That incident ten years ago... was my "beginning."
The main heroine. Yuuki is the adoptive daughter of Headmaster Cross and works with her childhood friend Zero as a Prefect, monitoring the Day Class and Night Class. She was saved from a vampire attack ten years ago by Kaname, who she has been in love with ever since.
Aidou (in inner monologue): Also according to them, she's "a small girl who can eat so much despite her size."
Brother-Sister Incest: She is actually Kaname's sister and the daughter of Haruka and Juuri. In spite of this, they still remain a couple because it is common for purebloods to interbreed. Though, it's revealed that, with Kaname really the ancestor of the Kurans, they are still technically related.
Faux Action Girl: She has the potential of being an Action Girl and does try very hard, but ultimately must be rescued by Zero, Kaname, etc etc. She gets better after Kaname re-turns her into a vampire. Well... for a while, at least.
Master Character Heroines: A triple split between Demeter: The Nurturer (her constant need to care for others above herself, such as Zero), Hera: The Matriarch (she is very supportive to the people closest to her—Kaien, Kaname, Zero, and Yori—and is pained whenever Zero and Kaname keep secrets from her), and Persephone: The Maiden (for her carefree and childlike personality and her willingness to help anyone, whether they are human or vampire).
Meaningful Name: Yuuki means "tender" or "kind" (yuu) and "princess" (ki). Cross (or Kurosu) is the Japanese pronunciation of "cross" and the kanji chosen for kurosu translates to "black" (kuro) and "master" (su). Yuuki's biological surname—Kuran—translates to "nine orchids" because ku means "nine" and ran means orchids.
Not Blood Siblings: With Zero, as they were both raised by Kaien for some of their childhood. Lampshaded in Volume 2 and Volume 6, where she considers Zero like a "brother," mainly because of their status as childhood friends. As it turns out, she is this with Kaname as well.
Oblivious to Love: She initially has a really difficult time believing that Kaname reciprocates her feelings. It's justified because she has convinced herself since she was a child that Kaname is "unreachable" to her. On another note, she is also oblivious to Zero's feelings until Chapter 46.
After noticing her resemblence to Juuri, Yuuki's uncle Rido (who was in love with Juuri) changed his plans from devouring Yuuki to keeping her as a substitute for Juuri. Doubles as No Yay.
Also, played with in Chapter 64 when she asks this to Kaname after learning of Kaname's attachment to a woman when he was the Ancestor of the Kurans.
Rescue Romance: This is how she first meets Kaname and develops feelings for him.
Undying Loyalty: Towards Kaname. She even admits to Aidou that she wouldn't even mind if he betrayed her, and Ichijou later admits that he's jealous of how resolute she is when it comes to Kaname.
I will never allow that to happen... even if it makes Kuran my enemy... and even if you hate me for it.
Yuuki's childhood friend and a fellow Prefect. Zero is often aloof and unfriendly. He has a hatred for vampires ever since his family was murdered by a pureblood vampire five years ago. Zero was bitten by this vampire, Shizuka Hio, which is slowly causing him to grow into one and he will inevitably become a Level E vampire. He has feelings for Yuuki.
Anguished Declaration of Love: Towards Yuuki in Chapter 46. While Yuuki acknowledges his feelings, it's an anguished love confession because he confesses that he only wants Yuuki's blood right after Yuuki admits she only desires Kaname's blood.
Interrupted Suicide: He attempts to after the day after drinking Yuuki's blood for the first time. Yuuki prevents it.
I Owe You My Life: To Yuuki for keeping him alive through drinking her blood. That's why he wouldn't mind if Yuuki used him.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: He genuinely wants Yuuki to be with a person who makes her happy—even if it is Kaname. This doesn't stop his USTand Foe Yay with her, though.
Likes Older Women: According to his bio in the fanbook, his taste in woman are "cool older women" and "flat-chested women are out of the question." Of course, everyone can see he has his eyes set on a certain flat-chested girl...
Master Character Heroes: Arguably, he fills the role of Poseidon: The Artist because of how he's been despising himself all these years because of his vampire side and his reaction to Yuuki discovering him as a vampire, how his character can often be unpredictable, and his fear of ever harming Yuuki.
Meaningful Name: Zero's first name has the kanji for rei, which means "zero" in Japanese. His last name Kiryuu translates to "auger"/"drill" (ki) and "life" (ryuu).
Not Blood Siblings: Zero and Yuuki, who were both raised by Kaien for some of their childhood. Lampshaded in Volume 2 and Volume 6, where Yuuki says she considers Zero like a "brother," mainly because of their status as childhood friends.
Single-Minded Twins: Kaien spazzes out when he notices that the twins entered the room with the same pose in a omake. In Chapter 73, when he lightly scolded Maria and carried her back to the Moon Dormitory, Maria noticed that Ichiru said and did the same thing to her when they first met.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Zero will inevitably turn into a Level E and will have to be killed. Kaname's and Ichiru's blood seem to have ceased this because both of them had drunk Shizuka's blood.
Workaholic: As a Vampire Hunter. Especially after the timeskip because it is the only thing to keep him sane without depending on Yuuki's blood.
Sayori "Yori" Wakaba
Yuuki... I feel like you're hiding something from me... I know you have "something" you can't tell me. And I know you're doing that to make me not worry about you. I'm lonely... Yuuki...
The best friend of Yuuki.
Anger Born of Worry: When Yuuki apologizes to Yori for being a vampire, Yori calls her an idiot and hugs her. D'aww.
Arranged Marriage: Has a fiance she has never met before and doesn't even know his name.
Bi the Way: In her profile of the official fanbook, when asked what her "type" would be, she says, "Someone I get when I add Yuuki and Zero, then divide by two." Riiight.
Sacrificial Lamb: Kaito planned to use her as a "sacrificial lamb" at a vampire ball in order for a vampire to bite Yori, as this would allow the hunters a reason to kill the purebloods. Luckily, she was left unscathed.
Secret Keeper: Is one of the few Day Class students who were allowed to keep their memories of the vampire battle at Cross Academy.
Rescue Romance: Falls for Zero after he catches her when she falls trying to present her St. Xocolatl's Day gift by climbing the Night Class dormitory wall.
Kaname is the president of the Night Class, a pureblood vampire, and the object of Yuuki's affections. He rescued Yuuki ten years ago from a vampire attack. While formal and polite, Kaname can also be enigmatic and distant. Two mysteries that surround Kaname are the death of his parents and his connection towards Yuuki's memories.
Brother-Sister Incest: Yuuki is actually his sister and the daughter of Haruka and Juuri. In spite of this, they still remain a couple because it is common for purebloods to interbreed. Though, it's revealed that, with him really the ancestor of the Kurans, they are still technically related.
Even the Guys Want Him: He has this "problem". He already has Yuuki, Ruka, Sara, and countless screaming Day Class girls who want him. Not to mention all those nobles practically shoving their daughters at him a vampire soiree. But on top of all this, he has a very one-sided bromance with Aidou, and if you look closely there's a guy in line to give him chocolates in the St. Xocolatl's Day chapter. And then there's Ichijou's loyalty and concern for Kaname brought to new and interesting heights as of the latest chapter if his conversation with Yuuki is anything to go by.
First Guy Wins: He is technically the first guy Yuuki meets and they are currently a couple.
My Master, Right or Wrong: He is unable to murder Rido—no matter how much he would want to—because Rido was the one who resurrected Kaname (as the ancestor of the Kurans) from his grave.
Not Blood Siblings: With Yuuki as it turns out that he's not her biological brother, but the Ancestor of the Kurans. He was still raised as her older brother, though.
Parental Abandonment: It is claimed that Kaname's parents—Haruka and Juuri Kuran—committed suicide. However, Kaname reveals that they were murdered instead.
... Grandfather... Let us put an end to the Ichijou line.
Kaname's best friend and the Night Class's vice president. He is very friendly and outgoing, and can usually be found with a smile on his face. Ichijou's grandfather is a member of the Vampire Council. He is good friends with Shiki and Rima.
As well as with Kaname. In Chapter 73, he even admits that he's jealous of Yuuki because even though he's always been by Kaname's side, Yuuki is truly Kaname's partner. As he continues saying that he wants to do something to help Kaname with his power, Yuuki jokingly replies that in the area of love, she can't defeat him when it concerns Kaname.
Keet: He is one of your Friendly Neighborhood Vampires, after all. It's so much that Juuri had purposely made Kaname and him spend time together in hopes that his friendly nature would influence Kaname.
Last Name Basis: No one really calls Ichijou by his first name.
Meaningful Name: Takuma means "to cultivate" (taku) and "hemp" or "flax" (ma, a kanji for asa), which is a plant with blue flowers. Ichijou means a "ray" or "streak."
... And my heart decided. I would become someone who could really protect him.
Nicknamed "Idol" by the Day Class girls, Aidou is Kaname's "right-hand man" alongside his cousin Kain. He displays a fun-loving and playful personality around the Day Class girls, and he fiercely idolizes Kaname. He is jealous of the attention Yuuki recieves from Kaname.
Always Someone Better: Initially hated Kaname when they were children, as Kaname was more well-liked because of his pureblood status, but he gradually grows to admire Kaname as time grew on.
Becoming the Mask: He—along with Kain, Ruka, and Ichijou—was purposely supposed to befriend Fuuka in order to keep an eye on her as she takes the experimental pills to see if it will help her slow down the vampire process of an eventual Level E, but as time grew on, Aidou began growing emotionally supportive and sympathetic towards Fuuka and genuinely wanted to save her.
Berserk Button: You do not want to come between him and his Kaname-sama.
Conflicting Loyalty: His admiration towards Kaname versus his duty as a vampire after he witnesses Kaname murdering Shizuka. Also, his growing attachment towards Fuuka versus his duty to have kept her emotionally distant and think her as just an experimental subject.
Cool Teacher/Hot Teacher: Becomes Yuuki's personal tutor and personal bodyguard following the timeskip.
Dead Little Sister/Failure Knight: Initially, Fuuka—a Day Class student who had been turned into an ex-human vampire—was just a test subject and experiment to him for the (at the time) experimental pills that could slow the vampire process from a Level E. He disliked her because she had a crush on Kaname, but as time grew on, he sympathized with Fuuka and wanted to save her from her eventual fate. After Fuuka took the pills, she was beginning to show signs of recovery, but her body soon developed an immunity against it. Fuuka asks him to kill her so she won't turn into a Level E vampire, and in spite of his protests, he reluctantly abides and kills Fuuka.
The Dulcinea Effect: Arguably towards Fuuka, though subverted as it took him a while to have her presence grow on him.
Green-Eyed Monster: Extremely jealous towards the attention Yuuki recieves from Kaname. He kind of gets over it when he finds out Yuuki is a pureblood and Kaname's "sister."
Meaningful Name: Hanabusa means "petals of a flower" and Aidou means "indigo temple." The pronunciation of Aidou is very close to the pronunciation of the English word "Idol" in Japanese, which is where the Day Class girls derived Aidou's nickname from.
Mercy Kill: Reluctantly kills Fuuka when she doesn't want to become a Level E.
Number Two: He and his cousin Kain share the role towards Kaname.
Pet the Dog: He gradually grows to sympathize with Yuuki following The Reveal. After the timeskip, he reassures Yuuki he won't tell Kaname that she is writing a letter to someone (presumably Zero), offers blood tablets for her when she had to resort to biting herself to get blood, accompanies her on her mission to confront pureblood vampires, and stands beside her when she decides to reopen the Night Class, in spite of the fact that Kaname murdered his father prior to this.
... If in the future you end up causing her unhappiness... then I will not forgive you.
Nicknamed "Wild" by the Day Class girls, Kain is Kaname's "right-hand man" alongside his cousin Aidou. He is often laidback and reserved. Kain sympathizes with his childhood friend Ruka, who he has feelings for.
Butt Monkey: Kain has a fair amount of bad luck and is a "victim of circumstances," often getting lectured for not stopping fights or gets involved into said fights that he didn't necessarily want to get into.
Kissing Cousins: According to the flashback chapter of Kaname and the rest of the Night Class when they were kids, as well as the fanbook, Ruka is cousins with Aidou and him.
Meaningful Name: Akatsuki translates to "dawn" or "daybreak." Kain translates to a "base" or "support" (ka) and a "building that has high fences around it"—such as a temple or school (in).
Number Two: He and his cousin Aidou share the role towards Kaname.
Because I've been a fool who only cares about my own feelings... always... until I was faced with the truth...A beautiful student of the Night Class who has unrequited feelings for Kaname.
Green-Eyed Monster: Like Aidou, she is jealous of Yuuki because of the attention she recieves from Kaname. When Yuuki is revealed to be a pureblood vampire and Kaname's "sister", she gradually accepts that her feelings for Kaname are unrequited.
Meaningful Name: Ruka means "lapis lazuli" (ru) and "good-looking" or "beautiful" (ka). Souen means either "early" or "strong fragrance" (sou) and "garden" (en).
That's all right, because a puppet, is now able to move by its own conscious.A young model in the Night Class who is often in the company of Rima. Quiet and introverted, Shiki initially doesn't think too much of himself. Shiki's mother is a former actress who he must take care of because she's fairly helpless on her own. He is good friends with Ichijou.
A young model in the Night Class who is often in the company of Shiki. If separated from him, Rima is often found worrying about Shiki. She is good friends with Ichijou.
Meaningful Name: Seiren translates to "star" (sei) and "to smelt" or "refine" (ren). Also, ren is of the same kanji as rengoku, which means "purgatory."
The headmaster of Cross Academy. Kaien is Yuuki's adoptive father and took in Zero following the death of his parents. He strongly believes that humans and vampires can co-exist.
I Owe You My Life: Feels indebted towards Juuri Kuran for sparing his life sixteen years ago.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Eventually becomes this towards Juuri, as by the time he meets her, she's already married to Haruka. According to his bio in the fanbook, when asked what his taste in women is, he says, "She's already married, so..."
If You Ever Do Anything To Hurt Her: In the anime, he says something to this extent to Kaname (referring to Yuuki, of course) in the final episode.
Meaningful Name: Kaien means "ashes" (kai) and "village gate" (en). The kanji for en is used to Enma too, which is the ruler of the Underworld in Buddhist mythology. Cross (or Kurosu) is the Japanese pronunciation of "cross" and the kanji chosen for kurosu translates to "black" (kuro) and "master" (su).
I'm so happy, I thought I was dead inside Zero's heart...Zero's twin brother. Ichiru and Zero were once very close as children until Ichiru overheard their parents favoring Zero over him. He willingly went with Shizuka following her attack on the Kiryuu family and became her faithful servant.
And now we have a little lamb... joining the party.
A fellow hunter and an old friend of Zero's who returns to Cross Academy as a teacher-in-training.
Batman Gambit//Xanatos Gambit: He used Yori as bait for the purebloods during a vampire ball so a viable reason can be given to allow the hunters to kill the purebloods. It does not work.
A Day Class student with a crush on Kaname. After attempting to sneak in the Moon Dormitory, the Night Class students — Aidou, Kain, Ruka, and Ichijou in particular — take an interest in Fuuka and let her visit the dorm at night. As these visits progress, a mystery surrounding Fuuka begins to unveil itself. She is introduced in the VK light novel Vampire Knight: Ice Blue no Tsumi.
Fuuka: What would you think if I were to say... I love you?
Aidou:You're too honest... I'm sorry...
Fuuka: Never mind. I... I... I love you, sempai. And that's why I'm happy... to die in your arms...
Because You Were Nice to Me: She feels this way towards Aidou because of how he was her only ally—having rescued her so several times and was the only person who was honest with her. So, naturally, this is why she asks Aidou to be the one who kills her.
Doomed by Canon: Vampire Knight: Ice Blue no Tsumi takes place around a year or so before the main story takes place, so I wonder why this new character Fuuka hasn't shown up yet. ... Oh,that'swhy.
Exact Eavesdropping: Just when she visits the Moon Dormitory to ask what kind of chocolates Aidou likes for St. Xocolatl's Day to give him "thank you" chocolates for rescuing her, she overhears Aidou, Kain, Ruka, and Ichijou discussing the exterimental pill's effect on her, and they reveal that she is an ex-human vampire and the pills were an attempt to slow down the vampire process.
Dying as Yourself: Would rather die by Aidou's hand as herself than be hunted down as a Level E vampire.
I Am A Monster: When she discovers she is an ex-human vampire.
Ill Girl: Throughout the light novel, Fuuka has not been feeling well and seems to be suffering from anemia. This is actually the effects of her eventual descent to a Level E vampire.
Second Love: She has a crush on the mysterious and forlorn Kaname, but she ends up falling in love with the initially difficult but very dependable Aidou.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: She was revealed to have been bitten by a pureblood vampire following an accident. The pureblood saved Fuuka's life and altered her memories, but as a result, she was gradually turning into a Level E vampire.
Other Vampires
Shizuka Hio
A pureblood vampire who murdered Zero's parents and turned Zero into a vampire. She is infamously known as the "Kuruizaki-hime."
Meaningful Name: Shizuka means "calm and quiet." Hio means "scarlet" (hi) and "cherry blossoms (ou). Her Red Baron name Kuruizaki-hime translates to "flowers of the blooming season" (kuruizaki) and "princess" (hime).
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Her attack on the Kiyruu family was because they were the ones who murdered her manservant lover, who was a vampire who was once a human and was falsely placed on the hunter's execution list as a Level E.
The Rival: In Chapter 72, she suggests she'll "snatch" Zero away from Yuuki if the latter doesn't want him. It's notable since she's not too particularly fond of Zero, but her suggestion may have to do with Zero's resemblance to Ichiru and Ichiru technically being "one" with Zero.
Ship Tease: According to her bio in the fanbook, her taste in men is "Ichiru."
Enigmatic Minion: We have no idea what she's up to or why, but it has something to do with Kaname since she captured Ichijou out of the purpose of getting information on Kaname. It's revealed that she "wants to be Queen"—whatever that means is anybody's guess, but it's very likely that she desires to be the Queen of the purebloods.
It happened so fast that I didn't have time to hold back my power... I couldn't take the risk, because there's a life growing inside me that I had to protect at all costs...
Kaname's and Yuuki's mother, Juuri is the wife of Haruka. Supposedly, Haruka's and Juuri's deaths were the result of suicide. It was later revealed that they were murdered by Rido instead. She is also Haruka's and Rido's sister.
Umbrella of Togetherness: A whole flashback side chapter revolved around this idea—with her looking back on it with both irritation and fondness. When it was raining while she attended a human high school, she got really irritated that Haruka would follow her home and even hid all the umbrellas except for the one he was carrying. When she demanded for an explanation, Haruka replied—
Haruka: It's because I wanted to share an umbrella with you...
How can I stay behind and let my child protect me? Don't destroy my pride of being a father, please.
Kaname's and Yuuki's father, Haruka is the husband of Juuri. Supposedly, Haruka's and Juuri's deaths were the result of suicide. It was later revealed that they were murdered by Rido instead. He is also Rido's and Juuri's brother.
Youngest Child Wins: Haruka isn't the youngest child, but he is the youngest brother who ended up winning the affections of his sister Juuri over his older brother Rido.
Rido Kuran
Alike... You look like Juuri. I've changed my mind. You will replace Juuri, and let me love you.
Rido is the Big Bad. He is also Shiki's father and the older brother of Haruka and Juuri. Rido had unrequited feelings for Juuri and was resentful of Haruka's and Juuri's marriage. Rido returns to Cross Academy in order to devour Yuuki and take her power. He is also the one who ressurected the Ancestor of the Kurans — Kaname — from his grave. Thus, Kaname is unable to kill him.
The Resenter: Very much indeed. Disliked the fact that his arranged fiancee Shizuka Hio was in love with a vampire who used to be a human enough that he imprisoned Shizuka and falsely placed Shizuka's lover on the Level E list so that he would be killed by the hunters. Oh, and he was a sore loser about the whole Haruka/Juuri thing too.
I cannot forgive the person who forgot his purpose in life and played with those weak, yet strong, lives that instinctively continued to hope. There's no way I could silently keep watching.A woman from the Ancestor of the Kuran's past. She sacrificed herself to forge the first weapons for the Hunters to wield. Introduced in the recent arc.
