We’ve all known that one cocky kid from high school who acted up because he had some issues at home, right? Well, what if that guy learned his real dad was Satan? And what if that guy discovered he had amazing powers and vowed to master them in order to “beat the s*** out of Satan?” Well, welcome Exwires, to the Blue Exorcist watch guide, where I’ll talk about the show where all of these things happen! Based on the manga series by Kazue Kato, Blue Exorcist is one of many shonen anime that, despite an ongoing and continuously popular source material (having run in Shueisha’s Jump Square and in Viz’s Weekly Shonen Jump since 2009), has had long gaps between seasons, with Season 1 (animated by A-1 Pictures and directed by Tensai Okamura) airing in 2011, Season 2 (now directed by Satoki Iida) airing in 2017 and Seasons 3 and 4 (with the show now animated by Studio VOLN and directed by Diaisuke Yoshida) airing in 2024. Season 5 premiered just last month, so it’s the perfect time to get caught up! Blue Exorcist Blue Exorcist Season 1 | 25 episodes ( Episodes 1-9 ) Rin Okumura (voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto in Japanese and Byrce Papenbrook in English) isn’t having an easy time of it. He’s been ostracized by teachers and peers all his life due to his hair-trigger temper and abnormal strength and because of those things, he’s just lost another job and gotten into a fight with a gang of punks. On top of that, his twin brother, the reserved but kind Yukio (Jun Fukuyama/Johnny Yong Bosch) is leaving their home, the Southern Cross Boys’ Monastery, for the prestigious True Cross Academy boarding school. Rin manages to get another job at a supermarket, Rin gets fired after a single day when he tries to help a girl whose scarf has blown away… only to find the scarf’s being pulled by some weird demon and the chase causes Rin to knock over everything in the store! Back at the monastery, Rin’s dad, Father Shiro (Keiji Fujiwara/Kirk Thornton) tells him not to go outside the church. But the next day, those same punks show up again and lure Rin out to try to kill him. But before they do, Rin scares nearly every member of the gang off by suddenly spouting blue flames from his body. The gang’s leader reveals himself to be possessed by a demon and explains to Rin that he’s actually the son of Satan and that he (the demon) has come to Assiah (aka Earth) to bring Rin back to Gehenna (aka Hell) per his biodad’s request. In shock, Rin only gets more freaked out when Father Shiro suddenly shows up and exorcises the demon… only for more to show up!!! ( Episodes 10-17 ) Having successfully entered the True Cross Academy and been promoted to Exwire, Rin and his fellow Student-Exorcists — standoffish Izumo (Eri Kitamura/Kira Buckland), gentle Konekomaru (Yuki Kaji/Mona Marshall), perpetually asleep ventriloquist Nemu (Tsubasa Yonaga & Go Inoue/Brianne Siddall), nonchalant Renzo (Koji Yusa/Brian Beacock), focused Ryuji (Kazuya Nakai/Kyle Hebert), kind-hearted Shiemi (Kana Hanazawa/Christine Marie Cabanos) and the mysterious, withdrawn Yamada — are now allowed to work as Exorcists and battle demons throughout Japan under Yukio’s guidance as their instructor. During a mission in an amusement park, Rin gets into a fight with one of the eight Demon Kings, Amaimon (Tetsuya Kakihara/Darrel Guilbeau) and gets his butt saved by Yamada, who reveals himself to actually be Vatican inspector and First Class Exorcist Shura Kirigakure (Rina Sato/Wendee Lee), a former apprentice of Shiro’s who he made promise to train Rin how to wield the Demon slaying sword Kurikara and, after a brief confrontation where she almost kills Rin due to her oath to the Vatican, Shura is persuaded by Rin to keep her oath to Shiro as Rin pledges to become the Paladin — the highest of all Exorcist ranks — to prove that Shiro was right for letting him live. With Shura and Yukio now co-teaching, Rin’s class heads to the Academy’s Forest District for a training camp. But they aren’t alone. Academy Principal Mephisto Pheles (Hiroshi Kamiya/Sam Riegel) and Amaimon are watching them, especially Rin…. ( Episodes 18-25 ) Having recovered from Amaimon’s attack after being pushed to the edge, Rin’s battle isn’t over. His fellow Exwires have now discovered his true nature and are beside themselves. While fighting to regain their friends’ trust, Rin and Yukio have to deal with not just a mysterious masked man that attacks the monks who raised them but also tries to kill everyone at the Academy! Meanwhile, Yukio meets their grandfather, high-ranking exorcist Ernst Frederik Egin (Toshihiko Miki/Dave Mallow), who explains that he needs his and Rin’s help in destroying Satan and all other demons using a weapon he’s been working on. In return, he promises he can make Rin and Yukio fully human. To ensure Rin’s cooperation, he uses his authority to appoint Yuko as Paladin. But can Ernst be trusted? Blue Exorcist Season 1 Opening 1: “Core Pride” Artist: UVERworld Blue Exorcist The Movie Directed by Atsushi Takahashi, written by Reiko Yoshida and animated by A-1, this original film opens with True Cross Academy Town preparing for a grand festival held once every 11 years, which includes a parade. During the parade, a “Phantom Train” float goes berserk and our heroes discover that the barriers meant to protect the town from demon intrusion have somehow been compromised. Rin, Yukio and Shiemi are sent to subdue the Train but in the chaos, Rin winds up unsealing a rabbit demon named Usamaro (Rie Kugimiya/Cassandra Lee) who seems different from other demons, looking and acting like a little kid. But why was he sealed away to begin with? Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga Blue Exorcist Season 2 | 11 episodes ( Episodes 1-12 ) Rin, Yukio and Shura get called to the slums of True Cross Academy to meet Saburota Todo (Kazuhiro Yamaji and Junichi Suwabe/Ray Chase), head of the Saishinobu (a division of the True Cross Order), who explains that he and his team found a masked man stealing a very dangerous demonic artifact from their archives: the Left Eye of the Impure King. 140 years ago, Todo explains, the Impure King was a very dangerous demon who killed thousands across Japan before being defeated and its heart sliced in half, with the left half (aka the Left Eye) being stored in Tokyo and the right half (Right Eye) stored in Kyoto so as to keep them apart. This is because, if the halves are ever reunited, they’ll spread a deadly miasma. Chasing the masked man down, a fight ensues and the masked man escapes. Suddenly, Todo reveals he’s demonically possessed and attacks Yukio but manages to get away too. With no other choice, Mephisto sends the Exwires to Kyoto to help protect the Right Eye and save the Left Eye from Todo. But who else is helping him? Blue Exorcist Season 2 Opening 1: “Itteki No Eikyo” Artist: UVERworld Blue Exorcist -Shimane Illuminati Saga- 12 episodes ( Episodes 1-12 ) Having successfully defeated the Impure King, Rin, Yukio and co. have returned to their daily lives at True Cross Academy. But not only do strange things start happening at the Academy, the Knights of the True Cross discover that Seraphim — demonic beings of pure light — have appeared all around the world! During the Academy’s own annual festival, the Illuminati, led by the strongest of the Eight Demon Kings, Lucifer (Koki Uchiyama/Griffin Puatu), appears. Apologizing for the abruptness of all this, he explains to the Exwires, Mephisto and Yukio that the Illuminati have declared war on the True Cross Order. Furthermore, in one year’s time, he says they’ll revive Satan himself, combining both Assiah and Gehenna so that all will be as it was before the dawn of time and thus, truly peaceful. Lucifer tells our heroes that all of them are welcome to join their side before the world ends and that he’ll be kidnapping Izumo shortly for the completion of his plans. He then leads the Illuminati away… but not before detonating all the Seraphim, causing chaos worldwide as well as destroying the barriers that keep True Cross Academy Town and the Academy itself safe from demons. “Eye’s Sentry” Artist: UVERworld Blue Exorcist -Beyond the Snow Saga- 12 episodes ( Episodes 1-12 ) Having successfully rescued Izumo and still coping with the shocking reveal that one of their own has been spying for the Illuminati this whole time, Rin and Yukio are ordered by Mephisto to head to Aomori, as Shura has gone missing and that was her last known location. Searching for her, the Okumuras eventually learn she went to Lake Towada and check into a hotel there, learning the next day Shura had stayed the night there. Meanwhile, on the lakeshore, Shura confronts a mysterious demon she refers to as Hachiro (Hidenori Takahashi/Crispin Freeman) who informs her that the Illuminati have slain a longtime comrade of his. Shura offers him protection but Hachiro declines, saying she must fulfill her promise to him. Shura refuses and Hachiro attacks her but leaves her alive, departing as he hears Rin and Yukio approach. Shocked, the twins take Shura back to their hotel where, upon waking, she states that she’s going to die soon. “RE RESCUE” Artist: Reol Blue Exorcist -The Blue Night Saga- Currently Airing ( Currently Airing ) And now we’re at the current season that started in January 2025! While we saw a brief depiction of the Blue Night — the massacre where Satan possessed several holy men, including Ernst, in order to save Yuri (Megumi Hayashibara/Cherami Leigh), Rin and Yukio’s mother, from being burned at the stake for the crime of having his children — in the first season’s premiere, we finally see it all in full as Mephisto takes Rin back in time to witness both his mother’s life and the Blue Night itself. “Tsūkaku” Artist: amazarashi What will Rin do knowing his true origins? Will he still beat the crap out of Satan? And can the Illuminati ever truly be defeated? Find out by watching Blue Exorcist on Crunchyroll! One Piece Arcs in Order Naruto Arcs in Order Dragon Ball Watch Order & Sagas List How to Watch OVERLORD in Order How to Watch Fairy Tail in Order
