Likewise, the anime world has its fair share of bloodsucking monsters from cute children to scary looking spawns of the devil that will make your blood run cold (or dry). And this post is a celebration of all of them! I’d like to list my favorite vampire-themed anime here to show you that not all vampires are terrible or deserve to be decapitated.
20. Kizumonogatari I: Tekketsu-Hen
This anime has one of the greatest opening sequences of all time. While a typical vampire anime would start with the mundane boring life of the would-be vampire… Kizumonogatari opened strong. In the first scene, Koyomi was already a vampire. Only he didn’t know it yet. So he wanders outside, realizing too late that the sunlight was hurting his skin. For that alone, it already deserves a place on this list. Then came the backstory. Then, Koyomi’s quest to regain his humanity. And we are hooked. It has intrigue, action, and a scoring that will hit you right in the kokoro in all the right places. In fact, it would have ranked higher on this list… were it not for the fanservice overkill!
19. Dance in the Vampire Bund
If a vampire offers to pay off your family’s debt, would you let her in your home? This is the simple yet interesting premise of Dance in the Vampire Bud. Mina Tepes, royalty among vampires, got so tired of literally living the shadows, and paid off Japan’s entire national debt– for a chance to coexist normally with humans. What follows is a series of shocking, entertaining, and at times downright hilarious events that reveal the struggle of humans and vampires in their attempt to live side by side. At its core this is a sharp social commentary about the fractured world we live in, where humankind is deeply divided by race, social class, and polarized beliefs.
18. Bakemonogatari
Koyomi Aragari lived a typical, boring life… until he gets attacked by a vampire! Although he survived, he now has to deal with his changing appetite, new friends, and a goal to help others who are also suffering from fantastical illnesses.
17. Kekkai Sensen (Blood Blockade Battlefront)
Here’s another Armageddon set this time in New York City. In Kekkai Sensen, the city that never sleeps is now literally so. Especially after being renamed into Hellsalem’s Lot with supernatural beings roaming everywhere. And the only things standing in between these creatures and the rest of the world is a seemingly impenetrable bubble. But someone’s threatening to break this shield out! It’s now up to Leo Watch and the exclusive organization Libra to save the day.
16. Blood Lad
Have you ever encountered a vampire that’s more enthralled with all things otaku than with the thought of consuming human blood? If you haven’t watched Blood Lad then you’re in for a surprise. This show takes a rather overused genre of supernatural fantasy and puts a fantastic comedic spin on it. Weird, unique, eccentric, whatever you may call it. If it leaves you rolling on the floor laughing, it’s worth a shot right?
15. Blood-C
Okay, if you’re thinking about watching Blood-C then chances are you’re already familiar with the Blood franchise. So let me tell you: this isn’t going to be as good as the other Blood franchise shows… at least as far as the first few episodes are concerned! It’s painful, brutal, and will feel like torture most of the time. But you have to sit through it to get to the really, really good parts. Once you get there you’ll be thanking your past self for powering through the bad stuff.
14. Strike the Blood
This series has perfectly struck the balance between vampire anime and… ecchi. It all boils down to Akatsuki Kojou supposedly being the “Fourth Progenitor” of the vampire world. Which they say makes him the most powerful one, and the one that might tip the scales of power in their realm. But really, it’s mostly just about the Kojou’s harem all wanting him to drink their blood. If that’s your cup of tea then by all means go fire this up!
13. Shiki
Shiki features nothing fancy. Just plain old simple vampire lores with all of its glorious gore and scary, scary undertones. I would have rated this higher if I personally liked horror series. Sorry horror fans! But hey it’s on the list, right? Because it’s actually pretty good. You can expect no friendly vampire in this series as it explores this certain dark side of humanity when people are given absolute liberty… or forced to go over the edge. Warning: do not watch this at night if you can’t stand “Another”.
12. Karin
Vampire-themed anime seem to always have this dark and gory vibe. But Karin isn’t your typical black-and-red-and-nothing-else vampire series. For one, the title character protagonist doesn’t even drink blood! In fact, she produces so much of it that she has to feed it to humans– or else. She’s the textbook definition– of what an anti-vampire. Because of Karin’s unique situation, she often finds herself in unfortunate situations that might leave all of us gagging in uncontrollable laughter. Looking for a vampire anime that’s light, funny, and will make you feel good? This one’s for you.
11. Vampire Princess Miyu
When you’re done laughing and you miss things getting a bit more serious, it’s time to turn to Vampire Princess Miyu. There are only 26 episodes. But there are a lot killings and some pretty dark stuff. It really does need a big-ass trigger warning before the opening credits roll. The storyline is pretty incredible, although it seems to always fall back to its thesis statement: that everyone’s fate is predetermined and there’s nothing you can do to change it. Pretty brutal, huh?
10. Black Blood Brothers
If you’re so sick of the vampire vs. human trope then Black Blood Brothers is a must-watch. Here you will see a faction of vampires turning against their own kind, even going so far as protecting humans from other bloodthirsty vampires. This show will also surprise you with its comedic timing. It’s abrupt and just hilarious. It’s also one of the very few vampire-themed anime where the transformation to being a creature of the night is uhm, a pleasurable experience. To level with you, yes this anime is highly sensual. But it’s so much more than just trashy fan service.
9. Rosario + Vampire
Enough with the gorey end of the world vampire themes. Rosario + Vampire gives a new feel to the vampire anime genre: romantic comedy. It tells us the life of average guy Tsukune Aono, who after flunking his high school entrance exams, was forced to enroll at school named Youkai Academy. Little did he know, this is not a regular school full of pubescent teenagers. But actually a place for supernatural beings to study! Now Tsukune has to deal with having to confess to the girl she likes, but also fending off the rest of the school who wants a taste of his blood. Yikes!
8. Vampire Hunter D
If you want classic gothic vampire stuff that’s set in the medieval era, no other anime does it better than Vampire Hunter D. The premise is simple: a young girl is bitten by a vampire in Romania. A mysterious cloaked figure “D” comes to the rescue. He’s incredibly skilled, and unbelievably attractive. But who is he really? The storytelling doesn’t really hide it. This series might as well say it: “D” is a half-vampire, half-human creature that’s poised to bridge the gap between the daylight dwellers and the nightcrawlers. Now that this “revelation” is out of the way, you can enjoy this timeless show in all its medieval glory.
7. Blood+
Nothing can beat a long-standing secret war between 2 nations, am I right? This feud is about a race of bloodsucking creatures aka the Chiropterans and the Red Shield, a group that dedicated its life to ridding the world of these monsters. In the middle of this chaos, Saya Otonashi gets recruited to join the Red Shield and slowly regains pieces of her lost memories. Aside from the gore and action, the cherry on top of this series is the way this anime will make you guess what’s going to happen next.
6. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Do you love rock, alternative music and 90s pop culture? Then you absolutely have to watch JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Just to enjoy all the ‘90s music references! But that’s just one of the things that’s crazy good about this anime. I love saying this: you don’t watch JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure– you experience it. Even though it’s hard explaining what this anime is really about, I can only tell you that this show got me crying real tears of pain. Unable to move from anguish for days, and then got me laughing until my sides hurt. It’s a rollercoaster. Believe me, you have to experience it to know what I mean.
5. Castlevania
Most of the anime in this list are classics. But here’s one that’s fresh off the press. It features the best voice acting I have ever encountered in any anime ever. Andd paired with the spectacular visuals, Castlevania is hands down one of the best shows I have ever seen even outside this genre. So if it’s so great, why is it just fitting into the top 5? Well I have to be honest. Even though I fell head over heels with this show, some plot holes have become too glaring to ignore. I won’t spoil it but the Internet has some answers. Still I remain firm in my stance that this is the best game adaptation series ever made. Don’t believe me? Watch episode 1 and prepare to be blown away.
4. Trinity Blood
What’s bloodier than vampires and church? Well, Trinity Blood is not afraid to ruffle some feathers. It features not only vampire characters, but beings straight from the Bible itself! That’s why it is a favorite among many vampire anime enthusiasts, painting a picture of Cain, leading the vampire army in a quest to finally rule the world.
3. Hellsing Ultimate
Getting inspiration from the stories of Dracula and Van Hellsing, this anime series puts a spin on these classic vampire tales. But other than that it truly is a vampire series complete with a brooding vampire protagonist, demon summoning, incredible regeneration abilities, and of course blood drinking. It doesn’t get any better than this. Until it does.
2. Vampire Knight
This right here is an instant classic. Cross Academy was constructed for one sole purpose: to unite young humans and well… young-looking vampires in one boarding school. In order to show that these 2 creatures can actually can co-exist. However things do take a turn for the worse when students of the Night Class go thirsty. Luckily Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu team up to keep them in check. Until they couldn’t! I mean, if this doesn’t encourage you to watch the series I don’t know what will. It’s intense to say the least!
1. Seraph of the End (Owari no Seraph)
We’ve come to the end of the list, and our number 1 vampire-themed anime of all time is none other than Owari no Seraph. It’s a really close call between Vampire Knight and this one. But Seraph of the End takes the cake in terms of modern-day relevance, at least in my book. What would you do if every adult you know, or basically anyone older than 13 years old dies of a mysterious virus? Pretty creepy right? But that’s the premise of Seraph of the End, where vampires come out of hiding to capture all children as their source of nourishment. It is later revealed that it wasn’t the vampires who actually created the virus… it was humankind all along. Sound familiar?
