Tsukune Aono

Infobox animanga character
color = #FCA845
name = Tsukune Aono
series = Rosario + Vampire


caption = Tsukune Aono, from the anime and manga series, Rosario + Vampire.
creator = Akihisa Ikeda
voiced by = Daisuke Kishio
age = 15 (series start)
16 (current)
gender = Male
species = Human
Vampiric Human
Ghoul
occupation = High School Student
nickname =
relatives = Kyouko (Cousin)
aux1 =
aux1 name =
first = Manga Chapter #1
Anime Episode #1
last =

Tsukune Aono (青野 月音) is a fictional character in the Japanese anime and manga, "Rosario + Vampire". The male protagonist, he is an average, ordinary human boy, who is somehow accepted into a school of monsters, and despite the danger it entails for him, he remains on campus, with one of his motivations for staying being Moka Akashiya, the vampiric, female protagonist of the series.

Personality

Considerate and polite, Tsukune is a gentle person. Though there have been many instances where he has been put into dangerous, life-threatening situations (many of which are due to enemies, who he later befriends), he has never held a grudge against anyone. Tsukune's selflessness and courage comes to the foreground, whenever he or someone from his group of friends is faced with the possibility of injury, or even death. Though powerless, he has the tendency of throwing himself into danger as to ensure the safety of his friends. As the series progresses, this habit becomes extremely dangerous - the enemies he encounters are so powerful, there have been multiple instances of him near death. Ironically, this leads towards a situation where he calls upon his own supernatural abilities, as well as the concealment of his human identity from much of the student body.

Tsukune's infatuation with the kind-hearted Moka often results in him letting his guard down, long enough for her to bite him on the neck and ingest his blood. While it saps him of energy for nearly the rest of the school day during the first few times, after subsequent times, it feels more of a playful, affectionate gesture from her (in the anime, this is personified to the viewer as a kiss). In reality, Tsukune will do anything for Moka, even if it means putting his life in danger. Occasionally, this results in many girls on campus to fall madly in love with him, while the male student body holds contempt against him.

Powers & Abilities

As a human, Tsukune has no significant traits. Instead, he relies on his ability to take off Moka's rosario, releasing her true vampire state, and have her fend them off. Thus far, he is the only one who can successfully do so (although Moka can also achieve this herself, albeit with life-threatening consequences).

However, this all changed when Tsukune, after having been mortally wounded, is injected with Moka's vampiric blood, in her super-vampire state. Aside from the natural, regenerative properties given to him by the injection, Tsukune is also granted temporary superhuman strength, superhuman speed and agile reflexes. At the same time, he undergoes similar physical changes, such as brighter hair and red eyes containing slitted pupils, all a super-vampire's signature trait. Unlike Moka, Tsukune does not develop another personality, keeping his consciousness intact, though he did have memory issues initially. Physically, he is as powerful, if not more than, Moka, and since he is human, water and other vampiric-related weaknesses do not affect him. Another, albeit unintended, advantage to this tranformation is that it keeps Tsukune's human nature from becoming public knowledge, as humans are much weaker than Tsukune is in this form.

Naturally, this transfer is not without its drawbacks. When Moka injects her blood into Tsukune, her own strength is diminished by a lack of blood in her own body, but more importantly, Tsukune's body cannot handle the influx of vampiric blood, without suffering any after-effects. Eventually, Moka's bite marks on his neck do not disappear, leaving a disoriented Tsukune, as well as experiencing severe pain throughout his body.

Transformation

The constant injections of Moka's blood into Tsukune's body finally goes out of control. The result is his transformation into a "ghoul". In this state, black marks spread across his body from his bite marks and face, with his eyes slitted. He is just as strong as a super-vampire and carries faster regenerative powers; even holy water, a vampire's greatest weakness, does not budge him. However, this transformation comes with a heavy price: Tsukune loses his human consciouness, and becomes a mindless, killing machine - a berserker, bent on seeking blood. In contrast to his normal, pacifistic self, he expresses a pure, uncontrollable desire to kill, unable to distinguish friend from foe. The only way to stop a rampaging ghoul is to destroy it.

Fortunately, thanks to the arrival of an exorcist, Tsukune is provided with a way to keep his ghoul nature at bay. With the help of a "holy lock" worn around his wrist, it acts in a similar fashion to Moka's rosario, sealing away his ghoul powers and personality. Wearing it prevents him from using his powers, and keeps his human consciounessness, if not his humanity, intact. However, the lock is not meant to fully seal away the ghoul personality, but to suppress it. Tsukune still carries its innate thirst for blood — more specifically, for Moka's — and is seen downing multiple bottles of water to control it. Even the sight of blood can make him momentarily lose control of himself and try to bite her. However, Tsukune manages to control his thirst and has not consumed any blood.

Eventually, Tsukune is able to access his powers at will, though temporarily. Doing so causes one of the many links on the lock to fracture. Additionally, whenever he finds himself near death, the vampiric blood in his body activates, causing all the links to break at the same time, reverting him back to his ghoul state. However, Tsukune's ghoulish nature can still be stopped with the support of a monster seal barrier spell.