Indeed, Arthas is exactly one of those instances of a Death Knight who never actually tasted death himself, he just slowly got corrupted by Frostmourne until he couldn’t be counted as truly living anymore.
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Yeah second generation death knights like Arthas are corrupted by the power of the Lich King himself and don’t really die but just fall to undeath. Its similiar to how a necromancer uses necromancy to an extensive level and they fall to the state of undeath as well. However most DKs nowadays are killed then raised which are third generation.
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Indeed: being an undead doesn’t require you to actually die and get raised, or am I wrong?
You can become a full undead without dying, much like Arthas. Though it might not be the best viable solution in RP as it feels a little special, its still worth pointing it out as a way to become a death knight.
To complicate the matter - and to be honest, the very existance of this skill could raise some questions about the Death Knight’s “state” as the member of the living - there is the skill called : Lichborne
Draw upon unholy and frost energies to become Undead for 10 sec. While undead all damage is reduced by 30% and you are nearly unstoppable becoming immune to Stun, Snare, Fear and Root effects.
Vampiric Blood dances dangerusly close to this with the:
Embrace your undeath, increasing your maximum health by 30% and increasing all healing and absorbs received by 30% for 10 sec.
One easily could ponder, how undead these risen fallen heroes really are…?
(Not to mention the whole breath-thing - while the forsaken not really needs air or have problem with breath - but thats probably wasn’t given to the DKs so the Forsaken could remain “sepcial” in that case… but who knows aftee these skills?)
To answer it properly.
Every Death Knight is ‘‘Undead’’ but may not have actually died.
Majority of cases they were killed and later raised but we have few cases where they took on a Vampiric Runeblade and was slowly turned undead due to the corruption such as Arthas and Baron Rivendare I believe too?
So in short every Death Knight is undead, but the state of their undeath may vary based on how they were turned and how long they were dead and how well they kept their decay.
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The skills are in my honest opinion nothing or little to go by, since they’re often rife with spelling errors and only in a few cases seen used by characters in-game and lore. Notable examples of abilities that are used as written are anti-magic zone and asphyxiate. The zone used by Koltira when you rescue him and asphyxiate by Dranosh when you face him in ICC.
All other lore points to all Death Knights except Arthas (As Angelus stated, victims of vampiric runeblades also fall into this category, it seems) himself being undead, so it’s nothing worth worrying about.
This is very simply just due to how gameplay mechanics use racials. Note that draenei DKs have access to their blessing of the Naaru, despite their undeath.
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So basically, there is a kinda canon way - just to stay on topic as the original was, rp outside DK guild/hub - to be not a sadist/masochists sicco who is edgier than a DH and could function somewhats socially acceptable… grab a Rune Blade and become a DK that way?
Don’t want to start an argument about “then why play a DK?” -, same question could be, why play an emotional trainwreck who cant function outside a battlefield/Acherus - just curiosity, how headcanonny that is, rare/common among the DK players?
Rephrase the question and I’ll gladly answer. I think the meaning of your paragraph got lost on me somewhere.
Think I’ve got it. No, becoming a DK through a vampiric runeblade will not allow you to be without hunger. The vampiric nature of it will first feed on you, slowly turning you to undeath. To retain its power, it will have to be fed the lives of others, perhaps making it even more demanding than the hunger of a standard DK.
This is a little hyperbolic. Death Knights can be assumed, like most undead, to have dulled positive and heightened negative emotions. I recall there being lore to back this up, but cannot currently quote it.
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Understandable
But at least no wrecking pain that drives you mad killingmachine… killing to reatain your powers, feeding your blade souls and death a bit more better than being tortured with that pain - but just my two copper 
A bit, hyperbolic, yes , sorry for it - there is that Troll fisher in Draenor who can be a garrison follower, whos passion is fishing, Koltira who stil loves/saved his sister, Nazgrim who definitly have positive feelings for Azeroth…
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I’ve had a look to check my own words and, being that Wowwiki at least states that vampiric runeblades turn you into a Death Knight, the hunger and accompanying pain seems tragically unavoidable.
Well, all I could find is:
Fallen Knights of the Silver Hand
Death Knights were once virtuous defenders of Humanity. However, once the Paladin ranks were disbanded by the failing Alliance, many of these holy warriors traveled to the quarantined lands to ease the suffering of those left within the plague-ridden colonies. Though the Paladins were immune to disease of any kind, they were persecuted by the general populace who believed that they had been infected by the foul plague. A small band of Paladins, embittered by society’s cruelty, traveled north to find the plague’s source. These renegade Paladins succumbed to bitter hatred over the course of their grueling quest. When they finally reached Ner’zhul’s icy fortress in Northrend they had become dark and brooding. The Lich King offered them untold power in exchange for their services and loyalty. The weary, vengeful warriors accepted his dark pact, and although they retained their humanity, their twisted souls were bound to his evil will for all time. Bestowed with black, vampiric Runeblades and shadowy steeds, Death Knights serve as the Scourge’s mightiest generals
Unlike Gul’dan’s death knights, these dark champions possessed unholy strength, however, they did not possess free will and their minds were inexorably entwined with and dominated by the Lich King’s vast consciousness. Despite the heavy costs of free will, some powerful mortals were intrigued by the promise of immortality and pledged their souls freely into the Lich King’s service to achieve it.
In the years since Arthas shattered the Frozen Throne and merged with the Lich King, the power and fury of the death knights only grew. These unrelenting crusaders of the damned eagerly awaited the Lich King’s command to unleash their fury on Azeroth once again
Safe to assume, some broke free, like the Acherus Knights?
And a book: This is my Runeblade: There Are Many Like It But This One Is Mine
Greetings, death knight. By now, Instructor Razuvious has likely begun teaching you the first lessons of what it means to be a death knight. Allow me to begin your instruction on what is perhaps the most guarded treasure in a death knight’s possession; the runeblade. Without your hand to guide it, your runeblade is but a hollow shell. Separate, you are both broken entities; weak and powerless. Should you ever find yourself without possession of a runeblade, know then that your only task should be the acquisition of another with all due haste. As a death knight, it is through your runeblade that your will shall be imposed on all who dare resist the Lich King. For just as you, young death knight are the extension through which the Lich King imposes his will, so is your runeblade the instrument that has been granted the honor in delivering this authority. Of this authority, understand these principles: 1.) United, your runeblade becomes an extension of your very body. And your body belongs to the Lich King. 2.) As one, your runeblade becomes your will manifest in physical form. And your will is that of the Lich King. 3.) Together, your runeblade becomes the vein through which death itself is delivered to your soul. And your soul shall deliver the will of the Lich King. Through the course of your training, you may find yourself compelled to focus upon some of the different disciplines of study available to our kind. On this matter I can only say this; all are worthy of study and to neglect some at the cost of others is a foolish pride that I have seen cost other, less capable death knights in battle their lives. It is likely that some of you may soon find your runeblade to be a particularly potent object through which to channel your own fury. However, this is not enough. Do not be content to believe that your runeblade is simply a mere tool to focus one’s meditation. No, it is far more than that. The most powerful of our kind have been able to command the power of their blade with but a simple extension of their will. Together they fight, of singular mind, body, and purpose to crush any foolish enough to stand in their way. Others may find that their blade responds most eagerly when infused with the power of an icy chill. In this way, even the sharpest of runeblades will find themselves made even more potent. The same power that permeates our glorious citadel of Icecrown is yours to command, death knight. Should you choose to master this discipline, there shall be no escape for your enemies, as they find their actions slowed and made impossible by the cold. Still others may find their true calling in mastering the power of their blades to bring about disease and plague in crushing our enemies. This too is a specialty unique to our kind and worthy of pursuit. The mightiest of defenses may seem impregnable at first, yet for every defense therein lies the weakness that it is covering. It is simply a matter of uncovering it. Never forget, death knight, that it was not an army, but a plague that brought about the destruction of Lordaeron.
Anyhow, was just general curiosity 
If this isn’t your DK’s backstory, you’re doing it wrong.
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That video is pure gold. I will fight anyone who thinks otherwise.
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That video is ooooold.
Every Death Knight should have his own Rune Blade from start that scales with him/her and can’t really get rid of it… moggable yes, even unequipable, but certain skills are bound to it and you can’t use them without your vampiric balde that is bound to your very soul (like when you try to use a 2H weapon as a Frost DK, say bye bye to most of your skills) - or you are bound to It 
I understand not what you mean.
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Vampiric Blades are A: Gen 2 and B: RPG canon therefore not canon
other than that I echo Alyndaria in that I have no idea what your post is about.
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I think he says DKs should have just one weapon, kinda like an artifact that accompanies you as you level and scales with you.
That doesn’t really seem like it’s a thing for the playable (AKA gen 3) DKs. You’re taught pretty early on that while you are indeed useless without a runeblade, you also should just grab whatever’s available to you should you ever lose yours.
Runeblades really being a valuable, potent, linked thing applies more so to the earlier forms of death knights, I believe.
This thread makes me want to roll a death knight. Good job The Bolvar expansion is coming up 
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