is a manga series drawn by Mineko Ohkami and published in the monthly Japanese magazine Wings. The manga was licensed in the United States by Tokyopop. The Tokyopop translation is imported to Australia by Madman Entertainment.
The sequel Heavenly Black and Evil White: Dragon Knights 2 follows 500 years after the original story and it is currently ongoing since 2014.
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Characters
Dragon Knights Rath IlluserThe Dragon Knight of Fire. One of his favorite hobbies is killing demons, and will go out of his way to seek them out. He uses the Fire Dragon sword, and later the Light Dragon Sword, as his weapon. He also boasts Ice and Fire magic and a strange ability to create temporary copies of himself and absorb others' powers, along with special ties to the Light Dragon. It is now known that he wasn't the true Dragon Knight of Fire. Rath harbors a great amount of self-hate, frequently projecting this hatred onto others. In volume 19, he also nearly commits suicide by Thatz's Earth Dragon Sword. It takes a special person and a lot of effort to break through his many masks. He is also the only heir to the Dragon Lord. He is somehow related to the Demon Lord and believes that he shouldn't be living. Cesia and Rune are those that Rath acts naturally around. When he and Cesia travel together to look for a way to revive Crewger, Rath's demon dog, he begins to develop feelings for Cesia. He would do anything to save her from the many demons that are after her. Rath used to be an evil spirit that had possessed the dead body of the Dragon dog, Illuser. Ace used his blood to turn it into one of the Dragon Tribe. After going to Nadil's castle to rescue Lii with Rune and Thatz, Rath is captured and Cesia releases all the souls that were held inside of Rath, most notably Gil and Bierrez, and Rath disappears. It is unknown whether or not Rath is dead at this point, and the story seems to indicate that Cesia will bring him back again at some later point.
When Cesia finally revives Rath once more, he goes back to Nadil's castle where Nadil reveals that Rath is the Demon King. This finally explains Karl's inexplicable loyalty to Rath and Rath's ability to continually return to life in different bodies. Rath uses Rakeita, the magical gun, with the help of the Dragon lord and Dragon empress' dragon eyes. In the end, Rath and Cesia become the Dragon Lord and Queen. In the sequel Heavenly Black and Evil White, he and Cesia have three children; plays the important role as well RuneThe Dragon Knight of Water, an elfin prince. He gave up his elfin powers when he became a dragon knight, and spent much time trying to recover them. He is incredibly focused, and seems to hold the current mission above all else in his priorities. He uses the Water Dragon sword as his weapon, although he can also harness the Power of Varawoo (a demon fish) and the purifying elfin power of Virtue. Although none of his friends tend to remember, Rune is also in love with and married to the elfin princess, Tintlet. He also resembles a girl, as noted by Rath and Thatz. He becomes the next White Dragon Officer in the end.
Thatz(or in the original Japanese version, That's) The Dragon Knight of Earth, a human. He was originally a thief before he awoke the Earth Dragon while trying to steal its seal from the Dragon palace. He still has a weakness for treasure and food. He uses the Earth Dragon sword as his weapon and, unlike the other two Knights, has no extra powers. In one of his battles against the Fire Demon Fedelta, he lost his left arm. Thatz, while coming off lighthearted, lazy, and even immature at times, cares deeply for Rath and Rune and tries hard to keep them both from harm—both external and self-inflicted. He becomes the next Blue Dragon Officer in the end.
Leading ladies CesiaA part-Yokai whom the Dragon Knights accidentally "rescued" from a witch. She can control wind magic and amplifies the powers of others who are near her. Her power amplification is one of the most sought after skills by both the Dragon Tribe and the Demon armies, and she has found herself to be of surprising worth. Cesia uses the Wind Staff both as a weapon and an object of healing—Although she has yet to unlock all of its secrets. She is one of the few who can get through to Rath and the person he feels the most comfortable around, as they share many aspects in their pasts. Cesia promises Rath that she would be the one to save him as she cares deeply for Rath.In volume 25 she eventually saves Rath and in doing so Rath and Cesia share a "Hello" kiss as Rath calls it. Cesia is a psychologically strong character, although she is also fighting her own inner demons which come not only in the more traditional forms of self-doubt and fear, but her Yokai side as well. She is very susceptible to curses. In the end, she becomes the new Dragon Queen. KitchelA human thief like Thatz, she used to be his rival when they were both scraping a living on the streets. She stole all of Thatz's money and food when she got a job working for Lord Lykouleon, actually forcing Thatz to sneak into the castle and eventually become a Dragon Knight. She is currently enlisted as a treasure hunter for the Dragon Lord. Very upbeat and cheerful, Kitchel prides herself on both her ability to always look on the bright side and for still being the best thief around. She managed to find the Three Treasures.
TintletThe elfin princess and wife of Rune, Tintlet holds a surprising amount of power. Appearing at first glance to be no more than a delicate addition to the cast, her elfin powers are quite strong. Very adept at healing and purifying magic, Tintlet can also "kick butt" when riled. She has the ability to change her form into that of a young human-looking girl and so be able to better traverse the countryside without giving away her true identity. In addition, Tintlet is able to split her body and soul, an ability that has already proven useful multiple times. A deeply loving and understanding character, Tintlet, although remaining largely unseen until the (after a brief appearance in the sixth and thirteenth) fifteenth book, has quickly shown her worth and ability to handle all thrown at her. She is caring of others, especially for the Elfin race.
Dragon Lord and consort Lord LykouleonThe Dragon Lord, and previous Light Dragon Knight. He is a powerful fighter and an empathetic caretaker of the people, but is constantly being kept in the castle by his underlings. He feels responsible for Rath's troubles and hurt by Rath's inability to see eye-to-eye with him. His blood is poisonous to most people, being described like an "overdose of light medicine". He uses the Imperial Dragon Sword as his weapon, although Rath currently has this in his possession. Lykouleon takes all under his wing, welcoming humans, yokai, and elves alike into the Dragon castle. Except for Rath, his blood brother, he is the last of the royal line. By the end of the series, he dies and his soul helps Rath level the magic gun at Nadil. It is believed that he was the sacrifice Nadil was talking about, in order for Rath to retain his dragon powers as he shot Nadil. Lady RaseleaneThe consort to the Dragon Lord, Lady Raseleane is Lykouleon's beloved wife. Greatly popular among the Dragon Tribe, she is a nurturing mother to all within the walls. Lady Raseleane was captured by Lord Nadil when the demons invaded Draqueen for the first time, prompting the start of the poor (to say the least) diplomatic relations between Kainaldia and Draqueen. She was eventually rescued by Lord Lykouleon, but not before Nadil had removed her Dragon Eyes (greatly stunting her ability to foretell the future and use magic) and rendered her unable to bear the Dragon Lord an heir. Nadil tries to kidnap her after he is revived and Rath dies. Lykouleon saves her. After the Dragon Lord dies, she secludes herself and Cenozurna in a mountain mansion. She also tells Rath, the new Dragon Lord, that he and Lykouleon are one. In the sequel, she has a son named, Naatsu, one of the main protagonists.
Dragon officers AlfeegiThe White Dragon Officer and Secretary, Alfeegi takes upon himself much of the responsibility for the every day affairs in the palace. He often scolds Ruwalk, Kaistern, Lykouleon and the three Knights for not finishing their work on time or giving extra money to Kaistern on his trips and such. As well as the castle finances, Alfeegi is in charge of their fortunetellers, placing Cesia under his care. Alfeegi has fantastic intuition and a keen mind, and although it seems like he enjoys yelling, he cares for all the Dragons very much. He was killed by Rath (who was possessed by Nadil at the time) in book 11. He returns in the latest book with the death faery, though unseen by any of the inhabitance of the Dragon Castle. It is assumed that he is either a ghost or a death faery now. He also visits Draqueen in the end, before Lykouleon dies, with Reema and Duuma. At that time, he instructs Saabel - whose soul was separated from his body and Alfeegi was talking to Saabel's soul - to find the Diamond Clover, a powerful dragon/monster that can defeat Yuusurgi. He is married to Reema, the death fairy. RuwalkThe Yellow Dragon Officer, Ruwalk acts as the Dragon Lord whenever Lykouleon cannot. He is childish and mischievous, but fights hard to protect the Dragon Tribe. Ruwalk has a tendency to give extra money to Kaistern for his frequent trips and help Lord Lykouleon slip out of the castle unnoticed. Always one to stand up for those trying to slide around the various castle formalities, he tends to get in trouble with Alfeegi quite often. He is Lykouleon's childhood friend and most of the time calls him by his given name without the title of "Lord": Ruwalk is Lykouleon's closest confidant and one of the few who are close enough to him to give him blunt advice or help. Ruwalk was also the one who chose to keep "Illuser" ["Eryusa" in Japanese] as Rath's last name. He and Cenozurna are paired up at the end.
KaisternThe Blue Dragon Officer, Kaistern travels around the world as a diplomat with other countries on the continent of Dusis. He is the closest to Rath and the Dragon/Demon dog Crewger, taking Crewger along on several of his trips. He has spent the last several years searching for the mystical Wind Dragon in a desperate effort to save Rath, whom he cares deeply for, acting as a joint mentor-father-therapist for the Knight of Fire. Kaistern would (and, indeed, does) lay everything on the line for Rath, and although he is the only one who Rath tells everything to, he never truly is let in by the Knight, no matter how hard he has tried to be accepted. After being poisoned by demon water, he gives up his lifeforce to help resurrect Rath. (He died in book 12, after being poisoned in an earlier book.) TetheusThe Black Dragon Officer and in charge of security and of overseeing the Dragon Fighters and Knights, Tetheus does a commendable job to protect the Dragon Castle from harm. Brother to Shydeman and Shyrendora, meaning that he is a demon, he was rescued by Lykouleon and vowed to serve him. Dark, mysterious and incredibly strong, not much is known about his past or, in reality, his present. Tetheus isn't as harsh as he sometimes comes off, however, and while he can be very strict, is also protective to a fault, loyal, and with the uncanny ability to see far more than he reveals. He was able to kill his brother, Shydamen, and become a full dragon. He also, as he was fighting off Shydamen, reinforced Saabel's soul's instructions to find Diamond Clover. He and Kitchel are paired up in the end.
Historian