Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for Episode 13 of Mars Red, "Frailty, Thy Name Is Vampire," now streaming on Funimation.
Episode 13 of Mars Red, "Frailty, Thy Name Is Vampire," ends on a hopeful note after spending six episodes in the deep winter of a vampire apocalypse. After disposing of the remaining villains before they could cause more damage, this chapter of the Code Zero story turns around the clean-up: how to move forward when so many children have been turned into vampires, and so many soldiers have become immortal cyborg bloodsuckers -- a threat not only to terrified vampires but to the general population.
Surprisingly, the show delivers on a happy ending for almost everyone -- even a couple of the villains, in a round-about way. After the credits roll, Mars Red treated fans to another Deffrott recitation set against modern-day Tokyo's electric horizon, and a series of snapshots set in different decades of the 20th century, depicting the fate of almost all the characters of the show.
Suwa and Ayame Make it to New York
The 300-year-old teen vampire of Code Zero, the deadly assassin Suwa, found a kindred spirit in subdued Ayame, a girl who was bitten and turned by Rufus Glenn to act as his spy. Ayame and Suwa know about each other's darkest deeds and past experiences, and despite their initial mistrust, in the end, they decide to ditch Japan and sail together to the West Coast of the United States. In the epilogue, they are shown in Times Square, New York.
Tenmaya-san Rebuilds his Store in Tokyo
Tenmaya-san, the empathetic human benefactor of all of Tokyo's hopeless vampires manages to go back and rebuild after the events of the show. His epilogue picture shows him posing with his eternal friend, Mr. Shop Attendant, in a dazzling, newly rebuilt Ginza.
Takeuchi, Teacher of Vampire Children
Takeuchi, the pink-haired mad scientist of Code Zero becomes the unlikely leader of Tokyo's vampire exodus to an undisclosed secure location. He was last seen riding the train with a gaggle of quick-witted vampire kids in tow, and plans to find a way to harness the sun to allow them to age if they wish to. Takeuchi's epilogue picture is set well into the 1980s, showing him hollering at the vampire kids, who are fighting over a game console.
Maeda Finally Rests in Peace
Maeda, the chronically exhausted human leader of Code Zero who lost his fiancée, his protector and his humanity in the first half of the series is finally able to rest -- even though he has to die to actually do it. The final episode shows that although he was bitten by an extremely powerful vampire and inherited all of his sire's gifts, his mind is locked in a loop of remembrance, where he replays over and over how he'd wished his life to be: sun-soaked days in a happy marriage with Misaki, surrounded by his friends and respected by his boss and father-in-law.
Maeda dies on the same spot as Misaki, grateful to be free of the violence. When he burns under the sun, his scorch interlocks with Misaki's like the motif of two wedding rings.
Aoi and Shutaru Survive... But Are Forever Separated
Aoi, the intrepid journalist, and Shutaru, the powerful newbie vampire of Code Zero, survive till the end of the series. Shutaru is actually the one who defeats Maeda and sends him off to the afterlife, but he's exhausted after their battle. Aoi, who witnessed everything, tries to comfort him -- but they see the dawn coming, and a group of rogue super-soldier vampires approaching, all hope lost. So Shutaru asks Aoi to give him her blood, which would turn him into a full vampire, able to access his powers -- an irreversible state that could make him go mad, but which would grant him the strength to protect both of them and the rest of Tokyo from these mindless super soldiers.
Aoi doesn't want to lose Shutaru again, but slices her hand on Maeda's katana and offers her blood to her childhood friend, who takes it... and turns. He keeps his mind, but he will spend his eternal life trying to clean up the mess that his predecessors made, instead of spending it with Aoi, the love of his life.
General Nakajima Survives and Retires
The most infuriating part of the epilogue is that General Nakajima, the villain who caused this mayhem and the death of everyone who came into contact with him actually gets out of jail and retires as a civilian. He appears in the background of the first picture of the epilogue, passing behind Aoi, who is leaving flowers and praying at the spot where Nakajima's daughter and Maeda died, not even caring to throw a look in the direction of his daughter's tomb.
