Iscariot (Hellsing)

Iscariot (Hellsing)

The Iscariot Organization, named after Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, is a top-secret wing of the Vatican (the section that's not supposed to exist) charged with the active pursuit and extermination of demons (such as vampires) and heretics. Given that the Hellsing Organization not only employs vampires but is run on the principles of staunch Protestantism, Iscariot is their natural rival, despite their similar aims.

The Iscariot 'paladins' are the elite fighting force of the Iscariot Organization. They appear wearing long cassocks and crosses, in the manner of their most prominent member, Alexander Anderson. They are known to fight with a wide variety of weapons, usually as necessitated by the situation (for example, Alexander Anderson wields blessed bayonets that are especially effective against vampires,Yumie Takagi has a Katana, while Heinkel Wolfe is armed with simple pistols, effective against his/her human targets). The Vatican's Special Section XIII also commands other seemingly independent military forces, most notably the Knights of the Sagely Brethren, the Knights of the Order of Calatrava La Nueva, the Knights of the Military Order of St. Stefano di Toscana, and the Knights of the Order of Malta (ironically, the Knights of Malta no longer exist as a fighting force, further delving into the use of hidden organizations in the modern world).

In addition to Iscariot, there is another special section of the Vatican; Section III Matthew, named after St. Matthew. In the third Crossfire episode, Section III is referred to as "John" with the apparent task of suppressing information. However, in Hellsing, its purpose is the retrieval of various holy relics and artifacts. This is in accordance with its name, "Matthew," which is derived from the Aramaic name "Mathai," meaning "Gift of God". They were the ones that 'acquired' Helena's Nail, and gave it to Iscariot, who bestowed it upon Alexander Anderson for use in battle against Hellsing's vampire, Alucard.

If Matthew is Section III, and Iscariot is Section XIII, then it is probably safe to assume that there are eleven other sections of the Vatican, each of them named after an apostle of Jesus, and each of them existing with a different purpose.