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HIRANO: Now then, it's time for us to get to work digging through these germ-filled
leftovers. ...Fufufu.
Interviewer: ...Ah, so this is where you were, you scum. What a filthy ruin. I searched for
you y'know, you piece of garbage.
HIRANO: What's with you guys? This is my house! This is my house! Get out!
Interviewer: Aah, it's been a while, hasn't it? Don't you remember our interview before?
Weren't you writing a manga called Hellsing back then? I'm gonna make a zine about it this
time.
HIRANO: Ah, ah you guy's! You're from that Pafu place...!
Interviewer: Pafu isn't here anymore.
HIRANO: Get out! I don't have anything to talk about with the media, so get out!
Interviewer: Come on now, if we release this in a magazine we'll pay you too, so you'll at
least be able to buy a can of alcohol, right? Let's have an interview again.
HIRANO: Shut up! You bunch of unmannered hooligans! Leave! Now that you don't have the
prestige of being with Pafu you aren't scary to me at all!
Interviewer: AH? You wanna bring it on? It seems you don't learn even if brought to the
brink of death twice now, you dimwit!
HIRANO: Bring it on! C'mon now!
HELLSING Memorable moments...
Interviewer: (While washing a pair of bloody brass knuckles in a ditch) 3 years have passed
since the series' conclusion, but looking back on it, what does Hellsing mean to you?
HIRANO: (Tch)
Interviewer: Ah?
HIRANO: Ah, it's nothing... sorry.
Interviewer: Do I need to repeat the question?
HIRANO: Ah... it's fine... Sorry.
Interviewer: And?
HIRANO: Ah, I guess it's just youthful enthusiasm or... Well I just did it however I wanted
to... Really sorry.

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Hirano: thats about all I can say At any rate it was my first long-term serialization, so I
decided to do everything I wanted to do, and it was a work that resulted from tossing
everything in.

Interviewer: One would call that youthful zeal, but I wonder how youthful zeal could lead
to destroying England.

Hirano: It got translated and published in many countries, but it doesnt have an English
release. Even when its published in Polish, Czech, and Russian.
Interviewer: Serves you right

Hirano: But I dont regret it.

Interviewer: You should. Aside from the prequel THE DAWN, do you have any plans to
draw spin-offs and such?

Hirano: The prequel story isnt finished, so I would like to draw that. Though I dont have
any place to draw it for. Regarding the main story, I consider it a completed work. So Im
not particularly interested in drawing anything like a sequel. That story has ended.

Interviewer: And the final chapter does effectively serve as a sequel. Die

Hirano: Did you just say die? Well, thats true. I already drew a sequel there, so if I try to
continue any further itll only become a sequel to the sequel.

Interviewer: Okay, then give us some secret HELLSING trivia that you can reveal now.

Hirano: I pretty much revealed them all in the Puff interview, you punk. Like Heinkel being
a futanari. I originally meant for it to be a joke, but people started asking me Is she a
futanari? Does she have a dick? and I had to draw her with Heinkel is a futanari on my
mind ever since, you know. The anime OVA staff even had to change Heinkels VA from
male to female when I told them Turns out Heinkel is a futanari. Its all your fault. I hear
they originally planned Sugita-san for the role. Dont you feel bad for Gin-san? Apologize to
Gin-san.

Interviewer: I dont care, thats just how you feel. So, are there any moments or scenes
that have a special place in your heart?

Hirano: Theres one. That time I wasted an entire chapter on The Majors speech. It took
balls to show the script to my editor for the first time. He gives a speech this chapter and
thats it, how crazy is that? Hes like Tonegawa on the Espoir. I did check with them several
times, mind you. Are you really okay with this? Im going to draw it for real. Are you sure?
Ill never forget the chief editor giving me a look that said Yeah, but Yeah, but

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Interviewer: Even the anime staff too, when they make the anime, doesnt it seem that they
think in their heads, what shall we do with this? Standing for six and a half minutes, the
fatty, pretending to be like Chaplin, chatted by himself with reckless abandon. This doesnt
seem possible (normally)
Hirano: It seems that the voice fitter, Asukada-san was also in a difficult situation, you
know. I am very sorry.
Interviewer: In manga, since there are a lot of characters, things like phototypesetting and
proofreading seem very difficult. Manga artists dont understand things like the troubles of
editors face. Go die
Hirano: Shut up. You go die.
(Omission due to profanity)
Interviewer: Please tell us about what you remember from the event that you went to.
Hirano: I accidentally came across a gay parade in the city, and it was quite amazing.
Large numbers of gay men who bring up Katsuhiro Otomos manga paraded on a pink track.
Interviewer: Since it was only gays, was it really an accident? Lol
Hirano: Ill beat you to death. Afterwards, the civilians saw that they made a small museum
like thing and displayed a heap of V1 rockets. The civilians thought what a bunch of
unexploded bombs, worthless. Then I went to a small army museum. They were showing
this movie that was like 'look at all the terrible things our army did to the Japanese army!'
Then, the old dude that was standing there (some museum staff) looked at me with the
most self-satisfied look on his face. He really did! I'm sure of it!"
Then Hirano describes himself getting pissed off about this (and possible erect) and
fantasizing about getting back (at this old dude? possibly?)
Interviewer: People who draw manga out of frustration are the worst, aren't they? By the
way, there are lots of different types of aircraft and missiles in your manga, plus the
characters use a wide variation of weapons, but out of these are there any you like in
particular?
Hirano then talks about how the doesn't particularly care about an accurate depiction of
weapons in his manga and is just like "whatever" as long as it looks ok in the picture. Like,
he draws Alucard's weapon from whichever angle looks better. It also has an endless supply
of bullets.
Then he describes a scene in which Millennium vampires" attack a mansion.. Bernadotte
uses the directional anti-personnel mine, the Claymore, it's not like he would really destroy
tankers in a big explosion like that.
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Interviewer:As for the weapons that have been drawn, somebody mentioned that Father
Anderson's bayonet, and Lieutenant Rip Vans musket gave off a very special impression.
Hirano :Who said that? Isn't the bayonet cooler? The shape of the bayonet itself is pretty
interesting. Well, same goes for the musket guns too, Mami-san.
Interviewer: No! Mami-san wasn't even yet there at the time!
Hirano:Tits.
Interviewer: I am confused! Anyway, what about Zorin's large scythe?
Hirano: Well, I had to put a tattoo on Zorin just so she could stand out as a character. Her
external appearance had these tattoos that covered half of her body and what was called
glaring so I thought why not give her a huge scythe too. To be honest, I hate Zorin the
most, so in hindsight I should have made her hold shit instead. It was a pain in the ass to
draw her tattoos, she had weak character, and she had no appeal. This is a triple handicap
right here. Am I Helen Keller? So I thought of balancing it with a large scythe. I also
thought of letting her fight barehanded without any weapons, but then again... She's not
Shizu-chan, you know!
Interviewer: Hey, Shizu-chan wasn't even a boxer back then.
Hirano : Anyway, it's just way to hard to draw her! Too hard! Half of her body is covered
with tattoos of spells, you know. It's not just the body too, if she stretches out a hand on
the wall or the floor, how the heck am I supposed to draw her?
Interviewer: Is this about Shizu-chan?
Hirano: No!! Shizu-chan is a monster, right? I'm not an idiot, you know. Anyway me and my
assistant drew those scenes with faces like a wet weekend. Heck, even Ash-san told me off,
"Why did you get yourself into this sort of trouble, " he said. I, Ash-san, and all of my
editors kept yelling to ourselves, "Let's just end our lives here!"" repeatedly.
Interviewer: Is this about Shizu-chan?
Hirano : Shut up! I have no friggin clue about why are you thinking this is Shizu-chan! So,
right, and that's why Zorin died the most horrible death. That's just personal revenge. It is
a sanction by the author myself, "You will never be drawn again!". This is the iron fist of
law. I will never forgive you, and I will never let you be revived or appear again.
Interviewer: I think you have a sickness. Leaving that aide, the battle against Zorin

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Interviewer: was an important battle for Seras that decided whether to "drink Bernadotte's
blood and become a vampire or not", wasn't it?

Hirano: Yes, that flow of the story was something that was decided on from the beginning.
Since the "Alucard & Seras" combo was not possible, I introduced Bernadotte so I could
stick him with Seras. The combos "Alucard & Integra" and "Bernadotte & Seras" were
already decided when the story had progressed about 1/3 of the whole. That was an
unwavering part of the unfolding story.

Interviewer: "Shizu-chan and Yama-chan".

Hirano: Fine, just go with Shizu-chan.

About the side story, "THE DAWN"

When was Walter's betrayal actually decided?

Hirano: I think I was thinking, "let's make this guy betray" around the middle, over a pure
power-related problem. By the time Alucard, who had been sleeping underground, revived,
Walter is already not an existence that is completely needed by Integra in the aspect of a
pure battle unit, actually, since he's clearly weaker than Alucard. And then even Seras
showed up. So he really has no role other than as a literal "butler". The only jobs left for
him to do are things like pouring tea and bringing out cigars. Aging also makes his power
drop lower and lower. And this is the largest factor, but Walter "will definitely die earlier
than Integra", so he had no choice but to become a vampire in the end. But, the Hellsing
Organization does not have that technology. So there was no choice for him but to betray
over to the Millennium side. Around that part was going to be shown in the side story, "THE
DAWN"......but...... the side story stops halfway through. I'll write the continuation
someday.

Interviewer: Have you already thought about how the side story is going to go later on?

Hirano: Yes. It'll probably end in about 80 more pages. Because the setting of the story is
Year 1944 Warsaw, I'm thinking of letting the story unfold along with Warsaw Uprising.
Since it's supposed to have been pretty busy in those days, I thought no one would notice
some ghouls walking around behind the scenes.

Interviewer: "THE DAWN" had an anime version recorded during the volume 8 OVA and
volume 9 special edition, and it even had been made into a booklet and added as an extra
to the magazine, "Young King OURs" February 2012 issue, which gathered the attention of
many fans- I was told to say that.

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Hirano: He is like a chick. In the Anime, young Walter's voice was Romi Park Nee-chan, so I
danced. "Hurray, it's Ed-jan"

Interviewer: Ed is Romi.

Hirano:You are truly a former pup of the editorial department. In every series, there will be
a favorite character.

Interviewer:
In the story I mentioned earlier, Zorin was your most dislike character, but who is your
favorite character in reverse?

Hirano:
It is Jan Valentine. He is easy to draw to even to the extent of his death. Both clothes, hair
and hat are solid, since there is no easy-to-draw characters.

Interviewer:
Eh, so that's your reason.

Hirano: No, of course its not only because of that, but also because he stood out as a
character. He was the most human-like Although hes not human, hes said to smell like
human. It was fun drawing him because he was a more human-like character, who went on
rampages as he pleases and was a smelly thug, [and things like that]. It was fun making
him move. If I didnt like it, I wont mess around like that with the postscript of my comic
book.
Interviewer: Who else?
Hirano: Its Integra. I like the characters whose personalities arent blended together, so I
like all main characters in general. Major too.
Interviewer: In the previous interview, you said I like Lieutenant Rip Van, but..
Hirano: Since they even draw erotic illustration in Hiroe-san's doujins. Also, isn't that
because they were drawing Rip van's episode about the time when they were taking the
interview from a little before? As I thought, since I have feeling of attachment for characters
that I was drawing then. It's just that, looking at the entire work as a whole, Rip van isn't
1st or 2nd. Although I do definitely like Rip van, it's not because I'm the creator blah blah,
but I just like her in a sexual way. She has black hair, large breasts, tall height, freckles,
and has her messy hair all moved back, which are all things I love that I placed on her. It's
like Ramen Jiro*. In all works, at least one of this kind of character comes up, so Rip van
would be that. Like, "There's no way I can add anymore topping to this".
Interviewer: Who is your favorite character in Section 13?
Hirano: I liked Anderson and Maxwell. However, after thinking back, I wondered if Anderson
wanted a little more room.
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After manga volume 8 I got a little hasty and ended the battle prematurely. I think Alucard
VS Anderson and Seras VS Captain had a better show of battle. The reason I think so is
because I had a time limit for completion when I was drawing them.

Interviewer: Do you have regrets when drawing the battle scenes such as, "now I could've
drawn them better than I did then?"

Hirano: The story has stayed on course with my schedule and the ending was as I imagined.
So, I think my regrets are more about Dramaturgy and the climax scene in regards to "what
I should have done." For example, in section 13, I have a deep attachment to Anderson,
therefore I think that I didn't leave enough space for him- but the page had a time limit.
What is an unexpected weakness of Millennium ?
Interviewer: Father Anderson already existed in the early versions of the story, but what
about Section 13, and the other members of Section 13? When were they created?
Hirano: Before I wrote Hellsing, I wrote CROSS FIRE in which Yumie and Heinkel were its
main characters, and an organisation called Section 13 was introduced. Therefore, when
Anderson was introduced in HELLSING, Section 13 as an organisation was already created.
This team of Yumie, Heinkel, Maxwell, and Anderson already existed as an organisation
opposite of the Hellsing institute. To be honest, there were more characters, but since the
story's focus isn't Hellsing vs Section 13, I reduced it to these 4. Yumie and Heinkel already
existed way before HELLSING was written, and back then, a character who Maxwell was
based on also existed.
If Anderson wasn't here, it wouldn't have become an organization where the thirteenth
division would oppose to the Hellsing Organization. Every character was too weak. I thought
about a character that could go against Alucard, and decided to create Anderson. When you
look at it from that perspective, there isn't a character that could go against the Alucard in
Millennium. I thought about putting the captain in that position, but he isn't strong enough.
Even if the captain joined the battle between Alucard and Anderson, I don't think he would
win. Even though the Millennium is the central evil organization, they aren't strong enough
to fight Alucard.
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Interviewer: If I'm correct, the only person Arcado sees as a rival is priest Andelson.
Hirano: On the opposite side, it doesn't seem like Arcado struggles in his fights with
Millennium. He just full comboes him, grins, and it's over. He lost once with when the Major
got involved, but in the end Millennium isn't really strong enough a character to be
considered a rival.
Interviewer: In regards to the Captain, there's still the question of whether or not he's
actually hostile towards the Hellsing organization.
Hirano: Right, that's the feeling. He's kinda just a war machine, the mental depiction was
intentionally made thin. In regards to the Hellsing Organization and the 13th Section, I
don't think the Captain held a grudge or did things because he saw them as a rival. Within
Millennium, before the major created the organization, the Captain was the only one who
was actually an armed guard, and so he was just like a war machine that acted with no
relation to a creed/belief.
Interviewer: Rip van and Zorin had fought as if they wanted to and could win against the
Hellsing Organization, but compared to them, the Major and Captain gave off the impression
that they wanted to fight and die flashily.
Hirano: Right, I definitely think there was that kind of feeling. Ripvan was overconfident in
her abilities and so she probably thoughts he could win. Of course, it wasn't as if the Major
and Captain were fighting to die, but rather while thinking "I want to fight and die," they
also thought "We can win if we do it right." Well, the Major and them were people who were
left behind by time and failed to die, and so you could say their views on life and death were
different from normal people... But, if they really thought they just wanted to die, they
would have just ran in unarmed and so at worst, it's just the thought of wanting to fight. I
think they just wanted to fight with everything they had.
Interviewer: That's also connected to the Major's last line where he says "It was a good
fight." right.
Hirano: I drew it with the intention of showing that the Major fought with everything he
had. In actuality, according the the Major's calculations, it was a fight where he should have
been able to win. If Zorin didn't go berserk, the Headquarters would've been taken out; the
13th Section and Hellsing Organization working together was beyond his calculations. But
the Major liked both winning and losing so he was probably thinking something like "In war,
unexpected things can happen." Just as long as it was war, he'd put his all into thinking of
plans.
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Interviewer: Those results, if they defeated the Hellsing Organization, I suppose they
wouldve started another war as well, right?
Hirano: Oh, I think theyd start one, and if they had vampires all over the world, next theyd
probably start a civil war together. The Major really wanted to have a big war. With that
meaning, hes an easy to understand character. Though he is war crazy, because he isnt
combat crazy, his combat ability doesnt really matter. To him, no matter what he was
doing, it was always a war. Even if hes eating food, its a war, even if hes sleeping, its
war, preparation time leading up to war is also war. All that piles up, and he only wants to
say Yes, its a big war! Those results, both winning and losing are fine. In the story, the
path that this person is on, because its only for the purpose of war, he has a bad
personality.
Hellsing is a work that I wrote for me
Interviewer: How is the reaction of the new readers who knew Hellsing as a result of the
serialization of Drifters?
Hirano: Are there really those kind of people? If there are, I am very grateful. I think
Hellsing is something that everyone could read rapidly. Yea. Please read, please drink,
please hug.
Interviewer: What are some of the things you hear from your readers through things like
fan letters?
Hirano: I dont get fan letters
Interviewer: What is the estimated gender ratio of your readers? Hirano: Probably 9 to 1,
no matter how much I think about it
(Following: including the editor in charge and why theyre excited by the development
expectations of One Piece, all cut because it has nothing to do with Hellsing)
Interviewer: So the conclusion is that Namis clothes and hairstyle are more erotic now than
before?
Hirano: Dont cut this part!
Interviewer: Just the hairstyle then (laugh)
Hirano: *grr*
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Interviewer: Hellsing has even made it overseas, and you (hirano-sensei) have gone to
many conventions overseas as well but, could you tell if there was any difference between
the reactions you got from the fans overseas to the ones from your fans inside japan?

Hirano: in the conventions overseas,the fans go crazy no matter what. Iheard things like
"You rock!" or"Hell yeah!." they're always so hyped. It makes one think "Wow, I'm
really famous." But, for the most part, it's just "Wooow!" or "Holy cow!" It's kind of similar
to the reaction one gets when being introduced as a guests on "telephone shocking" That's
why I'm not sure if there's really a difference. I'm just a japanese mangaka drawing stuff
for japanese readers, and only for a small amount of them. Rather, It'd be more fitting to
say that I draw for people like me. So, I'll be
happy as long as there are middle schoolers out there smirking while reading the stuff I
draw.
Interviewer: was there an scene or episode in hellsing so difficult to draw that made you
think it was a pain the ass?
Hirano: Zorin's tattoo.
Interviewer: Yeah, I heard about it. That must've been difficult to draw.
Hirano: another one was the airship.That's because I only had one copy of it, and also
because no real plane resembled it, so it was quite an ordeal. Oh, and Anderson's
thorns. I lost the count of how many times I thought "Please no more thorns!!" Seriously, I
even think it became a trauma. The kind of trauma a small girl would get from being raped
by a monster of thorns something like that.
Interviewer: go shutter island. and, well,I guess that's the "suffering of giving birth" or
rather, the suffering of being a manga artist.

Hirano: I didn't experience any difficulties aside from drawing. Because I loved writing the
story and drawing its characters. But well, drawing manga is harsh.
Interviewer: did you ever find yourself in the kind of situation where you had to say "This
looks difficult to draw, so let's go with this one"?
Hirano: Actually, I always get a single idea for everything. So, I have no choice but to draw
that. Because of that, I always end up falling behind in the drawings, which puts me and the
ones in charge in quite a predicament. I'm always causing them trouble.
Interviewer: Next question, what was the thing you enjoyed drawing the most?
Hirano: I love drawing villains, so I'm glad I got to draw many of them. Whenever I feel like
drawing a villain, I always look for ways to avoid drawing them in an orthodox way.
Interviewer: is there anything you'd like to say to all the Hellsing's fans out there?
Hirano: I know it's been 3 years since the serialization came to an end, but I want to thank
you all for reading it. I also Invite you all to watch the OAV's. I'm currently
drawing a manga called "drifters" so if you guys have some free time, please read
that one too.
Interviewer: lastly, how about a word to all those who are planning or want to read
hellsing?
Hirano: This is a chuunibyou manga in which a chuunibyou author poured all his time and
effort to draw for all the chuunibyou people out there, so if you are one, please give it a try.
Thank you very much.
Interviewer: Wow, take care.
Hirano: Likewise.