Unless you’re new to the world of anime and manga, you’ve likely heard about Blue Exorcist. This supernatural story has been delighting viewers since 2009, and it’s easy to see why.
Following the son of Satan, Rin Okumura, as he navigates a world of demons and exorcists, the series has enough action scenes, angst, and comic relief to keep everyone’s attention. Trust me, it’s everything that a fantasy aficionado could ask for, which makes it all the more difficult to have to wait years between seasons. But hey, the fact that Blue Exorcist‘s popularity doesn’t seem to wane despite its constant hiatuses only goes to show how loved the anime is.
After almost seven years, Blue Exorcist came back for a much anticipated third season, and the hype surrounding it is dragging new and old viewers to the party. Naturally, as the fandom grows, more people are looking to dive deeper into the story, and one way to do that is by understanding its structure. You already know where I’m going with this, don’t you?
Like most manga and anime series, Blue Exorcist is divided into arcs, which help organize the narrative. Of course, no one is obligated to know them all to enjoy the ride, but there’s no denying that they can be useful. Whenever you want to analyze, talk about, rewatch or reread a particular section of the story, you can do so much more easily if you know where each arc starts and ends.
Blue Exorcist‘s story arcs
The Blue Exorcist manga and anime are ongoing, meaning this list will inevitably suffer changes as new content is released. For now, though, we can say that there are 11 canonical arcs in the story, plus a filler arc exclusive to the anime adaptation. Here are all of them listed, with information about where each arc begins and ends in the manga and the anime:
- Exorcist Cram School Enrollment arc — chapters 1-7, episodes 1-9
- Exorcist Candidate Live Combat arc — chapters 8-15, episodes 10-17
- Anime-exclusive arc — episodes 18-25
- Kyoto Impure King arc — chapters 16-34, episodes 26-37
- Terror of the Kraken arc — chapters 35-37
- Academy Seven Wonders arc — chapters 38-49
- Shimane Illuminati arc — chapters 50-64
- Exorcist Exam arc — chapters 65-73
- Aomori Hachirotaro arc — chapters 74-80
- Blue Night Investigation arc — chapters 81-99
- Blue Night Remembrance arc — chapters 100-120
- Of One Cloth arc — chapters 121-present
Don’t miss out on the latest episodes and chapters of Blue Exorcist, streaming now on Crunchyroll and available to read on Manga Plus, respectively.