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It seems plausible that Vampire Knight could be set in Japan, but I'm wondering if there is any more specific or concrete than that given either in canon or by one of the authors. If it is set on earth, where are the vampires from, because most of them are blond and blue-eyed, which would imply that they aren't from Japan.

Is there any evidence of whether Vampire Knight is set in Japan, or even on Earth?

Aki Tanaka
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kuwaly
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    There are plenty of anime clearly set in Japan that include a rainbow assortment of hair and eye colors... – atlantiza Mar 04 '13 at 22:14
  • I know, but it seems like a large majority of the vampires are light-haired and light-eyed, while a large majority of the humans are dark-haired and dark-eyed, so I was wondering if there is a specific non-Japanese place that they are from. – kuwaly Mar 04 '13 at 22:48
  • I could be wrong, but I'd like to point out that I didn't see any cars, and in one episode, dude pulls up to cross academy in a horse drawn carriage. But the clothes look modern as far as I could tell. So I was kinda wondering the same. –  Nov 23 '14 at 19:30

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I'm not sure how reliable is this source but according to TvTropes,

It's easy to miss the fact that the series is set in the far future, after the apocalypse, long enough after for things to have been rebuilt to about the same level. In a recent flashback, Juri tells a story of her adolescence to the young Yuuki; we've heard before that she was about three thousand years old, and the architecture and setting appears to be roughly modern day Japan, certainly within the last 30 years or so.

But I think the setting where Vampire Knight is set most likely fictional.

Aki Tanaka
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xjshiya
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I have the hunch that it may be set in a European country. Here's my evidence:

  • Most of the characters have light coloured hair and light coloured eyes. In fact, dark hair seems to be a rarity.
  • The layout of the classroom looks like a lecture hall, whereas all Japanese schools are set on one template, sliding doors, and single desks.
  • The town looks like pre-modern Germany or some Nordic town.
  • There are too many vampires. In Japan, with that many vampires, we would have found out by now.
  • The strongest bit of evidence I think is the first scene we ever see. Notice what species the trees are? Pine and Fir. And what does Yuki describe the place as? A snowy tundra. Seems like an insignificant detail but: Japan doesn't have tundras. And those evergreen trees I mentioned don't grow there either. At least not in the multitude shown.

So with all this evidence in mind, I honestly believe it is set in an Eastern European or Nordic country.

Aki Tanaka
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Lexi
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The physical setting, given the types of plant and animal life, I would assume is on earth, but definitely not in Japan. Just because it is an anime/manga series, it doesn't mean that the setting must always be exclusively in Japan.

It seems to be in more of a rural, European area. The reason I say that is because the architecture of the buildings seem to have more of a western world design, and the occasional runes that one would see whilst focusing on the background of certain episodes/chapters tend to look as if they were more from the middle ages or the Renaissance period than feudal era of Japan. If I were to be a little more specific, I would say somewhere in the northern UK. Also, yes there are scenes in which it seems like they are in a very busy town, but the surrounding area suggests that it is in a northern wooded area that's rather secluded.

As for the time period, I would like to say that during the recent events in the series (meaning when it's not a flashback moment) the time period would be somewhere between the mid 90's and mid-2000's. This is because though it seems like there is recent technology in the town area, there doesn't seem to be any trace of the new technology that we have today such as smartphones and tablets.

The vampires themselves I would also assume are not Japanese, but European with the exception of Shizuka Hio. The fact that many of the names are Japanese could be the fault of the author for not taking in to account that he set the characters in a European-like setting.

When one steps back and looks at the age of the vampire race that the series suggests and compare it to that of the history of Japan as a country, the vampires have a longer history and have been around longer than the country of Japan has. The purebloods would be no doubt from one ethnic decent such as English or French while the nobles could have more than one ethnic decent. The physical traits of commonly having blond hair and blue eyes suggest that German decent is common.

The "level E" vampires are what I assume to be just what the series describes them as. As for where the vampire race came from in general, I'm not entirely sure, but I do have a theory that their origins are similar to that of the main characters in the movie Hancock starring Will Smith & Charlize Theron.

Aki Tanaka
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Mina tepes
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  • Do you have anything to back up that its in the mid90s/00s? – Toshinou Kyouko Oct 09 '14 at 22:10
  • In the Manga with Flash Backs of Lord Kaname and the Hooded Woman the technological difference wasn't all that different despite the 10,000 year gap and the Furnace that makes Vampire Killing Weapons has not changed at all since it was first lit back then, this could be an indication of Technological Stagnation. – Memor-X Oct 09 '14 at 22:45