Babanba Banban Vampire
Ja kanjiババンババンバンバンパイア
Ja romajiBaban Baban Ban Banpaia
GenreComedy, yaoi[1]
Baban Baban Ban Vampire
manga
AuthorHiromasa Okujima
PublisherAkita Shoten
ImprintShōnen Champion Comics
MagazineBessatsu Shōnen Champion
FirstOctober 12, 2021
Volumes13
Baban Baban Ban Vampire
tv series
DirectorItsuro Kawasaki
WriterItsuro Kawasaki
MusicJun Ichikawa
StudioGaina
LicenseeNetflix (streaming rights)
NetworkANN (TV Asahi)
FirstJanuary 11, 2025
LastMarch 29, 2025
Episodes12
Baban Baban Ban Vampire
live film
DirectorShinji Hamasaki
WriterYūko Matsuda
Studio
ReleasedJuly 4, 2025
Runtime105 minutes

Babanba Banban Vampire (ババンババンバンバンパイア, Babanba Banban Banpaia) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromasa Okujima. It began serialization in Akita Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Bessatsu Shōnen Champion in October 2021. An anime television series adaptation produced by Gaina aired from January to March 2025, and a live-action film adaptation opened in Japanese theaters in July 2025.

Plot

Ranmaru Mori, a 450-year-old vampire, lives and works at a long-established public bathhouse called Koi-no-Yu. Years earlier, when he was severely injured while being hunted by vampire hunters, his life was saved by a young boy named Rihito, the son of the bathhouse owners. Since then, Ranmaru has remained at the bathhouse as a live-in worker, secretly planning to one day drink Rihito's blood, which he believes will be at its best when Rihito becomes an 18-year-old virgin.

To preserve the "perfect" conditions for this plan, Ranmaru carefully watches over Rihito's life and tries to prevent him from getting into romantic or sexual relationships. However, when Rihito enters high school and falls in love with a classmate named Aoi, Ranmaru begins interfering in his daily life in order to stop their relationship from progressing. While trying to sabotage Rihito's chances at romance, Ranmaru must also hide his identity as a vampire and deal with other supernatural threats.

Characters

Ranmaru Mori (森 蘭丸, Mori Ranmaru)
[2]
Rihito Tatsuno (立野 李仁, Tatsuno Rihito)
[2]
Aoi Shinozuka (篠塚 葵, Shinozuka Aoi)
[3]
Ken Shinozuka (篠塚 健, Shinozuka Ken) / Franken (フランケン, Furanken)
[3]
[4]
Nagayoshi Mori (森 長可, Mori Nagayoshi)
[5]
[4]
Umetarō Sakamoto (坂本 梅太郎, Sakamoto Umetarō)
[6]
[4]
Kaoru Yamaba (山羽 カオル, Yamaba Kaoru)
[6]

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Hiromasa Okujima, Baban Baban Ban Vampire began serialization in Akita Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Bessatsu Shōnen Champion on October 12, 2021.[1] The series' chapters have been compiled into thirteen tankōbon volumes as of April 2026.[7]

In March 2026, Dark Horse Comics announced that they had licensed the series for English publication, with the first volume set to release in November later in the year.[8]

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on Garlic Day on February 29, 2024.[9] It is produced by Gaina and directed and written by Itsuro Kawasaki, with assistant direction by Takahiro Tamano, characters designed by Yukiko Ban, and music composed by Jun Ichikawa. The series aired from January 11 to March 29, 2025, on the brand new IMAnimation programming block on TV Asahi and its affiliates.[2] The opening theme song is "Bloody Liar", performed by Blue Encount,[10] while the ending theme song is "Ne-Chu-Show", performed by Botchi Boromaru.[11] Netflix streams the series globally.[6]

Live-action film

A live-action film adaptation was also announced on Garlic Day on February 29, 2024. It is produced by Shochiku and TV Asahi, directed by Shinji Hamasaki and written by Yūko Matsuda. It was originally set to premiere in Japanese theaters on February 14, 2025,[9][12] but was later delayed due to "various circumstances" related to Ranmaru's actor, Ryo Yoshizawa, and his 2024 trespassing incident.[13] The film opened on July 4, 2025.[14]

The film was also selected at the 24th New York Asian Film Festival, which was held from July 11 to July 27, 2025, for its North American Premiere.[15]

References

  1. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (August 14, 2021). "Hiromasa Okujima, Kentarō Satō, Shingo Honda Each Launch New Manga in Bessatsu Shōnen Champion". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  2. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (June 24, 2024). "Baban Baban Ban Vampire TV Anime Reveals Cast, Staff, Teaser Video, Visual, January 2025 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  3. ^ Mateo, Alex (October 9, 2024). "Baban Baban Ban Vampire TV Anime Unveils 1st Promo Video, Key Visual, 2 Cast Members". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Tai, Anita (November 11, 2024). "Live-Action Baban Baban Ban Vampire Film Adds 3 Cast Members". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 9, 2024). "Baban Baban Ban Vampire Anime Casts Yūichi Nakamura". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  6. ^ Mateo, Alex (November 25, 2024). "Baban Baban Ban Vampire TV Anime Unveils Additional Cast, Visual, January 11 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  7. ^ "ja:ババンババンバンバンパイア 第13巻" (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  8. ^ Mateo, Alex (March 30, 2026). "Dark Horse Licenses Suicide Island, Babanba Banban Vampire, Asobi Asobase, Forget-Me-Not Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  9. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (February 29, 2024). "Hiromasa Okujima's Baban Baban Ban Vampire Manga Gets Live-Action Film, TV Anime Adaptations in 2025". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  10. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (December 15, 2024). "Baban Baban Ban Vampire Anime's 2nd Video Unveils Blue Encount Opening Song". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (June 24, 2024). "Baban Baban Ban Vampire Anime Reveals Ending Song in New Video". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  12. ^ "ja:実写映画「ババンババンバンバンパイア」吉沢亮がバンパイアに、板垣李光人の血を狙う" (in Japanese). Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc. October 15, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  13. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (January 14, 2025). "Live-Action Baban Baban Ban Vampire Film Delayed Due to 'Circumstances'". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  14. ^ Tai, Anita (March 29, 2025). "Live-Action Baban Baban Ban Vampire Film Rescheduled to July 4". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  15. ^ "NYAFF and FLC Announce First Highlights of the 2025 New York Asian Film Festival, July 11–27". Film at Lincoln Center. 11 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.