The dark fantasy anime series Blue Exorcist first premiered in spring of 2011, quickly gathering an avid cult following. Season 1's ending, however, was a major letdown as the anime went rogue from the manga only to deliver a lackluster conclusion.
In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood fashion, the Blue Exorcist anime was fortunately resurrected in 2017 and given a Season 2: Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga. It rewrote the pitiful finale so the series could continue, but four years later fans are still waiting with bated breath for Season 3.
The Plot of Blue Exorcist
The tales of teenager Rin Okumura put an enchanting twist on the supernatural high school variety as the sword-swinging exorcist grapples with his identity as the son of Satan. Raised by their adopted exorcist father, Rin and his twin brother Yukio fight against the evil forces of the demon world, aiming to defeat Satan.
It’s no mystery why Blue Exorcist fans are pleading for Season 3 – the story is teeming with compelling lore, distinctive magic and charming characters. While many watchers turned away after the trainwreck finale of Season 1, Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga brought back the glory by returning the anime to its manga roots. Season 2 wholly ignored a handful of Season 1 episodes that squandered character development and haplessly bastardized the story with its rushed wrap-up attempt.
While fans are grateful for Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga, it only got a mere 12 episodes while Season 1 got 25 (though only 17 are technically canon, with many others being filler). The shortened Season 2 was frustrating, especially because it confused many who were hung up on Season 1 while also leaving off with little resolution for the characters. Though the anime has yet to be continued past Season 2, the manga has kept the love alive. Over 15 more volumes' worth of content have been released after the events of the Kyoto arc, so there’s plenty of Rin’s story left to be adapted.
Will There Be a Season 3 of Blue Exorcist?
However, faithful readers of the Blue Exorcist manga are feeling the pain, as it was recently announced that it’s going on an 8-month hiatus. The reason for the long break is to allow mangaka Kazue Kato to adapt Fuyumi Ono's novel Eizen Karukaya Kaiitan into a manga. Fortunately, Kato does intend to return to Blue Exorcist after the hiatus period, so rest assured there will be a proper ending.
Anime fans, on the other hand, have had no such reassurance. There’s currently no official reveal concerning Blue Exorcist Season 3, nor are there many substantial rumors of its return. That said, there’s still hope the anime could return from the shadows sooner rather than later.
The gap between Blue Exorcist Season 1 and 2 was over 5 years, during which a movie was also released. Because Season 2 ended in 2017, it’s entirely possible that a Season 3 could be announced any time now. Moreover, many other anime have had similar time-gap patterns between seasons, so there’s really no reason to assume a Blue Exorcist anime won’t continue after all these years.
Blue Exorcist Season 3 would be an amazing gift for patient fans of the supernatural series, especially considering the manga’s recent hiatus. While there’s no conciliatory news, a Season 3 announcement could be nearing the horizon in 2021 or 2022.
