The Major (Hellsing)
The Major is a male anime and manga villain who features in Hellsing.
Contents |
Biography
The Major (Japanese: 少佐, Hepburn: Shōsa?) was the name given to a German man who lived in Nazi Germany and joined the military. A former first lieutenant of the SS, Adolf Hitler issued a special order (#666) placing him in charge of a top-secret project, the main focus of which was the perfection of an artificial vampirization process. The success of this project would allow the Nazis to utilize vampires in battle and turn the tide of the war in their favor. The operation was attacked and shut down by a young Walter Dornez and Alucard in Warsaw, Poland, in 1944. However, the defeat proved to be only a minor setback, as the Major and his subordinates managed to escape to South America unharmed. There they resumed their research.
Although other Nazi officers with higher ranks accompanied Millennium to their South American hideout and attempted to exert their authority, the vampire officers loyal to the Major quickly executed them. Depending on the translation used, the Major is variously a sub-commander or the founder of Millennium, as well as the leader of a Werwolf special force.
Major and Integra Hellsing duel to the death. As the final battle starts, because of an attack by Seras, the Major's left side is blown off, revealing himself to be a cyborg. After this discovery, Integra debates whether he was a monster or not, since he wasn't literally human. The Major responds by saying that as long as his will existed he was human, no matter what has become of his body. His reason for despising Alucard is that, though the Major is a human who looks like a monster, the vampire is a monster who looks like a human, something that he can never forgive. In the end, Integra shoots the Major to kill him,but the Major dies with a smile on his face. It appears that he has died a happy man with no regrets, having fulfilled his dream of a grand war.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, the Major was a small, plump, short obese man with metallic grey hair and pink pupils. His hair is oddly styled, with a longer section coming up and then down again in the front left side of his head, like a folded piece of paper. He was almost always seen grinning that was described as being 'half laughing' with it being mentioned that his cheek moved very little. He was described as awfully short for a soldier, standing in at around 160cm and was said to be looked in his mid twenties. He is dressed impeccably, wearing an expensive white shirt with a white tie and black gem under a matching white double-breasted suit and overcoat, white trousers and shoes and a pair of white gloves and circle-framed glasses.
He was shown as being unprepossessing, ruthless and psychopathic, his pleasant smile is the mask on a madman. He commands with a good-natured attitude, which can change in a moment to cruelty or grandiose elation. In the manga, if the information given by the corrupt priest that was interrogated by Enrico Maxwell is correct then the Major was between 26 and 27 years old in the year 1941
The original purpose of the Nazi vampire research was to ensure Germany's victory in World War II and to create a Reich that would last for a thousand years (hence the name "Millennium"), but the Major claims that he has "no purpose". He states that he simply wishes to start an endless war. In his famous "I Love War" speech, he elaborates on his love for all facets of war, regardless of which side is winning. While addressing Integra Hellsing's question as to his specific goal, he says that he has no goal. He explains that while others settle on no means in obtaining their goals, he will settle on no goals in obtaining his means. He was completely dedicated and utterly obsessed with war. The Major stated that he loved war in any and all of its aspects. Such obsession went to even being on the losing side of a conflict or risking his life with such events only bringing glee to him.
Despite not caring whether his soldiers live or die, he acts as if he cares for them as a group, giving them morale speeches and making note of acts worthy of reward; however, this does not extend to traitors, who he will happily have executed. He also has no qualms about dealing out punishment for other forms of insubordination, which in his "I Love War" speech is one of the things he declares enjoying. However, The Major freely admits his own evil while mocking the righteousness of his enemies; when he crashes the Queen's meeting, he mocks both Integra and Maxwell's beliefs while claiming that Millennium has no goals beyond wanton destruction and slaughter.
Despite being a self-proclaimed fiend and madman, the Major is very proud and protective of, what he perceives to be, his humanity, which he defines as his willpower and 'soul'. During the fall of Berlin, he rejected the temptation to drink blood and ensure his survival by becoming a vampire, even though he seemed to be on the verge of death, and even though vampirism would mean he would be able to taste life eternal and wage war throughout the centuries. It was this pride that leads to the Major's campaign against Alucard, who he views as a monster and an inherently inferior being for sacrificing his humanity for power - a sentiment ironically shared by Alucard himself.
He seemingly recognized his own nature as he referred to himself as an irremediable lout and as mad. In addition, he held a dim view on God as he believed that if a person as himself existed and allowed to flourish then God himself must also be just as insane.
Powers and abilities
The Major was born an ordinary human being with no superhuman abilities at first. He was shown as being a gifted orator, possessed a charismatic nature and held an indominable will.
He was later converted into a cyborg allowing him to remain forever young so long as the machines that maintained his life functions were supplied sufficient power. As a cyborg, The Major's physical body is incredibly durable. He was able to survive a shot sent by an 88mm Flak head on that destroyed half of his body. Even then, he still survived the explosion, and until Integra shot his brain that was when The Major was finally killed. The degree of his cyborg-nature is uncertain. The Major was seen consuming beverages and food, he also bled when injured, so it can be assumed that a good part of his body was still biological. The circumstance that the Major still displayed a poor marksmanship, not enhanced by his artificial parts, suggests that his mechanical components were limited to life support.
He came to be the leader of Millennium (ミレニアム Mireniamu?) that was a Nazi paramilitary organization.
Notes
- The Major was created by Kouta Hirano where he featured in the setting of the Hellsing universe.
In other media
- In Hellsing, the Major did not appear in the first television anime series and was instead replaced with a new original story arc along with the villain Incognito.
- In Hellsing: Ultimate, the Major appeared in the setting of the anime television series where he was voiced by Japanese actor Nobuo Tobita and by English actor Gildart Jackson.
Appearances
- Hellsing:
External Links
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