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Night Class

Kaname Kuran / The Ancestor of the Kurans

Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio (Japanese), Ethan Murray (English)

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. The end of the first arc has Kaname turning Yuuki into a vampire or rather, turning her back into a vampire since she was always a Pureblood like himself, as well as her brother/future fiance. As the second arc goes by, despite living together like a married couple, Yuuki and Kaname's relationship takes several blows when Kaname's penchant for keeping secrets and habit of always maintaining control wears on Yuuki and slowly but surely strains their relationship.

Kaname later reveals that he is actually the first ancestor of the Kurans brought back to life by Rido in an attempt to put a leash on the most powerful creature alive. This backfires as - in an attempt to keep himself from attacking everything in sight - Kaname lets his body devolve to that of a newborn's, the ancestor takes on the name and place of the the real son of Haruka and Juuri Kuran, who was sacrificed to awaken him and was, in cruel irony, also named after him - Kaname. Eventually getting disheartened by the unchanging vampire society, Kaname deliberately pushes Yuuki and everyone close to him away in order to try and commit genocide on all Purebloods in accordance to the last wishes of the ancestor who gave her heart to make Anti-Vampire weapons; carrying on the The Hooded Woman's work. However, as the Parent Metal that makes Anti-Vampire weapons has cooled and died, he resolves to, and late does, cast his own heart into the furnace and becomes the Parent Metal in order to atone for his sins and protect humans from vampires. He dies wishing for Yuuki and Zero to be happy together. Yuuki later brings him back to life as a human with no memories and leaves him in the care of her children, finally redeemed and having another chance at life.

• Alliterative Name: Kaname is so old that, by the time he met others of his own kind around ten thousand years before the canon timeline he had already forgotten his own name. The "Hooded Woman", who was one of the first vampires he'd met, gave him the name Kaname, after the village in which she was born.
• Always Save the Girl: Kaname has a habit of always being near Yuuki's side whenever things go south for her, and is known to punish and/or kill vampires who harm her in any way.
• Animal Motifs: Bats.
• Anti-Hero: Kaname ends up deliberately turning everyone against him in order to fulfill his goal. Which includes: keeping Yuuki alive, safe and happy; and protecting humanity from vampires.
• Babies Ever After: He and Yuuki have a daughter named Ai together.
• Betty and Veronica: Veronica to Zero's Betty.
• Big Bad: While he's not evil, his increasingly villainous actions and mindset turn him into the main antagonist of the series, to the point where the series actually ends with him as the Final Boss. In the end though, he sacrifices himself to protect all of humanity from the threat of vampires.
• Brother–Sister Incest: Yuuki is 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 due to the fact that Pure Vampire blood eliminates the possibility of defects. Though, it's revealed that he is really the ancestor of the Kurans.
• Byronic Hero: Mixed with the Anti-Hero trope above, Kaname is on his own side and doesn't care what methods are used to accomplish his goals.
• Character Development: Kaname starts the series as a distant personage, as the series progresses he is revealed to be a very protective and kindhearted person who actively tries to protect humanity and the vampire race; despite it, he doesn't shy away from using both a manipulative and a heavy-handed approach to reach his goals - and can be quite ruthless. To be fair to him, trying to maintain his "goodness" in a Crapsack World of power-hungry vampires and hunters took its toll on him. After acknowledging his mistakes he dies in peace. his own heart being what protects humanity, and is revived a changed man. Without the burdens of vampirism and his memories tying him down, Kaname is able to relax and be himself around others.
• Childhood Marriage Promise: With Yuuki (who was born to be his wife).
• Curtains Match the Window: As with all Kurans, brown hair and red eyes. Since he's the first ancestor of the family, he really started the trend.
• Death Equals Redemption: Sort of. His heart becomes the new Parent Metal to make Anti Vampire weapons; also - at the end - Yuuki turns him into a human without his memories.
• Disney Death: Gives his life to become the furnace, yet is resurrected at the end by Yuuki turning him human.
• 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.
• Genius Book Club: When Kaname is not brooding in a corner or watching over Yuuki, he's reading classic literature. His room has a personal library.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Towards Zero concerning Yuuki.
• Hero Antagonist: Played with during the second half of the story, whenever the plot shifts to his point of view, Kaname slides more and more into an antagonist.
• Hidden Depths: There's a lot more to Kaname than what's on the surface...
• Human Popsicle: He's preserved in an ice coffin by Aidou after giving his heart to the hunter's furnace.
• I Let Gwen Stacy Die: When Yuuki sees into his true past, the unnamed woman from his past as the Ancestor of the Kurans.
• Immortality Begins at Twenty: As with all vampires (and Zero) as soon as Kaname reaches young adulthood, he hasn't aged a day.
• Interspecies Romance: With Yuuki in the first arc (human and pureblood vampire).
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: After he casts his heart into the furnace, he tells both Yuuki and Zero to be happy.
• Karma Houdini: To a degree. Although he admits to have committed many sins and gives his life at the end to become the hunter's furnace, he equally confesses to not have any regrets.
• Knight Templar Big Brother: Kaname is really passionate when it comes to protecting Yuuki and will go to any lengths to punish the offender. Just ask his fellow pureblood Toma...
• Lonely at the Top: As with all Purebloods.
• Meaningful Name: Kaname means "pivot"/"center." Kuran means "nine orchids" because ku means "nine" and ran means orchids.
  • Fun fact: the kanji for Kaname is very similar to that of "hitsugi" (coffin), and even the mangaka herself mixed up the two in some typos.
• Mr. Fanservice: Next to Zero, he supplies this in spades.
• Murder the Hypotenuse: He would really love to do this, but he settles with torture the hypotenuse.
• 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 that he wouldn't want to though.
• Mysterious Past: Oh yeah. Part of the main draw of the second arc was learning more about Kaname.
• Not Blood Siblings: With Yuuki as it turns out that he's not her biological brother, but the Ancestor of the Kurans, which means he's technically her great, great, great, etc. grandfather. He was still raised as her older brother, though.
• Offscreen Teleportation: Kaname is implied to be very fast but the manner in which he shows up instantly is unnerving.
• Parental Abandonment: It is claimed that Kaname's parents—Haruka and Juuri Kuran—committed suicide. However, Kaname reveals that they were murdered instead.
• Perpetual Frowner: Shares this with Zero.
• Pretty Boy: Considered the most handsome of the entire Night Class; even the guys from the Night Class want him.
• Really 700 Years Old: Times a dozen, he is well over ten thousand years old.
• Relationship Upgrade: With Yuuki.
• The Rival: With Zero.
• The Chessmaster: The man loves plotting, as does every Pureblood in the series. It doesn't matter if its for a grand master plan or because he's bored.
• The Omniscient: Could be form 1 or 2.
• Smart People Play Chess: Besides reading, he loves playing chess as well, sometimes using it as an analogy to what's taking place right now.
• Stalker with a Crush: Of a sort. Kaname watches over Yuuki during her human years from a distance.
• The Stoic: Always calm no matter what. Always. It takes something really drastic for Kaname to show another emotion.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Typical of a vampire male lead.
• Terrible Artist: Him and Yuuki both.
• Tranquil Fury: In line with his stoicism, Kaname doesn't blow his top, he just get more vengeful and violent when angry.
• Troubled Backstory Flashback: His real identity is the Ancestor of the Kurans. Years and years ago, he and his original lover, the Hooded Woman, did all they can in helping the populace from rogue vampires and Purebloods. When the woman sacrificed herself and gave her heart to a furnace that can generate weapons for the helpless humans, the ancestor was left the only Pureblood in the fight for protecting humanity. He put himself into a deep slumber - from which he didn't plan to wake from - in order to escape the desolation that his long life had become, only to be brought back life by Rido in an attempt to have a powerful Pureblood slave.
• Troubled, but Cute: He used to be quite a cute child despite having the mind of an adult.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Then his memories started to return to him.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: In the second arc, he reveals to have been the one to have released Shizuka from her cage in the Vampire Senate, despite knowing that Rido (who was her fiancee) wouldn't let her go easily, and due to it claims responsibility for her attack on the Kiryuu family. He also goes on a genocidal mission with the goal of wiping out all purebloods, ending with him intending to use his own heart as furnace for the vampire hunters' metal.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Being the ancestor of the Kurans and well over a thousand years old qualifies one to be all knowledgeable.

Takuma Ichijou

Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese), Spike Spencer (English)

... 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. He later betrays Kaname when he falls for the Pureblood Sara Shirabuki, though it is never revealed if his feelings for her were genuine or he was manipulated into loving her thanks to the Purebloods' power of persuasion. After her death, he's left without a purpose in life.

• Cloudcuckoolander: Easily the friendliest and goofiest of the vampires; he even acts like a human would, thus making it hard to tell the difference with him.
• Conflicting Loyalty: Towards his friendship with Kaname and his duty towards the Vampire Council. Later it's his friendship with everyone and his feelings towards Sara.
• Cool Sword: Thanks to his grandfather, Takuma becomes really skilled with a sword.
• Fallen Princess: The cover of Chapter 65 describes Ichijou as "the royal blood who lost his position."

• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Kaname and Shiki.
• Last-Name Basis: No one really calls Ichijou by his first name.
  • Ruka calls him Takuma-sama, though.

• 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."
• More than Mind Control: Quite possibly with Sara.
• Perpetual Smiler: Always seen with a smile, though how much of it is real is hard to tell.
• You Read Too Much X: He reads too much manga.

Hanabusa Aidou

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese), Bryce Papenbrook (English)

... 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, despite the punishment he receives in turn. He is jealous of the attention Yuuki receives from Kaname and has a tense relationship with Zero due to his lack of respect for Kaname.

After Yuuki's reveal as a Pureblood, Aidou becomes more respectful towards her, though still treats her like a klutz at times. His loyalty towards Kaname is finally shattered when his father is murdered by him and he pledges to stop his former friend at all costs. Later Aidou discovers the cure to vampirism based on Kaname's old notes, though his primary motivation in completing the cure was due to a desire to age and die with Yori, who he fell in love with. Tragically he's too late and it is unknown what happens to him afterwards.

• A Day in the Limelight: In Vampire Knight: Ice Blue no Tsumi.
• 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.
• An Ice Person: His powers include manipulating ice. He can be quite cold at times too.
• 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.
• Big Eater: Similar to Yuuki, Aidou can really chow down.
• Brutal Honesty: Can be very blunt with his opinions at times.
• Butt-Monkey: From time to time, but recently increasing in the current chapters by unfortunately getting captured by Zero and the Hunters Association.
• The Caretaker: Of Fuuka.
• Child Prodigy/Teen Genius: Considered to be very smart by his peers. Professors from other universities come to his doorstep to beg him to enroll in their schools.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Anyone who gets close to Kaname earns Aidou's ire.
• 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. Later his desire to keep Kaname a noble vampire in his heart versus hating the guy when he murders his father.
• Cool Teacher/Hot Teacher: Becomes Yuuki's personal tutor and personal bodyguard following the timeskip.
• Cynicism Catalyst/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.
• Declaration of Protection: A male example with him obviously wanting to protect Kaname. Played straight with Fuuka, but he wasn't able to save her.
• 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 receives from Kaname. He kind of gets over it when he finds out Yuuki is a pureblood and Kaname's "sister."

• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Kain.
• Hidden Depths: There's more to him than just being a Kaname fanboy.
• Hot-Blooded: Despite his powers, Aidou has quite the hot temperament.
• I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Poor Fuuka.
• In-Series Nickname: "Idol".
• Interspecies Romance: Aido (vampire) and Yori (human). He even states that he repeatedly asked her to become a vampire, and when she refused, he worked on Kaname's notes to turn vampires to humans so he could live the rest of his life with her. He fails to find it in time.
• Lady Killer In Love: The extra chapter in the final volume strongly implies that Aidou is in love with Yori. Considering his flirtatious attitude towards girls at the start of the series, Aidou is considered this. Another extra chapter outright confirms his love for Yori.
• Last-Name Basis: Usually called by his last name.
• 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 Yori), 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.
• Ship Tease: With Yuuki, Yori, and Fuuka. Yori wins in the end, due to Yuuki hooking up with Zero and Fuuka tragically dying before anything could come out of it.
• Staking the Loved One: To Fuuka.
• Undying Loyalty: Towards Kaname.

Akatsuki Kain

Voiced by: Jun'ichi Suwabe (Japanese), Troy Baker (English)

... 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. Towards the end of the manga, he finally gets with her.

• 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.
• Curtains Match the Window: Orange hair and orange eyes.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Despite constantly seeing Ruka pine for Kaname, this hasn't deterred Kain's feelings for her one bit. It pays off in the end when he finally gets her.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Aidou.
• Hopeless Suitor: For Ruka. Subverted when he later gets her.
• If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: The above quote.
• In-Series Nickname: "Wild".
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Willing to support Ruka's feelings at the expense of his own.
• 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. Fulfills this trope literally when he snatches Ruka away from helping out Ai with her spying on her parents and starts making out with her.
• Last-Name Basis: Usually called by his last name.
• 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.
• Playing with Fire: His main power is to manipulate fire.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: To Ruka. Later subverted when they hook up in the bonus chapters.

Ruka Souen

Voiced by: Dorothy Elias-Fahn (English)

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. She later grows out of these feelings after seeing how irrational Kaname can be in achieving his goals and later grows to fall in love with her cousin, Kain.

• Clingy Jealous Girl: Gets insanely jealous over anyone, particularly girls, vying for Kaname's attention.
• Curtains Match the Window: Beige hair and eyes.
• Dogged Nice Girl: Similar to Kain, she's adamant about trying to win Kaname's affections. She fails but gets over it when she hooks up with Kain.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Like Aidou, she is jealous of Yuuki because of the attention she receives 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.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Chapter 82 where she protects Zero from Kaname and gets stabbed in the process. Luckily she survives next chapter.
• Hopeless Suitor: For Kaname. Later gets over it when she falls for Kain.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Willing to sacrifice her happiness if it means Kaname can be happy.
• Love Martyr: To Kaname.
• Master of Illusion: Ruka's main power is to implant illusions into her victims. Very useful when facing scores of enemies and she has them attack their own allies disguised as enemies. Those who become aware of it are able to eventually break it, as Yuuki did.
• Meaningful Name: Ruka means "lapis lazuli" (ru) and "good-looking" or "beautiful" (ka). Souen means either "early" or "strong fragrance" (sou) and "garden" (en).
• Replacement Goldfish: To Kaname for Yuuki. It didn't work.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: To Kaname.

Senri Shiki

Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi (Japanese), Steve Staley (English)

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.

• Alliterative Name: "S"enri "S"hiki
• Birds of a Feather: With Rima.
• Bloody Murder: Shiki can weaponized his blood to attack his enemies. His preferred weapon is the whip.
• Character Development: Starts opening up following Rido's attack and the timeskip.
• Disappeared Dad: Who turns out to be Rido.
• Grand Theft Me: When possessed by his father, Rido Kuran.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Ichijou.
• Last-Name Basis: Usually called by his last name except when he's with family members, such as his mother, his father Rido, and his uncle.
• Meaningful Name: Senri means "1,000 ri." Shiki means "to support" (shi) and "mallow" (ki), which is a flowering plant with pink or white blossoms.
• The Quiet One: To a tee. If one didn't know Shiki that well, you swear he's mute.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: One can tell that there is something off about Shiki when one of his eyes turns red. Turns out he's possessed by his father Rido. This is more obvious in the anime.
• Ship Tease: With Rima. By manga's end, it's implied they get together.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: While possessed by his father, Shiki is a lot more colder and crueler to everyone.
• Weapon Specialization: Shiki loves using a whip as his primary weapon and he's damn good at it too. It's strong enough to upturn asphalt.

Rima Touya

Voiced by: Carrie Savage (English)

Shiki! You should love yourself more!

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.

• Birds of a Feather: With Shiki.
• Emotionless Girl: Only Skiki can get a rise out of her. Later she starts opening up to more of her Night Class friends.
• Girlish Pigtails: Thanks to her hairpins.

• Meaningful Name: Rima means "jasmine" (ri) and "enhancement of wearing away"—such as by polishing or souring (ma). Touya means a "far-reaching arrow."
• The Quiet One: Similar to Shiki,
• Ship Tease: Shiki and Rima.
• Shock and Awe: Rima can wield the power of electricity, as opposed to her other two elemental friends Aidou (Ice) and Kain (Fire).

Seiren May

Voiced by: Risa Mizuno (Japanese), Colleen O'Shaughnessey (English)

Kaname's unofficial bodyguard. She only exists to exert her master's will. Later she goes on to serve Yuuki and Toga after Kaname's demise.

Bonus chapters reveal that her true name used to be "Hoshino" and she, along with her younger sister "Yoruno", were once offered to be sacrificed by cruel vampires in an attempt to appease Kaname's bloodlust. Disgusted by their actions, Kaname helps free both sisters but in the attempted escape, Seiren's sister ends up dying, with Seiren on the brink of death herself. Kaname offers her a choice to either die and join her sister or become a vampire like himself. She chooses the latter and in gratitude for the man's kindness, she develops fierce loyalty towards her savior, abandoning her "human" name and taking up her current name.

• Berserk Button: Harm her companions, especially her master Kaname, expect heads to roll. Zero nearly died for his trouble when he pulled a gun on the Pureblood and was only "saved" when Kaname told her to back off. To Zero's credit, he didn't even flinch when her hand is penetrating slightly into his neck.
• Broken Bird: Good god, her backstory is tragic. Losing her younger sister, losing her humanity, losing her innocence; it's enough to break anyone.
• Cannot Tell a Lie: Seiren is very blunt with her opinions. Aidou even remarks that she's never been known to lie.
• Emotionless Girl: The most emotionless character in the entire series and with a cast of characters full of stoics, that's saying something.
• 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." Bonus chapters reveal that Kaname gave this name to her after she became a vampire; she and her younger sister were ingrained with the idea of "heaven and hell" and dying terrifies them since they do not want to go to hell. By existing as a vampire and prolonging her life, Seiren exists in a "purgatory" of sorts until she proves herself worthy enough to enter heaven later.
• Ship Tease: Implied that she hooked up with Toga in the final chapter. May be a result of saving her from falling rubble during Kaname's rampage on the Hunter's Building.
• The Stoic: Almost never shows off any emotion. After seeing her backstory in a bonus chapter, one can hardly blame her.
• Undying Loyalty: Kaname entrusts her with any task and she will fulfill it to the letter. The final bonus chapter explains why she's so attached to Kaname. Later she develops this towards Toga.