China v.s. West preferences for Vampire Knight ships (I've always wanted to talk about it)
This is my thesis only but I think one of the main reasons why Yume was far more popular in China while Zeki was the most popular ship in the West by a mile is because of the differences in narrative and cultural sensibilities. Chinese hold a general preference for fated love stories, stories centering destiny and the actualization of predestined path. So there is this idea of a destiny so great it finds you no matter the conditions by transcending any obstacles. They generally find the idea of a fate greater than oneself more compelling. (we can see major buddhist and daoists influences in these preferences with the idea of continuing karmic bonds through past and present lives, reincarnation, the red string theory(two people meant to be together will end up together, they are linked by a red string at their ankles, etc.)
This is very much in contrast with Occidental narrative preferences where people in the West prefer love stories (even stories in general actually) about TRANSCENDING destiny and pre-determined circumstances, going beyond a preordained path and CREATING your own destiny. Western viewers tend to find romantic fictions that subvert a greater force above them, favoring self actualization and defining one's own path and meaning through sheer power of will. It's heavily influenced by existentialist philosophies (i.e. ''Existence preceeds essence'')
All this and also Westerners preference for the underdog lol
Now I don't need to mention why Yume and Zeki pretty much fit to a T each narratives respectively cause it's pretty obvious.
This opinion is interesting. I think it is both an objective analysis and one that captures the essence of the story. Fourteen years ago, a Japanese commentary on this work explained that Yuki is bound and connected to Kaname by 「血」“bloodline” and 「運命」“fate,” and to Zero by 「想い」“feeling” and 「絆」“bond.” Moreover, the different kinds of love Yuki holds toward Zero and Kaname are expressed in the kanji characters given to their daughters’ names.
Regarding Yuki’s feeling toward Zero, expressed with the word omoi (想い): in classical Japanese literature, when omoi was used to mean strong romantic feeling, it was paired with the word kofu (恋ふ, “to love/long for”). The kanji koi (恋), paired with omoi, is the oldest expression of romantic love in Japanese, and it is the character used in the name of Yuki and Zero’s daughter. This character represents romantic love, signifying a self-driven feeling and acquired bond. This word is only used for romantic relationship between men and women, such as lovers and married spouses. In the Japanese summaries, Yuki and Zero are repeatedly described as omoi-au (想い合う), which carries the meaning of romantic love.
On the other hand, Kaname’s daughter’s name uses the character ai (愛), which expresses other-centered feeling and signifies innate bond. The word ai (愛) is based on a concept imported from India and China, which only later came into use in Japan, after kofu (恋ふ) and omou (想ふ). Originally, ai did not carry the romantic meaning; it signified the Buddhist concept of compassion. Under the influence of Chinese character culture, it came to mean “to cherish” or “to show kindness” in Japan. Eventually, words like aijō (愛情, “affection”) developed, and ai came to be used broadly for kinship, parent–child, siblings, spouses, and partners. Even today, the love expressed in Kaname’s daughter’s name, Ai, still carries the foundation of Buddhist compassion. Because the word includes Buddhist concepts, it also conveys fate, a path determined before birth, and innate bond.
This work contains many contrasts between Zero’s acquired “bond” 「絆」and “feeling” 「想い」, versus Kaname’s innate “fate” 「運命」 and “bloodline” 「血」. This suggests that the author consciously created the story with this framework. Yuki loves both men, but the kinds of love she directs toward each are different. This illustrates the fact that in Japanese culture, there are multiple distinct concepts of love. Which kind of love one prefers is left to the reader’s personal taste.
Differences in the concept of love in Japan according to linguistic history:
• Koi (恋）Zero: passionate, acquired bond born from chance encounter; self-driven desire; subjective feeling.
• Ai (愛）Kaname: innate bond appearing as destiny or blood relations; cherishing, compassion; an other-centered feeling.
Thus, Yuki’s love for Kaname is based on concepts imported from China and India. Chinese Confucianism emphasized blood relations and family ties, and this philosophy deeply influenced Japan. Yuki’s love for Kaname—rooted in shared bloodline, destiny, and innate bond—is strongly shaped by Confucian and Buddhist thought. Furthermore, Kaname and Yuki’s love also embodies Japan’s indigenous concept of ancestor worship. Kaname is literally Yuki’s first ancestor. In Japan, there is a custom of visiting graves in summer to honor and thank one’s ancestors. The Japanese ideology is that one exists only because one’s ancestors existed, and therefore Japanese must show deep gratitude and love to our ancestors.(though this practice is fading among younger generations.) Many lines in the story reflect this idea. Moreover, in Japanese tradition, ancestors are believed to become guardian deities, watching from afar to ensure descendants choose a righteous and happy path. This is exactly the role Kaname plays in the story. And the role of Kaname also shows that ancestors are eternal beings in Japanese thought.
By contrast, Western philosophy and literature often emphasize the power of human will. From ancient times, countless works have described about willpower. Discussions of human will appeared in ancient Greek philosophy and became deeply rooted in Christian philosophy and Western values. Human will is one of the longest-standing debates in philosophy and religion. Across Western history, Western people have shared this legacy of concept of willpower. For this reason, Western readers may tend to prefer the acquired, self-driven bond of willpower represented by Yuki and Zero. The fact that Yuki and Zero’s daughter Ren’s name uses a kanji representing love born of acquired, self-driven bond shows that the author clearly intended to depict their relationship in this way. Some Western contracts of bond—such as knightly oaths—do not often place biological kinship as the most important factor. Acquired bond can sometimes be stronger than inherited one. The bracelet worn on Yuki’s left wrist symbolized her bond with Zero, a contract she never let go of. Even after Zero disappeared, Yuki turned a fragment of the Bloody Rose into a pendant instead of that bracelet and spoke to Zero through it. Even when she offered her life to Kaname, she held the pendant and spoke to Zero. The author emphasized how precious acquired bond with Zero was for Yuki.
Japan has historically absorbed immense influence from China, India, and the West. These imported ideas, combined with Japan’s own native values, have created a culture where multiple systems of thought are intricately blended. This story embodies both types of bond—Zero and Yuki’s acquired bond and Kaname and Yuki’s fate. I think this consideration that differences in preferences are due to differences in cultural values is very interesting.
