Synopsis
In 1923, Tokyo is overwhelmed by a vampire crisis triggered by the illegal distribution of "Ascra," an artificial blood substitute that causes a rapid surge in the vampire population. Lieutenant General Sounosuke Nakajima orders the formation of Special Forces Unit 16, which recruits vampires into the military to establish a covert vampire-hunting squad called Code Zero. Colonel Yoshinobu Maeda commands the unit, tasked with tracing the source of the Ascra trade and eliminating vampires. He faces mounting pressure to deliver results as criticism grows, threatening the unit's dissolution. Compounding the challenge, the vampires within Code Zero struggle to control their new abilities and identities after losing their humanity. Surrounded by hostility, the members of Code Zero must resolve the crisis or succumb to their own monstrous instincts.
Background
Mars Red is based on a 2013 dramatic stage reading of the same name that was written by Bunoh Fujisawa, the sound director for the anime.