Alucard (Hellsing)

Creation and development

Manga author Kouta Hirano created Alucard. Hirano stated he does not particularly care about accurate depictions of weapons in his manga and draws multiple types of angles, such as whenever Alucard shoots a bullet. Initially, Hirano felt the manga had issues in terms of fighting because Alucard was too powerful. As a result, Father Alexander Anderson was created to be the only individual capable of being Alucard's equal.

Hirano thought about a character that could go against Alucard and decided to create Anderson. Even if the Captain joined the battle between Alucard and Anderson, Hirano does not think he would win. He loses when the Major got involved, but in the end Millennium was not really strong enough a character to be considered a rival. The flow of the Hellsing manga was decided from the beginning.

Multiple fans wondered if Alucard would form a relationship with his student Seras Victoria, but Hirano did not find it possible. As a result, Hirano introduced the character Pip Bernadotte so he could stick him with Seras during the narrative. Meanwhile, Alucard would keep a deep bond with his master, Integra Hellsing, early in the story, but Hirano refrained from regarding it as a romantic style; that was an unwavering part of the unfolding story.

For the prequel Hellsing: The Dawn, a dynamic was used between Alucard, Integra and Walter to act properly since Alucard was more active. After manga volume 8, during the series' climax, the author felt he 'got a little hasty' and ended the long battle between Alucard and Anderson. As a result, he thinks Alucard's battle against Anderson had a better show of battle in comparison to the previous battle against Anderson where both fighters were nearly equals. The reason he thinks so is because he had a time limit for completion when he was drawing them.

Appearances

Alucard is a vampire working for the organization Hellsing. He is violent, sadistic, and masochistic, often taunting and belittling his opponents, allowing them to inflict wounds before regenerating and retaliating. His real identity is that of Vlad Drăculea III, who spent much of his mortal life fighting the Ottomans. Vlad was held captive by the Ottomans as a child, facing heavy abuse and sexual assault by his captors.

Through his battles, Vlad sacrificed many, ally and foe, in the name of God, believing that God does not reward conventional prayer, but instead wants mortals to show their faith through battle. However, when his army is defeated and he faces execution, Vlad, believing he has been abandoned by God, turns his back on the divine by drinking the blood of the battlefield, becoming Count Dracula. The manga briefly deviates from the events of Bram Stoker's Dracula in regard to motive and his defeat.

In Hellsing, Dracula travelled to England to pursue Mina Harker out of affection, rather than a lust for power. During his defeat, Dracula is staked in the heart by Quincy Morris, but unlike the novel, is not decapitated by Arthur Holmwood, who instead rescues and embraces Mina. Following his death, Dracula is taken back to England by Van Helsing where he is revived. The Count pledges his loyalty to Van Helsing, deeply respecting that a mere human was able to defeat a demonic creature.

Years after his defeat, Dracula became a servant of the Van Helsing family, who not only augmented his formidable abilities but also placed shackles on his power. Now codenamed Alucard by Arthur Hellsing, he, along with a young Walter C. Dornez, were sent to Warsaw, Poland to stop Millennium's vampire production program. Later, Arthur imprisoned Alucard in a dungeon in the Hellsing manor, as he believed the vampire was too powerful to be used frequently.

After 20 years of imprisonment, Arthur's daughter Integra Hellsing, who was marked for death by her traitorous uncle, opens Alucard's crypt as a final resort. Her blood awakened and resuscitated the ancient vampire, who then executed Integra's uncle and his followers, and willingly entered the service of Integra.

Reception

Alucard has garnered significant popularity over the years. At the 2008 Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Awards, he was nominated in the best male character category, and Jouji Nakata’s voice work for him also received a nomination. In an AnimeAnime poll, fans ranked Alucard as Nakata’s second-best role, placing behind Corporal Giroro from Sgt. Frog. Both characters lost, however, with Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach beating Alucard and Tomokazu Sugita’s Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya defeating Nakata’s other nomination.

A range of merchandise has been produced based on Alucard’s look, including action figures, bust figures, and key-chains. IGN placed him 21st on its list of the greatest anime characters ever, noting that while anime has featured many vampires, none have matched Alucard’s delightfully sadistic nature. Complex ranked him 15th among the most stylish anime characters. Anime News Network included him in a feature titled “6 Strange Faces of Dracula’s Descendents,” highlighting how different he is from the novel’s version of Dracula.

Critical reception to Alucard has been largely favorable. Early in the manga, Justin Rich of Mania Entertainment found him intriguing, pointing to a brief clash with Anderson that hinted at future developments. Mike Crandol of Anime News Network praised Alucard as a welcome departure from the typical melancholic vampire anti-hero, calling him a genuinely cool figure. His vampiric nature was also seen as a fresh take on the archetype, particularly in how he trains Seras Victoria, a process that feels like a coming-of-age journey for his subordinate.

Comic Book Resources noted that despite his cruelty, Alucard becomes more charming when contrasted with the personalities of Seras and Integra, as he interacts with them in a friendlier manner than his usual dark self. T.H.E.M Anime Reviews described him as an anti-hero through and through, but one audiences cannot help rooting for even when it is clear he is not truly good. Carl Kimlinger, also from Anime News Network, called Alucard one of the scariest and most unspeakably cool anti-heroes to ever carve a path through an anime, and considered him the strongest element of the series.