Count D

The protagonist of Pet Shop of Horrors and its sequel Shin Pet Shop of Horrors (English: Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo).

Appearance
Count D always appears wearing ostentatious Chinese robes. His robe changes from chapter to chapter, always with intricate design, usually of flowers and animals. He has short black hair (in the Anime), or purple hair (in the Manga), or blue hair (in the Manga sequel) and claw-like fingernails. His feminine facial features and mannerisms often led him to be mistaken for a woman. As shown in colored covers is his eyes are two different colors, the right one yellow and left one purple.

He shares a striking resemblance to his father, and to his grandfather, the real Count D. They are almost identical except for the color of their eyes; D has one purple eye, like his father, and one golden eye, inherited from his grandfather. Thus, he is often mistaken for them. Count D uses this to his advantage to infiltrate his father's lab or helping his customers. It is only after thinking for a while that people realize Count D's grandfather would have aged.

Personality
In the beginning, Count D is very relaxed. He appears often to be quite calm and collected with an mysterious air. He is often depicted with a cool, almost slightly sinister smile on his lips.

However, this composed state often becomes disrupted when detective Leon is introduced. When he is free, he regularly comes over to the pet shop to check if the Count is participating in any suspicious activities. The Count are visibly annoyed at Leon's hot-temper and blatancy, causing him to become more openly emotional.

Despite his dislike for humans in general, the Count is amiable, as often when he has a guest or customer he will invite them to join him for tea.

Talents and Abilities
Count D has quite a good memory, as he claims to have never forgotten a customer.

He has great martial arts abilities. When questioned about them by Leon, he claims all Chinese people are like him. Count D often getting himself out of trouble with his agility and fighting abilities.

He is able to communicate with animals by reading their thoughts, and the only other character known to be able to do so is Chris. Count D can summon certain animals with his blood, though it is tiring to do so.

Plot
Count D is first seen when he sells a man a lizard/Medusa and to a man. The man dies with no apparent reasons to his death, and the only things left on the death scene than the white lizard the Count D sold to him. Detective Leon Orcot becomes convinced that Count D is a criminal and uses the pet shop as a front for drugs, slavery and other offenses and vows to arrest him but over the course of the story Leon gets into a strange friendship with Count D.

Though he denies his 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 come to hold his brother detective 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 color 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.

Genju no Seiza
D makes a cameo appearance in volume 4 and 8 of Genju no Seiza, another manga series by Matsuri Akino.

Trivia

 * He is vegetarian, and obsessed with sweets. He always asks for sweets in return for his services, and is easily bought over with desserts.
 * His actual age is unknown.