Vampire Hunter D (2000)

When the soothing comfort of sunlight starts to fade, beings of seraphic beauty become the undisputed masters of the night, instilling fear in every living creature. Water turns into ice before these blood-sucking monsters, and their victims realize that this uncanny chill is the harbinger of their inevitable demise. Fortunately, the number of vampires is dwindling thanks to the dauntless bounty hunters who track down and slay the near-immortal predators.

One night, tragedy befalls the Elbourne family as their daughter, Charlotte, is abducted by Meier Link, a revered vampire lord protected by an army of monsters. To save their beloved Charlotte, her family recruits the Marcus Brothers, a group of vampire hunters known for their ruthlessness; and D, a sword-wielding dhampir—a half-vampire, half-human who has the strengths of both species and the weaknesses of neither.

The hunters rush to rescue Charlotte, but if her abductor decides to turn her into a vampire, they should eliminate her. Moreover, their mission must be completed before Meier reaches the impregnable vampire castle of Carmilla and takes Charlotte out of humanity's reach forever.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

D Main

Tanaka, Hideyuki Japanese

Link, Meier Supporting

Yamadera, Kouichi Japanese

Leila Supporting

Hayashibara, Megumi Japanese

Left Hand Supporting

Nagai, Ichiro Japanese

Marcus, Grove Supporting

Seki, Toshihiko Japanese

Elbourne, Charlotte Supporting

Shinohara, Emi Japanese

Carmilla Supporting

Maeda, Bibari Japanese

Caroline Supporting

Soumi, Youko Japanese

Marcus, Borgoff Supporting

Yara, Yuusaku Japanese

Benge Supporting

Fujiwara, Keiji Japanese

Maruyama, Masao Producer

Yamamoto, Mataichirou Producer

Nagasawa, Takayuki Producer

Kawajiri, Yoshiaki Director, Storyboard, Screenplay

Reviews

Feb 3, 2026

Necrobiose

Recommended

It is 2026, and your favorite Instagram pages are likely still flooding your feed with AI-generated "Dark Fantasy" slideshows making your wettest dream wet. These accounts capitalize on a specific, grainy, gothic atmosphere because they are too lazy to actually pick up a pen. If you want to see the actual blueprint—the raw, hand-drawn data that your favorite "whimsical" 808 artists are slapping onto their album covers—look no further. Vampire Hunter D is the peak. It is the definitive achievement of dark fantasy art.
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​Every frame of this film serves as a reminder of what human craftsmanship can achieve. The gothic architecture, the haunting character designs ... by Yoshitaka Amano, and the oppressive atmosphere aren't just "vibes" you moron. While modern social media tries to mimic this aesthetic through filters and algorithms, Vampire Hunter D lives and breathes it through meticulous detail and grit.
​
​The DNA for the entire dark synth and fantasy core subculture. It’s the OG source for the imagery that has been diluted by countless reposts and AI upscales.
​Atmosphere: Unmatched.
​Art Direction: Peak 80s/90s OVA quality.
​Verdict: Stop scrolling through generated images and watch the actual inspiration you little shit

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 27, 2026

AndreiCotos

Recommended

One of the best animation and artwork I've seen in anime/movies

If you haven't watched this movie, I suggest you do it when you have the time, but don't rush it. Take your time and absorb the scenery, the visuals, the overall style.

The plot and characters aren't all bad, they just feel off and a little edgy, but I suppose that's what you should expect from this genre. There are some good fight scenes, okay soundtrack, but this movie's biggest talent is its artwork.
Immaculate vibes and some shots will leave you plainly flabbergasted.

The whole setpiece just screams Castlevania, and if you're into gothic architecture and ... ambience, this might be the thing for you

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Mar 5, 2024

Haustlaufivindi

Mixed Feelings

What would happen if Sergio Leone, in collaboration with Luis Bunuel, filmed in animation form a book by Stephen King, written by him in the mid-1980s (during the period of Stephen’s severe drug intoxication), where the main character would be Zorro, fighting vampires in the Wild West? The result would be surreal trash, but decadent, aesthetic trash. It would be "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust", or something very close to it. As much as I, to put it mildly, am not close to the stories of Kikuchi Hideyuki, how secondary the plot is, how vulgar the characters are, how intellectually and morally powerless the narrative is, ... so much captivating the decadent aesthetics of this anime are. Just as sweetness can be found in pain, so in the destruction of ethical and aesthetic beauty, in decay, one can find decadent pleasure like "Belle De Jour". Perhaps this is what catches “Bloodlust” - the visual aesthetics here are extremely consistent with the ethics of storytelling. It has a peculiar “beauty of ruins”, a borderline sadistic pleasure of destruction, the withering of goodness and beauty. It fascinates, just as a poisonous snake fascinates its victim, just as the viewer is fascinated by the animation of a bouquet of roses withering as Meier approaches to take Charlotte to the “underworld.” The animation, I note, in “Bloodlust” is amazing. The references to Leone's western film aesthetic are animated masterfully, D against the backdrop of a full moon looks as good as Zorro against the setting sun, and it all comes together with a gothic design fused with art nouveau. Eclecticism? Definitely, but it works in "Bloodlust", paired well with an equally eclectic narrative. We can say that this anime is an empty shell, a pretty rotten one, but you can’t deny its visual peculiarity.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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	Poll: Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Karikaturata - Jan 16, 2010	91 replies	by shwoom »» Dec 29, 2025 11:27 PM
	What happened to the Vampire Hunter D series we were promised? AnnaSartin - Jan 23, 2015	18 replies	by AnnaSartin »» Oct 10, 2025 1:18 PM
	VHD Dub xMatronxMalicex - May 11, 2009	6 replies	by JVskunkape »» Oct 10, 2025 12:19 PM
	Miss this old look KasutoroSama - Jan 21, 2022	8 replies	by _Sanchay »» Feb 2, 2025 8:31 PM
	Full soundtrack available online AcbSnakeDemon - May 14, 2024	3 replies	by Ristic17 »» Feb 1, 2025 11:31 AM

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