Rip van Winkle (Hellsing)
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character in the manga Hellsing and a member of the Millennium
forces. She is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto
and in English by Kari Wahlgren
.
One of Millennium's top soldiers and a member of the Werewolf special forces, van Winkle commands her troops to steal a VTOL
carrier called the Eagle from the British which she subsequently renames the "Adler" (German
for "eagle") and paints a swastika
in blood on its main deck. Along with Zorin Blitz and Schrödinger
, she briefly makes a cameo in a flashback during Hellsing III, and also during the ending credits. She makes her full appearance in OVA IV of the anime series.
In the present day Hellsing manga, Rip van Winkle is assigned by the Major to take over a British ship, Eagle, as a distraction for Alucard. Whether or not she knew the exact condition of her mission is unknown. The Ship's vice-captain was offered the chance to become a Vampire
if he then devoured all those on board, turning them into ghouls. When Rip arrives she killed the Vice-Captain who destroyed the ships crew and allowed her own troops (members of the Letztes Bataillon) onto the deck. She paints the Nazi emblem onto the deck of the ship in blood and paint, and begins to wait eagerly for her arrival to London. Later SAS squads are sent over to destroy the ship but are instead completely destroyed by one shot of Rip's magic bullets. Once Sir Penwood and his staff see how powerful Rip Van Winkle actually is they allow the Hellsing Organization to intervene. Integra Hellsing sends Alucard over on a remodeled SR-71 Reconnaissance Jet allowing him to easily land on the ship, destroying all of the Vampires, save Rip, on board. Alucard instills a great deal of fear in Rip as he approaches, and inevitably kills her, despite her last ditch effort to force him over the edge of the Eagle's deck with a magic bullet. Alucard impales her through the chest just left of her heart with her own gun, after being repeatedly peppered by the bullet and then literally catching it in his mouth and breaking it to shrapnel. He then drinks her blood in the climax to Volume 5 of the manga before using his shadows to devour her body, killing her and making her his familiar.
Ironically, The Major would not permit the Doctor to incinerate her by activating her chip as he had done with Alhambra and Jan Valentine, and in fact, in a rare gesture of "generosity," requests other members of Millennium to Heil her, bidding her "Auf Wiedersehen." ("Sayonara" in the Japanese version) Her mission was to effectively trap Alucard on the Eagle because he cannot cross water without the aid of some form of external transport such as a plane or ship. By using the Eagle as a decoy, Millennium isolates Alucard in the middle of the ocean while the rest of Millennium makes its landing operation; to boost the morale of his army to a fever point, the Major glorifies Van Winkle's death (even promising her through the radio they would again meet in Valhalla) so hers will be the first death of the operation, thus priming the army for the destruction of London. Unfortunately for Millennium, Alucard takes control of the ship and manages to return to coastline, though the Major himself seems to be anticipating this.
Rip later shows up as a familiar after Alucard releases his zero restriction, merged with Tubalcain Alhambra. After helping shoot down Maxwell's helicopter and attacking Anderson, she is destroyed in a massive fire along with all the other familiars likely killing her for good. This scene was not published in Young King OURs, but was added to volume 9.
In several scenes she is also seen with an umbrella
, which could be a reference to the practice of World War II
German
sniper
s to use umbrellas with camouflage foliage woven between the arms as light, adaptable and mobile personal camouflage.
, despite the fact that she is over 70 years old. She is a tall woman, with freckles on her cheeks and glasses. She has long black hair that goes about to her knees; a large curlicue that often sticks up from the front of her head. She usually seen dressed in a black suit and green tie, with brown shoes and a pink office shirt. She also wears white gloves, presumably to protect her hands when firing her musket, and a large silver Swastika pendant around her neck.
, and she often compares herself to the character Caspar from that opera. The Major even notes that she is very much like Caspar (and also likens Alucard to Zamiel, the antagonist of that opera and representative of the devil). Additionally similar bullets, that never miss their target, are used by Kaspar. The Major at one point tells Rip the end of Der Freischütz and says she'll suffer a similar fate. The exact quote is "First Lieutenant Rip Van Winkle, do you know how Der Freischütz ends? Kaspar, having trifled with the Black Huntsman Zamiel, is whisked away to hell for his sins. His corpse is then thrown into a ravine to be eaten by wolves. Prepare yourself, First Lieutenant, for now, Zamiel comes to collect you." She believes that the Zamiel in her life is Alucard, and he instills a great deal of fear in her. Rip is rather childish compared to most characters in the series; while onboard the Eagle, she counts down the time to Millennium's attack with a child's alarm clock with a cartoon face on it. She also has a freckled face, characteristic of schoolgirls, and in 1944 wears her hair in pigtails which further emphasises that point. When she senses Alucard's approach, she starts shaking, and at one point retreats within the ship sobbing. This, and the manner of her death, makes her one of the more sympathetic villains of the series. Despite this she can be quite vicious depending on her mood, ruthlessly killing the zombified crew of the Eagle along with their vampiric captain. Also when shooting down Alucard's plane, an evil grin is seen on her face.
Millennium (Hellsing)
Millennium is a fictional Nazi organization from the manga series Hellsing by Kouta Hirano, they serve as the primary antagonists in the series. Its name is a reference to the "Thousand Year Reich" which Adolf Hitler sought to establish during World War II...
forces. She is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto
Maaya Sakamoto
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actress, and voice actress. She made her debut as a voice actress in 1992 as the voice of Chifuru in the anime series Little Twins, but is more well known for her role as Hitomi Kanzaki in the hit anime series The Vision of Escaflowne...
and in English by Kari Wahlgren
Kari Wahlgren
Kari K. Wahlgren is an American voice actress who has provided English language voices for dozens of anime titles and video games. Her debut role was as one of the main characters of FLCL, Haruko Haruhara. She had a live-action role as Tinker Bell in the 2003 Damion Dietz film Neverland...
.
One of Millennium's top soldiers and a member of the Werewolf special forces, van Winkle commands her troops to steal a VTOL
VTOL
A vertical take-off and landing aircraft is one that can hover, take off and land vertically. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and tiltrotors...
carrier called the Eagle from the British which she subsequently renames the "Adler" (German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "eagle") and paints a swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
in blood on its main deck. Along with Zorin Blitz and Schrödinger
Schrödinger (Hellsing)
is a fictional character in the Hellsing manga series by Kouta Hirano. He is a member of the Millennium forces. He is voiced by Ryōko Shiraishi and by Laura Bailey in English....
, she briefly makes a cameo in a flashback during Hellsing III, and also during the ending credits. She makes her full appearance in OVA IV of the anime series.
Background
In Hellsing: The Dawn, Rip makes an appearance as a young soldier fifty years ago, encountering Alucard after his initial defeat by the Captain and while he was smoking with his sentient coffin. She appears in full uniform, wearing her hair in two braided pigtails, and bears the rank of Untersturmführer. The glasses she wears (which are not actually hers, but were mixed up in the confusion) make it difficult for her to focus properly, and Alucard spends some time trying to make her understand who he is and why he's in the building. Finally, realizing that he is an enemy, Rip tries to shoot Alucard, but is knocked unconscious by his sentient coffin in an amusing way: being Judo chopped and kicked across the hall.In the present day Hellsing manga, Rip van Winkle is assigned by the Major to take over a British ship, Eagle, as a distraction for Alucard. Whether or not she knew the exact condition of her mission is unknown. The Ship's vice-captain was offered the chance to become a Vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
if he then devoured all those on board, turning them into ghouls. When Rip arrives she killed the Vice-Captain who destroyed the ships crew and allowed her own troops (members of the Letztes Bataillon) onto the deck. She paints the Nazi emblem onto the deck of the ship in blood and paint, and begins to wait eagerly for her arrival to London. Later SAS squads are sent over to destroy the ship but are instead completely destroyed by one shot of Rip's magic bullets. Once Sir Penwood and his staff see how powerful Rip Van Winkle actually is they allow the Hellsing Organization to intervene. Integra Hellsing sends Alucard over on a remodeled SR-71 Reconnaissance Jet allowing him to easily land on the ship, destroying all of the Vampires, save Rip, on board. Alucard instills a great deal of fear in Rip as he approaches, and inevitably kills her, despite her last ditch effort to force him over the edge of the Eagle's deck with a magic bullet. Alucard impales her through the chest just left of her heart with her own gun, after being repeatedly peppered by the bullet and then literally catching it in his mouth and breaking it to shrapnel. He then drinks her blood in the climax to Volume 5 of the manga before using his shadows to devour her body, killing her and making her his familiar.
Ironically, The Major would not permit the Doctor to incinerate her by activating her chip as he had done with Alhambra and Jan Valentine, and in fact, in a rare gesture of "generosity," requests other members of Millennium to Heil her, bidding her "Auf Wiedersehen." ("Sayonara" in the Japanese version) Her mission was to effectively trap Alucard on the Eagle because he cannot cross water without the aid of some form of external transport such as a plane or ship. By using the Eagle as a decoy, Millennium isolates Alucard in the middle of the ocean while the rest of Millennium makes its landing operation; to boost the morale of his army to a fever point, the Major glorifies Van Winkle's death (even promising her through the radio they would again meet in Valhalla) so hers will be the first death of the operation, thus priming the army for the destruction of London. Unfortunately for Millennium, Alucard takes control of the ship and manages to return to coastline, though the Major himself seems to be anticipating this.
Rip later shows up as a familiar after Alucard releases his zero restriction, merged with Tubalcain Alhambra. After helping shoot down Maxwell's helicopter and attacking Anderson, she is destroyed in a massive fire along with all the other familiars likely killing her for good. This scene was not published in Young King OURs, but was added to volume 9.
In several scenes she is also seen with an umbrella
Umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
, which could be a reference to the practice of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
s to use umbrellas with camouflage foliage woven between the arms as light, adaptable and mobile personal camouflage.
Appearance
Rip van Winkle is a youthful-looking vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
, despite the fact that she is over 70 years old. She is a tall woman, with freckles on her cheeks and glasses. She has long black hair that goes about to her knees; a large curlicue that often sticks up from the front of her head. She usually seen dressed in a black suit and green tie, with brown shoes and a pink office shirt. She also wears white gloves, presumably to protect her hands when firing her musket, and a large silver Swastika pendant around her neck.
Personality
She enjoys singing operas, especially Der FreischützDer Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
, and she often compares herself to the character Caspar from that opera. The Major even notes that she is very much like Caspar (and also likens Alucard to Zamiel, the antagonist of that opera and representative of the devil). Additionally similar bullets, that never miss their target, are used by Kaspar. The Major at one point tells Rip the end of Der Freischütz and says she'll suffer a similar fate. The exact quote is "First Lieutenant Rip Van Winkle, do you know how Der Freischütz ends? Kaspar, having trifled with the Black Huntsman Zamiel, is whisked away to hell for his sins. His corpse is then thrown into a ravine to be eaten by wolves. Prepare yourself, First Lieutenant, for now, Zamiel comes to collect you." She believes that the Zamiel in her life is Alucard, and he instills a great deal of fear in her. Rip is rather childish compared to most characters in the series; while onboard the Eagle, she counts down the time to Millennium's attack with a child's alarm clock with a cartoon face on it. She also has a freckled face, characteristic of schoolgirls, and in 1944 wears her hair in pigtails which further emphasises that point. When she senses Alucard's approach, she starts shaking, and at one point retreats within the ship sobbing. This, and the manner of her death, makes her one of the more sympathetic villains of the series. Despite this she can be quite vicious depending on her mood, ruthlessly killing the zombified crew of the Eagle along with their vampiric captain. Also when shooting down Alucard's plane, an evil grin is seen on her face.