Vampires

In the series, Vampires are a form of evolved humans. Transformation into a vampire is not a conscious decision on the part of the vampire, but is cause merely by a vampire feeding off of a human. In recent years, a "vaccine" has been developed to prevent transformation, but is only effective for up to 48 hours from the time of infection.

Biology
Like vampires of legend they sustain themselves by drinking human blood, though modern science has allowed them to produce a substitute. They are also highly vulnerable to sunlight which can kill them. Physically vampires are stronger and faster than human and can resist greater amounts of damage to their body, however a lethal wound, such as being shot in the heart/head or having their throat cut out, will result in instant death for Acolytes and Elders, This does not apply to Kami as he is the creator of vampires and in turn the most lethal. When a vampire dies their body turns to ash. Vampires possess the ability to transform from their human form to their "true form" which is said to be a reflection of their soul. The results of a vampire's transformation varies, however most seem to acquire a pair of bat-like wings. Vampires age at a hyper decelerated rate, maintaining the appearance of any age forever.

Society
Vampire society is ruled by a Kami. At the top of their society are the "True Bloods" among whom the most powerful vampire is Kami from whom will serve as the absolute ruler of the night. However they can rarely interfere with what goes on within the borders of territory that belongs to another True Blood. Under the True Bloods are the nobility, vampiric families with many generations of history. Finally there are the common vampires that consist mostly of human turned vampires. Because of their brain physiology vampires must obey the orders of their master, the vampire that bit them and any master that that vampire has. The only ones who cannot be controlled by this method are True Bloods, but they can use their own DNA to overwrite who a vampire's master is.

Although most vampires are turned humans it is possible for two vampires to procreate and create a newborn vampire. This is how the family lines of True Bloods and and the nobility are maintained.

Despite possessing near immortality and the ability to increase their population by simply biting a human on the neck, vampire society rarely increases in population beyond a normal standard. This is because it is very easy for vampires to "lose themselves" to their desires and emotions. When this happens they act rashly with little regard for the consequences, which usually results in their death. Its possible that this natural culling is an evolutionary adaptation to prevent the vampire species from growing too numerous to be supported by their human food source.

Some vampires have shown to possess abilities that are considered unique even amongst other vampires. Such abilities include being able to transform one's appearance into that of anyone else, or a pair of vampires that could share wounds due to an empathetic bond and their transformation ability. Kami serves as the leader of all vampires and in turn has command over them all. Kami's descandant Kaze is now in line for royalty and will be the next leader.

Apppearance
" Silver hair, red eyes and a huge supernatural power... This is the legendary monster, a Vampire!

This description is repeated many times throughout the show whenever Kami comes out, but as seen with the Shuzen family, the appearance of a vampire can vary greatly, from having light to dark skin and hair of all types and colors. An example of this is Kalua and Kokoa, who happen to be full-blooded sisters, have a vast difference between them in that while Kokoa has fair skin, green eyes and dyed-red hair, Kalua has dark skin and long, blonde curly hair. The only thing that can physically distinguish a vampire from a human are their fangs, red eyes and their unnatural toughness. Even so, vampires are rarely seen in public, as they tend to keep to themselves.

Variants
They are often referred to as a singular species, there are actually a number of varieties of the species, sharing many similarities as well as distinct differences. Variants include the converted "temporary Vampire" the infamous Ghoul, and the powerful Shinso.

Shinso

 * Also known as the "Super vampire". The most renowned and powerful variant is known as a Shinso which is a type of Vampire who has powers far above the other varieties and the baseline version, who can only be 'propogated' by another Vampire either ingesting its blood or having it injected. This type of Vampire is also capable of absorbing other monsters, as is the case with Kami the most powerfulest.

Temporary Vampire

 * In these cases, a non-vampire (like a human) is injected with vampire blood, and depending on their reaction to the blood and how many times he/she is injected, they're bestowed with temporary vampiric powers and become physically semi-vampiric.

Ghouls

 * In this case, they're fully transformed and possessed by the blood, becoming mindless killing machines, controlled completely by the innate nature blood lust. That state is the feared vampiric Ghoul. Both types are not true pure-blooded born Vampires, but are "converted" from non-vampires instead. These two types are sequentially related, as the the former can lead into the latter if too much blood is injected. This occurred to Kaze after A vampire injected her blood into him in order to save his life on multiple occasions.

Dhampire

 * Another type of Vampire. Described briefly by Yukari Sendo this Vampire variant is an individual born of Vampiric and human parents. Because their genetics are not pure, which is a point of pride for Vampires, these individuals are ostracized and shunned by their pure-blooded bretheren.

Powers
As the most feared and renowned species of monsters, the Vampire have a variety of abilities as well as a number of basic ones shared across all members of the species. The specific abilities that an individual possesses can vary as much as his or her appearance, personality, preferrences, and fighting styles. Some individuals might use the versatile but shunned shape-shifting ability, such as Kalua Shuzen, or employ weapons to maximize their efficiency in combat, such as Kokoa Shuzen. Others such as Kami and Akua Shuzen rely instead on their fighting skills and techniques instead, employing those alongside the generic abilities shared across the species.
 * Yoki Conversion: The signature ability of the Vampire race is their ability to channel their unrivaled reserves of Yoki directly into their unique musculature, generating incredibly high levels of raw strength. This means that their muscles are powered directly and continuously by their Yoki, which allows them to generate incredible amounts of physical force in their physical blows and techniques. While other monsters can channel their Yoki into their bodies to provide extra power to their attacks, they cannot do so at the same or similar intensity for much time, only being abl e to do so in a single or handful of attacks before depleting themselves. More precisely, other monsters, even those of the higher levels and the S-class, can only rival or match a Vampire's damage levels by channeling the maximum amount of physical strength and Yoki into a specific, lethal technique. Even then the amount of force generated is only an approximate match for a single blow from a Vampire. This is all thanks to their unique Yoki-powered musculature, which is often a subject of fear and envy for other monsters, even those of S-class such as a Werewolf. The consequences of this ability in battle are tremendous most monsters are severely injured and rendered unconscious upon impact, with only those of a very high enough level being able to recover from it. The physical forces generated by this ability sends many enemies flying through the air for a considerable distance upon crashing into an object or the ground, enough to create large craters upon crashing. Though not usually shown to kill the Vampire's targets, this ability can readily be brought to lethal levels which, in the case of a Shinso-class Vampire, the highest level of the Vampire race can outright disintegrate the opponent on impact. Environmental damage can and will manifest on the ground and nearby obstructions, having walls broken apart, craters forming, and obstacles being thoroughly pulverized. One last consequence of this ability is that at high enough intensities there is a visible discharge of energy, i.e. aura surges, which is most prominent in the bat-and-moon-themed energy surges in Shinso-class Vampire's high-intensity to full power attacks.
 * Healing Abilities: As a species highly specialized for combat, Vampires possess unrivaled healing abilities and incredible stamina. Their healing in response to receiving damage can be almost reflexive if not automatic, and they can take tremendous punishment in the unlikely event of taking an enemy's attack. In the case of a Shinso, the healing factor is so swift and potent that it effectively renders them immortal. This can be seen in Moka's ability to recover from cuts and physical impacts, and most significantly in Akasha rejoining her torso together after being sliced in two by Akua.
 * Youki Detection: Another signature vampiric ability is the ability to not only sense an opponent's energy, but their intentions as well. This allows a Vampire to be able to sense their thoughts and movements without relying on sound, sight, vibrations, and even smell, effectively enabling the Vampire to almost 'foresee' his/her enemy's attack, and fight accordingly. This capacity is most often employed by Moka alongside her combat techniques, allowing her to be one step or two ahead of her enemies, and often ending battles in little to no time at all. Converted qausi-vampires like Tsukune are also able to use this ability, though only after intensive and equally extensive training.
 * Wealth of Power: This largely forgotten and shunned ability enables a Vampire to be able to change their shape into almost any form that he or she wishes, such as a wolf, mice, bats, mist, or and other forms known to folklore. Despite its tremendous potential, the Vampires obsession with creating and sustaining an aesthetically-pleasing appearance has led to the abandonment of this innate skill. The only known exception to this trend is Kalua Shuzen in her role as an assassin for her family and the anti-human organization Death Brothers
 * Charm: Vampires can make victims they wish to suck blood from lower their guard by using charm; force is also possible, based on personality. Kokoa said she can charm 2 out of 10, if she went after them one at a time. Kami seems to use this unintentionaly with females.

Weaknesses
As being one of the strongest monsters, they ironically also have the most weaknesses such as water, crosses, etc. Due to water's purifying properties, it is the Vampire's greatest weakness, it disrupts their yoki channeling ability to the point where they cannot summon up their usual battle strength, and it also delievers a shock to the physical body not unlike being struck by an electrical current. To get around this, Vampires uses devil herbs and mixtures to dilute the water to a useable level for baths and cooking.

Silver is the next weakness that can affect Vampires, particularly blessed silver similar to Kaze's rosary cross. Her cross in particular drains her yoki at an incredible rate, thus sealing it. This is seen when a doppleganger takes Ura Kaze's form and Kami uses the rosary cross to weaken that said doppleganger.

Other weakeness such as garlic and sunlight are not a great issue since garlic can be avoided and sunlight has little effect other than being able to give a light sunburn. In regards to Kami, he is not subject to many of these apparent weakness, especially noted that water has no effect on him when he uses his power. This is because while his blood is partially vampire, his body has not changed that much, thus retaining his human resistances to water. However, it stands to reason that a silver-tipped/bladed weapon might have much more of an effect against him than a regular weapon would. (the weakness of silver may only apply if it is enchanted, the same for crosses.)

Note: If one simply backtraces the legends of vampires far enough, they will find that the oldest legend of vampires have them shown right alongside the oldest werewolf legend, suggesting a long-standing alliance or partnership between the S-Ranks of Power & Speed.