Vampire/Vampire Knight

* Vampire
* Pureblood
* Ex-Human Vampire
* Ancestors
* Aristocrat

**Vampires** (吸血鬼 or ヴァンパイア, *Banpaia*) are the supernatural creatures of the *Vampire Knight* universe. As in traditional folklore, they are sensitive to the sun and are active during the night; however, in reality, sunlight only hurts their eyes and does not actually cause them any physical damage.

When killed, vampires will turn into sand. However Purebloods are an exception, as when they die, they instead shatter into shards of glass. The most effective way to kill any vampire is to cut off their head or stab their heart using an anti-vampire weapon. Blood tablets had been developed to take the place of actual blood feeding, despite having a bad taste. Vampires also have a blood-lust that can only be quenched by the blood of their beloved.

## Contents

* 1History
* 2Classes
	+ 2.1Purebloods
	+ 2.2Aristocrats
	+ 2.3Commons
	+ 2.4Ex-humans
* 3Powers
* 4Trivia
* 5See also
* 6References

## History

Vampires have existed for well over 10,000 years, first appearing when mankind's civilizations began to crumble. At one point, they waged a war against humans, during which Purebloods began turning humans into vampires. When the number of vampires began to increase, a monarchy was established to rule the vampire race, with the Kurans as the royal family.

However, two generations ago in current times, the former king and head of the Kuran family (Rido, Haruka and Juri's father) abolished the monarchy in order to avoid authoritarianism. The Senate was established to govern the vampire realm, with high-ranking vampire aristocrats in the seats. Despite their demoted status, however, the Kuran family still holds the title as the highest standing family, and it is well known that there are many vampire families who would support Kaname Kuran if he chose to take back the kingship.

## Classes

There are 5 types of vampires, ranked according to the purity of their blood. The more diluted their bloodline by human ancestry, the lower their ranking is.

### Purebloods

*Main article: Purebloods*
**Purebloods** (純血種, *Junketsushu*), also known as **Level A** (Aクラス, *A Kurasu*, lit. "A Class"), are vampires who have absolutely no humans in their ancestry. They are the rarest, most elite, and most powerful class of vampire. The Senate holds Purebloods in extremely high regard, to the point where it is taboo to kill or even harm a Pureblood vampire. Purebloods are feared and respected, and as such, are recognized as the ruling class of the vampire race and are treated like royalty.

Since the heritage of these vampires has never been diluted by human blood, they are the strongest type of vampires in existence and have the most significant powers. Additionally, while lower vampires only possess a single special power, Purebloods have multiple powers. The powers a Pureblood vampire possesses are dangerous to both their fellow vampires and humans. Notably, they can destroy any lower vampire with ease. Kaname Kuran demonstrated this by single-handedly killing all the members of the Vampire Council in a very short amount of time. Purebloods also have the ability to compel lesser vampires to do their bidding.

Despite the fact Purebloods are very powerful, they only make up a very small portion of the vampire population. When a Pureblood vampire dies, their bodies slowly disperse into small sparkles (as shown by Shizuka Hio's death in the anime) before shattering into glass-like shards.

If a human is bitten by a Pureblood, if they don’t die of blood loss, that human will turn into an ex-human vampire, and slowly be driven to insanity by their own bloodlust. The Pureblood and ex-human in question would become bonded as Master and Servant. The master is able to completely control their servant, while the servant becomes incapable of ever killing their master, even if they wish to.

### Aristocrats

*Main article: Aristocrat*
**Aristocrats** (貴族階級, *kizoku kaikyuu*), also known as **Level B** (Bクラス, *B Kurasu*, lit. "B Class"), are vampires who have a small number of humans in their ancestry. They are elite vampires with specialized abilities beyond normal vampires. The Vampire Council is usually made up from their ranks.

They are very powerful, but not nearly as powerful as Purebloods. They have super strength and speed, and they have accelerated healing; additionally every Aristocrat has a special ability, such as mind control, or the ability to freeze things. These vampires are still able to be compelled by Purebloods, but enjoy a much more independent lifestyle in general.

When an aristocrat is killed, they turn to dust like all other vampires, excluding Purebloods.

### Commons

**Commons** (一般階級, *ippan kaikyuu*, lit. "general rank"), also known as **Level C** (Cクラス, *C Kurasu*, lit. "C Class"), are vampires who have a large numbers of humans in their ancestry.

These average vampires are without any significant special powers. They only have the standard super speed and strength, and they heal faster than a human.

Level C vampires are not usually seen in the anime but have several different appearances throughout the manga.

### Ex-humans

*Main article: Ex-human vampire*
**Ex-humans** (元人間, *moto-ningen*), also known as **Level D** (Dクラス, *D Kurasu*, lit. "D Class"), are humans who have been turned into vampires. They are the lowest form of vampires and are not very powerful.

Only Pureblood vampires have the power to turn a human into a vampire. Ex-humans are subservient to the vampire that turned them, being unable to refuse their commands no matter how much they try to fight. Furthermore, ex-humans can do nothing to kill their master, no matter how much they want to.

After being turned into vampires, ex-humans are doomed to eventually be driven insane by their own bloodlust and become a **Level E** (レベルE, *Rebere E*). The "E" in Level E represents the word "end". The only way to avoid this fate is for the ex-human to drink the blood of the pureblood vampire that turned them.

## Powers

Elite vampires, such as Level B and Purebloods are known to have special powers. The following powers have been demonstrated:

* All vampires display an accelerated healing. The purer the vampire blood, the stronger the healing factor.
* Decelerated aging: the purer the vampire blood, the longer the life of the vampire. Purebloods are immortal. They age very slowly and they can only be killed if someone cuts off their head or if they are continuously immobilized and shot/stabbed in the heart with an anti-vampire weapon.
* Ability to erase memories.
* Ability to use animals as a familiar, to watch and listen.
* Telekinetic powers, able to use these highly destructively.
* Aristocrats most commonly display the ability to control an individual element, such as fire, ice, lightning, etc.
* All vampires have heightened senses like their ability to smell blood from a great distance.
* Super strength, vampires can tear through flesh with ease and destroy large concrete structures (walls, pillars, etc.) and can leap great distances
* All vampires have accelerated speed, they are able to appear beside someone instantly.

## Trivia

* According to the Vampire Knight Official Fanbook vampires desire blood by instinct. However vampires do not drink blood for sustenance. They drink it simply for the fact that they want to. Blood tablets are made to curb the craving.

* In the second series, its revealed the existence of vampires has become public knowledge. Though Pureblood are still a secret to keep the "infection" quiet.
* Over the course of the century following Kaname's sacrifice, both pro and anti-vampire organizations popped up. Also, somehow Kaname's resting place somehow became a rumor.
* The vampire society was governed by Yuki as queen following Kaname's death.
* Vampires can quench their thirst for blood easily with transfusion bags and blood tablets. Its not until they fall in love that quenching their thirst becomes a problem, as their thirst can only truly be satisfied by drinking the blood of their loved one.
* Aristocrats are noted to crave Pureblood blood by instinct. As demonstrated by Hanabusa this impulse is similar to the impulse to drink the blood of someone a vampire has feelings for, serving as an unofficial way to prove they've chosen a mate.
* Vampire children are unable to drink blood until they have their fangs. So they take another person's energy through a kiss to be fed.
* The most desirable blood to a vampire is ranked by a pyramid similar to the vampires level race. On top is the blood of purebloods, second is the blood of human children, third is the blood of their most beloved person.
	+ A sibling can be the most beloved person to a vampire (platonically), given Ai cared for her sister after she was born. (In a sense of irony, Ren ended up craving her sister's blood.)
	+ If the person a vampire cares the most about is very young, they repress their thirst around them until they get older; attempting to drink their blood when they're small is a bad idea as a vampire could accidentally drain them dry. (Ai noted she had to protect Ren from herself.)
* When a natural born vampire gets their fangs and starts craving blood, they are isolated from the outside world for a period of time until they gain control over the impulse to feed.
* When a female vampire becomes pregnant, it takes 2-5 years before the child is born. As a result of needing to feed for two, the mother's impulse to feed puts humans at risk (more so if the mother is a Pureblood) as it tastes better than blood tablets and vampire blood during the pregnancy.
	+ The intensity of thirst seems to depend on how pure the vampire genetics are; in other words the more human one of the parents is, the baby has less vampiric instinct. Yuki noted her thirst was much more manageable when she was pregnant with Ren.
* If a human woman becomes pregnant with a vampire's child, the pregnancy is actually no different than a regular human one; the mother suffers no odd effects.
* When a vampire craves blood, their eyes glow red.
	+ Level Es are an exception.
		- Unlike natural-born vampires, Level Es eventually lose their rationality to their thirst.
		- As a result of being dominated by their thirst, Level Es eyes are permanently crimson.

**Purebloods** (純血種, *Junketsushu*) are the highest rank among vampires classed as **Level A** (Aクラス, *A Kurasu*, lit. "A Class"). They are "pure" vampires without any human ancestry and they can trace their lineage back to the original vampire progenitors.

Purebloods all possess a series of unique powers, often exclusive only to the certain Pureblood or Pureblood family. There are currently only seven Pureblood families:

1. Kuran
2. Hio
3. Hanadagi
4. Toma
5. Shirabuki
6. Ori
7. Shoto

## Contents

* 1Outline
* 2Powers
* 3Relationships between Purebloods
* 4Relationships between other vampires
* 5List of Pureblood Vampires
	+ 5.1The Kuran family
	+ 5.2The Hio Family
	+ 5.3The Shirabuki Family
	+ 5.4The Shoto Family
	+ 5.5The Ori Family
	+ 5.6The Toma Family
	+ 5.7The Hanadagi Family
* 6Trivia
* 7See also
* 8References

## Outline

A very long time ago, when the human race was on the verge of extinction the first vampires emerged. These first vampires, known as Purebloods, appeared. Purebloods are those who have not bred with humans, thus keeping their vampire blood pure. Some Purebloods breed with Humans producing weaker vampires which have came to be known as the Noble vampires. Most vampires have some human blood in them, but a Pureblood vampire does not. Purebloods, like all vampires are sensitive to the sun as it only hurts their eyes and can get sunburned easily.

War broke out between the Purebloods and the Humans at some point a long time ago. In order to defend themselves against vampires, some humans ate an ancestor's flesh, creating the vampire hunters which granted them the power and strength to kill vampires. This includes anti-vampire magic and weapons. Therefore all vampire hunters have vampire blood in them but not to the extent that they are classified as vampires, thus they do not benefit from a vampires longevity and thirst for blood. The vampire hunters protect the Human race from the vampires.

During the war, the Pureblood population greatly diminished. Many Purebloods drank the blood of humans during this time thus creating Level E vampires to increase the vampire population. Consequently, there are few Purebloods today.

## Powers

The full extent of their powers are only known amongst their Pureblood companions. Their true powers remain a mystery. They have ethereal (extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world) beauty of the Purebloods and they are immortal, meaning they live forever unless an anti-vampire weapon is used to cut off their heads or pierce their hearts. Any other injury is healable, including having one's head cut off or blown to pieces, if a Pureblood uses the blood of another Pureblood to heal them. When a Pureblood vampire is killed, their bodies slowly disperse into small sparkles before shattering into shards of glass.

It is heavily implied that each vampire has a unique power such as Rido Kuran's ability to manipulate his blood or Shizuka Hio's control over plants. Their blood is highly prized and many have attempted to drink their blood, this includes both humans and Noble vampires. The blood of a Pureblood can give vampires new powers. Aside from the standard powers shown by other vampires, Purebloods have also demonstrated the following:

* They can form shadow puppets/spies using parts of their flesh which are capable of shape shifting.
* They can transform parts of themselves into animals.
* Purebloods can create familiars of any form they choose, use their powers and control them.
* Powers to perform spells to seal off the vampire side of vampires, thus making them a normal human. The spell also erases all of his/her memories of being a vampire. However this spell comes at the price of their life. (The vampire converted to human, eventually must return to his/her true nature, if not, he/she descends into madness. However, this was only in Yuki Kuran's case as Isaya Shoto said his son died human).
* Ability to control lower vampires physically.
* Ability to put vampires and humans to sleep for a short time.
* Erasing Memories and can control elements.
* Telekinesis and can cast spells.
* Morph the flesh and bodies of others transforming them.
* Ability to possess the bodies of other vampires.
* They can also put themselves to sleep for a very long time, even hundreds of years, and be resurrected through a blood sacrifice.
* Purebloods can transform themselves into the form of a baby and grow into their body.
* Purebloods can become each other's masters if one is awakened by another from slumber.
* Enhanced sense of smell.
* Enhanced strength, speed, and stamina.
* Enhanced durability, agility, and senses.
* They can feel and see memories of others by drinking their blood.
* Their blood can heal human illnesses and give them a small amount of strength. (But for a human to drink pureblood's blood, might die due to their blood being highly poisonous to them).
* Ability to turn humans into vampires and retain complete control over them by becoming their master, rendering the vampire unable to kill them. The blood of their master will also prevent an ex-human from becoming a Level E vampire.

The Kurans are unique among Purebloods as some members of the family possess and display the ability to handle anti-vampire weapons. Juri Kuran, Yuki Kuran, Kaname Kuran (although he can hold such weapons, it does harm him) and Rido Kuran have demonstrated this ability.

## Relationships between Purebloods

Purebloods tend to not show emotion (Yuki Kuran is an exception to this as she had lived as human, and thus doesn't want to bottle up her feelings) and are wary of other Purebloods. Kaname Kuran tells Yuki about the seven Purebloods families and attacks Shizuku Toma when he harmed Yuki. Juri Kuran guarded Isaya Shoto's home for many years. Ai Kuran ignores letters from Pureblood families. Kaname murders most of the Pureblood vampires as it was The Hooded Woman's wish to have all the Purebloods to be destroyed.

The Pureblood nature is an everlasting quest for power. (Rido Kuran awoken his ancestor Kaname, to gain more power). By killing and drinking the blood of another Pureblood, they can absorb their power. However, this is a great taboo and is said to summon a sinister future upon that Pureblood, unless it is their lover. Similar to other vampires, a Pureblood's blood thirst can only be quenched by the blood of their loved one. Since Purebloods live for eternity, losing their loved one is much more devastating for them.

It is also common practice for Pureblood siblings to marry each other to preserve their thick blood. Purebloods can also marry another Pureblood, such as Rido and Shizuka Hio. For example, the Kuran family, who are at the core of the vampire world. Purebloods are the monarchy of the vampire race with the Kuran family serving as the Queens and Kings.

## Relationships between other vampires

Relations between the Purebloods and the Nobles are mixed. Noble vampires who are Pro-Monarchy have a strong sense of loyalty to Purebloods as seen by Hanabusa Aido who refers to Kaname Kuran as "Kaname-sama" (Respectful and formal Japanese term) and always protects Yuki Kuran. It is very important for Purebloods to continue the vampire race, therefore many Noble children are put forward as potential wives or husbands. As opposed to other vampires who are Pro-Vampire Council view the Purebloods as a threat because of their great power; for example Asato Ichijo wanted to rid the world of Purebloods because they have the power to absolutely control lesser vampires will. However, no matter what a vampire's political views are, they all have a seemingly instinctual fear and awe for Purebloods. The Purebloods and the Vampire Council also work together in order to maintain order in the vampire society by keeping watch over Level Ds and exterminating Level Es.

As shown by the timeskip to Ai Kuran's toddler days, its shown Purebloods are revered to such an extent that they find it utterly unacceptable for them to be with with a non-Pureblood. In Yuki's case it was worse because Zero Kiryu was a vampire hunter. Until Yuki spread word that trying to kill Zero was effectively suicide, Zero kept having to kill servants of Aristocrats that went after him. Even after the death threat, 50 years later, vampires still despised the idea of Yuki and Zero being together. As child growing up Ai was aware of the vampires despising their relationship.

Nearly a century later, vampires still held a negative opinion of Zero's romance with Yuki, simply because of tradition. Ren's birth only worsened things, prompting a woman to write to Ai about her opinion. When they met at a soiree, she made the rather poor choice of badmouthing Ren Kiryu in front of Ai, causing the young Pureblood to snap and threatened the woman's life. All in all, the vampires holding onto the old traditions seem incapable of understanding a Pureblood (Yuki) disregarding everything their society stood; they also seem to think Purebloods are incapable of genuine anger, as stated above with Ai.

## List of Pureblood Vampires

### The Kuran family

* Kaname Kuran
* The Last Kuran King
* Rido Kuran
* Haruka Kuran
* Juri Kuran
* Kaname Kuran (II)
* Yuki Kuran
* Ai Kuran

### The Toma Family

* Shizuku Toma
* Unknown Female

## Trivia

* Given Purebloods usually marry their siblings and have produced offspring without problem for centuries, they obviously lack the human weakness of needing a versatile gene pool.
* While Purebloods originally stop aging in their mid-twenties, putting themselves into slumber can alternate their age.
	+ When Purebloods go into slumber, they sleep in a coffin. While Purebloods sleep for a long time and thirst for blood, for that time that they put themselves to sleep in, their body will become desiccated.
		- By the time Ai Kuran decides to slumber a long time, it seems technology had advanced to create coffins that preserve Purebloods as they are; this is likely as there are numerous tube-like things attached to the bed Ai slept on.
* Purebloods pregnancy can last 2 to 5 years and can increase their thirst for human blood. When Purebloods become pregnant, they stay away from humans to prevent feeding from them.
* Pureblood vampire children do not drink blood until they have their fangs. Like all vampires, young Pureblood children take energy until they have to drink blood. When Purebloods gets their fangs they have to stay inside their home until they gain control of their impulse to drink blood.
* Pureblood's blood is desired more than the blood of human children and the blood of their beloved.
* Purebloods, similar to their Ancestor, are the progenitors of the vampire race with Kaname Kuran being the ancestor and head of the Kuran family.
* When Purebloods crave blood, they will feel a burning pain in their throat or use their powers their eyes glow red. Purebloods can quench their thirst for blood through blood tablets and transfusion blood bags.
* Besides turning into a vampire, when a Pureblood bites a human, the human will die from blood loss or turned into a vampire  While Pureblood blood is very powerful, it can be dangerous to vampires and humans.
* When a Pureblood is killed, a fragment of them, their existence, is still alive.

An **Ex-Human** (元人間, *moto-ningen*) is a type of vampire who used to be human. They are **Level D** (Dクラス, *D Kurasu*, lit. "D Class") and **Level E** (レベルE, *Rebere E*) vampires.

When a human is bitten by a Pureblood vampire, they will either die from blood loss or poisoning, or they will suffer the slow agony of the awakening to become a vampire. These vampires are easily controlled by their master and are unable to kill their creator. One of the few advantages is that unlike normal vampires, they are not overly sensitive to sunlight.

When Hunters capture level D vampires, they tattoo them with their symbol and perform a "taming" ceremony enabling them to disable a vampire with a linked piece of jewellery. While the hunters have a ward to prevent vampires from entering their buildings, an exception is made for tamed vampires.

Eventually, every ex-human vampire falls to level E, and loses his or her humanity and goes mad with bloodlust. These vampires are then put on the list for extermination. However, they can be saved from this fate if the Pureblood that created them gives them their blood.

## List of Ex-Human Vampires

* Zero Kiryu
* Seiren
* Vampire Hunter Association President
* Taito Takamiya
* Fuka Kisaragi

## Trivia

* The transformation into a vampire is not instant, though once bitten the human will become subsevient to the Pureblood that bit them.
* As shown with Zero, a Level D can be prevented from falling to Level E if they feed on blood on a regular basis.
* Level Es could be divided into two categories: those that went mad from suppressing their bloodlust and those who freely feed on humans and thus are a threat.
* Ex-human vampires (if saved from turning Level E) will cease aging once they reach their prime as neither Seiren or Zero look any older 50 years later.
* Zero mentions his school nurse was a Level E; suggesting she feed off spare blood from the job.

The **Ancestors** are the progenitors of the vampire race who evolved from humans over ten thousand years ago during a climate change, which resulted in the post-apocalyptic timeline that Vampire Knight currently takes place in. The Ancestors and their full-blooded offspring were later to be known as Pureblood vampires. The Ancestors also known amongst themselves as founders, due to being the very first vampires in existence.

The mixed blood of the Pureblood ancestors, and that of lower class vampires or humans, is the cause of the Aristocrat vampires vampires ranked below the Purebloods.

## Contents

* 1Powers & Abilities
* 2List of Ancestor Vampires
* 3Trivia
* 4See Also

## Powers & Abilities

The Ancestors like Purebloods are the strongest type of vampires who are blessed with incredible powers. Although they were born from human parents, they have no human blood in their lineage.

Like their descendants, the Purebloods, the Ancestors had the ability to turn humans into vampires. If a lower class vampire (level B, C, and D) continually drinks their blood it will make their abilities more powerful and increase their lifespan. While their blood and flesh is toxic for humans to consume, the rare few who survive end up gaining accelerated healing capabilities and the ability sense vampires. These select few later become known as Vampire Hunter.

## List of Ancestor Vampires

* Kaname
* The Hooded Woman

## Trivia

* The Ancestors were born from humans.
* Ancestors powers are passed down through purebloods and purebloods to Aristocrats.

**Aristocrats** or **Nobles** (貴族階級, *kizoku kaikyuu*) are a high-ranking vampires classed as **Level B** (Bクラス, *B Kurasu*, lit. "B Class").

They are elite vampires with specialized abilities beyond that of normal vampires. Aristocrats are very powerful vampires, but not as powerful as the Purebloods. They have a small amount of human blood in their ancestry as well as all other levels below them. When an aristocrat is killed, they turn to dust, as do all the other levels below them. These aristocratic vampires are still able to be compelled by Purebloods, but enjoy a much more independent lifestyle in general. The Council of Elders is usually made up of Aristocrats.

## List of Aristocrat Vampires

* Takuma Ichijo
* Hanabusa Aido
* Akatsuki Kain
* Ruka Souen
* Senri Shiki
* Rima Toya
* Maria Kurenai
* Asato Ichijo
* Shiki (Mother)
* Ren Kiryu

## Trivia

* Unlike Purebloods, who are revered to the point other vampires would kill anyone who would "sully" their bloodline, Aristicracts face no prejudice if they choose to marry humans.
	+ No vampires objected to Hanabusa Aido marrying Sayori Wakaba; they were only targeted as a scare tactic towards Yuki and Zero.
* It remains unclear if the offspring of an Aristocrat is considered to drop to Level C if they reproduce with humans for a few generations.
	+ On the other hand, it's likely an Aristocract's descendants can become more powerful if they reproduce with Purebloods for a few generations. While never able to truly purge the human ancestry from their lineage, an Aristocract born this way could be considered a Level B+.
* Its shown that if an aristocrat has a child with a human, the child's vampire genetics are largely unaffected as Seiya Aido, whose mother was human, is still youthful as his father 40 years later.
* Aristocrats are noted to die when they lose the will to live.
	+ Shiki's mother died this way.
* Its likely the lifespan of aristocrats is determined by how pure their vampire blood is. In *Vampire Knight Memories,* none of the former Night Class vampires are seen 1000 years later. Ren Kiryu likely has a longer lifespan than normal aristocrats due to her mother being a Pureblood.
	+ However, chapter 26 of *Memories* reveals that Takuma is still alive and ruining a bookstore. He appears aged, likely having taken the cure to become human briefly; resembling his grandfather Ichio.