Strike the Blood Manga Volumes: Complete Series Overview
Strike the Blood is a manga adaptation — a visual retelling drawn from a different source — based on the light novel series by Mikumo Gakuto (三雲岳斗), with artwork by TATE and character designs by Manyako (マニャ子). Light novels, for those unfamiliar, are a Japanese publishing format: short, text-heavy novels that sometimes include a handful of illustrations, distinct from the fully illustrated panel-by-panel format of manga.
The manga ran in Dengeki Daioh magazine in Japan under the Dengeki Comics imprint, with its first volume releasing in December 2012 and its final volume in March 2017.
Here’s what you’re working with:
- Total volumes: 10
- Total chapters: 53 (roughly 5 chapters per volume on average)
- Status: Completed
- All 10 volumes available in English
That last point is important. The series is done — no cliffhanger endings, no waiting for the next volume to ship. You can read the whole thing from start to finish right now.
Strike the Blood, Vol. 1 is the starting point for the entire series and sets up the whole premise.
A Quick But Critical Note for Buyers
This trips people up constantly, so let’s address it right away: the manga is 10 volumes. The light novel series is significantly longer. These are two different products with different identification numbers and different covers. When you’re shopping, make sure you’re grabbing the right format. The manga volumes feature TATE’s artwork and tell a visual, condensed version of the story. The light novels are text-heavy prose with occasional illustrations and cover far more narrative ground.
If you see a volume number higher than 10, you’re looking at the light novel, not the manga. Keep that distinction in mind and you’ll avoid accidentally ordering the wrong format.
How to Collect the Complete Set
Ten volumes. That’s it. This is one of the most shelf-friendly supernatural manga series you’ll find, and the short length keeps the total cost very manageable compared to series that run 20, 30, or 50+ volumes.
Purchasing Format
The standard way to collect Strike the Blood is individual volumes. As of this writing, there is no confirmed box set or omnibus edition (a single book combining multiple volumes into one) for the English release. That means you’ll be picking up volumes one at a time (or all at once if you’re feeling ambitious).
The good news? Ten volumes at standard manga retail pricing makes this one of the more affordable complete sets in the supernatural genre. You’re looking at a fraction of what it costs to collect longer-running series.
Tips for Building Your Collection
- Start with Volume 1 to make sure the art style and story pacing click for you before committing to the full set
- Check multiple retailers — availability for older manga volumes can vary, and some individual volumes may be easier to find at certain shops
- Digital editions are available through platforms like Kindle and BookWalker if physical copies of specific volumes prove hard to track down
- Since the series wrapped in 2017 in Japan, some physical volumes may go in and out of stock periodically — if you spot the ones you need, don’t sit on them too long
The compact 10-volume length means you can realistically collect the entire series without breaking the bank or dedicating an entire shelf to it. For comparison, many supernatural action manga run two to three times this length.
Volume Breakdown — Key Story Beats to Know
Here’s a spoiler-light walkthrough of what each stretch of the manga covers, so you know what you’re getting into and can gauge where things pick up.
Volume 1: The Fourth Primogenitor Awakens
The story opens on Itogami Island, an artificial island city that serves as a haven for supernatural beings. We meet Kojou Akatsuki, an ordinary high school student who discovers he’s become the Fourth Primogenitor — essentially the most powerful vampire in existence, one of only four ancient vampires at the top of the supernatural hierarchy. The island’s power structure, the concept of familiars (supernatural creatures that powerful vampires can summon and command in battle), and the core premise all get established here. We also meet Yukina Himeragi, a sword shaman — a specially trained warrior who wields a magical weapon and is sent to observe (and if necessary, eliminate) Kojou. Their dynamic drives much of the series.
This first volume does a solid job of setting up the world without drowning you in exposition. You’ll know pretty quickly whether the mix of supernatural power struggles and action is your thing.
Volumes 2–3: Building the World
These volumes expand on the vampire hierarchy and the various supernatural factions — groups of different supernatural beings competing for power and influence — operating on Itogami Island. Yukina’s role as Kojou’s observer deepens, and their relationship starts to develop beyond simple suspicion. Early antagonists appear, and Kojou begins to understand (and struggle with) the powers he’s inherited. The pacing picks up noticeably in Volume 3 as the stakes escalate beyond personal conflict into larger supernatural threats.
Volumes 4–6: Escalation
The middle stretch of the series is where things get intense. New familiars and abilities come into play, the cast of both allies and antagonists expands, and the supernatural conflicts grow in scale. These volumes are the action-heavy core of the manga, with several major confrontations that test Kojou and his growing circle of allies. If you’re reading for the fight scenes and supernatural spectacle, this is the stretch that delivers.
Volumes 7–10: The Final Story Arcs
The manga wraps its storyline across these four volumes, bringing the major conflicts to a resolution. Story arcs — meaning the distinct multi-chapter storylines that build toward their own climaxes — come together and reach satisfying conclusions. Without spoiling specifics, the final stretch ties together the threads established in earlier volumes and gives the adaptation a proper ending.
One important thing to understand: the manga covers only a portion of the larger light novel story. It tells a self-contained story with a real ending, but it doesn’t adapt everything the light novels do. Think of it as a complete story within a larger universe — you won’t be left on a cliffhanger, but there’s more story out there if you want it.
Strike the Blood, Vol. 10 is the final volume and wraps up the manga adaptation’s storyline.
Strike the Blood
Manga vs. Light Novel — Which Format Should You Buy?
This is the big question for anyone interested in Strike the Blood, and the answer depends entirely on what kind of reading experience you want.
The Manga (10 Volumes)
The manga gives you TATE’s artwork, dynamic action sequences rendered visually, and a significantly shorter time commitment. At 10 volumes and 53 chapters, you can realistically read the entire series in a few sittings. It’s a condensed adaptation that hits the major story beats and delivers a complete storyline, even though it doesn’t cover the full scope of the light novel narrative.
Choose the manga if you:
- Want supernatural vampire action with great art
- Prefer visual storytelling — panels, action scenes, and expressive character art — over text-heavy reading
- Don’t want to commit to a very long series
- Are coming from the anime and want a quick companion read
The Light Novel Series
The light novel series is the original source material and runs significantly longer than the manga adaptation. It covers far more of the story, including storylines and characters that the manga never reaches. If you want the complete Strike the Blood narrative with all its depth and detail, this is where you’ll find it.
Choose the light novels if you:
- Want the full, unabridged story
- Enjoy reading prose — novels with occasional illustrations rather than sequential art
- Don’t mind a much larger volume commitment
- Want to go beyond where the manga ends
What About the Anime?
The Strike the Blood anime adaptations — including the original TV series and multiple OVA seasons (OVA stands for “Original Video Animation,” meaning episodes released directly to home video rather than broadcast on TV) — adapt the light novel source material, not the manga specifically. So if you watched the anime and want to continue the story in print, the light novels are the more direct continuation. The manga covers similar early ground but diverges in scope and detail.
That said, the manga is still a great pick for anime fans who want to see how TATE interpreted the story visually.
Is Strike the Blood Worth Collecting?
Let’s break this down honestly.
Best For
- Vampire and supernatural action fans — if you enjoy series like Rosario + Vampire (a supernatural school comedy with a vampire heroine) or Seraph of the End (a darker, post-apocalyptic vampire action series), the blend of supernatural power struggles and action will feel familiar and satisfying
- Readers who want a complete series — no waiting, no ongoing publication anxiety, just a finished story you can read at your own pace
- Beginners to supernatural manga — 10 volumes is an approachable length, and the story doesn’t require any prior knowledge of the light novels or anime to enjoy
- Collectors who like compact sets — this looks great on a shelf and won’t take up much space
Worth Knowing for Horror Fans
Strike the Blood leans toward supernatural action with horror-adjacent elements rather than dedicated horror. There are dark moments, violent confrontations, and a world full of dangerous supernatural creatures — the kind of atmosphere that fans of darker manga will appreciate. But the core tone is action-adventure, not sustained dread. If you came here from Horror Manga Guide looking for something that scratches the supernatural itch without being a full-on horror experience, this fits that niche well. If you need pure horror front to center, this may not be the right pick.
Skip If
- You want the complete story — the manga is a great read, but it only covers a portion of the light novel narrative. If knowing there’s “more out there” would bother you, go straight to the light novels instead
- You need a long-running series — at 10 volumes, this is a quick read. Some readers want a series they can live in for months. This isn’t that
The Bottom Line
Strike the Blood’s manga is a tight, well-drawn supernatural action series that respects your time and your wallet. Ten volumes, a complete story, cool vampire powers, and TATE’s artwork — it’s a genuinely enjoyable read that doesn’t overstay its welcome. The completed status is a huge plus in a genre full of ongoing series that may or may not stick the landing.
If you’ve been eyeing this series, Volume 1 is the only commitment you need to make. Grab it, see if the world of Itogami Island hooks you, and go from there.