Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Returning to Theaters via GKIDS

Distributor GKIDS announced at the Anime NYC expo that it acquired the North American rights to Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. The deal brings the classic anime feature back to theaters for a much wider audience.

GKIDS plans a full North American theatrical release in 2027, with additional screening details to follow. The company also plans to release the film on physical home media. When Bloodlust first reached the United States in 2001, it played in only twelve theaters.

Animation studio Madhouse, known for projects such as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, produced the movie under director Yoshiaki Kawajiri, a key figure in the adult anime boom of the 1980s and 1990s. The feature adapts the novel series written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano, who also designed the characters for the film.

GKIDS issued the official synopsis for the story:

After a young woman is seemingly abducted by the vampire Baron Meier Link, her father hires D – a vampire-hunting “Dunpeal” – to rescue her. As D rides across the wastelands, he must compete against a group of tough mercenary hunters, and confront the complex truth about the woman.

Although Bloodlust drew critical acclaim, it never achieved the mainstream footprint of contemporaries such as Akira or Ghost in the Shell. Instead, the film established a dedicated cult following. The production blends traditional hand-drawn animation with digital compositing, crafting an intricate gothic world across every scene.

The property will expand in other formats as well. Dark Horse Comics announced a new four-issue comic miniseries titled Fortress of Blood. Dark Horse will also release an English translation of The Rose Princess, the eighth novel in the original book series, next June.

Source: Polygon