Entertainment
The 15 Best Animated Vampires, Ranked
Many beloved monsters are popular culture’s mainstay, and one of the most prominent is the vampire. These undead terrors of the night are known for preying upon the living by draining their bodies of blood, which can sometimes turn their victims into vampires as well, shapeshifting into animal form and having an aversion to sunlight. Due to their long list of powers and numerous ways they can be adapted—from tragic figures to savage predators—vampires have appeared in a plethora of movies and television shows.
The medium of animation is one of the best for bringing vampires to life. Unconstrained by the limitations of physical reality, vampires can be portrayed as fast, powerful predators that only the bravest of heroes can overcome. Or they can be more on the silly side, especially if it’s a kid’s show, but even this lighthearted approach doesn’t make them any less memorable. These are the best vampires in animation, ranked by how effective they are and how lasting their legacy is.
15
Dracula
‘Pink Plasma’ (1975)
The Pink Panther finds himself lost in the Transylvanian wilderness and heads towards a castle to seek shelter. The building is full of all sorts of spooks, and a coffin in the basement, which the panther buries before going to sleep. Unfortunately, the coffin was the bed of a diminutive Dracula, who plans to have the panther for breakfast.
Pink Plasma‘s version of Dracula is far from the most intimidating, but he might be among the most persistent. No matter how many times he gets thwarted by the panther and chased around his own moat by a persistent shark, he keeps getting back up and trying again. It’s pretty commendable, even if it never works, and there’s something adorable about hearing him say “Blah, blah,” while running after his prey.
14
Count Duckula
‘Count Duckula’ (1988–1993)
Once every century, a ritual can be performed to awaken the wicked vampire Count Duckula (David Jason). However, the most recent ritual accidentally substituted tomato juice instead of blood, causing Duckula to be reincarnated as a vegetarian. Since he lacks the usual vampire’s hunger for blood, he tries to adjust to the modern world, despite the wishes of his servants.
Duckula is an example of the friendly vampire trope, and a pretty good one at that. In Count Duckula, the underrated ’80s cartoon, he just wants to live a normal life distanced from his vampiric heritage, but every adventure he goes on tends to go from bad to worse. Jason’s performance does a great job conveying Duckula’s desire for a peaceful life while also giving the count a nice helping of dry wit.
13
Count Bloodcount
‘Transylvania 6-5000’ (1963)
After getting lost yet again, Bugs Bunny (Mel Blanc) finds himself in Transylvania. Unable to get help from a two-headed vulture (Julie Bennett), he approaches an ominous castle owned by the vampire Count Bloodcount (Ben Frommer) to ask for a phone. The count insists Bugs spend the night at the castle, but his attempts to feed on the rabbit are thwarted by a book of magic words.
Count Bloodcount is another classic example of a vampire, complete with a spooky castle, billowing cloak, and Eastern European accent. The animators have a lot of fun bringing him to life, with many of his movements giving him the appearance of a living shadow. His threat level is mitigated a bit due to how easily Bugs overcomes him, but all in all, he still leaves an impact as one of the more memorable minor Looney Tunes antagonists, especially thanks to his and Bugs’ magic duel near the end.
12
Dracula
‘The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy’ (2003–2007)
In his youth, Dracula (Phil LaMarr) was the world’s most powerful vampire and a boyhood icon to the Grim Reaper (Greg Eagles). He married a woman named Tanya (Diahann Carroll) and had a human son with her, but due to a misunderstanding, Tanya attacked him in his bat form, so Dracula left her. He now lives in a retirement home for other monsters but still knows how to cut loose and have fun.
This version of Dracula is an homage to the classic Blacksploitation film Blacula, which helps make him stand out compared to other adaptations. His love for dancing, take-no-nonsense attitude, and habit of calling people “Dummy” make him one of the most popular characters in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. Later, it is revealed that Dracula is the grandfather of Irwin (Vanessa Marshall), and though he’s upset to know his family is full of nerds, Dracula seems to try his best to be a good grandfather.
11
NOS-4-A2
‘Buzz Lightyear of Star Command’ (2000–2001)
To defeat Star Command, Evil Emperor Zurg (Wayne Knight) creates NOS-4-A2 (Craig Ferguson), a robot that can drain the energy from other machines. He nearly succeeds by controlling the robotic space ranger XR (Larry Miller and Neil Flynn) but is defeated by Team Lightyear, who helps XR break free of the energy vampire. NOS-4-A2 later escapes his captivity and breaks free of Zurg’s influence, traveling the galaxy to sate his hunger for energy.
Making NOS-4-A2 a robot vampire allowed the crew of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command to still hit the horror notes found in vampire fiction without making the censors angry, since you can do all sorts of violence as long as it’s to a robot. Though he primarily affects machines, his bite, in combination with the radiation of the Canis Lunis moon, can transform humans into cyborg monsters called Wirewolves. Personality-wise, NOS-4-A2 checks all the boxes for a good animated vampire villain, accentuated by the posh British accent Ferguson chose to go with.
10
Mavis
‘Hotel Transylvania’ (2012)
Following the death of his wife, Martha, Dracula (Adam Sandler) builds a hotel for monsters to keep his friends and his daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez), safe from humans. As she ages, Mavis longs to explore the human world, though her father does everything in his power to keep her safe in the hotel. Despite his efforts, she eventually meets a human named Johnny (Andy Samberg), and the two fall in love.
Mavis brings youthful energy and a more level head to the Hotel Transylvania series, especially as the films continue. Compared to her father, she is more adventurous and compassionate, willing to see the brighter side of humanity. Eventually, she and Johnny have a son, and while motherhood does see Mavis become a bit more protective and take on some of Dracula’s parenting traits, she never loses her fun-loving spirit.
9
Dracula
‘Hotel Transylvania’ (2012)
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Dracula’s hotel for monsters is threatened by the arrival of Johnny, a human who happened upon it by random chance. Fortunately, Johnny helps Dracula and the rest of the monsters see that humans in the modern day aren’t as bad as the ones they had to hide from, and he becomes Dracula’s son-in-law when he marries Mavis. Dracula does his best to adjust to this new reality, especially when they have a child named Dennis (Asher Blinkoff), but it proves to be easier said than done.
Sandler’s take on the Prince of Darkness is more comedic and domestic than other portrayals, which pairs wonderfully with the expressive animation from veteran director Genndy Tartakovsky. He checks a lot of boxes for the protective helicopter parent who means well but can take things a bit too far, and has a bad habit of making plans behind Mavis’ back. Still, when the chips are down, he’s willing to endure even the sun itself if it means making his friends and family happy.
8
Dracula
‘The Batman vs. Dracula’ (2005)
While trying to look for a hidden treasure stash in Gotham City’s graveyard, the Penguin (Tom Kenny) accidentally discovers the tomb of Dracula (Peter Stormare), whose remains were moved to Gotham after he was killed. Penguin accidentally spills some of his blood on the corpse, reviving Dracula, who enthralls Penguin to be his mortal servant. As he preys on humans to regain his strength, he prepares to resurrect his lost love, which brings him into conflict with Gotham’s Dark Knight, Batman (Rino Romano).
The Batman vs. Dracula is a spinoff of perhaps the most underrated Batman show, and it pulled no punches when it came to adapting the Prince of Darkness. When on the hunt, Dracula is a terrifying predator, ambushing his prey from the shadows with lightning-fast reflexes and pinpoint accuracy. When not hunting, he is civil enough but always reminds humans of his superiority, captured perfectly through Stormare’s arrogant yet charismatic delivery.
7
Carmilla
‘Castlevania’ (2017–2021)
When Count Dracula (Graham McTavish) declared war on humanity, he summoned many powerful vampires to serve on his war council. The last to arrive was Carmilla (Jaime Murray), a powerful female vampire with nothing but disdain for men due to the abuse she suffered at the hands of her old master. She quickly begins to lose faith in Dracula’s plans to wipe out humanity and makes plans of her own to usurp control and dominate humans instead.
Castlevania is full of fantastic vampire characters, and Carmilla stands as one of the best. She likes to present herself as a Machiavellian schemer whose ambitions know no bounds, but beneath her charismatic facade is a broken woman lashing out at the world and desperate for a sense of control. Murray’s performance captures both sides of Carmilla, though some of her best work comes when the mask slips, and she is forced to confront those traits in herself that she despises in others.
6
Dracula
‘Castlevania’ (2017–2021)
The life of vampire king Vlad Dracula changed forever when he met a human scientist named Lisa (Emily Swallow). Amazed at her lack of fear and good heart, Dracula eventually married Lisa, and they had a son named Adrian (James Callis). Sadly, Lisa was burned at the stake for suspected witchcraft, causing Dracula to declare war on all of humanity with an army summoned straight from Hell.
Castlevania‘s take on Dracula is a major reason for this show’s high ranking among vampire television. He lives up to his reputation as the most powerful vampire through gorgeously animated action sequences, where he effortlessly fights off heroes and other vampires with superhuman strength and hellish abilities. Yet, Dracula’s greatest moments are the ones where his inner pain and shreds of humanity come to the surface, showing that, no matter how much power you have, we can all be brought down by grief.
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