DIFFERENCES FROM THE ORIGINAL MANGA

• Global Changes
• Episode 1 - The Undead
• Episode 2 - Club M
• Episode 3 - Sword Dancer
• Episode 4 - Innocent as a Human
• Episode 5 - Brotherhood
• Episode 6 - Dead Zone
• Episode 7 - Duel
• Episode 8 - Kill House
• Episode 9 - Red Rose Vertigo
• Episode 10 - Master of Monster
• Episodes 11 - 13

GLOBAL CHANGES

When adapting the Hellsing manga series over for an anime release, several thematic and aesthetic changes were made that are prevalent throughout the entire TV series. This page focuses on those changes catagorically.

• Genre Change:  The series central theme and mood was changed completely.  While the original manga was more centered as an action-horror-comedy theme with a hint of Drama, the TV series made the more dramatic elements take center stage, with the Action and horror following closely. The comedy was almost completely expunged, with the exception of the Valentine Brothers and the orientation of the next episode previews, all of the humor was either eliminated from the story or was changed from a slapstick style of humor, to a more dry wit.

• Costume Changes:  Several characters had their wardrobes altered for the TV series.  Alucard is most apparent straight off in that, in the Manga he begins with a completely different coat with an upturned collar, later changing at the end of volume 1 into his traditional Victorian coat.  The TV-series simply begins with Alucard in his Victorian coat, never featuring the original coat at all. 
  For most others, the changes were simply in coloring. For example, Seras’ uniform, in both the manga and later OVA adaptation was colored yellow with white thigh-highs.  Moreover, her eyes are blue at all times, even after becoming a vampire, until such a time as Seras displays her Vampiric powers.  In the TV-series changed her costume to blue with black thigh-highs, while making her eyes consistently red after becoming a Vampire.

• The FREAKs:  In both iterations of the story, a secret organization is responsible for mass-producing vampires.  A major differing factor however, is in the production of said Vampires.  In the manga, the “artificials” are created by some form of surgery, while in the TV series, are created through the use of an embedded microchip called a “FREAK Chip”.

• The Main Antagonists:  As mentioned before, both series’ feature a shady secret organization driving the events of the series.  While the manga eventually reveals these phantom puppet-masters including dropping several hints to them before the eventual revelation of their identity in manga volume 2, the TV-series does not.  The TV series removes any and all hints to the organization known as “Millennium”, and instead of replacing them, simply never reveals the identity of whosoever is creating the artificial vampires.  This plot thread is simply left completely unresolved.

• Line Quote:  “In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation.  Amen.” This particular quotation was frequently used within the television anime as a prayer by the Hellsing Organization's military forces preceding and often post a mission. It's inclusion was singularly unique and never seen within the original manga novels.

EPISODE 1: THE UNDEAD

• This episode’s opening sequence portrays a middle-aged English gentlemen entertaining a seductive, yet silent female escort. Their interaction is cut short when our protagonist, Alucard interrupts the couple with a single, well-aimed bullet. In The manga, this exchange never occurred. We simply begin with Alucard’s mission in Cheddar Village.

• The manga includes a sequence briefly explaining the Vampire priest’s backstory leading up to the incident in Cheddar.  No equivalent scene exists in the TV series.

• The demonic Cheddar Village priest confronting a terrified Officer Seras Victoria is taken indoors to a parish church where a showdown of powers leaves Alucard the victor and Officer Victoria on the road to discovering the path of the undead.  In the manga, the whole event occurred outdoors.

EPISODE 2: CLUB M

• As with the other episode that directly base their content upon that of the original manga, this episode draws its title from the equivalent chapter. However, while other such episode use the same title verbatim, this episode modifies the title from "Murder Club" to "Club M".


• Additional characters and scenes are included that did not take place in the manga. This episode’s opening sequence introduces news reporter Kim and her partner leaving a restaurant only to have their attention taken in by a peculiar, dishelved woman across the street and partly hidden in the shadows. Here, the Hellsing Organization’s private military force, led by original character Captain Peter Fargason zone in with the reluctant assistance of newly installed Officer Victoria. That strange woman in the shadows is taken down as she launches to attack Kim and her partner. This was added as a plot device to show Seras fail to take the very same shot she would later succeed in taking during a scene from the manga.

• Seras is taught a new vampiric power, to see great distances in the dead of night.  Both the location and teacher of this ability are changed.  In the TV series, she is taught this power by Fargusson on the first failed mission.  In the manga, this lesson occurs with Alucard while he is instructing her on a shooting range.

• Alucard’s attack on stray vampires Jessica and Leif takes place in a tunnel way while on a motorbike. Seras subsequently finishes the vampire Jessica as she flees on foot with Captain Fargason beside her. This all originally occurred in an English farmhouse in the manga.

EPISODE 3: SWORD DANCER

• The opening sequence of this episode introduced two new characters. Italian university students Mick and partner Enrico Stivilieti in the midst of a failed vampire induction attempt. The two men are interrupted by other students and a teacher. The body of Enrico is later imported to an English hospital where one of the first vampire or ‘FREAK’ chips is pulled from the corpse. Subsequence scenes up to and including the Hellsing military being brought in to take down the vampire threat is content that was not written in the manga.

• Father Alaxander Anderson is introduced by way of his arrival in London, England from a Euro Star train rather than his conversation with another priest at the Vatican, before being dispatched to Ireland.

• Integra is seen at the end of a meeting with the Queen’s messengers.

• Anderson makes his way to the hospital where vampire “Enrico” is being fronted by Hellsing officials. Officer Gareth is killed by Anderson during the skirmish within the hospital. In the original manga, the battle occured in a home in the Irish town of Badrick rather than England, Anderson arrived before Hellsing's agents, and Hellsing simply dispatched Alucard and Seras alone.

• Enrico is put to death by Alucard, prompting the first battle between he and Anderson.  In the manga, the unnamed vampire whom they were sent to destroy was taken care of by Anderson prior to Alucard and Seras’ arrival.

• Once the battle between the two men begins, it plays out much the same in both versions of the story until Anderson’s status as a regenerator is revealed.  In the TV series, Integra arrives immediately after this to stop the battle before it continues.  In the manga, the fight continues for quite a bit longer, up to Anderson decapitating Alucard and advancing on Seras.  It is this point in the manga, when Integra arrives.

• While Anderson simply leaves without any more of a fight in the TV series, due to official paper orders to do so from the Vatican, in the manga he scoffs at Integra’s order to withdraw and attacks her head on, leaving only once it is revealed that Alucard survived his beheading.

• A wounded Seras Victoria is offered her master’s blood as a means of rejuvenation in both versions of the story however her hesitant nature has her decline the request.  The major difference in both versions is the form the offer takes.  In the manga, Alucard commits this charity telepathically while his head is clutched tight by Seras.  It then melts into a stream of blood on the floor that coils into a set of words spelling out his intended gift to her.  As his head never left its body in the TV series, Alucard simply approaches Seras and offers to let him drink out of an open wound after the fight.

EPISODE 4: INNOCENT AS A HUMAN

This episode was almost entirely “filler” material; the events of this episode were not presented in the manga and built off of some of the original material and characters first presented in episodes 2 and 3. Two allusions are made to original manga scenes however, they are as follows:

• Alucard is seen complaining about his current weapon, the Casull, being too weak and asking Walter to create for him a new gun, the Jackal.   In the manga, this exchange never occurs before the reader, and Walter is simply seen giving Alucard the Jackal later with only an offhanded remark that they had “discussed” the matter of a new gun before.

• Seras is also shown attempting to eat normal human food and failing.  Later giving into her vampiric urges and drinking blood for the first time.  This exchange occurred in the manga, albeit much later in the story, during the events of volume 5.  The only major difference being that, in the manga, Seras’ first drink of blood comes direct from Integra’s fingers, while in the TV series, she gets the blood from a standard medical bag.

EPISODE 5: BROTHERHOOD

• The episode opens with Hellsing “infiltrating” an artificial vampire creation ring run by a rogue pair of vampires, the Valentine Brothers. The infiltration fails, and the brothers then decide to stage an attack on Hellsing house in retaliation for this attempted deception. This framing device does not exist in the manga and instead, the Brothers’ attack on Hellsing came as the first official order against Hellsing by the head of Millennium, the Major. This change was made due to Millennium being almost completely expunged from the TV series.

Luke Threatens Hellsing's "Covert" Agent.

• In both versions, the Valentine Brothers attack Hellsing with a squadron of armed Ghouls lead by Jan Valentine.  In the anime, the brothers are shown going out of their way to create these creatures, including a new scene where they booby-trap one of their safe-houses and leave it for Hellsing to find.  In the manga, the brothers simply show up with the Ghouls, and give no exposition as to the creation of them.

• Also in both versions, Hellsing House is fully equipped with an escape-helicopter should the need arise to evacuate the building.  The manga features a sound suggesting an explosion and simply a passing mention that it was the destruction of that very same helicopter.  The TV series includes the very same scene, but elaborates on it, showing Luke actually destroying the helicopter with an RPG launcher.

• As Peter Fargusson was added into the TV-series, a scene was added to include him.  In this version of the story, Jan is seen at the end of the episode cornering Fargusson and threatening him.  The episode ends on Integra hearing gunfire from that room via radio and leaves off on a cliffhanger as to whether or not he survived.

EPISODE 6: DEAD ZONE

Jan with Fargusson at Gunpoint.

• Following the cliffhanger ending of episode 5, additional character Captain Fergason and his men are held back by Jan Valentine during the Hellsing House rampage. Jan is shot in the back by a timely Officer Victoria causing a distraction. Seras continues to open fire on Jan until his body collapses and prioritizes removing Fargason to safety.

• Pending Jan’s capture by Walter, Integra attempts an interrogation of which Jan refuses to co-operate and by way of supernatural means appears to commit a fiery suicide. The manga had Jan taunt Integra and mention Millennium before proclaiming that those who gave him the order would be killing him shortly, a promise they promptly followed through on.

EPISODE 7: DUEL

This episode features the final canonical adaptation of a chapter from the manga, then veering off into an original story arc, the likes of which do not occur in the manga.

• The episode opens featuring a meeting between Integra Hellsing and the Vatican’s Enrico Maxwell, head of their secret “Iscariot” agency.  The scene was featured in both versions of the story, anime and manga, but differs greatly in motivation and outcome.  In the manga, Maxwell calls the meeting to give Integra information on Millennium.  As the Nazi organization was expunged from the TV series, he instead calls the meeting to distract Integra and Alucard from an impending assault Anderson was dispatched to carry out at that very same time on Seras and a squad of Hellsing soldiers fighting with her.  Maxwell masks this by giving false “condolences” to Hellsing’s recent loss during the anime version of the meeting.

• Both versions of the scene end with Alucard and Anderson fighting for the second time in the series, however, this too was altered greatly.  In both versions, Maxwell insults Integra, prompting Alucard to arrive to defend his Master’s honor.  In the TV-series, the exchange in the art gallery ends without Anderson ever entering, when Mawell’s ruse is exposed and Alucard quickly rushes off to save Seras, his fight with Anderson beginning then.  In the manga, the battle occurs right there in the gallery as Anderson enters, ready to fight.

• The fight, too, was greatly different in both versions of the story.  In the TV-series, the fight features the rest of the material from Alucard and Anderson’s first fight from chapters 4-6 of the manga that was left out of episode 3.  In the Manga, the two begin to gear up for their fight, readying their weapons but are abruptly interrupted by Seras leading a Japanese tour group right between them.  This causes them both to decide it’s neither the time nor place to fight, and both back off for the time being.

EPISODE 8: KILL HOUSE

• This episode’s opening sequence sees military personnel forcing their way in to a ‘FREAK’ chip manufacturing lab in Hong Kong. Meanwhile Integra and an injured Captain Fargason oversee some new mercenary staff in a training encampment.

• Integra is collected by Walter whom informs her of the Hong Kong police’s raid on the ‘FREAK’ chip lab.

• The manga would have originally introduced The Wild Geese as the mercenary company that Seras begins training. In this episode the mercenaries are un-named but likely American. One of the men seeks to taunt Seras’ post being informed that their targets may be vampires. Seras replies with sarcasm and a display of physical strength, bending the solder’s gun barrel with her bare hand. The manga would have Seras flick Pip Bernadotte repeatedly in the chest and head with a single finger. Her strength being sufficient to wound him and galvanize the Geese’ belief in the supernatural quality of their targets.

• Seras Victoria in civilian clothing takes a bus ride into the town to what could only be presumed as her apartment while human.
  Her considerations are interrupted by a knock at the door introducing Inspector Harry Anders an officer of MI 5.
  After a brief interlude, Harry convinces Seras to accompany him to the home of child vampire Helena where the pair conduct an interview discussing the nature of the vampire gene verses the artificial abnormalities being created in the underground today.

• Integra is briefed by officials on the construction and electrical properties of the vampire ‘FREAK’ chip.

• Concluding the interview with Helena, Harry drives Seras back home. His car is compromised and he meets his untimely end to Seras’ deep shock.

• The episode’s closing sequence shows Integra moving through the estate to retire for the evening. Open opening a door she is faced with an bizarre hallucination of returning to the shooting gallery her newly instilled mercenaries were training in previously. We learn this otherworld simulation is being cast by Alucard as he audiences Integra upon a new threat that he’s keen to tackle.

EPISODE 9: RED ROSE VERTIGO

EPISODE 10: MASTER OF MONSTER

Although the series had moved on to original story material at this point, this episode did feature a flashback to an event that was originally in the manga.

• Integra’s entire flashback to the circumstances by which she found Alucard was originally in the manga, included with a completely different device framing it.  In the TV-series, due to events from the previous episode, Integra is left in a comatose state and is having emergency surgery to save her life.  The flashback is presented here, possibly as a dream or recollection running through her mind, with Alucard seemingly reading her mind to see what she is dreaming.  In the manga, this scene was framed by Integra simply having a moment of nostalgia while watching Alucard train Seras.

• Both versions end with Alucard remarking about how young Integra was when they met, however while in the TV-series it is taken as an affectionate compliment, in the manga, Integra interprets it as Alucard insisting she’s old now and takes it as an insult.

EPISODES 11-13: TRANSCEND FORCE, TOTAL DESTRUCTION, HELLFIRE