Nearly two decades on, Hellsing Ultimate still reigns as the definitive vampire anime

Back in the day, we didn’t have theatrical anime events like Demon Slayer or Chainsaw Man unless it ended with the word “mon.” If you wanted to see something big from your favorite series, you had to track down OVAs — through nefarious and less-than-official means. One of the last great releases of the pre-streaming era was Hellsing Ultimate. Its first 50-minute episode dropped in 2006 to major buzz, with Funimation and Universal picking up the international distribution rights that same year.