Yuki Cross
Yuki Cross (黒主 優姫 ,Kurosu Yūki?) is the female protagonist of Vampire Knight. The adopted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, Yuki is a first year student and a member of the school's disciplinary committee, which means secretly acting as a Guardian for Cross Academy by monitoring and protecting the Day Class from the Night Class. She is generally a cheerful and comedic character, but has a fear of vampires that means she rarely leaves the Cross Academy grounds on her own [1]. She wields the Artemis Rod, the anti-vampire weapon which later transforms into a scythe.
When Yuki was about five years old, Rido Kuran attacked the Kuran family while seeking to take Yuki, whose existence had been hidden from the world as much as possible. To protect her daughter, Juri sacrificed herself to seal Yuki's vampire side and erased her daughter's memory; Yuki's first memory from that point on was of Kaname saving her from a vampire; she grew up harboring deep feelings for him. The two had a close relationship until she witnesses his vampire nature as he fed on a vampire classmate — as a human, Yuki believed that she had no chance of being with Kaname and began to distance herself out of fear, though maintained her attraction to him. After being adopted by Kaien Cross, Yuki has troubling recurring nightmares until Zero joins their household and she forms a strong attachment to him.
After Yuki discovers that Zero has awakened as a vampire and is struggling with his bloodlust, she allows him to secretly feed on her blood. In order to prevent Zero running away, Yuki promises to be his ally and that she will kill him if he becomes a level E vampire. Though Yuki is aware of Zero's hatred of vampires, she comes to realize he despises himself more than anyone as he slowly succumbs into what he hates most. When Shizuka Hio offers to save Zero at the price of Yuki's humanity, Yuki agrees, though is stopped by Zero.
Troubled by the gap in her memory, Yuki attempts to ask Kaname to reveal what he knows about her past. When he offers to provide her an answer if she becomes his lover, Yuki agrees, but ends up trying to remember her forgotten past on her own when Kaname does not give her an answer. Her recurring nightmares return and Kaname eventually bites Yuki to reawaken her true nature as a pureblood vampire and has her drink his blood to restore her complete memories. She is revealed to be Kaname's sister and intended fiancée. Returning to her vampire self, Yuki exhibits an uncontrolled return of her vampire powers and physical changes. She chooses to break off her friendship with Zero, aware of the new antagonism between them, and begins to sense Rido's dangerous revival. Though Kaname attempts to remove her from danger, she refuses to leave Cross Academy and convinces him to leave and continue his own mission while kissing him and assuring him that she will return to him. Deciding to fight Rido, Yuki's Artemis Rod transforms as it tries to reject her vampire nature,and turns into a scythe.
Upon confronting Rido, Yuki nearly fall prey to his words, saved only by Zero interrupting in his own attempt to kill Rido. Though they are now enemies, Yuki reaffirms her vow to be Zero's ally. As Zero attempts to remove her from the fight, Yuki manages to score the killing blow on her uncle. However, Zero turns on her afterwards, still intending to kill her and all pureblood vampires, before Kaname interupts and leaves Yuki and Zero to bid their farewells. Zero bites and kisses Yuki while confessing his romantic feelings for her, to which she seems to show no reaction, announcing that she desires no one's blood but Kaname's. As they part, Zero tells Yuki to go to Kaname but that he will kill her the next time he sees her; Yuki replies that she will continue running from him, so that he will have a reason to live. After they part, Yuki breaks down in tears and comes to realize her sadness of being Zero's enemy, but knows that her true self is a vampire and conceals her feelings. As she leaves the academy with Kaname, she sees Zero carrying Ichiru's dead body.
Voiced by: Yui Horie
Zero Kiryu
Zero Kiryu (錐生 零 ,Kiryū Zero?) is one of the male protagonists of Vampire Knight. Yuki's close friend and the only other Cross Academy Guardian, Zero descends from a noted family of vampire hunters and was trained to be a Vampire Hunter by Toga Yagari. Zero carries an anti-vampire gun named "Bloody Rose," given to him by Kaien Cross. His powers include accelerated healing, vampire detection, ability to withstand pureblood compulsion and most recently the ability to manipulate vines within his body that are an extension of the Bloody Rose[2].
Four years ago, Zero was taken in by Kaien Cross as the sole survivor of a murderous attack on his family by Shizuka Hio. Zero was bitten during the attack and spent the last four years resisting turning into a vampire — the tattooed symbol on his neck helped suppress the vampire transformation. Due to the attack, Zero developed a deep hatred and distrust of vampires. He kept his vampire secret even from Yuki until bloodlust overwhelmed him and he bit her. Filled with self-loathing, Zero attempts to run away but is stopped by Yuki, who pledges to kill Zero should he fall to level E. To further ensure Zero's vampire nature remains controlled, the headmaster provides Yuki with a bracelet that reacts with Zero's tattoo and paralyzes him.[3] Despite these measures, Zero's body rejects the blood tablets used to sate a vampire's thirst and Yuki convinces Zero to continue drinking her blood.
While Zero harbours romantic feelings for Yuki, he supports her feelings for Kaname Kuran, in particular because Zero is gradually becoming a level E vampire. He is protective of Yuki, preventing her from trading her humanity to Shizuka Hio in exchange for preventing his degenerating into a Level E vampire, swearing never to allow Yuki to become a vampire; knowing this, Kaname Kuran allows Zero to live because Zero would do anything to protect Yuki. However, with Shizuka's death, Zero is forced to drink the blood of a pureblood, Kaname, to delay becoming a level E vampire. Following Zero's discovery that Yuki is actually a pureblood vampire, Zero and Yuki severs their friendship, with Yuki revealing that her vampire side "ate" her other side.
Though Zero is able to maintain his sanity after drinking Kaname's blood, the Hunters Association arrange his arrest and lock him up. During this time, Kaname reveals that his purpose in strengthening Zero is in order for him to protect Yuki and defeat Rido Kuran. Soon afterward, Zero is shot by his twin brother and finally completes the Twin Hunter fragment after he is convinced to "eat" the dying Ichiru. With this act, as a twin vampire hunter of an excellent lineage who has become a vampire and carrying the blood of three purebloods (Yuki, Kaname and by proxy Shizuka[4]), Zero becomes one of the most powerful characters appearing in the series.
Interrupting the battle between Yuki and Rido, Zero declares his former friend his enemy, though they are able to work together and defeat Rido. Zero reveals his intention to kill all pureblood vampires including Yuki, but finds that he cannot bring himself to kill her. Because of his own lingering attachment to her and as someone who made him feel safe, he finds such an act cruel and reveals that he would not mind if Yuki killed him at that moment. However, when Kaname enters the scene, Zero does not hesitate to entangle him with the Bloody Rose, reasserting his desire to "exterminate all the purebloods." Zero realizes that Yuki should be with Kaname; he kisses her and Yuki assures him that she no longer has any worries about the future. As they part ways, Zero tells Yuki he will find her and kill her, and Yuki in turn says she will wait until that day. As Yuki leaves the Academy, they see each other as Zero carries Ichiru's dead body.
Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano
Kaname Kuran
Kaname Kuran (玖蘭 枢 ,Kuran Kaname?) is another male protagonist and is the pureblood vampire who saved Yuki from an attack by another vampire when she was five years old. He is the class president of the Night Class, both feared and respected by the other Night Class students. As a pureblood, he is capable of controlling lesser vampires, but chooses not to exercise his powers, thus earning the respect of other noble vampires. Kaname shares the Chairman's hopes for a peace between vampires and humans and worked with the Chairman to create the Night Class at Cross Academy. Despite Zero's distrust, Kaname's presence keeps the Night Class in check. Normally a stoic and authoritive individual, Kaname's kind and gentle attitude toward Yuki has puzzled his fellow vampires. He expresses discontent with Zero for biting Yuki and endangering her life. Kaname tells Zero that he only allows Zero's existence by Yuki's side to ensure her safety and is envious that he cannot protect her himself. He eventually reveals to Yuki that he loves her. [5]
As he kills Shizuka Hio, Kaname promises her that he will destroy the being that ruined the destiny of the purebloods and drinks her blood in order to gain power to protect Yuki, though he leaves some of her blood to save Zero. Kaname makes repeated offers to Yuki to allow her to remain by his side, including offering to make her a vampire and asking her to become his lover when she presses him for information concerning her forgotten past. He also convinces Zero to drink his blood to stave off insanity, slowing Zero's descent to a Level E vampire. Kaname eventually reveals that this act was one of many steps required to prepare and strengthen Zero so that he can kill Rido and free the Kuran's Clan from Rido's existence.
As Rido's presence becomes increasingly apparent, Kaname bites Yuki in order to awaken her vampire nature and feeds her his blood to restore her memories as a Kuran and as his sister. He reveals to Takuma Ichijo that he is not Yuki's true brother, but the first king and founder of the Kuran family who had been revived by Rido Kuran. As such, Kaname is unable to kill Rido, his "master", and was only able to severely injure and incapacitate him when he tried to take Yuki from the Kuran family. As a child, Juri and Haruka Kuran raised Kaname as Yuki's brother, in place of the son that Rido took, and Yuki and Kaname planned to marry when they were children, following the example of Juri and Haruka who were also brother and sister but still married.
When Rido is revived, Kaname plans to take Yuki away from Cross Academy, fearing for Yuki's life. Yuki's refusal to comply with his plan upsets him, but she kisses him to console him and convinces him to leave her and complete his mission. He goes to the Vampire Council and kills all the summoned members except Asato Ichijo. Kaname confronts Zero and tries to kill him for pointing the Bloody Rose at Yuki. He restrains after Yuki tells him not to kill Zero, and leaves for Yuki and Zero to say their farewells, but Zero tells Yuki that he will soon come back to kill her. Yuki says she will be waiting for him to do so, and leaves with Kaname as planned.
Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio
