Bloody Rose

The Bloody Rose is a magical anti-vampire handgun used to kill vampires, currently carried by Zero Kiryu. It was first given to him by Kaien Cross as a weapon to defend himself. Like all anti-vampire weapons, it cannot harm humans with its special bullets.

In 93rd Night the Bloody Rose was grabbed by the new metal and only a fragment was used as a grave for Zero after he passed away.

Appearance
The handgun has a silver colored slide, frame, and trigger; made of special metal. The grips appear to be made of smooth wood. The sides of the barrel are etched with the words "Crossing" and "Bloody Rose" and along the top are the words "Crossing Danger".

Zero carries the Bloody Rose in a shoulder holster underneath his school jacket. The handgun is often seen linked with a long chain that is attached to both the pistol's lanyard loop and Zero's uniform; though at times he removes the chain so that he can wield the gun freely.

The gun is custom made to chamber silver Anti-Vampire cartridges. Special Blood-tip bullets are only shown in the anime.


 * Bloody Rose's design seems to be based on the .45 caliber Colt M1911 and the AMT Hardballer Longslide.
 * In the anime, Zero's handgun has the length of a standard M1911 pistol, but in the manga it has the lengthier long slide.

Powers
The Bloody Rose shoots off a magical, purple colored symbol that can only harm vampires. It will often kill normal vampires with one shot and severely wound purebloods like Shizuka Hio.

Though the Bloody Rose is a magical weapon, it can still be loaded with normal pistol cartridges for anti-human and target shooting purposes. However Zero uses a different gun for target practice on normal targets.

Transformation
Following Zero's completion of the fragment (after he drank Ichiru's blood and acquired the full amount of power as a vampire hunter), the Bloody Rose morphs and becomes a part of his body, allowing him to control metallic thorny vines. The Bloody Rose pulls its strength from Zero by feeding off Zero's blood, draining him.

The Bloody Rose appears to have its own consciousness and will not always cooperate with Zero, as Kaname Kuran manages to persuade it to back down when Zero attempts to attack him. Kaname reminds the gun who he is, but Zero regains control.

Though we have never seen it react to Zero, the Bloody Rose rejects Yuki when she attempts to pull it from Zero's grasp. In chapter 82, Zero's powers have increased after drinking Sara's blood. When he attacks Kaname, Bloody Rose has a new Beast Thorn attack.



Origin
In the second arc, it is revealed that Hunter weapons are all made from a special metal. The metal was created by The Hooded Woman, a progenitor of the vampire race. Her goal was to help the humans fight back against the vampires. Her blood was given to a group of humans who wanted to fight. Those who survived drinking her blood became the Hunters. She then threw her heart into a vat of molten metal. This metal is what powers all Hunter weapons. The consciousness in Bloody Rose is revealed to be the Hooded Woman herself.

Trivia

 * On the cover of volume 1, Yuki is shown wielding the Bloody Rose with its chain wrapped around her arm.
 * In the first arc, Zero only carried the Bloody Rose when he was in uniform as a school guardian. In the second arc, he is employed as a Hunter and carries Bloody Rose at all times.
 * Kaname was shown in ancient times, over 10,000 years ago, with both Bloody Rose and Yuki's weapon, Artemis. Although it seems bizarre an ancient weapon would look like a modern firearm, Vampire Knight takes place in a post-apocalyptic timeline. The world was destroyed by climate change, so their ancient times appear to be the time period we are in now.

Questions

 * Does the Bloody Rose have magical bullets or does it not normally require anything?
 * How does the Bloody Rose gun drain Zero's blood to have its effects take place?
 * Did Kaien Cross use the Bloody Rose in the past to kill vampires?

See more

 * Bloody Rose/Image gallery