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Arucard (Japanese: アーカード, Hepburn: Ākādo^?; Dub: Alucard)^[b][9] is one of the three main protagonists of the Hellsing anime series produced by Gonzo. He is voiced by Jouji Nakata in the Japanese sub and Crispin Freeman in the English dub.

Hailed as "The Immortal (不死なるもの, Fushinaru Mono)," the vampire Arucard is the result of the Hellsing family's intense effort to create the ultimate undead, having been previously captured by the first master of the Hellsing family a century prior. His loyalty is absolute towards the current head of Hellsing, Integral Hellsing, and he now works as a garbage disposal killer towards his own kind who run rampant beneath the public eye of England.

Appearance

Personality

Arucard is violent and sadistic, often belittling opponents after allowing himself to be shot to bits by them. He abhors cowards and treats his enemies extremely brutally, enjoying both inflicting pain and taunting them, especially those who cannot control themselves, all accompanied by his sarcastic humor; in addition, Arucard seems to love puzzling his opponents. He appears to harbor pride in being a Real Undead and was visibly upset when Integra asked him the differences between the fakes and the real ones. Subsequently, Arucard has expressed extreme disgust with the vampires he has been hunting for the last 100 years, especially when they kill without purpose. Arucard makes his discontent apparent, demanding to know the motivation behind their rampage; as a result, he becomes deeply disgusted by the vampires he hunts, as not only are they pathetic to him, but they cause meaningless destruction and chaos and are cruel towards humans. Due to this, Arucard retains a sense of humanity despite being an undead monster.

He has become bored of being fed with "fakes," a frustration he professes to his master, Integral Hellsing. As such, he expresses multiple times that he wishes to seek a worthy opponent "of his power." He was deeply disappointed when Luke Valentine did not turn out to be as powerful as he had envisioned. Seeing Alexander Andersong's resolve excited him enough that he even spared Andersong as he proclaimed that their battle was fun. When Incognito arrives in Great Britain, he states to Integra that he will "finally meet someone who can give [him] the excitement that [he] craves." This establishes his monstrosity, seeking the scent of "madness" of the battlefield; during the raid on Bobhan Castle, Seras Victoria notes Arucard's tone of excitement for the upcoming battle that he spoke of, and Arucard responds in admission that he is indeed excited. However, even as an invincible vampire, even Arucard can be caught off-guard, usually because of his arrogance.

Arucard seems to think that humans are incompetent and oftentimes asserts that he cannot understand humans. At the prospect of a snuff film about a vampire killing a human being made by another human, Arucard was amused and commented that only humans have the "voracity" for watching their fellow man being killed. When Integra instructs him to let human forces handle a specific case, he says, "Humans seem happy under their own incomprehensible restrictions," prompting Integra to state that "human cunning" is a trait that Arucard struggles to comprehend. Despite his confusion with the nature of humanity and his disgust towards homicidal vampires, he believes that when humans reject giving up, they win the right to finally transcend humanity. He has also shown respect towards Integra and affection towards his fledgling, Seras Victoria, who he allowed to transcend humanity in a split-second decision made by her own will, and has frequently pestered Integra with the offering of vampirism. When fighting Andersong—who he describes as someone who is "neither human nor monster"—he declares that Andersong cannot kill him because only "humans can kill monsters." He shows an act of admiration and respect towards Chris Pickman, who he commends as a true soldier of Hellsing, and lays his hat on Chris' corpse as a sign of respect.

Arucard is an invincible vampire who is very different from others, has an ambiguous motivation (allowing humans to keep him for his own purpose), and is very impertinent towards everyone, including those who he tolerates.

Relationships

Allies

• Sir Integral Wingates Hellsing: Arucard and Integral Hellsing share a complex "master and servant" relationship. The hellscape that Integra went through in 1989, despite being hunted down by her uncle in a course of action that led Integra in front of the dungeons that locked Arucard, who noticed the peril Integra was in, offered to help her if she opened the door. In spite of the visions she received that caused her trepidation, Integra opened the door and led Richard Hellsing and his men through the dungeons, which allowed for Arucard's awakening once Richard shot Integra in the shoulders, spilling out blood. After saving Integra from Richard Hellsing and his men, Arucard offers Integra—who stood in defiance—his abilities had she obeyed him; however, through the pride of the Hellsing family and her will, she vehemently denies the offer and states that she would not let a vampire order her around even if it costs her life, as that is her pride and self-respect as the head of Hellsing.
  
  Her defiance, her bravery, and her will were what made Arucard recognize Integra as his true master; after her short speech, he had no doubts that she is the daughter of Sir Hellsing. He then bowed down and asked for forgiveness, offering her his servitude and letting her know of his name. Over the years, Arucard grew an intense fascination with Integra's will; oftentimes he tests her in offering her vampirism. After the encounter with Laura, which left Integra in a near-death state, Arucard once again recognizes her will. In his own eyes, Integra has not changed and is still the same little girl a decade ago. Afterwards, Arucard stays beside Integra after she recovered; Arucard's concern for his master's safety is apparent, displaying rage when Incognito endangered Integra's life through Laura and threatened Enrico Maxwell when he called Integra a sow. When Integra is locked in a cell, Arucard once again offers her vampirism; Integra smirks in return.

• Seras Victoria: A policewoman who was turned into a vampire by Arucard in a split-second decision purely made from her own will, Arucard holds a deep feeling of admiration towards Seras even if, at first, he was frustrated with her clinging onto her humanity. Arucard took on the role of a mentor and teacher to help Seras reach her full potential. His misunderstanding of humanity led Arucard to state to Integra that he would never understand Seras nor Integra because of it. In Seras' refusal to drink blood, Arucard told her that she would become weak if she did not drink blood. After the encounter with Andersong, he pulls out the bayonet stuck onto his left forearm and tells Seras to drink his blood to become a vampire without being bound by servitude to a master; though tempted, Seras restrained herself, which left Arucard disappointed. She finally gave in to her temptation after witnessing Arucard sucking Kim's blood. Her decisions in fighting back even when all was hopeless in Cheddar, and her stern grip on hanging onto what humanity she has left and faith in herself, Arucard was pleased with the results in her—who became a Real Undead without losing her humanity—proving herself when she finally drank Arucard's blood (even if by that point, his blood was considered "rotten").

• Walter C. Ddollneazz: Arucard and Walter maintain a friendly relationship, reminiscent to that of old friends. The 454 Casull, Arucard's first weapon of choice, was the first gun Walter designed and manufactured. At the request of Arucard after the Badrick incident, Walter created the Jackal with a design he had in mind—in mockery of Alexander Andersong, "Jesus Christ is in Heaven now" was engraved on the pistol's side; upon retrieving the Jackal, Arucard praised and declared it "perfect." The prospect of witnessing Walter in battle again excited Arucard, who commented that Walter should not overexert himself.

• Chris Pickman: He met Pickman when he saved Pickman from a FREAK attacking from behind, afterwards apologizing for being late. Pickman then commented that he cannot go back without any good news, especially after having sacrificed so many men. Arucard smirked and praised Pickman, "You are indeed a man of Hellsing." Thereafter, the two cleaned house until Pickman was shot in the stomach. He requested Arucard to mercy kill him so he dies a human and an agent of Hellsing rather than a ghoul; Arucard smiles and does so, later laying his fedora on Pickman's corpse as a sign of respect. Arucard admires Pickman's bravery, courage, and determination.

Enemies

• Incognito: In his search for a powerful opponent to satisfy his boredom, Arucard informs Integral Hellsing of Incognito's appearance in Great Britain after breaking a spell placed on her from far away by Incognito; Incognito, who he considers to be a "worthy enemy," the prospect of fighting him immensely amused Arucard as he described him to be a "real, strong enemy" who can give him the excitement that he craves. The two are almost identical in nature, as both are intoxicated by the fact that they were stronger than anyone else and incredibly egotistical, while also serving under a human, which Arucard remarks, "We are two originals who are kept by humans," in their first encounter within Bobhan Castle. Later, during their next encounter and immediate fight in the Tower of London, Arucard was entertained by Incognito's apparent masochistic behavior before shortly being temporarily defeated after falling into Incognito's trap.
  
  Subsequently, Integra finally allows the release of Level One, after which Arucard is revived. He returns to the top of the tower filled with tremendous power, facing Incognito. After dodging a strike from Sett, he observes the destructive power and comments, "That's the way of a real Category A," finding Incognito a suitable target for him. The destructive battle that led the two of them to the sky finally took them to a cathedral after falling and causing an explosion that set the building in blazes. Arucard sarcastically points out Incognito's masochism, which he finds to be "disgusting," but states that he would send him to a world of pain just as he wishes. In their final showdown, Sett, who was assimilated in Incognito's body, transfers itself into Arucard and melts down a silver cross onto the Jackal, creating a spear. Arucard shoots the perplexed and scared Incognito, impaling him onto the wall behind as he asks for Arucard's true identity, to which Arucard complies for a split second before properly impaling Incognito atop the cathedral with the spear, entering his groin and exiting through the mouth; this makes Incognito the first opponent that Arucard never bothered to devour with himself or the Black Dog. Presumably, Arucard views Incognito as an opponent worthy enough to know his true identity.

• Alexander Andersong: Arucard initially viewed Andersong as a human who overestimated his capabilities, but he subsequently loathed Andersong once he revealed his true nature as a "Regenerator," viewing him as a "pitiful, defect-ridden failure" who is not even "human." However, Arucard also saw Andersong as a means to have fun and battle, graciously accepting Maxwell's offensive approach in a sarcastic manner and facing Andersong in delight. Near the climax of their second encounter, Arucard regenerated and shot off both of Andersong's arms with the Jackal, asking him if he is a dog, a human, or a monster in response to Andersong's fright. However, in his sight of Andersong grabbing his bayonet with his teeth and running straight towards him, Arucard was caught off-guard, shocked at Andersong's will and stating, "This is fun." He then decides to spare Andersong's life by shooting the bayonet, insulting him, and at the end, proclaims that Andersong, who is neither human nor monster, cannot kill him because only a human can kill a monster.

• Luke Valentine: During the first fight between him and Luke, he was at first very impressed by Luke's abilities. While the battle went on, Arucard states that he has not had this much fun in a long time and recognizes Luke as a "Category A" vampire. Once he transforms, however, and impatiently waits for Luke to regenerate his legs, he realizes that Luke is nothing but a spineless coward who runs away in terror when he is faced with an opponent more powerful than him. He proclaims that Luke is dog food before devouring him with the Black Dog, afterwards walking away in disappointment.

Powers and Abilities

Real Undead
Arucard is an extremely formidable and deadly vampire who can cut down most supernatural enemies without releasing the seals that contain his true power. He sometimes allows himself to be blown to shreds before simply flowing back together. He demonstrates several unique abilities as well as the ability to regenerate from virtually any injury. The following are Arucard's powers gained from both his being a vampire and years of occult research by the Hellsing Organisation.
Abilities
Superhuman Strength: As a Real Undead, Arucard is inherently strong. To start, his guns, the Jackal and 454 Casull, are far too unwieldy for a human to hold, let alone use, but he does both with ease. When saving a young Integra, he tore apart Richard's men piece by piece with ease (in spite of having been starved for over a decade). Despite their armor, Arucard was able to disembowel and tear apart several soldiers. In Level One, Arucard was able to hold the Egyptian serpent deity Sett's mouth; the subsequent shockwave destroying bridges and buildings was caused by a clash between Sett and Arucard's Black Dog. When Arucard and Incognito impacted a cathedral after they fell from the sky, their collision lit up the entire building on fire from the inside.
Superhuman Speed and Reflexes: Arucard is too fast for the human eye to follow, but specific vampires, such as Incognito, and Regenerators, like Andersong, can keep pace with him just fine. At one point, he dashed across and killed armed soldiers in a second. Arucard's reaction times are top-notch, letting him intercept a bullet aimed at a young Integra and dodge several slashes from Andersong's Blessed Bayonets at close range; in Level One, he was able to dodge and later catch Sett.
Superhuman Durability and Endurance: Arucard takes most damage without flinching or making a sound, quietly allowing the enemy to attack before retaliating tenfold. In Level One, he has survived (and laughed in the face of) Sett's explosion at point-blank range. After he and Incognito fell from the sky in a clash between Sett and the Black Dog, which caused an explosion, yet he remains unscathed. His state in Level One also allowed him to take on Incognito's 40mm MGL fed with cursed needles from Africa, which had harmed him before.
	Hematophagy: As a vampire, Arucard can consume blood raw. He has long, conical fangs to assist in this job as well as a serpentine-like tongue. His feeding habits have been seen to vary from traditional neck-biting to simply ripping people to pieces and outright devouring them. Aestivation: Arucard will enter a dormant state if he goes too long without blood. It is unknown if he can be starved to death, as he goes decades without a drop of blood before a young Integra finds him.
	Hemokinesis: Arucard has the ability to manipulate blood. This ability seems to be limited to blood outside of the body, as he is never seen influencing the blood of enemies while they are intact.
	Enhanced Regeneration: Arucard has the ability to perfectly and quickly recover from any physical injury, perhaps as a result of decades' worth of research done by the Hellsing family. He has been torn to shreds by conventional weaponry and has survived all of it, even ones equipped with anti-vampiric ammunition. Holy weapons, while they do affect him more, are regenerated all the same.
	Illusion Manipulation: Arucard cast an illusion on Leif and Jessica, leading them to perceive an endless, harrowing tunnel inhabited by the undead. Spell Negation: Arucard freed Integra from the spell cast by Incognito—a spell strong enough to annihilate entire SAS forces within Bobhan Castle.
	Third Eye: Arucard has senses that are not only sharper than a mortal's, affording him abilities such as perfect accuracy, but he also has abilities that they completely lack; in particular, he possesses a "third eye" that allows him to see things from far, far distances. This is not an inherent ability and must be used consciously, as Arucard was unable to see through Incognito's hidden sorcery in the Tower of London.
	Dark Composition: Though he generally dons a corporeal, humanoid form, Arucard is made up of a highly variable otherworldly substance. This can be especially seen whenever he takes heavy damage, the darkness being immune to conventional weaponry.
	Intangibility: Arucard can walk through solid objects, such as walls.
Telepathy: Arucard is able to communicate telepathically with his fledgling, Seras Victoria. He has also mentioned the ability to read minds, particularly in his conversation with Integra. As such, he is able to send frightening vision to one's mind, as he did with Integra back when she was a child.
	Shapeshifting: Arucard possesses the ability to transform into bats or various other creatures. Mist Body: Arucard is capable of turning his body into some sort of pitch black mist.
	Reflection Appearance: Arucard has demonstrated the ability to be visible solely in reflections, such as those found in a puddle of water or a mirror.
	Electronic Disruption: In his presence, electronic devices can often be observed malfunctioning.
	Teleportation: Arucard is capable of short and long distances of teleportation, being able to vanish and reappear at a different location. Remote Teleportation: Upon releasing Integra from Incognito's long-ranged spell, Arucard teleported her away from London to the Strait of Dover.
	Telekinesis: Arucard showed this ability when he lifted a FREAK Chip and was able to load the Jackal and pull its slide mentally. The exact weight of these things is unknown, but Arucard is never seen using telekinesis to move anything heavier than a human being.
	Invisibility: For a brief moment during his battle with Incognito in the Tower of London, Arucard appears to vanish, only to re-emerge moments later, aiming the Jackal directly at Incognito's face.
	Gravity Defiance: He has been shown to stand (upside down) and hang on a flat ceiling and later engaged Incognito in the skies of London; this would indicate some ability to defy gravity.
Servant Demons
Arucard can summon forth a servant demon at his discretion. Though the control he has over his servant demon is constrained by the Control Art Restriction System, as evidenced by the varying flexibility in his utilization of Black Dog in Level One versus Level Two.
	Black Dog: One of Arucard's servant demons is the Black Dog, a demonic hellhound originating from English folklore. The form and shape in which the Black Dog appeared varied, as it manifested sometimes as huge or tiny, bulky or thin. Nonetheless, the Black Dog possessed powerful destructive capabilities, as it was able to clash with Sett into a rough stalemate.
	Sett: An Egyptian serpent deity revered as the god of deserts, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners, was assimilated by Arucard following his final clash with Incognito (who had previously assimilated Sett himself). Sett possesses highly destructive prowess, leveling entire districts and creating massive craters as a result of explosions. Arucard harnessed Sett's scorching temperature to liquefy a silver cross onto his destroyed Jackal, creating a spear that he used to impale Incognito.
Immortality
Alucard is biologically immortal: immune to disease and aging. Alucard has suffered various forms of injury to the utmost extremes, only to regenerate himself, suggesting a form of structural immortality, posited to stem from Hellsing's extensive research on the vampire, who is noted to possess an immortality that surpasses that of other vampires. However, Alucard was able to be killed (albeit temporarily) upon being struck by the Jackal's bullets (which were blessed).
Self-Resurrection: Having been allowed to unleash Level One, Alucard was able to resurrect himself from the dead by absorbing the blood of the fallen soldiers of the Hellsing Organisation, which stained the Tower of London.

Control Art Restriction System

Main article: Control Art Restriction System (anime)

Being too powerful to be left on his own, his power is restricted by the "Control Art Restriction System (拘束制御術式, Kōsoku Seigyo Jutsushiki)" which has to be accessed through the "Cromwell Approval (「クロムウェル」承認認識, Kuromūweru Shōnin Ninshiki)" mechanism. There are shown to be five Levels of restriction and corresponding states, with lower numbers meaning greater levels of power; as such, it is noticeable that Alucard's attire changes based on his state: as he goes down in Levels of power restrictions, first his hat, then his sunglasses will disappear. To sum it up, the release states are not just the markers of Alucard's growing powers; they also affect his appearance as well.

Control Art Restriction System... released to second Level. Situation A. Cromwell Approval is in effect. Releasing power restriction... until the target has been silenced.

Arucard can release his power restrictions up to Level Two by himself, but he needs his master's approval to release his final state—Level One, the lowest Level, allowing him full access to his most devastating powers, even if the release is noted to be "limited." During the chaos ensuing in London, Integra issues the command, "Situation A. Unlock limited release Control System to Level One. Activate the Cromwell initiative!" However, Arucard's power restrictions are not unleashed until he properly releases Level One through an incantation ("Releasing Control Art Restriction System to Level One"); this demonstrates what is called "the two-man rule," a protocol requiring the actions of two persons to advance, used in cryptography and nuclear weapons launches.

Weapons

454 Casull Custom Auto

The 454 Casull (454カスール, Yongoyon Kasūru) is a semi-automatic magnum pistol, based on two pre-WW1 handgun designs by Colt: the M1903 and M1905 pistols (the early versions of the M1911). The gun has a magazine capacity of seven 13mm explosive rounds, which were alloyed with melted silver from a Great Lanchester Church cross. The overall design of the 454 Casull is simple, using the Browning short recoil mechanism. Its most recognizable feature is its long slide, counteracting the weapon's heavy recoil with its weight. The barrel is 10" long and finished with titanium nitride which gives it a characteristic gold color. It is too heavy and unwieldy for a human to use, yet a perfect match for Arucard's strength. Caliber: 13mm Explosive Rounds (modified by Hellsing from the original 454 Casull rounds) Total length: 335mm Weight: 4kg Magazine: 7+1 Rounds Inscription: HELLSING ARMS WEAPON Hellsing 454 Casull INDUSTRIALS CO.LTD.

The Anti-FREAK Battle Gun, the 13mm Jackal

The Jackal (ジャッカル, Jakkaru) was a massive pistol made especially for Arucard. It had a length of 390mm, a weight of 16kg, and a black gunmetal construction, and it used massive 13mm armor-piercing rounds. The words "Jesus Christ is in Heaven now" were engraved upon it, in mockery of a similar statement on Alexander Andersong's gloves. Compared to the 454 Casull, the Jackal was distinctly lacking in terms of aesthetic features and was devoid of any contours on the side or frame, save for the grip; this suggested that Walter designed the weapon immediately after Arucard's encounter with Andersong and did not have time to improve its appearance. Caliber: 13mm Armor-Piercing Rounds Total length: 390mm Weight: 16kg Magazine: 6+1 Rounds Inscription: Jesus Christ is in Heaven now HELLSING ARMS WEAPON INDUSTRIAL CO.LTD.

Concept and Creation

Toshiharu Murata, the character designer for Hellsing, recalled that Arucard and Andersong were the easiest characters to design, as the original art of the work had matched his vision of what the character would look like.^[10] His design was based on Alucard's design in volume 2 of Hellsing; lifting one side of the mouth was done on purpose to closely resemble Kohta Hirano's art; in regards to Arucard's arms, Hirano revised his arms for the anime to make it longer; the vertical "cat"-like irises were intentional so that the anime could be more "expressive."^[6] As the inscription on Arucard's gloves was gibberish in the manga, Gonzo based the inscription on a replica of Arucard's gloves made by an anime goods maker.^[11] As for Arucard's height, the figures^[c] are not necessarily based on his actual height but rather to convey the intimidating presence of Arucard (and the other characters).^[6] Chiaki J. Konaka tried to write Arucard's dialogues using "normal phrases," avoiding "elaborative phrases" based on Jouji Nakata's performance as Arucard, which, for Konaka, exudes a "mysterious presence."^[12]

Casting

Jouji Nakata was offered the role of Arucard without any auditions.^[13] Nakata had doubts but soon accepted the role after talking to the staff and read the manga in his own voice as Arucard. He was also conscious about not letting the "coolness" of Hellsing be lost in translation, though the definition of "coolness" left him dazed as it was "too vague," so he decided to create his own "style of coolness."^[1] During the voice recording of the first episode, Nakata was initially very anxious but soon got comfortable during the process of the second and third episodes as he felt that the studio was "filled with the atmosphere" created by the "unique voice acting style" and "pace" of veteran actors, ending up very relaxed and in a good state of mind.^[1] In retrospect, Nakata stated that Hellsing was one of the memorable series of his career and an experience that he would never forget.^[1] He also remarked that Arucard was the easiest and most enjoyable character he had portrayed in his career, as the character "stand out a little bit more distinctively."^[14] Nakata recalls being praised for providing Arucard's emotions rarely explored and that his fans were from multiple demographics.^[15]

In casting Crispin Freeman as Arucard, Taliesin Jaffe explained that Freeman was cast "for a lot of reasons" and added that Freeman was excited about the part; he notes that "Arucard is going to be a different person fighting Andersong than he is fighting Luke. Each villain had the characteristic we were looking for to make the villain stand out whether it be Maxwell's smarminess, Andersong's fervor, or Incognito's sheer power."^[16] Freeman reflects that Arucard was the first big role that he got^[17] after he returned to Los Angeles from New York,^[18] and says, "Arucard is just the most sexually predacious of any anime character I think I've played," adding that Arucard was vocally challenging.^[19] Though he initially tried to voice Arucard with a Transylvanian accent, Taliesin was almost convinced but reaffirmed that he does not think that it will work, and Freeman later tried Arucard with a British accent which ended up not "sounding right."^[18] He expresses how intimidating it was to voice Arucard at first because he had to live up to Jouji Nakata's portrayal, which he comments made it more difficult.^[18]

Citations

Notes

References

Character Navigation
Hellsing Organisation Director(s) Abraham Van Helsing Sir Hellsing Sir Integral Wingates Hellsing Trump Cards Arucard Seras Victoria Staff Walter C. Ddolnnezz Hellsing Intelligence Operative Peter Fargason Gareth Henderson Mason Fox Chris Pickman Hellsing Agency Special Military Forces Atheists and Heathens Round Table Council Sir Islands Sir Penwood MI5 Chief
Iscariot Organization Director(s) Enrico Maxwell Trump Cards Alexander Andersong Staff Father Ronaldo
Incognito's Group Leaders The Master of Incognito Incognito Underlings Sett Paul Wilson Luke Valentine Jan Valentine Laura SAS
Miscellaneous Characters Helena Pastor Leif and Jessica Sir Peter Winfield Female Model Enrico Stivaletti Kim Chapman Brian Steadler Unnamed Woman The Queen's Messenger Lieutenant Harry Anders Jonathan Parker