Alucard (Hellsing)

Alucard (Japanese: アーカード, Hepburn: Ākādo; lit. Arucard), previously Count Dracula (ドラキュラ, Dorakyura), is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Hellsing manga and anime series created by Kouta Hirano. A vampire devoted entirely to the current head of the Hellsing family, Integra Hellsing, Alucard works with the Hellsing Organization against other vampires and evil forces, fighting with ferocity and cruelty, sometimes only killing after a target has been disabled and humiliated. As Count Dracula, he was defeated by Abraham Van Helsing and became the family's loyal servant, being heavily experimented upon to create the "ultimate undead". Decades later, Abraham's direct descendant Arthur Hellsing gives the Count the codename "Alucard". Hellsing is set over a hundred years later, where Alucard and the Hellsing Organization are forced to fight the remnants of a rogue Nazi battalion. Alucard also appears in the prequel series Hellsing: The Dawn, taking a female form alongside his partner Walter C. Dornez in a fight against the Nazis to stop them from producing vampire soldiers. Hirano created Alucard as a powerful character who serves as a deus ex machina, effortlessly defeating most enemies. Alucard is voiced by Jouji Nakata in Japanese and Crispin Freeman in English. Critical response to the character has been positive for Alucard's dark traits such as sadism or supernatural abilities that make him stand out as excessively violent despite being the main hero. Alucard's design also stood out for being called "stylish", praising his outfits and weaponry. Alucard's voice portrayals by Nakata and Freeman were also met with a positive response.