Zero Kiryu

About Zero Kiryu:

Zero Kiryu (錐生 零, Kiryū Zero) is both an ex-human vampire and a vampire hunter. Zero is the older twin brother of Ichiru Kiryu, Yuki Kuran's partner, and the biological father of Ren Kiryu.

Appearance:

Zero is a tall young man with short straight silver hair, snowy-white skin and lavender eyes, the latter varying in shade from the manga to anime. Zero is a casual dresser and is usually wearing his school uniform incorrectly, with the vest and red tie exposed from under his black jacket. He also wears five silver earrings; three on his left ear cartilage (top) and two on his right (bottom). Zero bears a tattoo, the Hunter's Seal, on the left side of his neck, originally used to suppress his vampire side, and later used to tame him. He has grown taller as the series progresses. Zero is considered to be attractive and handsome, by both Day and Night Class students.

Personality:

Zero is generally a composed person. When he comes across to other students as cold hearted and hostile, he is friendlier towards Yuki and occasionally shows his true emotions to her. However, when Yuki was revealed to be a Pureblood vampire, he became cold and hostile, especially towards Kaname and Yuki. Though he appears otherwise, he is a gentle and kind person. Due to his childhood, he builds barriers around himself, and does not let these barriers down all the way, even for Yuki. Despite this, he has a kind heart which longs to protect humans, and he will never betray the ones he holds dear.

Part of History:

As a child, Zero was once a quiet and gentle boy, to the point that Ichiru questioned whether or not he was even capable of being a vampire hunter. However, after Shizuka's attack, Zero developed a strong hatred towards vampires. Zero is a tsundere character; he sports a scary aura that makes most of the Day Class students wary of him. He can also glare in a way that even Kaname calls scary. However, his innate nature is to protect humans, and his cold attitude towards those he loves is likely to push them away and keep everyone at a distance. Following his full awakening as a vampire, Zero harbors a great disgust towards himself because of his inability to control his hunger and his reliance on Yuki. His dismal outlook on his future, and fear of what he might do if he becomes a level E, causes him to give up and he almost kill himself with his anti-vampire gun - the Bloody Rose. However, Yuki arrives just in time to stop him. At times, he would rather ignore his hunger to the point of starvation instead of going to Yuki for help. He tries to help Yuki resolve her own problems and then impresses upon her that its alright for her to burden and use him because she owns him. Zero is hostile towards the Night Class vampires when they threaten him, however he adopts his standard tsundere attitude when engaging them one on one, retaining a level of civility. Zero expresses a great deal of anger towards Purebloods because of their mechanisms in his life in particular, and because of this, he extends this hostility toward Yuki as well after she reawakens into a Pureblood vampire. In spite of this, his sense of duty overrides his issues, ensuring his reliability and trustworthiness. A gifted hunter who is intelligent, athletic, and good-hearted, Zero nevertheless has a difficult time thinking of himself or any other vampire as anything but a monster. He struggles both with his desires for blood and his equally strong desire to kill vampires.

Powers and Abilities:

Zero is a vampire hunter who was chosen by Kaname to become a Pureblood killing machine. Zero possesses the standard abilities to sense vampires from a far distance, accelerated healing and in spite of being a vampire, is also able to wield anti-vampire weapons. Since he became a vampire, Zero is able to distinguish Purebloods from other vampires and has gained improved healing abilities. Kaname tells Zero that after he devours Ichiru's blood, he would become the world's strongest hunter. He then explains that since he has drank from Yuki's since she was a Pureblood, as well as Kaname and Shizuka's blood, it has made him the most powerful vampire hunter. After completing the fragment, along with Ichiru now being deceased, Bloody Rose has now become a part of his body, growing vines that can easily kill vampires; although it requires a high dosage of his blood to do so. [1] Zero's beast form made its first appearance in 40th Night after he drank Ichiru's blood and its shadow was seen on the wall. In 82nd Night, the beast form is released in a new attack from Bloody Rose when Zero fights Kaname shortly after drinking Sara Shirabuki's blood. Bloody Rose The Bloody Rose is an anti-vampire gun that Zero keeps behind his school uniform blazer. Zero is able to transform his gun, Bloody Rose, into its evolved state after consuming his twin brother, Ichiru. Bloody Rose literally becomes a part of his body. However the cost is using a high amount of his blood. In both the manga and anime, Zero had used Bloody Rose to kill Rido. Origins of Bloody Rose Bloody Rose was a weapon born from the sacrifice of a Pureblood vampire, The Hooded Woman, 10,000 years ago. Artemis and Bloody Rose were originally Kaname Kuran's personal weapons during the wartime before he gave them to Kaien Cross to be in-charge. They were later passed down to Yuki Kuran when she became the school guardian and Zero Kiryu when he became a vampire hunter respectively.

Relationships:

Zero and Ichiru Main article: Zero & Ichiru Ichiru was the younger twin brother of Zero. Since they were twins born to a Vampire Hunter family, Zero and Ichiru were the cursed twins. To Zero's discomfort, Ichiru often questioned in childhood why he was born since it was obvious that Zero was the one who should have eaten him in the womb. Zero would scold Ichiru for his self-loathing and try to comfort him. However, Ichiru's feelings of jealousy and despair continued to grow until Shizuka appeared and offered him a means to escape his fate. Zero watched his twin in devastation as Ichiru ordered Shizuka to murder their parents and leave him to live. Now the hunter is torn between love and hate for his younger twin. Eventually it is learned that despite his conflicting feelings toward Ichiru he still loves his little brother. Before the war with Rido Kuran, he seeks Zero once more and asks him to consume him, so that he can once more become a part of his brother. Ichiru is happy when Zero says he doesn't wish for Ichiru to die; meaning Zero still had some love for his little brother. Zero ate Ichiru (another meaning for taking in Ichiru Kiryu's blood so they would be one like how they were supposed to before they were born) . Ichiru's dying wish is for Zero to live on and complete his goal. Even after death, Ichiru's ghost often comforts Zero as the hunter questions whether he is losing his humanity. Main article: Zero & Kaito Kaito used to be under the care and tutoring of Yagari along with Zero and Ichiru, and being years older than them, used to tease them at any chance due to Zero's soft heartedness and Ichiru's lack of hunter skills and health; they both soon share similar situations when Zero takes Ichiru's life just as Kaito took his own brother's - all due to a pureblood. As they meet once again when they're older (Kaito enrolls at Cross Academy as a teacher), Kaito still upholds his extreme dislike towards vampires, especially purebloods, and doesn't seem to mind pointing out Yuki's actions towards Zero.

Quotes:

"They are beasts in human form!" (To Yuki) "I feel like...I'll go mad ...if I'm not hunting vampires during the night." (To Yuki) "They're beasts in human form! How can you trust them? Tell me!" (To Kaien) "Are you going to let me live, Kuran?" (To Kaname) "Drinking blood on school ground is prohibited. Perhaps you were drunk with the sweet smell of blood, Aido." (To Hanabusa) "I am not your adopted son! You may have cared for me, but I did not allow you to ADOPT me!" (To Kaien) "Don't talk about my parents like that!" (To Yagari) " If you go one step ahead of me, I'll make you cry. " (To a Day Class Girl) " Listen up, brats! Get the hell back to your dorms! Why do I have to deal with you running around screaming "Kyaa! Kyaa!" every damn day?! Why?! " (To the Day Class Girls) "You'd probably wish to have your blood drank by Kaname-senpai, right?" (To Yuki) "You heard it too? The sound of your blood being sucked in by me. After such a hair-raising experience you can't act as if nothing has changed. So don't interfere anymore." (To Yuki) "Yuki, I...I only desired your blood, Yuki...I want it so much that it's unbearable to the point that unless I drank from you until the very limits of your life, I wouldn't be satisfied...such a disgusting, gluttonous greed...that is...the type of creature I am isn't it...?" (To Yuki) "Ichiru told me to live... and fulfill my goal. But I was afraid..All this time...I haven't faced my true feelings. I won't hide behind excuses anymore." (To Yuki) "He and... your daughter with him... And I'm one of the persons you love too.." (To yuki) "I know that your heart stopped moving that day" (To Yuki about Kaname's death)

Triva:

Zero's given name (零) is usually read in Japanese as rei, which means zero. His surname, Kiryu, consists of the characters for auger (錐, kiri) and life (生, nama). Zero Good at: Sciences,Cooking, Horseback Riding, Marksmanship. Zero Favorite Food: Ramen with Salt Broth. Zero Hobbies: Eating and sleeping. Zero Respects: His Master. Zero Taste In Women: Cool older women (Flat -Chested women are out of the Question). Zero Favorite Fashion : Whatever (like Yuki Chooses for him). As Kaname notes, kindness is a trait Zero had even before he was born. Ichiru was the weaker twin, and should have been consumed by Zero; however, Zero did not, just a sign of how kind he can be. Zero's classification as a vampire is up to debate. Whether he is considered a Level D or C is unknown.