Day Class
Yūki Cross: The adoptive daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, Yuki is a member of the school's disciplinary committee (public morals committee in Japanese), which is the 'front' for the Guardians. Ten years prior to the events of "Vampire Knight," Yuki was attacked by a vampire, but was rescued by Kaname. She has lost all memory of her life before the attack, and Headmaster Cross took her in as his own daughter. Yuki has a deep affection for Kaname, but realized the implications of his vampiric nature when she witnessed him drinking another vampire's blood when she was in junior high school. She still likes him, but also has a bond with Zero. She lets Zero drink her blood, hoping to save him from madness.
Yuki has a cheerful and easygoing personality, and thanks to her work as a Guardian she is good at keeping her cool in sticky situations. There have been hints that she is special, given that vampires are especially drawn to her blood. Her weapon of choice is 'Artemis,' an extendable staff she received from Headmaster Cross.
She is loyal to Kaname and would do anything for him, but now she starts to have strong feelings for Zero. Where do her loyalties lie?
Zero Kiryu: Yuki's childhood friend, Zero is also a Guardian and likewise on the disciplinary committee. Zero, later in the series, develops strong feelings for Yuki that can be interpreted to be romatic in nature. Zero's family, a line of vampire hunters, was murdered by the pureblood vampire Shizuka Hio when he was young. He harbors a deep hatred for vampires and claims to have taken on the role of Guardian to learn to hunt them better. In truth, Zero was bitten during the attack on his family, and he has become a vampire himself.
Zero's body rejects the blood pills most vampires take to control their hunger. Drinking Yuki's blood helps him maintain his sanity, but he is destined to become a Level E vampire eventually. His weapon is the gun 'Bloody Rose,' given to him by Headmaster Cross. He made Yuki promise that if he becomes a Level E vampire, she will kill him with that gun.
Sayori Wakaba: Yuki's dorm-mate and best friend since junior high. One of the few girls that is not interested in the night class. She finds them a bit scary.
Night Class
Kaname Kuran: A pureblood vampire. He saved Yuki from an attack by another vampire when she was little. Kaname is the class president of the Night Class, much feared and respected by the other Night Class students. While he is cold and authoritative towards his fellows in the Night Class, he is always kind and sweet to Yuki. He has shown that he cares deeply for Yuki ever since he saved her, to what might be love in a romantic sense. He goes as far as asking her to become a vampire, after hearing her say that she'd do anything for him (though later he brushes this off). He is jealous of Zero biting Yuki and longs to taste her blood. He seems to know the pureblood who bit Zero, Shizuka Hio, and later kills her before drinking her blood (supposedly) for increased power, in spite of it being a terrible taboo. Only Aido and Zero are aware of the incident.
Ruka Souen: A female vampire popular with the Day Class students. When Yūki was younger and had not become one of the school's Guardians yet, she once witnessed Kaname drinking Ruka's blood when she paid Kaname a visit. Ruka has feelings for Kaname, although it seems he does not reciprocate them.
Hanabusa Aido: Nicknamed 'Idol' by the Day Class girls. Along with his cousin Akatsuki Kain, Hanabusa Aido is known among the Night Class as 'Kaname-sama's right-hand', and he has a fierce admiration for Kaname. He possesses an upper-class vampire ability to control ice. He knows that Zero is a vampire, but keeps quiet about it. Aido can seem cheerful and friendly one moment, and cold and vindictive the next. He is not fond of Yuki, but he does have a taste for her blood. He once smelled her blood and licked it and tried to attack her, but was stopped by Zero.
Akatsuki Kain: He is often seen with Aido, and his carefree attitude gets both him and Aido in trouble at times. His nickname is 'Wild'.
Takuma Ichijō: The vice-president of the Night Class, he is an upper-class vampire nearly as powerful as Kaname, whom he is close to and respects. He seems kind and lacks the dark atmosphere that surrounds most vampires, making him appear more like a human. His favorite reading material is manga; in one chapter, it seems he forced Aido into reading a vampire manga series. Ichijo appears to be aware that Kaname rescued Yuki when she was a child and has asked Yuki why her current relationship with Kaname no longer is the same as the only the had when she was a child. Takuma's grandfather is very powerful, and during one of his visits, Takuma reviled his grandfather wanted to adopt Kaname and had asked for his blood (as it is rude to ask a pureblood for his/her blood). Like most of the Night Class, he tolerates Yuki for Kaname's sake.
Senri Shiki: One of the youngest Night Class members, he works as a model with Rima Tohya. He's close friends with Takuma Ichijo, and he enjoys drinking Takuma's blood. Shiki has a whip-like weapon which develops from his blood.
Rima Tohya: One of the youngest night class students. She works as a model alongside Senri Shiki. Her exact relationship with Shiki is unknown, though they are almost always seen together, signifying a close relationship.
Seiren: A student of the Night Class, she is Kaname's unoffical bodyguard. She is usually the first to defend Kaname from anyone she regards as a threat.
Others
Headmaster Cross/Chairman Kurosu: Yuki's adoptive parent. Headmaster Cross dreams of peace between humans and vampires, and established the Night Class to promote understanding between the two races. Although he is often eccentric, he has a serious side as well. It is found that he is a former vampire hunter.
Tohga Yagari: The current top ranked vampire hunter, Tohga Yagari formerly trained Zero to be a vampire hunter.
Shizuka Hio: The pureblood vampire who bit Zero; even her fellow vampires are uneasy around her. A manservant whom she loved (a former human vampire; said to have never fallen to Level E) was killed by a Kiryu vampire hunter. In retribution she attacked the Kiryu family, killed the parents, turned their son Zero into a vampire, and took Zero's twin, Ichiru, in as a devoted servant. Shizuka's blood can prevent Zero from falling to Level E, but she was killed by Kaname. Before dying after having her blood drunken by Kaname, Shizuka warns Kaname that what he has done will forever change the fate of the purebloods.
Ichiru Kiryu: Zero's younger twin brother. When they were younger, they were both taught by Tohga Yagari, though Ichiru did not seem to share Zero's natural ability, often being sickly. Zero and Ichiru were very close as children, although later Ichiru claims to have hated Zero after overhearing that his parents preferred Zero over himself.
Maria Kurenai: A very distant relative of Shizuka Hiou. She was taken over by Shizuka in return so her body could be a little stronger, since she was often sickly.
Yūki Cross: The adoptive daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, Yuki is a member of the school's disciplinary committee (public morals committee in Japanese), which is the 'front' for the Guardians. Ten years prior to the events of "Vampire Knight," Yuki was attacked by a vampire, but was rescued by Kaname. She has lost all memory of her life before the attack, and Headmaster Cross took her in as his own daughter. Yuki has a deep affection for Kaname, but realized the implications of his vampiric nature when she witnessed him drinking another vampire's blood when she was in junior high school. She still likes him, but also has a bond with Zero. She lets Zero drink her blood, hoping to save him from madness.
Yuki has a cheerful and easygoing personality, and thanks to her work as a Guardian she is good at keeping her cool in sticky situations. There have been hints that she is special, given that vampires are especially drawn to her blood. Her weapon of choice is 'Artemis,' an extendable staff she received from Headmaster Cross.
She is loyal to Kaname and would do anything for him, but now she starts to have strong feelings for Zero. Where do her loyalties lie?
Zero Kiryu: Yuki's childhood friend, Zero is also a Guardian and likewise on the disciplinary committee. Zero, later in the series, develops strong feelings for Yuki that can be interpreted to be romatic in nature. Zero's family, a line of vampire hunters, was murdered by the pureblood vampire Shizuka Hio when he was young. He harbors a deep hatred for vampires and claims to have taken on the role of Guardian to learn to hunt them better. In truth, Zero was bitten during the attack on his family, and he has become a vampire himself.
Zero's body rejects the blood pills most vampires take to control their hunger. Drinking Yuki's blood helps him maintain his sanity, but he is destined to become a Level E vampire eventually. His weapon is the gun 'Bloody Rose,' given to him by Headmaster Cross. He made Yuki promise that if he becomes a Level E vampire, she will kill him with that gun.
Sayori Wakaba: Yuki's dorm-mate and best friend since junior high. One of the few girls that is not interested in the night class. She finds them a bit scary.
Night Class
Kaname Kuran: A pureblood vampire. He saved Yuki from an attack by another vampire when she was little. Kaname is the class president of the Night Class, much feared and respected by the other Night Class students. While he is cold and authoritative towards his fellows in the Night Class, he is always kind and sweet to Yuki. He has shown that he cares deeply for Yuki ever since he saved her, to what might be love in a romantic sense. He goes as far as asking her to become a vampire, after hearing her say that she'd do anything for him (though later he brushes this off). He is jealous of Zero biting Yuki and longs to taste her blood. He seems to know the pureblood who bit Zero, Shizuka Hio, and later kills her before drinking her blood (supposedly) for increased power, in spite of it being a terrible taboo. Only Aido and Zero are aware of the incident.
Ruka Souen: A female vampire popular with the Day Class students. When Yūki was younger and had not become one of the school's Guardians yet, she once witnessed Kaname drinking Ruka's blood when she paid Kaname a visit. Ruka has feelings for Kaname, although it seems he does not reciprocate them.
Hanabusa Aido: Nicknamed 'Idol' by the Day Class girls. Along with his cousin Akatsuki Kain, Hanabusa Aido is known among the Night Class as 'Kaname-sama's right-hand', and he has a fierce admiration for Kaname. He possesses an upper-class vampire ability to control ice. He knows that Zero is a vampire, but keeps quiet about it. Aido can seem cheerful and friendly one moment, and cold and vindictive the next. He is not fond of Yuki, but he does have a taste for her blood. He once smelled her blood and licked it and tried to attack her, but was stopped by Zero.
Akatsuki Kain: He is often seen with Aido, and his carefree attitude gets both him and Aido in trouble at times. His nickname is 'Wild'.
Takuma Ichijō: The vice-president of the Night Class, he is an upper-class vampire nearly as powerful as Kaname, whom he is close to and respects. He seems kind and lacks the dark atmosphere that surrounds most vampires, making him appear more like a human. His favorite reading material is manga; in one chapter, it seems he forced Aido into reading a vampire manga series. Ichijo appears to be aware that Kaname rescued Yuki when she was a child and has asked Yuki why her current relationship with Kaname no longer is the same as the only the had when she was a child. Takuma's grandfather is very powerful, and during one of his visits, Takuma reviled his grandfather wanted to adopt Kaname and had asked for his blood (as it is rude to ask a pureblood for his/her blood). Like most of the Night Class, he tolerates Yuki for Kaname's sake.
Senri Shiki: One of the youngest Night Class members, he works as a model with Rima Tohya. He's close friends with Takuma Ichijo, and he enjoys drinking Takuma's blood. Shiki has a whip-like weapon which develops from his blood.
Rima Tohya: One of the youngest night class students. She works as a model alongside Senri Shiki. Her exact relationship with Shiki is unknown, though they are almost always seen together, signifying a close relationship.
Seiren: A student of the Night Class, she is Kaname's unoffical bodyguard. She is usually the first to defend Kaname from anyone she regards as a threat.
Others
Headmaster Cross/Chairman Kurosu: Yuki's adoptive parent. Headmaster Cross dreams of peace between humans and vampires, and established the Night Class to promote understanding between the two races. Although he is often eccentric, he has a serious side as well. It is found that he is a former vampire hunter.
Tohga Yagari: The current top ranked vampire hunter, Tohga Yagari formerly trained Zero to be a vampire hunter.
Shizuka Hio: The pureblood vampire who bit Zero; even her fellow vampires are uneasy around her. A manservant whom she loved (a former human vampire; said to have never fallen to Level E) was killed by a Kiryu vampire hunter. In retribution she attacked the Kiryu family, killed the parents, turned their son Zero into a vampire, and took Zero's twin, Ichiru, in as a devoted servant. Shizuka's blood can prevent Zero from falling to Level E, but she was killed by Kaname. Before dying after having her blood drunken by Kaname, Shizuka warns Kaname that what he has done will forever change the fate of the purebloods.
Ichiru Kiryu: Zero's younger twin brother. When they were younger, they were both taught by Tohga Yagari, though Ichiru did not seem to share Zero's natural ability, often being sickly. Zero and Ichiru were very close as children, although later Ichiru claims to have hated Zero after overhearing that his parents preferred Zero over himself.
Maria Kurenai: A very distant relative of Shizuka Hiou. She was taken over by Shizuka in return so her body could be a little stronger, since she was often sickly.
