Vampire Knight (Anime)

The Vampire Knight anime series is an adaptation of the Vampire Knight manga series. The second season is titled Vampire Knight: Guilty.

It consists of twenty-six episodes, with thirteen episodes in each season.

The series was produced by Studio Deen and directed by Kiyoko Sayama. Many of the voice actors featured on the drama CDs returned as their characters for the anime.

Release
The first season began airing in Japan on TV Tokyo on April 8, 2008 and ran until the season concluded on July 1, 2008. The episodes were also aired at later dates on TV Aichi, TV Hokkaido, TV Osaka, TV Setouchi, and TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Co. The second season, Vampire Knight: Guilty, premiered on the same station on October 7, 2008. The final episode aired on December 30, 2008.

On July 24, 2009, Viz Media announced it had acquired the license for the Vampire Knight anime and would begin releasing it on DVD on July 20, 2010. In the UK, the first volume was officially released on DVD via Manga Entertainment on November 22, 2010. In Australia, ABC3 began airing the series (English-language version) in March 2011 and began repeats on July 3 later that year.

The anime was made available for streaming on Hulu and Netflix.

Premise
Yuki Cross's earliest memory is of being attacked by a vampire and being saved by Kaname Kuran, also a vampire. Ten years later, Yuki and vampire hunter Zero Kiryu attend Cross Academy as school guardians protecting the "Day Class" of human students from the "Night Class" of vampires. The story follows Yuki's discovery that her childhood friend, Zero, has spent the last four years trying to fight his transformation into a vampire, and he has finally succumbed. Yuki struggles to help Zero fight his bloodlust, although it might pull her further away from Kaname. The situation intensifies when a new student, Maria Kurenai, transfers to the Night Class, and she seems to have something to do with Zero's past.

The second season, Vampire Knight: Guilty, picks up shortly after the first with Zero returning to Cross Academy. Yuki begins trying to figure out her forgotten past as her hallucinations grow more intense, and Kaname avoids giving her answers. Zero visits the now awakened Maria Kurenai in an attempt to find answers, but she only provides a cryptic clue suggesting who the true enemy might be. The Vampire Council intends to find justice for the murder of the pureblood Shizuka Hio, and they target Zero, but Kaname intervenes to stop them. A new evil rises in Cross Academy, and Kaname takes steps to keep Yuki safe.

Episodes
For a summary of each episode, see Episode Summaries.

Main Characters

 * Yuki Kuran, voiced by Yui Horie (JA) and Mela Lee (EN)
 * Zero Kiryu, voiced by Mamoru Miyano (JA) and Vic Mignogna (EN)
 * Kaname Kuran, voiced by Daisuke Kishio (JA) and Ezra Weisz (EN)

Supporting Characters

 * Kaien Cross, voiced by Hozumi Goda (JA) and Christopher Corey Smith (EN)
 * Ichiru Kiryu, voiced by Mamoru Miyano (JA) and Vic Mignogna (EN)
 * Hanabusa Aido, voiced by Jun Fukuyama (JA) and Bryce Papenbrook (EN)
 * Takuma Ichijo, voiced by Susumu Chiba (JA) and Spike Spencer (EN)
 * Ruka Souen, voiced by Junko Minagawa (JA) and Dorothy Elias-Fahn (EN)
 * Akatsuki Kain, voiced by Junichi Suwabe (JA) and Troy Baker (EN)
 * Rima Toya, voiced by Eri Kitamura (JA) and Carrie Savage (EN)
 * Senri Shiki, voiced by Soichiro Hoshi (JA) and Steve Staley (EN)
 * Seiren, voiced by Risa Mizuno (JA) and Colleen Villard (EN)
 * Maria Kurenai, voiced by Mai Nakahara (JA) and Laura Bailey (EN)
 * Shizuka Hio, voiced by Fumiko Orikasa (JA) and Wendee Lee (EN)
 * Rido Kuran, voiced by Tarusuke Shingaki (JA) and Patrick Seitz (EN)

For more characters, see Characters.

Music
The series uses four pieces of theme music for the opening and ending themes. The soundtracks are composed by Haketa Takefumi and both consist of 30 tracks, including the opening and ending themes.