Is there a monster more ubiquitous in media than thevampire? They come in all sorts of forms in all sorts of stories. There are the seductive, romantic types in Anne Rice novels likeInterview with a Vampire. While the more monstrous kind pop up in films likeNosferatuorSalem’s Lot.
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Manga and anime have added a lot more to that list, from heroic ones likeVampire Hunter D, to pure evil likeJojo’s Bizarre Adventure’s Dio Brando. While they made it past their novel and manga origins, there are many others who got left behind on paper. Without further ado, these are the bestvampire manga without an anime.
9Bloody Kiss
There’s something about vampires that get the blood pumping. Whether they’re good, evil, or neutral,vampires of all gendershave been the objects of someone’s desire. Kazuko Furiyama’s shōjo mangaBloody Kisswas no different. It followed a young girl called Kiyo Katsuragi, who inherits a mansion from her late grandmother.
She ends up with more than she bargained for, as it comes with a vampire called Kuroboshi and his servant Alshu. Kuroboshi wants to make Kiyo his ‘bride’, which she is tempted to do. Except she might become a vampire as well when he kisses her, which she’s more conflicted about. The manga got fair reviews, but it didn’t last long, running for just 10 months across 2004 and 2005 inHana to Yumemagazine.
8If You Wanna Destroy This World
Created by Kaoru Fujiwara forKimi to Bokumagazine,If You Wanna Destroy This Worldis another shōjo manga. Though it’s more grounded thanBloody Kiss. In it, a woman called Kanna Koizumi becomes captivated by a regular patron at the restaurant she works at. He feels the same way, as she reminds him of a woman he knew in the past.
Then, one night, her car is struck by a truck, leaving her grievously injured. The customer is the first on the scene and doesn’t think she’ll survive her wounds. He’s either got to let her die, or turn her into a vampire like himself. Hint: the manga’s alternative title isVampire Girl. The manga has divided audiences, as its storytelling can be flawed, but others appreciate its soft art, mature themes, and symbolism.
7Happiness
Shūzō Oshimi’s vampire manga is more modern, having run inBessatsu ShōnenMagazine from 2015 to 2019. Though despite the title, it’s not particularly happy. Its protagonist, Makoto Okasaki, is a schoolkid forced by his bullies to act as their errand boy. One night, he’s attacked by a woman who bites into his neck and drinks his blood.
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When she gives him a choice whether to live or die, he chooses to live before passing out. He wakes up in hospital seemingly fine…until he starts growing increasingly sensitive to light and gets an unquenchable thirst. It’s fairly close toAku no Hanawith how the characters' cruelty comes back to bite them. But it’s yet to be animated, throughrotoscoping or otherwise.
6Millennium Snow
Bisco Hatori’s gothic romance about love between a vampire and a human ran inLala DXfor 12 years. However, it spent most of that time under hiatus until finally getting finished off at the end of 2013. The human is Chiyuki, a 17yr old girl with a heart problem so severe she’s likely to die soon. Then she comes across a vampire called Tōya. He’s bound by custom to find a bride who will live with him for the next 1,000 years.
If he and his bride drink enough of each other’s blood, the bride will manage to live that long no matter their condition. Unfortunately, Tōya doesn’t like humans, nor the taste of blood. Or at least that’s what he tells Chiyuki at first. However, as the two get to know each other, they begin to find a common ground. Maybe even well enough to be in love for a millennium.
5Blood Alone
Masayuki Takano is better known for creatingBoogiepop Dual, a spin-off from Kōhei Kadono’sBoogiepoplight novels. But he also produced this manga about a former vampire hunter trying to earn a living as a detective. Try as he might, Kuroe Kurose still ends up coming across the undead in his new job. To complicate things, he’s also taking care of a young girl called Misaki Minato.
She’s recently been turned into a vampire and has trouble with balancing her feelings for Kurose and her new condition. The manga originally started off as a dōjinshi before getting published inDengeki Daioh Eveningin 2005. Then things came full circle as it wascanceled abruptly in 2014, leading Takano to publish its ending as a dōjinshi again.
4Bloody†Mary
What happens when fans want the shōjo without the young girl protagonists? They getBloody†Maryby Akaza Samamiya, as it’s about the burgeoning romance between two men. One of whom is a vampire called Bloody. He’s different from the others, as he can survive in daylight, and he refuses to drink blood or hurt people like his brethren. In fact, when he saves Ichirō Rosario di Maria from the other vampires, he begs the man to kill him.
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Unfortunately, he’s confused Ichirō for his exorcist ancestor Isaac. Ichirō inherited Isaac’s cross and powers, but he doesn’t know how to use them. All it’s done is make his blood more alluring to the other vampires. So, they make a deal with each other: Bloody will do his best to protect Maria until he can master his powers enough to grant Bloody’s death wish.
3The Poe Clan
For a series so well regarded, it’s surprising that Moto Hagio’s story about the vampires Edgar Portsnell, his sister Marybelle and their mutual friend Alan Twilight never got animated.The Poe Clangot adapted into a radio show, two audio dramas, a live-action TV drama, and for the stage via the famous Takarazuka Revue. But it’s never received a single animated effort. Not even an OVA.
The original manga is credited as one of the firstshōjo manga to be taken seriouslyby critics and readers alike. It also did the tragic, romantic vampire trope before Anne Rice’s first Vampire Series novel, debuting in 1972. While also being one of the first manga to include gay romantic overtones. The manga’s still running today too inFlowersmagazine. Despite how intimidating that sounds, it’s more a series of enclosed short stories than a long-spanning epic, so it’s not hard to get into.
2Cirque Du Freak
Based on theSaga of Darren Shanbooks,Cirque du Freakwas the result of a competition. Artists would submit pitches for a manga adaptation of Shan’s series. If their work pleased Shan himself enough, they’d get the job. The winner was Takahiro Arai, and his work ran across 2006-2009 inWeekly Shōnen Sunday.
It follows the story closely, as Shan steals a tarantula from the titular Cirque du Freak traveling show. He tries to impress his friend Steve with it, only for it to poison him. Darren races Steve over to the show’s spider tamer Lartan Crepsley and begs him for an antidote. He agrees on one condition: Darren must join the circus and become a vampire like him. He agrees, losing his old life and friends in the process.
1The Record of a Fallen Vampire
Written by Kyo Shirodaira and illustrated by Yuri Kimura,The Record of a Fallen Vampireis the highest-rated vampire manga on MyAnimeList to have never been animated. It ran inMonthly Shōnen Ganganfrom 2003 to 2007 and was published by Square Enix of all companies. It’s about Akabara ‘Red Rose’ Strauss, the former ruler of all vampires.
He gave up being the ‘King of the Night’ to search for his lost bride Adelheid. This move estranged her half-sister Bridget, who now leadsa group of dhampirs(half vampire, half human) against him. While humanity created a curse, the Black Swan, that possesses young women to kill off both Strauss and Adelheid once and for all. In making himself the world’s enemy, Strauss has his work cut out for him.
