Alexander Anderson

**Alexander Anderson** (アレクサンド・アンデルセン*Arekusando Anderusen*?) is a Vatican priest, working as a vampire hunter and agent of the Iscariot branch of the Vatican. He is also the arch-rival of Alucard. In the English dub of the anime and OVA, he is portrayed as having a Scottish accent, though canonically his nationality is unknown. He lives in Italy, operating an orphanage outside Vatican City. He serves as the foil to Alucard as both an antagonist and type of anti-villain in the series, both in the TV anime and the OVA series.

The early history of Alexander Anderson is largely unknown, such as when he joined Iscariot or what his childhood life was like and even appeared in Crossfire alongside Enrico Maxwell discussing missions to Heinkel and Yumiko. However, it is sometimes speculated that Kouta Hirano's hentai series Angel Dust, which depicts a younger character named Anderson who shares many similarities with Alexander, can be used to show some of what happened in Anderson's past.

In confirmed canon, Anderson first appears in Hellsing Volume 1, when he is convinced by Father Renaldoto travel to Northern Ireland to deal with Alucard and Seras Victoria who are hunting a vampire. Believing that Northern Ireland is Catholic land and Protestant England has no jurisdiction there, Anderson agrees and travels there. He confronts Alucard, cutting off his head and chasing Seras through the building they are in. He catches up to Seras and is stopped by Integra just as he is about to kill her. Anderson states that he will not back down against a "Protestant whore" and swiftly kills Integra's bodyguards. Before he can kill Integra herself, Alucard regenerates himself and engages Anderson. Anderson retreats when he realizes he can't defeat Alucard with his current weapons and teleport's away, shouting: "We'll meet again, Hellsing! Next time, I'll butcher you all".

Anderson appears in Volume 2 with Enrico Maxwell, the head of Iscariot to discuss with Integra about the instigator of the attack on the Hellsing manor led by Luke and Jan Valentine. Alucard appears after Maxwell insults Integra, and Maxwell responds by calling Anderson into play. Before they can start another duel, Alucard and Anderson are interrupted by Seras leading a group of elderly Japanese tourists (possibly because of some agreement with Walter that Alucard would not destroy the museum since the two smiled at each other after everyone had gone). The two decide to postpone their fight. Anderson proceeds to leave, commenting on the quality of the museum and asking Maxwell if next time he could bring some of the orphans to visit. In an almost humorously agitated manner, he then swears that he will rip Alucard to pieces the next time they meet.

In Volume 3, Anderson is briefly seen watching the fight between Tubalcain Alhambra and Alucard on television, at first looking amused, but later enraged.

In Volume 4, Anderson is sent to deliver a message to Alucard and Seras to return to London and report on the Millennium Organization, a task which he fails to accomplish without first getting into a brief scuffle (specifically, a fistfight) with Alucard. Afterwards, he engages in battle with some paramilitaries sympathetic to the Millennium cause.

In Volume 6, after The Major declares war against England, Anderson brings the rest of Iscariot with him to England and saves Integra from a group of Nazi vampires. When Heinkel Wolfe attempts to apprehend her, Integra disagrees and asks Anderson if this is permissible, to which Anderson says it is not. He instructs Iscariot to follow Integra's instruction by escorting her back to the Hellsing manor.

Later, in Volume 7, Maxwell arrives in England with the remnants of the armies used in the Holy Crusades and takes the opportunity to kill all English "heretics". Seeing this, Anderson believes Enrico has quit serving God and now only serves his own power. When Heinkel informs Anderson of Iscariot's new orders to take Integra prisoner, Anderson expresses his displeasure. Before he can act against the rest of Iscariot, Seras arrives with her new powers awakened and does it for him. Anderson acknowledges her newfound power, telling Heinkel (and Yumie in the OVA) that Seras was not something the ordinary members of Iscariot could hope to fight any longer. Volume 8

After watching Maxwell's attack on London and Alucard proceeding to decimate the Catholic Army and the Last Battalion with his familiars, Anderson decides that it was finally time for him to finish the vampire. He calmly tells the rest of Iscariot to head towards the Vatican in order to protect the Pope and all of Catholicism in general before wishing them farewell (he knows the fight with Alucard will likely take his life) and teleporting to Alucard and Integra's location. However, when he engages Alucard in combat, Alucard introduces him to the Jackal which Anderson had never encountered before. Using the Jackal, Alucard blows off a large portion of Anderson's left arm, which does not seem to be able to regenerate itself. Alucard then taunts Anderson, who blindly charges into Alucard's familiars in an attempt to re-engage him. Alucard is impressed with Anderson's spirit, stating how interesting humans and their indemonstrable will are and even compares Anderson to Van Hellsing himself (it seems that Alucard would be proud to die in combat against Anderson). Anderson manages to defeat many of Alucard's familiars by using an explosive and bayonet-lined chain, but he is still overwhelmed.

Trapped in the mesh of undead, Anderson is saved by the remnants of Section XIII. Headed by Heinkel Wolfe and Yumiko Takagi, the Iscariot soldiers use suicide bomber-like tactics to fend off the familiars. Anderson finally arrives before Alucard and reveals the weapon that Vatican Section III Matthew had provided him with: Helena's Nail. Alucard begs Anderson not to become a monster like himself. Anderson doesn't heed the warning and states that he wishes to become a being neither human or demon, but a whirlwind of destruction and piety. After impaling himself with the nail and transforming, Anderson and Alucard do battle, with Anderson nearly being allowed to defeat Alucard with his newly acquired powers. Seras intervenes but is overwhelmed by Anderson's thorns. Note that, even though Anderson became a monster, Alucard would have still been satisfied if he'd been defeated. By being defeated, Alucard would have earned a period of rest and comfort, knowing that his own "trials became yours [to Anderson]". Seeing his fledgling in danger, however, Alucard wakes up and intervenes to save Seras, and is reminded of his belief that only humans should slay monsters, thus snapping out of his dream of finally resting in peace. After healing, Alucard dissolves the thorns surrounding him and shatters Anderson's blade. Alucard then charges Anderson and, plunging his hand into Anderson's chest, removes the nail along with Anderson's heart.

This destroys most of Anderson's body in the process. As Anderson dies, he and Alucard exchange words as what remains of him decays and turns to ash. Anderson tells Alucard that although he is about to die, Alucard will forever live on, as he always has throughout the ages. He also has a moment of deep insight into Alucard's state of being, rhetorically asking him if he became a monster so that he would not have to cry. As he dies, Anderson hears the voices of the children from his orphanage playing, implying that he has been accepted into Heaven, and reminds them to say their prayers daily before he finally passes away. Integra bows her head and respectfully places Alucard's sword on the ground in order to form a crossover Anderson's body while Yumie, Heinkel, and Seras all engage in prayer or deep thought for the fallen paladin.

With a final "Amen" (which Alucard repeats with a slight smile on his face, signaling the respect he felt for Anderson), a DE-aged Walter descends from the sky and crushes what's left of Anderson's ashes under his shoe and grinds it into the ground. Walter then insults Anderson by saying "Mourning is not necessary for rubbish". Yumie attempts to avenge this desecration of Anderson's remains but is swiftly cut down by Walter. Later, in Volume 10, during the fight between Alucard and Walter, Alucard taunts his former friend by stating that if Anderson couldn't defeat him then a "brat" like Walter never could. In the epilogue, Heinkel had became a regenerator like Anderson and had succeeded him as the main enforcer with rivalry with Seras resembling their mentors' rivalry.