The Captain

The Captain (大尉 Taii?, Hauptsturmführer) is a character in the manga Hellsing and a member of the Millennium forces and the Waffen-SS.

The Captain is the Major's silent, stoic adjutant and bodyguard. Unlike the Major and Lieutenant Rip van Winkle, he still wears a full uniform in the main story, which is similar to a M42 Greatcoat with its neckguard constantly turned up, and an M43 officer's cap emblazoned with the Totenkopf symbol. The Captain is a natural werewolf, able to transform at will and fight in either human, werewolf or wolf form. Like Alucard is Hellsing's trump card, and Alexander Anderson is Iscariot's, he could be considered Millennium's.He is the second highest ranking member of Millennium implying to be second in command.

Abilities and Weapons

The Captain possesses immense superhuman ability, even while in human form. This includes superhuman senses, strength (strong enough to bend steel bars or shatter limbs with a single kick), speed, reflexes/reactions, agility, dexterity, flexibility, coordination, balance, and endurance. His iron-like flesh can withstand Walter's wires (which can easily slice solid steel), even as they are tightened around his bare neck. He seems to be able to fall great distances without sustaining any damage, as seen in chapter 58, Wizardry (2). The Captain has some regenerative ability, as he quickly regenerated his mutilated hand in The Dawn. Being a real life 'wolf-man' he also has the ability to transform into white, fur-like mist similar to Alucard and is shown on several scenes growing fur. In addition to his natural abilities, the Captain possesses two modified Mauser C96s with incredibly long barrels, and a combat knife though he never uses it.

The Captain in Hellsing Vol. 6

History

The mysterious SS officer fought a fourteen year-old Walter C. Dornez as well as Alucard during an attack on Millennium's main research facility in Warsaw during World War II in 1944,[9] in the yet unfinished prequel story Hellsing: The Dawn. He squared off with Walter and managed to resist his wires, then choke him into submission before the fight was interrupted by Alucard. Alucard, on the other hand, backed out after getting kicked in half by the Captain, and left Walter to fend for himself while chasing after the Major. It is believed, based on information in the main storyline, that Walter came to an agreement with Millennium and left the compound, having seemingly aided in the destruction of the early undead soldier project. However, there is no official word that explicitly confirms or denies this yet.

Later in the same year, the Captain participated in the infamous Malmedy massacre on 17 December,[10] during the Battle of the Bulge. (Based on a photograph in chapter 82.) From a photograph taken on the 20th, he and the Major were still in the Ardennes area. (On the backcover of volume 3.) He would ultimately travel with the rest of Millennium to South America and stay in hiding for decades.

Over 55 years later, the Captain was sent to retrieve Walter for a certain process, during the invasion of England in 1999. As Walter and Integra Hellsing attempted to drive back to Hellsing HQ, Walter spotted the Captain blocking the road and approaching them. Walter then urged his master to flee, and attacked The Captain with his wires. The Captain caught them in his hands, and it looked like it would lead into a great duel, except the duel was never shown, leading fans to speculate about the Captain and Walter's relationship and Walter's loyalties. Later on, The Captain leaped from the Major's zeppelin to confront Alucard with Alexander Anderson. He was surprised to see Alucard's 'counter-attack', and backed off for the time being.

Several facts about this man were revealed in later chapters of The Dawn:

In chapter 4, after waking up and exiting his coffin, Alucard immediately sensed that The Captain was neither human nor vampire, and remarked that he thought his kind had been wiped out long ago.

In chapter 5, 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 Werwolf 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.

Although he was seen in chapter 68 Might and Magic (2) with long strands of hair forming on his face, chapter 74 Relics shows The Captain swiftly shooting Heinkel Wolfe in his human form. It is revealed in chapter 76 Finest hour that he deliberately shot through her cheek to spare Heinkel's life. The Captain attempts to directly communicate with Heinkel by making gestures with his head, which is interpreted as a warning to not interfere with Walter and Alucard's duel. After tossing Heinkel a first aid kit, he leaps up into the air and departs. This scene has been a subject of interest to many fans. The Captain, a werewolf with incredible strength, speed, and the ability to regenerate, would have no need for a first aid kit, and hence, no need to even carry one. 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.

At the end of chapter 81, the Captain confronted Seras Victoria and Sir Integra, who stormed the Major's zeppelin. In chapter 82, the Captain allowed Integra to pass, even pointing out the direction of the bridge to her, then engaged Seras in a gun battle, which ended with him transforming into a werewolf. In chapter 84, he stood in a two-page spread, facing Seras in the form of a monstrously large wolf. The Captain then flew toward her in a similar way to Alucard's Baskerville familiar and dealt a powerful blow to Seras, ricocheting her off a wall and the ceiling. He swiftly changed into his bipedal werewolf form and kicked her down through the floor of the Hindenburg II and onto the ground below, jumping down to follow her. In chapter 85, he displays even more of his mist-like abilities, as even after being dealt what would appear to be a fatal blow from Seras' shadows, the Captain just dissolved into mist only to reform, standing atop her shadows, unharmed.

In chapter 86, he continued to trade blows with the Draculina, until Seras managed to stop one of his kicks by biting and holding his leg in her mouth. This gave Pip Bernadotte (from within Seras' body) the chance to thrust a tooth with a silver filling from a concentration camp prisoner into the Captain's chest. The chapter ends with the Captain's dogtag falling to the floor and splitting in half. The Captain then falls to the floor dying, he lies still while a smile slowly creeps on his face. He is then shown laughing (like a child according to Seras) before his body bursts into flames like previous Millennium members. Unlike the rest of the Millennium members, this may have been because he had finally been freed from the horrendous things he had done and could finally rest in peace. This can be determined from his chivalrous nature shown several times throughout the manga series.

The Captain is based on a character named Hans Gunshce in one of Hirano's older works, called "Desert Shutzstaffel". Unlike his Hellsing counterpart, this early incarnation of the Captain spoke and opposed the Axis forces during World War II. Interestingly, the Captain shows little enthusiasm for Millennium's Nazi traditions. While the other soldiers wear Swastikas and address the Major as their Führer, the Captain's only badge of allegiance is the Totenkopf on his cap. Given that he was already a century old by the beginning of World War II, it is possible that the Captain's motive for joining Millennium was to find a worthy opponent to be slain by, rather than the hysteria of the Third Reich that gripped Germany prior to the war.