Hellsing Alucard or Arucard?

In the Manga and Anime Hellsing, what is the Vampire's (Victoria's master) name? I have found it quite confusing that in the Hellsing Manga he is refered to as Alucard (Dracula spelled backwards) But in the Anime he is Arucard. Which is it?

 

I believe the first "r" is pronounced as an "l" (I remember something along these lines and other things of the same thing.. like the name Larva actually pronounced more like Laava, thus him being named Lava in the dub). So.. technically speaking both are correct.. I prefer spelling Arucard though 'cause it just looks so much cooler. Though occasionally when I'm typing or something and not really thinking entirely on it I'll type "Alucard" because I'll be saying that in my mind or I sort of talk as I type so, y'know, I'll subconciously put an "l" or something.

 

There is a simple explanation and it is that Dracula spelt backwards is Alucard. the only reason that in the credits of Hellsing it says Arucard is that in one of Dracula movies he goes by the Alucard. The reason for the change is that Pioneer (Geneon) doesn't want to get sued.

 

Wow, looks like Konami didn't get caught using the name Alucard either! They couldn've gotten sued and that'd mean no more Castlevania games! That would be bad. [/sarcasm... well except about, y'know, the idea that no more Castlevania games would be bad.. That WOULD be bad 'cause Castlevania games are fun... but, you get the idea]

Whoo, I wonder how many other things are out there with the chance of possibly getting sued! Y'never know...

 

Yeah, you can't sue someone for using a name. That'd just be pretty dumb. I mean, I'd get sued for being called Novus. Alucard is pretty much a typical name in vampire stuff. It kind of gets on my nerves because it's so unoriginal.

 

Actually Alucard is tradmarked and Geneon is using the name Alucard for profit. I wonder how Dark Horse is allowed to use the name

 

Trademarked by whom, if I may ask? Generally you can't copyright a name, but you can a character or likeness.

 

{WARNING: SPOILERS FOR HELLSING AND SORT OF FOR CASTLEVANIA}

Of course the two big ones (Alucard from Castlevania and from Hellsing) have valid reasons to have such a "unoriginal name", really.. Not to mention that Alucard from Castlevania had a real name (Adrian Farenheight Tepes), but he probably used the reverse of his Vampiric father's name as some sort of mockery or the sorts, who knows. Or it could've been a nickname given to him, I don't know the story.

As for the Hellsing Alucard, perhaps he had taken the name so as to hide his identity because he was, really, embarassed that he had gotten pwnzed so bad and his entire kingdom was destroyed and he was enslaved. Or of course the name could've been given to him as a sign of mockery or some sorts (and he can't do much about it as he's, after all, really a slave, though Integral gives him more freedom it seems).

Of course that's my two cents, it COULD always be that, yeah, the creators are really unoriginal and had no REAL purpose behind given them said names besides "Hey, gee, that sounds pretty damned cool" (Which I honestly think it does).

And... I'm not even going to get into the stupidity of "copyrighting specific names"... I can see it now... "From now on, no one can use the names Mike, Joe, Jim or Bob or any forms of those names including Joseph, Michael, Mikey, Joey, Bobby, Robbie, or Robert". My GOD would that be hilarious.

Anyways... Jaken, after talking to several people it is because in some areas of the Japanese language the English "l" is interchangable with a Japanese "r" (as the sound is identical or some such, I haven't personally taken Japanese, so I don't know but that's the general consensus). So... yeah, ignore the inane babble of copyrighting the name.

 

Yes, what Amon said is correct.

In some portions of the japanese language, the Enlgish "L" interchanges with the Japanese "R".

Just to clear that up. So, the anime directly translated it into an "R" because it is orginally a japanese "R". But the manga translator translated it into an "L" because he knows the Jap "R" enterchanges with the Enlish "L".

 

That's the gist of it. The Japanese do not have significant differentiation of the L and R sounds - both are pronounced the same way (it usually does sound closer to "R," whereas I believe Chinese tends to merge the two nearer to the "L" sound). This is why fansubs and official subs may often have vastly different spellings of the same name, and why you often see so many variant versions. (There's also some mix-up between V and B in Japanese, though this one is less notable when it comes to English spelling and romanization.)

So, yes, both "Alucard" and "Arucard" are valid. Because the name is "Dracula" in the reverse, one could argue that it's meant to spelled with an L, but if both were used in official translations, they should be considered to have about equal standing. In that case, it's just a personal choice of which you think sounds better. ^^

 

Well thank you all for ansering my question. Its very intresting to know. ^^
~~Now i can tell my friends that, and sound smart. . . -_-;;;; XP

I prefer Alucard over Arucard, only becuase i find it so neat that it is Dracula spelled backwards. But Arucard sounds cooler when you say it. ^^;;

 

[Spoliers Also]

I'm fairly certain the purpose behind the name is because, you know, he IS supposed to be Dracula. If you've seen the ending, you'd notice that there's a split image of him at the end showing him as half Alucard and (presumably) half the Mongol lord, Vlad the Impaler, the original inspiration for the Dracula story.

 

Also,there's a band named Alucard.

Does Geneon profit from them as well?

-BC

 

There is no "L" in the japanese language so you say/write "R"
... but! there is no "R" either, only "Ru, Ra," etc. (which doesnt affect the name Alucard since there is an U after L/R)

 

well in my oppinion i think Arucard looke better than alucard. but arucard in manga is said to be gentically enhanced by integra's father. And in the episode where she flashes back to where they met, Arucard said it is the name his previous master game him. so mabey her father decided to name him arucard b/c he was like dracula and just to be unoriginal. but ym brother just made me lose my train of thought so thats all .lo