SS Sturmbannführer Montina Max (モンティナ・マックス,, Montina Makkusu),^{[10][11][12][13]} known more by his title as The Major (少佐,, Shōsa), is the main antagonist of the Hellsing series created by Kohta Hirano. He is voiced by Nobuo Tobita in Japanese and Gildart Jackson in the English dub.

A former lieutenant of the SS, Adolf Hitler, issued a special order (#666) placing him in charge of a top-secret project, the main focus of which was the perfection of an artificial vampirization process. He is an "incorrigible warmonger," who takes great pleasure in fighting, regardless of the objective or the outcome of the conflict. He is the acting führer of the Millennium Project with the goal of defeating the vampire lord Alucard.

Appearance

The Major was a short, obese man with metallic gray hair and pink pupils.^[a] His hair was oddly styled, with a longer section coming up and then down again in the front left side of his head, like a folded piece of paper. He was seen with a wide grin throughout most of the series, although there were a couple of scenes where he was seen frowning. He was described as awfully short for a soldier, standing in at around 160cm and was said to have looked in his mid-twenties.^[14] He was dressed impeccably in all-white attire, wearing an expensive shirt with a white tie and black gem under a matching double-breasted suit and overcoat, trousers and shoes, and a pair of gloves and gray circle-framed glasses.^[b]

Personality

The Major's defining trait in the series was a complete and utter obsession with war. By his own admission, he loved war in any and all of its aspects; even being on the losing side or having his own life at risk provoked nothing but glee and excitement. His insane devotion to war was evident in the sheer fondness with which he regarded the havoc the Last Battalion wreaked upon the world, as well as his cavalier approach to death, which was passed on to most of his forces through his speeches.^[15] Despite being a former Nazi, The Major did not care for the reasons behind any war and appeared to have no political or ideological leanings.^[16] Even during World War II, his enthusiastic work on the Millennium Project was solely to ensure that he could wage war forever.^[17]

The Major was an almost textbook example of a sociopath. While he had a certain charm and charisma that allowed him to inspire his followers and manipulate his enemies, he cared for no one beyond their usefulness to him and lacked empathy and compassion on almost every level. Only his goals mattered to him, and while he claimed that he and his people all share a common cause, in truth, he only saw them as a means to an end. He had no reservations about the horrors caused by his actions and even delighted in the carnage and destruction he caused.^[18] This ties into his inherent nihilism and desire to end his existence with the grand swan song he believed he deserved.^[19][20]

Contrasting his fanatical love of war, The Major was very calm, patient, and soft-spoken, almost always speaking in a polite, amused tone. One could see he seemed to prefer an upper-class lifestyle, often seen eating high-class steaks and red wine, as well as wearing expensive clothes; he was an elegant and stylish man who loved music and junk food.^[21][22] Additionally, he seemed to be well-versed in history and literature, often referencing both during speech and was noted to enjoy opera.^[23] He was very eloquent and well-spoken and often engaged in numerous soliloquy-esque monologues.^[24] He was a military genius, having planned his attack on London for over half a century and witnessing almost every detail go according to plan.^[25]

Though not caring whether his soldiers lived or died, he acted as if he cared for them as a group, giving them morale speeches and making note of acts worthy of reward; however, this did not extend to traitors, whom he happily had executed.^[26][27] He also had no qualms about dealing out punishment for other forms of insubordination, which in his "I Loved War" speech was one of the things he declared enjoying.^[28] However, The Major freely admitted his own evil while mocking the righteousness of his enemies; when he crashed the Queen of England's meeting, he mocked both Integra and Maxwell's beliefs while claiming that the Last Battalion had no goals.^[29][30] The Major, not being known as a "good shot" even by himself, was taken easily in battle in his past; however, what attracted many soldiers was the "idea" he harbored, from which he inherited from the führer.^[31][32]

Despite having been a self-proclaimed fiend and madman, The Major was very proud and protective of what he perceived to be his humanity, which he defined as his willpower and "soul." During the fall of Berlin, he rejected the temptation to drink blood and ensure his survival by becoming a vampire, even though he seemed to have been on the verge of death, and even though vampirism would have meant he would be able to taste life eternal and wage war throughout the centuries.^[33] He allowed The Professor to keep him alive by keeping his brain intact but his body maintained as a machine. This way he could maintain his "soul" and sense of self, whereas Alucard lost his sense of self with all the souls living inside him due to vampirism. It was this pride that led to The Major's campaign against Alucard, whom he viewed as a monster and an inherently inferior being for sacrificing his humanity for power—a sentiment ironically shared by Alucard himself.^[34]

Relationships

Allies

• The Professor: One of the few important people that was crucial in The Major's grand plan. They had mutual respect for each other, and The Major even went so far as to comfort The Professor and called him a "genius," after The Professor fretted over the failure of Tubalcain Alhambra.^[35] The Professor was among those who had worked with The Major since the very start. During the fall of Berlin, The Captain and The Professor saved The Major from apparent death after suffering from a beating by Soviet soldiers.^[36] In the end, the protective glass wall that The Professor made for The Major's safety was ironically criticized by The Major for being too "sturdy."^[37] Though he had a great relationship with The Major, The Professor worked with the Last Battalion, only to seek to test his capabilities in order to advance science, believing that someday his experiments would surpass even the likes of Alucard.^[38]

• The Captain: The Major put his trust in The Captain's nature as a werewolf to efficiently complete missions. The Major stated that his origins as a "natural werewolf" were why he should have been the one called upon in dangerous battles and no one else.^[39] It was unknown how or why The Captain was so loyal to The Major.

• Schrödinger: Schrödinger was someone so crucial for The Major's plans in defeating Alucard. The Major was among those that understood the true nature of Schrödinger.^[40] He had a soft spot for the boy, often times playing along with his jokes about The Major being too fat.^[41] As a result, Schrödinger was the only Last Battalion member who spoke with The Major in a familiar tone. Even when Professor intervened to scold Schrödinger, The Major often times put a stop to it.^[42]

• Rip Van Winkle: Rip Van Winkle is one of the Major's most loyal and effective officers. She was tasked with the hijacking of the Eagle to pave the way for the invasion of London. The Major viewed Rip Van Winkle as a loyal, long-time soldier whom he both favored and deeply manipulated. While he appreciated her magical sniping abilities, praising her on her abilities, he ultimately used her as a human sacrifice, watching her death with the other soldiers. He intentionally sent her on a suicide mission against Alucard just to draw the powerful vampire away and leave London vulnerable. He knew she was absolutely terrified of Alucard. Instead of protecting her, the Major fed on that fear, openly comparing her to the doomed, tragic opera character "Kasper" from the opera Der Freischütz. To manipulate her and boost the morale of his own army, he pushed her into this trap, encouraging her to face her death and promising they would meet again in Valhalla with the other soldiers saluting her off as they watched her die.

Enemies

• Alucard: The existence of vampirism infatuated The Major, though he hated the thought of it with all his heart, in which he considered them inferior creatures, which is why he sought to defeat Alucard;^[43][44][45] however, he stated that "[The Major] never thought of him [Alucard] as a person. Rather, I don't even think of him as a vampire. He's a castle, a dominion in motion. Serfs as a River of Death, led by the will of a tyrant."^[46] The Major remarked, "What to do to defeat him? What to do to slay him? Night and day, that is all [The Major] think about"; Alucard's existence infatuated The Major, admitting to envy Alucard and that he hated him because he's "radiant, beautiful."^[47] However, all these elements had led to The Major's reasoning as to why he thought Alucard was worthy of being his enemy for his war.^[48]
  
  He was obsessed with the defeat of Alucard;^[49] just that single feeling of victory, no matter what or how, drove The Major to do everything just to defeat Alucard, even if it took over 50 years of meticulous planning.^[50] Yet he also stated that he does not approve of the vampire Alucard no matter what, hating him wholeheartedly.^[51] The Major prided himself as someone who would never turn into a vampire, even if he thought that it would be delightful.^[52] While Alucard has everything, he had nothing at his disposal other than a thousand war veterans and the will of a human.^[53][54][55] Alucard thought that both, himself and The Major, as "incorrigible warmongers."^[56]

• Sir Integra Hellsing: Initially, he underestimated Integra and insulted her by referring to her as "fräulein" and an "amateur," until she gathered the courage to order Alucard into eliminating the man who she considered to be her father figure. The Major then apologized if he had ever called her an "amateur" and accepted her to be his arch enemy, which he considered "precious" and "fantastic," which therefore must be defeated.^[57] However, before this, he noted to Zorin Blitz that she shouldn't underestimate Integra (and Seras Victoria).^[58] In their last encounter, The Major responded back to Sir Integra's proclamation that he (The Major) is a monster, stating that what makes a human is their soul, mind, and will, qualities that The Major claims he has.^[59] The first and last thing that The Major had successfully shot was grazing Integra's eye.^[60] After which, Sir Integra states that humans make "defeating" something their goal, not for the enjoyment of combat, but a duty they must perform, implying that Alucard was merely an excuse for The Major's personal war.^[61]

• Enrico Maxwell: The Major didn't care about Maxwell whatsoever, which Maxwell took advantage of by planning to make a surprise attack, waging war on both sides, seeking to destroy both Hellsing and Millennium.^[62] When Maxwell eventually launched his crusade, that incident changed his perspective on the boy, and he stated, "That boy. He is not that bad when he puts his mind to it."^[63]

Powers and Abilities

Cyborg
Though he claimed to be human, he was a cyborg—half man half machine.[64] The degree of his cyborg-nature is uncertain; The Major was seen consuming beverages and food, he also bled when injured, so it can be assumed that a good part of his body was still biological.[65][66][67] The circumstance that The Major still displayed a poor marksmanship, not enhanced by his artificial parts, suggests that his mechanical components were limited to life support.
Abilities
Intelligence and Master Strategist: The Major was an effective planner and strategist, developing complex plans to achieve his goals for over half a century.[68] He accounted for the personalities and usual mannerisms of allies and enemies alike and never took anything for granted. Notably, he considered Integra and Seras to be high-priority threats while knowing little about their true capabilities.[69]
Gifted Orator: The Major's was prized with the ability to inspire his troops with enthusiastic speeches—an ability he inherited from Adolf Hitler.[70] He could take almost any situation and spin it into a speech that would strengthen the Last Battalion's morale for their next operation.[71] Probably the best example of The Major's oration abilities is his famous "I Love War" speech, where the Last Battalion was preparing their assault on London. I Love War: Reveals personality, and demonstrates his ability to lead men into battle. Views on Alucard: Revealed some of his backstory and his views on Alucard and vampirism, particularly its costs. Death Speech: His final moments, he revealed that he valued his humanity over power and explained that what makes someone a human is their will.
OVA Manga	Superhuman Durability: As a cyborg, The Major's physical body is incredibly durable. He was able to survive a shot sent by an 88mm Flak head that destroyed half of his body.[72] Even then, he still survived the explosion, and until Integra shot his brain, that was when The Major was finally killed.[73]
OVA Manga	Indomitable Will: During a flashback sequence, it is revealed that through sheer force of will, The Major was able to repel blood that would have turned him into a vampire, and caused it to form a circle around him.[74] After half of his body was blown up and revealed to be part machine, he claimed it is his will that drove him and claimed that what makes a human being is their soul, mind, and heart—qualities which vampires don't have.[75] Perhaps, his will was his "greatest asset."[76]
Biological Immortality
As a cyborg, he was forever young. As long as the machinery powering his life functioned is kept in good working order, he would continue to live.

Weaknesses

• Limited Marksmanship: The Major had some training with small firearms, apparently favored pistols. Unfortunately, his aim was abysmal.^[77] This was shown when he tried to execute the captain of the Deus Ex Machina for insubordination and ended up missing all 8 shots from his pistol at point-blank range, causing The Professor to mock his poor marksmanship and question how he had managed to get into the SS.^[78] This was shown again during his final duel with Integra Hellsing, where out of his 8 shots, he only grazed the eye of Integra, despite her being at close range and actually approaching him, which he stated to himself was the first time he had ever hit someone with a gun.^[79]

Weapons

Luger P08

OVA Manga

The Luger P08 is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken Imperial Arsenals. The P08 had a 100mm barrel and was chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum. The P08 is nearly identical to the finalized Model 1906 commercial pattern of the time, differing in the deletion of the grip safety and addition of a shoulder stock lug. The Major used this pistol in a failed attempt to execute an officer he considered disobedient, in which he failed to hit every shot he fired. Caliber: 9×19mm Parabellum Total length: 100mm Weight: 871g Magazine: 8 Rounds

Walther P38

OVA Manga

The Walther P38 is a 9mm semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Carl Walther Waffenfabrik. The P38 was the first locked-breech pistol to use a double-action/single-action rigger (the earlier double-action PPK was an unlocked blowback design, but the more powerful 9×19mm Parabellum round used in the P38 needed a locked-breech design). It was the pistol The Major used to duel Sir Integra, which eventually led him to successfully hit the first shot he had ever fired. Caliber: 9×19mm Parabellum Total length: 216mm Weight: 960g Magazine: 8 Rounds

Concept and Creation

The character of The Major's design, including possibly his real name, is based on Coyote's^[c] Montana Max.^[80] The transformation of his character design is noticeable; in Coyote, The Major was skinny; in his first appearance in Hellsing, his cheeks were chubby yet he still wasn't fat; however, after volume 3, his design was finalized and he became plump. This is most likely because Hirano had not yet decided on a final look for the character. However, Hirano confirmed The Major's motif is based on American actor Philip Seymour Hoffman on his Twitter.^[81]

Hirano remarked, "Even though Hellsing, Millennium, and the Vatican are equally filled with insane people, constantly head-butting each other, I think The Major does take the first place for craziness. He was fully aware of his own insanity and wildly in support of his own madness." He stated that The Major didn't even envision himself to be the leader of Millennium and treated allies and enemies alike as "chess pieces," which is "why he was big on the things that he liked and easily disposed of those he no longer required."^[82] In creating the "I Love War" speech, Hirano told his editor that he'll be able to finish the chapter quickly as it'll mostly be filled with speeches, to which he was laughed at by his editor.^[83] Hirano said that it took a lot of guts to show the manuscript to his editor; he checked on the script a lot of times and frequently asked his editor if he's sure that it's okay after the editor didn't say anything about it after reading the manuscript, to which the editor responded, "Okay, okay, but..."^[84] Ever since it was published, the speech has garnered infamy and became a meme on the internet.

Hirano stated that "The main focal point of the story was that Alucard can only be defeated by a human," which is why The Major defeated him because, from Alucard's point of view, he's human; however, The Major can't fully be considered 100% human, which is why Alucard's defeat was only temporary and Alucard returned.^[85] His last line in the series, "It was a great war," was written with the intention that he fought with everything he had. Hirano stated that had Zorin not gone berserk, the headquarters would be taken out; however, Iscariot and Hellsing working together was beyond his calculations, in which it was a fight he should've been able to win. But The Major liked both winning and losing, so he probably thought, "In war, unexpected things can happen." Hirano further continues by saying that The Major's intentions are just to have a really grand and big war, and even if he had won, there'd probably be another war.^[86]

After completing the series, Hirano expressed how happy he was with The Major's character and how he had portrayed him, even considering him to be one of the series' main characters.^[87]

Name

His title has been consistently translated throughout the media Hellsing has been published in. His name, although never spoken even once in the entirety of the manga, was referenced through various points within illustrations and panels. In chapter 20, the scribbles of texts among the black cover and text bubbles have "Montiana Max" written on them not once but twice. Although this could be a nod to The Major's prototype character, the back cover illustration for volume 5 features a handbook belonging to The Major, which features The Major's real name; while not clear, what appears to be "Montina Max" is written on the handbook as presumably his real name. In the booklet of OVA V, it's mentioned that it isn't certain if "Montina Max" (モンティナ・マックス) is his real name or not.^[88]

Trivia

• Before 1941, The Major was a lieutenant. It is unclear how he was promoted to his current rank, but it is possible the promotion came due to The Major's successful involvement in the vampire project. If so, it's possible that he would have been promoted again when the research bore fruit, had Nazi Germany not been defeated.
• There are a few minor but noticeable inconsistencies in The Major's appearance towards the end of volume 10. In one panel, he has clearly lost half of his left leg, but in his very last appearance, it appears to be entirely intact. Also, the remains of his glasses were shown falling to the floor after Integra shot him, but they are back on his face immediately afterwards.
• According to Hirano, The Major was an Otaku.
  • The Major, at one point, sang "Tough Boy," which is one of the openings from Fist of the North Star.^[89]
• In the OVA, The Major is the only character to make an appearance in all ten episodes.
• Before the reveal of The Major's true nature, some fans—and ADR Director Taliesin Jaffe—theorized that he was actually the incarnation/mortal disguise of a war god. They pointed to The Major's love of war, his apparent lack of a real name, his mysterious past, and his apparent immortality as clues, and the idea was briefly referenced in volume 4, when Maxwell tells Anderson that the enemy of the Ninth Crusade was Mars, the Roman god of war.

Footnotes

Notes

References

Character Navigation
Hellsing Agency Director(s) Abraham Van Helsing Arthur Hellsing Integra Hellsing Trump Cards Alucard Seras Victoria Staff Walter C. Dornez Dextely Alphensys Hellsing Agency Special Military Forces Pip Vernedead Wild Geese Deputy Wild Geese Round Table Council Hugh Irons Shelby M. Penwood Rob Walsh Irons IV Penwood III
Iscariot Agency Director(s) Enrico Maxwell Makube Trump Cards Alexander Anderson Staff Father Ronald Young Priest Armed Priest Vanguard Heinkel Wulf Yumiko Takagi Ninth Crusade
Millennium Project Director(s) Adolf Hitler The Major Scientist(s) The Professor The Occult Researchers The Werwolves The Captain Walter C. Dornez Schrödinger Zorin Blitz Rip Van Winkle Associates Tubalcain Alhambra Luke Valentine Jan Valentine Rheinhold Fortner Colonel
Miscellaneous Characters London Police Commander Vicar Richard Hellsing Chief Malfas Huger and Jessica Mark and Nepis The Pope Julia Edward Traitorous Bishop Ferdo Paciel The Queen Mrs. Victoria Mr. Victoria Dracula Mina Harker Arthur Holmwood Jack Seward Quincey Morris Jonathan Harker Crossfire Maxwell Anderson Aphram Unnamed Priest Ilyushin Mr. Ridgeway Abraham Van Rogh Tomily Fedeo Prototype Alucard Yuri Kate Hellman Hellman's Brother