Hellsing
First volume of Hellsing manga released in Japan
ヘルシング (Herushingu)
Genre	Action, Biopunk, Drama, Horror, Science fantasy
Manga
Written by	Kouta Hirano
Published by	Shōnen Gahosha
English publisher	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Dark Horse Comics, Digital Manga SG Chuang Yi
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Young King OURs
Original run	1997 – 2009
Volumes	10 (List of volumes)
Manga
Hellsing: The Dawn
Written by	Kouta Hirano
Published by	Shōnen Gahosha
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Young King OURs
Original run	2001 – On Hiatus
Anime television series
Hellsing
Directed by	Umanosuke Iida
Written by	Chiaki J. Konaka
Music by	Yasushi Ishii
Studio	Gonzo, Digimation
Licensed by	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Funimation Entertainment UK Manga Entertainment ADV Films (former)
Network	Fuji Television
English network	CA G4techTV Canada US Encore Action ZA Animax
Original run	October 10, 2001 – January 16, 2002
Episodes	13 (List of episodes)
Original video animation
Hellsing Ultimate
Directed by	Tomokazu Tokoro (epis. 1–4) Hiroyuki Tanaka (epis. 5–7) Yasuhiro Matsumura (epis. 8, 10) Kenichi Suzuki (epis. 9–10)
Written by	Yōsuke Kuroda (epis. 1, 3, 6–7) Hideyuki Kurata (epis. 2, 4–5, 8–10)
Music by	Hayato Matsuo
Studio	Satelight (epis. 1–4) Madhouse (epis. 5–7) Graphinica, Kelmadick (epis. 8–10)
Licensed by	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Funimation Entertainment UK Manga Entertainment
Released	February 10, 2006 – December 26, 2012
Runtime	40–60 minutes (each)
Episodes	10 (List of episodes)
Anime and Manga portal

Hellsing (ヘルシング, Herushingu^?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It first premiered in Young King Ours in 1997 and ended in September 2008. The individual chapters are collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Shōnen Gahosha. As of March 2009 all chapters have been released in 10 volumes in Japan. Hellsing chronicles the efforts of the mysterious and secret Hellsing Organization, as it combats vampires, ghouls, and other supernatural foes who threaten England. Both the manga and OVA adaptation are noted for their heavy violence.

The manga series is licensed for English language release in North America by Dark Horse Comics, in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment, and in Singapore by Chuang Yi. In 2001, Hirano began publishing chapters of a prequel series, Hellsing: The Dawn, in special editions of Young King OURs, with six chapters released as of September 2008.

An anime series of the same name was produced by Gonzo. Directed by Umanosuke Iida, the series was based on the manga, but used a screenplay by Chiaki Konaka and is significantly different from the manga in terms of plot, though it uses some of the same characters and similar character designs. Spanning 13 episodes, it was broadcast on Japan's Fuji Television from October 10, 2001, to January 16, 2002.

An original video animation (OVA) entitled Hellsing Ultimate is being produced by Geneon. It follows the manga storyline more closely than the anime series.^[1] The first episode was released in Japan on February 10, 2006, and as of December 26, 2012 all ten episodes have been released. The sixth OVA in the series was made available on both DVD and Blu-ray; both Blu-ray and DVD editions of episodes one through five are available in Japan as of October 22, 2010.^[2] The first episode was released in North America on December 5, 2006, and as of November 13, 2012 eight episodes have been released.

Plot [edit]

Hellsing is named after and centered around the Holy Order of Protestant Knights, originally led by Abraham Van Helsing. The mission of Hellsing is to search and destroy those that threaten Queen and Country from the undead and other supernatural forces of evil. 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 and former Hellsing "trashman" Walter C. Dornez, a deadly foe in his own right, and Alucard, the original and most powerful vampire that 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. She is mostly involved for satire and comedy as a new vampire trying to learn a new lifestyle.

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 a Nazi group called Millennium still exist and are intent on reviving the Third Reich by creating a battalion of vampires. Millennium, Hellsing, and the Vatican section XIII Iscariot clash in an apocalyptic three-sided war in London, and Millennium reveals its true objective: to destroy the vampire Alucard, ending a feud begun during World War II.

Media [edit]

Manga [edit]

The series premiered in Young King Ours in 1997 and ran for eleven years until the final chapter was released in the November 2008 issue.^[3] The individual chapters are collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Shōnen Gahosha, with 10 volumes having been released. The series is licensed for an English language release in North America by Dark Horse Comics. The first volume was released on December 1, 2003 and as of May 19, 2010, the company has published ten translated volumes. Chuang Yi is releasing the series in English in Singapore, with six volumes released as of October 2008, and through an agreement with the company, Madman Entertainment is re-releasing those volumes in Australia and New Zealand.^[4][5] Hellsing is also licensed for regional language releases in France by Editions Tonkam, in Italy by Dynit, in Hungary by Mangafan, in Germany by Planet Manga, in Poland by Japonica Polonica Fantastica and in Denmark and Sweden by Mangismo.

Crossfire [edit]

A three chapter side story about two Iscariot Members Heinkel Wolfe and Yumie Takagi. With Cameos of Alexander Anderson and Enrico Maxwell. But is a separate story and is mostly likely another prototype manga as it features a man who resembles Walter C. Dornez. In OVA 6 it was released as a Drama CD.

Hellsing: The Dawn [edit]

In 2001, Hirano began publishing chapters of a prequel series, Hellsing: The Dawn, in special editions of Young King OURs, of which six chapters have been released as of May 2009. The Dawn features a fourteen year-old Walter C. Dornez and Alucard, in the form of a 14 year old girl, attacking Millennium's base of operations in Nazi-controlled Poland in September 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising. Publication was scheduled to resume after the conclusion of the main Hellsing series, but there have been no new chapters since the manga's conclusion. Chapters of The Dawn were animated as part of the Hellsing Ultimate OVA series. The three animated entries to The Dawn were released in conjunction with 8th, 9th, and 10th OVAs.

Hellsing prototype manga [edit]

This series includes Kouta's old works, before he started Hellsing that features the character's prototypes.

• Angel Dust: Alexander Anderson
• Coyote: Pip Bernadotte, Rip Van Winkle, and The Major
• Desert Guardian: The Captain
• Doc's Story: The Doctor and Schrödinger
• Hi and Low: Integra Hellsing and Yumie Takagi
• Magic School: Renaldo
• The Legend of Vampire Hunter: Alucard, Seras Victoria, Luke and Jan Valentine
• Ikaryaku: Enrico Maxwell
• Daidōjin Monogatari: Walter C. Dornez and Heinkel Wolfe

Anime [edit]

Following the release of the manga, Gonzo produced a thirteen episode anime series that uses the same characters and settings, but a different story from its source manga. Written by Chiaki J. Konaka and directed by Umanosuke Iida, the series premiered on Fuji Television on December 27, 2003 and ran until its conclusion on February 16, 2004. The series is licensed for English language release in North America by Geneon Entertainment, in the United Kingdom previously by ADV Films until September 2009 and as of January 2013, Manga Entertainment has the license, and in Australia by Madman Entertainment. Geneon's English dub of the series aired in the United States on Starz!'s Encore Action channel from December 21, 2003 to March 15, 2004 and in Canada on G4techTV Canada's Anime Current block in 2007.

The series uses two pieces of theme music. "Logos Naki World" (A World Without Logic) by Yasushi Ishii is used as the opening theme for all thirteen episodes. Mr. Big performs the song "Shine" for the series ending theme.

OVAs [edit]

Hellsing Ultimate OVA, volume 1.

Hellsing Ultimate, known simply as Hellsing in Japan, is an original video animation (OVA) series animated by animation studios Satelight (OVA I–IV), Madhouse (OVA V–VII) and Graphinica (OVA VIII–X), and produced by Geneon. The first fifty minute episode was released to Region 2 DVD in Japan on February 10, 2006.^[6] The ending of each episode uses various pieces of instrumental music composed by Hayato Matsuo and performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra up to OVA V. OVAs VI and VII feature vocal closing themes by Japanese rock group Suilen. Titled "Magnolia" and "Shinto-Shite" respectively.

On July 27, 2011, Hellsing OVA VIII was released in Japan after a long one year and eight month wait, along with the first episode of The Dawn. Episode IX was released on February 15, 2012.^[7] The tenth and final episode was released in December, 2012.

United States [edit]

The OVA series is licensed for release in the United States by Geneon USA. In producing the English dub of the series, Geneon used much of the original cast from the dub of the anime series, which the company had also licensed. The first episode was released to Region 1 DVD on December 5, 2006, after premiering the episode at the 2006 Anime Expo convention. Though Geneon USA stopped self-distribution of its titles in 2007,^[8] it remains the licensor of the series and in 2008 the North American distribution was assumed by Funimation Entertainment.^[9] Funimation released the fourth episode on September 23, 2008. Simultaneously, the company re-released the first three episodes. At Anime Expo 2010, Funimation Entertainment announced that they had licensed all three of the new OVAs (episodes 5–7 as of that date) and the original TV series.

Funimation Entertainment additionally announced that they licensed the 8th OVA and would release the first eight episodes in 2012.^[10] Hellsing Ultimate 5–8 was released on November 13, 2012 as a DVD/Blu-ray set. 1–4 was also released as a DVD/Blu-ray set on October 30, 2012.

Soundtracks [edit]

Two CD soundtracks composed by Yasushi Ishii have been released by Geneon for the Hellsing anime series. Hellsing Original Soundtrack: Raid was released on July 1, 2003 and contained 19 tracks.^[11] The second soundtrack, Hellsing Original Soundtrack: Ruins, containing an additional 22 tracks followed on September 2, 2003.^[12]

Also, three soundtracks composed by Hayato Matsuo have been released for the Hellsing OVA series (Hellsing Ultimate). Hellsing OVA Original Soundtrack – BLACK DOG Released on March 21, 2008.^[13] As well as a DVD-Audio mini-soundtrack released as an extra with Hellsing OVA IV in Japan, titled Premium Disk – Warsaw Recording Selection featuring 9 tracks.^[14] The newest one is also an extra with Hellsing I-V Blu-ray BOX, titled Nazi CD featuring 13 tracks and 1 secret track. The vocal tracks by Suilen were released by the band on their recent mini-album THE DAWN.^[15]

Reception [edit]

In 2005, the six and seventh volumes of the Hellsing manga series ranked among Diamond Comics Distributors's list of the top 48 manga volumes sold in the United States for the year.^[16] In November 2007, the ninth volume was among the top 10 volumes sold according to Japan's monthly sales rankings.^[17][18]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Official Geneon Entertainment Hellsing website (Japanese)
• Hellsing (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• ANN Hellsing Ultimate 1-4 review
• ANN Hellsing Ultimate 5-8 review