Hellsing Manga

The story begins as a form of mystery genre. The main characters scramble for answers to mysterious clues which portend a dark apocalypse. The plot switches to an unusual war story which focuses on the doughty soldiers who suffer and toil in battlefield trenches and the unbalanced leaders who revel in the bloodshed. The story also presents several interesting and diverse philosophical themes and phrases riddled with possible alternate meanings. One of the most noted examples is the question, "Are you a dog, a man or a monster?" Alucard often raises this question as well as the concept of being 'Human'.

Hellsing draws on inspiration from dozens of different anime/manga/movies/novels/etc. Some are coincidental, while others are actually cited as sources of inspiration. One thing no one has agreed upon is the exact details of the "Vampire Lore" of the Hellsing universe which is a mixture of many different fictional portrayals including Stoker and Ricean vampires. This is made no easier by the introduction of artificial vampires.

The ongoing prequel to the manga, entitled Hellsing: The Dawn, is set in September of 1944, in the midst of World War II. The story features Walter (then only 14 years old) and Alucard fighting Millennium in Warsaw, Poland. Because of its popularity, the importance of the story in relation to Hellsing, and the fact that some scenes from The Dawn were present in the OVA trailer, it is possible that The Dawn will be animated as part of the new OVA series. This is supported also by the appearance of Alucard, as he appears in The Dawn, at the end of the credits in the first episode. However, there has been no mention of The Dawn making an appearance in the OVA by either the creators or Hirano, so it remains to be seen. It should be noted that the credits for OVA III depicted Alucard fighting Nazis, young Walter sneaking about and "Her". These scenes give greater probability of the Dawn being part of the OVA series, at least as flashbacks