The year is 12,090 A.D., and what little is left of humanity has finally crawled out from the ashes of war and destruction. From the darkness of the fallout, mutants and a race of vampires known as the Nobility have spawned. They rule the weak with no remorse. Once bitten by a Nobility, one is cursed to become a member of the undead. Villagers cower in fear, hoping and praying for a savior to rid them of their undying nightmare. All they have to battle this danger is a different kind of danger—a Vampire Hunter.

Vampire Hunter D is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's novel series of the same title. Hideyuki Kikuchi personally selected Saiko Takaki as the artist for the manga adaptation.

The series had seven volumes published in English as Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D by Digital Manga Publishing, in print from November 25, 2007 to May 29, 2013, and digitally from June 8, 2009 to May 13, 2013. It has also been published in German, French, Finnish, Spanish, Lithuanian and Russian.