Hellsing

Hellsing (ヘルシング) is a Japanese dark fantasy seinen manga series, written and illustrated by Kōta Hirano. It premiered in Young King OURs in May 1997 and ended in September 2008. The series chronicles the efforts of the mysterious and secret Hellsing Organization as it combats vampires, ghouls, and other supernatural foes who threaten England.

The individual chapters were subsequently collected and published in 10 tankōbon volumes by Shōnen Gahōsha. The series was 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 J. Konaka and was significantly different from the manga in terms of plot, though it used some of the same characters and similar character designs. Spanning 13 episodes, it was broadcast on Japan's Fuji Network System from October 10, 2001, to 16 January 2002.

An original video animation (OVA) entitled Hellsing Ultimate was produced by Geneon. It followed the manga storyline more closely than the anime series. The series spanned 10 episodes, released in Japan between 10 February 2006, and 26 December 2012. In North America the series ran from 5 December 2006, to 28 October 2014.

Plot
Hellsing is named after and centred around the Royal Order of Protestant Knights originally led by Abraham 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, and Alucard, 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 a Nazi group called Millennium still exist and are intent on reviving Nazi Germany 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 lord Alucard, ending a feud begun during World War II.

Mythology
The manga is loosely based on Bram Stoker's Dracula with the historical records of Vlad III Drăculea.

Creatures

 * Ghoul (食屍鬼) - Humans without virginity who were bitten by a vampire become ghouls. They are living corpses; their behaviour is no different than zombies.
 * Vampire
 * Werecat
 * Werewolf
 * Black Shuck

Locations

 * HMS Eagle
 * London
 * Cheddar, Somerset
 * Northern Ireland
 * São Paulo
 * Wallachia

Items

 * Bible (used as barrier and teleportation)
 * Holy Nail (as the Nail of Helena)

Gallery

 * Manga covers