GKIDS Acquires Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s Gothic Anime Classic ‘Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust’

GKIDS’s catalog just got a bit darker. The Toho-owned distributor has acquired North American distribution rights to Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s gothic anime feature Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, with theatrical and home entertainment releases planned for 2027.

Announced during an Anime NYC industry panel, the acquisition will see the film return to theaters in a new HD master, with exact dates and home video details to be revealed later this year.

Before the wider rollout, GKIDS will hold select screenings of the film’s Japanese-language version with English subtitles this fall, marking that version’s North American debut.

The distinction reflects an unusual production history. Although animated in Japan by Madhouse, Bloodlust was developed with an international audience in mind, something far more uncommon 25 years ago than it is today, and its English soundtrack was recorded in Los Angeles before the Japanese dialogue was completed. Previous North American home video editions featured only the English-language version.

Written and directed by Kawajiri, whose credits include Ninja Scroll and Wicked City, Bloodlust is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D novel series, with characters derived from Yoshitaka Amano’s illustrations. The story follows D, a half-vampire hunter hired to rescue a young woman believed to have been abducted by the vampire Meier Link.

The film premiered at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival in 2000, received a limited U.S. theatrical release the following year, and has since developed a sizable cult following.