Hellsing is a Japanesemanga series written and illustrated byKouta Hirano. It was serialized inShōnen Gahōsha'sseinen manga magazineYoung King OURs from April 1997 to September 2008, with its chapters collected in tentankōbon volumes. The series chronicles the efforts of the mysterious and secret Hellsing Organization as it combatsvampires,ghouls, and other supernatural foes who threaten England. The series was licensed for English language release in North America byDark Horse Comics. From 2002 to 2006, Hirano released a six-chapter prequel series,Hellsing: The Dawn, inYoung King OURs Zōkan (laterYoung King OURs+ before ceasing publication).
A thirteen-episodeanime television series adaptation byGonzo, directed byUmanosuke Iida and Yasunori Urata, with screenplay byChiaki J. Konaka, was broadcast onFuji TV from October 2001 to January 2002. A ten-episodeoriginal video animation (OVA), titledHellsing Ultimate, was produced byGeneon. It followed the manga storyline more closely than the anime series.[5] It was released between February 2006 and December 2012. In North America, both the TV series and the OVA were first licensed byGeneon Entertainment and later byFunimation. Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under theCrunchyroll brand, bothHellsing andHellsing Ultimate were moved to the platform in 2022.
Hellsing is named after and centered around the Royal Order of Protestant Knights originally led byAbraham Van Helsing. The mission of Hellsing is to search for and destroy the undead and other supernatural forces of evil that threaten the queen and the country. This organization is currently led by Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who inherited the leadership of Hellsing as a child after the death of her father. She witnessed his death which turned her from a once innocent and shy little girl to a tough and deadly force. She is protected by the faithful Hellsing family butler Walter C. Dornez, a deadly foe in his own right, andAlucard, the original and most powerful vampire, who swore loyalty to the Hellsing family after being defeated by Van Helsing one hundred years before the story takes place. These formidable guardians are joined early on in the storyline by former police officer Seras Victoria, whom Alucard turned into a vampire.
As the scale and frequency of incidents involving the undead escalate in England and all around the world, Sir Integra discovers that the remnants of aNazi group calledMillennium still exist and are intent on revivingNazi Germany by creating abattalion of vampires. Millennium, Hellsing, and the Vatican section XIIIIscariot clash in an apocalyptic three-sided war in London, and Millennium reveals its true objective: to destroy the vampire lord Alucard, ending a feud begun duringWorld War II.
In 1996, manga authorKouta Hirano published aone-shot titledHellsing: The Legends of Vampire Hunter inComic Kairakuten, ahentai magazine issued byWanimagazine.[6][7] Hirano later stated that he did not originally intend to create a story in the hentai genre, but rather a "somewhat daring"action narrative.[8] He noted that the one-shot was created quickly, and his ongoing work in hentai facilitated its publication.[9] Subsequently, Hirano developed the concept into a new series, retaining the setting but removing erotic elements to focus on action, which becameHellsing. Due to its unconventional premise, Hirano and publisherShōnen Gahōsha initially tested reader reception, resulting in a narrative that Hirano described as initially "a little disjointed". After positive feedback, the series was greenlit for serialization.[8]
Hirano aimed to create a story centered on gunplay, but felt that a traditional vampire would be incompatible with firearms. To address this, he redesignedAlucard with a hat and long coat, making him "dark and ominous, but just more suited to his behavior". Hirano emphasized that character design precedes story development for him.[9] He noted that Alucard's design drew comparisons toVash the Stampede fromTrigun (which also ran inYoung King OURs), leading him to regret adding sunglasses.[10] To counterbalance the series' dark tone, Hirano introduced Seras Victoria as a female character who could bring warmth and stand out "from the darkness".[9] The numerous references to history, mythology, and pop culture in the series were not based on formal research; Hirano described himself as anotaku who incorporated elements from media he consumed passionately.[8]
For the adaptationHellsing Ultimate, anime producerYasuyuki Ueda opted for anoriginal video animation (OVA) format rather than a television series to avoid time constraints. As a fan of the manga, he wanted to thoroughly adapt the source material and believed an OVA offered greater creative freedom. WriterYōsuke Kuroda agreed to collaborate on the project. Ueda noted that while combiningCG withtraditional animation was time-consuming, the OVA schedule allowed them to use CG for realistic depictions of weapons and gunfire.[9]
Written and illustrated byKouta Hirano,Hellsing was serialized for eleven years inShōnen Gahōsha'sseinen manga magazineYoung King OURs from April 30, 1997,[a] to September 30, 2008.[13] Its 89 individual chapters were collected by Shōnen Gahōsha in tentankōbon volumes, released from September 24, 1998,[14] to March 27, 2009.[15]
In North America, the series was licensed for English release byDark Horse Comics in 2003.[16] The ten volumes were released from December 1, 2003,[17] to May 19, 2010.[18] In January 2020, Dark Horse Comics announced that they would re-release the series in a three-volume deluxe edition, with over 600 pages each.[19] The volumes were released from July 15, 2020, to June 16, 2021.[20][21][22]
Chuang Yi licensed the series in English in Singapore.[23] Madman Entertainment released the series in Australia and New Zealand.[24]
Crossfire is a three-chapterone-shot story, which was published in the defunctHobby Japan's magazineComic Master [ja].[10] It follows Heinkel Wolfe and Yumie Takagi, a Catholic nun and an assassin who work for the Iscariot organization. They call themselves "earthly agents of divine punishment".Crossfire also has cameos byAlexander Anderson andEnrico Maxwell, the head of Iscariot. Across the three chapters, Heinkel and Yumie face a variety of opposition, includingIslamic terrorists,communist revolutionaries, and finally, an obscurepagancult.Crossfire as a side work was discontinued by Kouta Hirano, but it was republished in the first three volumes ofHellsing as an extra.Crossfire was adapted into a drama CD and included inHellsing Ultimate OVA 6 and 7.
A prequel series, titledHellsing: The Dawn, was publishedYoung King OURs Zōkan (laterYoung King OURs+ before being discontinued),[25] with six chapters released from the March 2002 to the March 2006 issues;[26] the series remains incomplete.[6]The Dawn features a fourteen-year-old Walter C. Dornez and Alucard, in the form of a young girl, attacking Millennium's base of operations inNazi-controlled Poland in September 1944, during theWarsaw Uprising.
The manga was adapted into a thirteen-episodeanime television series byGonzo. The series was directed by Yasunori Urata, under the chief direction ofUmanosuke Iida, and written byChiaki J. Konaka.[27] The series uses the same characters and settings, but narrates a different story from its source manga.[28] It was broadcast onFuji TV from October 11, 2001, to January 17, 2002.[27] The series opening theme is "Logos Naki World" (ロゴスなきワールド,Rogosu Naki Wārudo; "A World Without Logos") byYasushi Ishii and the ending theme is "Shine" byMr. Big.[27]
In North America, the series was first licensed byPioneer Entertainment (later Geneon USA).[29] Four DVD sets were released between July 23, 2002,[30] and January 21, 2003.[31] The series was broadcast in the United States onStarz!'sEncore Action channel, as part of its Animidnight late night programming block, starting in October 2003.[32][33] The series was later acquired byFunimation in 2010;[34] they released the series on a complete DVD set on November 13, 2012.[35] Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under theCrunchyroll brand, the series was moved to the platform in 2022.[36]
In the United Kingdom, the series was first licensed by ADV Films, who released four DVDs from July 21, 2003,[37] to January 19, 2004.[38] The series was later licensed byManga Entertainment and released on a four-discbox set on August 12, 2013.[39] In Australia and New Zealand, the series was licensed byMadman Entertainment, who released four DVDs from November 13, 2002, and February 11, 2003.[40]
In April 2005, it was announced that a neworiginal video animation (OVA) adaptation, titledHellsing Ultimate (still known simply asHellsing in Japan), more faithful to the original manga than the TV series, would be released byGeneon Entertainment in Japan and North America.[41] The first four episodes of the OVA were animated bySatelight, directed byTomokazu Tokoro, and written byYōsuke Kuroda;[42] they were released from February 10, 2006,[43] to February 22, 2008.[44] The three following episodes (5–7) were animated byMadhouse, directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka and written by Kuroda; they were released from November 21, 2008,[45] to December 23, 2009.[46] The three last episodes (8–10) were animated byGraphinica,[47] directed by Yasuhiro Matsumura (8, 10) and Kenichi Suzuki (9 and 10), and written by Kuroda;[48][49][50] they were released from July 27, 2011,[51] to December 26, 2012.[52] Each limited edition of the last three episodes' home video release included an episode ofHellsing: The Dawn.[53][54][55]
In North America, Geneon Entertainment released the first three episodes from December 5, 2006,[56] to October 16, 2007.[57] Geneon announced that they would stop self-distribution of its titles in 2007.[58] The first two episodes were broadcast onStarz Edge's Animidnight programming block on February 12, 2008;[59][60] episodes 3 and 4 were also announced to air,[61] however, the fourth episode was not ready with an English-language track at the time and they were not broadcast.[62] In 2008,Funimation announced that they would distribute "select" Geneon titles,[63] and re-released the first three episodes ofHellsing Ultimate on September 16 of the same year,[64] along with the fourth episode on September 23.[65] In 2010, Funimation announced that they had licensed episodes 5–7;[66] in 2011, they announced that they had licensed the 8th episode as well.[67] Funimation re-released the first four episodes on DVD/Blu-ray Disc sets on October 30, 2012,[68] while episodes 5–8 were released on the same formats on November 13 of the same year.[35] Episodes 9–10 were released on October 28, 2014.[69][70][71] The series was broadcast onAdult Swim'sToonami programming block from September 13 to December 13, 2014.[72][73] Funimation released all the episodes on a Blu-ray Disc set on June 4, 2019.[74][75] Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under theCrunchyroll brand,Hellsing Ultimate was moved to the platform in 2022.[36]
The music of theHellsing anime television series was composed byYasushi Ishii. Two soundtrack CDs were released:Raid was released on November 22, 2001;[76] andRuins was released on February 22, 2002.[77] In North America, both CDs were released on July 1 and September 2, 2003, respectively.[78][79]
The music ofHellsing Ultimate was composed byHayato Matsuo. An extra CD, titledWarsaw Recording Selection, was released with the limited edition of the fourth episode on February 22, 2008.[80] The original,Black Dog, was released on March 21, 2008;[81] An extra CD, titledNazi CD, was released with the limited edition of the first Blu-raybox set on October 22, 2010.[82] An extra CD, titledSomehow, Iscariote, was released with the limited edition of the second Blu-ray box set on April 1, 2015.[83]
In March 2021, it was announced thatAmazon Studios is developing a live-action film adaptation ofHellsing with scripts byDerek Kolstad. It will be produced by Kolstad, Automatik's Brian Kavanaugh-Jones andFred Berger, Ranger 7 Films's Mike Callaghan and Reuben Liber, and Soluble Fish Productions' Jason Lust.[84]
The ten volumes of theHellsing manga have sold 4 million copies worldwide.[85] In 2005, the sixth and seventh volumes ranked amongDiamond Comics Distributors' list of the top 48 manga volumes sold in the United States for the year.[86] In November 2007, the ninth volume was among the top 10 volumes sold according to Japan's monthly sales rankings.[87][88]
TheHellsing manga received widespread critical attention for its graphic violence, distinctive art style, and darkly comedic tone. Early reviews praised Kouta Hirano's dynamic artwork and over-the-top action, though some critics noted the violence could become repetitive.[89][90][91][92]Animerica commented that Hirano "does violence right",[89] whilePublishers Weekly called it "mostly a fun, violent romp" with "goofy details" that added charm.[90] WhileSequential Tart found the violence repetitive,[91]AnimeOnDVD enjoyed the consistent action and Alucard's blasé characterization.[93]Slightly Biased Manga praised its balance of violence and artistry, noting it would appeal to readers who enjoy graphic content.[94]
Later volumes garnered stronger praise for their storytelling and character designs.[95]Anime News Network (ANN) highlighted Hirano's "impeccable" narrative craftsmanship,[96] andIGN declared it "the best vampire manga around" for its "seething wit" and gothic flair.[97] However, some critics found the plot derivative or overly reliant on shock value.[98][99]
The finale polarized reviewers. WhileActive Anime andPopCultureShock celebrated its relentless energy,[100][101]ANN criticized its rushed ending, though still lauded its "demented ultraviolence."[102]Jason Thompson'sManga: The Complete Guide awarded the series 3.5/4 stars, calling it a "masterpiece of fetishistic violence",[103] while hisANN retrospective praised its nihilistic vision as "sincere and original."[4] In a review of the first volume of the deluxe edition,Otaku USA praised Hirano's intricate art.[104]
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