Ichiru Kiryu

Ichiru Kiryu (錐生 壱縷, Kiryū Ichiru) was Zero's younger twin brother. When they were younger, they were both taught by Toga Yagari to become vampire hunters. Ichiru, however did not seem to have the same talent as Zero's natural ability, as he was often ill. The character appears both in the manga and anime. Ichiru is given a different appearance in the anime's second season, which does not occur in the manga.

Appearance
Ichiru had the same silver hair as his older twin brother Zero, except it was slightly longer. He has pale lilac-purple eyes in the anime but they are the same dark or slightly pale grey as his brother's in the manga. Also like his twin, he was very tall and slim in build. In the anime's first season, he wore his hair down but in it's second season, he styled it into a short ponytail with Shizuka Hio's pink sting that had a bell attached to it. This doesn't occur in the manga. He is considered quite attractive, too

Upon meeting his twin brother for the first time in seven years (season one), Ichiru wears a plain white mask covering his eyes, though discards the disguise when Zero recognises him.

Personality
Ichiru was a complicated person marked by many conflicting emotions and actions. Although he was very close to Zero as a child, he nevertheless struggled with the inevitability of being left behind by his brother as well as the strain of not being able to make it in the hunter world. He eventually became jealous because of how Zero could be healthy and normal while he couldn't. He was also compliicit in Shizuka's murder of his parents but requested that Zero be left alive and turned. Though professing to both love and hate Zero upon different occassions, Ichiru didn't always appear to know his own mind when it came to his twin but his actions indicated that in whatever way, Zero was incredibly important to him. The only other person who was just as important to him in his life was Shizuka Hio and he was heartbroken and angry when she died.

History

Born into the Kiryu hunter family as Zero's twin brother and due to the Hunter's curse, most if not all of his hunter powers were absorbed by Zero, which subsequently gave the latter increased power as a Hunter. Though his parents were highly skilled Vampire Hunters, they were both killed by Shizuka when she attacked the Kiryu household one winter night after he (Ichiru) left the house.

Plot
After his parents' death, Ichiru and Zero have no communication with one another for seven whole years, due to Zero believing his brother to be dead just like his parents. Even though in actuality, Ichiru was very much so alive. Despite   Shizuka Hio  allowing Ichiru to drink her blood in order to strengthen him and cure his chronic ill health, she didn't turn him into a vampire and instead chose to keep him as a human. Seven years after his disapperance, he reappears in the story as a  Day Class  student attending  Cross Academy  under  Rido Kuran, Senri's father's orders  (and by Zero's permission). It was later revealed that Rido had promised Ichiru that he would kill those who had killed Shizuka, which is probably the main reason why Ichiru was working for Rido Kuran in the first place.

Later on, when Zero was locked up by the Vampire Hunters Association, Ichiru is seen visting him and though he appeared to have shot him out of hatred, it was revealed that Ichiru was terribly wounded due to him trying to kill Rido; the person he was really after because of the latter's role in Shizuka's death. After shooting his brother, Ichiru convinced Zero to drink his blood so they could finally become one as they had been originally supposed to be at birth. Ichiru then stated that he was happy that he wasn't dead in Zero's heart and when they hugged, he also said that he felt comfortable in being in his arms, even recalling a time when the brothers slept in the same bed often and had been loved equally by their mother.

After Ichiru's death, Zero appears to have grown vines, which most likely were from all of Shizuka's blood that Ichiru had ingested to prevent his chronic illness from returning. Zero then buries him alongside their parents' graves in the cemetery. Ichiru also apparently had romantic feelings for Shizuka Hio, despite the fact that she was the one who had massacred his family and turned Zero into a vampire. In a manga bonus chapter, while standing over Rido's closed coffin as he slept/recupperated from his wounds (given to him by Kaname a long time ago), Ichiru said, "Shizuka-sama was beautiful even when she fell..." Despite him always begging her to turn him into a vampire, she always refused to do so. It appeared that though Shizuka did not return his romantic feelings for her, perhaps due to her being still heartbroken over her former lover's death, it can be seen that she did deeply care for him.

During the one year timeskip, Zero is seen visiting Ichiru's grave and he laments on how he fears he's forgetting how to feel like a human. Ichiru then appears as a spirit to comfort his depressed. He calls Zero silly and to remember that his body may be within a grave with his parents but his soul has become a part of Zero's so he remembers for him what it's like to be human. Lastly, he retells Zero to follow his heart before disappearing. A few chapter later when Yuki is drinking Zero's blood, she sees Ichiru within his memories along with the human verison of herself standing beside a coffin covered by vines.

Powers & Abilities
Though he was born into an elite vampire hunter family, Ichiru was a very sickly child who was not strong enough to become a vampire hunter along with possessing no talents for it due to the hunter's curse. However after being taught how to become a hunter by Toga Yagari and drinking Shizuka Hio's blood, he's shown as being much stronger then he had been as a child. He was even working for the vampire council, which is shown in both the manga and anime. He's also very good with a sword.

Equipment

 * During the Zero-Maria face-off, Ichiru throws Maria a dagger that helped wound Zero fatally.
 * While Zero was held captive and while he tried to kill Rido Kuran, Ichiru had a katana/sword on him.
 * In the last minutes of his life, he shot Zero in the shoulder with the Bloody Rose.

Zero Kiryu


Zero is Ichiru's older identical twin brother whom he shared a close relationship when younger but hated him when he became older for the simple fact that Zero became a vampire and he didn't. The younger Ichiru was more cheerful, unlike Zero who doesn't talk much. Ichiru says in the 11enth episode that he wanted Shizuka only to keep him alive because he wanted him to suffer. Ichiru is happy when Zero says he doesn't wish for Ichiru to die; meaning Zero still had some love for his little brother.

Shizuka Hio
The person he betrayed his parents and Zero for. She told him that if he lets her take revenge on his parents for her lover she will make his body become stronger. He agreed but it is later found out that he asked her to keep Zero alive. Ichiru served her as her butler and at some point it is pointed out that he loved her, despite the fact that she killed his parents and turned his brother into a vampire. Upon her death, she gives him a bell on a ribbon to which Ichiru proceeds to tie his hair up. Shizuka allowed Ichiru to drink her blood but refused to turn him into a vampire, much to Ichiru's dismay.

Maria Kurenai
Maria has a strong attachment to Ichiru and is quite fond of him, to the point where she persists in searching for him long after she has left the academy. It is not known whether Ichiru had any affection for Maria. He did however express concerns over her well being and chides her silly behaviour standing out in the sun; Zero mentions to Ichiru before his death that Maria wishes to see him. Ichiru seems hestiant, but chooses to sacrifice himself to allow Zero to regain his full strength. .

Yuki Kuran
The two often met at the end of differing sides. Ichiru threatened Yuki continuously knowing that she is one of Zero's weaknesses something Yuki didn't realize at that point in time. Yuki tries to be civil when confronting him but unlike Zero finds herself uncomfortable in Ichiru's presence. He often spoke to Yuki in a condescending manner and even questions outloud why Zero would spend time in her presence. Ichiru knew there was more to Yuki's background and often warned Zero to stay away from "that girl" and telling Zero that his taste had run bad. After Ichiru dies Yuki feels sadness after seeing Zero carry his deceased brother's body to be buried.

Quotes

 * "So, my big brother remembers me." (to Zero Kiryu)
 * "I hate you!" (To Zero Kiryu)
 * "Is there something wrong...Zero?" (To Zero Kiryu)
 * "NO! SHIZUKA-SAMA!" (To Shizuka Hio)

Trivia

 * Curiously, Zero and Yuki's biological daughter has a great resemblance to Ichiru. The hairstyle and facial resemblance has more similarities to the uncle mixed with Yuki's.
 * He wears his heart on his sleeve.