The Captain 《大尉, Taii》 is a major antagonist in the Hellsing series created by Kohta Hirano. He does not have a speaking role in the entirety of the OVA, nor does he have any dialogue in the manga.
The Captain is The Major's silent, stoic adjutant and bodyguard; he stands subservient to the wishes of The Major acting as one of his prime right hand men and ever faithful bodyguard. The Captain is a natural werewolf, able to transform at will and fight in either human or werewolf form. Just as Alucard is Hellsing's trump card, and Alexander Anderson was Iscariot's, The Captain was Millennium's trump card.
Appearance[]
The Captain was a tall man on par with Alucard and Anderson. He had a squared face with a tanned skin in all medias of which he appeared in, a messy, unkempt blond hair (silvery white in the OVA), and a bright red pupils (later changed to pink in the OVA). Underneath his coat, The Captain was shown to be extremely muscular. His wolf form could manifest along his body even in his human form.
Unlike The Major and Rip Van Winkle, he wore a full uniform in the main story, which consisted of an overcoat similar to the brownish yellow DAK (Deutsches Afrikakorps) greatcoat with its neckguard constantly turned up and an M43 officer's cap emblazoned with the Totenkopf symbol (which was drawn incorrectly). His trousers were the same color of brownish yellow and he wore dark brown boots along with a pair of white gloves. In the OVA, the colors of his outfit changed from brown to green.
Personality[]
The Captain was mostly an expressionless man, not speaking a single word throughout the entire series. It is unknown why this is so, whether he was simply taciturn or unable to speak. Hirano's intentions in making The Captain spare Heinkel remain unclear though it may simply be that Hirano intended to show that The Captain was more noble than his comrades, and/or had some sense of chivalry for fellow warriors.
His exact personality is hard to place, though he was utterly obedient and monstrous in battle. Even in battle or enduring pain, the werewolf's expressions did not change much.[2][3] His most expressive moments were during the final battle when Alucard released all his seals[4], surprising and alarming The Captain and when Seras Victoria finally kills him, in which he smiles widely.[5] During The Major’s grand and bombastic speeches, The Captain maintained a near-constant icy demeanor; unmoved by actions unfolding before him.[6][7] He declined to participate in any action or celebration, even during the tribute to Rip Van Winkle.[8]
The Captain met his final end with nothing but dignity and pride - having keenly noted that he could have slaughtered Seras with a moments’s notice, he had deliberately led the battle to a bullion horde of confiscated Jewish treasures, and pointedly kicked a silver Jewish tooth into her hands. Bemused, Seras simply studied the silver tooth, but her familiar, Pip Vernedead, pointed out that The Captain was a "nice dog," and noted that he had generously provided the very method of his own undoing.[9]
The Captain also seemed to have a certain level of chivalry, as he denied killing Heinkel, instead firing into her jaw, and offering a first-aid kit.[10][11] He also allowed Integra to pass, even helpfully pointing out the correct path to follow.[12] Although this could have been simply following previous orders. The final, and perhaps the greatest, testimony to his chivalry is that he chose Seras to put him down, dying with a child-like cackle of wondrous joy and indeed apparent utter satisfaction.[13][14]
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- The Major: It is unknown how The Captain met The Major, however it is known that nonetheless, he was absolutely loyal towards him; carrying duties with extreme efficient. When Walter threw the butter knife at The Major, The Captain stopped it mid-air with his hand, and later was ordered by The Major to fight the boy.[15][16] The Major showed extreme faith in The Captain, showing no doubts in his ability as a natural werewolf, and states that it is the sole reason why they should rely on him and no one else.[17]
- Schrödinger: Despite his silence, he could be seen to have a tolerance for Schrodinger by allowing the boy to read his pamphlet on invading London over his shoulder, with no objection or consternation.[18]
Enemies[]
- Seras Victoria: Being Seras' most toughest enemy she had overcome, it is possible that The Captain fought Seras seeking for death. When Vernedead caught the finishing blow and impaled The Captain's heart with the silver tooth, The Captain died smiling; the first time he had shown any extreme emotion. Vernedead described him as a child who'd just had a smashing dream.[19]
Powers and Abilities[]
| Lycanthropy | ||
|---|---|---|
| Much like the other two trump cards, The Captain fights with little regard for the damage done to his own body. This is likely because of his great regenerative powers and because, as evident by the fight with Seras, he does want to die. He was very agile in battle and used his iron skin to stop lethal enemy attacks in their tracks. He did not taunt or jeer at his opponents, only glaring menacingly and intensely at them with his eyes. Like the other trump cards, his strength was unparalleled, with only a few being close to matching him in sheer might. Alucard remarked he thought their species had been defeated, implying that The Captain is last of his kind.[20] | ||
| Abilities | ||
| Superhuman Strength: He was strong enough to bend steel bars and shatter limbs with a single kick. He was able to compete with and overwhelm Seras several times during their fight.[21] He casually kicked away a missile that Seras tossed at him with enough force to completely bend the entire casing.[22] | ||
| Superhuman Speed and Reflexes: The Captain has displayed phenomenal speed. In London, after injuring Heinkel Wulf, he traveled across the city with astonishing speed appearing as a bolt of lightning.[23] He was able to avoid Walter's wires in The Dawn[24] and dodge a kick from Seras traveling at high speeds just exiting a cloud of smoke.[25][26] He could also dodge her dark tendrils with ease[27], remaining untouched by them through the duration of the fight until he was caught off-guard.[28] The Captain is the only known person who has been able to intercept and catch Walter's Monofilament Wires, further indicating his impressive senses and heightened speed.[29] | ||
| Superhuman Durability and Endurance: His iron-like flesh was mostly able to withstand Walter's wires, which could easily slice solid steel, even as they were tightened around his bare neck, although his fingers were shown to be bleeding slightly while holding them in his hands.[30][31] He could fall great distances without sustaining any damage, seen when he was deployed during the great battle in London.[32] He withstood a large nearby explosion from a missile that left him completely unscathed.[33] | ||
| Supernatural Accuracy: The Captain can accurately aim a weapon and hit a target without looking at them, as seen when he badly maims Heinkel. | ||
 |
Regeneration: The Captain has potent regenerative ability, as he quickly regenerated his mutilated hand in The Dawn as well as many other injuries sustained by Walter including having half his head shredded by wires.[34][35][36] During his fight Seras, he was impaled by her shadows, but easily reformed via mist.[37] Only silver causes him to truly bleed and finally be killed.[38][39] | |
| Immortality: The Captain appeared exactly as he does fifty years ago during The Dawn. This would indicate he has biological immortality. | ||
| Shapeshifting | ||
| Mist Body: He had the ability to take on an invulnerable and intangible mist-like form, which allowed him to evade attacks, even ones designed to pin and trap.[40] However, he was unable to deal any damage until reassuming some sort of corporeality. This form could become semi-tangible which allowed the wolf-head to cause damage. The Captain had the ability to use his mist abilities to fend off attacks.[41] He does so whilst fighting Seras, abruptly halting the progress of her tendrils.[42] | ||
Werewolf Form: It was stated by The Major in The Dawn that The Captain is a natural werewolf.[43] He possessed the ability to change from his humanoid form into a large white wolf. The wolf was a considerable size, standing taller than Seras at its shoulders.[44]
| ||
Weapons[]
| Modified Mauser C96 | |
|---|---|
The Mauser C96 is a semi-automatic pistol that was the preferred firearm of The Captain. Although originally designed as a sidearm, The Captain uses a modified version with an extremely long barrel. With its shoulder stock, long barrel, and high-velocity cartridge, the Mauser C96 had superior range and better penetration than most other standard pistols of its day; the 7.63×25mm Mauser cartridge was the highest velocity commercially manufactured pistol cartridge in existence until the advent of the .357 Magnum cartridge in 1935. It first appears holstered in Volume 3 and it was first used in Volume 9 against Heinkel.
| |
Concept and Creation[]
Along with the likes of Major and Professor, The Captain is a character that originates from Hirano's old adult material, specifically "Desert Guardian" from Hi-Tension (a series of short stories compiled into one volume).[51] In the series, The Captain is referred to as "ハンス・ギュンシュ" which would be translated as "Hans Günsch" or "Günsche." A callback to the one-shot is made in the cover of Order 77: Operation Wolf.
Hirano though about putting The Captain as someone who can truly match Alucard's powers in the side of Millennium, as Iscariot has Anderson, but states that he isn't strong enough to be that. He also implied that The Captain is the weakest of the three, saying that he doesn't think that he would win had he joined Anderson and Alucard's battle. Hirano saw The Captain as a war machine that acted with no relation to a creed/belief, and stated that he does not held a particular grudge to neither sides of Iscariot or Hellsing.[52]
Name[]
Generally, The Captain's name is written as it is in all English medias. The guidebook is the first to name it otherwise, as it spells out his title in German, resulting in "Kapitän."[53] Fans also refer to The Captain as his old prototype name, specifically the translation resulting in "Hans Günsche." Although this is unofficial, the name only appeared once in Hellsing as "Hance Ginsshu," but it appears in a chapter where The Captain didn't even make an appearance, and is written amongst a random garble of text along with "KamFPGruppe," "Hitler," and "HaiddAdolf."[54]
Trivia[]
- In chapter 5 of The Dawn, The Captain had his right arm blown off by Alucard, but he quickly regenerated it and transformed into a "wolf-man." Although this might seem to imply that all of Millennium's officers and top soldiers are lycanthropes, the term used for their elite soldiers is a reference to the historical Werewolf forces, with The Captain being the only actual "werewolf." Also, in chapter 5, The Major makes a pun alluding to this difference when questioned by his officers about The Captain being enough defense against Walter and Alucard.
- The Totenkopf on his cap is drawn incorrectly as opposed to other SS officers in Hellsing.
- Despite the Totenkopf on his cap, The Captain seems to wear full Afrika Korps uniform, including the sage green pants of the early '41 forces. It is also the only Heer (Army) uniform seen in the series, in direct contrast to the paramilitary Waffen SS uniforms.
- Given all evidence throughout the series, The Captain seems to have been a member of the Wehrmacht, who were members of the German military, but for alternative reasons than believing in the Nazi ideology, such as being unwilling to fight fellow countrymen.
- In Chapter 3 of The Dawn, in the scene in which The Doctor reacts to Walter dropping the Hellsing Organisation name, an odd textbox is placed aside The Captain, making it look like he's the one speaking.
References[]
- ↑ Order 14: Elevator Action (1) p. 21
- ↑ HELLSING: THE DAWN
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate X
- ↑ Order 59: Wizardry (3) pp. 4-5
- ↑ Order 81: Wolf Fang (2) pp. 1-3
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate IV
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate V
- ↑ Order 34: D (9) pp. 7-10
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate X
- ↑ Order 71: Relics pp. 9-10
- ↑ Order 73: Finesthour (1) pp. 1-4
- ↑ Order 77: Operation Wolf pp. 2-3
- ↑ Order 80: Wolf Fang (1)
- ↑ Order 81: Wolf Fang (2)
- ↑ The Dawn - 3
- ↑ The Dawn - 4
- ↑ The Dawn - 5 pp. 2-4. "There's no doubt. Originally, he was a werewolf to begin with. So that's why we need to call for him and no one else."
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate IV
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate X
- ↑ The Dawn - 5 p. 1. "I thought they'd all been defeated. But yet, they exist, like I do now."
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate X
- ↑ Order 80: Wolf Fang (1) pp. 8-10
- ↑ Order 73: Finesthour (1) pp. 1-4
- ↑ The Dawn - 3 pp. 18-20
- ↑ Order 79: Warcraft (2) pp. 4-5
- ↑ Order 80: Wolf Fang (1) pp. 10-12
- ↑ Order 77: Operation Wolf pp. 13-15
- ↑ Order 79: Warcraft (2) pp. 5-7
- ↑ The Dawn - 3 p. 10
- ↑ The Dawn - 3
- ↑ The Dawn - 4
- ↑ Order 58: Wizardry (2) p. 6
- ↑ Order 80: Wolf Fang (1)
- ↑ The Dawn - 3
- ↑ The Dawn - 4
- ↑ The Dawn - 5
- ↑ Order 79: Warcraft (2) pp. 7-9
- ↑ Order 80: Wolf Fang (1)
- ↑ Order 81: Wolf Fang (2) pp. 1-3
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate X
- ↑ Order 77: Operation Wolf pp. 15-16
- ↑ Order 79: Warcraft (2) pp. 7-9
- ↑ The Dawn - 5 pp. 2-4
- ↑ Order 78: Warcraft (1)
- ↑ The Dawn - 6 pp. 3-5
- ↑ Order 78: Warcraft (1) pp. 17-19
- ↑ Order 78: Warcraft (1) pp. 20-26
- ↑ The Dawn - 5 p. 10
- ↑ The Dawn - 6 pp. 3-5
- ↑ The Dawn - 5 pp. 8-9
- ↑ Hellsing: Volume 3 Character Descriptions
- ↑ HELLSING official guide book Kohta Hirano Vs. Interviewer: Battle 03
- ↑ HELLSING official guide book p. 089
- ↑ Order 20: Age of Empire (1) p. 2