- Tubalcain Alhambra
- Gallery
First Lieutenant Tubalcain Alhambra 《トバルカイン・アルハンブラ中尉 Tobarukain Aruhanbura Chūi》 is a major antagonist in the Hellsing series created by Kohta Hirano. He was voiced by Hōchū Ōtsuka in the Japanese sub, and was voiced by Steve Wilcox in the English dub.
Otherwise known simply as "The Dandy 《伊達男, Dateotoko, OVA: Dandy Man》," Alhambra was an agent of the Millennium Organization who appeared calculating and powerful as he issued a challenge to Alucard in Rio De Janeiro. Well dressed and well mannered, his peculiar and unique skills was that of being able to attack with a deck of Playing Cards whose deadly properties included such a keen sharpness they were able to slice cleanly through whatever stands in their way.
Appearance[]
Physically, Alhambra was tall and thin with a toned skin and a long and narrow head. Though his eyebrows were of the same color as is thin, wide and split mustache, his slicked hair was silvery white. He also had a striking green pupils. His name suggested that he originated from the Middle East.[8]
He dressed in a formal attire which included a white striped shirt under a toned blue tie covered under a dark brown vest with a congo brown suit jacket and matching trousers and shoes, along with a pair of white gloves. Perhaps his most notable accessory was his wide-brimmed fedora of the same color with white band. He also frequently smoke, even as a familiar he smoked a cigarette. Based on the shading of his manga rendition, it appears as though Alhambra's outfit was supposed to be light-colored in contrast with the OVA's choices of colors.
Personality[]
His suave and snarky personality earned him the nickname of "The Dandy" by those close to him.[9] He likes to dress awkwardly and act theatrically, always with a wry smile on his face, making it difficult to ascertain his true intentions.[10] His effervescent personality was evident in the way he laughed at the local police officers who cooperated in the operation, calling them "foolish superiors."[11] Though classy and suave, this belies more violent, aggressive parts of himself which are shown in battle. His ruthless nature can be seen in the way he proudly tells of his success in getting Alucard to use his special bullets at the expense of many police officers. He was murderously playful, engaging in banter with Alucard before and during his fight with the Real Vampire.[12]
History[]
After Jan Valentine and Luke Valentine's attack on Hellsing Manor, The Major sent Alhambra to Brazil, where he promised several police and military officers immortality; Millennium would transform them into vampires if they successfully killed Alucard and Seras Victoria. In reality, Alhambra did not expect his allies to succeed; his true goal was to leave Alucard with less ammunition for their duel. In any event, he observed the police and military's siege of the Rio de Janeiro hotel where Alucard and Seras were staying, justifying his actions to the public by claiming that Alucard and Seras were dangerous terrorists.
As Alucard fought his way out of the ambush, Alhambra received a call from the Major, ordering him to confront the vampire directly. To this end, The Dandy stood in the courtyard outside the hotel just as Alucard knocked the last members of the invading GATE team through the front doors and onto the flagpoles around the courtyard. After politely introducing himself and declaring his intent to kill Alucard, Alhambra attacked the Hellsing-aligned vampire with his Playing Cards.
Initially, Alhmabra kept Alucard on the defensive with trickery and an endless flurry of Playing Cards. However, Alucard managed to evade Alhambra's killing strike and take the battle to the roof of the hotel, where the Millennium officer was attacked by Seras' Harkonnen. Although Alhambra easily deflected the former police girl's gunfire, even cutting one of the Harkonnen's shells in two before it could hit him, the distraction allowed Alucard to release his Control Art Restriction System to Level One and close the distance between himself and Alhambra. After tricking Alhambra into attacking his shadow familiars, Alucard finally managed to grab the enemy vampire, delivering a powerful kick that severed Alhambra's left leg below the knee.
In a last attempt to protect himself, Alhambra attempted to slash Alucard with a Playing Card held between his fingers. In response, Alucard used his own hand to meet the attack, tearing both vampires' arms apart. As Alhambra reeled in pain, Alucard regenerated from his wound and seized The Dandy's head, explaining that he had been ordered to "thoroughly" interrogate him to learn more about Millennium. Unfortunately for Alhambra, Alucard's "interrogation" involved drinking his blood and absorbing his soul, thus gaining access to Alhambra's memories and a record of Millennium's plans. After Alhambra expired, The Professor used his implanted transmitter to cremate his remains.
He later emerges when Integra releases Alucard's Control Art Restriction System to Level Zero. As Alucard unleashes his full power, Alhambra was among the millions of souls that manifest as familiars to the reborn Dracula. Along with the similarly-reconstituted Rip Van Winkle, Alhambra decimated the Ninth Crusade and the Last Battalion alike. After destroying several of Maxwell's gunships and attacking Anderson, Ahambra was destroyed by holy fire after Alucard was stabbed by a bayonet enhanced with the power of Helena's Nail.
ILater, some of Alhambra's Playing Cards were seen among the items used as shrines for the major characters who died during the series.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- Brazilian Officials: He toyed and used the Brazilian Officials and the GATE police forces to monitor and analyze Alucard's abilities first-hand before fighting him and waste his special bullets, under the promise of "Eternal Life" that Millennium would grant them if they cooperate. In reality, Alhambra had no intentions of fulfilling his promises and calls the superiors "foolish." Alucard called them pitiful, a sentiment in which Alhambra even agrees with.[13]
Enemies[]
- Alucard: Having heard of the legends surrounding Alucard, Alhambra expected much of Alucard but found him to be a disappointment after seeing Alucard fight passively against him.[14] However, Alhambra's ego got the better of him and Alucard won via trickery. Later, Alhambra became one of his familiars.[15][16]
Powers, Abilities, and Weapons[]
| Artificial Vampire | |
|---|---|
| Like most of Millennium's forces, Tubalcain Alhambra employed his own unique special weapons and abilities not seen in any other character in the series. An Artificial Vampire from Millennium that originated from the Middle East, he was a powerful foe that for a while, managed to pose a challenge for the likes of the No-Life King Alucard.[17] Alhambra's Playing Cards are made of a special substance in which negates the stopping of bleeding for vampires.[18] | |
| Superhuman Strength: Alhambra had superhuman strength as a vampire, enhancing the damage of his thrown Playing Cards and allowed him to briefly match Alucard's blow with one of his own.[19] | |
| Superhuman Durability and Endurance: To a limited degree, Alhambra's durability was considerable enhanced. He was able to withstand several hits by Alucard which tore the knee of his right leg, and later a devastating blow in which split his left arm into two.[20] | |
| Superhuman Speed and Reflexes: Alhambra's running speed appeared to rival even Alucard's[21], and he could dodge Alucard's bullets even if they were fired a few feet behind him.[22] | |
| Gravity Defiance: Alhambra appeared to be capable of defying gravity, enabling him to leap a great height and walk up vertical surfaces with ease.[23] | |
| Regeneration: As he was an Artificial Vampire, he had minor regenerative abilities that wasn't anything special. | |
| Biological Immortality: As an Artificial Vampire, Alhambra couldn't age or die to a disease. However, he could still be killed; meaning that his "immortality" was biological. | |
| Playing Cards | |
| Alhambra's weapons of choice were razor-sharp Playing Cards 《トランプ, Toranpu》. The Playing Cards were special in nature; they could cut through nearly anything (including flesh, stone, and a bullet), explode, and appear from thin air or other impossibly small hiding places.[24] Before unleashing his Level One form, Alucard appeared to have great difficulty regenerating from damage inflicted by the Playing Cards.[25] | |
| Telekinetic Card Control: Alhambra was able to control his Playing Cards with his mind, allowing them to freely fly around his body or change trajectory mid-flight to hit a moving target.[26] | |
| Card Shield: Alhambra could deflect attacks by rapidly spinning his Playing Cards in a circle around his body. He used this to protect himself from Seras' gunfire, forcing her to switch to her Harkonnen which he blocked by splitting the shell into two pieces.[27] | |
| Card Double: When Alucard shot Alhambra in the face, he dissolved into a flurry of Playing Cards before reappearing elsewhere, fully healed. This was a double created by Alhambra in order to distract Alucard.[28] | |
 |
Healing Factor Nullification: As described by Hellsing's Trump Card, Alhambra's Playing Cards possessed an anti-healing factor effect where regenerative prospects are negated once upon making contact with a supernatural target.[29] Wounds inflicted by Tubalcain's signature weapon could negate an opponents accelerated recuperative capabilities as shown with Alucard and Anderson.[30][31] |
Name[]
He takes his name from Tubalcain, a biblical descendant of Cain who was said to be a metalworker. Alhambra comes from Arab «al-Ḥamrāʼ» (اَلْحَمْرَاء), meaning "the red one." His name was spelled as "Tubalcain Alhambra" in the Dark Horse translation, OVA booklets and the English dub; in the guidebook, he's instead referred to as "Tobalcain Alhambla."
Quote[]
- "Do the very best you can, gentlemen. If you wish to see a land with no old age or disease."
— Tubalcain Alhambra[32]
- "My name is Tubalcain Alhambra. By those close to me, I am known as The Dandy."
— Tubalcain Alhambra[33]
- "They are there because their foolish superiors wanted it badly enough to sacrifice all their own men. Eternal life, that is."
— Tubalcain Alhambra[34]
- "Now we take your life. The time has come for you to be enumerated as nothing more than one of our insignificant samples. One of Millennium's!"
— Tubalcain Alhambra[35]
- "Hahahahahaha. The vampire Alucard is not such a big deal!"
— Tubalcain Alhambra[36]
- "Are you prepared, Alucard? Go back to your homeland, the lovely depths of hell."
— Tubalcain Alhambra[37]
- "Squeal like a pig? I will? You still don't understand? So dense, Alucard. Have you gone completely soft in the head?!"
— Tubalcain Alhambra[38]
- "STUUUPIIIID LITTLLLLLE BIIIITCH!! DON'T FUCK WITH MEEEEEE!"
— Tubalcain Alhambra[39]
Trivia[]
- Alhambra was one of the few Millennium members that is confirmed to not be German.[40]
- In the booklet of the OVA, it was revealed that Alhambra was one of the members of The Werwolf Squad.[41][42] In the manga however, Schrödinger said that he was just a card shark and implied that he wasn't apart of the group.[43]
- His outfit is reminiscent of that of Zé Pilintra in the manga.
References[]
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 4
- ↑ Hellsing: Volume 4 Character Descriptions
- ↑ Order 22: Age of Empire (3) p. 3
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 19
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate IV Booklet
- ↑ HELLSING OVA I - V Blu-ray Box Booklet
- ↑ Order 15: Elevator Action (2)
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate III Booklet
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 4. "My name is Tubalcain Alhambra. By those close to me, I am known as The Dandy."
- ↑ Order 16: Elevator Action (3) p. 22
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 5. "They are there because their foolish superiors wanted it badly enough to sacrifice all their own men. Eternal life, that is."
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate III
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 5
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5)
- ↑ Order 19: Elevator Action (6)
- ↑ Order 59: Wizardry (3)
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate III Booklet
- ↑ HELLSING official guide book p. 100
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate III
- ↑ Order 19: Elevator Action (6)
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate III
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 12
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 18
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate III
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 24. "The bleeding won't stop. There's more to him and his cards than meets the eye."
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate III
- ↑ Order 19: Elevator Action (6) pp. 5-6
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) pp. 15-16
- ↑ HELLSING official guide book p. 100
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 24
- ↑ Order 62: Hundred Swords (1) pp. 17-18
- ↑ Order 15: Elevator Action (2) Chapter Cover
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 4
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 5
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 6
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 18
- ↑ Order 18: Elevator Action (5) p. 26
- ↑ Order 19: Elevator Action (6) p. 1
- ↑ Order 19: Elevator Action (6) p. 5
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate III Booklet
- ↑ Hellsing: Ultimate IV Booklet
- ↑ HELLSING OVA I - V Blu-ray Box Booklet
- ↑ Order 22: Age of Empire (3) p. 3
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||