Vampires are a common element in stories concerning the occult and supernatural. Nocturnal creatures that subsist on blood, vampires are known for their strange, numerous powers and are used frequently as villains and as protagonists.
The vampire mythos has grown from a variety of stories and tales, and modern takes on the vampire have made their own changes. Vampires often appear in anime as well, and while they can often be fairly faithful to the traditional vampire, many of them put their own spin on the classic monster. Here are some of the best anime that put their unique spin on vampires.
10 Actually, I Am...
Not all anime with vampires are necessarily dark and brooding, as Actually, I Am...demonstrates. The series is a rom-com centered around Asahi Kuromine, a young man whose intentions are easy to read. When he tries to confess to his crush Yoko Shiragami, he is surprised to find out that she is actually a vampire, and must help her keep her secret.
The vampires in Actually, I Am...have the same features as classic vampires but to a much milder degree. Instead of turning to ash in the sun, Yoko simply gets sunburnt. Crosses make her feel grumpy, and garlic is simply too pungent for her to eat. While Yoko is also a half-vampire, it's clear that the usual vampire traits are not that strong in this series.
9 Rosario + Vampire
Tsukune Aono, unable to get into any high schools near his home, is forced to move out to Yokai Academy, a private school that accepted his admission. He soon discovers that the school is actually for monsters, but stays for the sake of Moka Akashiya, a vampire he quickly befriends.
Moka is unique in that she has two personalities: a docile outer personality and a ferocious inner one. The inner Moka is the one that manifests her vampire traits, with enhanced strength and speed. However, Moka shows none of the usual vampire weaknesses in either form, except for her hunger for blood.
8 Vampire Knight
In a world where humans and vampires are trying to coexist, Yuki Cross works as a guardian at Cross Academy, making sure the human Day Class and vampire Night Class don't cause trouble for each other. While Yuki believes that humans and vampires can live together in peace, it's unclear if the vampires truly believe in it themselves.
Vampires in this series are incredibly powerful, and they range in strength depending on how pure their ancestry is. Despite preferring the nighttime, vampires are only mildly vulnerable in the sun and have incredibly powerful regenerative powers.
7 Call Of The Night
Ko Yamori, suffering from insomnia, decides to sneak out and see the city at night. By chance, he meets a young woman named Nazuna Nanakusa, who takes him out for a night out on the town. Eventually, Nazuna ends up revealing to Ko that she is a vampire when she sucks his blood. Nazuna offers Ko the chance to become a vampire himself, but he'll have to fall in love with her to do so.
Vampires in Call of the Night are very similar to classic vampires, with a few differences. Their main focus is on attracting their targets' love, as proven as the only way for them to make more thralls is to suck the blood of someone in love with them. Vampires are also incredibly powerful, but they also have various weaknesses, some unique to this series.
6 Blood Lad
Fuyumi Yanagi accidentally wanders into the demon world where she meets Staz Charlie Blood, a vampire who rules over a portion of the demon world's territory. Staz is initially excited to meet a human as he is interested in the human world, but when Fuyumi is killed under his watch and turned into a ghost, he takes it upon himself to restore her to life.
As a vampire, Staz has a number of unique powers, including regeneration. Despite being a vampire, he lacks many of the traditional weaknesses, nor does he even seem to need to drink blood all that often. However, he is weak to silver, which can dampen his magical powers.
5 Dance In The Vampire Bund
Mina Tepes, the Princess-Ruler of all vampires, has lived in secrecy with her kind for many centuries. However, after giving permission to create "The Bund," a special district for vampires only, Mina attempts to reconcile the humans' fear of vampires while trying to protect her kind from attackers.
The vampires in Dance in the Vampire Bund are very close to traditional vampires, with classic weaknesses like sunlight and wooden stakes. Much of what makes this series' vampires unique is the ecosystem: vampires work in tandem with werewolves as their protectors and use technology to manage their weaknesses.
4 Tsukihime
Shiki Tohno possesses the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, eyes that allow him to see the Lines of Death. A freak encounter causes him to cross paths with Arcueid Brunestud, a vampire who recruits Shiki immediately to hunt down vampires.
Vampires in Tsukihime and the greater Nasuverse are incredibly unique. There are several types: Dead Apostles are the most similar to vampires, with their need to suck blood and weakness to the sun, while True Ancestors are incredibly powerful existences that lack most weaknesses. Nasuverse vampires put a unique spin on the mythos, to be expected of a Type-Moon work.
3 Hellsing
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Hellsing is an organization created to combat supernatural threats to the world, created by the legendary Van Helsing. Hellsing levies a variety of resources towards combating such threats, but their most powerful weapon is the mysterious Alucard, a vampire with incredible strength and skill.
Vampires in Hellsing often vary in strength and ability depending on how powerful a vampire they are. As one of the strongest vampires, Alucard has incredible magical powers, such as the ability to shapeshift, immense strength and speed, and hypnosis. Alucard is also unaffected by the sun when lesser vampires wouldn't be able to avoid damage.
2 The Case Study Of Vanitas
Noe Archiviste is a vampire, sent by his master to seek out The Book of Vanitas. On his travels, he meets the mysterious Vanitas, who claims to be a doctor who can heal vampires who have been cursed. The two join forces in order to heal cursed vampires and search out the cause behind who is causing vampires to become cursed.
Vampires in this series are very different from the usual vampires. Vampires exist because of a change in the world's formula and have a variety of different powers. Most vampires can control their desire to drink blood, but a curse-bearer is unable to control that urge, making them a problem.
1 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
It's hard to remember after so long, but JoJo's Bizarre Adventure used to be about vampires. In the first two parts of the long-running series, vampires served as the main antagonists of the story, with Jonathan and Joseph having to use the power of sunlight to destroy their terrifying foes.
Vampires in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure are created by wearing the Stone Mask and exposing it to blood, causing it to puncture and trigger certain parts of the brain. Vampires are monstrously powerful, with the ability to manipulate any part of their body in deadly ways, such as shooting out eye fluid like lasers or lowering the temperature of their own body parts to freeze their opponents.