Hellsing: The Dawn

Hellsing agents Alucard and young Walter, the resourceful Hellsing family butler, are sent to Nazi-occupied Europe in 1944 to stop the Nazis' attempt to create a vampire army.

Hellsing: The Dawn (2011) is a Japanese animated horror action prequel OVA produced by Geneon Entertainment and Geneon Universal Entertainment. Across three brief nine-minute episodes, Hellsing agents Alucard (Jouji Nakata) and the resourceful young family butler Walter C. Dornez (Romi Park) travel into Nazi-occupied Europe in 1944 to stop a scheme to create a vampire army. Arthur Hellsing (Daisuke Namikawa) and Hugh Irons (Junichi Suwabe) move through the wartime landscape alongside them, while the SS officer Major (Nobuo Tobita) pushes the Nazi project forward. The engine is brisk and simple: the heroes slip past enemy lines, hunt the undead, and fight through bloody confrontations whose gore and gunplay are the point. Set against the grim backdrop of World War II, the tone is brutal, theatrical and gleefully excessive, with horror imagery sitting alongside stylish monster combat. Its sharp, compact format makes it a quick, intense watch. Fans of Hellsing Ultimate, Castlevania: Nocturne and Blade will find similar gothic vampire hunting and wartime supernatural violence here.

Audience reception is mixed, with fans of the Hellsing franchise appreciating its action and gothic style while finding the very short runtime limiting.

• Hellsing Ultimate (2006)shared vampire action horror tone with gothic military styling
• Castlevania: Nocturneshared wartime supernatural action with Nazi-era horror villains
• Bladeshared vampire hunter action in a stylized horror register

Release Date

2011-11-27

Episode runtime

9 min

Rating

6.6 / 10 (111)

What is Hellsing: The Dawn about?

A short animated OVA in which vampire agent Alucard and young butler Walter fight a Nazi plan to build an undead army in 1944 Europe.

What is Hellsing: The Dawn like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hellsing: The Dawn as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.

Is Hellsing: The Dawn violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in Hellsing: The Dawn as graphic.

What did critics think of Hellsing: The Dawn?

Audience reception is mixed, with fans of the Hellsing franchise appreciating its action and gothic style while finding the very short runtime limiting.

Which shows are like Hellsing: The Dawn?

Shows with a similar feel include Hellsing Ultimate (2006), Castlevania: Nocturne, and Blade.

How long is Hellsing: The Dawn?

Hellsing: The Dawn: 1 season, 3 episodes.

Is Hellsing: The Dawn still running?

No, Hellsing: The Dawn has ended.