Blue Exorcist

Blue Exorcist
File:Ao no Exorcist.jpg The cover of Ao no Exorcist volume 1 as published by Shueisha
青の祓魔師 (Ao no Exorcist)
Genre	Action, Supernatural, Comedy
Manga
Written by	Kazue Kato
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	Viz Media
Magazine	Jump Square
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	April 2009 – present
Volumes	6
Anime television series
Directed by	Tensai Okamura
Produced by	Hiro Maruyama
Written by	Ryōta Yamaguchi
Music by	Hiroyuki Sawano
Studio	A-1 Pictures
Original network	TBS, MBS
Original run	April 17, 2011 – present
Episodes	8

Blue Exorcist (青の祓魔師, Ao no Ekusoshisuto) is a manga written and illustrated by Kazue Kato. The manga has been serialized in Jump Square magazine by Shueisha since April 2009, with individual chapters collected into six tankōbon volumes as of April 4, 2011. The one-shot of the manga was first featured in the September 2008 issue of Jump Square and was titled Miyamauguisu House Case (深山鶯邸事件, Miyamauguisu-tei Jiken). As of June 4, 2011, 25 chapters have been released in Japan.

Viz Media has licensed the manga for North American production, with the first volume released in April 5, 2011 and the fifth volume scheduled for release in December 6, 2011. Blue Exorcist has also been released in the Shonen Jump Advanced magazine starting April 5, 2011. The North American book distributor Simon & Schuster listed the first volume of Kazue Katō's Blue Exorcist manga for release by Viz Media this April 2011.

Characters

Main characters

Rin Okumura (奥村 燐, Okumura Rin)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto

The fifteen-year-old protagonist of the story, Rin is the son of Satan born from a human woman and is the inheritor of Satan's powers. His powers were sealed at birth into the demon-slaying blade Kurikara, or Koumaken, by Mephisto Pheles, allowing him to live a normal human life for about 15 years. Rin became aware of his true identity after Kurikara could no longer seal the blue flames he inherited from Satan, setting off a chain of events that led to the death of his guardian, Father and Exorcist Fujimoto Shiro, at the hands of Satan, who attempted to drag Rin back to the demon realm. Exorcist Mephisto Pheles confronted Rin after Shiro's funeral with several exorcists, giving Rin the option to kill them all or die. Rin instead demanded to become an exorcist, an idea that amused Mephisto. Rin was then enrolled personally by Mephisto into the True Cross Academy Exorcist School, where he has since been pursuing his goal to become a Paladin and to defeat Satan. He is currently an Esquire and attempting to gain the title of Meister as a "Knight".

Rin can tap into the power he has inherited from Satan through the use of a demon-slaying katana, called Kurikara or Koumaken. The sheath acts as a portal to Gehenna (the demon world) which, when the blade is drawn, returns Rin to his demon form. While in his human form, Rin exhibits a number of physical traits that are signs of his demonic nature, such as sharp canines, slightly pointed ears, and a black, fur-tufted tail (which he keeps hidden in his shirt). As a demon, Rin has blue flames that float above his head and long, elf-like ears, and his eyes turn bright blue. In both forms Rin can control incredibly destructive bright blue flames, the trademark sign of anything related to Satan. However, when he draws Kurikara, the magnitude of the flames dramatically increases and often leads to Rin being "consumed" by his own flames and losing his mind. Rin also has a Cat Sith, Kuro, who was initially Father Fujimoto's, as his familiar. Rin has been shown to have a talent for cooking.

Yukio Okumura (奥村 雪男, Okumura Yukio)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama

Rin's younger twin brother. When it was discovered that the woman impregnated by Satan was going to have twins, it was believed that Satan's powers would be split between them. Due to the weakness of Yukio's body, however, he did not inherit any of Satan's powers, thus being born fully human with the full extent of Satan's powers going to Rin. Yukio did, however, receive a Mashou at birth from his brother, which allowed him to be aware of demons for as long as he can remember. Yukio secretly trained to become an Exorcist from the age of seven in order to protect Rin (through the help of Fujimoto). While both Yukio and Rin are in their first year at True Cross Academy, Yukio is already an instructor at the Exorcist cram school, who teaches Anti-Demon Pharmacology to Rin's class.

It is often stated that Yukio is a genius, having already acquired the title "Meister" in both the Dragoon and Doctor class, while ordinarily most people would aim for Meister in only one class (both are still fully qualified exorcists). He is currently ranked a Middle First class exorcist. Even though him and Rin argue a lot and get into a lot of disagreements he truly cares about his safety and well being. Fearing his brother will be consumed by his demonic nature, Yukio often berates Rin for his impulsive actions and reckless attitude.

In episode 5, he said "Satan's power might be much less control than you think, Sir Mephisto Pheles," which can be interpreted in more than one way.

Mephisto Pheles (メフィスト・フェレス, Mefisuto Feresu)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya

Pheles is the Chairman of True Cross Academy's Japanese branch and is also an Exorcist. After Fujimoto's death Pheles was ordered to kill Rin; however, he accepted Rin's proposal of becoming an Exorcist and enrolled him into True Cross Academy. It has been heavily implied that he is the son of Satan along with his brother, the Earth King, Amaimon. He possesses the unique and peculiar ability of transforming into a small dog after counting down from three in German (up to three in the anime). He is powerful enough to subdue Amaimon while holding Rin off, and has it has been mentioned that he is an honorary knight, the position two ranks below Paladin. He was responsible for allowing several higher ranked demons onto campus to fight Rin for unknown purposes. Despite having served the True Cross for at least two centuries, many still have doubts about his true intentions, but he claims that his main goal is to bring peace to both Assiah and Gehenna. His name is an obvious pun on the word Mephistopheles, which is the name of the character that is either a powerful demon or the devil himself in Faust. He is portrayed as a man with more money than sense but is very cheap when it comes to spending on others.

Ryuji Suguro (勝呂 竜士, Suguro Ryūji)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai

(nicknamed "Bon")He was the child of the Cursed Temple which was destroyed by Satan 16 years ago.Some of Ryuji's more noticeable physical traits include his stern visage and a streak of blonde hair. Ryuji also has multiple piercings on both ears. He wears a sand-coloured vest that has a pink 'V' neck, with a brown coloured tie which has black and white stripes, and the Academy's jacket over it all. Ryuji takes everything seriously and is trying his hardest in order to become an Exorcist powerful enough to defeat Satan (a goal he claims Rin stole from him) and rebuild his Temple. He believes that becoming an Exorcist will attract more people to his temple. Currently Ryuji is ranked ExWire, and trying to acquire the title of Meister in both Aria and Dragoon. He has also exorcised a ghoul by reciting it's Fatal Verse and created barrier.

Shiemi Moriyama (杜山 しえみ, Moriyama Shiemi)

Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa

Shiemi is Rin's classmate and friend, and the main female protagonist. Before she met Rin, Shiemi tended to her grandmother's garden while her mother ran an Exorcist-only shop inside True Cross Academy. During an encounter with Rin and Yukio, Yukio diagnosed that Shiemi was having her life force leached out by a Demon. After Yukio exorcised the demon, Shiemi finally decided to become an Exorcist and started to attend class. It was later revealed that Shiemi had the talent to become a Tamer, as she was able to summon a Greenman Spirit during class. It has been stated that Taming is a rare talent amongst Exorcists, where only a few can control demons to fight on their behalf. She started avoiding Rin and Yukio after learning that they are sons of Satan, because -- as they kept their origin a secret even from her -- she blames herself for not being trustworthy enough.

Izumo Kamiki (神木 出雲, Kamiki Izumo)

Voiced by: Eri Kitamura

Kamiki is easily one of the best students and she's aware of it. She looks down on most people and almost always acts high and mighty. She is offensive towards everyone except Paku (since Paku is her childhood friend and the only one in her school who would talk to her she considered her, her best friend) and is especially at odds with Bon, whom she fights often with, which always ends up in the class taking group responsibility. Although most of the time she is a rather difficult person, Kamiki seems to care about her fellow ExWires and even tried to cheer up Shiemi and Rin when they felt down (even though she tries hard not to show it due to her pride).

She was one of the few, if not the only one, who isn't afraid of Rin upon finding out about him. She even tries to cheer him up after finding out he's the child of Satan when she sat next to him on the train. She is shown to be a capable Tamer, being able to summon two Byakko's.

Renzou Shima (志摩 廉造, Shima Renzō)

Voiced by: Kōji Yusa

Renzou is a very carefree character, yet he has a fear of many things, mainly bugs. He's very loyal to Bon, his childhood friend. They grew up together along with Konekomaru in Kyoto. He is also has a big obsession with women. Plans to become a Meister in Aria. He has pink (dyed) hair. It is naturally black. In the manga, Renzou wears a man-tailored (flannel sort of) shirt over a t-shirt with a symbol, sort of like a bulls-eye. Renzou also carries around some sort of staff, which he and his two brothers also have. Renzou was born into the temple that Bon and Konekumaru was in as well, making him the childhood friend of the two.

He also is currently one of the few in the group whom are actually on good terms with Rin since he realized that he is not a bad person and can't bear to ignore him.

Shura Kirigakure (霧隠 シュラ, Kirigakure Shura)

Voiced by: Rina Satō

Kirigakure Shura is an Upper First Class Exorcist and Rin's mentor. She trained under the guidance of Fujimoto Shiro to obtain the title "Meister" in Knight and can draw a demon sword from a symbol above her chest when she states, "Devour the Seven Princesses, slay the Serpent". She seems to be an excellent fighter with the blade, as she was able to hold off Amaimon on her own. Frequently chipper and obnoxious, Shura is carefree about her job, and is known to drink alcohol in excess and oversleep. She appears to harbor a dark past, as she claimed Shiro "came and rescued" her.

Disguised under a hood as one of Rin's classmates, she holds a grudge against Shiro (who asked her to teach Rin how to use Koumaken) for "casting her aside" and had orders to eliminate anything she discovered related to Satan, Shura intended to "clean up [her] Master's messes" by disposing of Rin after finding about his secret. But Rin told her he would prove Shiro was right to let him live by becoming a Paladin, leading her to spare him and become his mentor. This eventually led to a bond between the two, akin to an older sister-younger brother relationship. Shura also knows Yukio since she was around Shirou the majority of the time Shirou trained him. Due to her past experiences with him she saw him as a young, scared and naive child which led to her nickname for him : "scaredy cat four-eyes".

Konekomaru Miwa (三輪 子猫丸, Miwa Konekomaru)

Childhood friends with Renzou and Ryuji, he also hails from Kyoto. Konekomaru is short, wears red glasses and has oddly large ears. Despite his young age, he is already the head of the Miwa family due to the death of his parents. He is the most fragile out of all the characters and is usually shy when it comes to speaking his mind. He typically follows Ryuji and Renzou. He is also training to become Aria like his two friends. It is also shown that he can come up with complex strategies in a short window of time. This was shown when he and the others had to carry a Peg Lantern back to Yukio and Shura for a test.

Minor Characters

Shiro Fujimoto (藤本 獅郎, Fujimoto Shirō)

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara

Father Fujimoto was Rin and Yukio's guardian and was considered one of the most powerful Exorcists in the world. He was thought to be the only man in the world able to sustain possession by Satan himself and thus Satan was constantly after his body. Fujimoto was able to fight off Satan's attempts at possessing his body through sheer willpower. However after receiving a mental shock from what Rin said, Satan was finally able to take over his body. He summoned the Gehenna's Gate to gain back control of his body temporarily and committed suicide in order to stop the possession. Fujimoto had a familiar sith cat demon, which he called Kuro, that Rin has inherited. He is qualified as an Aria, Dragoon, Knight and Doctor. He was said to be the strongest exorcist on the planet and was the only one to gain the rank of Paladin, the highest rank of the exorcists.

Amaimon (アマイモン, Amaimon)

Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara

Also known as the "Earth King". Amaimon is supposedly the second son of Satan and another Demon Prince of Gehenna. Unlike his father and elder brother Mephisto, Amaimon had little interest in Rin after their first encounter. In keeping with his title, Amaimon has vast control over the land; for example, he was able to start an earthquake while being pinned down by Rin. He has been shown as taking odd interests in things, such as wishing to tour Japan upon arriving instead of seeing Rin. One of the few moments where he is serious is when he is being laughed at. He also mentioned he has a cousin who has an interest in the occult and even goes on to say that she would be happy if he brought her a human eye. His name is derived from the demon Amaymon.

Igor Neuhaus (イゴール・ネイガウス, Igōru Neigaus)

Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu

An Upper First Class Exorcist as well as lecturer in the Academy, who obtained the titles of Tamer, Doctor and Aria. He wears an eyepatch over his left eye, and has Aria incantations and magic circles tattooed on both arms. He had a run-in with Satan when he was younger, which robbed him of his family and the sight in his left eye, which is why he holds immense hatred for Satan and demons that are related to Satan. Yet ironically, he is extremely loyal to Mephisto, willing to listen to his every command, which is why he stopped his attacks on Rin prior to the latter becoming an Exorcist.

Arthur Auguste Angel (アーサー・オーギュスト・エンジェル, Āsā Ōgyusuto Enjeru)

The newly appointed Paladin. He was ordered by the Grigori to interrogate Mephisto and captured Rin as evidence. According to Shura he's a saint on the outside and a devil inside. He uses the sentient demon sword Caliburn. When speaking, Caliburn shows extreme affection towards him and talks like a love-struck teenage girl. His name is a reference to King Arthur and his sword Caliburn.

Key Terms

Masho (魔障, Mashō)

The Masho is an ancient Buddhist term, literally meaning demonic hindrances. Any person desiring to become an Exorcist must go through a Masho as a first step. Ordinarily, humans cannot see demons on a physical plane. However, once a person comes in contact with a demon (normally through physical contact), they have the ability to see demons for the rest of their life. A Masho rite for an initiate Exorcist who had not experienced one previously is normally done under very controlled circumstances, so as to prevent anyone from being injured or harmed.

Meister (称号（マイスター）, Maisutā, "Title")

In order for an individual to become an exorcist, they must obtain the title of a 'meister'. A meister is a general term for an exorcist's style of combat; an exorcist can acquire more than one. The fighting styles are classified into five categories:

• Knight (騎士（ナイト）, Naito): A meister specialized in close quarters combat, using a sword to fight. Meisters that have the title of 'knight' are shown to use demon blades as their weapons.
• Dragoon (竜騎士（ドラグーン）, Doragūn): Meisters that fight using ranged weapons, mainly guns.
• Tamer (手騎士（テイマー）, Teimā): Exorcists who can summon and control demons to fight. These demons are called 'familiars'. In order to summon a familiar, a magic circle is needed; it can be drawn on the ground or on paper. The meister then draws their blood onto the magic circle and recites any words that come into mind. However, if the magic circle is erased or torn (on paper), it loses its effect and the familiar disappears. It has been noted that the talent to be a Tamer is rare, since sheer spiritual fortitude is needed to tame the demon; natural talent is also essential. However, if the Tamer lacks confidence, the familiar will attack the meister. Tamers can summon more than one familiar.
• Aria (詠唱騎士（アリア）, Aria): Many demons have weak points known as "Fatal Verse", in which an exorcist recites a specific passage from holy scripts that causes their death. An Aria fights by finding a demon's "Fatal Verse" and recites holy texts, including the Bible and other sacred scriptures. Arias must have a talent for memorization; however, they are completely defenseless once they begin reciting the demon's "Fatal Verse", for the demon will attack the meister to stop the recital, thus an Aria usually never fights alone, leaving its protection to fellow exorcists.
• Doctor (医工騎士（ドクター）, Dokutā): A meister who has the knowledge to heal wounds and injuries inflicted by demons.

Ranks

• Page (祓魔師塾生（ペイジ）, Peiji): Before becoming an exorcist, the individual begins as a 'Page', learning the arts of exorcism. Examples of what Pages study range from Demon and Grimoire studies to Demon Pharmacology, Holy Scripture recitations, magic circles and so on.
• Esquire (候補生（エクスワイア）, Ekusuwaia): The rank above a Page. To become an Esquire, a Page must pass the Esquire Authorization Exam. The Exam consists of the Pages secretly being put to the test of defeating a demon by working together; the Exam also tests which meister a Page categorizes in. Esquires usually do menial jobs like cleaning a demon's cage, and helping to collect samples, et cetera. Along with their new responsibilities they also continue to study Demonology.
• Exorcist

  Lower Second Class: The lowest title for full-fledged exorcists.

  Lower First Class

  Middle Second Class

  Middle First Class

  Upper Second Class

  Upper First Class

  Honorary Knight

  Arc Knight

  Paladin: The highest title only awarded to the strongest of all exorcists.

Media

Manga

See also: List of Blue Exorcist chapters

The chapters of the Blue Exorcist manga series are written and illustrated by Kazue Kato and have been serialized by Shueisha in the monthly manga magazine Jump Square since April 2009. As of July 2010, the serial chapters were collected into six tankōbon, with the first volume released on August 4, 2009, and the sixth volume released on April 4, 2011. As of June 4, 2011, 25 chapters have been released.

Viz Media has licensed the manga for the North American production. With the first volume released in April 5, 2011 and the fifth volume scheduled for release in December 6, 2011. Blue Exorcist has also been released in the Shonen Jump Adavnce magazine starting April 5, 2011.

The series is also licensed in France by Kazé Manga, with the first volume released on May 27, 2010.

Anime

See also: List of Blue Exorcist episodes

An anime adaption for the manga was announced on November 27, 2010 on Shueisha's Jump Square official website. The anime will be produced by A-1 Pictures with Hitoshi Okamura as the producer. Originally the series was scheduled to air on April 10, 2011 on MBS, however due to the March 11 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami the series' broadcast was delayed until April 17, 2011. Two pieces of theme music are used for the episodes: one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Core Pride" by Japanese rock band Uverworld, while the ending theme song is "Take Off" by South Korean boy band 2PM. Aniplex announced they will simulcast the series in North America through video sites Hulu, Crunchyroll, and Anime News Network starting on April 20, 2011.

External links

• Ao no Exorcist at Shueisha Template:Ja icon
• Official Website Template:Ja icon
• Official English Website Template:En icon
• Blue Exorcist (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Blue Exorcist (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia