Blade (anime)

Blade is the fourth and final of the Madhouse anime series based on Marvel Comics characters. A "Daywalker" born with all of the strengths and none of the weaknesses of a true vampire, titular vampire-hunter Blade is out for revenge against the powerful Deacon Frost, the vampire who killed his then-pregnant mother and caused him to become half-vampire. The story follows Blade as he tracks Frost through modern day Southeast Asia, where he runs into Frost's underground society of vampires, Existence. Making both new allies and enemies along the way, Blade soon discovers a vampire plot in Vietnam that could change the world for the worse.

Featuring a story written by Kenta Fukasaku, son of the late Kinji Fukasaku, the series premiered on July 1st, 2011 in Japan. The dubbed version began airing in January of 2012, with Harold Perrineau providing the voice for Blade.

This series contains examples of:
"Blade:"
 * Action Girl: Makoto
 * And This Is For: Though he never actually says those words, the message is clear enough when Blade


 * Anti-Villain:
 * Aristocrats Are Evil: In episode 3, he's a vampire that appears to hunt humans in a similar way to a fox hunt.
 * All of the "purebloods" (traditionalist European vampires) seem to have this trait.
 * Badass
 * Badass Abnormal: Blade, of course.
 * Badass Normal: Makoto and Noah.
 * Big Badass Dog: Razor.
 * Bald of Awesome: Blade
 * Barehanded Blade Block: Deacon Frost is able to do this with Blade's silver sword.
 * Big Bad: Deacon Frost
 * Big Damn Heroes: Episode 11,
 * Bittersweet Ending:
 * Blood Knight: Kikyo, still searching for a Worthy Opponent.
 * Bloodier and Gorier: And how!
 * Calling Your Attacks
 * "Deadly Sword Technique #1: Residual Moon."
 * "Deadly Sword Technique #2: Phantom Moon."
 * The Cameo:
 * Composite Character: Noah Van Helsing is a character from the comics, and his relationship and first meeting with Blade have similarities to that of Abraham Whistler in the films.
 * Blade himself is a composite of the movie version (black trench coat, silver katana and the majority of his weaponry) and his comic book version (primarily in backstory, being born and raised in England).
 * Conservation of Ninjutsu: Makoto tears her way through a nightclub full of vampires with nothing but silver spiked knuckledusters. Faced alone, however, Deacon Frost is able to effortlessly toss Blade around.
 * Cool Old Guy: Noah Van Helsing
 * Darker and Edgier: Moreso than the Wolverine anime.
 * Death by Origin Story: Blade's mother, as shown by flashbacks in the first episode.
 * Also,
 * Dirty Cop: Seen in the 2nd episode.
 * Disposable Sex Worker: Eric's mother, Tara . Later invoked by Deacon Frost to make Blade angry.
 * Dueling Shows: This show premiered in the same month as another series featuring a vampire hunter.
 * Dying as Yourself:
 * Finishing Move: The man who taught Blade  how to use a sword taught him a few techniques for finishing a battle.
 * Savage Moon: To the villain, it looks like Blade freezes for a second with his sword in hand. When they go for the kill, the clone will act as if struck and then disappear. He cuts them in half from behind before they have a chance to react.
 * Phantom Moon: Blade whirls around, and the villain is sliced to pieces as they are slashed from many angles at once.
 * Chaotic Moon: The victim sees Blade unleashing a deadly miasma which homes in on them. When it hits, the illusion falls away with Blade's sword piercing them where they were struck.
 * Friendly Neighborhood Vampire: Stan, a Shell-Shocked Veteran of the Vietnam War, and the last survivor of a unit of vampire soldiers. By far the most moral vampire in the series, he stays away from people and steals blood packs from neighboring towns so he doesn't have to prey on them.
 * He Who Fights Monsters: Blade.
 * Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Carol, young Eric's foster-mother, as well as the other prostitutes he lived with. His biological mother too, before she became a vampire's victim.
 * I Just Want to Be Human: Blade certainly never wished to be half of "one of them".
 * I Just Want to Be Special: Jaral wants to become a vampire because he thinks that being human isn't good enough in a world full of vampires and mutants.
 * : Makoto after
 * Kick Chick: Makoto's fighting style, complete with silver-tipped Combat Stilettos.
 * Knife Nut: Blade's Weapon of Choice and where he gets his "known" name, although his given name is Eric Brooks.
 * Jaral in episode 7 attacks Blade with a small dagger.
 * Stan with his combat knife.
 * Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: For the most part, vampirism is treated as a virus that people can be infected with, and Existence is trying to use advanced science to create a perfect bloodline. At the same time, one of their weaknesses is White Magic and purebloods can use animals as familiars, suggesting that they are still at least partly supernatural in nature.
 * Names to Know in Anime
 * Akio Ohtsuka as Blade (who reprise his role from the Japanese dubs of the live-action films)
 * Maaya Sakamoto as Makoto
 * In English, Johnny Yong Bosch (aka Ichigo and Lelouch) is Djalal, a criminal trying to make his way up in Madripoor.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Blade.
 * Our Vampires Are Different. And how. They all have the same set of weaknesses (sunlight and silver), but range from the typical human vampires to a variety of sub-species seemingly based on folktale monsters from Southeast Asian countries. And while they aren't harmed by holy symbols, they are vulnerable to various forms of White Magic.
 * And, as it turns out, the mythological sub-species.
 * People Farms: The plot of the second episode is centered around one. Existence filled it with young women and kept them alive in water-filled jars to harvest their blood.
 * Another one of these is seen in the finale, and it's huge.
 * Power Fist: How Makoto fights.
 * Redshirt Army: Frost's Mook-level soldiers. They even have red uniforms.
 * Rock Beats Laser: Played with. The Purebloods attack Existence's base on horseback, with plate armor and broadswords, plowing through the Redshirt Army with ease. Frost's genetically-engineered monsters give them quite a bit more of a fight.
 * The Quisling: The humans working for Existence.
 * Especially Jaral, who doesn't have any particular loyalty to Existence, but is selling them weapons in exchange for the promise of becoming a vampire, which he believes will give him the power to take over Madripoor.
 * Red Right Hand: Deacon Frost has four fangs, marking him as different even from other vampires.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Makoto after her father turned vampire was killed by Blade. Blade for what happened to his mother.
 * Scare'Em Straight: Blade's reputation with the monsters.
 * Shipper on Deck:  ships Makoto and Blade.
 * Team Pet: Razor
 * Teach Him Anger: Deacon Frost's intent is to drive Blade into a rage in order to draw out the full power of a Daywalker.
 * Too Cool to Live:
 * Tsundere: Makoto.
 * Vampire Hunter: Well, duh.
 * We Are Everywhere: A Dirty Cop (specifically the police chief of the Osaka PD with a few uniform and plainclothed officers) working for Existence basically says this to Blade and honest cop Sakomizu.
 * Weird Moon: The moon is always abnormally large and bright red.
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: Detective Sakomizu is never seen or heard from again after the second episode.
 * You Killed My Father:
 * We Are Everywhere: A Dirty Cop (specifically the police chief of the Osaka PD with a few uniform and plainclothed officers) working for Existence basically says this to Blade and honest cop Sakomizu.
 * Weird Moon: The moon is always abnormally large and bright red.
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: Detective Sakomizu is never seen or heard from again after the second episode.
 * You Killed My Father: