Tsukune Aono

The Japanese manga series Rosario + Vampire features an extensive cast of characters by Akihisa Ikeda. The main character of the series is Tsukune Aono, a teenage boy who, after not getting accepted to any local high schools, enrolls in Yokai Academy, a boarding school for monsters. He meets Moka Akashiya, a vampire who soon takes a liking to the sweet taste of his blood, and throughout the series, befriends and attracts a variety of monster girls including: Kurumu Kurono, a succubus; Yukari Sendo and Ruby Tojo, who are witches; and Mizore Shirayuki, a snow fairy. While protecting Tsukune's identity as a human, they join the school's Newspaper Club; they wind up fighting a variety of monster gangs as well as some teachers. In the second manga serialization, the Newspaper Club faces more monster characters and a larger organization known as Fairy Tale, whose members include Moka's own family.

In developing the characters for the series, Ikeda cited influences from Tim Burton's works, and research on various monsters from encyclopedias and the Internet. The characters have been commented on by reviewers, who had mixed feelings about Ikeda's artwork, but criticized the character development and its missed potential. The anime adaptation received negative criticism for its fanservice, and mixed reviews for other aspects such as voice acting. Characters have also featured in various merchandise, character songs and polls.

Ikeda drew inspirations from Kaibutsu-kun and has incorporated some references later into the first serialization of the Rosario + Vampire manga. In an interview at Lucca Comics 2012, Ikeda said he is a big fan of Tim Burton and was inspired by his works, including The Nightmare Before Christmas, and particularly Edward Scissorhands because the monster has a sensitive soul. He had also researched various monsters from encyclopedias and the Internet. He started with his passion for vampires, and the concept of a beautiful girl vampire with a crucifix around her neck and then created the school of monsters, Tsukune, and others afterwards. He credits the beautiful girls for the series' popularity and added the fighting elements.

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