Major (Hellsing)

"Attention, all soldiers of the Millennium Battalion! This is a message from your commander. Friends... let’s bring them hell."

- The Major

"It was a great war..."

- The Major's last words.

The Major, also referred to as Montana Max, is the main antagonist of the manga series Hellsing, and the OVA series Hellsing Ultimate. He is the supreme commander of the Millennium Organization and seeks to plunge the world into an endless state of war.

The Major is small, plump, unprepossessing, ruthless and sadistic; his unpleasant smile is a mask that hides the monster within. He commands with a good-natured attitude that can quickly dissolve into savage sadism or grandiose elation. In the manga, assuming the information given by the corrupt priest who was interrogated by Enrico Maxwell is correct, then the Major was between 26 and 27 years old in the year 1941 (just after participating in Operation Barbarossa), thus placing him in his late eighties during the Hellsing series. Given these values, he was probably born somewhere around 1913 or 1914 (being 26/7 in 1941).

He is voiced by Nobuo Tobita in the Japanese version of the OVA and Gildart Jackson in the English version.

History
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. The success of this project would allow the Nazis to utilize vampires in battle and turn the tide of the war in their favor. The operation was attacked and shut down by a young Walter Dorneaz and Alucard in Warsaw, Poland, in 1944. However, the defeat proved to be only a minor setback, as the Major and his subordinates managed to escape to South America unharmed. There they resumed their research.

Although other Nazi officers with higher ranks accompanied Millennium to their South American hideout and attempted to exert their authority, the vampire officers loyal to the Major quickly executed them. Depending on the translation used, the Major is a either the sub-commander or the founder of Millennium, as well as the leader of a Werewolf special force.

The original purpose of the Nazi vampire research was to ensure Germany's victory in World War II and to create a Reich that would last for a thousand years (hence the name "Millennium"), but the Major claims that he has "no purpose". He states that he simply wishes to start an endless war. In his famous "I Love War" speech, he elaborates on his love for all facets of war, regardless of which side is winning. While addressing Integra Hellsing's question as to his specific goal, he says that he has no goal. He explains that while others settle on no means in obtaining their goals, he will settle on no goals in obtaining his means.

In the final chapters, the Major and Integra Hellsing duel to the death. As the final battle starts, the Major's left side is blown off by Seras' attack, revealing himself to be a cyborg. After this discovery, Integra debates whether he was a monster or not, since he wasn't literally human. The Major responds by saying that he was human for as long as his will existed, regardless of his body. His reason for despising Alucard is that, though the Major is a human who looks like a monster, the vampire is a monster who looks like a human, and that was something that he can never forgive. Shortly afterwards, Integra ends the Major's cruel life once and for all with a single bullet to his head.

Personality
The Major is a surviving Nazi leader, secretly making an army of Nazi Vampires.

His 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 his wars. 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 and soft-spoken, almost always speaking in a polite, amused tone. Additionally, despite being a warmonger, he is an incredibly horrible shot with a gun. 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 Doc 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.

His true nature is apparent to all, however, as he is often seen with a sinister smile and a mad gleam in his eyes. 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 monster and madman, the Major is very proud and protective of 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. 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.

Trivia

 * In his prototype character in another one of Kohta Hirano's earlier works called Coyote, he was named Montana Max.
 * He has no relation to Montana Max from Tiny Toons Tv series.
 * He considers Alucard his true enemy, however, he actually wants the complete annihilation of England and the world too and a war that will continue forever.