Iscariot (Vatican Section XIII)

The Iscariot Organization, also known as Vatican Section XIII, is an organization in the Hellsing series that is operated by the Catholic Church. It is a top-secret section of the Vatican's operations, and officially, it doesn't exist. They are a primary foil to the Hellsing Organization in the series. Given that the Hellsing Organization not only employs vampires but is run on the principles of staunch Protestantism, Iscariot is their natural rival, despite their similar aims. Named after Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, is a top-secret wing of the Vatican (the section that's not supposed to exist) charged with the active pursuit and extermination of demons (such as vampires) and heretics.

About
The existence of Alexander Anderson suggests that Iscariot has perhaps engaged in genetic engineering and other advanced technologies to fulfill its purpose and to create greater weapons with which to combat its enemies. Iscariot has a sacred duty to do battle with the "seven million, four hundred and five thousand, nine hundred and twenty-six demons of hell".

Iscariot is a Roman Catholic organization, and see it in their interest to kill vampires because they are naturally evil and are an abomination before God. However, Hellsing kills vampires if their actions are evil or wrong, especially if they kill humans. Hellsing will not attack a vampire unless it poses a threat to the Church of England or to the British Crown. Iscariot, on the other hand, kills vampires because of what they "are". Unlike the rest of the modern day Catholic Church, Iscariot is vehemently opposed to the Idea of Ecumenism, as implied in the first OVA when Alexander Anderson tells two young orphans that they should only engage in violence against "monsters and non-believers." Also throughout the manga and its adaptations, its members (Anderson and Maxwell in particular) display a strong hatred for Protestants.

Abillities
The Iscariot 'paladins' are the elite fighting force of the Iscariot Organization. They appear wearing long cassocks and crosses, in the manner of their most prominent member, Alexander Anderson. They are known to fight with a wide variety of weapons, usually as necessitated by the situation (for example, Alexander Anderson wields blessed bayonets that are especially effective against vampires, while Heinkel Wolfe is armed with simple pistols, effective against her human targets).

History
Little is known about the history of the Iscariot Organization. However, it is revealed by various characters that Iscariot has existed for a very long time, possibly as long as Christianity itself.

Plot
Under the order of Enrico Maxwell, Iscariot began a massive attack on London upon when Millennium made its move, determined to destroy both Millennium and Hellsing. The attack initially started off with Father Alexander and his escort of priests until an army of some 3000 knights in helicopters and gunships were deployed. The arrival of this force caught the Millennium forces initially off-guard and relieved the surviving population until an order from Enrico Maxwell came to eliminate civilians as well. Most of the Iscariot Organization's troops were killed during the Nazi invasion of London. Some were initially killed fighting the vampire SS troops; the rest died fighting against Alucard's familiars alongside Alexander Anderson. Those who weren't killed outright committed suicide by detonating explosives strapped to their bodies as they were overwhelmed by the undead. A very small group of priests remained alive, along with Heinkel Wolfe. Enrico Maxwell, who led the organization and the invasion himself was killed during the course of battle as well.

In the manga's epilogue, decades later, they reveal being too weak to rival Hellsing until they had a few centuries to regrow their strength. Heinkel has taken over Anderson's position as main enforcer, showing having the same rivalry with Seras Victoria as Anderson did with Alucard.

Members

 * Alexander Anderson
 * A paladin, or warrior priest, who works for the Iscariot Organization. Like Hellsing's Alucard, Anderson is Iscariot's trump card, except that he is a human, rather than a vampire. However, Iscariot has enhanced Anderson through some kind of genetic engineering, turning him into a being known as a Regenerator. His mission (both personal and professional) is the destruction of all of Hell's demons, including Hellsing and Millennium. To complete this mission, he uses his arsenal of blessed bayonets and sometimes his bare hands. He is Alucard's main rival and adversary.


 * Enrico Maxwell
 * Enrico Maxwell is the overzealous leader of the Iscariot Organization.


 * Heinkel Wolfe and Yumiko Takagi
 * Heinkel Wolfe is a pistol-wielding assassin for the Iscariot organization who partners with Yumie, a Japanese nun with a split personality. They act as bodyguards for Maxwell in Hellsing volumes 4 and 5 and are later seen among the brigade of Catholic paladins sent to apprehend Integra under Father Anderson's leadership.


 * Renaldo
 * Little is known about him. He's just a priest like Alexander. He seems to act (like Walter to Integra) as a 'bodyguard' to Maxwell, and appears to wield a sword (as is seen in episode 7 of the TV series, Duel), although he only brandished its hilt briefly.


 * Chief Makube
 * Chief Makube succeeds Maxwell as the Bureau Director of the Iscariot Organization in the final chapter. He seems to be much more level-headed than Maxwell was, although he is equally fanatical, as he says that Iscariot is willing to wait another century or two before beginning the 10th Crusade. He is definitely ordained, but it is unclear as to whether he is a priest or a bishop. He has a scar on his face, but it is unclear as to how he got it. Little else is known about him, except that his design was drawn directly from one of Hirano's earlier works and that his name is a reference to Mobile Suit Gundam.

Trivia

 * If Matthew is Section III, and Iscariot is Section XIII, then it is probably safe to assume that there are eleven other sections of the Vatican, each of them named after an apostle of Jesus, and each of them existing with a different purpose.