22/02/2025
Baban Baban Ban Vampire
(Japanese: ババンババンバンバンパイア, Hepburn: Baban Baban Ban 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 premiered in January 2025, and a live-action film adaptation has been announced.
Anime
Ranmaru Mori is a live-in part-timer at a long-established public bathhouse, whose true identity is a 450-year-old vampire. He is in search of the ultimate taste, "the blood of an 18-year-old virgin," and continues to protect the virginity of the only son of the bathhouse, 15-year-old Rihito. However, when Rihito reaches puberty, he falls in love at first sight with a girl in the same class! Ranmaru's desperate plan to stop him from losing his virginity begins...!
Characters
Ranmaru Mori
Ranmaru - Babanbabanban Vampire
A vampire dedicated to cleaning, Ranmaru finds his current way of living to be convenient. Having Michael Jackson on his phone, Ranmaru listens to relatively modern-day tunes yet is mortified to find himself dancing to them. When Rihito saved his life, he was touched by his pure heart. Ranmaru is upfront that he is waiting for the blood of an innocent eighteen-year-old virgin. 450 himself, Ranmaru says his physical body is around 25 years old. Regarding humans as food, Ranmaru thinks the difference between a virgin and a non-virgin is like a wagyu beef compared to an eraser. Using his life experiences, Ranmaru intends to sever feelings of love Rihito may have. Having murdered others, Ranmaru thinks that humans will never understand the feelings of sadness as he climaxes while the person he loves slowly goes cold.
Rihito Tatsuno
Rihito - Babanbabanban Vampire
This year, Rihito will become a high schooler at age 15. Nervous about starting school, Rihito freely shares with Ranmaru that it is because he is worried he will get bullied. Happy around his family, Rihito is also open to discussing his feelings, namely that he has found a girl he likes and seeks Ranmaru for advice on what to do. Having exchanged numbers with Aoi, he continues to resort to Ranmaru's guidance on proceeding, unaware that he has misinterpreted his intentions.
Aoi Shinozuka
Aoi - Babanbabanban Vampire
After Rihito bumped into her, she handed him a hanker-chief. Finding Ranmaru outside her bedroom window, Aoi denies she is in love with Rihito. She deems Rihito kind but does not have that type of relationship. Outright commanded to fall in love, Aoi elects to give some thought, not to Rihito however, but to Ranmaru. Wondering if they can meet again, Aoi refers to Ranmaru as vampire-sama.
Haruhiko Tatsuno
Rihito's dad, he is 45 and runs the bathhouse where Ranmaru is employed at. Laughing at Ranmaru's stories about drinking blood, Haruhiko thinks he is joking. Informed that his son is in love, Haruhiko says for Rihito to tell him about her. Teasing him about how they met, Haruhiko's fatherly advice is for Rihito to use a condom.
Choujirou Tatsuno
He lives at the Tatsuno family bathhouse. Choujirou is eighty and does not recognize Ranmaru, despite him having worked at the bathhouse for ten years. Choujirou thought it was the grim reaper coming to get him again.
Rihito's Mother
As Ranmaru speaks about supposed vampire experiences, she feels her family has pushed this "vampire character" onto him. She assumes Ranmaru is just playing along.
Kudou
Childhood friends with Rihito, he is in the same class and asks that he introduce Aoi to him. Raising how Rihito owns a bathhouse, Kudou has to ask whether he has seen Aoi naked. Kudou is a member of the baseball club.
Franken
He resolves to punish Ranmaru for picking on who he says are his cute kouhais. He seems to believe said kouhais that they were not the cause of the problem where they ganged up on Rihito.
Exhibitionist
This man draws close to Aoi, before parting his cloak to reveal that he is naked. Finding that Aoi fainted, then looking around, he asserts that if she fell asleep in a place like this then a creep is going to do creepy things to her. He decides he must take Aoi home. He adds it is Aoi's fault for walking around by herself in these dimly lit streets. Promptly after, the Exhibitionist has his face smashed into a wall by Ranmaru.
Kaoru Yamaba
Umetarou Sakamoto
Ken Shinozuka
ADVERTISEMENT
Story
Ranmaru Mori thinks he is a vampire, and as he awakens, he heads to clean the sauna room floor. At a bathhouse of sixty years, Ranmaru lives there and works part-time. Taking a break, Ranmaru dances to a Michael Jackson song before Rihito Tatsuno discovers him. While Rihito wants to speak with him, Ranmaru is concerned that he will be tired for tomorrow's school entrance ceremony. When Rihito shares that he is nervous, he does not answer why. Instead, he hands Ranmaru a can of tomato juice.
As they have a drink together, Rihito hears his classmates for the year are pretty unruly, and he is worried he will get bullied. Assuring him there is nothing to worry about, Ranmaru begins to say that if anyone who even looks like they will bully Rihito, he will kill them. Adjusting the final part of what he was about to say, Ranmaru claims he will kick up some delicious croquettes and offer them before asking them to be nice. Although Rihito does not get it, he appears happy and thanks Ranmaru, who is pleased to see his joy.
Thinking about it, Rihito is the reason Ranmaru is staying here. Ten years ago, Ranmaru was being pursued by a particular organization. Exhausted and outside being burnt by the sun, Ranmaru came across Rihito playing with a football and asked for his help. After Rihito returned inside, Ranmaru concluded that someone would not lend a hand to such a monster. Burning, then collapsing, Ranmaru accepted his death. Opening his eyes, Ranmaru found Rihito, saying there was a place he could hide since no one was coming around that day.
Touched by Rihito's honest, innocent-looking eyes and pure heart, Ranmaru initially thought he wanted his everything. Ranmaru felt it was wrong to relate this to human love, as a vampire it was the case they had food they prefer. It was the blood of an eighteen-year-old virgin boy that Ranmaru preferred. Another three years later, Ranmaru considers he will have Rihito's pure blood. To that end, Ranmaru stays here and looks over Rihito to stop him from being defiled.
In the bathhouse, Ranmaru and Rihito are found by the latter's dad, Haruhiko Tatsuno, who is keen to celebrate tomorrow. While Ranmaru speaks to Haruhiko about how he does not mind working for free when the topic comes up, he thinks it is because he will be taking his son's life. The living arrangements at the bathhouse are considered as the residents gather to eat. Choujirou Tatsuno asks who Ranmaru is, even though he has worked there for ten years. Answering, Ranmaru tells Choujirou he is four hundred and fifty years old. Rihito and Haruhiko laugh at what they think is a joke. Continuing, Ranmaru says to Choujirou that he is a vampire. As Choujirou begins praying to have mercy as he genuinely believes what he says, the laughter from others continues.
As Rihito builds on the joke and asks how Ranmaru became a vampire, it seems the truth is that Ranmaru was turned into one by a vampire from a European trade ship. For some reason, only half of Ranmaru's blood was taken, and vampire blood was injected into him. As Rihito's mother interrupts the story with a gift for Rihito, the history topic comes up. Ranmaru claims to have been acquainted with several historical figures, such as Lord Nobunaga, Hijikata Toshizhou, Ryouma, and Dazai, and alludes to drinking their blood and murdering them.
While Ranmaru contemplates how humans are just food to him, Rihito notices the time and heads to bed. As Ranmaru bids him goodnight, Rihito thanks him for being reassuring. Because he will be in high school, Rihito feels he cannot keep relying on Ranmaru. Alone, Ranmaru finds Rihito's pureness to be arousing. Asking himself if he should devour Rihito now, Ranmaru returns to his senses to await when Rihito is 'complete.' Asked what is the matter by Rihito's mother, Ranmaru replies that he is going to a bar.
Cloaked, Ranmaru has decided to go on a quick hunt. In a city, Ranmaru co-exists with humans but drinks the blood of criminals, which he can sense. Seizing someone who he perceives is a murderer, Ranmaru bites into the man. Finding the blood disgusting, Ranmaru wants to drink the blood of someone pure, as Rihito envisioned.
The next morning, Rihito is late for school and accidentally runs into Aoi Shinozuka. After the day at school has ended, Rihito returns home to tell Ranmaru about it and shares that he has found someone he likes. Ranmaru is shocked, while Rihito asks what he should do, as he thinks it is love. Ranmaru says to leave everything to him, which Rihito interprets as meaning that he will help him. Instead, Ranmaru intends to prevent virginity loss.[1]