Trinity Blood (Anime & Manga)

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Armageddon. It is the 3050, almost a millennia after mankind nearly destroyed itself. The world's nations are split between two superpowers, a militant Vatican as the protector of the human race, and the Methuselah Empire, a powerful Vampire-led supranational state. The two powers are in a state of Cold War, with a precarious peace maintained by wise diplomats from both sides. Yet powerful enemies aim the world order and create a new war between Vampires and Humans. In the midst of this is Father Abel Nightroad, a compassionate and clumsy agent, desperately fighting to create an understanding between the two races. To complicate matters, Abel is plagued by his own mysterious past and dark secrets. Will he succeed? Or will the world succumb to war that so many desperately want?


I don't know how many people on this Forum are fans of anime, but Trinity Blood is one of my favorite all-time series. To be fair, I don't particularly watch a lot of anime so that statement may not be worth very much. However, I think that Trinity Blood is something that even people who are not fans of anime can enjoy. This series came out in 2005, and I watched it on Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" in 2006. This series is a mixture of fantasy, science fiction, and action. The anime is also full of geopolitical innuendo with many parallels to historical trends. The obvious USA vs Soviet Union narrative is there, as well as racism, segregation, and religious dogmatism, albeit from a perspective of Japan. Japanese ignorance of Western history and politics is fairly evident here, yet is it this ignorance that produces a very interesting narrative and universe. An outsider's perspective is always interesting to listen to, even if it is blatantly wrong.

The characters and story line are quite charismatic and interesting. The shows does a very good job of familiarizing us with characters from many different backgrounds, personalities, and missions. Even many unlikable characters end up being quite interesting in their motivations and story line. There is a slight dose of romance involved, but it does not ruin the plot. The obvious attraction between the two main characters is stymied by the realities of their political positions and responsibilities. And it is quite realistic, after all, I'm sure many of us have felt romantic feelings for someone we cannot have. Though we may move on and not act upon such desires, those desires still exist. The most important part of the characters remain their motivations and missions. The relationships between these characters play a secondary role for the sake of fleshing them out.

Then of course there is the setting itself. Nations like "Albion" represent Post-Apocalypse Britain. The Vampires of the New Human Empire have a decidedly Slavic/Eastern European/Middle Eastern feel to them, with titles like Marquise of Kiev and Duke of Tigris. You can feel the stark differences in cultures between different characters. There are elements of Gothic culture in this series throughout, especially when it comes to the clothing. Sharp suits and majestic dresses. The airships are clearly technology of the future, yet the series constantly references "lost technologies" which suggest and even more impressive level of technological achievement. Yet despite the wildly different setting, the world faces similar problems. Geopolitical situations threaten to destabilize the world, terrorism and vigilantism are used as a political tool, secret agencies and backdoor deals are one of the main ways that objectives are accomplished.

In conclusion, Trinity Blood offers a potent blend of interesting characters, political commentary, and an interesting setting.

Unfortunately the manga is better.

yeah i seen it long time ago. I do like the Anime... Sad the way it ended, its almost a trope in lots of Anime endings.

Visual Novel is indeed better. ^


The author if im not mistaken passed away, some time ago. So the hopes they continue the Anime, are probably slim. Sadly.


Also i would mention the setting ( post apocalyptic dystopia) and Political commentary, intrigue and its complexities. A mix of Adventure and ethicals dilemmas as current themes, all of this are a typical trope of Anime. Specially Anime made in the mid late 90s, and early 2000s.

Well, the most disappointing thing about the manga, in my opinion, is the rather amateurish understanding of political intrigue. The Anime is a lot better in that regard.