The supernatural action series Strike the Blood is now available to stream in its entirety on Crunchyroll, featuring both English-dubbed and subtitled options. Originally airing in Fall 2013, the series serves as a definitive entry in the 2010s urban fantasy boom, blending high-stakes vampire lore with the conventions of the harem genre.
Produced by studios Connect and SILVER LINK.—the latter known for Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya—the show follows Kojo Akatsuki, a high schooler who becomes the world's most powerful vampire. His life is upended by Yukina Himeragi, an apprentice sword-shaman sent by a secret organization to monitor him, leading to a series of supernatural skirmishes across the artificial island of Itogami City.
The series is notable for its unapologetic commitment to its genre roots, leaning heavily into magic, spearplay, and complex world-building involving artificial intelligence and alchemy. Its reputation is perhaps best punctuated by its 2015 ban in China, where authorities cited its violent content and themes as contrary to public morality, a testament to the show's aggressive approach to its source material.
For those looking for a complete narrative, this 24-episode run covers the first six volumes of the original light novel series. It functions as a self-contained introduction to a much larger franchise, which eventually expanded into multiple sequels and side stories, including Strike the Blood Second.
With over 320,000 voters on MyAnimeList, the series maintains a steady following among fans of supernatural brawlers. It serves as a quintessential example of the “overpowered protagonist” trope, wrapped in the high-concept urban fantasy aesthetic that defined the studio’s output during that era.
