Hellsing Ultimate: Alucard

First of all:  THE CHARACTER DESIGN OF ALUCARD IS FUCKING COOL!  His personality is uniquely interesting.  He catches your eyes every time he's on screen.  Alucard >>> any other vampire ever. of all time. He is the absolute pinnacle of vampire fiction.

Not in every vampire fiction can you see Dracula adopting a child and taking on a fatherly role. Not in every vampire fiction can you see Dracula being raped as a child. Not in any other vampire fiction can you see Dracula transform into a girl. XD

Alucard in HELLSING ULTIMATE is a character with great depth. His sadistic and powerful yet loyal personality is explored thoroughly and he is bad-ass and dangerous - all the while makes it extremely entertaining to watch.

Part of what makes him interesting is his unbreakable spirit.  When you think about it:  The Ottoman sultan raped Alucard not for sex (maybe there's a little of it) but to send the message that the Ottomans had absolute power over Wallachia, and to break Alucard's spirit. What was his response? Instead of whining and blaming his kins for not coming to his help, he rose to power and led an army to fight the Ottoman Empire and killed his rapist.

VAN HELLSING:
What makes this scene brilliant is that you actually feel sorry for THE Dracula. When Van Hellsing told him, "You have nothing, Count! Nothing!" as he drove the stake into his heart, you forget it's the evil Dracula for a moment. It's just someone who had been utterly defeated. Van Hellsing knew Alucard wanted to die but he chose to bind him to his family which would be the greatest punishment.  We see Alucard cry remembering that moment when he almost found peace in his life, and the words Abraham said, "You have nothing" which speaks close to home considering Alucard's past and the reason he became what he is: because he lost everything.  I really wish the author would have shown us more of Alucard's past (and Integra's past) instead of The Dawn. The Dawn is pretty good but not showing what went down between the Hellsings and Alucard is kind of an important thing to skim over.

We are never offered insights into Alucard's life as Dracula, and I don't like extrapolating from Bram Stoker's Dracula because they aren't the same characters. Every novel depicts Dracula as extremely evil and vicious (eg, he steals a baby from its mom in Transylvania to feed to his brides and when the mom comes sobbing and screaming at the gates of the castle, he calls his wolves to eat her. He devours every last crew member on the Demeter ship that takes him to England, except the captain, who ties himself to the steering wheel with a crucifix and dies of exposure. When he gets to England, he scares an old man to death just because he’s passing by. He takes his sweet time draining Lucy when she has 3 men devotedly in love with her, and turns her into a vampire that eats small children. He accidentally scares Lucy’s mom to death as well while he’s draining Lucy).  Anyway, that is Dracula in other works and I would like to think that "they" are different entities from Hellsing's because they just come across so differently.  And Alucard is simply just…not that bad? He’s a monstrous fucker but…not to that extent?  Also, Hellsing's Alucard holds certain viewpoints that are vastly different from any other Dracula version, namely, his respect for people who have overcome great adversities in life, his repulsion for mindless killings (eg, a vampire kills when it doesn't need to feed itself), his self-hatred, self-reflection, etc.  Alucard is only interested in humans who are persevering despite everything, because that’s what he considers the defining (and best) trait of humanity. And that's what makes his character so relatable.

Alucard maybe a monster, blood-thirsty and battle-crazy, but he is honest about who and what he is. You may not like a person like Alucard, but you can respect a person who is honest about himself.  I think Alucard is ready to return to the light when he tells Anderson, ".... until my past is overshadowed by the greatness of my future". The affections he has for Integra and Seras are neither fake nor shallow.  Here we see a vampire who has an infinite strong will and values, who treasures real emotional bonds with the two humans (who waited 30 years for his return!). What did he do that earns this kind of loyalty from these humans? Besides the fact that they both owed him their lives, he treats these two with genuine kindness. This being had lost everything in his previous life and once again had everything taken from him by Abraham Van Hellsing 100 years ago, has finally found a belonging place with the two humans who likewise have found a home in him. This is real family bond that transcends bloodlines, species, and time.  With these people, in the present time, he has found everything he could never find as Dracula.  By the end of Hellsing Ultimate, he ends up with an adorable Master and a loyal Servant. Things he sought as Dracula and could never find.

Capable of such destruction, reveling in the carnage of war, yet somehow able to admire innocence and revere goodness, protecting it where he can, transmuting it to power as he sees fit (Seras). He is not the Dracula in Bram Stoker's novel or any other Dracula. For one, we see so much of his inner world. His will and his spirit have proven unbreakable, but he is not untouched by regret... or desire, or hope.
What really captures the essence of Alucard is the moment in the last episode when he is about to vanish: When he turns to the light of the rising sun and reminisces about his previous deaths, he is not sad or bothered by his imminent death but instead he's admiring the Sun, "And each time I think... how lovely that sunlight, which I forsook so many centuries ago..."  He still finds beauty in the world, in life itself, even when his life is at its bleakest moment. Other things, like the way he places his hand over Seras' when she was pulling the blade out of him in OVA 9, really communicate the emotion inside him. He's not just a monster. He's not a hero, either. Alucard is incredibly compelling and complex.  He still has much humanity in him, whether or not he wants to embrace it.  (More on "humanity" in my next post).

PS:   I forgot about [this interview](http://hiranomoe.com/r/read/hellsing_guidebook/en/0/1/page/5). Kouta Hirano, in regards to how Alucard became a vampire, said:  "He turned into a vampire by his own power. Not because someone turned him, or that he was a natural born vampire or anything like that. He turned into a vampire by his own will."  hahaha.. Only in Hellsing do you see an atheistic take on Dracula. I LOVE IT!

Hellsing Ultimate: Immortality and Humanity

THE THEME OF "ONLY A HUMAN CAN DEFEAT A MONSTER":

The fact is that monsters are slaughtering humans and humans (the Hellsing Org.) need to employ monsters to kill them.

Alucard says time and time again that only a human can kill him. However, he doesn't regard all humanity as the pinnacle of existence - just humans who are courageous enough to stand up to monsters. Not every human will qualify. Alucard just wants to be killed by someone worthy of killing him - a hero so to speak. Anderson isn't entirely human and Alucard still thinks of him as worthy. Seeing how humans are inherently weaker than monsters, they have quite a challenge on their hands to fight the monsters. He has huge respect for humans who can. He's also a monster that was bested and captured by humans, and he has grown to respect the ones who can show him strength and resolve. He is also portrayed like a loyal dog in some ways, as in, a dog that respects and is happy with a strong-minded Master.

A lot of his hatred of monsters seems to come from the fact that quite a few of them are pale imitations of himself, like the Valentine brothers.  "Only a human can defeat a monster" - it is ultimately proven untrue by the events of the show. Rather, the theme is more about the blurring of the line between humans and monsters. The very worst people are humans, and the greatest beings are monsters.

IMMORTALITY:

"To become a monster like me is to admit you were too weak to remain a human".

I disagree.  Fear of death is not a weakness.  All sentient beings are.  I'd argue that the will to live is stronger than anything. As Kenshin Himura has said, "One can die at any time. Living takes real courage".  Forget about the real historical Vlad; I'm talking about Hellsing's Vlad/Dracula:  Despite all the monstrous things he did, his life was full of misfortunes (was raped repeatedly as a child, wife and children were killed, lost his kingdom, everything). He himself was facing death, what was he to do?  Accept death as a human or wish to live as something else? He chose to live.

There are many humans who would turn down immortality if it meant they would live alone for eternity without their loved ones, or live in pain. Are they the strong ones? In my view, only people who have the will and the courage to persevere despite hardships (like Alucard and Seras) are the strong ones.

Alucard was once human, however due to certain things in his life, he threw away his humanity to become what he is today. He perceives this as his own weakness and thus, to some extent, considers himself less than a human.  This is why he ends up hating Anderson so much, because in a way, he saw his former "weak" self.

Alucard, Gilgamesh, Sun Wukong, etc. All these characters who strive for immortality have an interesting thing in common:  They share a great fear of death. That fear alone motivated some of them to master the magics. Alucard's desire for immortality and power was also motivated by the fear of losing what he had.  This is a very HUMAN reason to wish for power and immortality, considering that immortality has always been humanity's greatest dream.

Alucard believes that he was too weak to face mortality and found solace in immortality. But are humans who have the courage to live and die as humans the admirable ones?  I disagree.  We HAVE TO live and die as humans because we have no other choice realistically.  However, in a magical world where there is a choice to extend one's life and eventual immortality - and especially when gaining immortality in this world doesn't take away one's intelligence and autonomy - NOT choosing it is wasting one's life to me.  Also in Hellsing, it is reiterated that humans are superior to others, and that's the reason humans should not succumb to magical powers. But I see nothing wrong with accepting these powers in order to become stronger.

HUMAN SUPERIORITY:

Humans as a species are indeed ruling the Earth. We have accomplished things that other species could never dream of, and we never stop progressing. However, we are also the biggest monsters to one another and to other species. In the realistic non-fictional world, humanity as a whole is superior, but the individual humans are not. Being a human does not automatically qualify you as superior. Each human must be judged for who he is and what he is capable of. In the fictional worlds where non-human species such as vampires and aliens exist, humans are far from being the superior ones among them all. We are weaker than them physically and we are probably not any more intelligent than them. To declare ourselves "superior" is to claim that their powers (eg, immortality, regeneration, superhuman strength,...) are somehow "inferior". Truth is, they are not inferior. Objectively speaking, THEY are the superior ones that we might learn from rather than taking too much pride in ourselves that we become blind to our own limits. It is important to realize and accept our own limits. Besides mental capabilities, we aren't stronger than them in any other aspect. 

Alucard only regards humans' will to live and perseverance as superior because those are things that he has lost long ago, since having lived for so long, he has grown bored of most things and found no purpose in his life. He may not realize it, but his will to live and his mental strength are second to none: Although he may regret becoming a monster, I don't think he would choose to undo his choice even if time could go back. Through it all, he's still too stubborn to die. He could have drifted into non-existence when the Major "defeated" him, but he didn't. He wills himself into existence again. He is like Seras in that regard: Despite everything that happened in his past, he still clings to life.

Not only in Hellsing but in a lot of other fictions, the anti-immortality viewpoint is widespread. I believe that it is some authors' way of giving solace to themselves and to the human audience watching their fictions. Ultimately it's all a form of convincing oneself that one's own state is okay because there is no better alternative realistically.  More of my view on Immortality

Hellsing Ultimate: overall series impression

"The Bird of Hermes Is My Name, Eating My Wings To Make Me Tame"

• I can summarize in 2 words: BEAUTIFUL. STUNNING. Animation, artwork, voicing and music. Everything.
• My favorite way of watching this show is English dub + English subtitles. The dub is just.so.awesome. The accents are fun to hear. (I need subtitles because the dub is not 100% faithful).
• Some people say that this show is pure action sequence entertainment. I disagree. It's a very characters-driven story. The complexity of the characters actually make it brilliant. While the plot isn't much, there are so many meaningful subtleties that make you THINK. I always love anime/fiction/movies that can make me THINK. It is such a spectacle; it rings with a deep, philosophical exploration of humanity, of good and evil, and characters so nuanced and real!
• THE CHARACTER DESIGN OF ALUCARD IS FUCKING COOL! Uniquely interesting. Alucard >>> any other vampire ever. of all time. He is the absolute pinnacle of vampire fiction.
• Not in every vampire fiction can you see Dracula adopting a child and taking on a fatherly role. Not in any other vampire fiction can you see Dracula transform into a girl. XD
• Alucard’s personality is so strong but it doesn't make other characters shrink. 
• I do not agree with the series' take on human superiority (I'll talk more about this on r/hellsing).

• I love the ways female characters are portrayed in Hellsing! It's not the typical shoujo girls we often see. Both of our main females are strong-minded women who kick asses. (Alucard has good taste! LOL).
• The downside of this series? To me, the biggest appeal was Alucard and that made some episodes without him a bit boring to watch at times.
• I want to see a more flashbacks of Alucard's past life, and how Integra grew up under the guardianship of Alucard and Walter.

Overall, HELLSING ULTIMATE has set the standard for vampires. I won't enjoy other vampire fictions in which the main vampire fails to overshadow Alucard.

I can give this series 10/10.

My thoughts on "Mary and the Witch's Flower"

The movie did a great job at maintaining a sense of mystery and suspension throughout. At any given point, I always wondered what would happen next and didn't fastforward (like I did with lots of boring anime) for fear of missing something important. The animation is super fluid; the colors convey a peaceful atmosphere. The house where the broomstick takes Mary to gives off a magical feeling a lot like Zeniba's house in Swam Bottom in Spirited Away.

The story certainly contains very dark elements, despite being a children tale. It's an interesting take that the story concludes with the denial of magic - that which so many children dream about.

The downside is that the character of Mary was established a bit forcefully in the beginning. I know they're attempting to highlight her character growth at the end, but the beginning could have been toned down. Also, the attempt to make the main character fight the bad guys without magic is too ambitious.

There's a lack of good music.

Overall it's a good movie. 8/10

Hellsing Ultimate: episode 8-10 reviews

Episode 8

• Alucard's entrance is magnificent!
• The visual is stunning and chilling when Dracula appears.
• Aww... that warm father-daughter moment between Alucard and Seras

Episode 9

• The English SUBTITLE in this episode is terrible: full of mistakes! The English dub got it right.
• Alucard's childhood rape scene :O T_T How many times, or how long, was child-Alucard raped? The anime didn't make it clear. I like that Alucard/the author didn't use his past as an excuse to justify anything he did.
• So many moments to love in this episode. I think my favorite is the immortally cool Alucard showing some emotion and lamenting the fall of his foe. My 2nd favorite is the flashback of Alucard's past. And Anderson's dying speech to him.
• ALUCARD AND SERAS' BOND: Another moment that showcases he cares for her is when he was stabbed by Anderson and he is about to die, he sees an image of Seras.
• * Seras calling for Alucard * . Alucard's like: 'Oh right, I have a kid... I have parenting to do...'
• And then the action is just insane and oh so satisfying to watch. I always say that it's hard for action in anime to impress me because I've seen so much of it. At this point I'm much more interested in plot and characters than the average action sequence. For me to really enjoy an action sequence, it has to be visually spectacular, have a certain visceral weight and be executed flawlessly, and Hellsing manages to do all three of these things.
• Alucard's genuine smile

Episode 10

• I'm amused by Alucard taking on the form of a girl to mock Walter like "you transformed into a little boy, it's only fair that I transform into a girl" :D
• Instead of lamenting defeat, the last thought Alucard has before he starts to vanish is how beautiful the sunlight looks.
• Killing his stolen lives doesn't accomplish anything. Contrary to what he says, he is immortal. There's probably some way to kill Alucard, but ending his many lives wasn't it. The Major's plan came closer than anything, but that failed too. Not only did it fail, but it gave him true immortality. With Schrodinger's power, he's completely incapable of being destroyed.
• Whenever Seras (or anyone in general) mentions the name Alucard, Integra goes all... what I'd call "self-conscious defensive". Now why would she do that, hm... hm... It's funny how Integra sounds like a jilted lover.. LOL.. She talks about Alucard as if he were her husband and Seras' father.
• When Alucard returns, he has earned true immortality and he seems a lot more content now than he did before, given how badly he wanted to die, yet here he is, pledging to remain forever! I can only assume he's just himself now, rather than losing himself in the millions of lives within him. He's figured who he is and accepted what he is. A very satisfying conclusion for our beloved character!
• Intergra says, "Okaeri" ("welcome home") and Alucard responds with, "tadaima" ("I am home") - what does it remind you of? It reminds me of how Kaoru greets Kenshin when he returns. Like Kenshin, Alucard has found home.

Hellsing Ultimate: rewatch discussion links

"The Bird of Hermes Is My Name, Eating My Wings To Make Me Tame"

Hellsing Ultimate (Anime OVA) - Anime-Planet

 | Funimation

 | Hulu

 | Crunchyroll

 | Youtube by Funimation

 | Action, Horror, Vampire, Supernatural, Seinen - /r/Hellsing

For first-timers: No spoiler here, but needless to say, if you like epic actions, mature and cool dialogue that isn't cheesy, a serious and dark storyline, a proper depiction of a modern-day vampire (and believe me, the way Alucard is depicted has set the standard for vampires :D). This series is not Bram Stoker's "Dracula" re-told, or "Dracula 2001" or anything you've seen related to vampires. There's absolutely no need to watch the old Hellsing anime or read the manga first. Hellsing Ultimate the OVA Series is a brilliant piece of work. It follows the manga closely. There is no filler episode in this series at all and it will glue you to the screen; the action sequences are flawless and you would struggle to think of more creative villains/heroes to add to a plot; each character is unique and makes you wonder what comes next.

July 7: OVA episode 1

July 9: OVA episode 2

July 11: OVA episode 3

July 13: OVA episode 4

July 15: OVA episode 5

July 17: OVA episode 6

July 19: OVA episode 7

July 21: OVA/episode 8

July 23: OVA episode 9

July 25: OVA episode 10

July 27: overall series discussion

Dub or Sub?

This is a FAQ. My answer is: rarely do I see an anime series that has such awesome English dub like Hellsing Ultimate! I love how the characters' accents complement their nationalities, and Alucard's voice is the perfect fit. HOWEVER, there are some altered dialogues that may lose the humor or change your interpretation of some scenes, characters, and their relationships with one another. So keep that in mind. (My favorite way to watch this show is English dub + subtitles). Once or twice, I see mistakes in the Sub, too.

Hellsing Ultimate: episodes 5-7 reviews

Episode 5

• What I like about this episode is the Integra being chased scene - pretty tense.
• What does the woman do when there's no man there to protect her? This is not the typical shoujo fashion where the damsel-in-distress is always crying for help or that she's always helpless without a man.

Episode 6

• Here we see poor mercenaries who lay down their lives for money. They're using regular silver, not blessed silver, so no wonder their bullets aren't as effective. As for the ghoul attack earlier in the series, some nameless Hellsing guy shouted, "THE ENEMY ARE GHOULS!" over the radio. Obviously, they weren't prepared for a vampire attack on their headquarters, and were using regular ammunition. Monumentally stupid for a supposed anti-vampire organization.
• Is Integra commanding the 'bad guys' who are holding her hostage believable here? Ok, I know that the author wants to provide a bit of comic relief and to establish her character as "the leader", "the commander" type, but I don't find it realistic that if such situation were to happen that she could do this. Maybe the guys who hold her hostage aren't really 'bad' and she knows they won't kill her anyway.

Episode 7

• Gruesome deaths, but avoidable deaths. The harsh truth in this is that (2) a lot less would die if the Hellsing Org prepped these mercenaries with anti-vampire weapons. Second, it's because Seras refused to drink blood that she couldn't have been more useful. In the real world that, it might make some sense. But in the Hellsing world where you can die at any time, not choosing to become immortal/powerful is pretty naive, not to mention it makes you less fit to protect the people around you. But if she did drink blood from the start then there'd be no story to tell, right?
• Seras can fly but Alucard can't (?)

Hellsing Ultimate: episode 4 review

• Ok, this is where the English dub messed up big time: In the original, Trollucard was basically asking Integra in a subtle way if WATCHING him slaughter all those people aroused her, while also bringing to light that it is a very weird thing to be aroused by monstrosity. [ I think that either what he said was true or she has a crush on him, because why else would she blush? LOL ].
• Whoever wrote the script of the English dub needs a lesson in Japanese. The dub let Integra call Alucard a "monster". Integra NEVER calls Alucard a "monster" (although she calls other characters "monster" many times). This is important characterization and theme throughout the series. Also, on that phone call, she's not angry, she's embarrassed. She calls him a BAKA (idiot) - which seems like a normal anime reaction whenever a guy tells a truth about her that she doesn't want him to know or brought to her attention. She sounds more comical when she yells at Alucard. In the English dub, she sounds pissed off and insulting.
• Then the scene shifts to the meeting with the Queen where we see Alucard and Integra interacting in a totally professional business-as-ever manner. lol .. But you can see the way he looks at her when he's at the door.  I keep thinking that no one except themselves could stand each other for so many years.
• Alucard's meeting with the Queen shows that he respects humanity for being able to survive and endure despite all our physical flaws. He admires how humans can learn to live with old age. That's why he said: "You're now truly beautiful, Queen".
• I absolutely like the character of Alucard when he explains the reason for saving Seras: He is only interested in humans who are persevering despite everything, because that’s what he considers the defining (and best) trait of humanity. He has the most respect and admiration for people who never give up despite hardships. He admired the fire in Seras, and wanted to offer her a chance to thrive over the rest of humanity. “Giving up is what kills people. Those who refuse to give up are entitled to trample upon humanity”. I like Seras the moment she jumped at that opportunity without the slightest hesitation! Alucard has the "Improbable Aiming Skills" that allow him to hit any target without even looking (you can see it in his fight with Luke Valentine). He could have just shot the priest. But he wanted to take Seras, that's why he shot both of them. So he totally took advantage of the situation to force Seras to make a choice there.
• One question: The unfolding of the event makes me think that Alucard can read people's pasts by just looking at them. How else did he know what kind of life Seras had?
• Rip Van Winkle death scene. I'm just not seeing the "rape" metaphor that people talk about with this episode. Sure the scene is crazy, but I don't see anything that implies she is being raped and I feel like this is just one of those things that people look way too much into and try to draw their own conclusions. This is not rape. This is being killed. In other scenes, we see Alucard impale male targets and drink their blood, too. And people don't think those scenes were rape. Rip van Winkle just happened to be female. If someone being slowly stabbed in the chest always implied rape, then there would be a lot more anime that would be considered more mature than they are. Unless Hirano himself said, "Yes, it's supposed to mean Alucard is raping her", then I just seeing it as an already established insane character killing someone in another insane way.
• If Alucard didn't know that Rip was a bait before he drank her blood, he certainly did after. I think that's why he was laughing so hard on the ship: He'd learned he'd been tricked and stranded on the ship.
• Every time the Major speaks, I can't help laughing at the exaggerated accent (LOL).

Hellsing Ultimate: episode 3 review

• This whole episode is humor-packed from beginning to end. I watched it in DUB because, it's soooo good!
• We are given a deeper glimpse into Alucard-Integra relationship in this episode: The way Alucard jumps to Integra's defense when the other guy insults her: take note, that's not an average normal master-servant bond. And the way Integra lets him roam free, ride an airplane, stay in a penthouse and drink wine: I doubt his previous Masters allowed him such luxury and freedom. And then, how Walter reminds Integra that she "seems to forget" that Alucard is a vampire.
• Do you FEEL the horror of being trapped and shot in an elevator? Wondering if anyone has developed a fear of being in an elevator with strangers yet? LOL
• TBH, I am annoyed by Seras going shoujo like, 'OMG these guys [ heavily armed, who came to shoot 100 rounds at you ] are humans, why did you kill them?' Given Seras' childhood, I think she should be the one who understands it better. Those guys are no different from the murderers back then, who shot to kill without knowing that their target is immortal. One can argue that if a 5-year-old shot at you, you could assume innocence and ignorance in the child because he didn't know any better, and choose to forgive him. However, the assumption of innocence does not apply to adult humans who are supposed to be the most superior species on Earth capable of logic and reasoning. Therefore, in unprovoked circumstance - as long as they're adults, they're capable of understanding that it's fair game. I agree with Alucard here. "When someone fires at you, it doesn't matter if they're humans or not". And that is an interesting point in the series: there's no clear line between good and evil. Looking human doesn't translate to being humane. And being a human doesn't automatically qualify you for leniency. (So, what if you weren't a human but committed the same offense as a human does? Would you only deserve leniency if you were a human? Should you deserve a harsher punishment than a human? Why?). Alucard does have a lot of respect for humanity, but he also knows that there're a lot of shitty humans out there.
• And this is the first point where you see a little bit of Alucard's humanity. He sees how innocent and naive Seras is and hence his anger (and part of his anger comes from seeing a guy commit suicide in front of him).
• Does Alucard's speech at the end ("We killed our enemies, killed our allies, even ourselves... And it will never be enough") give you a clue about his identity yet?

Hellsing Ultimate: episode 2 review

• Alucard's laugh in English dub is better than in the Japanese dub.
• His affirmation that "there is no such thing as an immortal" is interesting! Isn't he himself immortal?
• His reaction to being called a "monster" is an interesting point to note!
• The dub version really tones down the rape stuff in this episode: In the Japanese version, the villain repeatedly says he's going to "rape, kill, and fuck [her] dead body again", but the dub only says that he's going to "torture [her] then fuck [her] corpse". I dislike such dumbing down of a serious/mature series like this, because it doesn't make the villain appear that evil anymore. Well, this anime is "seinen", not "shounen" FFS.
• Walter kicks ass in this episode!
• I'm a bit bothered by the revelation of Alucard's past in this episode: Abraham Van Hellsing came across as a hard-ass cruel guy who beat him into submission. Makes me feel bad, man, when Van Hellsing yelled to the defeated Alucard, "You have nothing, nothing!" But the circumstance isn't made clear to us. This episode only briefly mentions that, "Compared to what Sir Hellsing the First faced 100 years ago, this wouldn't even be a crisis," which sounds like Alucard stormed the Hellsing headquarter, but then Abraham was the first "Sir Hellsing" so I don't know if there was even a headquarter. Ambiguous.
• Then Alucard's undying loyalty to the Hellsing bloodline also perplexes me. The explanation in my head atm is that Alucard was mainly bound to Abraham and Arthur by magics and respect, while he truly has a bond with Integra because she treats him like a person [ Spoiler episode 3 : Walter reminds Integra that sometimes she forgets Alucard is a vampire ], which explains his undying loyalty (and more).