Pip in Volume 3)
• Regeneration (Alucard can regenerate any part of his body. He can even be reduced to paste and pull himself back together.)
• Like all other vampires, he can suck blood (from both humans and monsters) and absorb the memories and knowledge of his victims, create ghouls to do his bidding (although he chooses not to), or other vampire servants.
• Summoning the souls of those whose blood he has sucked (familiars) in a variety of forms that either sprout from his body or swarm about him as an army numbering in the thousands. (manga only)
• Immunity or great resistance to the weaknesses most vampires possess.
• The ability to control weather to a certain degree, as demonstrated by the fog created when he returned to London aboard the H.M.S Eagle.
• The ability to absorb blood through his clothes and skin.
• The ability to hibernate. (Alucard was able to survive for twenty years without blood, but was able to fight at his usual level of strength after drinking no more than a mouthful of Integra's blood)

[edit] Weapons

• Hellsing ARMS .454 Casull Auto - This massive semi-automatic pistol is 39 cm (Almost 1' 4") in length, making it too heavy and unwieldy for a human to use, but a perfect match for Alucard's strength. It fires custom-made explosive .454 Casull rounds, with the steel bullets bearing a core made from the melted silver cross of a Lancunian cathedral. One estimate places the number of rounds in the magazine to be around fifteen, based on counting the number of rounds fired before reloading was required. The author's notes on the back pages of the manga in Volume 1 state "They're all cosmoguns that can hold a million rounds", so there is no official magazine capacity.
  • In the original fan-translation of the Hellsing manga volume 2, the translators incorrectly translated Walter's line referring to the gun, making him call it the "Joshua" even though the Katakana reads "KASURU", which would be the correct Katakana for "Casull". Since then, many fans have perpetuated the name, so much so that ADV (the Official European Distributor for the TV Series) called it "Joshua" on their Official Website, the Special Features, and the booklets on their DVD release. Regardless, this name is incorrect as it never appears in the Original Japanese version of either the Manga, TV series, or OVA, or any official Translations of Hellsing, not even ADV's, as they use Geneon's dub and subtitles.

• Hellsing ARMS 13 mm Auto Anti-Freak Cannon 'Jackal' - With a length of 39 cm (Almost 1' 4"), weight of 16 kg (35.2 lbs), and made of black gunmetal, it is not a weapon a normal man could even hope to wield, but as Walter says, "It was never meant for a man." It fires special 13 mm armor-piercing, explosive, mercury-core baptized bullets, with casings of Macedonian silver, powered by "Marvell's Chemical Cartridge N.N.A.9." It has six rounds per magazine. It is designed almost exclusively as a weapon to use against Iscariot's Alexander Anderson, who shrugged off the Casull rounds with ease. The words 'Jesus Christ is in Heaven now' are engraved upon it, in mockery of a similar statement on Anderson's gloves. Contrary to popular belief, the weapon does have a slide; however there appears to be none at all since the entire upper assembly is the slide, and moves only a minimal distance (relative to the gun's length). The Jackal has its ejector port at the left-hand position (ejecting towards the left), this probably means that it is meant to be used in conjunction with the Casull and in the manga and anime Alucard is usually shown wielding both guns. The gun's name is a reference to the Bruce Willis movie of the same name; Bruce Willis even appears in a bizarre dream sequence, as the "spirit" of the Jackal, in Volume Five.
  • The Jackal has recently been revealed to have been created by Millennium, and is now destroyed courtesy of the Doc.

• Thompson submachine gun with drum magazine - Used by Alucard in Hellsing: The Dawn, in 1944.

• A large Medieval longsword - Used by Alucard during his mortal years as Vlad III Dracula in the 1400s, and again in 1999 while fighting Anderson in his original form.

Although Alucard has reloaded his weapons at many points throughout both the manga and anime, Hirano has joked in the back of volume 1 that "They're all cosmoguns that can hold a million rounds". This is also evidenced in the first OVA, where Alucard takes out a large group of ghouls without reloading. One plausible explanation is that as they are clearly custom-made, it would not be unreasonable to assume that they have enlarged magazines. It can also be argued that he reloads his weapons off-screen or too quickly to be seen.

[edit] Release states

Alucard's vast powers are controlled entirely by the heir to the Hellsing family (currently Integra Hellsing). This is apparently enforced by something called the "control art restriction system." There are shown to be six levels of restriction and six corresponding states, with lower numbers meaning greater levels of power. Under certain circumstances, Alucard can release some of his greater powers himself; a component of his restriction system called the "Cromwell Approval" seems to influence this (Cromwell probably relating to Oliver Cromwell, a famous figure in English history. Cromwell's name being used may be related to the fact that he was Protestant, like the Hellsing institute). Alucard can often be heard stating what level he is releasing immediately prior to combat ("Releasing control art restriction to level two"). This is, perhaps, a requirement of the release mechanism, but this has never been confirmed. Another possible reason is that it is to unnerve his opponents as he goes into battle, given what has been seen of his personality this is quite likely. In the manga, Integra requests that Alucard's restriction system be released to Level Zero, the lowest level, allowing him full access to his most devastating powers. At this level, the only thing holding him back is his subservience to his master.

[edit] Clothes and release states

Many fans have noticed that Alucard's state of dress seems directly related to the amount of power he's using: as he charges up to engage in battle, first his sunglasses, then his fedora will disappear; in the manga he also removes his arms from the sleeves of his coat letting it simply just hang on his shoulders whilst he fires from underneath it. It has been posited that these articles of clothing are direct physical manifestations of whatever system Hellsing uses to control Alucard, with the final, leather suited state representing his true nature. His gloves, which are engraved with the Hellsing seal (a pentacle decorated with occult symbols and several mottoes, reading: "Hell's Gate Arrested / Gott Mit Uns / And Shine Heaven Now") are also thought to be part of this mechanism and the source of Hellsing's control over him (Alucard's distinctive gloves are visible in the vast majority of his transformations, even when Alucard himself is not in a humanoid form). However, in Hellsing OVA II, in the flashback scene where Alucard recalls being beaten by Van Helsing, Alucard is still wearing these gloves, despite the fact that he was not yet under their control. This may be a continuity error. (When compared to the panel from the manga, which shows normal white gloves, this seems likely.)

In his final release state Alucard reverted to his original form back when he was still Vlad Ţepeş. In this form he appeared as his former, 40-year-old self (as opposed to looking his early 20s) with a thick beard and moustache. He also wore heavy medieval armor with a huge tattered cloak and carried a long sword. However, he quickly returned to his normal form when confronted by Anderson.

It is debated whether his younger form shown in Hellsing: The Dawn (nicknamed Girlycard) is a 'state of release'. Some fans claim that the Hellsing family suppressed Alucard's powers, sealing them away into a much smaller body, in order to conduct scientific experiments on him, eventually making him into the vampire that he is in the manga. Others say that he chose this form on his own accord, simply because he can take any form that he likes. In a flashback scene in Volume 4 of the Hellsing manga, we can see the young Walter alongside an adult Alucard after the destruction of the Nazi vampire research program. In volume 9, in his 'Girlycard' form, Alucard also admits "There's never any meaning in the form that I take". This could indicate that Alucard's appearance is controlled primarily by himself.

[edit] The Dracula connection

One of the oft-discussed aspects of his character is whether or not he is actually Count Dracula (of Bram Stoker's novel). Hints have been given in the manga, the anime, and the new OVA series, which can now be taken to present irrefutable evidence:

Manga

• In volume 1, Integra has a flashback to the time when she and Alucard first met. Recalling something her father once told her, she makes her way to the forgotten dungeon in the basement of the Hellsing Mansion, where he said she would find "the fruit of the Hellsing family's labors". The only thing she finds in the dungeon is Alucard, which implies that he is the "fruit" her father had spoken of.
• Also in volume 1, Integra explains to Father Alexander Anderson that the Hellsing family has spent 100 years building Alucard into the "ultimate undead". This implies that the Hellsing family first captured Alucard 100 years before the start of the Hellsing storyline. The events recorded in Bram Stoker's novel would have taken place at about that time.
• In volume 3, Alucard impaled a heavily armed group of Brazilian special tactics policemen (GATE) outside a hotel in Rio de Janeiro in the same way that Vlad Ţepeş was famous for (Ţepeş is the man said to be the historic origin of Dracula).
• In volume 4, he had a dream/flashback, in which he was staked through the heart by a man who appears to be Abraham Van Helsing (a character from Bram Stoker's novel). The man says, "Even her mark from the Eucharist Wafer is gone. She will never belong to you." This could be a reference to Mina Harker (another character in the novel), whom Dracula had afflicted with the curse of vampirism, and who suffered an allergic reaction to being touched by the Eucharist Wafer, the physical embodiment of the body of Christ. The mark disappeared after Dracula's supposed death. The man also addresses Alucard as "Count". Dracula bore the title of count.
• In volume 7, as the HMS Eagle, with Alucard on board, sails into London, the narrator describes a similar incident: "Once upon a time, a vampire embarked on a voyage to England to attain a woman he so thirstily longed for. The crowded ship on which this vampire sailed skimmed over wave after wave, amid the mist, in a heedless jaunt; its crew massacred in their entirety along the way. At length the ship made port in London, awash with corpses and a lone coffin. The name of the ship was Demeter. The Demitri, in Russian." This is a reference to Dracula's voyage from Transylvania, when he set sail on a Russian schooner named the Demeter, killed its entire crew, and still managed to arrive safely in England, guiding the ship through a thick blanket of mist.
• In the second chapter of volume 8, Integra removed the final restraints on Alucard's powers, releasing the control art restriction system to Level Zero, and allowing Alucard to call upon his familiars. These included Rip van Winkle, Alhambra, and the thousands of other people whom he had fed upon throughout the ages (even Turkish Janissary soldiers from the time of Vlad Ţepeş). They arose from a literal ocean of blood, emanating from Alucard's coffin (which he had stowed aboard the spy-plane that he had used to reach the Eagle in volume 5). Also among them are knights riding undead horses and wielding banners representing Wallachia (Vlad Ţepeş ruled as prince of Wallachia). Enrico Maxwell recognizes the banners, and, in horror, utters the name "Dracula," thus solidifying Alucard's identity.
• In chapter 65, Hundred Swords 3, Alucard is impressed by Anderson's determination at cutting through the near-endless supply of Alucard' familiars. He compares Anderson to the 4 men that stopped him 100 years earlier, and even by name: Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris, John Seward, and Abraham van Helsing. (These are 4 of the major male characters is Bram Stoker's novel. It should be noted that another prominent male character who represents much of the first part of the novel is Jonathan Harker, although for unknown reasons Alucard, through the writing of Hirano, seems to have forgotten him).
• In chapter 70, Castlevania, Alucard has another flashback in which he is shown to have become a vampire by rejecting Christianity and licking up the blood from his scorched and besieged homeland while on the Turkish execution block, about to be killed. Earlier in the same flashback we see a young Alucard (nicknamed "Babycard" by many fans) being dragged before a figure in regal dress and raped. This is consistent with Vlad the Impaler's history, where his father was forced to surrender he and his younger brother Radu as hostages to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, as a guarantee of cooperation between the two sovereigns.
• In Chapter 72, Heart of Dream, there is yet another flashback sequence running simultaneously with the action, in which Integra recalls something her father, Arthur Hellsing, once said while he was struggling with his sickness. It explains his beliefs regarding vampires, and his study of a particular specimen. This is obviously meant to be Alucard, as panels showing him battling Anderson in the present are shown throughout the dialogue. One of the names listed in connection with this vampire, is "Dracula," while another is "Count".
• Most of the powers Alucard has are also possessed by Stoker's Dracula: transformation, hypnosis, great healing, immense strength, phasing, controlling the weather, regaining his youth by drinking blood, summoning creatures such as bats, and a mental link to his servant vampires.

TV series

• In his dialogue with Incognito, Alucard states that "My name is a bit of an enigma," or, depending on the translation: "My name is an anagram as well." When read backwards, ALUCARD becomes DRACULA.
• Alucard impaled Incognito upon a silver spike in the manner of Vlad Ţepeş (in through the anus, out through the mouth) at the end of their fight in Order 13: Hellfire. Afterwards, half of his face is lit up by lightning, briefly revealing the frightening visage of Vlad Ţepeş.
• Another of the powers Alucard has are also possessed by Stoker's Dracula: the ability to change into the form of a wolf. One of Alucard's control art restriction powers resembles a number of shadowy wolves charging out of his silhouette at the enemy.

OVA series

• In OVA I, after the fight between Alucard and Anderson, Integra questioned Alucard about his reasons for turning Seras Victoria into a vampire. As Alucard and Seras are leaving the scene, Integra refers to Alucard as "the man once called 'Count'".
• OVA II opens with the same dream/flashback that originally appeared in volume 4 of the manga, in which he is staked in the heart by Abraham van Helsing and told that he has been defeated, that Mina's mark is fading, that she will never be his, and that he has lost everything he ever had.

Vampire Folklore

• In some traditional sources, such as Le Fanu's Carmilla, vampires could only use their original name, or an anagram of that name, hence why Alucard says his name is an anagram in the anime. The reason why the Hellsing Organization chose to rename Dracula is unknown. Perhaps it was to hide his identity from other forces, keeping him as their trump card, or perhaps it serves as a symbol of Alucard's new order, to be the opposite/reverse of what he once was, thus Dracula backwards.

Appearance

• Although there is some debate, some believe that Alucard looks like Dracula, who was described as having long black hair, red eyes, thick eyebrows, and hawk like features. Alucard matches these features in all except his hair, which changes from time to time.
• During his final release state, when all the restraints placed upon him are lifted and all of his greatest powers are unlocked, Alucard looks very much like Vlad Ţepeş, clad in medieval armor (Vlad Ţepeş ruled in the 15th century) and wielding a bastard sword. Vlad Ţepeş is argued by many to be the inspiration for the fictional Dracula, especially since there were allusions to Vlad's history in the original Bram Stoker novel, (Vlad Ţepeş was also called Vlad Dracula). The two Draculas also share a similar physical appearance, except that Ţepeş had a beard. In his final release state, Alucard also has a beard, connecting him to Ţepeş, and thus to Dracula.

Age

• There is documentation by Kouta Hirano (Hellsing's creator) that says that Alucard is 567 years old. This is consistent with Vlad the Impaler being born in 1431, and the manga starting in June 1998. It is said that Vlad is the source of Dracula.

[edit] References