History YMMV / VampireKnight

* CompleteMonster: [[VampireMonarch Rido Kuran]] is a [[Really700YearsOld 3,000 year old]] [[PureIsNotGood pureblood vampire]], and while the original manga version [[AlasPoorVillain died pitiably with his motives revealed to wanting his crush Juri to love him back]], the anime did away with such qualities, [[AdaptationalVillainy turning him]] into a sadistic monster killing everyone in his path for power or pleasure, including Juri. Rido's reputation as a black stain in the Kuran family goes way back when he kidnapped the first child of Haruka and Juri and [[WouldHurtAChild killed him]] to gain his power. He attempts to do the same thing to their daughter [[TheHeroine Yuki]], with them dying to protect her and leaving only her brother [[spoiler:Kaname]] to interfere and destroy Rido's body, resulting in his soul wandering off. Years later his soul has [[DemonicPossession possessed the bodies of]] a child and his own son Senri, while using the latter's body to suck the blood of female Cross Academy students until they die nearly killing Sheik's [[PlatonicLifePartners friend]] Rima, and is implied to have killed off the child. Once his body has been [[BackFromTheDead revived]] for him to return, he summons his vampire minion to round up academy students for him to devourm and has no problems consuming [[BadBoss his own vampires]]. Finally having Yuki at his clutches, he sucks her blood and comments on how [[LovesTheSoundOfScreaming Yuki's screams]] remind him of her mother's scream when he was sucking her blood. It is humanity's beliefs that vampires are nothing more than beasts in human skin, and Rido Kuran's action in this series only emphasizes on that belief.

** For the anime; the addition of Zero [[spoiler: biting Kaname a second time.]] Completely unnecessary and irrevelant to the (original) plot (the whole point of Zero [[spoiler: biting Kaname the first time was so he would stall his fall to a level E significantly)]], obviously making it a pure {{Fanservice}} addition. And considering the not-quite top notch animation it wasn't even really good for that.
** A minor example, but Yagari recently revealing that the level E nurse from Zero's childhood was [[spoiler:''his fiancee'' could count. A revelation that came right out of nowhere, and was left as an issue as quickly as it was brought up.]]

** Kaname/Yuuki is viewed as either the most romantic pairing in the world, or the most repulsive [[DestructiveRomance (not necessarily based on the incest)]]. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground, which is more easier to find with Zero/Yuuki.
** Opinions are torn over whether [[spoiler:Zero's speech to Kaname in the penultimate chapter about how the latter should stay alive for Yuuki sake rather than killing himself was a touching example of his CharacterDevelopment, or a complete destruction of his character, cementing him as an ExtremeDoormat.]]

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Zero and Kaname, though ''especially'' Kaname, who's either the devil incarnate or Jesus 2.0, depending who you ask.

* FandomRivalry: Do not compare ''Manga/VampireKnight'' to Literature/{{Twilight}}. Just don't, unless you want to be attacked by a mob of angry fangirls. There seems to be a strong dislike against Meyer's sparkly vampires within the VK fandom.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** [[spoiler:In the post-ending bonus chapter, Yuuki realizes she's pregnant with Kaname's child, causing her to disappear for four years apparently for not being able to face Zero. This was likely an attempt by Matsuri to highlight Yuuki's guilt for sleeping with the man who had killed Zero's family, when previously she'd given the impression that it hadn't even crossed her mind. Then again, later chapters would reveal that Yuuki did occasionally approach Zero during those four years to get blood from him (as pregnancy apparently causes massive hunger), and Zero was accepting of her predicament.]]
** In 2015 and 2016, to make up for the main story having had to end abruptly, Matsuri has been releasing bonus chapters and even a short sequel titled "Memories" to expand on what happened with [[spoiler:Kaname, Ren and Ai after the former's reawakening, how Yuuki and Zero's life together was like, and how some of the side characters fared.]]
** The final volume was criticized by many for turning Kaname into a full-blown DesignatedHero (see below). Matsuri herself came out later and admitted to not being happy with how she portrayed him in the end.
** Yuuki was criticized for not only losing her agency and becoming a gloomy [[BadassDecay ineffectual heroine]] but also for becoming defined only by the [[RomanticPlotTumor love triangle]]. In ''Vampire Knight Memories'', she takes on a much active role in the story and regains her happier traits.

** [[spoiler:In the post-ending bonus chapter, Yuuki realizes she's pregnant with Kaname's child, causing her to disappear for four years apparently for not being able to face Zero. This was likely an attempt by Matsuri to highlight Yuuki's guilt for sleeping with the man who had killed Zero's family, [[MoralDissonance when previously she'd given the impression that it hadn't even crossed her mind.]] Then again, later chapters would reveal that Yuuki did occasionally approach Zero during those four years to get blood from him (as pregnancy apparently causes massive hunger), and Zero was accepting of her predicament.]]

* DesignatedHero:
** [[spoiler:Kaname towards the ending, full stop. The man reveals himself to have caused Zero's family massacre, mass-murders apparently peaceful purebloods, hides behind another pureblood's body to be injured instead of him, treats hunters like ragdolls, badly wounds Ruka (by a stab that was also meant for Zero) and abandons his servant to the hunters, all the while not showing an ounce of remorse or acknowledgment of doing anything bad. And yet, because he didn't really kill Aido's father, he suddenly gets the treatment of being "innocent" and noble for his intention of becoming the next furnace, while the purebloods he hunted are presented as antagonistic and ''petty'' for wanting revenge on him.]]
** For a more thorough analysis, see here [[http://snowfox93.tumblr.com/post/57005978139/kaname-kuran-personality-analyzes]].

** [[http://www.mangareader.net/vampire-knight/78/4 Since when did the vampires become zombies?]]

* {{Wangst}}: Yuuki sometimes fall into this in the second arc, frequently complaining over whether or not she's worthy of Kaname or Zero, or that everything bad that happens is ultimately her fault. While she's meant to be a [[TragicHero Tragic Heroine]], her attitude all too often falls more into being tragic than heroic.

%%* FoeYay:
%%** ''Kaname x Zero'' (rather [[FanPreferredCouple popular]] amongst others. You don't just let ANYONE [[spoiler: drink your blood]]). They do, however, come off as NoYay to some.
%%** ''Shizuka x Yuuki''
%%** ''[[{{Twincest}} Zero x Ichiru]]''
%%** ''Sara Shirabuki x Takuma''
%%** ''Rido x Yuuki'' (since he calls her [[spoiler:[[BrotherSisterIncest Juri]]]], may double as NoYay...)
%%** Zero and Shizuka
%%** Zero and Sara
%%** Does [[spoiler: Yuuki and Zero in the second arc count?]]

* HoYay: In a bonus manga in volume 4 Shiki is [[SleepCute sleeping on Ichijou's shoulder]]. Matsuri Hino said in a side panel that she should have had him leaning on Rima instead and that "it's difficult to develop love relationships in this manga".
%%** Yuuki and Maria/Shizuka.
%%** ''Zero x Kaname''
%%** [[{{Twincest}} ''Zero x Ichiru'']]
%%** ''Aidou x Kaname''
%%** Zero x Kaito
%%** Any scene with Sara and her all girls harem.
%%* There's also a one-off Yay scene between Shiki and Ichijou at the latter's birthday party, complete with blood.
%%** ''Ai x Ren''