Black Blood Brothers

Black Blood Brothers (ブラック·ブラッド·ブラザーズ), also known as BBB (ブ·ブ·ブ), is a light novel series written by Kōhei Azano and illustrated by Yuuya Kusaka. In 2006, Studio Live and Group TAC produced an anime based on the series. It is directed by Hiroaki Yoshikawa. It was licensed for North American release by Funimation Entertainment, with the first DVD being released in February 2008.

Plot
During a fictional war called the Hong Kong Crusade, an Old Blood vampire, Jiro Mochizuki, a.k.a. the Silver Blade (銀刀), fought and defeated the Kowloon king and also most of the Kowloon Children. Ten years later, Jiro heads to Japan with his little brother, Kotaro, in hopes of reaching The Special Zone, a thriving secret city where vampires live. They soon realize that a plan to infiltrate The Special Zone is being hatched by the Kowloon Children survivors. As they travel to The Special Zone, Jiro encounters enemies from the past and new threats that may endanger the safety of the Special Zone. The abduction of Kotaro, by one of the Kowloon Children, thrusts him even further into the battle.

Kowloon Shock
Within the story, in the year 1997, a vampire who would later be known as the Kowloon King emerged in Hong Kong and began spreading his lineage to others. The Kowloon Children, as his bloodline came to be known, differed from other bloodlines in that all humans bitten by a Kowloon Child would become Kowloon Children themselves, even without a direct infusion of that bloodline's blood. Any existing vampire also bitten by a Kowloon Child would become one of the Kowloon Children. The ensuing chaos made the existence of vampires, which until then had been living in secret, known to the entire world. The conflict culminated in the Hong Kong Crusade, a final battle in which humans and vampires worked together to exterminate the Kowloon Children. After the crusade, the Special Zone - a city for vampires to live - was established on the sea outside of Yokohama, Japan. After the war, it was announced that all vampires had been killed, and most humans were kept ignorant of the existence of the Special Zone. Jiro Mochizuki, who became known as the Silver Blade, is a hero of the Crusade who defeated the Kowloon King, although he lost his lover and was betrayed by a close friend in the process.

Main characters

 * Jiro Mochizuki (望月 ジロー)
 * An Old Blood vampire that sided with the humans to fight against the Kowloon children during the Kowloon Shock. Jiro was transformed into a vampire in 19th Century London.  He used to be a lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Navy until he was severely injured in a fight protecting Alice.  Besides being an Old Blood, he also comes from a very special bloodline: the blood of the Sage.  He wields a long katana which has a blade made of silver. During the war, after defeating most of the Kowloon children, he became known as the Silver Blade and the Kin-killer. He is able to use some of the Kowloon powers as well as those of his own unique bloodline to be able to challenge even the Kowloon King and the three powers of the Special Zone.


 * He is weak against sunlight and water. He is shown being burned to the bones from staying into the ocean too long and releasing smoke under the sunlight, even though he was carrying an umbrella. He has a little brother, Kotaro, who is the only other vampire who shares his bloodline.  He is considered to be the chosen Guardian.  As the chosen guardian, he is devoted to returning the sage's blood, which resides within him, into her reborn body, Kotaro. He reveals to Mimiko that once Kotaro fully matures and he gives back the sage's blood, he will no longer be around.


 * Kotaro Mochizuki (望月 コタロウ)
 * Jiro's ten-year-old, younger brother, who does not seem to exhibit powers of a vampire, such as the "Hide Hand." Although, he seems to have an extremely high pain tolerance: as he is thrown into the ground and walls without injury in almost every episode.  As commented by Mimiko Katsuragi, he does not appear to be the brother of Jiro since he is not hurt by sunlight nor water, unlike Jiro.  Another fact is that they look totally different from each other: Jiro is tall, has black hair and brown eyes, while his brother is short, has blond hair, and blue eyes.  Kotaro stated that they are brothers because they are the last two remaining vampires of their special bloodline.  They both carry goggles around their necks.  He has the same speech pattern and bears a striking resemblance to Jiro's former lover, Alice.  Later, it is revealed that Kotaro is actually the reincarnation of Alice.  He has no special vampiric powers because he still has not recovered the sage's memories from Jiro.


 * Mimiko Katsuragi (葛城 ミミコ)
 * Human compromiser who is sent out to mediate the relationship between humans and vampires. She was an orphan that was raised by the Order Coffin Company, which she now works in. Although considered taboo by the Company, she allowed Jiro to suck a bit of her blood when he was too weak to keep fighting. In the end, she ends up living and working with both Kotaro and Jiro. Mimiko and Alice have similar ideals. She is a strong and independent woman, who tries to understand Jiro's situation and shows that she holds no prejudice against any race.


 * Cassandra Jill Warlock (カサンドラ·ジル·ウォーロック)
 * Often referred to as the Black Snake, Cassandra is an Old Blood vampire that was once friends with Jiro and Alice, however she betrayed them and killed Alice. However, Jiro questions why Cassa, after killing Alice, guarded Alice's ashes. It is later revealed that she is the Lord of the Warlock family and is a reincarnation of Morgan the Witch. Her prestigious bloodline grants her the ability to shapeshift. She was also the first to be bitten by the founder of the Kowloon Children bloodline and was branded a traitor. During a brief conversation with Jiro, she claims that her happiest moments were with Alice and Jiro.


 * Cassa is an extremely powerful vampire, capable of matching a fully powered Jiro in combat while not having absorbed any blood herself in three months. Her primary weapons are a chained silver cross and a katana. While Cassa is a skilled swordswoman, Jiro always had the advantage over her when it came to swordplay and fighting. Even as a Kowloon child, Cassa enjoyed playing jokes and teasing people.  It is revealed in the end that Cassandra's goal all along was to resurrect the Kowloon King and continue his bloodline.  Like all vampires, the continuation of their own Kowloon bloodline is all that Cassandra cares about, and she is willing to make any sacrifice in order to ensure its survival.  The few exceptions to this are the killing of Jiro and the ending of the Sage bloodline.

Minor characters

 * Sei
 * Sei bears the title of Dragon King of the East, or "Ryū-Ō". He also bears the titles Prosecutor of the East and young emissary.  He controls the night of Hong Kong and the Special Zone, protecting Red Blood and Black Blood.  He's a direct descendant of a chaotic bloodline.  Sei also created the barrier and implemented the restrictions that protects the Special Zone.  His eyes are the "switch" for opening and closing the barrier.  When he opens his eyes, the barrier opens, and vice-versa.  He could turn into an enormous golden dragon made of pure energy.  Before the start of the story, Sei's appearance looked that of a person in his low twenties.  Sometime in the past 10 years, he was reborn as a young child.  Even though he was reborn into such a "cute" state (as Jiro puts it), Sei is serious and is one of the most powerful vampires in the story, which makes him highly respected.  He could easily make a vampire uneasy with his powerful aura.  He also has an older sister called the Dark Princess of the North.


 * Zelman Clock (ゼルマン·クロック)
 * An 800 year old Old Blood born in Poland on April 1 called Crimson-eye Zelman, and is the bearer of the god's flame and a legend of the Dark Ages. Zelman has many other titles, including the ancient dark hunter, the follower of the Fire God, the red-eyed murderer, and the prince with blood-colored eyes. He is also one of the rulers of the Special Zone. He comes from a glorious bloodline linking to the great warrior, Asura and is noted to be one of the last of that bloodline.


 * Having inherited the special blood of War God Asura (闘将アスラ), Zelman has a power called Eye Ignite, which enables him to create and control fire.


 * Zelman Clock has a slightly wild sense of charisma, but his real self is someone with no morality and is a complete sociopath. Even so, despite his hatred and strong emotions, he is someone who values freedom above all, and lives only according to his existence as a vampire. He taught Kotaro that a vampire's fate centers around blood and blood only. It's shown that he gets along very well with Kotaro as he states that he feels upbeat around him, and that they should go and eat ramen together again. It's not stated but they most likely consider each other friends. Also, before his confrontation with Jiro, despite his sense of anticipation of the confrontation, Zelman is able to hide it and keep it under control. He is the only one of the vampire leaders who willingly accepted Jiro and his brother to the Special Zone as he enjoys their personalities.


 * He is a leader of the non-officially-sanctioned group called The Coven. Because he had to prove his bloodline, and had to go through a fight, he was the only one that was left; which is also due to his lifespan of 800 years.


 * Kain Warlock
 * An Old Blood who works alongside the Company within the Special Zone. Kain is a very strong vampire who has the ability to change into a blue wolf. He is known as a hero of the Kowloon Shock, Retainer of the Warlock family, the Knight of King Azami, and Kain the Blue Wolf. Kain is of the same bloodline as Cassandra and had served the Warlock family before her betrayal. He was also one of Alice's guardians before she died at the hands of Cassandra. He is now a loyal servant to Sei and head of the Marine Bank in the Special Zone. While Kain uses every chance to disrespect Jiro, he thinks highly of Jiro's powers and skills despite believing Jiro to be immature.  Kain is a powerful sorcerer who is able to give even the Kowloon children a difficult fight.


 * Dark Princess of the North
 * Sei's older sister whom Sei greatly respects. Kotaro commented that both Sei and her do not like to talk much. The Princess has lived for a very long time and is also a descendant of the chaotic bloodline. She resides in the Sacred Precinct with Crow, where Jiro and Kotaro previously stayed at. She was sad to see him go, so Kotaro consoled her by saying he will write to her when he reaches the Special Zone. Despite her quiet demeanor, she apparently has a short temper and while she enjoys Kotaro's company, if Kotaro does something that angers her, the Dark Princess does not hesitate to hurt him. Her powers are great enough to warp and change the very weather surrounding her.


 * Crow/Kuro
 * Little is seen of this vampire. He is very skilled with a sword and refers to Jiro as his pupil. He is also a guardian of the Dark Princess of the North.


 * Zhang Lei Kao
 * Also known as Pile Killer Zhang or Chief Zhang. He used to be a vampire hunter, and is now a close ally of Sei. He now works for the president of the Order Coffin Company and is also considered to be one of the leaders in the Special Zone. He mentioned that it is an unwritten rule that the bloodline of the sage should not be messed with. Despite his old age, Zhang still holds enough power to kill a Kowloon child with nothing more than a wooden spike.


 * Kelly Wong
 * A vampire that tries to enter the Special Zone. She and a group of vampires tried to enter the Special Zone in hope of a better life. However, she is the only one in the group to successfully enter the Special Zone in the end, though deeply traumatized by the loss of all her friends and her surrogate daughter. After the Kowloon children start attacking the Special Zone, Kelly aids the residents in defense of the area.


 * Chan
 * A vampire girl that was born from the blood of Kelly Wong. Chan's mother begged Kelly to give Chan some of her blood so Chan could live because at the time Chan was very ill. Later Chan was bitten by a Kowloon child and controlled by Johan Tsang.  In the end, Chan was killed by Kelly in order to stop her from being under Johan's control, as Chan was stopping Jiro from saving Kotaro, and she died in Kelly's arms.


 * Johan Tsang
 * A Kowloon child that hid his identity while staying with Kelly Wong's group. He later took control of most of the group members by sucking their blood and making them obey his command. He is killed by Jiro before he had a chance to enter the Special Zone.


 * Jinnai Shōgo
 * Jinnai is Mimiko's boss and the head of the Compromisers team. He reports to the president of the Order Coffin Company and is also considered to be one of the leaders in the Special Zone. Like Zhang, he is a close ally of Sei.


 * Hibari Kusunogi
 * Mimiko's junior Compromiser. She likes gossip and often gets carried away with her speculations.


 * Badrick Serihan
 * Head of the Order Coffin Company's Suppression Team. He is a strict man with a powerful build and absolute devotion to keeping the Special Zone safe.  He is injured when Johan Tsang tries to enter the Special Zone, but still forces himself to fight overwhelming odds during the Kowloon attack despite only being able to use one arm.


 * Rinsuke Akai
 * A member of the Order Coffin Company. A happy-go-lucky friend of Jiro, Akai is the one to let Jiro off when he is caught by the Suppression Team. He is also the one who made arrangements for the ship which Jiro and Kotaro are seen traveling in at the beginning of the series.


 * Yafuri Chao
 * A direct descendant of the Kowloon King and Cassa's "younger brother." He is extremely hot-headed and loves to fight. Despite his adolescent appearance, he is well versed in swordsmanship, martial arts, and vampiric power. He tends to act mainly on his own ambitions aside from his orders. His ambitions consist mainly of challenging strong foes, with the assumption that he will always win. He is easily antagonized, especially if he feels that he is not being taken seriously. He harbors a strong jealousy towards Jiro, although he angrily denies it. He is nearly beat to death by Cain, and later is nearly sliced in half by Jiro.


 * Sayuka Shiramine
 * Zelman's personal assistant. She is a human who is also willing to let Zelman suck her blood.


 * Zaza
 * Also known as "Walkerman" or "The Other" for his unique abilities to possess the body of others. He is Cassa's human brother who invited her into the Special Zone. While Zaza possesses someone, his human form is rendered asleep and is the subject of much humiliation by the cruel Cassa. He is impaled through the abdomen by Jiro's silver katana during the last battle of the Special Zone. The chances of him being alive are very high due to the fact that if he's dying he just simply transfers to another body, which as been ahown on more than one occasion.


 * OCC President
 * The man who heads the Order Coffin Company. He was one of the few human heroes of Hong Kong and had created the Special Zone in the aftermath to hide the Kowloon King's ashes. He grew up in the Special Zone and transformed the area from slums to a metropolis in only 10 years.  However, he has gotten too old to fight with Jiro on the front lines and thus must sit and manage situations rather than be directly involved. He refused to leave the Special Zone when it was under attack.

Source Blood

 * Alice Eve (アリス·イヴ)
 * An old blood vampire whose bloodline was of the highest rank. She is the oldest vampire of the black bloods. Alice was considered the Mother of Darkness and the founder of the chaotic bloodline. Also known as the Sage. The bloodline of the sage is referred to as the bloodline that trancends death. She fell in love with Jiro during the 19th century and turned him into a vampire when he was on the verge of death. She was killed during the Kowloon Shock by the hands of her best friend, Cassandra, but was reincarnated as a newborn baby named Kotaro.


 * Adam Wong (アダム·王)
 * Better known as the King of Kowloon, and known as "father" to the Kowloon Children. Adam is the Source Blood of the youngest bloodline of black bloods, the Kowloon Children. He is responsible for the Kowloon Shock and the Hong Kong Crusade.  During the crusade he was defeated by Jiro Mochizuki, but presumably immortal, his ashes are sealed in Eleventh Yard and are highly sought after by his children.

Glossary
Old Blood : Refers to vampires who have lived at least 100 years or more. Their abilities are far greater than any regular vampire.

Black Blood : Refers to vampires. Vampires of the series have a variety of strengths and weaknesses varying from vampire to vampire. Common strengths include agelessness, extreme strength, turning humans into vampires, and surviving wounds that would kill a human. Jiro is the only vampire shown to be harmed by sunlight and running water, but the Order Coffin Company has a holding cell with crosses and garlic, which are common vampire weaknesses. All vampires, however, are vulnerable to silver, as most are reduced to ash just by receiving a small scratch from it. Only powerful vampires, like Jiro and Cassa, can survive being impaled by silver.

Red Blood : Refers to humans

Special Zone : A city that is protected by a barrier that prevents specific vampires from entering, unless invited. Humans and weaker vampires are oblivious of the barrier. The leaders of the city are a group of vampires and humans. Both races coexist within the city. The fact that the Zone is a hotspot for vampires is a secret from the rest of the world. The Special Zone was built to be the successor for the city of Hong Kong, which was destroyed during the Kowloon Shock. Requirements for inviting vampires into the Special Zone:
 * Must be a human living in the Zone, who knows that they are inviting a vampire.
 * The inviter must also believe that the Zone is the right place for them.

Kowloon Child : A vampire whose lineage was founded by the Nine Dragon Kings. They attack both humans and vampires spreading their bloodline to anyone they attack. They are hated even by other vampires. Unlike most vampires who need to share their blood with the human to make them a vampire, Kowloon Children only need to suck the blood of the victim. Humans and vampires can also be turned just by drinking Kowloon blood. Those victims will in turn attack and suck the blood of others. Those that have their blood sucked by the Kowloon Children will be under the control of the vampire that started the chain of vampires. Also, while most vampires kept near human appearances, almost all Kowloon Children changed radically; their skin paled, nails grew, ears became pointed, eyes became black and yellow, and were reduced to more feral beings.

Order Coffin Company : An organization which is supposed to mediate between vampires and humans. The president of the company was the one that started the Special Zone.

Suppression Team : A team, within the organization, which prevents vampires, by force, from illegally entering the Special Zone. They also annihilate vampires who cause disturbances within the Special Zone.

Compromiser : An agent, within the organization, who settles disputes between vampires and humans without violence. They get in trouble often so they're sometimes accompanied by a guard called the Door Closer.

Hide Hand : An ability that grants vampires the power to manipulate objects (e.g.: moving objects, levitating, breaking people's bones, etc.). It can also create an invisible barrier that can stop bullets. Only vampires with certain bloodlines have this ability. Most Kowloon Children (if they are direct descendants) are known to have this ability.

Eye Raid : An ability that grants a vampire to control a person's mind through eye contact. They can search through their memories, induce hypnosis, and control their actions. This ability can work on multiple targets at once.

Eye Ignite: A form of vampiric pyrokinesis. Zelman Clock appears to be the only one who can use this power.

Episode list
Black Blood Brothers has a total of 12 episodes, with the first episode airing on September 8, 2006, and the last on November 24, 2006.

The series made its North American television debut when it aired on FUNimation Channel starting May 2, 2009.

Theme songs
Two pieces of theme music are used for the episodes: one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme used for the anime series is "Ashita no Kioku" (明日の記憶) by Naozumi Takahashi and the ending theme is "Shinikirou" (蜃気楼) by the South Korean rock group Loveholic. At the end of the final episode, the last few frames depict Kotaro appearing and running to Jiro, unlike the previous runs where there was no one but Jiro at the end.