The series that spawned the Vampire Hunter D anime. 12,090 A.D. It is a dark time for the world. Humanity is just crawling out from under three hundred years of domination by the race of vampires known as the Nobility. The war against the vampires has taken its toll; cities lie in ruin, the countryside is fragmented into small villages and fiefdoms that still struggle against nightly raids by the fallen vampires—and the remnants of their genetically manufactured demons and werewolves.

Vampire Hunter D has been published in English by Dark Horse Books (collaborating with Digital Manga Publishing) since May 24, 2005. The first novel in the series inspired the original Vampire Hunter D movie. The third novel was the inspiration for the Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust movie.