Vampire anime started in 1985 with Vampire Hunter D, a Japanese fantasy horror based on Hideyuki Kikuchi’s light novels. Set in the year 12,090 AD, in a post-nuclear holocaust, a young woman hires a mysterious half-vampire, half-human vampire hunter to protect her from a powerful vampire lord. Since then, anime has approached the concept of vampires and the paranormal. These anime are some of the best and include some of the best anime vampires of all time.
Vampires have existed since the 1700s, first appearing in the English language in 1732. They’ve been the subject of various debates, historical research, and fictional media pieces. Tales of supernatural beings consuming blood or flesh have been found in nearly every culture, with Bran Stoker’s Dracula being the most popular vampire film. Defining a vampire is easy. Take an immortal creature, make them suck blood, and give them a dangerous allure that makes them enticing to everyone.
10 Undead Girl Murder Farce Is a Fantastic Charming Adventure
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Set in 19th-century France, the wife of a vampire, Jean Duchet Godard, is murdered in her home. Godard hires private detectives who specialize in the supernatural to find the killer. Tsugaru Shinuichi and Aya Rindou are an enigmatic duo trying to find Aya’s body and Tusgaru’s humanity. Undead Girl Murder Farce is a dialogue-heavy show that captures audiences without being a slog.
The novel series was written by Yugo Aosaki and produced by Lapin Track. It is praised for its wit and mystery, which is equally intriguing and entertaining. Director Shinichi Omata, previously the director of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, shows great expertise in making every characters likable dialogue entertaining.
9 Castlevania Has Powerful Themes and Gore
Streaming on Netflix
Castlevania is based on Konami’s gothic horror action-adventure video game series of the same name. It quickly garnered popularity and became one of the smash hits of the Netflix anime. Following series protagonist Trevor Belmont in the wake of Dracula’s rampage across Wallachia. In a gothic, gory, and visually captivating way, Trevor teams up with Alucard and Sypha to create one of the greatest trios in anime to take down the evil Dracula that threatens humanity.
Castlevania is tragic, but it does a great job of exploring human corruption. The series does not wholly focus on Dracula as the lone villain in the grand plot of the anime, which spans over seasons. According to various analytics, Castlevania was the most popular digital original series in the United States in 2017. It received loads of positive reviews thanks to its spectacular visuals and interesting adaptation. Produced by Powerhouse Animation Studios and written by Warren Ellis, it’s one of the best shows on Netflix.
8 Blood+ Unravels a Dark and Sad Mystery
Available to Purchase on Amazon
Blood+ follows protagonist Saya Otonashi, who has been living as an anemic amnesiac. Her life gets turned upside down when she’s attacked by a vampire and forced to join the organization Red Shield to fight off more of these monsters. However, the organization Red Shield and these vampires may be the key to uncovering her past. Saya is forced to travel the world with a special katana to figure out who she is.
Blood+ is produced by Production I.G. and Aniplex and directed and written by Junichi Fujisaku, known for his work on Ghost in the Shell: Arise. Reviewers applauded the series for its plot, which never lingers too long but gives ample time for the story to build up the mystery and characters. Blood+ was one of several animes recommended for excellent work at the 9th annual Japanese Media Festival. Blood+ may seem basic, but it evolves into a complex tale that surprises many viewers.
7 Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond Was Vampires With Taste
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Blood Blockade Battlefront follows the crime-fighting organization, «Libra.» They battle in Hellsalem’s Lot, which was formerly known as New York City. When a portal to the «Beyond» opened, it became a mix of monsters, magic, and mundane life. Libra cleans up the streets of trouble and prevents the horrors from spreading to the outside world. Written by Yasuhiro Nightow, the anime was produced by the famous studio Bones.
For those wondering where the vampire element comes from, it is the Blood Breeds. The Blood Breeds are savage, bloodthirsty antagonists featured heavily in the series, giving the main characters the most trouble. Blood Blockade Battleground received many positive reviews and was praised for its ability to tie episodes together despite episodic adventures. The highlight of the series is the music, which helps give soul to such a good anime. The song «Sugar Song and Bitter Step» by Unison Square Garden was one of the year’s highlights and won fourth in the category of Newtype preliminary awards for 2015.
6 The Case Study of Vanitas Comes From the Famous Pandora Hearts Creator
Streaming on Crunchyroll
The Case Study of Vanitas is set in 19th-century steampunk-like Paris, and the protagonist, Vanitas, attempts to save the vampire race by healing their curse. With two seasons, Vanitas and Noé Archiviste spend a lot of time together, both ally and close friend. Jun Mochizuki, the creator of Pandora Hearts, wrote The Case Study of Vanitas.
This elegant tale has interesting characters and complex relationships, but what makes this series is the protagonist, Vanitas. He makes or breaks the series with his light-headed personality, similar to Vash from Trigun. While this personality could be grating to experience for some, it truly makes The Case Study of Vanitas an entertaining anime to finish.
5 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's First Part Has an Impressive Vampire Antagonist
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood and Part 2 Battle Tendency feature vampire antagonists. Dio, one of the greatest shonen anime antagonists of all time, starts the series as a vampire. It’s up to Jonathan Joestar to put an end to his adopted brother with the powerful Hamon. Part 2, Battle Tendency, continues the vampires’ plot by introducing the Pillar Men, vampire-like gods so strong that only a Joestar could with a battle IQ.
It may seem like a strange pick for those who haven’t watched Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure. However, the manga by Hirohiko Araki is one of the most popular mangas of all time and is noted as one of the best-selling mangas in human history. This feat warrants respect in terms of anime, but no other series like Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure exists. It has such a legendary legacy that it has been featured in the Louvre, where Araki’s art and work collaborated with Gucci and was praised as one of the freshest stories ever told. Araki writes with such a genuine narrative that it’s unmatched.
4 Call of the Night Is Perfect for Romance Fans
Streaming on HIDIVE
Kou Yamori is an average middle schooler who struggles with love, life, and insomnia. This caused him to roam the streets at night and accidentally meet the bizarre Nazuna Nanakusa. Who, after attempting to seduce Kou, reveals she’s a vampire. Thinking he’ll turn into a vampire next, Kou then learns that the only way to turn into a vampire is to be bitten by someone he truly loves. So, he sets out to fall in love with Nazuna and escape his dreary life.
With a great opening theme by Creepy Nuts, the same team behind the famous Dandadan opening, Creepy Nuts is a great vampire choice for those who want more romance in their story. Nazuna and Kou have great chemistry in their writing; the animation is perfect, and the story is genuinely engaging with interspecies love. Mainly thanks to the gender reversal, as most romance vampires focus on an aggressively male vampire and a submissive female MC. The only downside is the anime has a lot of fanservice.
3 Shiki Is a Terrifying Anime Series
Not Currently Streaming
Shiki is one of the most graphic gothic horrors of the 2010s, set in the small town of Sotoba. Everything is normal until Megumi Shimizu takes a mysterious illness and passes away. Many more deaths crop up, leading Toshio Ozaki, the town’s doctor, to search for what’s causing these illnesses. The vampires in the series are named Shiki, which leads to some of the most horrific aspects of the series.
«Shiki» are hunted by humans and slaughtered like animals, all in the name of saving humans. The series questions which species may live in a slow-burn horror, leaving many fans to question it themselves. Shiki has excessive blood and gore, but it’s a perfect gateway entry into the horror anime genre, even if inaccessible because of its lack of streaming. The series has a fascinating look at vampires almost wholly unique to the anime genre.
2 Bakemonogatari Pushed the Boundaries Of Anime
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Bakemonogatari was written by one of the most popular writers in Japan, Nisiosin. The series follows Koyomi Araragi, a high school student who, after surviving a vampire attack, is left with his own form of supernatural abilities. This causes him to become a target of many supernatural attacks. The series follows his attempts to live a normal life while dealing with the supernatural horrors he’s now privy to.
Bakemonogatari pushed the anime medium thanks to its stunning visuals and animation by Studio Shaft and director Akiyuki Shinbo. The anime was so powerful that it won the User’s Special Award in the 2nd annual DEG Japan Awards and sold millions of DVDs. What makes Bakemonogatari so appealing is that beyond its supernatural setting and plot, the series involves layers of meaning, such as the criticism of otaku consumption, the collapse of traditional narratives in postmodernity, and more.
1 Hellsing Ultimate Is The Best Anime About Vampires
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Not much needs to be explained about the sci-fi action drama Hellsing Ultimate. There’s a significant chance that vampire fans already know about this bloody, action-packed adventure thanks to its iconic art style and protagonist, Alucard. Alucard is off to stop the rise of the Nazis and their satanic ghouls alongside Seras Victoria as they do what they do best despite being vampires, slaying vampires.
Produced by Madhouse, the anime has a lot of gore, action, and intense plots. The series holds nothing back in terms of violence, making it a perfect watch for fans who want to be entirely blown away by the visuals and those who want to see vampires in a setting that allows them to be actual monsters.
