The Major

The Major History Gallery

The Major
Aliases	First Lieutenant Sturmbannführer Acting Führer Battalion Commander War Machine Montina Max Insane Major
Age	~84/85
Gender	Male
Height	~5'3 (160cm)
Species	Cyborg (Human)
Status	Deceased
Affiliations	The Werwolf Squad Millennium Organization
First appearance (manga)	Hellsing: Volume 2
First appearance (anime)	Hellsing: Psalm of Darkness
First appearance (OVA)	Hellsing: Ultimate III
Japanese seiyū	Nobuo Tobita
English voice	Gildart Jackson

SS Sturmbannführer Montina Max (モンティナ・マックス,, Montina Makkusu), known more by his title as The Major (少佐,, Shōsa), is the main antagonist of the Hellsing series created by Kohta Hirano. He is voiced by Nobuo Tobita in Japanese, and Gildart Jackson in the English dub.

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. He is the supreme commander of Millennium with a goal of defeating the vampire lord Alucard in mind.

Appearance

The Major is a 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 is seen with a wide grin throughout most of the series, although there are a couple scenes where he is seen frowning. This grin is described as being "half laughing" and it is mentioned that his cheek moves very little. He's described as awfully short for a soldier, standing in at around 160cm and was said to be looked in his mid twenties. In the OVA, his hair is blonde and the color of his eyes are changed with a striking yellow color.

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. In the OVA, while his suit remains white, the tie is changed to black with red gem, and his overcoat are beige-colored.

Personality

The Major reveling in the sparks and flames from the carnage below in one of his many dramatic poses

The Major's defining trait in the series is a complete and utter obsession with war. By his own admission, he loves war in any and all of its aspects; even being on the losing side or having his own life at risk provokes nothing but glee and excitement. His insane devotion to war is evident in the sheer fondness with which he regards the havoc Millennium wreaks upon the world, as well as his cavalier approach to death, which was passed on to most of his forces through his speeches. Despite being a former Nazi, the Major does not care for the reasons behind any war, and appears to have no political or ideological leanings. Even during World War II, his enthusiastic work on the Millennium project was solely to ensure that he could wage war forever.

Contrasting his fanatical love of war, the Major is very calm, patient, and soft-spoken, almost always speaking in a polite, amused tone. One can see he seems to prefer an upper-class lifestyle, often seen eating high-class steaks and red wine, as well as wearing expensive clothes. Additionally, he seems to be well-versed in history and literature, often referencing both during speech. He is very eloquent and well-spoken, and often engages in numerous soliloquy-esque monologues. He is a military genius, having planned his attack on London for over half a century, and witnessing almost every detail go according to plan.

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 in Volume 4, 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 percieves 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 is 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.

The Major is an almost textbook example of a sociopath. While he has a certain charm and charisma that allows him to inspire his followers and manipulate his enemies, he cares for no one beyond their usefulness to him and lacks empathy and compassion on almost every level. Only his goals matter to him and while he claims that he and his people all share a common cause, in truth, he only sees them as a means to an end. He has no reservations about the horrors caused by his actions and even delights in the carnage and destruction he causes. This ties into his inherent nihilism and desire to end his existence with the grand swan song he believes he deserves.

The most unsettling thing about the Major beyond his willingness to cause monstrous and devastating ruin to so many innocent people for nothing more than his love of war is the fact that the Major is shown to be completely delusional and, to an extent, disconnected from reality. His actions and implied motivations/desires often directly contradict what he says he wants. While he claims that he wants to die in battle, he almost died in the streets during World War II. Had death in battle truly been what he wanted, he would have allowed himself to die right there. Instead, he allowed The Professor to make him something "other" than human to escape death.

He seems to only be satisfied with dying if it is a grand swan song that he meets on his own terms. Further, he controls an army of the undead, much like Alucard. Lastly, while he sneered at the power of monsters and believed it was his will that made him human, his wish was to die, and it is expressed many times by others, including Alucard, that the will to live and go on is a trait required to be human. Ultimately his great "war" was nothing more than the actions of an evil, petty man lashing out at the world in a last, desperate attempt for recognition.

Relationships

Allies

• The Professor: They have mutual respect for each other, and The Major even goes so far as to comfort the Grand Professor and calls him a "genius," after The Professor fret over the failure of Alhambra. In the end, the protective glass wall that The Professor made for The Major's safety was ironically criticized by The Major for being too "sturdy." Without The Professor's genius, The Major's plan wouldn't have made it this far. The Professor was among those who had worked with The Major since the very start, Captain and Professor also rescued The Major after he was brutally beaten up by the soviets and left bleeding.

• The Captain: The same way Integra puts his trusts in Alucard, The Major puts his trust on The Captain's nature as a werewolf to efficiently complete missions. The Major states that his origins as a "natural werewolf" is why he should be the one called upon in dangerous battles and no one else. It is unknown how, or why The Captain is so loyal to The Major.

• Schrödinger: Schrödinger is someone so crucial for The Major's plans in defeating Alucard. The Major is among of those that understands the true nature of Schrödinger and has a soft spot for the boy, often times playing along with his (Schrödinger) jokes of The Major being too fat. Even when Professor intervenes to scold Schrödinger, The Major often times put a stop on it.

Enemies

• Alucard: The Major is infatuated with Alucard's existence, as he considers him to be a monster who he, The Major, sought to defeat for glory in an attempt to immortalize the Third Reich and not make the world ever forget who or what they are. He never thought that Alucard was a person, nor even a vampire; instead, he thinks that Alucard is a "castle" - a dominion in motion; serfs as a River of Death, led by the will of a tyrant. Up until the climax of the war, The Major said that he thought to himself night and day about what he needed to do to slay him, as that is the only way of waging a war between him (The Major) and Alucard. He prides himself as someone who would never turn into a vampire, even if he thinks that it sure would be delightful. Because of this, while Alucard has everything, meanwhile he has nothing at his disposal other than troops and intelligence.
  
  Indeed, The Major himself says it, he envies Alucard; because he's radiant and beautiful, and that's why The Major hates and loves Alucard, but those reasons are also the reason why that makes him worth being his enemy. This showcases a sign of obsession; he's obsessed with the defeat of Alucard, just that single feeling of victory, no matter what or how, drives The Major to do everything just to defeat Alucard. Even if it takes 50 whole years.

• Sir Integra Hellsing: Initially underestimating Integra, referring to her and insulting her by calling her "Fräulein," until she gathered the courage to order Alucard into eliminating the man who helped form her into what she is, essentially her father. The term "Fräulein" is a phrase used most commonly with young, unmarried women. It is generally considered disrespectful and sexist in the modern age as it is considered a diminutive, with the term "Frau" generally being more acceptable. It is likely that The Major apologizing and refusing to call her "Fräulein" may be in reference to this, as he is no longer considering her a "Young Lady", but as a true equal to himself. At last, the last and first time he had successfully shot and hit something; is grazing Integra's eye.

• Enrico Maxwell: The Major thought nothing of Maxwell. This is something Maxwell knew and took to his advantage in attacking both sides at once. This changed his perspective on the boy, although only a little. He states that he's certainly not that bad when he puts his mind into it, meaning that Maxwell is cunning if he never goes borderline insane. This is ironic, as he went borderline insane soon after in his massacre of the London population in which he considers and thinks that they're "heretics" and protestants deserves to be wiped off of the face of the earth.

Abilities

Cyborg
Intelligence and Master Strategist: The Major is an effective planner and strategist, developing complex plans to achieve his goals for over half a century. He accounts for the personalities and usual mannerisms of allies and enemies alike and never takes anything for granted - notably, he considers Integra and Seras to be high-priority threats simply because he knows little about their capabilities.
OVA Manga	Cyborg Physiology: 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.
OVA Manga Purely with his immense human will, The Major repelled and formed a circle from a blood that would've granted him vampiric capabilities Purely with his immense human will, The Major repelled and formed a circle from a blood that would've granted him vampiric capabilities	Indomitable Will: During a flashback, it is revealed that through sheer force of will, The Major was able to repel blood that would have turned him into a vampire, even causing it to form a circle around him. It is unknown if all humans are actually capable of this, or if The Major was one of few. After he is shot and revealed to be part machine, he claims it is his will that drives him, and claims a human's will to be "precious beyond all worth" and to be what defines a human, even going as far as to claim it is the one trait that puts humans above even angels (as according to the Bible, the angels do not possess free will).
	Gifted Orator: Like his führer before him, The Major's main asset is his ability to inspire his troops with enthusiastic speeches. He can take almost any situation and spin it into a speech that will strengthen Millennium's morale for their next operation. Probably the best example of the Major's oration abilities is his famous "I Love War" speech from Volume 4, where Millennium is preparing their assault on London. Speeches: I Love War: Reveals Personality, and demonstrates his ability to lead men into battle. Most famous of his speeches in the series. Views on Alucard: Reveals some of his backstory, and his views on Alucard and vampirism, particularly its costs. Death Speech: His final moments, he reveals that he values his humanity over power, and explains that what makes someone a human is their will.
Biological Immortality
As a cyborg, he is forever young. As long as the machinery powering his life functions is kept in good working order, he is effectively immune to dying of natural causes.

Weaknesses

• Limited Marksmanship: The Major has some training with small firearms, apparently favoring pistols. Unfortunately, his aim is abysmal, leaving him unable to hit a target even if it is stationary and only a few feet away. This is shown when he tried to execute the captain of the Deus Ex Machina for insubordination, and ends up missing all 8 shots from his pistol at point-blank range, causing The Professor to mock his poor marksmanship and question how he managed to get into the SS. This is shown again during his final duel with Integra Hellsing, where out of his 8 shots, he only grazes the eye of Integra, despite her being at close range and actually approaching him, which he states to himself is the first time he has ever hit someone with a gun.

Weapons

TBA

Concept and Creation

The character of The Major's design, including possibly his real name, are based off of a character from "Coyote," a hentai-centric manga Hirano did during his early years. The character is specifically Montana Max (モンティナ・マックス). The transformation of his character design is noticeable, as in Coyote, his design was plump as fat as his finalized version of his design in Hellsing. Though when he made his first full appearance, the Major appears to be much slimmer than in future volumes. This is most likely because Hirano had not yet decided on a final look for the character. However, Hirano confirmed The Major's motif is based on American actor Philip Seymour Hoffman on his own twitter.

His last line in the series, "It was a great war," was drawn with the intention that he fought with everything he had. Hirano stated that had Zorin not gone berserk; the headquarters would be taken out, however Iscariot and Hellsing working together was beyond his calculations, in which it was a fight he should've been able to win. But the Major liked both winning and losing so he was probably thinking something like "In war, unexpected things can happen." Hirano further continues by saying that The Major's intentions are just to have a really grand and big war, even had they win and vampires are spread throughout the world, there'd probably be a civil war.

Name

His title has been consistently translated throughout the medias Hellsing has been published in, whether English or Japanese. His name, although never spoken even once in the entirety of the manga, are referenced through various points within illustrations and panels. In Chapter 20, the scribbles of texts among the black cover and text bubbles has "Montiana Max" written on it not once, but twice. This same panel also has "Hance Ginsshu," the original name for the prototype character of The Captain, written on it. Although this could be a nod to Major's prototype character, the back cover illustration for Volume 5 features a handbook belonging to The Major which features The Major's real name. While not clear, what appears to be "Montina Max" is written on the handbook as presumably his real name.

Trivia

• There are a few minor but noticeable inconsistencies in the Major's appearance towards the end of Volume 10. In one panel, he has clearly lost half of his left leg, but in his very last appearance, it appears to be entirely intact. Also, the remains of his glasses are shown falling to the floor after Integra shoots him, but they are back on his face immediately afterwards.
• Before the reveal of the Major's true nature, some fans - and ADR Director Taliesin Jaffe - theorized that he was actually the incarnation/mortal disguise of a war god. They pointed to the Major's love of war, his apparent lack of a real name, his mysterious past, and his apparent immortality as clues, and the idea was briefly referenced in Volume 4, when Maxwell tells Anderson that the enemy of the Ninth Crusade was Mars, the Roman god of war.
• In the English Commentary of Hellsing: Ultimate IV, Taliesin Jaffe stated that the Major's "War Speech" was one of the hardest things he had ever directed, taking around three days to complete.
  • As an additional joke, Jaffe added a "Karaoke Version" of the Major's speech in the Limited Edition of the DVD.
• The Major's infamous "I Love War" speech may have been inspired by the "Total War" speech given by Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels in 1943 as the tide of World War II began to turn on the Axis powers.
• According to Hirano, The Major is an Otaku.
  • At the end of Hellsing: Ultimate III (and also Order 21: Age of Empire (2) in the manga), Major sings "Tough Boy" in German, which is one of the openings from Fist of the North Star. In this anime, seiyuu Nobuo Tobita also voiced one of the main villains in flashback from his childhood.
• Before 1941, the Major was a first lieutenant. It is unclear how he was promoted to his current rank, but it is possible the promotion came due to Major's successful involvement in the vampire project. If so, it's possible that he would have been promoted again when the research bore fruit, had Nazi Germany not been defeated.
• In the OVA, The Major is the only character to make an appearance in all ten episodes.