Top 10 Bloodthirsty Manga Characters

A good chunk of people read manga for the action. Creators know this and they know that one of the best ways to bring action to the forefront is by creating a bloodthirsty character. This is not always the case. Some creators can bring in a lot of action without having someone who lives for the thrill of battle. Some creators make bloodthirsty characters mainly because it fits with the time period or because they want an anti-hero. Either way, fans of manga get a healthy dose of bloodthirsty characters. These are the characters that tear through people without a second thought, because they want to see red, they want to see blood.


10. Koinzell from Übel Blatt

  • Mangaka: Shiono, Etorouji
  • Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Seinen
  • Volumes: Currently 19
  • Published Date: Jul. 2005 – Present

Übel Blatt takes us into a fantasy world that is simultaneously beautiful and terrible. Through this world, we follow the swordsman Koinzell as he tries to enact revenge against past comrades. You see, twenty years prior to the start of the manga, Koinzell and a group of adventurers chosen by the Emperor were sent on a suicide mission. Well, a good chunk of the band decided to abandon the quest. Those who kept to it completed the task, but then got ambushed by those who left. Thus, the people who ran away ended up getting all the credit and were claimed as heroes of the land.

Many characters in Übel Blatt are bloodthirsty. They like to fight and they like to win no matter the cost. This leads to an overall gory story that has plenty of plot twists. However, few characters are as passionate about spilling blood as Koinzell. Admittedly, his bloodthirst is not that of someone who wishes for battle. He wants revenge and will go to hell and back in order to see the blood spilled of those who betrayed him.


9. Eruka from Crimezone

  • Mangaka: Yamamoto, Kenji (Story) Tokiya, Seigo (Art)
  • Genres: Action, Horror, Supernatural, Ecchi, Shounen
  • Volumes: 5
  • Published Date: May 2011-Jul. 2013

Crime Zone! Takes us into a world where vampires exist and everyone knows they do. They are a real threat, but kids will be kids, and a group of them decide not to listen to the warnings of the adults. This is essentially how the entire class of one Aburaya Shiro dies. They go out and one of their classmates turns out be a bloodsucker and kills everyone in brutal fashion. Lucky for Shiro, another classmate turns out to not be human either and is able to save him.

Everyone in Crimezone is bloodthirsty. A good chunk of the characters are vampires, so being bloodthirsty is practically inherent. The artwork and its level of gore push the bloodlust to its limit as limbs are torn apart and bodies smashed to dust. Though Eruka is not bloodthirsty like the antagonists, she does act like a berserker whenever she has to fight the enemy. She will go as far as to cannibalize her opponent in order to unlock greater powers.


8. Thorkell from Vinland Saga

  • Mangaka: Yukimura, Makoto
  • Genres: Action, Adventure, Historical, Seinen
  • Volumes: 20+
  • Published Date: Jul. 2005 - Present

Vinland saga brings us into Danish-controlled England. War is either raging or being planned in this world, as we initially follow a band of Vikings. Askeladd, who wants to put the Danish prince Canute on the throne, leads this Viking band. In order to make sure that Canute gets to the throne, Askeladd must win countless battles. He also needs to be wary of his own soldiers, as he holds in his ranks a teenage boy who desires to have Askeladd’s head on a plate.

Vinland Saga has many battle scenes, and there’s a lot of blood. There are also a lot of characters that take immense enjoyment in that blood. The main character, Thorfinn, is surprisingly not one of those characters. Albeit, he is driven by revenge to see the blood of Askeladd spilt. Nope, the real bloodthirsty character is this manga is Thorkell, Thorfinn’s uncle. This man completely lives for battle. He doesn’t mind losing a couple fingers or an eye if it means a good fight.


7. Veronica from Franken Fran

  • Mangaka: Kigitsu, Katsuhisa
  • Genres: Horror, Supernatural, Psychological, Seinen, Comedy
  • Volumes: 8
  • Published Date: Jul. 2006 – Jan. 2012

Franken Fran follows the surgeries and experimentations that occur in the mansion of one Dr. Naomitsu Madaraki. Now, the doctor performs some crazy surgeries, but when he’s away, it’s his own creations that takeover the surgeries. The one leading the practice is Fran, and she, with bloody precision, tackles the requests of her father’s clients.

Veronica is Fran’s younger sister, and she has a cold violence about her. She does not enjoy violence and destruction like most on this list. She doesn’t want to annihilate people. She does not feel more alive or a sense of thrill when she kills someone. No, she wants to kill people because she thinks that is the best way to save people. In her mind, a quick and painful death is better than any type of prolonged suffering. Thus, she has a habit of trying to kill a lot of patients.


6. Takezo (Miyamoto Musashi) from Vagabond

  • Mangaka: Inoue, Takehiko; Yoshikawa, Eiji
  • Genres: Action, Adventure, Historical, Samuria, Seinen
  • Volumes: 37
  • Published Date: Mar. 1999 – May. 2015

Vagabond is a classic manga that everyone should read. It depicts the life and exploits of a man who aims to be invincible under the sun. The trials, battles, and relationships he faces are all intense, as he tries to ensure that his name is known on everyone’s lips.

Takezo is the main character of this series, and he is actually based on a historical figure, so history buffs will definitely love this manga. Though he goes through some massive changes over the series, he starts off as a bloodthirsty brat. He basically will kill anyone who crosses him. This causes people to put a bounty on his head. This causes him to hate people even more. It is basically a cycle. Enhancing his bloodlust is the fact that he wants to be the strongest person alive. This is why he runs headfirst into war when he is 17. At the Battle of Segikahara, he kills people left and right, and he keeps on doing that for a while after the war.



5. Kurusu from I am a Hero

  • Mangaka: Hanazawa, Kengo
  • Genres: Drama, Horror, Psychological, Seinen
  • Volumes: 22
  • Published Date: Apr. 2009 – Feb. 2017

I am a Hero tackles the familiar territory of a zombie outbreak. We start off with the main character, Hideo Suzuki, as he trudges through a mundane, if not slightly bleak, life. As he goes to visit his girlfriend one night though, his life goes off the rails as zombies take over the town. Now his main goal in life is to make it to the mountains, where a safe colony has formed and there is a chance of evacuation from the area.

Kurusu is one of the survivors, and his willingness and ability to annihilate any of the infected mesmerize others. In fact, Kurusu gathers his own cult group, which follows his violent path. Considering the circumstances, some people might not find his actions to out of the ordinary. However, it is the enjoyment he receives out of brutally killing others that puts him on this list. The joy and satisfaction he receives from turning the infected into a pulpy mess is made quite clear.


4. Kaiman from Dorohedoro

  • Mangaka: Hayashida, Q
  • Genres: Action, Fantasy, Horror, Seinen, Comedy
  • Volumes: Currently 22
  • Published Date: Dec. 2000 - Present

Dorohedoro takes us into a dark and mysterious universe. In this universe, there are two worlds. There is the Hole, where non-magic users live out their days as best as they can. Then there is the Sorcerer World. In this world, people have the ability to use magic, and a good chunk of these sorcerers drop down to the Hole in order to test their magic on non-users. One such incident left our main character, Kaiman, with a lizard head, no memory, and an intense desire to beat up any sorcerer he sees.

Kaiman is simply a brute. Ninety percent of his thoughts focus simply on finding sorcerers, beating them up, and finding out if the sorcerer he has captured is the one that caused his transformation. If the sorcerer he found is not the one he is seeking, then he still will beat that sorcerer to a bloody pulp. The great thing about Dorohedoro is that many characters are just as violent as Kaiman, and that the artwork captures the rugged and harsh personalities of the characters too.


3. Tomie from Tomie

  • Mangaka: Ito, Junjie
  • Genres: Drama, Horror, Supernatural, Josei
  • Volumes: 3
  • Published Date: 1987 to 2000

Tomie is all about Tomie and her disturbed love affairs. You see, Tomie is immortal and she is absolutely beautiful. With her beauty and immortality, she loves to seduce men and drive them to madness, even though the men tend to kill her in their madness. However, she just comes back to life and starts toying with another lover.

Tomie is one of the most bloodthirsty characters in manga. However, her thirst isn’t the simple battle frenzy bloodlust that we see in many manga. No, she loves psychological warfare that will result in bloodshed. She loves driving men to kill one another. She loves toying with her prey and causing entire families to collapse. Enhancing her bloodlust is the amazing artwork, which is fleshy and disturbing, as well as her moments of cannibalism.


2. Lucy from Elfen Lied

  • Mangaka: Okamoto, Lynn
  • Genres: Action, Drama, Horror, Supernatural, Psychological, Seinen
  • Volumes: 12
  • Published Date: Jun. 2002 – Aug. 2015

Elfen Lied is a dark and terrifying manga and anime. In this world, there are beings known as Diclonii, who have immense telekinetic powers. The plot focuses on one such being, Lucy, who was rejected and tortured by humans, and her pursuit of revenge.

Lucy is the strongest Diclonii and she will kill practically anyone. There is only one person she cares about, and that is it. Everyone else can die, and this is shown quite thoroughly as she massacres countless people. She truly hates humans, which is understandable, considering the cruel treatment she received for years in a science lab. Enhancing the sense of her bloodlust are the multiple ways she kills people. No method is too brutal.


1. Alucard from Hellsing

  • Mangaka: Hirano, Kouta
  • Genres: Action, Horror, Supernatural, Vampire, Seinen
  • Volumes: 10
  • Published Date: 1997 – Sep. 2008

You cannot make a list of bloodthirsty characters without Alucard. If you are unfamiliar with Hellsing, then you are missing out. In this world, all the nasty things of nightmares are real. What keeps us safe are secret organizations that employ less than virtuous methods to destroy the nightmares. In England, the Hellsing Organization is responsible for keeping its citizens safe. The organization’s weapon of choice to suppress the forces of evil is an ancient vampire, Alucard.

Alucard is a monster. He, first and foremost, does not let you forget that fact. He loves to see the life slip out of people and enjoys the thrill of battle to an extent that most would say is unhealthy. A direct comparison is drawn between him and a Nazi leader. So yeah, Alucard is quite bloodthirsty. Let’s not forget that he is a vampire, and by definition he thirsts for blood. Nonetheless, he is fascinating, because he has a sense of nobility.


Final Thoughts

There are your top 10 bloodthirsty manga characters. The last two have been turned into anime, so if you prefer to watch anime rather than read manga, you can easily find them. Don’t feel guilty. Just be aware that Elfen Lied doesn’t quite match up, and that you should look up Hellsing Ultimate (keyword: Ultimate). All of that aside, who do you think are the most bloodthirsty characters in manga?

Vagabond-manga-2-341x500 Top 10 Bloodthirsty Manga Characters

Writer

Author: Yoko Dev

Hello, my anime peers. I’m from the states, but have taken an indefinite leave to travel while freelancing. Outside of a deep admiration for anime that started long ago, I love to read, write, and play video games. The main issue of traveling so far has been not having a console.

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