Blue Exorcist: Is Renzo Shima a Traitor? His Role Explained!

After many years, the third season of Blue Exorcist is finally back, and in this article, we have decided to start covering the series. This article is going to discuss a popular character who’s been present from the early days of the series, but his role in the series is now a matter of debate, seeing how his loyalties might be put into question. The character is Renzo Shima, and in light of the new season’s story, we are going to reveal whether he is a traitor in the series or not, i.e., what his connection to the Illuminati actually is.

Renzo Shima is a double agent

Renzo Shima is a carefree yet somewhat apprehensive individual, which is why talking about him in this context might seem a bit strange. As he grew up in the Kyoto Temple with Bon and Konekomaru, he is highly devoted to them; he lost his older brother on the “Blue Night.” Unaware that Rin might also prove to be hazardous in some situations, Renzo is the second person to accept Rin after learning his identity. In addition to being really afraid of insects and generally smitten with all women, he is fascinated with both Shiemi and Izumo. To his father’s dismay, he colored his naturally black hair pink. He wishes to achieve the status of a Meister in “Aria” and brings a K’rik (Khakkhara) staff to learn how to fight like two of his siblings.

Now, just before he enrolled at the Academy, Renzo was recruited by the Illuminati to become a spy for them; he would spy on what was going on in the Academy and within the Order. It was a devious move, but Renzo explained that his hatred for the people in his life and their expectations made him make such a decision. But, as it turned out, the situation isn’t so straightforward.

Namely, a while later, Mephisto approached Yaozo, Renzo’s father, and asked him whether Renzo would become a spy of the Order within the Illuminati. Renzo, who had been listening to them, surprised even Mephisto when he appeared, as even he wasn’t able to sense Renzo’s presence. Mephisto praised him and told him that he firmly believed that Renzo was forged to be a great spy, so the young boy accepted the offer, thus becoming a double agent for the Order within the Illuminati.

And when this was revealed, Renzo’s status in the story became less clear. Is he more loyal to the Order or the Illuminati? Is he a traitor and villain, or not? These are the questions we are going to talk about in the second part of this article.

It is currently unknown whether he is a traitor or not

As far as his ultimate role is concerned – we still don’t know. Renzo Shima is a complex character and while his moral affiliation is difficult to determine, his actions speak for himself. Initially, before allying himself with Mephisto and the Order, he became a spy for the Illuminati, but once Mephisto recruited him, he became a loyal double agent for him. And while he wasn’t always with the protagonists, he worked with them in the majority of cases, but that makes this issue even more complex.

Aven, after the defeat of Michael and the end of the Illuminati Arc, Renzo remained with them, but he also remained in the school. In that aspect, his role in the series remains quite ambiguous, and we cannot really determine whether he is an actual traitor or villain. So far, he is working with the Order, but his real agenda remains unknown, and until we find out what actually motivates him and where his loyalties are, we will probably not get a precise answer to this question, which means that we have to wait a bit.

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