Hellsing: A Vampire Detective Series
Vampire detectives have become common in the Western pop culture after Twilight and True Blood became popular. But even though the setting is the same, Japanese vampire detective stories are very different from their Western counterparts. The protagonist of Hellsing isn’t just a human being who happens to be a detective who specializes in supernatural cases – he’s a serious student of the occult who has dedicated his life to fighting the forces of darkness. This kind of character is very common in the occult – in fact, it’s the reason why people think of occultism as a “nerdy” pursuit.
The Hellsing series is also very unique in that it doesn’t just focus on the protagonist as a single, focused figure. The characters in the Hellsing world are just as important as the protagonist, and they all have interesting backstories and personalities. In the first season, the main character is a human being and the Alucard-Vampire pair is the antagonists. In the second season, the main character is a Vampire and the man-machine pair are the antagonists. This kind of storytelling is extremely rare in mainstream media, where the protagonist is often the singular figure and the antagonists are nothing but evil.
Hellsing 102 – The Occult Philosophy of the Series
Vampires are dangerous, undead creatures who crave blood and use their dusky powers to wreak havoc. But do you remember when vampires used to be revered as gods and symbolized the power of the Underworld? This is the kind of frequently forgotten information that the Hellsing series illustrates.
In the first season, the main character is a human being and the Alucard-Vampire pair is the antagonists. In the second season, the main character is a Vampire and the man-machine pair is the antagonists. And in both of those cases, the antagonists are the embodiments of supernatural forces.
The Hellsing series also illustrates how humans (or rather, “humans” in the Hellsing world) are nothing but slaves who are ruled over by supernatural beings. This is an important concept in the occult philosophy. Humans mindlessly obey their rulers, but they themselves are ruled by the stars and the elements. And the way the Hellsing series illustrates this is incredibly entertaining – human beings have been transformed into monsters and have lost most of their free will. They’re just mindless, machine-like beings.
Hellsing 103 – The Legends of the Series
The legends about vampires and werewolves in the Hellsing series are surprisingly similar to many real-world legends. The protagonist reads up on vampire lore and research on demons, and it turns out that many of the legends are true. The legends about vampires are also fascinatingly similar to many myths about demon-human hybrids.
In Hellsing, it also turns out that many of the legends about werewolves are true, too. The main character finds out that werewolves are actually were-creatures – human beings who were bitten by true werewolves.
Conclusion
Hellsing is a really interesting anime series that’s full of occult symbolism, legends, references, and cool creatures. If you wanted to learn more about the occult philosophy and werewolves and vampires, Hellsing is a great choice. You can also enjoy watching other anime series if you want to explore other topics, as well. The best thing about Hellsing is that even if you don’t enjoy it, you can pick up on the occult symbolism. Anyone can learn a lot from watching Hellsing, even if it doesn’t seem like it would have anything for you.