Vampire Knight

Vampire Knight
File:Vampireknight1.jpg
Genre	Action, Drama, Romance, Horror
Manga
Written by	Matsuri Hino
Published by	Hakusensha<br\> VIZ Media<br\> Madman Entertainment<br\> Carlsen Verlag Panini Comics Panini Comics Shojo Beat<br\> Daisuki

Vampire Knight (ヴァンパイア騎士, Vanpaia Naito) is a shōjo manga by Matsuri Hino. In Japan, Vampire Knight entered serialization in January 2005 in LaLa magazine, and entered serialization in North America in the June 2006 issue of Shojo Beat magazine. Recent issues of LaLa have announced that the manga will be adapted into an anime series in 2008.

Plot

Vampire Knight primarily takes place in Cross Academy, a prestigious private school with an unusual class structure. The student body is divided into two classes: the Day Class, which is made up of ordinary students, and the Night Class, an elite group of 'beautiful people.' Unbeknownst to the majority of students, and even most of the staff, the Night Class is made up entirely of vampires. The heroine, Yuki Cross, is one of the few humans who knows the school's secret. She serves as a Guardian, dedicated to maintaining the peaceful coexistence of the Day and Night Classes with her childhood friend Zero, who lost his parents to vampires at an early age. As the story goes on, the plot moves away from keeping the Night Class' secret from the Day Class and into Yuki and Kaname's past as Asato Ichijo (Takuma Ichijou's grandfather and a member of the Vampire Council), Shizuka Hio (the Madly Blooming Princess pureblood), Rido Kuran (Kaname's pureblood Uncle), and Ichiru Kiryu (Zero's long lost brother whom is suppose to be dead), make their way to the academy.

Setting

The vampires in Vampire Knight have the characteristics of a separate species, which contrasts with most vampire stories which portray vampires as transformed humans. In Vampire Knight, vampires can procreate sexually among themselves and with humans, and they age, albeit at a much slower rate than humans. Vampires are nocturnal and they dislike sunlight, but exposure to it does not harm them. They are likewise immune to most of the traditional vampire weaknesses such as crosses, garlic, and holy water.

Vampires have interbred with humans extensively, and they organize their society based in the purity of their blood. Level A is the purebloods - a very small but very powerful minority. Only a bite from a pureblood can change a human into a vampire. Level B refers to Noble vampires with advanced powers. Ordinary vampires make up Level C, by far the largest group. Level D is comprised of vampires who were once human; they are a small group, as turning humans into vampires is forbidden and only a handful of Level A vampires would dare to. The final designation, Level E, is separate from the others because it is reserved for former human vampires who have become violently insane. Falling to Level E is considered the inevitable fate of former human vampires, who can never completely accept their vampiric instincts.

Vampires have warred with human vampire hunters for centuries, though the existence of vampires, and the war itself, are kept secret from most humans.

Characters

Day Class

Yuki Cross (黒主優姫, Kurosu Yuki)

Born as Kuran Yuki, she is the adoptive daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, Yuki is a member of the school's disciplinary committee (public morals committee in Japanese), which is the 'front' for the Guardians. Ten years prior to the events of "Vampire Knight," Yuki was attacked by a vampire, but was rescued by Kaname. She has lost all memory of her life before the attack, and Headmaster Cross took her in as his own daughter. She has also let Zero, a childhood friend, drink her blood, hoping to save him from madness. Yuki is cheerful and easygoing, and thanks to her work as a Guardian she is good at keeping her cool in sticky situations. Her weapon of choice is the "Artemis Rod," an extendable staff she received from Headmaster Cross. Recently, at the end of chapter 34 Kaname bites her. It is revealed in Chapter 35 that she is actually Kaname's 'sister' (but not by birth), and the daughter of Kuran Haruka and Kuran Juri, Kaname's late mother and father (but not to Kaname by birth).

Zero Kiryu (錐生 零, Kiriyu Zero)

Yuki's childhood friend. Zero is also a Guardian and likewise on the disciplinary committee. Yuki has cared about him as a close friend, since he was brought into their home (the Headmaster's). His family, a line of vampire hunters, was murdered by the pureblood vampire Shizuka Hio when he was young. He harbors a deep hatred for vampires and claims to have taken on the role of Guardian to learn to hunt them better. In truth, Zero was bitten during the attack on his family, and have kept the secret that he was a vampire from Yuki until he was no longer capable of controlling his vampiric urges. Zero's body rejects the blood tablets that most vampires take to control their hunger. Drinking Yuki's blood helps him maintain his sanity, but he is destined to become a Level E vampire eventually. However, he has drunk some of Kaname's blood whom offered to Zero, which delayed the process of becoming a level E and made the shadows of insanity become distant. He has started to accept his feelings towards Yuki and has gone as far as to almost kiss her. Zero's weapon is the gun "Bloody Rose," given to him by Headmaster Cross. He made Yuki promise that if he becomes a Level E vampire, she will kill him with the gun he gave her.

Sayori Wakaba (若葉沙頼, Wakaba Sayori)

Yuki's dorm-mate and best friend since junior high, Yuki often refers to her as Yori-Chan. One of the few girls who is not interested in the night class. She finds them a bit scary and would prefer someone from the day class. Yori is also observant of Yuki and Zero.

Ichiru Kiryu (錐生壱縷, Kiryuu Ichiru)

Zero's younger twin brother. When they were younger, they were both taught by Tohga Yagari, though Ichiru did not seem to share Zero's natural ability because he was sickly. Zero and Ichiru were very close as children, although later Ichiru claims to have hated Zero after overhearing that his parents preferred Zero over himself. Ichiru now has been cured due to drinking Shizuka's blood and has appeared at Cross Academy as a student by the orders of Shiki's father.

Night Class

Kaname Kuran (玖蘭枢, Kuran Kaname)

A pureblood vampire. He saved Yuki from an attack by another vampire when she was 5 years old. Kaname is the class president of the Night Class, much feared and respected by the other Night Class students.

While he is cold and authoritative towards his fellows in the Night Class, he is always kind and sweet to Yuki. He has shown that he cares deeply for Yuki ever since he saved her, and loves her in a romantic sense (He allows Zero to live because he knows his death would sadden Yuki). Kaname also asked Yuki to become a vampire and live with him for all eternity by his side, but manages to stop himself from biting her. He is both jealous and angry with Zero for biting Yuki and endangering her life.

He also seems to know the pureblood who bit Zero, Shizuka Hio, and later kills her before drinking her blood to protect Yuki, in spite of it being a terrible taboo. However, after the incident, the suspicion fell to Zero, and Kaname has been protecting Zero from punishment though he hasn't cleared Zero of blame. Kaname confessed his love to Yuki, and allowed Zero to drink his blood to delay his descent into Level E so as to protect Yuki from Zero's urges to bite her, and to get rid of one of her miseries. In recent chapters, Kaname has offered to tell Yuki about her past, at least the part she has no memories of, if she becomes his lover, so she can prove that she'd never hated him. At the end of chapter 34 he bites her. In chapter 35, Kaname drinks Yuki's blood. He then bites himself and feeds Yuuki his blood in order to break the seal on Yuki, in other words, cause her to "wake up". It is revealed that Yuki and Kaname are in fact, brother and sister (but not by birth since Kaname said to Zero at the end of chapter 35 that he would have been happier if he was Yuki's real older brother by birth). Their mother, Juri, has erased Yuki memories so she could live like a normal human and be safe.

Ruka Souen (早園瑠佳, Souen Ruka)

A female vampire popular with the Day Class students and is one of those who are the most faithful and protective of Kaname. She seems to dislike Yuki because Kaname acknowledges her. It was expressed in a flashback that even before she met Kaname, she had always had feelings for him to the extent of wanting to give him her blood. Although Ruka has strong feelings for Kaname, he does not reciprocate them. He only drank her blood one time to protect Yuki from his urge to bite her, and has since politely refused to drink it. She's upset of the fact that Kaname choose Yuki to be his lover.

Hanabusa Aido (藍堂英, Aidou Hanabusa)

Nicknamed "Idol" by the Day Class girls. Along with his cousin Akatsuki Kain, Hanabusa Aido is known among the Night Class as "Kaname-sama's right hand," and he has a fierce admiration for Kaname. But when he makes Kaname mad, he usually gets slapped pretty hard. He possesses an upper-class vampire ability to control ice. He knows that Zero is a vampire, but keeps quiet about it. Aido can seem cheerful and friendly one moment, and cold and vindictive the next. He is not fond of Yuki, but he tolerates her because Kaname loves her. He is the only one to have witnessed Kaname kill Shizuka, but Aido still looks up to Kaname and wants to lend Kaname his power to help find who killed Kaname's parents. Even though Kaname declined his offer so that Aido won't put himself in danger, Aido is now researching behind Kaname's back in books and records to try to find who could possibly have been enemies of the Kurans and to find Kaname's secrets.

Akatsuki Kain (架院暁, Kain Akatsuki)

Aido's cousin and another one of "Kaname-sama's right hand." His carefree attitude gets both him and Aido in trouble at times. His nickname is "Wild," despite the fact he is actually mellower than Aido. He tends to get blamed for the actions of other vampires, especially Aido, despite not being involved and ends up getting punished as a result. In a bonus story at the end of Volume 2 ("I Must've Been Born Under the "Victim of Circumstances" Star...") he also refers to Kaname as their "gang leader." He is incredibly perceptive and is frequently sensitive to others' feelings, most particularly with Aido and Ruka's. He also seems to like Ruka.

Takuma Ichijo (一条拓麻, Ichijou Takuma)

The vice-president of the Night Class, he is an upper-class vampire nearly as powerful as Kaname, whom he is close to and respects. He seems kind and lacks the dark atmosphere that surrounds most vampires, making him appear more like a human. His favorite reading material is manga; in one chapter, it seems he forced Aido into reading a vampire manga series. Takuma appears to be aware of Kaname and Yuki's relationship, and has asked Yuki why her current relationship with Kaname no longer is the same as the one they had when she was a child. Takuma's grandfather, who is a member of the council and very powerful, educated him and has high expectations of him. The reason Takuma's grandpa allowed him to come to Cross Academy is because he's forced to spy on Kaname even though Takuma doesn't want to hurt Kaname because they're good friends.

Senri Shiki (支葵千里, Shiki Senri)

One of the youngest Night Class members. He works as a model with Rima Tohya. When the night class is given orders to hunt down a level E vampire, Shiki is usually the one we see out hunting the level E vampires. Shiki has a whip-like weapon which develops from his blood. His father is Rido Kuran (Kaname's uncle), making him Kaname's cousin and his mother's uncle is part of the council. His mother was also a former actress, making the Shiki family well known. Shiki's body is currently being possessed by his father's soul, who is supposed to be dead.

Rima Tohya (遠矢莉磨, Tooya Rima)

One of the youngest night class students. She works as a model alongside Senri Shiki. Her exact relationship with Shiki is unknown, though they are almost always seen together, signifying a close relationship. She also cares deeply for Shiki and possesses a personality quite similar to his.

Seiren (星煉, Seiren)

A student of the Night Class, she is Kaname's unoffical bodyguard. She is usually the first to defend Kaname from anyone she regards as a threat (this can be seen when Zero pointed the Bloody Rose at Kaname for saying that Zero sympathized with a level E vampire). It seems as though she also acts as a spy for Kaname.

Others

Headmaster Kaien Cross (黒主理事長, Rijichō Kurosu Kaien))

Yuki's adoptive parent, who also took Zero into his home for several years. Headmaster Cross dreams of peace between humans and vampires, and established the Night Class to promote understanding between the two races. Although he is often eccentric, he has a serious side as well. It is revealed that he is a former vampire hunter. Also seems to be close to Kaname, and seems to know Kaname's parents (whom are dead and founded the peace treaty) since he's indebted to them.

Toga Yagari (夜刈十牙, Yagari Tōga))

The current top ranked vampire hunter, Toga Yagari, formerly trained Zero to be a vampire hunter. He had lost his right eye due to trying to save Zero long ago. He showed up once at Cross Academy serving for a short while as a Night Class teacher, and to decide whether Zero is considered dangerous or not. He also appears briefly in volume five, when he appears shocked about the council's decision to punish Zero.

Shizuka Hio (緋桜閑/緋樱闲, Hiō Shizuka))

The pureblood vampire who bit Zero; even her fellow vampires are uneasy around her. She is called "Mad Blooming Princess" by her fellow vampires. A manservant whom she loved (a former human vampire; said to have never fallen to Level E) was killed by a Kiryu vampire hunter. In retribution, she attacked the Kiryu family, killed the parents, turned their son Zero into a vampire, and took Zero's twin, Ichiru, in as a devoted servant. Shizuka's blood can prevent Zero from falling to Level E, and thus Yuki risked her life for Zero to be able to drink Shizuka's blood. But Kaname killed Shizuka to protect Yuki. Kaname drank her blood, but left some for Zero to drink as well. Unfortunately the blood was drunk by Ichiru who arrived at the scene first. Before dying, Shizuka warns Kaname that he will live in darkness and has summoned a sinister future for himself. She was Rido Kuran's fiancee, but they never got married due to their deaths.

Maria Kurenai (紅まり亜, Kurenai Maria)

A very distant relative of Shizuka Hio. Her mind was taken over by Shizuka in return so her body could be a little stronger, since she was often sickly. Maria has returned to her family after the Shizuka incident, but has asked Yuki that if she sees Ichiru to tell him Maria wants to see him again.

Asato Ichijo (一条麻遠, Ichijō Asatō)

Asato is Takuma's grandfather and a member of the Vampire Council. He wanted to become Kaname's guardian after the death of Kaname's parents, but Kaname did not accept. He has allowed Takuma to attend Cross Academy for the purpose of spying on Kaname. His age and demeanor brings fear to many vampires, though Aido and Ruka openly confront him when Asato implies his desire to drink Kaname's blood. Many people call him Ichiō-sama (First Elder).

A pureblood vampire, like Kaname. She is a member of the Shirabuki family.

A pureblood vampire, Senri Shiki's father, and Kaname Kuran's uncle. He is supposed to be dead and his true body appears that way; however, he is still able to transfer his soul to other bodies and take control. Has eyes of two different colors (crimson and blue), and when his soul is transferred to a different body, that body has eyes of two different colors. Rido's soul currently is in control of his son's body (Senri Shiki). It also appears he has control over the council since they call him master. According to Asato Ichijo, he's the true head of the Kuran family. He currently is secretly reviving himself and gaining power, which only the council members know. As of now, he appears to be the true enemy of the manga. The council and Ichiru also appear to be on the side of the enemy since they are all under Rido and support him. In chapter 34 and 35, it was revealed that 10 years ago he was killed by Kaname since he tried to kill Yuki, Kaname's 'sister', as his sacriface for something not yet said. It is also revealed that his fiancee was Shizuka Hio, which meant that he was the one that sent the Kiryus to kill Shizuka's manservant.

Drama CDs

• LaLa Kirameki Drama CD - bonus with the Sept. 2005 issue of LaLa Magazine
• Vampire Knight Midnight CD-Pack - a special mail order item of the bonus CD in drama CD form.

The Japanese cast of drama CD compact disks is:

Japanese

• Yuki Cross/Kurosu - Yui Horie
• Kaname Kuran - Daisuke Kishio
• Zero Kiryu - Mamoru Miyano
• Hanabusa Aido - Jun Fukuyama
• Akatsuki Kain - Junichi Suwabe
• Takuma Ichijo - Susumu Chiba
• Senri Shiki - Soichiro Hoshi
• Headmaster Cross/Kurosu - Takehito Koyasu
• Sayori Wakaba - Kana Ueda
• Shizuka Hio - Keiko Sonoda
• Shouda Kass - Fuka Shou

External links

• Vampire Knight ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Shojo Beat's Vampire Knight page
• Vampire Knight to be Animated