Hanime on Anime’s Character of the Month of October: Alucard

Well, ladies and gentlemen, October is coming to a close.  And that means one of two things.  One: Halloween is coming up; and two: it’s time for Hanime on Anime’s Character of the Month!  This month’s character was a given.  Then again, he is from Hellsing, which has been the talk of the blog lately.  So yes, if you can’t tell who it is by now, this month’s Character of the Month is the one and only Alucard-as mentioned in my Hellsing Ultimate review.

Alucard takes on two different roles in both the anime and the OVA.  In the anime, Alucard takes on a very light role as being the top field agent of the Hellsing Organization, servant to Integra Hellsing, and the vampire responsible for turning former police officer Seras Victoria into a vampire.  In other words, Alucard is not the main character of the anime.  However, Alucard becomes more involved-and in fact is at the forefront-in the OVA.  Still holding the title of top field agent for the Hellsing Organization, Integra’s servant, and Seras Victoria’s master, he also is the primary target for Millennium.  One thing that both the anime and OVA share concerning Alucard is his past.  The anime brings up the fact that Alucard resembles the infamous Vlad the Implaler-also more commonly known as Dracula.  In Utlimate, it is confirmed that Alucard is in fact the legendary Dracula- his name is “Dracula” backwards for crying out loud!  It’s two different shows, but one character.  He has similar roles, but his importance varies with the two.

Alucard from the Hellsing anime

Alucard from Hellsing Ultimate

Now I have to admit, I’ve had Hellsing on the brain lately.  So it may seem a bit biased and unfair that Alucard became Character of the Month.  Regardless of that, there are certainly some aspects to this vampire that make him worthy of the title.  Besides, I’m not trying to be biased by any means.  On the top of the list is the fact that Alucard has power to spare.  Both in the anime and the OVA, he’s a powerhouse!  From firing his Jackal pistol in his fight with Luke Valentine, to his Level Zero release, Alucard leaves nothing but destruction and bodies in his wake.  Most of this does revolve around that fact that he’s the legendary Dracula.  What’s also very interesting about Alucard is that there are some emotional issues going on.  This is seen particularly in the OVA.  In, the second episode we get a glimpse of Alucard crying over a dream involving his battle against Professor Hellsing.  In the eighth, we see Alucard upset over Father Anderson willing to sacrifice his own humanity to defeat him, warning him not to “become a monster…like me.”  Then it all comes together in the ninth episode when Alucard cries over Anderson’s body claiming that he has become beast not to different from himself.  All of this shows that Alucard not only has a softer side, but that there is a bit of pain and sorrow over his ultimate decision of becoming a vampire.  It’s one thing that makes this vampire not just great, but the Ultimate!-see what I did there?  So in general, Alucard is not only violent and sadistic on the field, but also emotional in regards to his experience as a vampire.

So to wrap up this week’s post and end this month’s Halloween themed posts, it may seem a bit unfair with all the word on Hellsing going on that Alucard became Character of the Month.  But it goes without saying that Alucard is one character that you do not want to mess with, and one worthy of the Character of the Month title.  So keep the blood flowing Alucard, cause you’re Hanime on Anime’s Character of the Month of October!  And with that, I’m off.  Stay tuned for more, and have a safe and happy Halloween!

-Hanime on Anime