Captain Pip Vernedead (Japanese: ピップ・ベルナドット隊長, Hepburn: Pippu Berunadotto Taichō^?; IPA: [pipːɯᵝ beɾɯᵝnadotːo]) was the Wild Geese's leader and Seras Victoria's conscious familiar.

Born into a family of mercenaries spanning eight generations, Vernedead was a dog of war who would never betray as long as he and his crew were paid for their services. To that end, he was an extremely charismatic leader who shared a close bond with his crew.

A shallow, perverted, and chain-smoking mercenary, he and his mercenary crew were hired by the Hellsing Agency after they lost their own troops in the Valentine Brothers raid. Beneath his sarcasm, Vernedead was a well-experienced soldier and fared well against the undead he faced, as well as being genuinely intrigued by Seras Victoria upon his enlistment.

Character Data

Appearance

Vernedead was a man of slightly above-average height and build. His ginger hair was thick and unkempt, styled in a long braid that often wrapped around his neck. He wore bandages across the bridge of his nose and over his damaged left eye, though a black eyepatch later replaces it. He wore a dark shirt under a brown military jacket with its sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, in addition to baggy military pants with a belt and a pair of thick boots. Perhaps his most notable accessories were his slouched brown cowboy hat with the Wild Geese badge and an orangish-red folded scarf.

Personality

Maudit! Merde!! Bugger! Merde! Bloody rubbish! For the...! Love of all that's...! Fils de pute! Argghh! But they did pay me and all!! Good enough!! Guess I've got a job to do!! (糞ッ クソ！！ 糞ッ クソッ 冗談じゃねえや モーッ あーーーッ もーーーッ 畜生め ええい 金もらっちゃったもんなァ！！ やっぱなあ！！ やるっきゃねえッよなァ！！) (Kuso!! Kuso!! Kuso!! Kusotsu. Jōdan janēya. Mō---. Ā---tsu. Mō---tsu. Chikushōme. Ēi. Kane moratchatta monnā!! Yappa nā!! Yarukkyanē yonā!!)

—Pip Vernedead (Order 17: Elevator Action (4))

Above all else, Vernedead was a mercenary who worked solely for money,^[17][18][19] enduring dangerous situations as long as he was paid,^[20] despite initially despising his mercenary heritage, which had led to bullying in his earlier years.^[18] He knew his worth and excelled in demonstrating it,^[21] willing to compromise his principles if it meant defeating his enemy.^[15] He exhibited womanizing tendencies and was straightforward regarding his behavior, being open and carefree.^[3][15] As such, he accepted that the Hellsing Headquarters would be his grave and encouraged his crew to do the same, having no fear of death.^[19] His cunningness allowed him to outwit his enemies,^[22] though his arrogance and ignorance overcame him at times.^[23] Consequently, he was not above falling into a panicked state in occurrences he did not expect.^[20][24][25]

Me, I hate London. I found it too old-fashioned. I didn't think it suited me one bit. But you know, at the cabaret we'd go to on weekends the beer was cool and right tasty. The bloke tending bar is this dumb prat who loves tasteless dirty jokes. Lots of the whores in the brothels are stingy and ugly. But still, everyone's kind enough. None of them deserve what's happening. (俺はロンドンなんて嫌いだ 古くせえ街だと思ったよ 俺にゃ全然合わねえ町だと思ったよ でもな 俺達が週末にくり出して行ってたキャバレーはビールが冷えててうまかったし バーテンの兄ちゃんもくっだらねえ下ネタが大好きなバカな奴でさ 売春宿の女郎たちは金に汚くてブスも多かったけど でもな みんな優しかったし みんなかわいそうな目の奴ばっかりでよ) (Ore wa Rondon nante kiraida. Furukusē machi da to omotta yo. Ore nya zenzen awanē machi da to omotta yo. Demo na. Oretachi ga shūmatsu ni kuridashite itteta kyabarē wa bīru ga hietete umakattashi. Bāten no nīchan mo kuddaranē shimoneta ga daisukina bakana yatsu de sa. Baishunyado no jorō-tachi wa kane ni kitanakute busu mo ookatta kedo. Demo na. Minna yasashikattashi. Minna kawaisōna me no yatsu bakkari de yo.)

—Pip Vernedead, to Seras Victoria (Order 44: Balloon Fight)

Contrastingly, he was jovial towards others, as well as having had an odd sense of chivalry in that he allowed members of his crew to retreat if the situation became deadly.^[19] Despite this, his irresistible persuasion to fight on would easily have swayed most of his crew, even if their new shared goals meant sacrificing their lives for the sake of it.^[19][26] Incredibly charismatic, he knew how to rally them forward to battle and shared close bonds with his crew.^[27] Additionally, he was mindful of the feelings of London civilians and was angered by their suffering due to an internal conflict between Hellsing and the Last Battalion, despite his dislike for the city.^[28][15] His love for Seras was also remarkably genuine and sincere, being earnest in dying for her sake.^[29]

Relationships

• Seras Victoria: Despite Seras Victoria's initial rejection of Vernedead's many advancements towards her, the two would unexpectedly become particularly close over the course of the unfolding war.^[30] He was amazed by her strength and was ardent in protecting her from harm even if it cost him his life under the belief that a man who fails to protect a woman like her is a disgrace.^[31] Hence, he often attempted to steal her first kiss even if he had to force it.^[32][33] His love for Seras drove him to attempt to save her from Zorin Blitz, an Artificial Vampire, even though this led to his death.^[34]
  
  The feelings he had were reciprocated by Seras when he finally managed to steal her first kiss, and he compromised his principles by asking her to drink his blood.^[35][15] To be one with her lover, Seras became a Real Vampire by drinking Vernedead's blood as he had wished.^[36][37][38] Subsequently, the two symbolically defeated Zorin, with her shared memory with him countering Zorin's memory-reading power.^{[37][39][40][41]} They also overcame Seras's greatest challenge, The Captain, where Vernedead's support proved vital when she summoned him as a familiar to conclude the battle.^{[42][43][44][45]} Thirty years later, their relationship remains intact, with him being referred to as her shadow.^[46]

Background

We've been a mercenary family for as far back as eight generations. Since your grandpa's grandpa's grandpa'as grandpa's grandpa. (ウチは８代前 からず〜っと 傭兵稼業 だ じいちゃんの じいちゃんの じいちゃんの じいちゃん からだ) (Uchi wa hachidaimae kara zū-tto yōhei kagyō da. Jī-chan no jī-chan no jī-chan no jī-chan kara da.)

—Vernedead's Grandfather, to Pip Vernedead (Order 45: Soldier of Fortune (1))

Pip Vernedead was born into a line of French mercenaries of Swedish ancestry spanning eight generations.^[47][12] However, his parents had died before he was born, leaving him in the care of his grandfather, who told him of his mercenary heritage once the bullying at school had become too much for him.^[18][15] Despite his initial disdain for his mercenary heritage, he would soon follow in his family's footsteps and establish the Wild Geese in his twenties.^[3]

On June 6, 1992, Vernedead and his crew would enter a fierce battle against hired troops at Jaungaide Airfield, Uganda.^[48] Reinforcements arrived to save Vernedead and his crew, but the battle caused the loss of his left eye.^[49][15] Afterwards, he and his crew would continue to engage in numerous battlefields, achieving infamy for the Wild Geese's name as a group of professional mercenaries.^[17][3] In 1999, the Wild Geese's notoriety would catch the attention of Walter C. Dornez, who would hire Vernedead and his crew to compensate for the massive loss of Hellsing Agency troops in the Valentine Brothers Incident.^[17]

Capabilities and Arms

Human
人間
Why do mercenaries do anything? For money. The goals of those we fought were such things as principles and assertions, overthrowing the establishment and maintaining the establishment. For aggression, for defense, for homeland. For family, for women, for narcotics, for food, for lots of things. But we don't understand all that. We know that such things are important. But you know... I reckon they work themselves out even without folks taking up arms. That is, when you pick up a gun... does it have to hold a meaning like that? I figure, ain't it enough to earn a bit of dirt-cheap pay? (傭兵が何のために？金だよ 俺達が 戦った連中の 目的は 主義や主張 体制の打倒や 体制の維持の ため 侵略のため 防衛のため 故郷のため 家族のため 女のため 麻薬のため食いもんのためいろいろな 侵略のため 防衛のため 故郷のため 家族のため 女のため 麻薬のため 食いもんの ためいろいろな 俺達は そういうの わかんねえ 大事な事だって いうのはわかる でもそういうの 別に銃を取らん でも何とかなるん じゃねえのと思う つうか 銃を取る事に そういう 意味なんか 必要なのか？二足三文の はした金で 充分じゃねえのか と思う) (Yōhei ga nan no tame ni? Kane da yo. Oretachi ga tatakatta renchū no mokuteki wa. Shugi ya shuchō. Taisei no datō ya taisei no iji no tame. Shinryaku no tame. Bōei no tame. Kokyō no tame. Kazoku no tame. Onna no tame. Mayaku no tame. Kuimon no tame. Iroirona. Shinryaku no tame. Bōei no tame. Kokyō no tame. Kazoku no tame. Onna no tame. Mayaku no tame. Kuimon no tame. Iroirona. Oretachi wa sō iu no wakannee. Daiji na koto datte iu no wa wakaru. Demo sō iu no betsu ni jū o toran demo nantoka narun janee no to omou. Tsūka jū o toru koto ni sō iu imi nanka hitsuyō na no ka? Nisokusamon no hashitagane de jūbun janee no ka to omou.) —Vernedead's Grandfather, to Pip Vernedead (Order 45: Soldier of Fortune (1)) Vernedead's personal duty was connected to his heritage as a mercenary willing to fight on the battlefield for the sake of money.[17][19] He had internalized the mercenary's philosophy that his grandfather taught him, choosing to stake his life on the battlefield even for dirt-cheap pay.[18] Thus, his mercenary lifestyle earned him a great deal of ground combat experience, which allowed him outwit even the most powerful of foes as a commander and tactician of the Wild Geese.[50][15][16] He played a key role in defeating Zorin Blitz's invasion of the Hellsing Headquarters and The Captain, the Last Battalion's trump card.[50][51]

Arms
武器
As a gun-toting mercenary, Vernedead is equipped with incredibly lethal weapons.

AK-74 AK-74

Manga OVA

The AK-74 is an assault rifle manufactured by Kalashnikov Concern. The AK-74 is a modern version of the AK-47, featuring many improvements over the AKM as a result of converting the rifle to 5.45×39mm, a high-velocity intermediate-caliber. The AK-74, loaded with blessed silver bullets, served as Vernedead's primary weapon against Zorin's forces. Caliber: Blessed silver bullets Total length: 37.13" (943mm) Weight: 6.61# (3kg) Magazine: 30 rounds

---

Colt Single Action Army コルト・シングル・アクション・アーミー (SAA)
Manga OVA	The Colt Single Action Army is a single-action revolver manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company. The SAA has been offered in over 30 different calibers and various barrel lengths. Passed down through generations of the Vernedead family line, the SAA was Vernedead's preferred sidearm. Caliber: Blessed silver bullets Total length: 10.98" (279mm) Weight: 2.20# (1kg) Magazine: 6-round cylinder

Concept and Creation

Character Conception 1
Kohta Hirano conceived Pip Vernedead because he saw no romantic potential between Alucard and Seras Victoria. Instead, he paired Vernedead with Seras while Alucard formed a complex relationship with Integra Hellsing.[56] He mentioned that Vernedead was intended to die earlier in the story but ultimately decided to have him be the character whose blood Seras would consume to evolve as a full-fledged vampire.[57] He thought of the two as a great couple and figured that they would live happily ever after as a "couple of fools," and Seras did not need to drink any more blood after Vernedead.[57][58]
Design Conception 2
Vernedead's motif was the character of Jack Celliers—played by David Bowie—in the 1983 war film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.[59] Although semblances of his design can be traced back to Vernedead's incarnation in Coyote, Hirano's earlier work.[11] By Hirano, Vernedead has been described as "French" and a "Swedish captain," respectively.[11][12] Jack Celliers Coyote Vernedead Hellsing Vernedead
Name Conception 3
The name "Pip Vernedead" originates from Hirano's personal Tabletop role-playing game character of the same name.[60] As such, the name appears frequently in many of his works, mostly reserved for mercenary-oriented characters. While Hirano's English spelling structure of the name has mostly remained the same, the katakana representation for characters named "Pip Verneded/Vernedead/Vernedeadd" varies. Name Variants Name Description Usage Official Usages en-US/日本語 Pip Vernedeadd Hirano's spelling of his name. Written on the cover of chapter 13. Written as his full name in the Hellsing Official Guidebook. en-US/日本語 Pip Bernadotte The spelling of his name for the OVA. Used in the ending for OVA X. Used in the supplementary booklet materials for the OVA. en-US Bernadette Initial English spelling used for Vernedead's surname in the Dark Horse localization. Used in Dark Horse's initial localization of volume 2. Pronunciation of the name for the English dub of the OVA.

Trivia

• The brand of cigarettes Vernedead smoked before he died is "Lucky Strike."^[61]
• Some pieces of production art made for the anime features Vernedead. The initial storyboard of Psalm of the Darkness also featured Vernedead before he was cut.
• In the OVA, it is implied that Vernedead was raised in the United States in his youth. The newspaper that his grandfather was reading in the OVA VII was readable. The newspaper he is reading is called "NEW YORK FINANCIAL NEWS," and another page has a headline about trade disputes and another saying an Alabama injunction led to a factory closing.

Footnotes

Notes

References

Characters
Hellsing Agency   Alucard      Integra      Seras    Abraham Van Helsing Arthur Hellsing Dextely Alphensys Hugh Irons Irons IV Penwood III Pip Vernedead Rob Walsh Shelby M. Penwood The Queen Wild Geese Deputy Wild Geese Round Table Council Hellsing Agency Special Military Forces
Iscariot Agency   Anderson      Maxwell      Heinkel      Yumiko    Ronald Makube The Pope Young Priest Armed Priest Vanguard Matthew (Vatican Section III) The Vatican
Millennium Project   Captain      Major      Professor      Walter    Adolf Hitler Colonel Jan Valentine Luke Valentine Rheinhold Fortner Rip Van Winkle Schrödinger Tubalcain Alhambra Zorin Blitz The Occult Researchers The Werwolves
Miscellaneous London Police Commander Vicar Richard Hellsing Malfas Huger Jessica Mark and Nepis Julia Edward Traitorous Bishop Ferdo Paciel Mrs. Victoria Mr. Victoria Dracula Arthur Holmwood Jack Seward Jonathan Harker Quincey Morris Mina Harker Crossfire Abraham Van Rogh Aphram Ilyushin Ridgeway Tomily Fedeo Unnamed Priest