Ao no Exorcist

Ao no Exorcist (青の祓魔師), also known as Blue Exorcist, 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 four tankōbon volumes as of July 2, 2010. The one-shot of the manga was first featured in the September 2008 issue of Jump Square and was titled Miyama Ying House Case (深山鶯邸事件). As of December 4, 2010, 21 chapters have been released in Japan.

Plot
The world of Ao no Exorcist consists of two dimensions joined as one, like a mirror. The first is the world in which the humans live, Assiah. The other is the world of demons, Gehenna. Ordinarily, travel between the two, and indeed any kind of contact between the two, is impossible. However the demons can pass over into this world by possessing anything that exists within it. Satan is the god of demons, but there's one thing that he doesn't have and that's a container in the human world that is powerful enough to hold him! For that purpose, he created Okumura Rin, his son from a human woman, but will his son agree to his plans, or will he become something else...? After killing Rin's guardian Father Fujimoto in an attempt to bring Rin back to the Demon world, it led to Rin's journey on becoming an Exorcist in order to defeat Satan.

Main characters

 * Okumura Rin (奥村 燐)
 * 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 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, and since been pursuing his goal to become a Paladin and to defeat Satan. He is currently an Exwire and attempting to gain the title of Meister as a "Knight" (an exorcist who fights with a sword).
 * 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 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, and since been pursuing his goal to become a Paladin and to defeat Satan. He is currently an Exwire and attempting to gain the title of Meister as a "Knight" (an exorcist who fights with a sword).


 * 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 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 sharper-looking teeth, slightly pointed ears, and a black, fur tufted tail (which he keeps hidden in his shirt). As a demon, Rin gains two blue flames that float above his head, 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 demon Familiar Cat Sith, Kuro, who was initially Father Fujimoto's.


 * Okumura Yukio (奥村 雪男)
 * Rin's younger twin brother. Though Satan's powers were expected to be split between them, due to the weakness of Yukio's body at birth, Yukio did not inherit any of Satan's powers. Yukio received a Mashou at birth from his brother, allowing him to become aware of demons since he can remember. Yukio secretly trained to become an Exorcist since age 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 one class (both are still fully qualified exorcists). He is currently ranked a Middle First class exorcist.
 * Rin's younger twin brother. Though Satan's powers were expected to be split between them, due to the weakness of Yukio's body at birth, Yukio did not inherit any of Satan's powers. Yukio received a Mashou at birth from his brother, allowing him to become aware of demons since he can remember. Yukio secretly trained to become an Exorcist since age 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 one class (both are still fully qualified exorcists). He is currently ranked a Middle First class exorcist.


 * Suguro Ryuji (勝呂 竜士)
 * Suguro Ryuji (nicknamed "Bon") is Rin's rival and the prodigy in the class. He was the child of the Cursed Temple which was destroyed by Satan 16 years ago. Bon takes everything seriously and is trying his hardest in order to become an Exorcist powerful enough so he could one day defeat Satan ( a goal he claims Rin stole from him) and rebuild his Temple. Currently Bon is trying to acquire the title of Meister in both Aria (a person who recites holy texts to kill certain demons) and Dragoon (a person who fights with guns and other heavy artillery). He is currently an Exwire.
 * Suguro Ryuji (nicknamed "Bon") is Rin's rival and the prodigy in the class. He was the child of the Cursed Temple which was destroyed by Satan 16 years ago. Bon takes everything seriously and is trying his hardest in order to become an Exorcist powerful enough so he could one day defeat Satan ( a goal he claims Rin stole from him) and rebuild his Temple. Currently Bon is trying to acquire the title of Meister in both Aria (a person who recites holy texts to kill certain demons) and Dragoon (a person who fights with guns and other heavy artillery). He is currently an Exwire.


 * Moriyama Shiemi (杜山 しえみ)
 * Shiemi is Rin's class mate and friend. Before she met Rin, Shiemi tended her grandmother's garden while her mother ran an Exorcist only shop inside True Cross Academy. During her encounter with Rin and Yukio, they were able to discover 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 talent in becoming a Tamer, as she was able to summon a Greenman Spirit during class. It is apparently a rare talent to possess amongst the Exorcists, where there are only a few who can control demons and fight.
 * Shiemi is Rin's class mate and friend. Before she met Rin, Shiemi tended her grandmother's garden while her mother ran an Exorcist only shop inside True Cross Academy. During her encounter with Rin and Yukio, they were able to discover 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 talent in becoming a Tamer, as she was able to summon a Greenman Spirit during class. It is apparently a rare talent to possess amongst the Exorcists, where there are only a few who can control demons and fight.


 * Kirigakure Shura (霧隠 シュラ)
 * 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". Frequently chipper and obnoxious, Shura is carefree about her job, known for drinking and oversleeping. She appears to harbor a dark past, as she claimed Shiro "came and rescued" her. When she was introduced in the manga, she broke up the fight between Amaimon and an exhausted Rin. Out of a grudge against Shiro (who asked her to teach Rin how to use Koumaken) for "casting her aside" and orders to eliminate anything she discovered related to Satan, Shura intended to "clean up [her] Master's messes". However, 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. Shura also knows Yukio and nicknamed him "scaredy cat four-eyes".
 * 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". Frequently chipper and obnoxious, Shura is carefree about her job, known for drinking and oversleeping. She appears to harbor a dark past, as she claimed Shiro "came and rescued" her. When she was introduced in the manga, she broke up the fight between Amaimon and an exhausted Rin. Out of a grudge against Shiro (who asked her to teach Rin how to use Koumaken) for "casting her aside" and orders to eliminate anything she discovered related to Satan, Shura intended to "clean up [her] Master's messes". However, 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. Shura also knows Yukio and nicknamed him "scaredy cat four-eyes".

Minor Characters

 * Fujimoto Shirou (藤本 獅郎)
 * Father Fujimoto was Rin and Yukio's guardian and was also considered to be one of the most powerful Exorcists in the world. He was thought to be the only man in the world that was 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 had said, Satan was finally able to take over his body and later killed him. Fujimoto had a familiar sith cat demon, which he called Kuro, that Rin has inherited. He was a confirmed Aria, Dragoon and Tamer and could possibly have been a Knight and a Doctor as two of those who have studied under him have become these. 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.
 * Father Fujimoto was Rin and Yukio's guardian and was also considered to be one of the most powerful Exorcists in the world. He was thought to be the only man in the world that was 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 had said, Satan was finally able to take over his body and later killed him. Fujimoto had a familiar sith cat demon, which he called Kuro, that Rin has inherited. He was a confirmed Aria, Dragoon and Tamer and could possibly have been a Knight and a Doctor as two of those who have studied under him have become these. 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.


 * Mephisto Pheles (メフィスト・フェレス)
 * Pheles is the Chairman of True Cross Academy and also an Exorcist. After Fujimoto's death Pheles was ordered to kill Rin, however he accepted Rin's proposal in becoming an Exorcist and entered 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. How powerful he is has not been shown but he has mentioned that he is a honaray knight, the position two ranks below Paladin. He has been shown responsible for allowing several higher class demons onto campus. His name is an obvious pun on the word Mephistopheles, which is name for the another infamous devil, similar to his father Satan. He is portrayed as a man with more money than sense but is very cheap when it comes to spending on others.
 * Pheles is the Chairman of True Cross Academy and also an Exorcist. After Fujimoto's death Pheles was ordered to kill Rin, however he accepted Rin's proposal in becoming an Exorcist and entered 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. How powerful he is has not been shown but he has mentioned that he is a honaray knight, the position two ranks below Paladin. He has been shown responsible for allowing several higher class demons onto campus. His name is an obvious pun on the word Mephistopheles, which is name for the another infamous devil, similar to his father Satan. He is portrayed as a man with more money than sense but is very cheap when it comes to spending on others.


 * Amaimon (アマイモン)
 * 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. Fitting with his title, Amaimon has vast control over the land as he was able to start an earthquake while being pinned down by Rin. He has been shown to take odd interests in things as he wished to tour Japan upon arriving instead of seeing Rin. His name is derived from the demon Amaymon.
 * 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. Fitting with his title, Amaimon has vast control over the land as he was able to start an earthquake while being pinned down by Rin. He has been shown to take odd interests in things as he wished to tour Japan upon arriving instead of seeing Rin. His name is derived from the demon Amaymon.


 * Arthur Augusto Angel (アーサー・オーギュスト・エ)
 * 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. Uses the demon sword Caliburn.
 * 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. Uses the demon sword Caliburn.

Key Terms
Mashou
 * The Mashou is an ancient Buddhist term, literally meaning demonic hindrances. In the world of Ao No Exorcist, any person desiring to become an Exorcist must go through a Mashou rite 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 Mashou is normally done under very controlled circumstances, so as to prevent anyone from being injured or harmed.

Anime
Kazue Kato's Ao no Exorcist, was green-lit for its anime adaption on November 27th, 2010 by Shueisha Jump. The Anime will be produced by A-1 Pictures with Hitoshi Okamura as the Producer. The anime promo trailer has already been posted up on the Main Website itself. Voice Actors such as Nobuhiko Okamoto, Jun Fukuyama, Kazuya Nakai, Kana Hanazawa, and Rina Satou has been chosen to be the main cast of the Anime; which will make its premier debut in April 2011 on Aniplex

Manga
The chapters of the Ao no Exorcist (青の祓魔師) 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 four tankōbon, with the first volume released on August 4, 2009, and the last volume released on July 2, 2010. As of December 4, 2010, 21 chapters have been released.

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

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.


 * 20. "Traitor"
 * 21. "Vicissitudes"