Highlights
- Blue Exorcist Season 3 is confirmed for January 2024
- Blue Exorcist is a Dark Fantasy Shonen anime
- Director Tensai Okamura is a prestigious talent with many years of experience
- Inspiration for manga was the 2005 movie Brothers Grimm by Terry Gilliam
- The Blue Exorcist manga is NOT finished
Blue Exorcist is a dark fantasy shonen anime originally authored by Kazue Kato. The show mixes shonen action sequences with emotional scenes between brothers Rin & Yukio to make an engaging and well-rounded series.
The author, Kazue KatÅ, says that an inspiration for her series was the 2005 movie “The Brother Grimm” which was directed by Terry Gilliam. You can see many parallels between the two but Blue Exorcist makes it’s story it’s own.
Before we get into the meat of Blue Exorcist, if you are interested in other Dark Fantasy Shonen anime I’d recommend Jujutsu Kaisen. The second season is streaming on Crunchyroll.com right now so feel free to check it out.
Blue Exorcist Plot Explained
The manga series, Blue Exorcist, authored and illustrated by Kazue Kato, is a Japanese dark fantasy. The plot follows Rin Okumura, a teenager who realizes that he and his twin brother, Yukio, are the offspring of Satan and a human woman.
Rin inherits his father's supernatural abilities. After Satan kills their caretaker, Rin enrolls at True Cross Academy to train under Yukio's guidance as an exorcist to battle his evil father.
Blu Exorcist's Main Characters
Rin Okumura
Rin Okumura is Blue Exorcist's main character who has captured the hearts of many anime fans. As a 15-year-old protagonist, he is not your ordinary teenager. He is the son of Satan himself and possesses all of his father's powers. However, Rin was able to live a somewhat normal human life with his twin brother and foster father until his powers were unsealed. This tragic event led to the death of his father and his enrollment into True Cross Academy to become an exorcist.
Despite his demonic heritage, Rin is a kind and compassionate person who cares deeply about his friends and loved ones. He is determined to use his powers for good and to protect the people he cares about. One of Rin's most significant abilities is his access to his demon form through Kurikara. This form allows him to control destructive blue flames that can obliterate anything in his path.
Rin is also accompanied by a loyal and mischievous familiar named Kuro. Kuro takes on the form of a Cat Sith and is always by Rin's side, ready to assist him in any way possible. Together, Rin and Kuro make an unbeatable team, and their adventures at True Cross Academy are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Over time, Rin starts to have a romantic interest in Shiemi Moriyama a fellow student at True Cross Academy.
Nobuhiko Okamoto voices Rin Okumura in Japanese and Bryce Papenbrook in English.
Yukio Okumura
Yukio Okumura is a fascinating character. He is Rin's twin brother, but their paths diverged greatly at birth. While Rin was born with powers from Satan, Yukio was born human with no such powers.
Despite this difference, Yukio trained to become an Exorcist to protect his brother and is considered a prodigy. He is a formidable opponent and a skilled fighter, possessing a level of intellect and technique that makes him a force to be reckoned with.
At the start of the series, Yukio resents Rin for being the favored son and for being the one who inherited Satan's powers. However, as the story progresses, Yukio's feelings towards his brother begin to change. He starts to see that Rin is not the monster he was taught to believe and that there is more to him than just his demon powers.
Yukio begins to care for Rin and even becomes protective of him.
Aside from being an Exorcist, Yukio is also an instructor at the Exorcist cram school. He takes his job seriously and is dedicated to teaching the next generation of Exorcists. His students respect him and look up to him as a mentor, and he takes great pride in their progress.
Yukio brings depth and nuance to the story, and his relationship with Rin is one of the most interesting dynamics in the series.
Yukio Okumura is voiced by Jun Fukuyama in Japanese and by Johnny Yong Bosch in English.
Who produced Blue Exorcist?
Blue Exorcist seasons 1 and 2 were both produced by A-1 Studios. A-1 Studios is the team behind hits like Lycoris Recoil which I would highly recommend and many others.
The studio was originally developed to oversee a couple more family-friendly projects A-1 has grown and established itself as a powerhouse animation studio that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
As of this article's release date, they are releasing 4 shows this year with another 2 planned for 2024 including the much-anticipated anime adaptation of Solo Leveling.
Tensai Okumura Directs Blue Exorcist
Tensai Okumura is a stellar talent within the anime industry and has a breadth of experience that is truly outstanding.
He created the anime series “Darker than Black” which was produced by studio Bones, a series that I remember very fondly. He also has directing credits attached to absolutely stellar anime series and movies which I’ll list below.
Wolf’s Rain
The Seven Deadly Sins
Memories
Naruto: The Snow Princesses Book of Ninja Arts
As if that wasn’t enough Okumura has worked on storyboards and key animations for movies which as Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade and My Neighbor Totoro. To say that this man has had an impact on the anime industry would be an understatement and he brings with him fantasy sensibilities when it comes to direction.
Another anime produced by Madhouse Studio is Loving Yamada-kun at lv999 which was released in 2023
After graduating from Wesda University Tensai joined the team at Madhouse Studio which has created a plethora of fantastic series.
I especially loved the movie Memories which was an anthology of films.
Blue Exorcist is Worth Watching
Compelling Action
Blue Exorcist truly excels in its action scenes. As expected from a Shonen anime, each character possesses distinct powers and abilities that they confidently display. Rin's demonic powers and Yukio's analytical approach using pistols are just a few examples.
The action is captivating and fast-paced without causing any confusion for the viewer. A-1 has always been known for producing phenomenal work when it comes to their action sequences, which stems from investing in their team and training their animators for excellence.
In fact, there's been talk of A-1 taking the anime crown away from Studio MAPPA, and it's not hard to see why.
An emotional story of two brothers struggling against overwhelmingly dark powers
In Blue Exorcist, the relationship between Rin and Yukio is a significant plot point. They both experienced the loss of their adoptive father, Shiro Fujimoto, but they dealt with their grief differently.
Rin throws himself into learning how to become an exorcist, driven by the desire to carry on his father's legacy and defeat his biological father, Satan. His determination and pain are evident. On the other hand, Yukio hides his pain and resentment towards Rin behind a stoic demeanor. He compartmentalizes his emotions but still loves his brother.
The brothers must learn to love each other again as the first season progresses, despite their guilt and pain. This dramatic tension kept me engaged in the story, even when the action slowed down.
Blue Exorcists Character Designs are Fun
Blue Exorcist has so many fun character designs. I dare you to look at Mephist, the principal of the exorcist school, and not want to know what his deal is. The design of the students is also very well done and each character has several religious symbols in their design.
The series has a couple of fan service moments in it however it isn’t too distracting or detrimental to the viewing experience. The character design for Shura Kirigakure is probably the most egregious in the series. If you are familiar with Ezra Scarlet from Fairy Tale you’ll understand the trope that they are using with this character.
Blue Exorcist Season 3 is confirmed for January 2024
Season 3 of Blue Exorcist will be produced by Studio VOLN with Daisuke Yoshida directing. No reason has been given for why a different studio is producing the 3rd season after doing two seasons with A-1. The 3rd season will cover the Illuminati Arc of the story.
I will say that after 7 years I’m excited to be getting another arc of the Blue Exorcist story.
Another Dark Fantasy that I can recommend is Goblin Slayer produced by White Fox Studio. It is a much darker story and is not kid/ family friendly however I can recommend it if you’re looking for a more series story.
In Conclusion, Blue Exorcist is a fantastic ride that I can absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a fun story with nice action.
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