Yuki Cross
Yuki is the adopted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, a 16-year-old first year student who wields the Artemis staff, an anti-vampire weapon formerly used by her mother. She begins as a human, acting as a "Guardian" or "Prefect" protecting the human students from the vampire students, and the secret of the vampire students from the human ones. Yuki is close friends with Zero Kiriyu, who she becomes determined to help once she discovers he had been turned into a vampire, following which their friendship rapidly evolves. She has been in love with Kaname Kuran, a pureblood vampire, since he saved her as a young child, but her affection is later divided to include Zero as well. She is generally a kind, caring, cheerful, and comedic character, but often portrayed as not being very smart, being a poor student due to the fact that she is a guardian at night and student in the daytime, giving her little time to study and sleep. The lack of sleep causes her to fall asleep during class. She is often kept ignorant by other characters who know more about goings-on, which results in her character feeling guilty for being unaware of the suffering of other characters. Hino Matsuri has described Yuki as a healing and soothing character, who exemplifies her justice side.
Towards the climax of arc one, Yuki is revealed to be a pureblood vampire, and the Kuran princess. Juri Kuran, her mother, had sacrificed herself ten years earlier to perform a spell that would transform Yuki into a human and erase her daughter's memories. Kaname re-awakened Yuki's vampire side when the original threat of Rido returns to harm Yuki. This revelation alienates Zero, but the two fight together to defeat Rido. The formerly close friends part ways after Zero tells Yuki he intends to kill all purebloods including her, while finally revealing his feelings for her. Yuki’s response is left unknown for several chapters until she admits she has an attachment to him as well as to Kaname. Yuki had left with Kaname after advising Zero that she intended to run from him forever so that he continues to have a reason to live. Yuki's character makes little progress during the one year time skip, spending the entire time inside the Kuran mansion, dealing with vampire hunger. Following the supposed suicide of a vampire at the peace ball, Yuki is provoked into taking action. She offers to help kill any pureblood intending suicide, to prevent the sacrifice of others, being completely unaware that the original death was actually murder. Yuki's mission reunites her with Zero and he ends up taking an injured Yuki to a Vampire hunter safehouse, where she almost bites him. Upon her return home, Yuki is finally told the truth of Kaname’s true nature and who he really is.
Yuki has expressed that she feels weak, and that she dislikes this feeling. She has also been shown to have a fear of using her fangs, which she got over recently. It appears that her full powers have yet to develop.
Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese), Mela Lee (English)
Zero Kiryu
Zero Kiryu (錐生 零, Kiryū Zero?) is one of the male protagonists of Vampire Knight. Zero is unique being both a Vampire Hunter and a vampire. Yuki's close friend and the only other Cross Academy Guardian, he was trained to be a Vampire Hunter by Toga Yagari. Zero carries the anti-vampire gun named "Bloody Rose”. Zero lives with Kaien Cross and Yuki Kuran, after being bitten by a pureblood vampire who also murders his family. Due to the attack, Zero developed a deep hatred and distrust of vampires, despite originally being a gentle character by nature. Matsuri Hino described Zero as exemplifying her justice side. [1]
The first arc of the story is spent dealing with Zero trying to overcome his fall into the madness, helped by Yuki when she pledges to feed him her blood. Yuki continually oversteps boundaries in helping Zero and he ends up preventing her from trading her humanity to Shizuka Hio in exchange for preventing his fall to Level E vampire. Zero swears never to allow Yuki to become a vampire and attempts to help her with her own issues. Zero clashes with Kaname Kuran, who only allows Zero to live because Zero protects Yuki and Zero is eventually forced to drink the blood of Kaname to delay becoming a level E vampire. Following the discovery of Yuki's true nature as a pureblood vampire, Zero and Yuki sever their friendship. Perceived as dangerous, Zero is arrested by the Hunters Association and it is revealed that Kaname had been grooming Zero in order for him to defeat Rido Kuran. Zero is shot by his dying twin brother, forcing him to "eat" Ichiru to complete the Twin Hunter fragment. With this final act and carrying the blood of three purebloods [2], Zero becomes one of the most powerful characters appearing in the series. Zero and Yuki work together and defeat Rido, but Zero reveals his intention to end everything, to kill all pureblood vampires including Yuki. Zero hesitates to kill her revealing he has been in love with her since he met her. The two part, as Yuki promises to run from Zero forever so give him a reason to live.
Following the one year timeskip, Zero has progressed from his dangerous state of mind, more concerned with maintaining peace between vampires and hunters[3], enough to find himself poised as the future president of the Hunters Association. Zero continues to hunt vampires and seeks the truth about the Hunter's death at the party, but he is still dealing with issues regarding his loss of his humanity and intense vampire hunger. However, falling to level E is no longer a concern and his body no longer rejects blood tablets. When he meets up with an injured Yuki, Zero finds himself assisting her and even almost allowing her to bite him.
Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese), Vic Mignogna (English)
Sayori Wakaba
Sayori "Yori" Wakaba (若葉 沙頼, Wakaba Sayori?) is Yuki's dorm-mate and best friend since junior high. She has a fiance [4], although she has never met him. Yori is a very perceptive girl who finds the aura of the Night Class to be scary. She is one of the few girls with no interest in the Night Class and not intimidated by Zero, frequently joining Yuki to tease him while maintaining that Yuki is the only one capable of dealing with him. When Yori discovers that Yuki is a vampire during the attack on the school, she accepts Yuki. After a year has passed, Yori is still Yuki's loyal friend, she refused to have her memory erased by the hunters, remaining one of the few students who knows what actually happened at the school. Kaito uses Yori as bait at the vampire ball in an attempt to provoke trouble; while she does this in order to meet with Yuki whom she hadn't seen in a year.
Voiced by: Kana Ueda (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)
Night Class Students
Kaname Kuran
Kaname Kuran (玖蘭 枢, Kuran Kaname?) is a male protagonist and one of the most mysterious characters in the story. As a character who holds many secrets and one of the most influential characters, he is involved in much of the plot behind the scenes. Kaname is introduced as the pureblood vampire who loves Yuki and saved her from an attack by another vampire when she was five years old. He is the class president of the Night Class, who has the intense loyalty of the other Night Class students and he belongs to the most powerful of Vampire families. However, Kaname is actually one of the most powerful characters in the series, revealed to be one of the original vampires and founder of the Kuran family, who was raised as Juri and Haruka Kuran's son after being re-awakened by Rido Kuran.
Kaname is over 10,000 years old, though his exact age isn't known at the moment. He lived back when the vampires were just starting to realize each others existence. Kaname forgot his name, and was given his name by another vampire. He tried to teach human villagers how to grow crops and helped them out, but he couldn't hide his need for blood, so he stole some from the villagers at night with syringes trying to avoid turning them into vampires themselves. Eventually they found out, and chased him out, calling him a monster. The rest of his past is unknown at the moment.
During the first arc, Kaname spends his time working to protect Yuki, which includes killing Shizuka Hio and fostering Zero Kiryu's powers. The end of the arc culminates in his destruction of the Vampire Council, which attacked the school, fearing the return of the Kuran family as the rulers of Vampire Society. Kaname is a mysterious character, his inexplicable attachment and gentleness to Yuki, both troubles her and the Night class vampires, who do not understand it until Kaname awakens her true nature as a pureblood vampire and as his supposed sister. Kaname is forced to do so with the return of his enemy and Yuki's uncle, Rido. As Kaname is unable to kill his master, he approaches Zero to kill Rido, after which he is intended to be freed from Rido. The attachment to Rido persists beyond the vampire's death and his remnant is later seen talking to Kaname, taunting him about his conflicting nature.
Following the timeskip, Kaname takes Yuki to their childhood home and solidifies his rule over the vampires and forges and new peace between the purebloods and the hunters. The relationship between Yuki and Kaname is not shaky in spite of Yuki acknowledging her attachment to Zero and he impresses upon her his attachment to her preferring to be killed rather than losing her. Kaname is haunted by the idea that he will one day lose Yuki by her sacrificing herself and he flip flops between the desire to lock her up to protect her and encouraging her in her endeavours to make her happy. Yuki reiterates her promise to stay alive and despairs over his depression, so Kaname finally tells her the truth of his existence.
Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio (Japanese), Ethan Murray (English)
Takuma Ichijo
Takuma Ichijo (一条 拓麻, Ichijo Takuma?) is the vice-president of the Night Class. He is a noble-class vampire nearly as powerful as Kaname, whom he is close to and respects. With his cheerful and enthusiastic demeanor, Ichijo appears very "un-vampire like", lacking the dark atmosphere that surrounds most vampires and making him appear more like a human. His favorite reading material is manga. Ichijo maintains a close friendship with Senri Shiki, whose great-uncle is also a member of the council, and is a good friend to Rima Touya.
Educated by a grandfather with high expectations for him, Ichijo is ordered by his grandfather to spy on Kaname while attending Cross Academy; he refuses out of loyalty for his friend and attempts to break away of his grandfather's intentions. When Senri Shiki is possessed by Rido Kuran, Ichijo is forced to go against Kaname in order to protect his friends. Once Shiki is freed from Rido's possession, Ichijo rejoins Kaname's side and stops Kaname from killing his grandfather, instead asking that he be the one to handle the issue. It is strongly hinted at that Ichijo intended to end his life along with his grandfather, saying "Together, let us put an end to the Ichijo line." But it is revealed that he never got his wish, as he was discovered unconscious afterwards by Sara Shirabuki, one of the few known Pureblood vampires, who said that she always wanted "to have" Takuma, as though he were simply a doll or a toy. He was currently in the hands of Sara Shirabuki, who is using him to get information about Kaname. He is currently Sara's "brother" at school.
Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese), Spike Spencer (English)
Hanabusa Aido
Hanabusa Aido (藍堂 英, Aidō Hanabusa?), nicknamed "Idol" by the Day Class girls, is known among the Night Class along with his cousin Akatsuki Kain to be "Kaname-sama's right hand". His fierce admiration for Kaname borders on jealousness and though extremely loyal, Aido has a tendency to overstep his boundaries, which results in Kaname punishing him if discovered. A noble-class vampire who can conjure and control ice, Aido often appears cheerful and friendly one moment, but vindictive and cruel the next. A perceptive individual, he figures out Zero is a vampire, but he keeps this information to himself without any hidden agenda in mind.
He is often irritated at Yuki and her naive ways. He resents that fact Yuki is given more attention from "Kaname-sama" than he himself is. He is temporarily troubled when he witnesses Kaname's killing of a fellow pureblood and runs away from the Moon Dormitory and imposes himself on Yuki and Zero. Agreeing with Yuki's assertion that he would remain loyal to Kaname even if betrayed by him, he returns to the vampire's side. Aido has difficulty adjusting himself to referring to Yuki in a formal manner following the revelation of her true nature when he is appointed as one of her protectors.
During Rido's attack on Cross Academy, Aido protects the Day Class, as ordered by Yuki. Half a year after the incident, Aido becomes Yuki's tutor and personal guard. Recently, he is seen following Yuki around on her mission to inform purebloods of her choice to kill them if they so choose, and in the newest chapter has been arrested by Zero and brought to the Association's headquarters for reasons unrevealed.
Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese), Bryce Papenbrook (English)
Akatsuki Kain
Akatsuki Kain (架院 暁, Kain Akatsuki?) is Aido's cousin and considered one of "Kaname-sama's right hands". While the Day Class girls have nicknamed him "Wild", Kain is actually mellower than Aido and his layback attitude and association with Aido frequently sees him getting into trouble, despite not being directly responsible. He refers to Kaname as their "gang leader".[5]
Kain is incredibly perceptive and frequently sensitive to others' feelings, most particularly with Aido and Ruka's. While he initially suspects that Zero has killed Shizuka Hio, he instantly realizes that was not what had transpired. Kain's ability as a vampire is the opposite of Aido's, the ability to conjure and control fire. It has been hinted that Kain has some feelings for Ruka but he has yet to reveal his true feelings to her. This is evidenced in Chapter 48: "The Wishes of Unrequited Lovers". Rather, he often appears at her side when she is feeling down about Kaname's unwillingness to accept her feelings.
During Rido's attack on Cross Academy, Kain and Ruka fight vampires attacking the Day Class on Kaname's orders.
Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (Japanese), Troy Baker (English)
Ruka Souen
Ruka Souen (早園 瑠佳, Sōen Ruka?) is a female noble vampire who provides a stark contrast to Yuki Cross. Beautiful, intelligent and graceful, Ruka has also been in love with Kaname Kuran since she was a child, ironically she remains completely unaware of Kain's unrequited love for her. Ruka is able to make her enemies betray themselves and attack each other or themselves. Ruka is one of the most faithful and protective of Kaname. She is also a childhood friend to Aido and Kain. She has an intense jealousy of any humans that raise Kaname's interest, leading the pack in persecuting them. Her character matures towards the end of the first arc, after she learns that Yuki is Kaname's pureblood sister, recognizing the foolishness of her one-sided love for Kaname and the suffering that Yuki will face. Like the rest of the night class, she works with Kain to defend girls in the Day Class during the attack on the school and expresses a desire to protect them from the hostile vampires. Since the time skip, Ruka has been seen giving Yuki etiquette lessons and Yuki is aware that Ruka still appears to have some feelings for Kaname. Ruka also seems to be developing feelings for Kain. Ruka's offcial Japanese name is Luca Souen
Voiced by: Junko Minagawa (Japanese), Megan Hollingshead (English)
Senri Shiki
Senri Shiki (支葵 千里, Shiki Senri?) is one of the youngest Night Class members and works as a model with Rima Touya. He is a cousin of Yuki. He is 178 cm tall. When the Night Class is given orders to hunt down a level E vampire, Shiki is usually the one sent out hunting the level E vampires. He is able to control and bend his blood at will.
Shiki's father is Rido Kuran, making him Kaname and Yuki'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. As part of a plan to resurrect himself, Rido possesses his son's body, though for Shiki to reassert himself is easier than he lets on. During Rido's fight against Rima, Shiki is able to awaken within himself and attempt to regain control of his body.
After Rido's revival, Shiki regained consciousness and after recalling the events that had taken place, apologizes to an unconscious Rima for letting Rido use his body and embraces her. He protects Rima from a servant of Rido and, as she regains consciousness, carries Rima away from the Moon Dormitory before it collapses. As Shiki escapes, he sees his father one last time before Rido's death. He goes looking for Ichijo with Rima when Ichijo does not come back to the others. Recently, he is seen with Rima Touya at a meeting between vampires.
Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi (Japanese), Steve Staley (English)
Rima Touya
Rima Touya (遠矢 莉磨, Tōuya Rima?) is one of the youngest Night Class students and she works as a model alongside Shiki Senri. Her height is 170 cm. The relationship with Shiki is unknown, though they are almost always seen together. In the anime and sometimes in the manga Rima is seen feeding Shiki a Japanese snack called Pocky. She cares deeply for Shiki and possesses a personality similar to his. As a vampire, Touya possesses lightning or electricity related abilities.[7]
After suspecting Shiki has changed upon his return to school, Touya confronts Rido and demands him to leave Shiki's body since she can tell that he is not Shiki. She is wounded by Rido, but is saved by Ichijo. While injured, she tries to convince Shiki to snap out of his state and calls him an idiot for letting Rido control him. Badly wounded, she is sent back to the Moon Dormitory by Ichijo. Rima is later seen at the vampire ball with Shiki.
Voiced by: Eri Kitamura (Japanese), Carrie Savage (English)
Seiren
Seiren (星煉, Seiren?) is a student of the Night Class, and is Kaname's unofficial bodyguard. She is usually the first to defend Kaname from anyone she regards as a threat. She barely refrains from killing Zero when he threatens Kaname with the Bloody Rose. Seiren also appears to serve Kaname in the capacity of a spy or informant, for example, she is the one that tells Kaname that his uncle has risen. She uses her body as a weapon and is very skilled in hand-to-hand combat. After Rido was killed, Seiren chose to continue following her master, Kaname.
Voiced by: Risa Mizuno
Others
Headmaster Kaien Cross
Headmaster Kaien Cross (黒主 灰閻理事長, Kurosu Kaien Rijichō?) is Yuki's adoptive father, 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. Cross is shown to have a habit of provoking Zero and is eccentric in some ways, but he has a serious side as well. In chapter 58, he was talking to Isaya, an old friend of Kaiens who has been asleep for 50 years. This shows that Kaien is well over 50 years old. It is revealed in a bonus chapter (59.5) that Kaien Cross is over 200 years old. He never ages because of his vampire genes (which all hunters possess).
The headmaster is revealed to have several secrets, including that he was a former vampire hunter. He knew both of Kaname's parents, who founded the Cross Academy peace treaty before their deaths, and feels indebted to them, in particular Juri Kuran, who had spared his life sixteen years ago after he had attempted to take away her life, not knowing then that she was pregnant with Yuki.
During the defense of Cross Academy, Cross stands against the hunters from the Hunters Association, refusing to kill any vampires and intending only to protect the Night Class as they defend the Day Class, and asserts that he has no intention of allowing the hunters to take Yuki. His vampire hunter weapon appears to be some sort of sword, which he uses to kill the President of the Hunters Association who had turned corrupt from drinking Rido Kuran's blood.
Voiced by: Hozumi Goda (Japanese), Christopher Corey Smith (English)
Ichiru Kiryu
Ichiru Kiryu (錐生 壱縷, Kiryū Ichiru?) is Zero's younger twin brother. When they were younger, they were both taught by Toga Yagari to become vampire hunters. Ichiru, however did not seem to share Zero's natural ability and was often ill. 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.
Because Shizuka recognized Ichiru felt the same pain she did, she chose not to kill him and makes him her devoted and loyal servant instead. She lets Ichiru drink her blood to strengthen him and cure his chronic ill health, although she does not turn him into a vampire and he remains a human. With Shizuka's death, he attends Cross Academy as a Day Class student by the orders of Shiki's father, Rido Kuran, and Zero's permission. Ichiru's reasons for siding with Rido appear to involve Rido promising Ichiru that he will kill those who killed Shizuka Hio.
When Zero is arrested by the Vampire Hunters Association, Ichiru visits him and appears to shoot him out of hatred. However, it is revealed that Ichiru was terribly wounded in an attempt to kill Rido, the one that Ichiru had actually been after because of his role in Shizuka's death. After he shoots his brother, Ichiru convinces Zero to "eat" his body so they can finally become one, as they were originally supposed to be. Ichiru states that he was happy that he was not dead in Zero's heart and when they hug, he says that he feels comfortable to be in his arms, recalling a time when the brothers slept in the same bed often and they were loved equally by their mother. After Ichiru's death, Zero appeared to grow vines, most likely from all of Shizuka Hio's blood that Ichiru had ingested.
Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese), Vic Mignogna (English)
Toga Yagari
Toga Yagari (夜刈 十牙, Yagari Tōga?) is currently the top ranked vampire hunter, as well as the one who trained Zero to be a vampire hunter. He lost his right eye trying to save Zero long ago when Zero's old school nurse turned out to be a level E vampire and tried to attack both Zero and Ichiru. Yagari told them to leave but in an attempt to help his teacher, Zero refuses and stays. It is during this time that the nurse goes for Zero, that Yagari stands in front of him and gets a blow to his face, losing his right eye. He appears at Cross Academy serving for a short while as a Night Class substitute teacher of Ethics, and to decide whether Zero is considered dangerous or not.
Yagari is shocked to learn the Council of Ancients' decision to punish Zero for the death of Shizuka Hio and later appears to arrest Zero for other charges. Before leaving Zero, he gives him the Bloody Rose. Yagari subsequently joins the Chairman to protect Cross Academy from the Hunters Association.
Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto (Japanese), Travis Willingham (English)
Shizuka Hio
Shizuka Hio (緋桜 閑, Hiō Shizuka?) is the pureblood vampire who bit Zero; even her fellow vampires are uneasy around her and refer to her as the "Madly Blooming Princess". A manservant whom she loved (a former human vampire, falsely classified by the Hunter's Association as Level E) was assigned to be killed by a Kiryu vampire hunter. Enraged and vengeful, she attacked the Kiryu family, killing both parents, biting Zero (which subsequently turned him into a vampire), and taking Zero's twin, Ichiru, in as a devoted servant. She was originally Rido Kuran's fiancée, but they never married due to his disappearance and finally her death.
Because Shizuka's blood can prevent Zero from falling to Level E, Yuki once had risked her life and humanity for Zero to be able to drink Shizuka's blood. However, to protect Yuki, Kaname kills Shizuka and drinks her blood, leaving only a small amount for Zero to drink. Unfortunately the blood is drunk by Ichiru, who arrived to find Shizuka first. Before dying, Shizuka warns Kaname that he will live in darkness and has summoned a sinister future for himself for drinking the blood of a Pureblood, when he is one himself.
Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
Maria Kurenai
Maria Kurenai (紅 まり亜, Kurenai Maria?) is a very distant relative of Shizuka Hio. She allows Shizuka to possess her body in exchange for being allowed to drink Shizuka's blood, which would strengthen her sickly body. Due to Shizuka's untimely death, this promise is never fulfilled. She seems to be fond of Ichiru, hugging Zero when she mistakes him for Ichiru, and asks Yuki to tell Zero that if he sees Ichiru, to tell him Maria wants to see him again. She returns to her family after Shizuka's death, and when she sends an owl out to search for Ichiru she witnesses Kaname's destruction of the Vampire Council, and proceeds to spread the news.
Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese), Laura Bailey (English)
Asato Ichijo
Asato Ichijou (一条 麻遠, Ichijō Asatō?) often referred to as Ichio, 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 allows 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.
Sara Shirabuki
Sara Shirabuki (白蕗 更, Shirabuki Sara?) is a beautiful pureblood vampire who first appears at a party held by the Aido family, stating to Kaname that "We purebloods have to stick together". She is around Kaname's age, slightly older than Yuki. She is called on by vampire society to stop Kaname when it is assumed that he has gone mad after killing the Vampire Council.[14] Sara found Takuma Ichijo and says to herself that he "will be useful to get the information on what Kaname's plans are". Sara is currently starting to go to school, using the excuse of her being ill and unable to attend school to explain her older looking appearance. She calls Ichijou her "onii-sama" (brother) to avoid attracting too much unwanted attention. Her ulterior motive is revealed in Chapter 56 when she says "I will be Queen" to Ichijou. She also confesses that she took the life of her fiancee, Ouri.
Ouri
Ouri is a pureblood, the fiancee of Sara Shirabuki after Rido's death. In the chapter 55 of Vampire Knight, Ouri was found dead at the hand of a human woman, a vampire hunter who was also found dead, by her own hand. It is said that all purebloods live eternally, but two known ways that purebloods can die is either by way of suicide or being killed by another Pureblood vampire or a vampire hunter. Ouri was found dead in a room at the vampire council and hunter's association meeting/ball. Some rumours were that Ouri committed suicide, or that he was killed by the vampire hunter, but neither of them or correct. Ouri was murdered by Sara Shirabuki, his fiancee. Sara bit the hunter, turning her into a vampire, then compelled her to kill Ouri, then herself afterwards. Ouri had known that his life was going to end by Sara Shirabuki, so he accepted his death.Since the Kurans are the highest pureblood vampires, Yuki Kuran is investigating on how to stop the rest of the purebloods from using innocents as instruments of suicide (although this human had been used for murder).
Kaito Takamiya
Kaito Takamiya (Takamiya Kaito) is a young hunter and a teacher-in-training. He is first mentioned in the light novel Vampire Knight: Ice Blue's Sin (ヴァンパイア騎士 憂氷の罪, Vanpaia Naito: Aisu Burū no Tsumi?) but does not appear in the manga until chapter 53. He trained under Yagari with Ichiru and Zero after his former teacher was wounded, this is prior to Yagari losing his eye. During that time, Kaito picked on Ichiru for his physical weakness and Zero for his softness. Later, Zero and Kaito become more friendly. According to Kaien, Zero and Kaito share Yagari's attitude because they trained under him. He is a ruthless vampire hunter, hates purebloods, and trusts no one. His elder brother was bitten by a Pureblood and on his first mission with Yagari, he insisted on killing his brother himself. Kaito was invited to the academy by Kaien to be a student Ethics teacher, however it is really because they are relying on his competence as a skilled hunter to assist the updated Hunters Association's organization. Kaito makes his own plans including inviting Yori to sneak into the party, and revealing to Zero that he intends to use her as bait to stir up the vampires, so Zero would have a reason to kill Yuki.
Rido Kuran
Rido Kuran (玖蘭 李土, Kuran Ridō?) is a pureblood vampire, Shizuka Hio's former fiancé, Senri Shiki's father, and elder brother to Haruka and Juri Kuran. He was the main antagonist of the story. According to Asato Ichijo, he is the true head of the Kuran family. Ten years ago, seeking to take the Kuran princess, Yuki, Rido killed his younger brother, Haruka, cowardly using a hunter's blade during a one-on-one fight between the two. Kaname attempted to kill Rido, but found he was unable to and a triumphant Rido revealed that he was the one who resurrected Kaname from his grave and thus is Kaname's master. Instead Kaname reduced Rido to the state where he required another pureblood vampire's blood in order to revive fully.
Secretly aided by the Ancient Vampire Council and the Hunters' Association, Rido manipulates events from the shadows by transferring his soul to other bodies and taking control. Rido possesses eyes of two different colors (crimson and blue), and when his soul is transferred to a different body, that body has the same eyes. When Rido takes possession of Shiki's body, he goes to Cross Academy. After a brief confrontation with Kaname and later Rima, Kaname injects his blood to Rido's body in order to restore Rido to his original body.
Ichiru reveals that Rido is the one who added Shizuka's ex-human lover to the list of Level E vampires to be liquidated by the Hunter's Association and attempts to kill Rido as revenge for Shizuka, but instead is mortally wounded. Following his true body's revival, Rido's servants sense his revival and begin to attack the school students in order to capture prey for Rido to feed on. Rido attempts to compel Aido to feed upon him, but is thwarted by his niece, the recently awoken Yuki Kuran. Seeing Yuki's resemblance to her mother, his sister Juri, Rido changes his original desire from eating Yuki (in order to gain power) to taking Yuki as his lover as a replacement for Juri, who he loved but who had never wanted him, having chosen Haruka over him. Rido's life seemingly came to an end when he was defeated by Zero, with the help of Yuki, but it was recently revealed that Rido did not truly die. Instead, he now exists as a phantasmal 'fragment' of consciousness attached to Kaname, who only can only be seen or heard by Kaname. It is also revealed that Rido had taken Juri and Haruka's son and had used him as the sacrifice to revive Kaname the Ancestor. In another twist, the child's name was also Kaname.
Voiced by: Tarusuke Shingaki
Juri Kuran
Juri Kuran (玖蘭 樹里, Kuran Jūri?) is Yuki's and Kaname's mother and a pureblood vampire whom Yuki is stated to especially resemble. Juri was the wife of Haruka Kuran as well as his sister since it is common for pureblood vampires to marry their siblings. It is stated that she has been alive for nearly 3000 years, a testament to the especially long lives of purebloods, as she still retains the appearance of a young woman. Ten years ago when Rido Kuran (her eldest sibling) appeared, after revealing in anger that Rido was after her child again, a statement revealing the existence of another child, with Haruka's permission she erased five years of Yuki's memories and sealed away her vampire blood at the cost of her own life, because she wished for Yuki to be able to live happily like a normal human girl. Headmaster Kaien Cross states that he is indebted to her, and it is revealed that she spared his life when he attempted to murder her when she was pregnant on the condition that he would establish a school where humans and vampires can co-exist. Her last wish was for Kaname to look after Yuki.
Voiced by: Mariko Kouda
Haruka Kuran
Haruka Kuran (玖蘭 悠, Kuran Haruka?) is Yuki's and Kaname's father and a pureblood vampire. He is the brother and husband of Juri Kuran. Before his death, Haruka declares that he and Juri have known each other for 3000 years, since her very birth, and states that it has been enough, with a gentle smile on his face, showing his soft and gentle nature. He reveals that the Vampire Council had been trying to use the status of Pureblooded vampires and their powerful blood to serve itself. After agreeing with Juri's decision to seal Yuki's memories away, he buys time for his wife by fighting his elder brother Rido, displaying the power of the purebloods by merging and morphing two vampires together, thus creating a monstrous beast, commanding it: "Now. Go devour your master." After this both he and Rido attack simultaneously, Haruka's attack crushing Rido's head, and Rido using a mixture of his blood to attack with a Hunter's blade, which is made of a type of steel with the ability to halt any vampire's healing ability. The sword pierces Haruka's heart, slowly killing him. Right as he pulls the blade from his body, Kaname leaves the house, seeing the two frozen in place, then realizes that Haruka is dying, seeing the cracks appearing on his father's face. Before his death, he hugs Kaname and says that as a loving father, he does not want his child to enter the fight, hoping to protect him despite knowing Kaname's true self. After that the effects of the anti-vampire blade take effect, killing him.
Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima
