By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

MATURE CONTENT WARNING – This post contains content that we at The Anime View do not think is suitable for everyone. Subjects or possible triggers will include incest and pseudoincest. By clicking “Read More,” you understand that you will encounter such content in the discussion here. Reader discretion is advised.

Editorial Note: Unfortunately, I don’t currently have the specific chapters or episodes from which the images in this post are taken. These images were saved years ago on my laptop when I was posting about the series on Tumblr and creating wallpaper collages for my desktop screensaver. I can confirm that all images are from either the manga, game, or anime (excluding Vampire Knight: Memories, though the series is mentioned). My apologies.

Get this, y’all—a student in one of my classes last semester mentioned rewatching Vampire Knight, and as soon as I heard the name, the opening song immediately started playing in my head, leaving me flashing back to my tween years when I was obsessed with the series. It was a dark time—creatively, mentally, and aesthetically—what can I say? My vampire phase hit hard then.

I want to say that Vampire Knight—both the manga and the anime—is deeply flawed, yet it’s easy to get drawn in by its gothic character designs and dark academia aesthetic. As I’ve grown older, I can’t help but dwell on the more toxic, incestuous undertones of the series but, at its core, there’s still a tale of romance buried beneath the strange bloodlust and blood related politics. This is especially true when you consider the complicated relationships between Yuki Cross and her main love interests: Zero Kiryu and Kaname Kuran. That said, I will forever be a shipper of the couple that never sailed—Hanabusa Aido and Yuki Cross/Kuran (Aido x Yuki). Let’s discuss my sunken ship:

The love triangle between Yuki, Zero, and Kaname is central to Vampire Knight and serves as a perfect example of the series’ exploration of toxic relationships. However, this isn’t the first, nor the last, time incest is involved. I’m pretty sure the few non-toxic ships in the series are the ones completely unrelated to Kuran bloodline, like Rima Toya and Senri Shiki. Yuki’s biological parents, Haruka and Juri, were part of a long tradition of the Kuran Family’s incest chain spanning centuries. Yuki herself ends up with both of her adoptive brothers (spoilers!), one of whom is her ancestor, and together she has two daughters with each of them, Ai and Ren, who are half-sisters and… also in love with each other.

Yuki’s caught between her feelings for her childhood friend/adopted brother, Zero, and her mysterious ancestor-turned-child-turned-older adoptive brother, Kaname. Yuki’s journey is marked by manipulation, emotional conflict, and a tangled mess of incestuous and pseudoincestuous relationships that define much of the slow-building discomfort I have for the series years later. While audiences today laugh at these themes, they seemed like a significant part of the vampire allure for fandoms at the time of the anime’s release in the West. Even in more recent years these pairings get discussed too, such as this Reddit post I found while drafting my post: https://www.reddit.com/r/shoujo/comments/16hyvzm/i_cant_be_the_only_one_vampire_knight/

In fact, when I first started posting for this blog, the Vampire Knight tag on Tumblr was filled with shipping posts, predominantly for either Yuki x Zero or Yuki x Kaname. Moreover, with series like True Blood and various other vampire stories populating the shelves, I hate to say it, but this kind of toxicity was rampant and this kind of story line wasn’t exactly the most taboo in the bunch.

Zero, for his part, is constantly battling his bloodlust and the curse of being a vampire hunter. His feelings for Yuki are tainted by this, leading him to push her away despite clearly wanting to be with her. This creates a cycle of emotional pain for both of them as they struggle with their identities and the potential meaning of their love. On the other hand, Kaname represents the seductive pull of the vampiric world Yuki always belonged to, though he carries his own burdens of secrecy and ulterior motives that cast a shadow over his relationship with Yuki throughout the series.

Even beyond their upbringing and familial ties, Yuki’s relationships with both Zero and Kaname illustrate how love can become toxic when mixed with power dynamics and personal sacrifices. It also shows them as having an inability, or a lack of want, to break a longstanding cycle of incest within the family (or something like that). In the end, everyone involved is left wounded in ways that may never fully heal whether the Vampire Knight: Memories wants to fully acknowledge that or not.

The series tries to present bloodlust as symbolic of love, since it is quenched only by a loved one’s blood, but in Vampire Knight, bloodlust isn’t just a physical craving—it represents a deeper struggle for control and identity. Zero’s journey embodies this, as he grapples with his inner demons and the fear of becoming what he hates. His constant battle with himself tests his relationship with Yuki, who tries to love and support him while confronting her own long-standing feelings for Kaname… and what really frustrates me is that there was a potential solution to this messy love triangle that was far less toxic than the ending we got because, really, Yuki could have ended up with Aido.

Let’s be honest: Yuki and Aido should have been together. I genuinely believe the author intended for their relationship to develop, but that fans and critics ultimately pushed hard for Kaname and Zero leading us to what we have now. That’s just a theory by the way—I have no proof regarding the author’s intent on this. I have not looked into it. It is a theory that helps me sleep at night and I do have some in-series examples that I hope can help sway you all to my side for boarding this ship.

See, throughout the series, the chemistry between Yuki and Aido is evident and building. Unlike her complicated and often toxic relationships with Zero and Kaname, Aido offers Yuki a sense of companionship that feels genuine and supportive.

He starts off as a small-antagonist both in the manga and the anime. He pushes the boundaries, and sometimes tip-toes around the border, but tends to stay within the realms of reason. This infuses their interactions with a playful dynamic and sort of mutual respect/disrespect in the beginning, creating a stark contrast to the emotional turmoil Yuki experiences with the other leading male characters. Such as this scene:

Or this one:

Or this one:

Or this one where he’s more so flirty and teasing than actually being hellbent on satisfying his bloodlust:

While Aido may come off as obnoxious and rude, he’s not necessarily a bad guy. He sort of likes Yuki, or is at least aware of her and not in a negative way. Same can be said of her, which we see a bit of in their first ever meeting, which is depicted in the manga:

He, like Kaname and Zero, likes Yuki. Which, if bloodlust is supposed to be symbolic of love, we have him discussing his enjoyment of her blood before either of the male leads when, after tasting hers and getting in trouble for it, he says:

Moreover, Aido offers a fresh perspective on love and loyalty. While Zero and Kaname are tied to the darker, more complicated aspects of Yuki’s life, Aido brings a lightness that could have provided her with a healthier, more balanced relationship. When Yuki returns to being a full vampire, Aido is quick to support her. While part of that may be due to vampire hierarchy, their dynamic after the transformation feels more like Aido embracing her as the playful yet loyal Kuran supporter he’s always been.

As the plot progresses—Zero fully embracing his role as a hunter and Kaname disappearing for a significant period while Yuki becomes central to Vampire Society—her bond with Aido only deepens. He acts as her teacher, her guard, her support, and her friend:

And, she reciprocates as time progresses too:

In a narrative where toxic relationships are a recurring theme, the development of a more positive and uplifting romance between Yuki and Aido adds depth and nuance to the story. It presents both Yuki and the audience with a third, more logical option—an option that could have made sense for Yuki and one that both Kaname and Zero could have lost to with honor.

For example, in a later chapter, there’s a confrontation between Zero and Aido, with the caption, “Two Knights. And the princess is…?” The knights refer to Zero, who always tried to protect Yuki from a distance, and Aido, who is now by Yuki’s side. The “princess,” of course, is Yuki.

The two talk, and Aido calls out Zero for his cowardice regarding his relationship with Yuki:

Aido tells Zero that if he were in his position, he’d fight for the person he wants to be with. As a fan, this is where I want to scream: “Damn it, Aido, then fight for her now!” Ahem—personal feelings aside, Zero doesn’t particularly like Aido. In fact, he even held a weapon to him earlier and “playfully” arrested him temporarily which, I have to admit, made me laugh when I first read it:

Although Zero doesn’t like Aido, he doesn’t reject what Aido says and even seems to agree with him. (He also continues using honorifics!!) They aren’t exactly friends, but it shows me that Aido is a good match for the emotionally open and honest Yuki especially compared to the ever brooding men she likes instead.

Kaname, on the other hand, also isn’t always fond of Aido—literally slapping him repeatedly throughout the series (I mean, I think it happens like 5+ times in the anime) and later killing Aido’s father without concern for how this action would affect his “friendship” with Aido. Yet, despite this, Kaname entrusted Yuki to Aido’s care for her safety, protection, and well-being several times.

Ultimately, I find Yuki and Aido’s relationship serves as a refreshing counterpoint to the series’ darker elements. They share fun, light-hearted moments that showcase their closeness and bond in both the anime and manga.

This more positive relationship shows that Yuki and Aido’s pairing wasn’t just a personal, fan preference but a logical direction the narrative could have—and arguably should have—taken.

Their relationship is one that develops through consistent growth over time in both the manga and partially in the anime. Sincerely, the groundwork was there, and while Zero’s and Kaname’s stories were both compelling, their relationships with Yuki were ultimately built on toxic, pseudo-incestious, self-serving foundations of secrecy and emotional betrayals. Both “get the girl,” but at a much greater mental, emotional, and physical cost to Yuki than to themselves because, unlike Yuki, they chose the harder path.

Aido and Yuki, on the other hand, may not have had the most dramatic relationship, but theirs was certainly a much healthier one. It was built on mutual support, took time and effort to develop, and both contributed significantly to it. They were strangers who became friends first—not siblings—which makes it unfortunate that the story didn’t explore their relationship further.

As it so happens, if you’ve ever wondered how the story might have unfolded if Yuki and Aido had paired up, you can get a glimpse by playing the Vampire Knight DS game, an otome game featuring multiple Night Class options, including Aido. (You can read a playthrough here: https://kaho-yukimura.livejournal.com/29135.html). This route gives us some fun art and insights into how their relationship could have developed, and I absolutely love that:

Thank you for reading! If you have time, please let me know who you’d pair with Yuki from this series after reading my post. I honestly want to know if I’ve been able to convince you all!

Developmental edits by: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow