Dark Moon: The Blood Altar (Korean: DARK MOON: 달의 제단), also known in Japanese as Kuro no Tsuki: Tsuki no Saidan (黒の月: 月の祭壇) is a South Korean manhwa serialized online, written and illustrated by Hybe in collaboration with Naver Webtoon with an alternative storyline web novel on Wattpad. It ran from January 15, 2022, to August 12, 2023, consisting of 70 chapters.
Dark Moon: The Blood Altar is part of Project Dark Moon, a multimedia initiative by Hybe. It is the first installment of the Dark Moon series, consisting of Dark Moon: The Blood Altar, the prequels Dark Moon: Children of Vamfield and Dark Moon: The Blood of Vargr, the sequel Dark Moon: Two Moons, and the spin-off Dark Moon: The Grey City with the Japanese boy band &Team.
In 2023, an English print edition was published by Ize Press, with the Korean version published by Haksan Publishing. The characters and storyline are based on the South Korean boy band Enhypen and their music videos. The original story began with their "Drunk-Dazed" music video released on April 26, 2021. An anime television series adaptation produced by Troyca aired from January to March 2026.
Contents
Plot
Sooha is a girl who has been forced to conceal her superhuman abilities to avoid being mistaken for a vampire. After being wrongfully accused of vampirism and blamed for her childhood friend's death, she enrolls in Decelis Academy, a night school said to bar entry to supernatural beings such as vampires and werewolves.
At the academy, Sooha meets Heli, a student who befriends her despite learning her secret, and is introduced to his close circle of friends, each secretly being a vampire and possessing unique powers. Though they try to protect her, the group is inexplicably drawn to her and willing to follow her wishes. When a recent murder linked to a vampire occurs, Sooha is drawn into a centuries-old conflict between vampires and the other most popular group at school, the werewolves. As tensions rise, she becomes entangled in the dangerous supernatural world she has long sought to avoid.
Characters
Main characters
Sooha
Voiced by: Fūka Izumi (Japanese); Elsie Lovelock (English)
The protagonist of Dark Moon: The Blood Altar. She is a human with supernatural strength that often makes people mistake her for a vampire. The discrimination she received due to that started her deep hatred towards vampires. She transferred to the tenth grade at the Decelis Academy.
Heli (based on Enhypen's Heeseung)
Voiced by: Kikunosuke Toya (Japanese); Kieran Flitton (English)
A vampire in the twelfth grade at the Decelis Academy and the captain and center of the Nightball Team. He has the ability of telepathy and is able to converse with others through his mind.
Solon (based on Enhypen's Sunghoon)
Voiced by: Jin Ogasawara (Japanese); Will de Renzy-Martin (English)
A vampire-werewolf hybrid in the tenth grade at the Decelis Academy and a forward of the Nightball Team. He keeps the fact that he is half werewolf from his vampire brothers.
Jakah (based on Enhypen's Jungwon)
Voiced by: Yūto Uemura (Japanese); Steven Kelly (English)
A vampire in the ninth grade at Decelis Academy and the wing of the Nightball Team. He is the smartest among his brothers and has supernatural speed.
Jaan (based on Enhypen's Jay)
Voiced by: Hiroto Shimizu (Japanese); Valentine Stokes (English)
Side characters
Chris
Voiced by: Yuki Kaji (Japanese); Ciarán Strange (English)
A human and Sooha's childhood friend. Despite passing away at a young age, Sooha appeared to see him after transferring to the Decelis Academy.
Khan (based on &Team's K)
Voiced by: Taihi Kimura (Japanese); Ricco Fajardo (English)
Tahel (based on &Team's Taki)
Voiced by: Shōya Chiba (Japanese); Nicholas Andrew Louie (English)
Najak (based on &Team's Nicholas)
Voiced by: Hayato Dojima (Japanese); Darrel J. Delfin (English)
Enzy (based on &Team's EJ)
Voiced by: Shohei Komatsu (Japanese); Jesse Inocalla (English)
Ruslan (based on &Team's Harua)
Voiced by: (Japanese); Caleb Yen (English)
Camill (based on &Team's Jo)
Voiced by: (Japanese); Micah Solusod (English)
Mahan (based on &Team's Fuma)
Voiced by: (Japanese); Yong Yea (English)
Music
Memorabilia
Memorabilia is a special extended play (EP) by Enhypen, released on May 13, 2024. The physical album was issued in Moon, Vargr, and Decelis Academy editions, each containing themed merchandise tied to the Dark Moon: The Blood Altar universe.
"One In A Billion" (2022)
"Criminal Love" (2023)
"Fatal Trouble" (2024)
"Teeth" (2024)
"Lucifer" (2024)
"Scream" (2024)
Other music
Enhypen have released multiple music videos as part of the Dark Moon: The Blood Altar universe.
"Given-Taken" (2020)
"Drunk‑Dazed" (2021)
"Fever" (2021)
"Tamed‑Dashed" (2022)
"Blessed‑Cursed" (2022)
"Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)" (2022)
"One In A Billion" (2022)
"Bite Me" (2023)
"Criminal Love" (2023)
"Fatal Trouble" (2024)
"XO (Only If You Say Yes)" (2024)
"No Doubt" (2024)
"Bad Desire" (2025)
"Knife" (2026)
Media
Webtoon and web novel
Dark Moon: The Blood Altar began publication on January 15, 2022, on the webtoon hosting services Naver and Line Webtoon. Simultaneously published alongside the webtoon, HYBE and Naver Webtoons co-planned the web novel edition on Wattpad in which the storyline differentiates from the Webtoon version.
Short Films
Three short films have been released in connection with the Dark Moon universe by ENHYPEN. The films serve as cinematic concept works that visually expand upon the narrative themes and lore of Dark Moon: The Blood Altar.
Dark Blood Concept Trailer (2023) – directed by Yu Kwang Goeng
Orange Blood Concept Trailer (2023) – directed by Yu Kwang Goeng
Desire Concept Cinema (2024) – directed by Minsoo Park
Ize Press published an English print edition of the webtoon Dark Moon: The Blood Altar on December 12, 2023. The Korean version was published by Haksan Publishing on December 15, 2023, as well as the webnovel on December 1, 2023. The German version was published by Manhwa Cult on June 6, 2024. The French version by Hugo Publishing and the Thai release by Amarin are set to be published soon.
Anime
An anime adaptation under the Japanese name Kuro no Tsuki: Tsuki no Saidan (黒の月: 月の祭壇) was announced during the Aniplex Online Fest event on September 16, 2024, which was later confirmed to be a television series produced by Troyca and directed Shōko Shiga, with scripts written by Touko Machida, characters designed by Masami Inomata, and music composed by Naoki "naotyu" Chiba. The series aired from January 10 to March 28, 2026, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The opening theme song is "One In A Billion (Japanese Ver.)", while the ending theme songs are "CRIMINAL LOVE" and "Fatal Trouble", all performed by Enhypen. Crunchyroll is streaming the series. Medialink licensed the series for streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Reception
Dark Moon: The Blood Altar is the most successful works among the HYBE Original Story Webtoons by HYBE and Naver. It exceeded 100 Million cumulative page views on Naver and is also highly evaluated in South Korea with a score of 9.78 out of 10. The webtoon ranked in the top five in the platform's chart in seven different language services including German, Spanish, French, Chinese and Indonesian, topping all Sunday series for 10 straight weeks. The Comic Book Resources similarly included the series in their "25 Top Manhwa You Need To Read".
Collaborations
A festival with the theme of 'Dark Moon: The Blood Altar' will be held at Lotte World from September 1 to October 22, 2023. Any visitor can enjoy the festival wearing a school uniform with Decelis Academy logo, which is the background in the webtoon, and experience Decelis banquet hall on the third floor of Magic Castle.
E-Land's global SPA brand SPAO launched 'Dark Moon collection'. This collaborative collection features products such as pajamas, rugby tees, ball caps, and socks inspired by the logo of Decelis Academy, the school the main characters attend. SPAO Dark Moon Collection will first be released at SPAO offline stores on September 22, 2023, and will be available at SPAO online stores starting in October.