Hellsing

Add to My List

Add to Favorites

Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Hellsing Cross Fire, Crossfire

Japanese: ヘルシング

More titles

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 10

Chapters: 92

Status: Finished

Published: Apr 30, 1997 to Sep 30, 2008

Genres: Action, Horror, Supernatural

Themes: Adult Cast, Gore, Historical, Vampire

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Young King OURs

Authors: Hirano, Kouta (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.29¹ (scored by 44,118 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #312²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #145

Members: 97,190

Favorites: 5,788

Resources

Wikipedia

8.29

Ranked #312Popularity #145Members 97,190

MangaYoung King OURsHirano, Kouta (Story & Art)

Add to My List

Volumes: /10

Chapters: /92

Edit
Synopsis

For centuries, many secret organizations have taken part in exterminating various types of dangerous monsters. One of them is the England-based Hellsing, run by its cunning leader, Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. Her greatest hunter, and trump card, is Alucard, an unbeatable vampire genetically modified by her father. Despite him being one of "them," he swore to be her protector and servant.

A new crisis begins and with the help of Seras Victoria, his recently turned vampire partner, Alucard has to uncover the truth behind the mysterious vampire attacks. Not every human is bound to be his ally in this battle, and he will not hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his way.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit
Background

Hellsing was published in English by Dark Horse Comics from December 1, 2003, to May 19, 2010. It was also released in Spanish by Norma Editorial from November 1, 2003, to February 22, 2010; in Polish by Japonica Polonica Fantastica from April 2004 to April 2010; in Brazilian Portuguese by Editora JBC in 20 volumes from July 2008 to February 2010; and in Turkish by Gerekli Şeyler from 2012 to 2014.

Edit

Related Entries

More characters
Characters

Alucard

Main

Victoria, Seras

Main

Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, Integra

Main

Anderson, Alexander

Main

Bernadotte, Pip

Supporting

Dornez, Walter C.

Supporting

Major

Supporting

Schrödinger

Supporting

Rip Van Winkle

Supporting

Taii

Supporting

Reviews

Jul 24, 2024

JJMFREAP

Recommended

Hellsing is an experience like no other. A rare example of peak edgekino that has seldom been met or surpassed, hailing from an era that is sadly long gone. It is a unique experience that definitely warrants your attention even today. So if you want a short answer on whether or not to read this manga, the answer is a definitive yes. Now let me gush about how cool it is for a bit.

Hellsing holds a special place in my heart, because the original anime was one of the earliest works that sparked my own interest into anime. In the era of the rise of ... the big battle shonen, I felt a bit disillusioned, for those bubbly and overly positive series didn't really appeal to me at the time. But then Hellsing swings by like a motherfucker, full of blood and gore, a dark gothic story filled to the brim with action, a protagonist that is morally grey at the best of times and a mass murderer in the worst, featuring vampires, Catholics and Nazis. Well, now you have my attention. So fast forward to today and given that it's been almost 20 years and I barely remember anything, I've decided to retrace my steps and go back to where it all began, going back to the manga first, which I had never read before. Not gonna lie, I was a bit worried if my taste as a young teenager would stand the test of time and whether Hellsing would meet my expectations. But not only is it just as fun as the day I first saw it, but it's such a fitting full circle moment to come back to it after all this time.

Hellsing is a story that is very upfront with one thing - how extremely edgy it is. Seriously, this is one of the most unapologetically edgy stories you can find. Tons of blood and gore, over-the-top violence, very dark and brooding characters that make all kinds of wild declarations of absolutes, etc. etc. Every single character is an edgelord to some extent. It also captures the peak of late 90s and early 2000s aesthetics, featuring all the staples that were considered cool at the time - long trenchcoats, stylish hats, massive guns, big swords, big boobs, etc. And I don't care what any one says, but these things are still cool as hell to this day! It also draws from some classic aesthetics that carry an undeniable sense of badass style - gothic vampires, Christian imagery and Nazis (don't gimme that look, put the politics aside and you cannot deny that the clothing, weapons and brutalist architecture aren't cool as hell). This to me all builds towards making Hellsing a true edgy masterpiece. Despite it all, I believe that it strikes a perfect balance. It's dark and serious enough to be engaging and thrilling, but it's still self aware enough and contains a healthy enough dose of humour to not become cringe and obnoxious. It balances on the edge flawlessly. This manga has one clear goal in mind - fun. It's first and foremost a gory action manga designed to be a blast to read and it succeeds in that.

On a purely technical level, this manga is also superbly done. The artstyle is very distinctive and instantly recognizable. Kohta Hirano's characters are almost all really tall and lanky with lots of angular features, giving them a sense of grace and allowing him to pose them in all kinds of extravagant ways. Also, glasses and goggles. Boy, does he love his glasses and goggles, because 90% of characters have them and they greatly contribute to the aesthetics and visual presentation. One of Hirano's favourite techniques is blacking out the characters into pure silhouettes, often leaving only the eyes (or more often, their glinting glasses) and maybe the mouth visible. This serves many purposes to great effect - it can make characters more mysterious, it can make them look badass, afraid, triumphant, or even turn them into these incorporeal monsters that seem unstoppable. He also loves using black on black layering with white outlines that also gives a lot of the splash pages a very distinct dark look. Beyond all that, the art is more than detailed enough, there's loads of fine work to be seen, the faces are very very expressive, the backgrounds are amazing and the panel flow is excellent too. The black and white nature of manga also greatly enhances the dark gothic atmosphere he's clearly going for here.

This is a very action focused manga, so the movement is crucial. Thankfully, Hirano-sensei excels here! The poses are super dramatic and exaggerated. Every single move has tremendous speed and power behind it. The way he splatters all the blood and gore everywhere is super messy and adds great energy to the scenes. Every explosion and gunshot has weight and piercing strength behind it. He's also not afraid to go off model, with a lot of the action setpieces allowing characters and objects to stretch and warp in all kinds of wacky ways, making the already long bodies and guns even longer. Combine this with long hair and capes that flow, extend and seemingly shapeshift in magical ways and you get some terrific art that is super dynamic, vibrant and epic without sacrificing clarity. Plus, dialogue is kept short and sweet, narration is minimal and there are extensive sequences of pure action, which all contribute to a very easy and well paced read that never overstays its welcome.

In conclusion, revisiting Hellsing has been a thoroughly fulfilling experience for me, like meeting a childhood friend. You're afraid that they (or you) have changed too much and you might not get along, but you end up hitting it off right away as if you'd been together all along. To anyone considering reading this manga, let me put it to you this way. To me, a key aspect to the enjoyment of any medium is to recognize what this work is trying to do and whether or not it succeeds at that. While I was reading this, I also went through other seinen series with much more in-depth stories, much more sophisticated writing and more finely crafted art. If you're looking for some deep story to get lost in, this isn't it. While the art is amazing, if you're looking for some Berserk or Vagabond style realism, this isn't it. Hellsing is not some deeply emotional or retrospective tale or some gallery worthy pastiche. But guess what, it's not trying to be. To have such expectations would be like going to Burger King and expecting a professionally crafted three course meal or going to a bougie 5-star restaurant with the goal of eating quickly on the cheap. Different things set different objectives for themselves and your expectations should be realistic towards them.

I said it at the beginning, Hellsing has a simple goal - to be a fun edgy story filled with action that is a blast to read through. And at that, it knocks it out of the park! If some over-the-top violence and slightly goofy lore is what you're looking for, Hellsing is a Godsend. It's super cool, super awesome, but also very competently written, keeping its story tight and well paced. Between the setpieces, there are even some surprisingly well crafted and poignant character moments that are genuinely touching. So it's false to claim that it has no narrative meat on its bones. Like I said, there are very little stories that managed to be so edgy and so well made at the same time, so in that regard Hellsing really stands in a league of its own.

All the things you thought were cool as a 12 year old ARE cool. To be mature is to realize that Shadow the Hedgehog is awesome and that Hellsing is pure kino. So let loose a bit and enjoy yourself! It is so so worth it! They really don't make 'em like they used to

Open

Gift

Dec 18, 2016

butthurtbrigade

Mixed Feelings

Funny

It's a pretty meh manga all things considered. I don't consider Hellsing as a horror (if it was intended as one it failed in that department) and is more just a straight up action and it's.. okay I guess. Feels visceral enough but because the characters are vampires and ghouls they have an annoying ability to keep coming back to life no matter how much punishment they take.

There's not really much a storyline which is a shame because the whole Vampire Van Hellsing thing has a lot of potential but it doesn't really live up to much. If you just want a manga with ...

Open

Gift

Jul 7, 2023

foxhunt99

Not Recommended

Funny

After buying and reading Hellsing in the hardcover edition, I felt that this series is very average. I have two major issues with this manga. Hellsing is an action manga, there is really not a lot of plot, the majority of the manga are action sequences. A good action manga usually needs some kind of character development. However, this manga does not have a lot. The main character Alucard is the most powerful character from the very beginning of the manga, he never met any real challenges throughout the manga. Thus, there is a lack of excitement when he wins. The only character who ...

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Stuff that excel in Manga [4archive list]

by SubtleSymphonies

50 Entries · 10 Restacks

Manga for Fans of DC's Vertigo Imprint

by OwlEye2010

36 Entries · 6 Restacks

Autumn Vibes 🍂

by ixaa

45 Entries · 73 Restacks

More recommendations
Recommendations

View All

More news
Recent News

Western Live-Action Film of 'Hellsing' Manga in Development

A live-action film adaptation of Kouta Hirano's Hellsing manga is in development, according to entertainment website Deadline on Thursday. Derek Kolstad (John W...read more

Mar 4, 2021 9:53 PM by DatRandomDude | Discuss (43 comments)

Hellsing Manga To End

According to Young King Ours Magazine Oct issue, Hellsing manga will end in the next issue to be released on September 30th. The series started in 1998 and has been ...read more

Aug 28, 2008 5:08 AM by dtshyk | Discuss (46 comments)

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Hellsing Chapter 95 Discussion 8GaugeBrett - Sep 30, 2008	36 replies	by DarkVoyagerx »» Jun 8, 7:35 AM
Poll: Hellsing Chapter 90 Discussion krejola - Aug 1, 2022	2 replies	by DarkVoyagerx »» Jun 8, 7:07 AM
Poll: Hellsing Chapter 87 Discussion Lyuboslav2000 - Jun 26, 2020	3 replies	by DarkVoyagerx »» Jun 8, 6:53 AM
Poll: Hellsing Chapter 82 Discussion loghneckbeard - Jan 13, 2016	4 replies	by DarkVoyagerx »» Jun 7, 2:52 PM
Poll: Hellsing Chapter 77 Discussion Lyuboslav2000 - Jun 26, 2020	4 replies	by DarkVoyagerx »» Jun 7, 9:13 AM

Hellsing
Edit

What would you like to edit?

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Resources

Edit
Synopsis

Edit
Background

Related Entries

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

More characters
Characters

Reviews

Interest Stacks

More recommendations
Recommendations

More news
Recent News

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

More featured articles
Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Hellsing Edit What would you like to edit? SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Resources

EditSynopsis

EditBackground

Related Entries

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

More charactersCharacters

Reviews

Interest Stacks

More recommendations Recommendations

More newsRecent News

More discussionsRecent Forum Discussion

More featured articlesRecent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Hellsing
Edit

What would you like to edit?

Edit
Synopsis

Edit
Background

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

More characters
Characters

More recommendations
Recommendations

More news
Recent News

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

More featured articles
Recent Featured Articles