Welcome to a world of ravenous monsters roaming the earth, feasting on humans. A girl named Saya is the only hope for humanity’s survival.
The Blood franchise is an epic series comprising three different versions of realities. These realities take place inside the same universe in different time periods.
These realities all share the same dark themes, gory action and blood sequences, and a hardcore protagonist named Saya.
The animation throughout the story is quite different. However, regardless of the different animation styles, they are all eerily beautiful and haunting enough to send shivers down your spine.
This is an anime where a badass female lead hunts down blood-sucking creatures.
What Order Should I Watch It In?
If you’re a fan of watching shows in their release order, we recommend doing so. However, there is also something special about watching in chronological order.
What Is Their Release Order?
If you fancy watching the series in accordance with the release dates, let’s look at what the dates of their release were.
The TV Series
Blood+ – 2005
Blood-C -2011
The Movies
Blood: The Last Vampire – 2000
Blood-C: The Last Dark – 2012
The OVAs
Blood-C: None-None Gekijou – 2012.
Specials
Blood-C: Special Edition – 2012.
Live Action
Blood: The Last Vampire (2009- Live action version)
Blood-C: Another Story – 2017
What About the Chronological Order?
Luckily, the release order is pretty much the same as the chronological order. This means that the chronological watching order would be:
Blood: The Last Vampire.
Blood+
Blood-C
Blood-C: The Last Dark
Blood-C:None-None Gekijou:
Blood-C: Special Edition
Blood-C: Another Story (Live Action Movie)(Also known as Asura Girl)
Start with the 2000 movie, and then move on to the two TV series. Finish up with another movie, the OVA, and the special edition.
The series are standalone, and if you were to watch Blood-C before you watch Blood+, it won’t matter that much.
Blood+ is better in terms of the story and the characters. So, it is often better to watch it before Blood-C.
However, this is a matter of personal taste. It is up to you to decide which order you prefer and if it is the best order.
Are They All Connected?
All series in this franchise take place in the same universe but at different times.
The movie that starts it all, Blood: The Last Vampire, takes place in 1996. Blood+ and Blood-C are the alternate versions of the film. Each movie can stand alone, and they significantly differ from one another.
The common link between the parts is the main character with the same name, Saya.
Saya’s personality is different in these series. The characters share only the same deep black hair color and a similar hairstyle.
There are recurring characters in similar roles throughout the series. However, the stories are very different and they both have their own unique elements.
This is why it does not really matter which you watch first. Some may prefer the Blood+ Saya and her storyline, others may prefer the Blood-C Saya and her storyline.
About the Blood Franchise
Blood: The Last Vampire is where it all began. It happens in a world where beasts known as teropterids infest the world and kill humans to drink their blood.
Blood+ revolves around Saya Otonashi, who is a girl living a very normal life with her foster family. She doesn’t remember much of her past life.
Saya is one of the very best teropterid slayers. She heads to a U.S. army base that is in danger due to these evil beasts.
Things kick into gear when she finds herself in a life-threatening situation. A blood-thirsty creature attacks Saya and a strange man named Haji saves her.
A strange turn of events leads to Saya joining an organization that aims to rid the world of these blood-thirsty creatures for good.
Blood-C is a story about Saya Kisaragi, a schoolgirl by day and a demon slayer (Elder bairns) by night (any girl’s true dream). Her father gifts her a ceremonial sword and she goes on to defeat all the monsters that haunt her village.
She seems innocent and perfect aside from her demon-slaying, but something unusual is going on.
Saya starts to experience visions. These visions reveal the dark secrets of her seemingly peaceful village and an oath that she must never break.
It seems that Saya is the only one who can slay these Elder bairns. However, she finds faults in her reality. It turns out the reality that she knows is not what she thought it was. There is a disturbing truth about herself, her friends, her family, and the town she lives in.
Blood-C: The Last Dark follows on from the Blood-C series. It follows the story of Saya Kisaragi after she leaves town after learning the truth of the life she has been living.
She goes on a hunt to find the person at the center of it all, Fumito Nanahara. Sara, for the first time, ends up making some real friends. This is a follow-up to the series.
Blood-C None-None Gekijou is a series of short specials. The series aired on the official website prior to the movie’s release.
It involves an explanation about the anime from the perspective of twin characters Motoe Nono and Motoe Nene, who you undoubtedly remember.
Blood-C: Special Edition includes two summary episodes of the TV series airing prior to Blood-C: The Last Dark. They feature secret content that did not air during the original TV series.
Blood-C: Another Story is a Japanese action horror film based on the series. It is also known as ‘Asura Girl’.
