A good vampire or gothic horror anime can be hard to come by, so it’s no wonder so many people still love to watch Vampire Knight. A thrilling tale of maintaining the balance between humans and vampires, the struggles of Yuki Cross and her friends is easy to lose yourself in, with each new development or loss striking right at one’s heart with no delay. Once the final episode rolls however, the void left behind can be that much harder to fill. To that end, we’ve got you covered with five anime like Vampire Knight if you’re looking for something similar.
Seraph of the End
Anime Like Vampire Knight
Following a deadly outbreak that triggers the end of the world, rise up and enslave humanity, using them as farmable sources of blood in underground facilities. Yu, a young and hot-headed boy who successfully escapes one such farm, enlists in a vampire extermination unit in the Moon Demon Company, swearing to exterminate them by any means necessary. To this end, he takes a demon into his body to gain the power needed to face them on equal footing, granting him immense powers at the cost of his own mind and self control. This creates a race against time for not only himself, but for the people he cares about. If they can succeed and defeat the vampires before he is taken over, Yu can return to normal and live a happy life with everyone he loves; but, if they fail, he’ll pose a threat equal to or worse than the vampires, and could very well kill his new family in the crossfire.
Trinity Blood
Anime Like Vampire Knight
Following the apocalyptic end of modern civilization, mankind splintered into two groups: The Methuselah, vampiric creatures strengthened by technological procedures; and Terrans, remnants of humanity who have worked alongside the Roman Catholic Church to try and re-establish civilization following their near-destruction. The two have warred for hundreds of years with little progress toward peace made until Abel Nightroad, one of the original Methuselah, sides with the humans to shift the tides in their favor, balance out the bloodshed and attempt to broker a peace between the two factions.
An intricate and political thriller as much as it is an action-packed fight-fest, Trinity Blood is an early example of how to do anime about vampires right. Limited though it may be at only 24 episodes, fans of gothic horror and counts of the night won’t be disappointed with this under appreciated gem.
D’Gray Man
Anime Like Vampire Knight
Though not strictly a vampire anime, D’Gray Man nails many of the cornerstones of Gothic horror well enough to stand alongside any of the entries on this list. Set in a world where the church wages an endless war with the Millennium Earl and his army of resurrected demons known as Akuma, a young boy named Allen Walker wields a holy power to exorcise them and return them to their peaceful rests. As time goes on though, it becomes clear Allen has a much larger role to play in the war’s completion, harboring the spirit of a select group of individuals capable of bringing the war to a climactic victory for the church, or a bloody end for mankind. Filled to the brim with high stakes battles, dramatic story developments and lovable characters, this is a dark Shonen most anyone can find something to love in.
Blood+
Anime Like Vampire Knight
Definitely more on the darker and gorier side of anime, Blood+ follows the young girl Saya as her world is turned upside down by the emergence of Chiropteran, twisted monsters that feed on human flesh and warp their victims into new monsters. Able to slay them with an ancient Katana soaked in her own blood, she sets out to eliminate the scourge once and for all alongside a secret government task force eager to see this threat buried before it’s too late.
Though it may start out with the typical anime tropes, Blood+ quickly distinguishes itself with engrossing character arcs, a well fleshed out world and meaningful battles that balance bombastic fight scenes with dramatic closes. If you don’t mind settling in for a 50 episode run, this is the perfect series to lose yourself in.
Blood Blockade Battlefront
Anime Like Vampire Knight
In a world where the supernatural shares a fragile coexistence with humanity, the secret government organization Libra stands between utter annihilation and the usual morning commute. Armed with a vast array of blood-based powers from explosive blades of crimson to impenetrable walls of crimson crystal, they stand against any and all manner of threats from an international criminal’s terrorist attack to the appearance of the ancient and immortal Blood Breeds. Despite these dire circumstances, the series juggles it brilliantly with light-hearted comedy, bouncing back and forth between reality warping duels of skill and a last minute run to the protagonists’ favorite burger joint. At 26 episodes, it’s a breezy experience too, perfectly scratching the itch left by even the most serious of vampire anime fare.
What are some anime that helped you fill the Vampire Knight void? Mention them in the comments below, and check out our recommendation lists for some other anime such as Violet Evergarden and Ao Haru Ride.
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