Tsukune Aono

Tsukune Aono, once human, now balances on the edge between two worlds. His time at the Yokai Academy brought him closer to the monsters who saw his humanity and his heart. Though now a vampire, he clings to the hope of peaceful coexistence, even as the shadows whisper of darker paths.

Healing is an ability that allows a vampire to infuse their blood into other creatures, thereby healing their wounds. However, due to the peculiarities of yokai physiology, infusing this blood into a human carries a high risk of mutating them, acquiring yokai abilities, or dying, unable to withstand the mystical power. By infusing enough blood, a vampire can even resurrect a recently deceased individual. Transformation is an ability that allows one to alter the structure of one's body, enabling one to transform into various animals. Due to vampires' vanity, they rarely use this power, considering it humiliating.

Shinso is the title of a vampire who shares the blood of one of the most powerful vampires in history. Shinso are far more powerful than classic vampires, possessing both a greater supply of youki and the ability to utilize vampiric abilities at a higher level. Shinso also possess unique powers unavailable to others. Shinsō's abilities: Initiation—an ability that allows one to transfer Shinsō power to others. To do this, the vampire must infuse their blood into the target. Shinsō power can also be forcibly taken—by killing the title holder and consuming their blood. Creation is an ability that allows one to mix youki with one's own blood, thereby gaining the ability to transform it into anything. This allows Shinsō to create weapons, armor, or other items, such as clothing, for themselves. Wings - Using his transformation power, Tsukune can grow long wings that he can use to fly through the air.

Muei-Tou prevents objects in close proximity from traveling between dimensions, thus granting Tsukune the ability to block interdimensional attacks. Muei-Tou Yamikiri is an offensive version of Muei-Tou, in which Tsukune rearranges his tonfas, extending them forward like blades. The technique's cutting power is powerful enough to inflict damage on higher-level yokai.

A vampire is a type of higher yōkai that resembles normal humans in appearance. Distinguishing features of vampires include red corneas, vertical pupils, and sharp fangs protruding from their mouths. By harnessing his shinsō powers and gaining experience from other powerful yōkai, Tsukune finally completed his transformation, becoming a full-fledged vampire. Vampire abilities: Immortality is the ability to live for long periods of time without aging or weakening. Vampires also possess extremely high regeneration, allowing them to recover from penetrating wounds, broken bones, or the destruction of internal organs. Sensing is an ability that allows vampires to sense the presence of supernatural beings around them and the effects of their powers. This allows them to detect enemies hiding from them, anticipate attacks from behind, or detect abilities activated in their presence. Concentration is an ability that allows one to gather one's own youki and convert it into physical force. Thus, vampires, while often possessing a slight build, are endowed with colossal physical parameters, allowing them to be among the most powerful youkai in the world. Attraction is an ability that allows one to enchant others, thereby drawing them to oneself and allowing one to drink their blood with impunity. This ability is most effective on mortals, due to their low resistance to such influences. This ability does not require activation, which is why vampires sometimes use it unconsciously.

A modified human is a person whose body has been transformed by the black magic of one of the dark lords, thereby gaining the ability to use demonic techniques. Upon completing the transformation, Tsukune's power became comparable to that of a master of the dark arts, allowing him to both greatly enhance his physical capabilities and gain unique magical talents. Abilities of a modified human: Enhancement Channel - restructured cells in Tsukune's body that generate and amplify youki, thereby increasing the natural limit of available energy and granting him significantly greater power. The Transformer is a biological mechanism that allows Tsukune to transform the properties of youki, thereby gaining the ability to use various mystical abilities or strengthen his own attacks. Shockwave is an ability that allows one to generate streams of energy with hand movements, allowing attacks to be launched from several meters away. Tsukune's strikes are powerful enough to shatter rocks. Shockwave is an ability that allows one to generate streams of energy with hand movements, allowing attacks to be launched from several meters away. Tsukune's strikes are powerful enough to shatter rocks. Bakuryujin is a skill that allows Tsukune to create a massive wave of youki by striking the ground, repelling objects. This technique can be used both offensively and defensively, allowing her to repel enemy projectiles. Muei-Tou is an ability that allows the user to create tonfa of light around her hands, thereby enhancing Tsukune's offensive and defensive capabilities. This technique is specifically designed to protect against the spatial attack Hougetsu Jigen-Tou, which allows its user to transport their body through dimensions, thereby destroying objects without regard for their actual durability.

• After becoming a vampire, Tsukune can now be considered a member of the Shuzen family, as Nurari hired Issa to be his mentor and bodyguard. Although Tsukune developed a vampire-like bloodlust after Chapter 27, he suppressed it through sheer willpower. Even after becoming a true vampire at the end of the story, he continued to contain it and never gave in.

According to Alucard, Tsukune is the "trump card" that will help him win. Mikogami later admits that he used Tsukune as Alucard instructed, and that they needed him for the final battle. This means that Tenmei Mikogami had been preparing him for this battle from the very beginning, deliberately transforming Tsukune into a Shinso vampire by placing the Holy Lock on him.

• It can be assumed that after the battle with Fairy Tail and Alucard, Tsukune went to visit his parents and cousin to tell them about the Yokai Academy and his transformation into a shindo vampire before returning back to the monster realm.
• In the manga, Tsukune was chosen by Mikogami to replace himself as the headmaster of the Yokai Academy; however, until he becomes stronger through training with Issa Shuzen, the job goes to Nurari, the bus driver. In the manga, Tsukune sacrificed both his life and his humanity twice to save Moka. The first time, he did it to save her from Mido, and the second time, to give her his blood (which, by the way, is originally her blood. When he said, "My life and many memories, it was you who originally gave me all of this. So I return them to you," he meant it. According to Gyokuro herself, Tsukune and Moka's strength should be even more dangerous, as their blood is the blood of two Shinsō, not just one (Akashi and Alucard). While fighting Tsukune, Gyokuro noticed that he was getting closer and closer to Alucard's level. Touhou Fouhai also mentioned something similar when he fought Tsukune in his jet-black monster form. In the manga's epilogue, Tsukune was so deeply conflicted by the changes in Inner Moka that Issa told him that Outer Moka still lived within Inner Moka. This made Tsukune see that she was still alive, and the souls of the two Mokas were merging into one, as Tsukune noticed that the tips of Inner Moka's hair had turned a pale pink. Just as he had always hoped. As a newborn vampire of the Shinso clan, Tsukune is the first ancestor of the Aono family.

Belmont (formerly): When Tsukune first began training to use his vampiric powers, due to his lack of experience controlling his Yoki, Tenmei Mikogami lent him the Belmont. This legendary whip once belonged to a monster hunter and could neutralize magic, such as his holy lock and Moka's Rosary. By fusing his holy lock with something like Ruby, he could transfer excess energy to it when releasing it, using Belmont's magic-nullifying properties, allowing him to use his powers without being consumed by it. However, after training Moka to detect Yoki, he never used this whip again. Interesting facts:

• From the beginning of the second season of the manga, Tsukune's hair begins to lose its spikiness and becomes smoother, similar to Kasumi Aono's hair. This is consistent with his increasingly handsome and less ordinary appearance. This is likely due to his vampire blood, as vampires are naturally attractive to others. In the anime, Tsukune doesn't become a ghoul or a vampire, but he was injected with Moka Akashii's blood, causing his eyes to turn red. He was also able to move much faster than even Moka, though he was somewhat confused by what had happened. In addition to the natural regenerative properties gained from the injection, he undergoes similar physical changes, such as brighter hair and red eyes with slit pupils, all characteristic of a super vampire. Unlike Moka, Tsukune doesn't develop a different personality, keeping his consciousness intact, though he initially had memory issues.
• In the anime, Tsukune openly expresses disgust when seeing Yukari Sendou fondling Moka, though he initially got a nosebleed due to Moka being the one being fondled and seeing the strange attention Kurumu and Yukari's admirers were giving them.
• In the manga alone, Tsukune removing his Holy Lock to save Moka is a good example of how far Tsukune is willing to go for love and his friends.

Used Artifacts: Holy Lock (formerly): After Tsukune first became a ghoul, the academy's headmaster, Tenmei Mikogami, gifted him the Holy Lock, a magical amulet he wore on his wrist to remain human and suppress the unstable vampire blood in his veins. While the lock allowed him to safely use some of the powers granted to him by Moka's blood, it sometimes caused the connection to be severed if he overexerts himself. By his second year, Tsukune set himself the goal of becoming stronger by learning to control his vampiric powers. After training with Inner Moka and Ruby, he gained some refined control over his aura, being able to use his powers on command without damaging the Holy Lock. As a modified human, Tsukune learned to remove the lock's seals with magic to gain greater access to his powers. When he decided to become a true vampire to revive the mortally wounded Moka with a blood transfusion, he ripped the entire Lock from his wrist and abandoned it ever since. Soon after, Alucard reveals that the true purpose of the Holy Lock is to adapt the host's body to the sealed power while suppressing the side effects, essentially turning it into a tool for safely transforming a person into a monster. Unlocking the First Seal: After training at Touhou Fuhai, Tsukune masters the technique of breaking the Holy Castle's First Seal. This allows him to utilize his vampiric abilities to a greater extent than when the Castle is fully sealed. However, this leaves him vulnerable to a slow but gradual transformation into a ghoul. Unlocking the Second Seal: After breaking the first seal of the Holy Castle, Tsukune can do the same with the second seal to use more of his power when needed. Unfortunately, this accelerates his transformation into a ghoul to the point where his body begins to visibly mutate.

Tsukune is well aware that most of his girlfriends fawn over him. While he cares deeply for all of them, he doesn't feel the same way about them as they do about him. This, however, doesn't prevent him from being agitated or sexually aroused by their numerous attempts to seduce him or win his affections. Knowing their feelings for him also explains his rather chivalrous, passive attitude toward these proposals, as a direct refusal would likely break their hearts. Nevertheless, he managed to subtly rebuff all the advances of Kurumu, Mizore, Yukari, and Ruby, even when some of them did so half-dressed or completely naked. Even after becoming a vampire, Tsukune hasn't changed as a person. He considers himself the same person on the inside as he once was on the outside. It doesn't matter to him who he is, as long as his personality remains intact and he can protect and be with those he cares about, especially Moka.

Personality: Tsukune is known as a sweet, sweet, kind, caring, selfless, naive, brave, determined, timid, and weak character who, throughout the series, demonstrates concern for people to protect those he loves. During his training at Yokai Academy, he begins to see monsters as equals and shares the hope that they can live peacefully alongside humans. Despite this, he has repeatedly found himself in dangerous, even life-threatening, situations. He can be quite shy and flustered when girls get too close to him. But now that he has become stronger as a vampire, he helps people fight evil, even facing the possibility of injury or even death. He is also willing to sacrifice everything to protect those dear to him, even his own humanity. This is what ultimately earned him friends at the academy, as well as the affection of Moka Akashii, Kurumu Kurono, Mizore Shirayuki, Ruby Tojo, and Yukari Sendou. An idealist striving for peace, he prefers diplomacy to violence. He expressed a desire to simply reason with certain monsters, such as Lady Oyakata and Gyokuro Shuzen, rather than fight them. While he certainly viewed many of the enemies he encountered with anger, he didn't seem to sincerely wish them harm or death. However, there are exceptions to this: he killed several Black Parade ghouls before confronting Gyokuro, an act that, given the fact that they were once vampires transformed into beings, could be considered a kind of mercy killing. He had previously verbally threatened Kuyo's life during their rematch, though this was likely a side effect of Tsukune's own vile nature, which manifested after the first seal on his Holy Castle was broken. His use of Creation to nearly destroy Alucard's body also conveys killing intent, which is entirely justified, given that Alucard was too large and resilient to be injured by anything else.

Kurumu later dubbed this transformation the "Black Monster." After breaking the first and second seals of the Holy Lock aboard the Hanging Garden, Tsukune's third transformation into a ghoul occurs slowly but surely: a black layer of skin gradually covers his body, wings begin to sprout from his back, and body parts such as his right arm sporadically mutate due to his close proximity to the awakening Alucard, whose blood, transferred directly to him by Moka and her mother, interacts with the supernatural energy of its original owner through his body. Having removed his Holy Lock to become a Shinsō vampire and learned to control his new abilities with the help of his friends, Tsukune can use his now-immense Wealth of Power to alter his appearance. He can now turn his black hair silver, his round pupils slit, and create a black layer of skin covering most of his body, save for his face. This greater access to his aura allows him to sprout large, bat-like wings from his back and possibly transform completely into a bat. He can also use his Creation ability to form a suit of flexible steel armor around his upper body, providing some protection from injury. For most of the series, Tsukune wore the traditional male Yokai Academy uniform, like Moka, albeit the traditional white high-collared shirt with a red bow tie. With minor personal modifications, he wears a white button-down shirt, red tie, light green uniform jacket, black belt, light brown khaki pants, and dark brown loafers or school shoes. In the anime, he sometimes wore green-soled Uwabaki slippers. After his battle with Alucard at the end of the manga, he discards his uniform jacket entirely. His casual attire consists of a green button-down shirt, a white t-shirt, a black belt, brown cargo pants, and white sneakers.

First Appearance and Hard Life at Ōkai Academy: Beginning: Tsukune's typical appearance is that of a very handsome teenage male with black hair (brown in the anime), brown eyes, and a relatively athletic and slender build, as well as fair skin in the manga. Whenever he is injected with a small amount of Moka Akashi's blood, his eyes develop slit pupils, much like those of a true vampire, when he manifests his power. After becoming a modified human, blue patterns reminiscent of circuit board conductive traces appear on Tsukune's skin when using his newly learned spells and powers. His eyes also change color from brown to blue when using certain yōjutsu techniques. The wounds he frequently receives in fights with monsters leave several scars on his body, the most noticeable of which is an X-shaped mark on his torso, which he received from a monster with blades for arms. During his initial transformation into a ghoul, he develops the aforementioned vampiric eyes, as well as a black, web-like mark on his neck and face, caused by the pricks of Moka's fangs. When he fully, albeit temporarily, transforms into a ghoul during a human modification ritual, he develops silver hair, blank white eyes, fangs, and bat-like wings. His skin also becomes predominantly black, with red patches on some muscles and crack-like patterns on his face, arms, and torso.