Western Animation / Hellboy Animated

An animated adaptation of the Hellboy comic book series. They're a distinct continuity, closer in spirit to the comics, but they feature actors (Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, and John Hurt) reprising their roles from the live-action film series, along with the addition of Peri Gilpin as Kate Corrigan.

Sword of Storms

Japanese folklorist Professor Sakai opens a forbidden scroll and becomes possessed by demons. While investigating Sakai's disappearance with a BPRD team (including folklorist Kate Corrigan), Hellboy touches a samurai sword left behind at the crime scene, and is suddenly transported into a Magical Land based on Japanese Mythology. There, Hellboy learns that the storm demons Thunder and Lightning are sealed within the sword. If freed, Thunder and Lightning will unleash a storm capable of loosing the dragon Ogdru Jahad and all its offspring, bringing about the end of the world. Hellboy also confronts a series of youkai (directed by the demon-possessed Sakai), nearly all of them intent on breaking the sword and freeing the storm demons.

Meanwhile, Kate Corrigan attempts to solve the mystery of Hellboy's disappearance, as massive storms begin forming (due to the weakening of Thunder and Lightning's prison) and the first wave of "dragons" are freed. Liz Sherman and Abe Sapien become trapped on a deserted ocean island, and must fight one of these dragons.

It's worth noting that the scene where Hellboy meets a group of nukekubi is adapted almost verbatim from the one-shot comic "Heads", which Mike Mignola cited as one of his favorite Hellboy stories.

Blood and Iron

Hotel mogul Oliver Trombolt requests that the BPRD investigate the supposed haunting of a house he's renovating into a resort. In spite of the fact that Trombolt is clearly doing this as a publicity stunt, Professor Bruttenholm takes an interest in the case and suspects that something genuinely supernatural is occurring. Bruttenholm leads a field team, including Hellboy, Liz Sherman, and Abe Sapien, to investigate.

It soon becomes clear that the hotel truly is haunted... by the victims of Erzsebet Ondrushko, a countess who, decades ago, sold her soul to the witch-goddess Hecate, bathed in the blood of innocents, and was eventually killed by Bruttenholm himself. The BPRD team is assaulted by harpies, hell-hounds, and a werewolf, all servants of Ondrushko intent on raising their vampire mistress from the dead. Hecate herself takes an interest in the proceedings, using them as an opportunity to tempt Hellboy to join team evil.

The Blood And Iron DVD also includes an Animated Adaptation of the comics' "The Iron Shoes" story. In addition to the two films, several mini-comics were set in the Animated continuity. A third film (''The Phantom Claw'', the debut of Lobster Johnson) was planned but never came to fruition.

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Provides examples of:

• Adaptation Distillation: Blood and Iron is "Wake the Devil" minus the bits that got adapted for the first movie- to wit, Rasputin and the Nazis. And with Elizabeth Báthory replacing Giurescu.
• Alternate Continuity
• Animate Inanimate Object: In Sword of Storms, a group of tsukumogami attacks Kate Corrigan.
• Anachronic Order: Blood and Iron starts off with a flashback, then a scene in the current time, and splices in several flashbacks out of order as well.
• Asian Fox Spirit: A kitsune guides HB in Sword of Storms.
• Back from the Dead: Erzsebet, through the items she used to torture her victims to death with.
• Batman Cold Open: Sword of Storms opens with Hellboy, Liz Sherman, and Abe Sapien taking down some kind of giant bat-monster (presumably Camazotz, the Mayan bat-god.) Blood and Iron starts with Hellboy and Abe Sapien taking down what seems to be a cybernetic Minotaur.
• The Beast Master: Countess Erzsebet controls several demonic wolves.
• Blood Bath: In Blood and Iron, Erzsebet Ondrushko (who's basically Elizabeth Báthory under a slightly different name) bathed in the blood of her victims to preserve her youth and beauty.
• Bloody Handprint: In Blood and Iron, a number of Ghosts collect at a window, Abe cannot see them, but when he turns around, he does see dozens of bloody hand-prints where their hands were.
• Call-Forward: The flashbacks serve as this, as a nod towards things that will come to pass, right down to Professor Bruttenholm's intention on joining the fateful mission that would birth Hellboy.
• Chekhov's Gun: The hip flask in Blood and Iron. And the room the Werewolf kicks Hellboy into has a very obvious set of deer antlers on the wall.
• Co-Dragons: The Harpy Sisters in Blood and Iron.
• Crisis of Faith: Father Lupescu undergoes one at the worst possible time.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: In Professor Bruttenholm's flashback at the beginning ofBlood and Iron, an unlucky Red Shirt gets drained of his blood courtesy of Erszebet. Two others are Eaten Alive by the aforementioned demonic wolves shortly afterwards, though mercifully offscreen.
• Dark Is Not Evil: The Ghosts in Blood and Iron.
• Demonic Possession: Professor Sakai is on the receiving end by two Youkai, and the longer he's under their spell, the more monstrous he becomes.
• Dramatic Irony: One flashback shows Father Lupesca express apparent faith in the church, and assuring Anna she'll be safe as long as his church wards off vampires. However, this is after the audience has seen previous flashbacks showing otherwise: Erszebet enters his church, Anna dies by her hands, all because the good priest's faith failed him. What's more, Professor Broom tries to convince Father Lupesca to keep an open mind concerning the occult while the latter believes such an approach would lead to corruption. Ironically enough, as the audience witnessed in previous flashbacks, Professor Broom's brand of faith kept him strong throughout the experience, while Father Lupesca ends up becoming Erszebet's unwilling servant.
• Expy: In Blood and Iron, Oliver Trombolt bears a rather striking resemblance to David Xanatos, except he is nowhere near as big a Magnificent Bastard.
• Failed Attempt at Drama: Downplayed. When Hellboy tries to expose Hecate to sunlight by pulling aside a curtain (complete with Bond One-Liner) only to find it's a tapestry with a blank wall behind it, he doesn't linger on his disappointment any longer than a simple "Crap!"
• Fanservice: Erzsebet having a Blood Bath naked, going from monster to young lady, rubbing herself and moaning in slight pleasure.
• Fan Disservice: When she undergoes the results of the tampered bath and returns to monster form.
• Foreshadowing: The psychic in Sword of Storms foresees an umbrella. While it doesn't seem like much at first, we later see a tsukumogami take the form of an umbrella.
• Ghostly Goals: The Ghosts in Blood and Iron wish to be avenged. In Sword of Storms, the Samurai's wife is waiting for her husband to return.
• Harping on About Harpies: The priestesses of Hecate who resurrect Erzsebet are harpies who cover their wings under heavy robes to look like old crones.
• Holy Burns Evil: Only if the person believes in the holy though. Unfortunately, father Lupescu lost his...
• Holy Hand Grenade: In Blood and Iron, the BPRD successfully weaponizes holy water to use against vampires.
• Honor Before Reason: The Japanese daimyo in Sword of Storms, to the point of killing his own daughter to keep his promise to the demons Thunder and Lightning. Hellboy even lampshades how the daimyo needs to "use [his] head" and realize perserving his honor isn't nearly as important as his daughter.
• Hope Spot: In Blood and Iron, the newly revived Erzsebet closes in on Bruttenholm. Hellboy appears for what looks like a Big Damn Heroes moment, only to get pulled underground by Hecate.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: Father Lupescu used to be a priest who took pride in his church and his faith. In the present, he's been reduced to a reluctant servant to Hecate's witches.
• I Am a Monster: In Sword of Storms, Liz berates herself after she briefly loses control over her powers during a mission. Thankfully Hellboy and Abe are quick to cheer her up.
  Liz: I can handle the small stuff fine, but when I try anything big… God, the Bureau should lock me up! I’m the real monster!
• Informed Attribute: The Transylvanian Constabulary in Blood and Iron are very experienced when it comes to vampires, according to Bruttenholm. However,the representatives we see in action are easily dispatched in rather gruesome ways by Erszebet. This may be justified, though, given that she knew fully well they were coming and was prepared accordingly.
• Irony: In Blood and Iron, everyone (especially Hellboy) was worried about Professor Bruttenholm coming along for the mission, afraid that a frail old man like him would get seriously hurt. The last scene of the movie shows Bruttenholm in one piece while Hellboy is in bed from all the injuries he sustained.
• Kappa: HB fights one of them in Sword of Storms.
• Leitmotif: Marco Beltrami’s theme for Hellboy returns from the first movie.
• Like Brother and Sister: This is the relationship between Hellboy and Liz, unlike how they're portrayed as love interests in the live-actions films—this is actually closer to how they're portrayed in the original comics.
• Meaningful Name: Father Lupescu’s name means “wolf” in Romanian. Guess what he gets turned into later.
• Mercy Kill: After the rescue party finds Anna drained of all her blood, her fiancé ultimately has to put a stake through her heart in order to prevent her from coming back as a vampire.
• Mood Whiplash: In Blood and Iron after a climactic moment between Bruttenhulm and Countess Ondrushko, and a sad scene with the ghosts of the victims, the next scene in the film is Hellboy climbing out of a hole entangled in a giant snake and bashing its head into the floor.
• Monster Mash: In Blood and Iron. Harpies, wolves, and a werewolf, all cooperating under the orders of a vampiress.
• Mundane Utility: At one point, Liz is shown using her powers to heat up coffee.
• Mythology Gag: Kate mentions an encounter with The Wild Hunt, a nod to the short story “King Vold”
• Noodle Incident: Hellboy, Abe and Liz often talk about previous unseen adventures.
  • In Sword of Storms, after Hellboy disappears during his mission in Japan, Abe, Liz, and a few other BPRD staff mention several similar incidents in which something like this has happened.
    Young Agent: This has happened before?
    Abe: There was the Marrakech thing.
    Staff Member 1: Oh, jeez. Do you really think it's something like that?
    Staff Member 2: How about Prague?
    Staff Member 3: Bombay. March, 1993.
    Staff Member 4: Istanbul, '89.
    Young Agent: And that Marrakech thing?
    Abe: Hmm? Oh. Hellboy disappeared and turned up eight weeks later near Glacier Bay, frozen in a block of ice.
    Staff Member 1: Yeah, he wasn't too pleased about that.
    Abe: (grinning at the Young Agent's dumbfounded expression) You just made the newbie face.
• Oblivious Guilt Slinging: During the hunt for Erzebet, the hunters mention how Father Lupesca's cross would protect them. However, Bruttenholm points out that's not entirely so. Rather, it's the faith behind the cross that gives it power. This makes Father Lupesca frightened and unnerved, considering he secretly lost his faith after his previous encounter with Erzebet.
• Off with Her Head!: In Sword of Storms, how the daimyo's daughter died.
• Our Dragons Are Different: In Sword of Storms, "dragon" is apparently a title rather than a species. The Ogdru Jahad are referred to as "the dragon" (and the viewer never sees what they look like^note in the original comics, the Ogdru Jahad actually do appear reptilian, while in the live-action films they're depicted as a mix of crustacean and cephalopod features), and their offspring range from humanoid ogres with thunder powers to squishy, underwater tentacle monsters.
• Our Vampires Are Different: Erzsebet sold her soul to Hecate, the Witch Queen. She's in total monster form unless she's bathed in blood, in which case it works as a Fountain of Youth for her. She does feed, but it's the bathing that's shown to be her rejuvenation.
• Power Incontinence: Liz hasn't got her fire powers fully under control yet, and needs to be calmed down by Hellboy or Abe.
• Quick Nip: Subverted in Blood and Iron. Bruttenholm, cornered by Ondrushko, reaches for his hip flask, prompting the vampire to snidely ask if he needs a drink to calm him in his last hours. The flask is actually filled with holy water, which he flings at the vampire.
• Red Shirts: Unnamed BPRD agents have a rather low life expectancy.
• Reluctant Hero: Liz, due to her Power Incontinence.
• The Renfield: Father Lupescu turns into a mild version of this.
• Retired Badass: Bruttenholm, especially in Blood and Iron where he is responsible for taking down the Big Bad. Twice.
• Shout-Out:
  • Professor Sakai is a respectful tribute to Stan Sakai, the creator of Hellboy's Dark Horse stablemate Miyamoto Usagi.
  • In Sword of Storms: "Holy mother, look at the size of that thing!"
• Spared by the Adaptation:
  • Even compared to his counterpart in the live-action movies, Professor Bruttenholm. He survives the events of Blood and Iron.
  • Also apparently Scott Clark, the Nick-Fury-looking BPRD agent from the beginning of Blood and Iron, who dies in his first appearance in the comics (though it's still possible he died while off on his B-mission this time around).
• The Stinger: At the end of Blood and Iron, there was a voiceover of Manning disclaiming the existence of “The Lobster”, all while showing a silhouette of Lobster Johnson, his goggles and logo being the only thing visible, until we see a brief glimpse of him when he fires his guns. This was meant to be a Sequel Hook for a third film titled The Phantom Claw, but sadly, that film was cancelled.
• Timm Style
• Top-Heavy Guy: HB has a massive upper body and normal human-sized legs.
• Truer to the Text: The animated films draw closer to the comics than the live-action films in two aspects.
  • Hellboy and Liz are just friends, rather than lovers.
  • Though they have a father and son like relationship, Hellboy never refers to Professor Bruttenholm as "father".
• Tsuchigumo and Jorogumo: A Jorogumo appears in Sword of Storms in a scene based on the classic myths; she initially presents herself as a human musician playing a harp-like stringed instrument, then reveals herself to be partially a Giant Spider and attacks Hellboy, seeking to devour him.
• What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Blood and Iron introduces rookie BRPD agent Sydney Leach, who is, as he himself puts it, a "human metal detector".
  Hellboy: At least he's not a psychic.
• Who Wants to Live Forever?: Despite Erzsebet's cruel remarks on how "the years have not been so kind to [him]", Bruttenholm has no regrets about growing old, as opposed to being like Erzsebet.
  Bruttenholm: Growing old is not the worst thing that can happen to a person when you ceased to be a person long ago.
• Would Hurt a Child: One of Erzsebet’s victims in the flashback is a baby.
• Youkai: Besides the aforementioned kitsune and kappa, in Sword of Storms HB encounters rokurokubi, nukekubi, and jorogumo. Meanwhile, Kate Corrigan gets attacked by tsukumogami.

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