History Anime / Hellsing

* AdaptationExpansion: The series added in more CharacterDevelopment in the first six episodes, especially for Seras. It also adds a flashback for Anderson in a possible past encounter with Alucard or another great vampire before gaining his powers.

* BigBad: Incognito

* MurderDotCom: In "Innocent as a Human".

* GenericDoomsdayVillain: Incognito's evil motives, backstory, or almost anything about him are never explored or explained. He's just there to be the FinalBoss.

* AltumVidetur

* WhatTheHellAreYou: Said to Alucard a couple of times. [[spoiler:Just before his death, Incogneto gets an answer, as Alucard's half-shadowed face reveals the mustachioed face of Vlad Ţepeș.]]

In the jolly old land of Great Britain sits the Hellsing Organization. Led by [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask Integra Hellsing]], the clandestine group's mission is to protect Queen, country, and the Anglican Church from supernatural threats--mainly vampires. As the series begins, one such vampire has been ravaging the English village of Cheddar and turning its inhabitants into "ghouls". In response, Integra sends Hellsing’s most powerful operative--a powerful vampire named Alucard--to deal with things.

** Millennium itself is a strangely subverted example, as while the organization doesn't appear on screen, it is heavily implied to exist in the anime's universe and to be in fact the mentioned group behind the actions of Incognito, his British master and the FREAK chips. The series's trailer actually shows the silouette of the Major clapping his hands at the action (that is, his only scene in the manga at the time the anime was made), hinting he might have been considered to appear in the series at some point as a SequelHook.
* AdaptationExpansion: The series added in more CharacterDevelopment in the first six episodes, especially for Seras.
* AlasPoorYorick: Seras carrying Alucard’s head, twice.

* DarkerAndEdgier: In a way. Although this series doesn't contain as many battles and deaths as the manga and the ''Ultimate'' [=OVA=]s, its atmosphere is generally darker, quieter and more psychological, and its conclusion is much more pessimistic.

* NoSwastikas: Avoids the issue entirely by excluding the later Millennium arc, but this is due to production timing rather than censorship. However, the shape of the circuitry in the FREAK chips in the series is still an obscured svastika.

* AdaptedOut: Pip Bernadotte and the Wild Geese from the original manga. A mercenary group very similar to the Wild Geese shows up in the later episodes, but they don't get nearly the screentime or importance the Wild Geese had in the manga.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Hellsing is destroyed and their members outlawed, but it seems at least Hellsing and Integra will continue with their mission.]]

* LesbianVampire: [[spoiler:Bubbancy]]

* NeverTrustATrailer: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hbhtq9ugPg This]] is the original Japanese trailer for the TV series, featuring stellar animation (save for a couple of shots) and plenty of violence. In addition to half of the animation from the trailer being ''cut'' from the final product, most of the remaining bits were only used in the show's opening. The rest of the animation that ''did'' make it into the show was edited beyond recognition.

* NoSwastikas: Avoids the issue entirely by excluding the later Millennium arc, but this is due to production timing rather than censorship (but the shape of the circuitry in the FREAK chips in the series is pretty suggestive).

* OneWingedAngel: Alucard’s Level 1, his most powerful state (in the anime only).

** Anderson: An AxCrazy {{Cyborg}} assassin BadassPriest with [[BottomlessMagazines endless]] [[BladeSpam projectile]] [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks bayonets]] and ImplausibleFencingSkills.

* ShoutOut: Possibly to the ''Wilmarth Foundation'' in the CthulhuMythos, which may have influenced the portrayal of the ''Hellsing Organization''. [[Creator/ChiakiKonaka The show's writer]] is known for being a fan of the Mythos, and often adds Lovecraftian themes or references to his works.

The '''''Hellsing''''' TV series (also called '''''Hellsing: Impure Souls''''' in media) explores [[AudienceSurrogate Seras’s perspective]] as she adjusts to life as a vampire in the employ of Hellsing and helps unravel the mystery of the artificial vampires and the FREAK chips. The first half of the series stays generally faithful to the original ''Hellsing'' manga, although specific themes (e.g., what it means to be “human”) and character development are given more depth, while the latter half of the show diverges wildly from its source material as a result of [[OvertookTheManga overtaking the manga]].

The '''''Hellsing''''' TV series (also called '''''Hellsing: Impure Souls''''' in media) explores [[AudienceSurrogate Seras’s perspective]] as she adjusts to life as a vampire in the employ of Hellsing and helps unravel the mystery of the artificial vampires and the FREAK chips. The first half of the series stays generally faithful to the original ''Hellsing'' manga, but specific themes (e.g., what it means to be “human”) and character development are given more depth. The latter half of the show diverges wildly from its source material as a result of [[OvertookTheManga overtaking the manga]].

* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:By the end of the series, the surviving heroes are imprisoned as traitors, the conspirators have won and Hellsing's been disbanded. However, the final scene reveals that Alucard is still loose and loyal to Integra, leaving open the possibility of they continuing their mission on their own.]]

* Creator/ChiakiKonaka

* DarkerAndEdgier: In a way. Although this series doesn't contain as many battles and deaths the manga and the ''Ultimate'' [=OVA=]s, its general atmosphere is darker, quieter and more psychological, and its conclusion is ''certainly'' more pessimistic.

The TV series explores [[AudienceSurrogate Seras’s perspective]] as she adjusts to life as a vampire in the employ of Hellsing and helps unravel the mystery of the artificial vampires and the FREAK chips. The first half of the series stays generally faithful to the original ''Hellsing'' manga, but specific themes (e.g., what it means to be “human”) and character development are given more depth. The latter half of the show diverges wildly from its source material as a result of [[OvertookTheManga overtaking the manga]].

* [[spoiler:AteHisGun: In a flashback, Alexander is shown attempting this during his first encounter with Alucard. Obviously, either it didn't work or he stopped himself.]]

* [[spoiler:TheBadGuyWins: By the end of the series, the surviving heroes are imprisoned as traitors, the conspirators have won and Hellsing's been disbanded. But the final scene reveals that Alucard is still loose and loyal to Integra, leaving open the possibility of Hellsing taking on the British government.]]

* {{Literature/Carmilla}}: [[spoiler:Bubbancy]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: The original TV series was this to its two [[Manga/{{Trigun}} main]] [[Anime/CowboyBebop contemporaries]] of the time.
** LighterAndSofter: Than the manga. (And by extension, the Ultimate [=OVA=]s)

* DemotedToExtra: Anderson and Maxwell. (Much to the detriment of some of the fans)

[[caption-width-right:350:Clockwise from top: Seras Victoria, Integra Hellsing and Alucard.]]

Led by [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask Integra Hellsing]], the secret Hellsing Organization's mission is to protect Britain, its Queen, and the Anglican Church from supernatural threats, mainly vampires. As the series begins, one such vampire is ravaging the English village of Cheddar, turning its inhabitants into “ghouls”. To deal with this threat, Integra sends Hellsing’s most powerful operative, Alucard.

Alucard confronts the vampire as he is about to murder the last survivor of the police forces, Seras Victoria. In order to kill the vampire he shoots through Seras, mortally wounding her. He offers her the chance to become a vampire herself, and she accepts. Alongside Integra, Alucard, and [[RedShirt Hellsing’s human operatives]], Seras discovers and fights a new kind of mass-produced undead, called [= FREAKs =].

The TV series is told mainly from [[AudienceSurrogate Seras’ perspective]] as she adjusts to life as a vampire in the employ of Hellsing, while attempting with the other characters to unravel the mystery of the artificial vampires and the FREAK chips. The first half of the series is more or less faithful to the original manga; however, themes such as what it means to be “human” and character development are explored more in-depth. The latter half of the TV series is where it diverges wildly from its source material, due to it [[OvertookTheManga overtaking the manga]].

!! This {{anime}} contains examples of:

----->

* AdaptedOut: Pip Bernadotte and the Wild Geese from the original manga. A mercenary group very similar to the Wild Geese shows up in the later episodes, but they don't get nearly the screentime or importance the Wild Geese did in the manga.

* SlidingScaleOfVampireFriendliness: Hard to categorize. Traditional vampirism is not massively contagious (only virgins can become vampires), nor does it cause morality shifts, and the HorrorHunger is so subdued that Seras could go a good long while without feeding and never lost control due to hunger. However, Alucard and a few other traditional vampires can be ''massively'' dangerous with age, capable of godlike power levels and forming ghoul armies from the fed upon. FREAK vampires seem to be either more vulnerable to moral decay or just awful people to begin with, since they all [[TranshumanTreachery become monsters]].

* SnuffFilm: In "Innocent As a Human".

* UndeadChild: Helena.

* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Holy KnightsTemplar {{Dracula}} with GunsAkimbo!

* AscendedExtra: Ferguson presumably dies as a RedShirt in the Valentine brothers’ attack in the manga, but he survives it in the TV series and acts as a father-figure to Seras.

* CrucifiedHeroShot: [[spoiler:Ferguson]].

* [[GoodScarsEvilScars Good Scars]]: Ferguson

* MauveShirt: Ferguson.

* OldSoldier: Ferguson.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Integra, Ferguson.

->''In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation. Amen.''

** LighterAndSofter: Than the manga. (And by extension, the Ultimate OVAs)

* Alucard's glasses in the first episode after he's gunned down.

** Vampire Nazis.
*** Who don't appear, because GeckoEnding.