Pet Shop of Horrors - Primary Characters

Primary Characters

Count D

• Gender: Male (though his appearance is androgynous and he is often mistaken for a woman)
• Nationality: Overseas Chinese
• Age: Never specified
• Occupation: Owner of "Count D's Pet Shop"

Though he denies the name is "Count D" – claiming that this title belongs only to his grandfather, the shop's true owner – most humans refer to him by this name, often shortened to "The Count", "Count", or simply "D". He runs a pet shop in Chinatown while the shop's alleged true owner is travelling abroad. His motto suggests he doesn't actually sell pets but rather "love, dreams, and hope" with a three-term contract.

He appears more fond of animals than humans and displays a love of the natural world. He usually appears calm and soft-spoken (except when he is fighting with Leon), though towards the end of the manga series, his attitude changes. He enjoys drinking tea and has a special fondness for confectionery. In fact, Leon often bribes him with sweets and pastries in return for information. Although he often expresses disdain for humans and claims to hate human children, he eventually becomes very attached to Chris, and he also seems to hold his brother Leon in affection.

In Volume 4, Leon suspects that D may be a vampire, but D's father later refutes this (and D is actually a vegetarian). He shares a striking resemblance to his father, and to his grandfather, the real Count D. This is because they are imperfect clones or, more correctly, duplicates of one another. They are almost identical except for the colour of their eyes; D has one purple eye, like his father, and one golden eye, inherited from his grandfather. Though it is hinted earlier in the series, it is revealed in Volume 10 that he is not human, though what he and his family are exactly is left open to interpretation. According to D's father, they are the last of an ancient Chinese civilization that was very close to animals. Because of their wisdom, the people were kept at the imperial palace as wise men, priests, giving them all superior treatment. When the prince asked one of the priestesses for her hand in marriage and she refused him, however, he grew angry and ordered a massive genocide of the people. Only one man from the civilization survived, vowing to take revenge on the humans for what they did to his family.

As well as being the main character in Pet Shop of Horrors, D makes a cameo appearance in volume 4 and volume 8 of Genju no Seiza, another manga series by Matsuri Akino.

Leon Orcot

• Gender: Male
• Nationality: American
• Age: 24 at the beginning of the series
• Height: 184 cm
• Weight: 72 kg
• Occupation: Detective

Leon Orcot is a hot-headed young detective who attempts to connect the pet shop with mysterious deaths in the region. He is convinced Count D is a criminal and proceeds to investigate him with an iron will, determined to be the one to put the cuffs on the manicured hands of D. Over time, he forms a close and complicated relationship with the Count. He has a disdain for the supernatural and therefore refuses to be believe D's explanations for the events of the story, though this attitude is challenged as the series progresses. He is extremely lecherous as displayed though the series, and spends a lot of time chasing girls. Over the course of the series, Leon is given two pets by D (a flowering plant and a butterfly), both of which help him through hard times in his life (as opposed to other pets sold, which are meant to teach their owners a lesson).