The Japanese manga series Rosario + Vampire features an extensive cast of characters by Akihisa Ikeda. The main character of the series is Tsukune Aono, a teenage boy who, after not getting accepted to any local high schools, enrolls in Yokai Academy, a boarding school for monsters. He meets Moka Akashiya, a vampire who soon takes a liking to the sweet taste of his blood, and throughout the series, befriends and attracts a variety of monster girls including: Kurumu Kurono, a succubus; Yukari Sendou and Ruby Tojo, who are witches; and Mizore Shirayuki, a snow fairy. While protecting Tsukune's identity as a human, they join the school's Newspaper Club; they wind up fighting a variety of monster gangs as well as some teachers. In the second manga serialization, the Newspaper Club faces more monster characters and a larger organization known as Fairy Tale, whose members include Moka's own family.
In developing the characters for the series, Ikeda cited influences from Tim Burton's works, and research on various monsters from encyclopedias and the Internet. The characters have been commented on by reviewers, who had mixed feelings about Ikeda's artwork, but criticized the character development and its missed potential. The anime adaptation received negative criticism for its fanservice, and mixed reviews for other aspects such as voice acting. Characters have also featured in various merchandise, character songs and polls.
Conception and development Ikeda drew inspirations from Kaibutsu-kun and has incorporated some references later into the first serialization of the Rosario + Vampire manga. In an interview at Lucca Comics 2012, Ikeda said he is a big fan of Tim Burton and was inspired by his works, including The Nightmare Before Christmas, and particularly Edward Scissorhands because the monster has a sensitive soul. He had also researched various monsters from encyclopedias and the Internet. He started with his passion for vampires, and the concept of a beautiful girl vampire with a crucifix around her neck and then created the school of monsters, Tsukune, and others afterwards. He credits the beautiful girls for the series' popularity and added the fighting elements.
Ikeda has mentioned that he has great respect for real-life teachers, so he designed the monster ones to contrast that and be more comical. He also introduced Fangfang Huang to increase the number of male characters and to attract more female readers. He created a male counterpart that looks feminine to increase the comic element. During the development of Season II, he also acknowledged that the series would have a finite ending. He introduced San Otonashi to reflect the feelings and struggles of young people as they ponder their futures and transitioning into the working world. In Season II, Volume 8, he noted that he had to postpone the publishing date because he took so much time in drawing it. In Season II, Volume 11, he mentions his favorite manga characters from other series are: Dio (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), Toguro (Yu Yu Hakusho), Hakumen (Ushio To Tora), and Master Kogan (Shigurui) - the villains who "have an inimitable style and play by their own rules. They're powerful and dark, but there's something melancholy about them too as well...and that's what draws me to them." He hopes his villains (Aqua, Gyokuro, Miyabi, Kiria, and others) would draw readers.
Protagonists
The main protagonists are club members of the school's newspaper, the Yokai Times (anime: Yokai Gazette). The club president is Ginei Morioka and the staff adviser is Shizuka Nekonome.
Tsukune Aono is an average teenager who, unable to get into the local high schools thanks to his poor grades, enrolls at Yokai Academy. He discovers it is a school for monsters, and must hide his human identity under punishment of death. However, because he befriends Moka Akashiya, an attractive vampire, he decides to stay. Over the course of the series, he makes new friends and protects them without a second thought. Most of his friends are girls who in turn compete for his affection. When infused with Moka's blood, he acquires extraordinary strength that allows him to defeat other monsters. The transfusions, however, take a toll on his human body and transform him into a ghoul, after which he is given a spirit lock to retain his humanity. In Season II, he trains and undergoes body alterations to become stronger and to control his vampiric power. He eventually is able to transform into a powerful vampire like Moka. In the original Japanese series and drama CD, Tsukune is voiced by Daisuke Kishio. In the English dub, he is voiced by Todd Haberkorn.
Moka Akashiya
is the vampiress title character. She is highly regarded by her schoolmates for her beauty and academic ability. She enjoys biting and drinking blood from Tsukune's neck. When her rosario is removed from her necklace, she undergoes a personality change (along with a physical transformation sequence in the anime) to a ruthless, arrogant and skilled martial artist who easily beats opponents with powerful kicks. Her catchphrase when exhibiting her inner personality is: . In the original Japanese series and drama CD, Moka is voiced by Nana Mizuki. In the English dub, Moka is voiced by two people: Alexis Tipton voices Moka's outer personality, while Colleen Clinkenbeard provides her inner one.
Kurumu Kurono is a busty succubus student who originally plans to enslave all the boys at school with her kiss. Overshadowed by Moka's popularity, she targets Moka's object of affection, Tsukune, by using her charm ability but fails. After Moka defeats her, she falls in love with Tsukune because he shows her kindness, while stopping Moka from causing further harm. She then pursues him exclusively as her . Over the course of the series, she learns to value her friendship with Moka and the other girls when they help her out in situations. Because of this, she restrains herself from using her powers to her advantage on Tsukune, and tries to win him over fairly. In her succubus form, Kurumu has long fingernails that can cleanly slice through tree trunks, pointed ears and tail, and bat wings that enable her to fly and to carry people. She can cast high-level illusion spells, as well as enter people's dreams. Over the summer break, she and Mizore train in close-quarters combat, and develop joint attacks called Black and White Duets. In a later storyline, she reveals that succubi gain their power by loving others, and a succubus who cannot love will eventually die. In the Japanese anime series and drama CD, Kurumu is voiced by Misato Fukuen. In the English dub, she is voiced by Brina Palencia.
Yukari Sendou
is introduced as an 11-year-old witch genius, complete with witch hat and heart-shaped magic wand, with a "little sister" personality. She scores at the top of her class, but is ridiculed by her classmates for being "borderline", that is, between monster and human. She idolizes Moka, and initially hates Tsukune for garnering Moka's attention. However, after both Tsukune and Moka save her, she falls for Tsukune and dreams of a three-way relationship with them. Although she clashes with Kurumu and the other girls, she teams up with them on various adventures. Yukari's abilities include manipulating flying tarot cards to slice through monster plants; and summoning a metal washtub to drop on a person's head or to clobber the person. In the second manga serialization, she develops magic items, summons creatures, and becomes close with Fangfang Huang. In the Japanese anime and drama CD, she is voiced by Kimiko Koyama. In the English dub, she is voiced by Monica Rial.
Mizore Shirayuki is a snow fairy who joins Tsukune's class in the second term. She is typically seen with a lollipop in her mouth, which is actually a special coolant. In her first school term, she confesses her love to gym teacher Okuto Kotsubo, but when he takes advantage of her, she freezes him and gets suspended for the term. She obsesses over Tsukune because of his news articles, and stalks him regularly, eventually joining the Newspaper Club in her second year. Besides freezing people outright, Mizore can shape claws of ice from her hands, throw ice kunai (Japanese knives), and make ice dolls (fragile mobile copies) of herself and of others. In the Japanese anime and drama CD, Mizore is voiced by Rie Kugimiya. In the English dub, she is voiced by Tia Ballard.
Ruby Tojo
is a witch who serves as an antagonist in the Witch's Knoll storyline, under her guardian Lady Oyakata. Her deep hatred for humans stems from a car accident by a human drunk driver that killed her parents, but after she experiences Tsukune's kindness, she has a change of heart. She appears at Yokai Academy to aid the headmaster, Tenmei Mikogami, on a variety of roles. She later reveals masochistic tendencies when interacting with Tsukune. Ruby's magic theme typically involves ravens and flora, both as familiars and alternate forms for her to take.
In the anime series, her backstory is different: her parents are not mentioned; Oyakata is already dead, but lives in her mind as a delusion. She carries out Oyakata's actions from the manga against Tsukune and the girls. In the second season, her various jobs become a running gag where she has a "long story" as to how she got involved. In the Japanese anime and drama CD, she is voiced by Saeko Chiba. In the English dub, she is voiced by Leah Clark.
Koko Shuzen
is the second of the four Shuzen sisters; she becomes a student at Yokai Academy in the second manga serialization and anime season. She has a pet bat that can transform into a variety of weapons. As a child, Kokoa regularly fought Moka, but always lost. Upset that Moka sealed her powers, Kokoa enrolls in Yokai Academy to be with her, picking fights with her in order to draw out her inner personality. She also dislikes that her sister and the girls fawn over Tsukune, and refuses to be associated with the harem, although after they save her against the Karate Club, she joins the Newspaper Club (only in the manga). In the Season II epilogue bonus comics, she and Haiji Miyamoto officially go out, but their outings end up being non-romantic sparring sessions. In the original Japanese anime, she is voiced by Chiwa Saitō. In the English dub, she is voiced by Kira Vincent-Davis.
Ginei Morioka , nicknamed , is the president of the Newspaper Club, and a year senior to Tsukune. He delegates most of the work to Tsukune and the gang. He is good-looking and a ladies' man, although he is heavily perverted, which causes the Newspaper Club girls to keep their distance from him, as well as warn others of his behavior. Prior to the manga series, "Mad Dog" Morioka enjoys fighting and getting into trouble until the Newspaper Club president San Otonashi defeats him. His monster form is a werewolf. In the Season II epilogue bonus comics, he gets a job at San's inn after graduation. In the Japanese anime and drama CD, Gin is voiced by Tomokazu Seki. He is voiced by Ian Sinclair in the English dub.
Fangfang Huang