Hellsing: 10 Reasons Why It’s The Best Vampire Manga | CBR – CBR – Comic Book Resources

There are many vampire manga out there but Hellsing is without a doubt the best out there. Here are ten reasons why it is and why you should read it.

Hellsing tosses readers into a nefarious setting where demonic creatures and humans cohabit and their worlds collide. Consider Bram Stoker's Dracula meeting a spy thriller, with a touch of fantasy, all dipped in horror. This manga is perfect for those who enjoy being entertained with fast-paced action, good dialogue, and a surprising filling ofsolid deeper meanings with well-thought-out characters.

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Another interesting element is how Japanese manga traditions blend with western film themes. From the moment one begins to read, they are thrown into the heart of basically a wild and bloody story with mounting action. It delves deep into the fascination over war and the quest of perfection, with these being just a couple of the premises within this stimulating and entertaining story.

For any that enjoy horror packed full of gore, Hellsing is here. However, not once does it become tacky or ludicrous (although it could be called campy). It could even be characterized as artistic and elegant if those qualities can apply to images of slaughter. Most of the bloody imagery originates from Alucards fights with various supernatural creatures and evil forces, but even when he is not there, the manga does not disappoint. For those easily disgusted, maybe steer clear of this one.

One thing definitely abundant in Hellsing is style and grittiness in its design. There are obviously some more humorous and light-hearted scenes, but when keeping up with its own brand, Hellsing is razor sharp. Darkness, blood, weird angles, stare-downs at the barrel of a gun (usually Alucards), shadows, and intense dark-light contrast are all staples of the manga. To say it was simply cool is an understatement. Every character has their individual texture to them through their illustrations and a significant part of their idiosyncratic qualities becomes evident through how they are drawn.

While we often see vampire series that have a new rookie vampire as the protagonist or an ancient and extremely powerful vampire, we more rarely see the two together working as a team, being each others buffer. It is also quite rare (even unique) to see the strongest vampire in existence fight and work on the side of an organization meant to eliminate vampires (amongst other supernatural creatures).

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Hellsing was the perfect combination of vampire lore, action, monster-hunting, mystery, horror, and coming of age story (for Seras Victoria).

Some fans complained that Hellsing had a lot of talking and exposition comparatively to the action. While it can be argued that this is true in some respects when there was action there was nothing like it. Those who have watched the anime adaptations know that there lies some of the best action sequences found in anime. The gore, the blood, Alucards 13mm Jackal handgun, and his immense supernatural abilities all come together to excite those who love them some bloody action. Even from Chapter 1, one should understand what they were getting into.

Integra and Victoria are both great examples of the strong female character archetype, without falling into becoming tokens or stereotypes. Integra is an assertive leader, strict and in control, capable of making the hard decisions and being in command. She lost her parents from a young age and used to feel alone and afraid, but she grew into an independent fighter.

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Victoria was a timid human that transformed into a timid vampire, afraid of her new nature and abilities, but in time she learned to embrace her identity, assert herself, and use her powers in the most effective ways; a strong and capable soldier, she became an asset to the Hellsing Organisation.

The three main characters balance each other out in a brilliant and simultaneously subtle way. We have the timid turned badass sidekick to the dark powerful anti-hero with his own hidden past and internal struggle, all topped with a sometimes overbearing, but overall brilliant and strong leadership figure. They work great together because each one has something to offer to the others: Victoria eventually becomes like a daughter to both Alucard and Integra and she helps them get in touch with their softer side; Integra offers Alucard a greater purpose and gives Victoria the framework to discover her potential; Alucard is completely loyal to Integra and he becomes Victorias mentor and protector.

Whether it is Nazism, religious fundamentalism, greed, money, control, corruption, or power games, Hellsing has mentioned it once or twice (or many more times). Several characters are offered from diverse rival groups, striving to impose dominion over the others for numerous iconographic motives (God, Nation, Money, Influence, Capabilities, Species).

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In the midst of it all, Victoria tries to understand her new place in the world as a hesitant vampire and Alucard struggles with the curse of his immortality and with the clash between his nature and his loyalty to the Hellsing family.

Victoria starts in the first chapter as a rookie policewoman and quite a timid and inexperienced young person, not aware of the evil and its supernatural agents that exist out there. In the first chapter, Alucard is forced to shoot her (rather shoot through her) and he offers to save her life by turning her into a vampire.

At first, Victoria struggles with the moral ramifications and consequences of her newfangled vampiric nature. She is hesitant to drink blood and use her new extraordinary abilities, but gradually she comes into her powers and becomes an independent, confident, and formidable vampire.

Alucard is a very complicated character who initially appears very uncomplicated. He is an Original Vampire, the strongest vampire in known history, a demon who can hardly remember what it was like to be human. This makes him appear egotistical and arrogant. He exhibits overconfidence in regards to his admittedly extraordinary powers and that can make him occasionally brush against defeat, although he quickly gains the upper hand again.

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He can be cruel in battle, humiliating his opponents instead of killing them cleanly. However, underneath all this bravado, Alucard has a softer side and a deep sadness about his lost humanity. He can be caring towards Victoria and Integra and has shown great respect towards humans.

The story/stories in Hellsing focus on three core struggles: past versus future, nature versus identity, and desire versus morality. At first, Alucard is presented as this all-powerful vampire with a nefarious background (even though his name is a bit on the nose), but later we learn of his tragic past in ancient times as a child and how he became the Original Vampire. In the storys present, as the regularity of occurrences including the undead spirals in England and everywhere, Sir Integra Hellsing learns that the remainders of a Nazi assembly called Millennium still endure and are determined to restore Nazi Germany by producing a horde of vampires. The past desperately clings to the present and future in this narrative where good battles evil.

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Artemis Tsatsaki is an Athenian living in the UK. She loves anything genre (films & fiction) with a soft spot for horror and crime. She holds a BA in English with Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Nottingham. Her work has been included in the anthologies 'City of Stories', 'Underline', and 'Laced' and she currently writes for ScreenRant and CBR. You can find her on Twitter @ArtemisTsatsaki.

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Hellsing: 10 Reasons Why It's The Best Vampire Manga | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources