Blue Exorcist just got lit! Get it? Like a fire? Because Rin has blue fire? Ok, sorry for the terrible excuse for a joke. In all seriousness, this season finale was excellent. I’m not going to recap everything, because I’m short on time today, but I’ll discuss some key parts that made it exciting and interesting.

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Episode 12: Parting

Episode Rating: 9/10

This episode was eventful and packed with intriguing developments. Some were not surprising but were still well-executed and extremely cool. The best example is the fact that Yukio joined the Illuminati in this episode. Due to a confusing animation frame in an earlier episode, I thought Yukio was with the Illuminati when they captured Hachiro. In other words, I thought he had been serving the Illuminati for a while now, and then altering his memories to avoid being found out. I was 100% wrong with that theory. Regardless, the point is that Yukio has now switched sides.

I loved the tense conversation between Rin and Yukio early in the episode. Something that caught my attention was Yukio’s reference to a soul. In the world of Blue Exorcist, it’s likely that souls are real. Even if they aren’t, a person’s belief in their own soul is usually extremely important to them. So, Yukio has every right to be existentially horrified and depressed right now. He doubts that Shiro had a soul, which also means his sons might lack souls. Like him, they were only being raised as tools. Do tools have souls? Imagine what Yukio must be going through as he considers this possible truth.

I wanted to point that out in case anyone was having trouble understanding why Yukio is so upset. Thinking he lacks a soul means he sees himself as less than human. Plus, his identity and morals are crumbling as he learns about the evils of the True Cross Order that he blindly served for so long. Another interesting thing I noticed was that Rin and Yukio each think the other is perfect. They are envious of each other’s strengths and often blind to each other’s weaknesses. In my experience, that’s a realistic depiction of some sibling dynamics.

Now let’s talk about Satan. Thanks to Yukio’s possessed eye, the King of Demons was able to communicate with his sons. Based on what Satan said, he probably made some kind of deal either with Shiro or with Yuri. The details are unknown, but in that deal, Satan was promised the body of one of his sons. This would become his next vessel. I think that’s all we can really say about Satan at this point. Well, that and he loves to laugh like a maniac, apparently.

After his sword breaks, shattered by the eye of Satan, Rin’s “Demon Heart” became unsealed. Apparently, it’s a part of him that had been sealed into Gehenna by the Kouma Sword. With the blade ruined, Rin bursts into blue flame and burns uncontrollably. It seems at first like he died. But, along with regaining his lost demon heart, he regenerates from the ashes and gets a brand new body with white hair. That’s a bit of a trope since Tokyo Ghoul, but I enjoy said trope. I love white-haired anime boys. Sure enough, the new Rin looks awesome. Holy fuck I love his new design.

With the demon heart’s arrival, another side of Rin’s personality surfaced fully for the first time. We’ll call that part of him “Demon Rin.” He represents the pent-up emotions and desires of Rin – including his anger, lust for power, and love of destruction. With Demon Rin in charge of his body, Rin goes crazy and tries to fight his own friends. His flames are raging stronger than ever. When Shiemi and Nee put up a wall of trees to protect everyone, Rin started to gleefully destroy that, too.

Inside his mind, the reasonable and caring side of Rin realizes he’s no longer the one controlling his body. We’ll call this part of him “Human Rin.” It was amazing to see Human Rin stand up to Demon Rin, stating that he will protect his body and never surrender it. In this internal mental world, Human Rin punches Demon Rin to a pulp and regains control. However, Demon Rin reminds him that he can’t escape his true nature for very long. Now fully back in his body, Rin passes out.

When Rin wakes up, he has an interesting talk with Mephisto on the balcony. He demands to know the truth about his parents. Mephisto tells him that the key he’s been keeping is actually a legendary item that will allow its user to go wherever they desire. The Demon advises Rin to go to “the past” and witness the truth about Satan and Yuri. He’s given a new uniform, and his demon heart is hidden so he’ll look like a normal exorcist-in-training. Without any other preparation, Rin uses the key and departs.

I was interested to watch Mephisto and Amaimon as they reacted to their half-brother’s new awakening. Based on their reactions, it’s clear that both Demons are excited by the prospect of their little brother becoming an extremely powerful entity. For the nearly immortal residents of Gehenna, it’s entertaining to see such a big change. It could shape the future of both Gehenna and Assiah. Mephisto and Amaimon were both manically happy about the new Rin. However, while Amaimon was not really invested, I think Mephisto has much bigger plans for Rin and the future of the world.

As you can see from these colorful events and interactions, this season finale was outstanding. The visuals were mostly enjoyable, and the music was epic. While the “plot twists” were not surprising, they were impressively executed. I love the classic struggle of Rin’s human and demon sides. The action and suspense were intense. I’m also impressed with how the season slowly built up to this insane final episode. Last of all, I am also interested in learning the truth about Shiemi.

That’s all for today. The only other thing I have to say is this: After setting up all these new plot threads and giving us such a banger season finale, studio VOLN had better release another season of Blue Exorcist soon! I just hope they don’t leave us hanging for multiple years.

~Thanks for reading~

Written by 7Mononoke

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