Arucard

Manga/OVA Canon

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Arucard
Aliases	No-Life King Vampire Arucard Nosferatu Arucard Undead Arucard The Famous Arucard The Immortal Ace of Hellsing Dracula Master (by Seras Victoria) Servant (by Sir Integral) Mr. Arucard (by Walter C. Ddolnnezz)
Age	500s
Gender	Male
Height	6'10 (210cm)
Species	Real Undead (Monster)
Status	Alive (Undead)
Affiliations	Hellsing Organisation
Anime Debut	Episode 1: The Undead
Seiyuu	Jouji Nakata
Voice Actor	Crispin Freeman

Arucard 《アーカード, Ākādo》 is one of the three main protagonists of the Hellsing anime series produced by Gonzo. He is voiced by Jouji Nakata in the Japanese sub and Crispin Freeman in the English dub.

Hailed as "The Immortal 《不死なるもの, Fushinaru Mono》," the vampire Arucard is the result of the Hellsing family's intense effort to create the ultimate undead, having been previously captured by the first master of the Hellsing family a century prior. His loyalty is absolute towards the current head of Hellsing, Integra Hellsing, and he now works as a garbage disposal killer towards his own kind who run rampant beneath the public eye of England.

Appearance

• Level Five - Two
• Level One

Arucard appears as a tall, long-limbed, broad-shouldered adult man of indeterminate but reasonably young age, as is commonly seen among vampires. Though he can change the length and shape of his hair, as it is a part of his shadow, he commonly can be seen having short, jet-black hair, and his bangs fall slightly in his eyes, with strands on the sides of his bangs framing his face while bearing this form. His irises are orange and red in the middle, with cat-like pupils. His usual outfit is comprised mainly of Victorian Coachman fashion. It includes a white, long-sleeved shirt with an intricately knotted red cravat under a charcoal gray, double-breasted suit with red buttons, matching charcoal gray trousers, and a pair of dark brown leather riding boots, covered by a red, split and full-length, long coat with ruffles exclusive to the shoulders. He also wears a red fedora with a wide, floppy brim; the band is replaced by multiple white stripes, and a pair of green, circular, heavily tinted, orange-framed sunglasses with goggle sidings.

Arucard is seen in this form sporting messy hair inconsistent with shape and length and a variety of body types, whether bulky or slender, but overall does not change that much in terms of physical looks. He is portrayed as wearing a red straitjacket, with several stripes across his front torso, shoulders, wrists, thighs, and ankles. He also takes on the form back when he was found by Integra in a straitjacket that kept his arms behind his back, having white hair due to him being locked up for 20 consecutive years in which he was unable to drink blood; there, the base of his straitjacket is blue and the stripes are brown.

Personality

Arucard is violent and sadistic, often belittling opponents after allowing himself to be shot to bits by them. He is not just cruel towards vampires, he is also cruel to humans. He abhors cowards and treats his enemies extremely brutally, enjoying both inflicting pain and taunting them, especially those who cannot control themselves, all accompanied by his sarcastic humor; in addition, Arucard seems to love puzzling his opponents. He appears to harbor pride in being a Real Undead, and was visibly upset when Integra asked him the differences between the fakes and the real ones. Subsequently, Arucard has expressed extreme disgust with the vampires he has been hunting for the last 100 years, especially when they kill without purpose. Arucard makes his discontent apparent, demanding to know the motivation behind their rampage. As a result, he becomes deeply disgusted by the vampires he hunts, as not only are they pathetic to him, but they cause meaningless destruction and chaos and are cruel towards humans. Due to this, Arucard retains a sense of humanity despite being an undead monster.

He has become bored of being fed with "fakes," a frustration he professes to his master, Sir Integral. As such, he expresses multiple times that he wishes to seek a worthy opponent "of his power." He was deeply disappointed when Luke Valentine did not turn out to be as powerful as he had envisioned. Seeing Alexander Andersong's resolve excited him enough that he even spared Andersong as he proclaimed that their battle was fun. When Incognito arrives on Great Britain, he states to Integra that he will "finally meet someone who can give [him] the excitement that [he] craves." This establishes his monstrosity, seeking the scent of "madness" of the battlefield; during the raid on Bobhan Castle, Seras Victoria notes Arucard's tone in excitement, Arucard responds in admission that he is indeed excited. However, even as an invincible vampire, even Arucard can be caught off-guard, usually because of his arrogance.

Arucard seems to think that humans are incompetent, yet oftentimes asserts that he cannot understand humans. At the prospect of a snuff film about a vampire killing a human being made by another human, Arucard was amused and commented that only humans have the "voracity" for watching their fellow man being killed. He states, "Humans seem happy under their own incomprehensible restrictions" when Integra tells him that they should let human troops handle the case, which made Integra remark that "human cunning" is a trait that Arucard is difficult to understand. Despite his confusion with the nature of humanity and his disgust towards homicidal vampires, he believes that when people reject giving up, they win the right to finally transcend humanity. He has also shown respect towards Integra and affection towards his fledgling, Seras Victoria, who he allowed to transcend humanity in a split-second decision made by her own will and has frequently pestered Integra with the offering of vampirism. When fighting Andersong—who he describes as someone who is "neither human or monster"—he declares that Andersong cannot kill him because only "humans can kill monsters." He shows an act of admiration and respect towards Chris Pickman, who he commends as a true soldier of Hellsing, and laid his hat on Chris' corpse as a sign of respect.

Arucard is an invincible vampire who is very different from others, has an ambiguous motivation, and is very impertinent towards everyone, including those who he tolerates.

Relationships

Allies

• Sir Integral Wingates Hellsing: Arucard and Integra share a complex but strict "master and servant" relationship. The hellscape that Integra went through in 1989, despite being hunted down by her uncle in a course of action that led Integra in front of the dungeons that locked Arucard, who noticed the peril Integra was in, offered to help her if she opened the door. In spite of the visions she received that caused her trepidation, Integra opened the door and led Richard Hellsing and his men through the dungeons, which allowed for Arucard's awakening once Richard shot Integra in the shoulders, spilling out blood. After saving Integra from Richard Hellsing and his men, Arucard offers Integra—who stood in defiance—his abilities had she obeyed him; however, through the pride of the Hellsing family and her will, she vehemently denies the offer and states that she would not let a vampire order her around even if it costs her life, as that is her pride and self-respect as the head of Hellsing.
  
  Her defiance, her bravery, and her will were what made Arucard recognize Integra as his true master; after her short speech, he had no doubts that she is the daughter of Sir Hellsing. He then bowed down and asked for forgiveness, offering her his servitude and letting her know of his name. Over the years, Arucard grew an intense fascination with Integra's will; oftentimes he tests her in offering her vampirism. After the encounter with Laura, which left Integra in a near-death state, Arucard once again recognizes her will. In his own eyes, Integra has not changed and is still the same little girl a decade ago. Afterwards, Arucard stays beside Integra after she recovered; Arucard's concern for his master's safety is apparent, displaying rage when Incognito endangered Integra's life through Laura and threatened Enrico Maxwell when he called Integra a sow. When Integra is locked in a cell, Arucard once again offers her vampirism; Integra smirks in return.

• Seras Victoria: A policewoman who was turned into a vampire by Arucard in a split-second decision purely made from her own will, Arucard holds a deep feeling of admiration towards Seras even if, at first, he was frustrated with her clinging onto her humanity. Arucard took on the role of a mentor and teacher to help Seras reach her full potential. His misunderstanding of humanity led Arucard to state to Integra that he would never understand Seras nor Integra because of it. In Seras' refusal to drink blood, Arucard told her that she would become weak if she did not drink blood. After the encounter with Andersong, he pulls out the bayonet stuck onto his left forearm and tells Seras to drink his blood to become a vampire without being bound by servitude to a Master; though tempted, Seras restrained herself, which left Arucard disappointed. She finally gave in to her temptation after witnessing Arucard sucking Kim's blood. Her decisions in fighting back even when all was hopeless in Cheddar, and her stern grip on hanging onto what humanity she has left and faith in herself, Arucard was pleased with the results in her—who became a Real Undead without losing her humanity—proving herself when she finally drank Arucard's blood (even if by that point, his blood was considered "rotten").

• Walter C. Ddolnnezz: Arucard and Walter maintain a friendly relationship, reminiscent to that of old friends. The Casull, Arucard's first weapon of choice, was the first gun Walter designed and manufactured. At the request of Arucard after the Badrick incident, Walter created the Jackal with a design he had in mind—in mockery of Alexander Andersong, "Jesus Christ is in Heaven now" was engraved on the pistol's side; upon retrieving the Jackal, Arucard praised and declared it "perfect." The prospect of witnessing Walter in battle again excited Arucard, who commented that Walter should not overexert himself.

• Chris Pickman: He met Pickman when he saved Pickman from a FREAK attacking from behind, afterwards apologizing for being late. Pickman then commented that he cannot go back without any good news, especially after having sacrificed so many men. Arucard smirked and praised Pickman, "You are indeed a man of Hellsing." Thereafter, the two cleaned house until Pickman was shot in the stomach. He requested Arucard to mercy kill him so he dies a human and an agent of Hellsing rather than a ghoul; Arucard smiles and does so, later laying his fedora on Pickman's corpse as a sign of respect. Arucard admires Pickman's bravery, courage, and determination.

Enemies

• Incognito: In his search for a powerful opponent to satisfy his boredom, Arucard informs Integra of Incognito's appearance on Great Britain; Incognito, who he considers to be a "worthy enemy," the prospect of fighting him immensely amused Arucard as he described him to be a "real, strong enemy" who can give him the excitement that he craves. The two are almost identical in nature, as both are intoxicated by the fact that they were stronger than anyone else and incredibly egotistical, while also serving under a human, which Arucard remarks, "We are two originals who are kept by humans," in their first encounter within Bobhan Castle. Later, during their next encounter and immediate fight in the Tower of London, Arucard was entertained by Incognito's apparent masochistic behavior before shortly being temporarily defeated after falling into Incognito's trap.
  
  Subsequently, Integra finally allows the release of Level One, after which Arucard is revived. He returns to the top of the tower filled with tremendous power, facing Incognito. After dodging a strike from Sett, he observes the destructive power and comments, "That's the way of a real Category A," finding Incognito a suitable target for him. The destructive battle that led the two of them to the sky finally took them to a cathedral after falling and causing an explosion that set the building in blazes. Arucard sarcastically points out Incognito's masochism, which he finds to be "disgusting," but states that he would send him to a world of pain just as he wishes. In their final showdown, Sett, who was assimilated in Incognito's body, transfers itself into Arucard and melts down a silver cross onto the Jackal, creating a spear. Arucard shoots the perplexed and scared Incognito, impaling him onto the wall behind as he asks for Arucard's true identity, to which Arucard complies for a split second before properly impaling Incognito atop the cathedral with the spear, entering his groin and exiting through the mouth; this makes Incognito the first opponent that Arucard never bothered to devour with himself or the Black Dog. Presumably, Arucard views Incognito as an opponent worthy enough to know his true identity.

• Alexander Andersong: Arucard initially viewed Andersong as a human who overestimated his capabilities, but he subsequently loathed Andersong once he revealed his true nature as a "Regenerator," viewing him as a "pitiful, defect-ridden failure" who is not even "human." However, Arucard also saw Andersong as a means to have fun and battle, graciously accepting Maxwell's offensive approach in a sarcastic manner and facing Andersong in delight. Near the climax of their second encounter, Arucard regenerated and shot off both of Andersong's arms with the Jackal, asking him if he's a dog, a human, or a monster in response to Andersong's fright. However, in his sight of Andersong grabbing his bayonet with his teeth and running straight towards him, Arucard was caught off-guard, shocked at Andersong's will and stating, "This is fun." He then decides to spare Andersong's life by shooting the bayonet, insulting him, and at the end, proclaims that Andersong, who is neither human nor monster, cannot kill him because only a human can kill a monster.

• Luke Valentine: During the first fight between him and Luke, he was at first very impressed by Luke's abilities. While the battle went on, Arucard states that he has not had this much fun in a long time and recognizes Luke as a "Category A" vampire. Once he transforms, however, and impatiently waits for Luke to regenerate his legs, he realizes that Luke is nothing but a spineless coward who runs away in terror when he is faced with an opponent more powerful than him. He proclaims that Luke is dog food before devouring him with the Black Dog, afterwards walking away in disappointment.

Powers and Abilities

This section needs expansion.

Control Art Restriction System

This section needs expansion.

Weapons

454 Casull Custom Auto

The Casull 《カスール, Kasūru》 is a semi-automatic magnum pistol, based on two pre-WW1 handgun designs by Colt: the M1903 and M1905 pistols (the early versions of the M1911). The gun has a magazine capacity of seven 13mm explosive rounds, which were alloyed with melted silver from a Great Lanchester Church cross. The overall design of the Casull is simple, using the Browning short recoil mechanism. Its most recognizable feature is its long slide, counteracting the weapon's heavy recoil with its weight. The barrel is 10" long and finished with titanium nitride which gives it a characteristic gold color. It is too heavy and unwieldy for a human to use, yet a perfect match for Arucard's strength. Caliber: 13mm Explosive Rounds (modified by Hellsing from the original 454 Casull rounds) Total length: 335mm Weight: 4kg Magazine: 7+1 Rounds Inscription: HELLSING ARMS WEAPON Hellsing 454 Casull INDUSTRIALS CO.LTD.

The Anti-FREAK Battle Gun, the 13mm Jackal

The Jackal 《ジャッカル, Jakkaru》 was a massive pistol made especially for Arucard. It had a length of 390mm, a weight of 16kg, and a black gunmetal construction, and it used massive 13mm armor-piercing rounds. The words "Jesus Christ is in Heaven now" were engraved upon it, in mockery of a similar statement on Alexander Andersong's gloves. Compared to the Casull, the Jackal was distinctly lacking in terms of aesthetic features and was devoid of any contours on the side or frame, save for the grip; this suggested that Walter designed the weapon immediately after Arucard's encounter with Andersong and did not have time to improve its appearance. Caliber: 13mm Armor-Piercing Rounds Total length: 390mm Weight: 16kg Magazine: 6+1 Rounds Inscription: Jesus Christ is in Heaven now HELLSING ARMS WEAPON INDUSTRIAL CO.LTD.

Concept and Creation

Toshiharu Murata, the character designer for Hellsing, recalled that Arucard and Andersong were the easiest characters to design, as the original art of the work had matched his vision of what the character would look like. His design was based on Alucard's design in volume 2 of Hellsing; lifting one side of the mouth was done on purpose to closely resemble Kohta Hirano's art; in regards to Arucard's arms, Hirano revised his arms for the anime to make it longer; the vertical "cat"-like irises were intentional so that the anime could be more "expressive." As the inscription on Arucard's gloves was gibberish in the manga, Gonzo based the inscription on a replica of Arucard's gloves made by an anime goods maker. As for Arucard's height, the figures are not necessarily based on his actual height but rather to convey the intimidating presence of Arucard (and the other characters). Chiaki J. Konaka tried to write Arucard's dialogues using "normal phrases," avoiding "elaborative phrases."

Casting

Jouji Nakata was offered the role of Arucard without any auditions. Nakata had doubts but soon accepted the role after talking to the staff and read the manga in his own voice as Arucard. He was also conscious about not letting the "coolness" of Hellsing be lost in translation, though the definition of "coolness" left him dazed as it was "too vague," so he decided to create his own "style of coolness." During the voice recording of the first episode, Nakata was initially very anxious but soon got comfortable during the process of the second and third episodes as he felt that the studio was "filled with the atmosphere" created by the "unique voice acting style" and "pace" of veteran actors, ending up very relaxed and in a good state of mind. In retrospect, Nakata stated that Hellsing was one of the memorable series of his career and an experience that he would never forget. He also remarked that Arucard was the easiest and most enjoyable character he had portrayed in his career, as the character "stand out a little bit more distinctively." Nakata recalls being praised for providing Arucard's emotions rarely explored and that his fans were from multiple demographics.

In casting Crispin Freeman as Arucard, Taliesin Jaffe explained that Freeman was cast "for a lot of reasons" and added that Freeman was excited about the part; he notes that "Alucard is going to be a different person fighting Anderson than he is fighting Luke. Each villain had the characteristic we were looking for to make the villain stand out whether it be Maxwell's smarminess, Andersong's fervor, or Incognito's sheer power." Freeman reflects that Arucard was the first big role that he got after he returned to Los Angeles from New York, and says, "Alucard is just the most sexually predacious of any anime character I think I've played," adding that Arucard was vocally challenging. Though he initially tried to voice Arucard with a Transylvanian accent, Taliesin was almost convinced but reaffirmed that he does not think that it will work, and Freeman later tried Alucard with a British accent which ended up not "sounding right." He expresses how intimidating it was to voice Arucard at first because he had to live up to Jouji Nakata's portrayal, which he comments made it more difficult.