Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Returns to North American Theaters in 2027 via GKIDS

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is heading back to North American theaters.

GKIDS announced during its Anime NYC 2026 industry panel that it has acquired North American theatrical and home entertainment rights to Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s gothic horror film. The distributor says Bloodlust will return in a “New HD Master,” with a wider theatrical and home entertainment release planned for 2027.

There is also an earlier theatrical event worth separating from that 2027 rollout. According to GKIDS’ official announcement, the Japanese-language version with English subtitles will make its North American debut in select screenings this fall.

GKIDS has not announced the fall dates, participating cities or the size of the 2027 theatrical run yet. The company says more details about its North American theatrical and home entertainment plans will be revealed later this year.

Why the Japanese-language screenings matter

Bloodlust has an unusual release history. GKIDS notes that the film was originally released with English audio, while a Japanese-language version was produced separately. That Japanese version has never previously had an official North American theatrical run, which makes the select fall screenings more than a routine repertory booking.

Official Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust still. Credit: GKIDS / ©2001 TRISTONE ENTERTAINMENT/HIDEYUKI KIKUCHI/VAMPIRE HUNTER D PRODUCTION COMMITTEE.

The film first premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2000. Kawajiri both directed and wrote the feature, with animation production by Madhouse. GKIDS also credits the film’s character illustrations to Yoshitaka Amano, whose designs helped define the look of Hideyuki Kikuchi’s original novels.

Bloodlust is based on Demon Deathchase, the third novel in Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D series. Dark Horse’s listing for the novel likewise identifies it as the book that formed the basis for the movie.

The story follows D, a half-human, half-vampire hunter hired after a young woman is apparently abducted by the vampire nobleman Meier Link. D is not the only hunter on the job, and the chase becomes more complicated as the truth behind the apparent kidnapping starts to surface.

It is also worth keeping Bloodlust separate from the 1985 Vampire Hunter D OVA directed by Toyoo Ashida. That earlier adaptation returned to North American theaters in 2025 for its 40th anniversary. GKIDS’ new deal concerns Bloodlust, the later Kawajiri film, not a reissue of the 1985 movie.

Vampire Hunter D is getting a wider push

The theatrical news lands during a busy Anime NYC weekend for the franchise. Dark Horse also announced Vampire Hunter D: Fortress of Blood, a four-issue comic miniseries written by Chris Condon with art by Filipe Andrade, beginning December 16, 2026.

Dark Horse is also bringing Vampire Hunter D: Rose Princess Volume 1 to English-language readers in June 2027, with manga art by Saiko Takaki and translation by Kevin Leahy. The two publishing announcements were detailed in coverage sourced to Dark Horse’s Anime NYC panel and press release.

That gives Vampire Hunter D several North American releases across the next year: select Japanese-language Bloodlust screenings this fall, the new comic in December, Rose Princess next June, and GKIDS’ broader Bloodlust theatrical and home entertainment rollout in 2027.

The biggest missing piece is now the schedule. GKIDS has confirmed the return, the New HD Master and the two-stage release plan, but exact theaters and dates are still to come.

New to the franchise, or unsure whether you need the 1985 film before Bloodlust? See our Vampire Hunter D watch and reading order guide for how the films and light novels actually relate.