Origin
Germany
First Lieutenant Rip Van Winkle is a character in the Hellsing series and a member of the Millennium forces. One of Millennium's top soldiers and a member of the Werewolf special forces, Rip van Winkle commands her troops to steal an aircraft carrier called the Eagle from the British. Rip van Winkle is at least 70 years old, but looks to be in her early twenties due to her artificial vampiric nature. She is tall and lanky, with glowing blue eyes and freckled cheeks. She has long blue tinted black hair that reaches down to her knees. A few bangs tend to stick up from her head, including a particularly long lock of hair that ends in a curl. Rip's usual outfit includes a dark blue-purple suit, a dark pink dress shirt, a green tie, and black shoes. She also wears glasses, white gloves - presumably to protect her hands when firing her musket - and a large silver Swastika pendant. In a flashback, she was also seen wearing a Nazi military uniform with her hair tied into two long braids. Rip's appearance is similar to Roberta the Maid from Black Lagoon because they both had long dark hair, glowing blue eyes, glasses and they both wore a large necklace of significant importance, except Roberta's is a cross and Rip's is a swastika. They both also used a musket. Rip is one of the more playful and cheerful members of Millennium's commanders, exhibiting a rather childish personality on most occasions. While on-board the Eagle, she counts down the time to Millennium's attack by using a pink alarm clock with a cartoon face on it. Her freckled face, enthusiastic mannerisms, and use of a pigtailed hairstyle in 1944 further emphasize her air of youthfulness. However, she can be quite vicious depending on her mood, ruthlessly killing the zombified crew of the Eagle along with their vampiric captain. She is frequently seen grinning evilly when using her musket to shoot down incoming enemies as well. She enjoys singing and operas, with her favorite being Der Freischütz. According to the Major, she is very much like the character of Kaspar, including her personality and her choice of weapon - in fact, the Major once told Rip that he felt that she would even meet her end in the same way as Kaspar: slain and devoured as punishment for her sins. Perhaps as a direct consequence of this, Rip is utterly terrified of Alucard, who she equates with Zamiel, the "Black Huntsman" who eventually kills Kaspar at the end of Der Freischütz. Notably, Rip senses Alucard's approach long before he actually arrives on the Eagle, and immediately begins panicking. She also exhibits extreme reluctance to fight Alucard, only briefly gathering herself when she remembers the Major asking her how she would act when faced with impending death.
Hellsing
Hellsing, an organization specializing in dealing with supernatural threats, is called in to eliminate a vampire that is turning the villagers of Cheddar into ghouls. To put an end to this, the leader of the organization, Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, dispatches her most formidable asset: a powerful vampire known as Alucard. Armed with only a single handgun, Alucard wreaks havoc on the monsters plaguing Cheddar. However, a young police officer, Seras Victoria, gets caught up in the chaos and becomes mortally wounded as a result. Taking pity on the girl, Alucard gives her a choice: die as a human or live on as a vampire. Seras accepts his offer and begins a new life as a member of Hellsing. Though it was her decision, Seras struggles with the fact that she is no longer human. Nevertheless, she must embrace being a creature of the night soon if she wants to survive on the front lines in the fight between humans and the supernatural.
