The following is a list of characters from the anime series, Blood+.
(I) - Production I.G. Spellings; (M) - Blood.tv Spellings; (S) - On-screen Spellings
Saya's friends and family
Saya Otonashi
Otonashi Saya (音無 小夜) (I, M)
Voiced by: Eri Kitamura (Japanese); Kari Wahlgren (English)
Age: 173 (apparent age: 16)
First Appearance: Episode 1
At the start of the series, Saya appears to be a high school girl living a normal life on the island of Okinawa. She is adopted by George Miyagusuku and has no memory of her life earlier than one year ago.
She is able to heal all her injuries very quickly but must regularly receive blood transfusions or drink blood to remain healthy. Despite these strange traits, she has the outward appearance of a young human teenage girl with an unusually large appetite (used as a humorous effect several times). When someone would ask her if she is hungry; she would deny it out of reservation, but her stomach would growl right away.
Later on, she then starts having more flashbacks of her experiences fighting Chiropterans in the Vietnam War and in 1920's Russia. Her oldest memories are from her birthplace at Joel's mansion called the "Zoo" in France during the 19th century.
She was "born" in 1833 from a cocoon like object taken from a mummy of a Chiropteran along with another cocoon containing her sister Diva. She also can spend decades hibernating in a cocoon, only awaking for a few years (two to three, at least) before sleeping again for three decades. Whenever her and Diva's blood mix, the blood crystallizes and disintegrates.
She is a skilled athlete and her weapon of choice is a nihontō (Japanese sword or katana, though one slightly changed to have features analogous to those of a kopesh) with bohi or grooves specially designed to spread her blood through its entire blade, making it a deadly weapon both for Diva and any Chiropteran made from Diva's blood.
Amshel breaks the first blade in the series, but she acquires a new sword from David with a red crystal at the base of its blade. This crystal is actually a piece of her adoptive father, George's blood which crystallized when she killed him with her own blood in order to spare him the fate of fully becoming a Chiropteran.
Saya's human personality is usually that of a cheerful and optimistic girl, but her suppressed Chiropteran side (evidenced whenever her eyes turn red in contrast to her twin sister Diva's blue eyes and when her lips turn redder than usual) is colder, calculating, and with a warrior's edge, that brooks no foolishness.
However, as of late Saya has had very little to be cheerful or optimistic about as she learns more and more about herself and the enemies that stalk her. Her greatest fear is perhaps finding out that she is indeed the same or much worse than the very monsters she now hunts as hinted by the grisly yet splintered memories she has of her dark, shadowy past.
It is revealed that after she and Haji had left the "Zoo", she made him promise to kill her after she kills Diva to prevent the survival of Chiropterans. Episode 32 Riku Post episode 33, Saya gains a much darker appearance and personality, sporting a dark maroon trench coat and generally longer hair.
Past this point in the series, her willingness to co-operate with the Red Shield and with her own family drops, as she wishes not to endanger them any further, believing that her fight with Diva is hers to fight alone. This also somehow marks a change in Saya's previously cheerful personality, accompanied by an acceptance of her Chiropteran biology and a willingness of necessity to feed off Haji's blood. Even Moses and Karmen remarks that she might, just like them, have already lost hope. It might also be said that Saya's depression stems from the fact that she is aware of her next hibernation period drawing near (she becomes prone to sudden bouts of fainting spells and as Solomon observes, her regeneration ability has somewhat slowed down). But everyone on Saya's side does their part to try to "bring" her feelings back during Javier's birthday party; the subsequent fight against Karl and the Corpse Corps; before they depart for Christina Island; and finally, before they set off for the grand finale trip to New York - so to let her know that this fight is not for her to bear alone, and that she is never alone.
Saya confronts her sister at the Metropolitan Opera House, and the final duel ends when they simultaneously pierce their swords through each other. Although Diva begins to crystallize, Saya survives as Diva's blood lost her potency due to her having children. Though Saya has said that she lives only to cut down Diva, whom she had released over a century ago, now that the deed is done, all Saya feels is a sense of emptiness and remorse at her sister's body that has been turned to stone. Through Kai's pleas and Haji's admittance of love, Saya breaks her former promise to Haji that she would die after the death of Diva and decides to live instead, and spare the lives of Diva's newborn baby twins as well.
Shortly after her return to Okinawa, Saya goes into her 30 year hibernation period, and Kai along with Diva's children watch over her as she sleeps in the Miyagusuku family grave. Haji had also visited, leaving a fresh pink rose with a ribbon at her lair.
Haji
Haji (ハジ)(I, M, S)
Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English)
Age: 143 (apparent age: 21)
First Appearance: Episode 1
Saya's first Chevalier, and her only surviving one. He is partly instrumental in Saya's "awakening" and his right arm is covered in bandages, hiding some Chiropteran features that he is unable to change back into human form. This might be due to the trauma of when Saya sliced his arm off during the Vietnam incident, much like a scar. Haji first met Saya when he was bought by Joel to be her companion, with hopes that they might mate and create more specimens for future experimentation. He was a lot more talkative and cheerful when he was "younger", i.e. when he was still a human and before Saya's hibernation period in Siberia (as shown in the hunt for Grigori arc). This change may be due to the trauma of Saya's crazed behavior in Vietnam, and the destruction of Haji's hand.
Upon their first meeting, Saya was around forty years old, however, since she had stopped aging in 1863, her appearance was still that of a sixteen year old girl. Haji lived with her in Joel's mansion for many years. Nevertheless, one day he slipped and fell from a cliff in an attempt to pick a flower that Saya wanted as a present for Joel's birthday. Seeing him bleeding everywhere and not really understanding that normal humans don't drink blood to remain healthy, Saya gave him some of her own blood. Thus, she unwittingly turned him into her "Chevalier."
Since then, Haji's single wish has been to protect Saya and fulfill her every desire, although he was evidently devoted to her long before. It is also revealed that unlike Saya, who "created" him, Haji neither eats, sleeps, nor goes into long periods of hibernation. But in volume 2 of the manga, there is a scene in Vietnam where he was shown to be eating noodles with Kai, though given the situation then, this was done probably for comical effects. He also eats stew in "Blood+ Yakō Jōshi," apparently out of politeness.
Saya was also the one who taught Haji to play the cello when he was young, but it didn't take long for him to surpass her. He is often seen with a cello case in which he hides Saya's sword, but he also uses the case as a shield or even as a blunt weapon; it seems to be extremely durable, easily deflecting blows from things that can punch through walls. He also carries a few silver daggers with him.
Much like how Saya looks eternally young, Haji appears to be in his early to mid-twenties, even though he's been around since the 19th century. It was implied a few times that he "might not be with her until the end"; it's not clear if this is due to the reluctant murder pact with Saya, or the possibility of Haji killed by Diva or her Chevaliers. Haji should have been the key to impregnate Diva but she never took interest in him. The knowledge was only deduced late when Diva bore twins after raping Riku.
Until recently, he had sealed his Chiropteran powers away because of an incident after they had left the Zoo, which had resulted in him killing many men who had wanted to capture Saya. This had frightened Saya, which motivated Haji into banishing his Chiropteran powers so that she would never feel that same fear again. In episode 43, it is revealed that Haji, like the other chevaliers, is also capable of flight via a pair of bat-like wings like the other chevaliers . In the final episode, he kills Amshel with Saya's sword in conjunction with a large chunk of a balcony collapsing on the two.
Haji also has a habit of keeping his feelings bottled up within himself. Though he loves Saya (as her Chevalier and as her companion during all these long years), he keeps these feelings within himself, only bidding himself to do whatever that Saya "desires" him to do. But shortly before he disappears under the rubble with Amshel, he confesses that he has always loved Saya. He had also convinced Saya to live, which spurs the realization of their feelings and, as a result, they kiss before Amshel arrives. However, he survives the collapse, even though it isn't immediately revealed on-screen. Everyone else assumed he had died, but they are proved wrong when Kai, with the twins, goes to the Miyagusuku grave, where Saya is currently sleeping, and finds a fresh salmonpink rose with Haji's blue hair ribbon tied to it -- a significant colour, since Haji's first gift to her was a pink rose which she first rejected, then secretly kept. Clearly Haji is still waiting and watching for Saya to awaken again.
The prequel manga "Blood+ Yakō Jōshi" shows some of Haji's state of mind after Vietnam, but before Saya awoke again. In this canon story, he saves a young policeman, Nishi, whose late brother he resembles. He assists Nishi in capturing a wealthy man who is experimenting with Chiropteran blood. With Nishi's help, and that of the Red Shield, Haji obliterates the Chiropterans of that city.
In this story, we discover that Haji is starving himself, to distance himself from the Chiropterans. He also experiences guilt and depression because of his fear of Saya, because a true Chevalier should never fear his master. He's described as looking like "a little boy afraid to go home." Nishi helps him get over his conflicted feelings, and donates a small amount of blood that restores Haji's strength.
Note on Haji's name: Production I.G.'s official site lists the Roman spelling of "Hagi," but the katakana used for his name reads "Haji" which could be the Japanese render for the name Hadji or "Hadj".
George Miyagusuku
Miyagusuku Jōji (宮城ジョージ)(I, M)
Voiced by: Hochu Ohtsuka (Japanese); Wally Wingert (English)
Age: 59 (2005)
First Appearance: Episode 1
An Okinawan-American US Army veteran, George served in the Vietnam War and now lives on Okinawa with his adopted children Saya, Kai, and Riku. He lost his wife and biological children in an accident years before, but was inspired to live by the sound of Saya's heartbeat. So he bought a pub and adopted Kai and Riku, as well as Saya when she emerged from her crypt and proved not to be dangerous.
He was attacked by a Chiropteran when defending Saya. Then he was smuggled from the hospital to a US military base and hooked up to an IV filled with Delta 67. After escaping, he was again clawed by a Chiropteran, and began developing Chiropteran features. So he asked Saya to kill him by pouring her blood on his wounds, something she did reluctantly only out of love and compassion for the man she knew as her father.
Despite a period of suicidal depression, George was a fundamentally upbeat person, with a lot of life lessons that he teaches Saya and his sons, particularly about the need for happiness, following your heart, and family unity. Saya and the rest still miss him.
In episode 30, Joel tells Saya that it was the current David's father, David, who gave Saya to him, in Vietnam.
Kai Miyagusuku
Miyagusuku Kai (宮城 カイ)(I, M)
Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino (Japanese); Benjamin Diskin (English)
Age: 17 in first half.
Age: 19 in second half.
First Appearance: Episode 1
Saya's adopted "elder" brother. Kai is one of the most popular students at school and a star athlete. He stopped playing baseball when one of his arms sustained an injury. Since George's death, he tried his best to keep his family united, but just when he was getting used to the fact that some of his relatives aren't human, Riku was raped and eventually killed by Diva, and Saya disappeared for a year. He also becomes something of a love rival to Haji, but eventually accepts that he and Saya cannot remain together. In the final episode, he cements this by urging Haji to confess his feelings.
Since the destruction of the Red Shield, he lived with Lewis and David in an orphanage in London, actively hunting Chiropterans with Lewis and honing his skills as a soldier in the war against Diva and her minions. Initially Kai had little skill in fighting, and was badly beaten by David, but he grows in skill as the series goes on.
Just like Saya's sword has a red crystal from his father's body, Kai wears a pendant with a crystal from Riku's remains crested in it. As the last surviving family member of Saya's adoptive family, he has sworn to protect her and return to Okinawa together once everything has been settled. He takes over much of David's responsibilities in Chiropteran-hunting while the latter sinks into a deep depression and alcohol addiction over the loss of the Red Shield HQ.
He managed to persuade Saya not to take her own life after she had slain Diva, and convinced Haji to break his promise. After their return to Okinawa, he reopened their omoro. Saya went into hibernation shortly afterwards, and Kai took care of Diva's daughters as their father—though he is actually their uncle, as his little brother was their father—much as his father George cared for Saya.
He still makes regular visits to Saya's grave with the little girls, and presumably is still running the pub George once owned. He is also one of the few people aware that Haji is still alive, although he apparently is keeping this fact a secret.
Riku Miyagusuku
Miyagusuku Riku (宮城 リク)(I, M)
Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (Japanese); Kamali Minter (English)
Age: 13 At start of series
Age: 14 at time of Death
First Appearance: Episode 1
Last Appearance :Episode 32
Saya's adopted younger brother. He is a very kind and intelligent boy who loves to cook.
His kindness even rubs off on the reclusive Haji to some degree, after he brought Haji a plate of food and asked him to join the others. Haji seemed to warm up at this show of friendship, helping out an old lady (Amshel in disguise) by helping her with her luggage and giving up his seat to her during the Trans-Siberian arc. Haji even teaches Riku the cello, and leaps off a moving train to save the boy; it seems that the warmhearted, innocent boy reminded him of himself as a child.
After Diva drank most of his blood at the "Zoo", Saya had no option but to save his life by turning him into a Chevalier, just like she did with Haji. Since then, Riku was thought to be developing powers similar to Haji's and just like him, was compelled to protect Saya at any cost. Despite a brief estrangement, Riku remained close to his older brother Kai.
Diva developed an interest in Riku after draining his blood. During her and Carl's assault at the Red Shield headquarters, she raped Riku and then "rewarded" him with her blood. Her blood caused him to crystallize and die, as he had become a Chevalier by Saya's blood. The rape resulted to an impregnated Diva with the next "Queens".
Akihiro Okamura
Okamura Akihiro (岡村 昭宏)(M)
Voiced by: Kentaro Ito (Japanese); David Rasner (English)
Age: 30
First Appearance: Episode 2
A somewhat jaded, down-on-his-luck, chain-smoking reporter working for the local Ryūkyū Daily (Ryūkyū Mainichi Shimbun) newspaper, he doesn't seem to command much respect from his boss or colleagues as much as he does their contempt. His father was a photographer and war correspondent during the Vietnam war, having taken several mysterious black and white photos that seem to depict a young girl killing soldiers, innocent villagers, and misshapen monsters with a sword in a haze of bloodlust and rage.
These photographs have always haunted Akihiro, spurring him to discover the truth behind their meaning. Tracing wine dumped by the military he goes to Vietnam, where he took photos of Saya fighting Carl. He paired up with Mao, searching for Saya and Red Shield as they went to Europe at the expense of money stolen by Mao from her yakuza father, eventually finding that the truth is larger and more disturbing than they thought.
He and Mao may seem like an odd couple but they work surprisingly well together as they dig deeper and deeper into the mystery surrounding Saya and Red Shield. Ever the cynic, Akihiro is driven by the pursuit of the truth and seems rather unfazed by Mao's tempestuous nature.
In the last episode, Okamura is planning to head to the Middle East with Mao as his companion. Okamura's father is probably modeled after the late photo-journalist Akihiko Okamura, who took many pictures for Life magazine during the Vietnam War.
Mao Jahana
Jahana Mao (謝花 真央)(M)
Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu (Japanese); Olivia Hack (English)
Age: 18 in first half
Age: 19 in second half
First Appearance: Episode 2
Kai's girlfriend (of sorts) and the daughter of the head of the Jahana Yakuza. She worked with the reporter Okamura to track down Saya so she could meet up with Kai. She's often bossy and likes to be in control, a trait she no doubt picked up from her father. Her rather blunt, confrontational demeanor seems to be a brave facade she puts up whenever things don't go her way, as evidenced whenever she finds disturbing clues of a strange and violent conspiracy in the course of her journey to find Kai (she gets scared upon finding traces of blood and Saya's broken sword). Strong willed and stubborn,
Mao drags along Okamura to help find Kai with money she stole from her father (a fact not lost on Okamura and the threat that implies), and is determined to stick by Kai's side despite his best efforts to shield her from the danger surrounding him and Saya. Lately, she has been warming up to Saya, as they were the only girls "in a group of men" and has grown protective of her well being. Upon chance, she overhears Saya and Haji's conversation about Saya's impending 30-year period of hibernation. Mao then promises Saya that she will personally bring her back to Okinawa once everything is over, and they make a promise to each other, a promise between two women. Haji sees how Mao has somehow, for the moment, managed to pull Saya out from her depression, and bows gratefully towards her.
In episode 43, she kisses Kai to test his feelings towards her. Since she deemed that Kai was unresponsive and baffled, Mao has since then tried to play match maker for Kai and Saya. In the last episode she plans to accompany Okamura to the Middle East. Her last footage in the show is one in which she cheerfully discusses "the man from Nantucket" with David.
Red Shield
The Red Shield (赤い盾), started by the Goldschmidts, is a group dedicated to killing Diva and wiping Chiropterans off the face of the Earth. Many of its members are ex-soldiers who encountered Chiropterans in the field and were the sole survivors of the subsequent attack on their unit. The Goldschmidts are heavyweights in the banking world and have monopoly on resource prices such as uranium, gold and copper.
- David (デヴィッド Deviddo) (I, M)
Voiced by: Jurouta Kosugi (Japanese); Christopher Nissley (English)
Age: 44
First Appearance: Episode 1
The straight-faced, no-nonsense David is an agent of Red Shield, an organization formed to track down and destroy Chiroptera and they also carry a red crystal made from Chiroptera on a trinket. He, like many of the other Red Shield Members, was a sole survivor after his squad was attacked by a Chiropteran. He is aware of Saya's past life and wishes to use her in the struggle against the Chiroptera. Much like Joel, David is a title bestowed to those entrusted with the task to watch over Saya, but might not be his true name, although it was his father's, who was the Red Shield operative in Vietnam and possibly seen in Blood: The Last Vampire. Just like any Red Shield member, David always carries an item with a red crystal obtained from a Chiropteran's remains encrusted in it—a cross in his case. He falls into a deep depression after the Red Shield's HQ ship was destroyed by Diva's attack and Saya presumed to have gone down with the vessel; living everyday off the bottle, he gets back up on his feet after a series of rough shaking up by Kai, who has by then, taken over much of the Chiropteran-hunting responsibilities and a Chiropteran that came right to their doorstep. He actually becomes a tad bit more cheerful after his depression episode, and is seen smiling on several occasions (he was never seen smiling at all before that). After Julia left for Cinq Flèches Group for a while, he might have started to miss her, as prompted by a remark from Lewis after David tries to infiltrate Cinq Flèches Group's research lab. He saved Julia from the jealous Dr. Collins, and was critically wounded by a gunshot from Collins in the process but later recovered. It was also revealed that David was not his real name but the name he picked up from his father after his father's death. It is under speculation that David's character, appearance, and name are directly based off of the singer David Bowie.
- Julia Silverstein (ジュリア Juria) (I, M)
Voiced by: Yuko Kaida (Japanese); Abby Craden (English)
Age: Unknown
First Appearance: Episode 1
Julia Silverstein, a medical doctor working for Red Shield Medical Section. She graduated from Sorbonne University, the same University as Argeno. She often accompanies David and has on two separate occasions (during the Vietnam Phantom arc) tried to get him to notice her looks (once in a Vietnam dress and another during a conversation with Saya over her revealing ball dress), but the latter has either chosen to ignore her or is too much of a dud to notice. She was Saya's doctor when she was dormant, supervising her regular blood transfusion. She believed her research about the Chiroptera's true nature, and the changes in Riku's body while he is transforming into one, should be used in the Red Shield's war against them, and be destroyed after it. Collins however, had other plans for this data, and she worked with him and the Cinq Flèches Group for some time, although it appears she is now back with Red Shield after Collins tried to kill her. It has been suggested on several occasions that she likes David, who behaves rather stoically towards her, treating her as just another colleague. As she was sitting with David in the hospital after he saved her from Collins, she leaned over and kissed him. Julia is also revealed to be pregnant in the last episode, more than likely with David's child.
- Lewis (ルイス Ruisu) (I, M) (Luis, Louis)
Voiced by: Takashi Nagasako (Japanese); David Rasner (English)
Age: 31
First Appearance: Episode 2
Another Red Shield operative. A man who always has his shades on 24/7, Lewis is often responsible for the gadgets and transportation for the operations. He makes many of the meals and also provides most of the comic relief. He can be spotted fighting alongside with David on several operations. He used to be slim, while working for the CIA under the name of Sammy as seen and revealed near the end of the Blood+ OVA. His name is probably a reference the Louis from Blood: The Last Vampire, a man who, like Lewis, was also black and worked with a man named David in the same line of work.
Lewis can be seen as the heart of the series, since he is the warmest and most openly caring member of Red Shield. He seems very fond of Saya and the boys, and sees their arrival as an opportunity to lavish his cooking on them. Despite this, he does have a lot of fun teasing Kai about his attraction to Saya.
- Joel (The 6th) (ジョエル Joeru) (M)
Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English)
Age: Unknown
First Appearance: Episode 20
Joel Goldschmidt, current head of the Red Shield. His "diary" is a record of Red Shield's activities since its formation, and also contains information regarding Saya, Diva, the Chevaliers and the Chiroptera. He is related to the man who found Saya and Diva, whose name was also Joel. It also seems that there is some relation between him and Amshel as he calls him "Uncle Amshel". One year after the attack on the Red Shield HQ, he is shown to be confined to a wheelchair having been paralyzed from the waist down after he sustained a serious injury from Carl during the attack.
- Collins
Voiced by: Hideyuki Umezu (Japanese); Steve Blum (English)
Age: Unknown
First Appearance: Episode 20
Second-in-command of the Red Shield. In charge of researching the Chiroptera with Julia as his assistant. Van Argeno convinced him to betray the Red Shield's HQ position in order to preserve his research which he believes can be used for the future of mankind. After Amshel made Julia Diva's physician, Collins had a mental breakdown and became extremely jealous of Julia's importance in researching Diva and her babies. He says to Julia that a scientist's task is to "tell the truth to the world" and the "world must accept that truth", and Julia was shocked with his intentions of killing her so that Amshel will hire him to take her place and get what he demands as a greedy scientist, fame, fortune, and "putting a mark on history". Right before he was about to shoot Julia, David took the bullet and act as a human shield to Julia and threw a scalpel in Collins' arm which caused him to run away screaming. His status after this incident is never revealed.
- Joel (The 1st) (ジョエル Joeru)
Voiced by: Wahei Iida (Japanese); David Rasner (English)
Age: 72 at time of death in 1883
First Appearance: Episode 22
Joel Goldschmidt gathered rare specimens during the 1800s in an estate in Bordeaux named "The Zoo" for his personal studies. One of them was the mysterious corpse of a creature visibly pregnant and containing Saya and Diva. He separated the sisters after birth, raising Saya as his own daughter, and locking Diva up in a tower, for scientific reasons. He also bought Haji as Saya's companion, hoping to create more specimens. He was killed by Diva on his seventy second birthday after Saya released her from the tower to sing at his birthday party.
Cinq Flèches Group
The Goldsmiths (S) are a branch of the Goldschmidt family. The family crest of five arrows (Cinq Flèches) and the names of the five brothers are modeled after Mayer Amschel Rothschild's family. Cinq Flèches is first and foremost a pharmaceutical company owned by the Goldsmiths, but is widely diversified into other industries including foods, high-tech and military. Comprising of hundreds of corporations under differing names, the group has controlling hand stretches even to governments of countries.
- Diva (ディーヴァ Dīva) (M)
Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (Japanese); Kari Wahlgren (English)
Age: 173 (apparent age: 16 years old)
First Appearance: Episode 24
Last Appearance: Episode 49
Saya's younger twin sister and main antagonist; she's the greatest sworn enemy of the Red Shield. She proves this point with her incredible reflexes and strength since her debut appearance in episode 24 - she casually throws Saya through a brick wall with seeming ease; the speed at which she avoided a blow from Haji while playing with Saya with the broken tip of a sword; breaking down a heavy steel door with a single thrust of her arm; dodging through a rain of bullets; killing several sailors aboard a U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier when she woke up at the very end of episode 19. Not only that - post episode 33, she is able to switch her appearance between the female Diva and the male Riku within the blink of an eye, much like Amshel did with Liza back in Russia.
Confined by the original Joel just after her birth, she spent her first decades of life locked in a tower in the outskirts of his estate. As she was just a guinea pig to Joel she had no name, until she was found by Saya, who named her Diva because of her voice. Diva has been found out to be the one who killed the original Joel in the late 1800's after she was released by Saya in hope that she will sing for Joel at his birthday party. The "Delta 67" substance used in the researches involving Chiroptera is obtained from her body, and the top echelons of the Cinq Flèches Group include some of her faithful Chevaliers. Just like Saya's blood is a threat to her and her minions' existence, her blood can also destroy Saya and her Chevaliers.
Her air-headed demeanor (much like a spoiled, naive heiress) is the fruit of her secluded childhood which results in her making remarks in an innocent, child-like way. In example, she comments on how Riku "was delicious" and later giggled when Solomon's offer for Saya to join their ranks was crudely refused, teasing "Solomon got rejected!" (English version: "Look -- Solomon got a boo-boo!") Also, during their confrontation halfway through the series; Diva was determined to kill Saya by her own hands and was moments from doing so but casually loses interest after Haji comes to Saya's rescue as she tells Solomon, "Let's go. I want to change into a new dress." (English version: "I'm bored now. Could you help me find a new dress, Solomon?")
She drank much of Riku's blood when she first met him, forcing Saya to turn him into a Chevalier to save his life. She later develops a disturbing interest in him and rapes him. After this, she kills him by giving him her blood, causing him to crystallize. One year after the attack on Red Shield HQ she entered into show business as a singer sponsored by the Cinq Flèches Group, as part of Amshel's master plan. As it turns out, Diva is actually pregnant with Riku's children. Only then was it deduced that the opposing bloods through the Chevaliers could bring about reproduction of the Queens. Haji, as Saya's first Chevalier, could have been the key to this life-long research but Diva never took interest in him. Now she seems to treasure her babies more than her Chevaliers and has expressed a noticeable disinterest in them as of late. She also takes a momentary interest in Kai, and even invited him to become her Chevalier. While it is clear as to why Saya hates her so much, we only learn that Diva's hatred of Saya much later and comes from a strong envious feeling of Saya's privileged life. From the Metropolitan Opera House, a broadcast of Diva's singing triggered the transformation of many people across the world into Chiroptera. However, she is interrupted by Saya, and a fight between the two sisters ended when Diva and Saya pierced each other by swords coated with their respective bloods. Although her blood had no effect on Saya, Saya's blood causes her to crystallize after Nathan has brought her two cocoons to her side, revealing that Diva's blood lost its potency, having been passed on to her children.
Throughout the entire series, Diva is portrayed as a ruthless and sadistic entity willing to sacrifice even her own Chevaliers without so much as blinking. This along with her hostility and envy towards Saya is no doubt a result of the experimentation and isolation forced upon her as a child by Joel. It is at her death when she finally shows a different side of herself as she lovingly tries to reach for her newborn babies.
- Amshel Goldsmith (アンシェル Ansheru) (M)
Voiced by: Jouji Nakata (Japanese); Wally Wingert (English)
Age: unknown (apparent age: 44 )
Nationality: French
Occupation: London stockbroker
The first Goldsmith Brother, Amshel is the oldest and the most powerful of Diva's Chevaliers, and used to work with the original Joel Goldshmidt. For some reason he has kept secrets from the others, including the creation of the Schiff. He does admit to experimenting with Diva's pregnancy for a while, hinting at attempts by her own Chevaliers and humans with no success at all. Apparently he does not share the same love for Diva or Saya nurtured by the other chevaliers, and is merely interested in learning about them. He tried to bring Saya to their side at first, killing Liza and assuming her form to reveal Saya her true nature. But he later proposed Saya's extermination when she decided to continue fighting. After a fight with Haji above New York City, he was impaled on the Chrysler Building and was presumed dead when a lightning strike surged through his body. He survived however, in a half human-half Chiropteran form. He was finally killed by Haji stabbing him with Saya's bloodied sword, crystallizing him.
- Grigori
Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka (Japanese); Liz Sroka (English)
Age: Unknown (apparent age: 47/teens)
Nationality: Russian
Occupation: Former Monk
The second Goldsmith Brother, he is Also known as Grigori Efimovich Rasputin (pronounced Gregory in the English dub), who is the same monk involved in the historical downfall of Romanov dynasty of Russia. He was killed in 1916 in a long and drawn out assassination attempt that, among other things, saw him poisoned, stabbed, shot, and thrown into a freezing river. In this fictional account, he survived the assassination attempt and took refuge in a village near his hometown. He took the physical form of a young girl who recently died named Sonya, until he was discovered and killed by Saya in 1918.
- Martin Bormann
Age: Unknown (apparent age: 45)
Nationality: German
Occupation: Head of the Party Chancellery
The third Goldsmith Brother, Martin Bormann appeared briefly in an old photograph from 1943 in Episode 12 and in the Blood+ manga. In real life, Bormann served as head of the Nazi Party Chancellary and as Adolf Hitler's private secretary. He is regarded as one of the elites in the Third Reich. He is presumed to have been killed sometime between late April and early May 1945 during the apocalyptic Battle of Berlin. It is said that as he tried to break through the encircled city, he was shot and killed by soldiers of the Red Army. In this fictional account, he was killed by Solomon (Episode 12 and Episode 37 Solomon's conversation) in Germany under Amshel's order around the same time of his presumed historical death. Why he became a chevalier is never revealed.
- Solomon Goldsmith (ソロモン Soromon) (M, S)
Voiced by: Koji Tsujitani (Japanese); Dave Wittenberg (English)
Age: 110 (apparent age: 28)
Nationality: French/German
Occupation: CEO of Cinq Flèches Group
The fourth Goldsmith Brother, Solomon has served as Diva's Chevalier for sixty-one years before the events of the series and is also Amshel's younger brother from Amshel's original human family. Although he agrees that Saya is now a threat to him and his partners, he harbors strong feelings for her, and always tries to protect her, despite his brothers' intentions to destroy her. He is introduced first as a delightful young man while dancing with Saya at her school in Vietnam, but it is quickly revealed that he is a Chevalier. After saving Saya from James, he has revealed that he wishes to protect Saya because he is in love with her. After that, he appeared at Nathan's mansion wearing a black suit. He told Diva when they first met he was wearing white. In the following conversation, it is revealed that he was made a Chevalier towards the end of World War I. His background as a doctor may explain his ability to calm the clearly insane Carl and Diva.
But now he wears black to symbolize that he no longer wishes to be Diva's chevalier. He explains to Amshel that their Chevaliers' instinct might be what draws them towards their progenitor, Diva; but as Solomon Goldsmith, he is drawn towards Saya. Since then, Diva has practically disowned him as a Chevalier of hers and tells him he may go wherever he wishes and do whatever he wishes. She also tells him he may take Saya's hand and have her bear his children. After he saved Saya from Amshel at the US Airbase, he pledges to give his all to her. Saya reminds him, "But you're Diva's Chevalier, aren't you?", but he answers, "But before that, I am a man who loves you." He sank into depression when Saya rejected him. He then launched a surprise attack on Diva (when he visits her and her newly-born babies), but gets beaten senseless by her. During his captivity after attacking Diva, James taunts him with comments such as, "Momma's Favorite" and "Pretty Boy" and promises to kill Saya. Later, after being freed from captivity by Nathan, he rushes to save Saya once more from James, but during the battle was cut accidentally by Saya's sword coated in her blood. He proclaimed his allegiance to Saya as her Chevalier, but then crystallized in Amshel's arms shortly afterwards. He was the only chevalier to fight with his brothers (James and Amshel).
- Carl Fei-Ong (カール・フェイオン Kāru Feion) (M) (Karl)
Voiced by: Nozomu Sasaki (Japanese); Quinton Flynn (English)
Age: Unknown
Nationality: Vietnamese
Occupation: Lycée des Cinq Flèches school governing board chairman and CEO of Vietnamese branch of Cinq Flèches Group
The fifth Goldsmith Brother, Carl has served as Diva's Chevalier for sixty-six years. In 1972, he lost his arm to Saya in Vietnam, and has held a grudge against her ever since. Disguised as his alter ego "The Phantom", Karl was secretly kidnapping girls that looked like Saya in his anguish to meet her someday so they can finish their fight. Apparently, what Karl desired the most was Diva's love, but did not get it.
So he went after Saya, partly believing that both he and Saya were soulmates, and partly due to his anger and lust for revenge because she had hacked off his arm. According to Amshel, he was only chosen to be a Chevalier to be used as a guinea pig for his experiments. Unfortunately, his traumatic past has left Karl severely mentally unbalanced, and Solomon seems to be the only one who can calm him.
His body suffered lots of modifications, including a spiked arm implanted in his body to replace the one destroyed by Saya in one of his fights. His final meeting with Saya was during the UK arc. Determined to die with her, his plan was to restrain her and drink all of her blood, killing both in the process as her blood is poison to him. Saya then realises that she has so much to live for so she stabs him through herself, thereby coating her sword in her blood and causing him to crystallize.
- James Ironside (ジェイムズ・アイアンサンド Jeimuzu Aiansando) (M)
Voiced by: Toru Okawa (Japanese); David Rasner (English)
Age: Unknown
Nationality: American
Occupation: Naval co-Captain on board a US aircraft carrier
The sixth Goldsmith Brother, James was made Chevalier in 1945 in Berlin and has served Diva ever since then. He is the Cinq Flèches' contact with the US military, and later was appointed by Amshel as leader of the Corpse Corps. Of all the Chevaliers, he is the one who cared most about Diva, always carrying a picture of her with him and calling her Mama. He barely survived his battle against Saya's group on Christina Island after he tried to lure them into a trap, saved by having most of his body replaced by Schiff parts. Once Diva realizes that most of his body has been replaced with Schiff parts, she disapproves of it, and begins to avoid him. Towards the end of the series, James begins to lose his sanity due to his crumbling relationship with Diva, and he takes out his rage on the Schiff, who are inferior organisms to him. Ironically enough, in his final battle against Saya, James begins to succumb to the Thorn before being killed by Saya. He is able to harden his skin harder then steel to use it as armor.
- Nathan Mahler (ネイサン マーラー Neisan Māra) (M)
Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Wally Wingert (English)
Age: Unknown
Nationality: American
Occupation: Producer at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City
Nathan is the seventh Goldsmith Brother, a , and the only Chevalier to stand up to Amshel. In the Japanese version (and somewhat in the English dub) of the anime, Nathan sometimes speaks in a manner usually employed by the feminine gender (by using kashira and wa). Despite being one of Diva's Chevaliers, Nathan seems more interested in Haji and James, though his loyalty and love for Diva is still unquestioned. In episode 49 he says that Amshel never understood Diva and that the only thing Diva actually wanted was to have a family like Saya. He plans not only to destroy Saya, but to do it in a "stage" prepared only for the occasion.
Despite this he seems to be one of the more cool headed Chevaliers, stopping Amshel and Solomon from fighting while at his home. He also seems to be aware of Amshel's ulterior motives, saying that he won't be bothered much as long as no harm comes to Diva, and suggested offhandedly that similar events took place for Saya & Diva's mother. Nathan was devastated at Diva's death and asked that Saya kill him, changing into his Chiropteran form and allowing Saya to slice through him with her sword, although he is not seen crystallizing. Evidently like Haji, he was able to escape, since he is seen among the reporters in the final episode.
There are some speculations that Nathan actually was a Chevalier of a previous queen, since Saya's blood clearly didn't kill him. His statement about Saya's and Diva's mother (during the conversation with Amshel right before the concert) and his knowledge that Diva's blood has lost its potency after the latter is slain seem to indicate this. If that was the case, he most likely chose to end his acting as a Diva's Chevalier in a quite theatrical way, waiting for the next generation of chiropteran queens. How he could have tricked Diva in making her believe he was made chevalier by her blood is never told.
- Vin Argiano (I) or Van Argeno (M) (ヴァン・アルジャーノ Van Arujāno)
Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English)
Head scientist studying Chiroptera for the Goldsmiths. He was in charge of the current development of Delta 67, and likes small round candies—seemingly always unwrapping and eating one. He at first worked under Solomon, but convinced Amshel to change his position to working directly under him. He currently acts as CEO of Cinq Flèches America. Van is one of the few humans who sided with the Chevaliers despite knowing their true nature and their plans. He was abandoned by Grant at the Opera House to Chiropteran, though he survived by David's help. He was later made to face charges. The name Argiano is probably named after the Italian Vintage Argiano.
- Archer
Voiced by: Kouji Yusa
Argiano's seemingly loyal assistant who has been making appearances since Episode 7. He was attacked by the White House politician Bread after she turned into a Chiropteran in the Metropolitan Opera House. He somehow managed to survive the incident and was appointed as a member of the committee investigating the corruption between Grant and Cinq Flèches. His name was finally revealed to be Archer, a government investigator who infiltrated Cinq Flèches.
- Diva's Children - As with all Chiropteran queens, Diva produces two babies girls after a fast pregnancy (after she raped Riku), as she and Saya had been. Saya reluctantly planned to kill both babies to keep anyone else from being hurt, but Kai dissuades her, promising that he'll punch anyone who doesn't accept them and show both girls his love. Amshel then tries to steal the babies, but they are protected by Kai and Haji, and in following years Kai raises them as their father, much as George raised him and Riku. A few years later, we see Kai taking the two happy toddlers to Saya's grave and eating lunch with them, showing that his love and kindness has kept the girls from following their mother's path.
The Schiff
The Schiff, also spelled Shifu or Sif, are an unstable balance between Chevaliers & Chiroptera. They are prototypes for the Corpse Corps, pseudo-Chevalier soldiers created by a group of scientists led by Boris, under the sponsorship of Amshel Goldsmith. The Schiff differ from the Chevalier and Chiroptera in certain ways. For instance, they cannot be in sunlight without being crystallized and consumed by a green flame. But just as Chevaliers and Chiroptera must feed on blood, the Schiff require the same to stop their "Thorn" attribute which crystallizes them if they go without drinking blood. At first they thought the blood of Saya would cure the "Thorn" attribute but they were made from Diva's blood and so, like normal Chiroptera, crystallize when they come in contact with Saya's blood. Lulu is the only schiff who survives through out the series, and continues to survive thanks to Julia's research.
- Moses (モーゼス Mōzesu) (M)
Voiced by: Naoki Yanagi (Japanese); Steve Blum (English)
Deceased Ep. 45. The leader of the Schiff who uses a scythe. Clones of Moses are used to make up the Corpse Corps. He committed suicide along with Karman, who was about to die from Thorn, by both removing their hoods in direct sunlight.
- Karman (カルマン Karuman) (M)
Voiced by: Kenji Nojima (Japanese); Dave Wittenberg (English)
Deceased Ep. 45. An aggressive individual who uses a yari. Is constantly reprimanded by Moses for his aggressive demeanor and extreme dislike for humans.
- Irène (イレーヌ Irēnu) (M)
Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese); Olivia Hack (English)
Deceased Ep 29. Uses a wide, double-sided sword. Has the ability to locate Saya regardless of distance. Her unfamiliarity with the normal things along the streets of Paris are used for comical effects (such as being a killer, but shunning away from a friendly dog out of fear; taking great interest in everything around her like an innocent child). Decided to stop killing humans and drinking blood, leaving her weakened and is saved from thugs by Kai in Paris. From the anime, most of the background information about the Schiffs are made known via the conversation between Irene and Kai shortly after, and Kai offers to talk Saya into giving some of her blood to Irene, who was suffering from "thorn" by then. It seems that Kai gave Irene much hope from the conversation they had, and Irene's last words are that if she recovers, she wishes for another chance to stroll around in Paris with him again. She dies after Saya agreed to give her some of her blood. Her death is instrumental to Saya's subsequent fall into depression and feeling lost and questioning her own path and purpose.
- Lulu (ルルゥ Rurū) (M)
Voiced by: Chiwa Saito (Japanese); Lara Jill Miller (English)
A diminutive young girl who uses an axe and befriends Saya's group. She also has sunken eyebags. She started to live with them since the death of her Schiff companions. Her dream is to live long enough to be an important person of somebody's memory. Her life has been extended and is the only survivor of the Schiff. She is last seen traveling with Akihiro and Mao. She has an innocent childish personality, as she is seen watching television and is the most cheerful of the Schiff, until times when Karman threw his tantrum on her for making friends with humans.
- Ghee
Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese); Kamali Minter (English)
Deceased Ep 21. A Schiff with an affinity for the moon. He used a type of dagger (katar). Ghee was suffering from the Thorn when the Schiff encountered Saya and Haji. Ghee was able to pin Haji to a tree with twin knives and a sword, and drank a small amount of his blood. The blood failed to cure him, and he was subsequently left to die in the sunlight when the Thorn became too severe.
- Dismas
Voiced by: Naomi Wakabayashi (Japanese); Abby Craden (English)
Killed by Solomon Ep 20. Female who broke into Cinq Fleches Lab. She used a cleaver. Both Dismas and Gestas are the names of the two thieves that were crucified with Jesus.
- Gestas
Voiced by: Hideki Tasaka (Japanese); Ben Diskin (English)
Killed by Solomon Ep 20. Male who broke into Cinq Fleches Lab. He used a naginata. Both Dismas and Gestas are the names of the two thieves that were crucified with Jesus.
- Darth
Voiced by: Tadahisa Saizen
Slain by the Corpse Corps in Ep 35. Short, cooperative being. Used a large mace.
- Gudrif
Voiced by: Kouji Yusa
Mortally wounded by the Corpse Corps in Ep 35, and chooses to die by the sun when Lulu brought Saya and Haji to save them. He wears large sunglasses, even at night and used a sword.
- Jan
Voiced by: Jin Domon (Japanese); Dave Wittenberg (English)
Slain by Saya in Ep 26. A non-descript Schiff. Used a pick-axe.
Minor characters
Okinawa locals
- Kaori Kinjo (I, M)
Voiced by: Mai Kadowaki (Japanese); Amber Hood (English)
Age 15: Saya's best friend at Koza Commerce High School. Later to be reunited with Saya. Although she does not know what Saya is, nor the burden she has to carry, Kaori knows something is up and cheers Saya on. - Prof. Hirohisa Sukegawa (S) (Tamio Sobami) - Forensic Pathologist at Naha University, conducted autopsy on serial murder victims. His office was raided after Okamura gave him a bottle of Chateau Duel '67 to test the contents.
- Sorimachi (Daisuke Ono) - Journalist working for a national paper in Okinawa. Attended the same University as Okamura
- Editor Takeda (Ikuya Sawaki) - Okamura's boss, character design modeleled after Seiji Takeda
- Katou & Kakimoto
Katou Voiced by: Takayuki Sakazume (Japanese); Benjamin Diskin (English)
Kakimoto Voiced by: Hiroshi Shirokuma (Japanese); Wally Wingert (English)
A duo of comic relief, always turn up where there is free food, ride scooters, used to hang out with Kai. - "Cry Baby" Forrest
Voiced by: You Kitazawa (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English)
George Miyagusuku's regular customer, ex-GI who is turned into a Chiropteran.
Vietnam locals
- Kurara (M) (Clara) Voiced by: Romi Paku (Japanese); Jennifer Darling (English), Spencer (M) (Takuya Kirimoto), Rodgers (M) (Takaya Kuroda), Makkoi (M) (McCoy) Voiced by: Tetsu Inada (Japanese); Quinton Flynn (English) - Red Shield Special Operations Team, who accompanied Saya and David into a Vietnam jungle in an effort to retrieve Diva's container. The mission was a failure, and these four team members were killed. In fact, at least one of them (including Kurara herself, who gets inflicted by a fatal blade wound) might have been slain by Saya who went berserk for a moment.
- Ms Lee (M)
Voiced by: Miyuki Ichijo (Japanese); Jennifer Darling (English)
School teacher at Saya's school.
- Min (M)
Voiced by: Mai Kadowaki (Japanese); Lara Jill Miller (English)
Saya's roommate and best friend in Vietnam. She has a bubbly personality and is apparently crazy about getting to know boys and dating. She gets the fright of her life when she witnesses Saya's newly-inflicted wounds heal right in front of her.
- Mui (M)
Voiced by: Risa Suzuki (Japanese); Janice Kawaye (English)
Riku's friend, test subject of the Delta 67 Phase 1 trial. She became a Chiropteran by Diva's Song and is now being held at Red Shield. It is unknown if they cure her or not.
Russian locals
- Liza (M) (エリザベータ) (Elizaveta, Elizabeta) Rika Fukami (Japanese), Kari Wahlgren (English) - Russian Red Shield agent. During her travel in the Trains-Siberian express, she is killed while taking a shower , and her naked body was thrown off the train by Amshel, who assumed her place, in order to get closer to Saya.
- Theodore A. "Ted" Adams (S) Voiced by: Kenichi Ogata (Japanese); David Rasner (English) and Phillip Rosenberg (S) Voiced by: Fumio Matsuoka (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English) - MIA Chiropteran scientists, last seen in Ekaterinburg. Ted died in the Sverdlovsk facility from wounds inflicted by his son. As a last request, he asked David to set off the bombs he placed in the facility to bury his son. David took his body away before complying to this request. Kai suggested that they should bury him there, but it is unknown whether they did or not. It is also unknown what happened to Phillip Rosenberg, though he was very ill and bed-ridden when David last saw him.
- Andrei Adams (Tadahisa Saizen) - Ted's son. Was changed into a chiropteran, and since the Russia experiments were terminated, his body was sealed in a Sverdlovsk facility, inside a massive block of concrete. Despite being almost entirely immobilized, he managed to claw his father and drink a little of his blood, and subsequently broke out. He was shot many times by Kai, David and Lewis, before being set on fire. He was buried in the facility when his father's explosives destroyed the building.
UK locals
- Glay (M) (Takayuki Sugō) - Was in Vietnam with George. Today he runs an orphanage trying to do the little things to make the world a more peaceful place, while teaching his military expertise to Kai.
- Monique (Kaori Nazuka) - Lives in Glay's orphanage helping him with the children. Apparently she likes Kai.
- Javier (Mai Kadowaki) and Nahabi (Rika Morinaga) - Orphans living with Glay and Monique while waiting for adoption.
American locals
- Mr. Grant (Tadahisa Saizen) - US Secretary of Defense, partnered with Amshel. Obviously modeled on Donald Rumsfeld.
- Bread (Minako Ichiki) - American politician. Turned into a chiropteran in the Metropolitan Opera House and was shot by Mr. Grant's White House bodyguards. Modeled on Condoleezza Rice.
External links
- BLOOD+ Official Character guide(Japanese)