Is ‘Blue Exorcist’ Season 2 Canon? When Does It Take Place?
Blue Exorcist, also known as Ao no Exorcist, is a shōnen manga written and illustrated by Kazue Kato. A 25-episode animated television series adaptation aired between April 17, 2011, and October 2, 2011. An animated film was also released in December 2012, and a second season of 12 episodes was broadcast between January and March 2017. After seven years, the third season premiered in January 2024. Now, the overall structure of the Blue Exorcist anime isn’t that complex, but fans still wonder about the content of the second season, the Kyoto Saga. In this article, you will find out whether the season is canon and when it actually takes place.
Season 2 of Blue Exorcist is indeed canon
As we have said above, the second season of Blue Exorcist was dubbed Kyoto Saga, and it originally aired from January 7, 2017, to March 24, 2017. The season consisted of a total of 12 episodes and continued the story after Episode 25 of the first season of the anime. Now, as we have explained in an earlier article, the first season of Blue Exorcist was a mixed work. Most episodes were canon, but from Episode 18 until the end of the season, the producers came up with an anime-only filler arc that concluded the season. This arc was not adapted from the manga and is not considered to be part of the larger canon.
We had to wait several years before Season 2 premiered, and with the story having absolutely nothing to do with the final episodes of Season 1, fans became confused. But, it could very well be that a lot of fans did not know that the ending of Season 1 was non-canon, which means that they thought that Season 2 was not canon.
But, as it turns out, it is the other way around. Season 2 is completely canon and has no filler content whatsoever, while Episodes 18-25 of Season 1 are filler episodes, and there is no canon content there. So, Season 2 actually connects to Episode 17 of Season 1 and completely disregards the final episodes of that Season, as they are not canon. This is what had fans confused, initially, as they could not connect the final episode of Season 1 to the first episode of Season 2, but in order to do that, you have to go back to Episode 17 of Season 1.
The overall structure is as follows:
| No. | Episode Title | Air Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | “Small Beginnings” Transcription: “Kōshi Ranshō” (Japanese: 嚆矢濫觴) | January 7, 2017 | CANON |
| 27 | “Strange Bedfellows” Transcription: “Goetsu Doushū” (Japanese: 呉越同舟) | January 14, 2017 | CANON |
| 28 | “Suspicion Will Raise Bogies” Transcription: “Gishinanki” (Japanese: 疑心暗鬼) | January 21, 2017 | CANON |
| 29 | “Act of Treachery” Transcription: “Haishin Kigi” (Japanese: 背信棄義) | January 28, 2017 | CANON |
| 30 | “Mysterious Connections” Transcription: “Aienkien” (Japanese: 合縁奇縁) | February 4, 2017 | CANON |
| 31 | “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” Transcription: “Menrihōshin” (Japanese: 綿裏包針) | February 11, 2017 | CANON |
| 32 | “Like a Fire Burning Bright” Transcription: “Kienbanjō” (Japanese: 気炎万丈) | February 18, 2017 | CANON |
| 33 | “From Father to Son” Transcription: “Fushi Sōden” (Japanese: 父子相伝) | February 25, 2017 | CANON |
| 34 | “Through Thick and Thin” Transcription: “Setchūshōhaku” (Japanese: 雪中松柏) | March 4, 2017 | CANON |
| 35 | “Unbowed and Unbroken” Transcription: “Futōfukutsu” (Japanese: 不撓不屈) | March 11, 2017 | CANON |
| 36 | “Shine Bright as the Sun” Transcription: “Kōkisanzen” (Japanese: 光輝燦然) | March 18, 2017 | CANON |
| 37 | “Candid and Open” Transcription: “Kyoshintankai” (Japanese: 虚心坦懐) | March 25, 2017 | CANON |
| OVA2 | “Snake and Poison” Transcription: “Hebi to Doku” (Japanese: 蛇と毒) | April 4, 2017 (DVD) | FILLER |
| OVA3 | “Spy Game” Transcription: “Supai Gēmu” (Japanese: スパイ・ゲーム) | October 4, 2017 (DVD) | FILLER |
As far as the two OVA episodes are concerned, they were not released as part of the original broadcast, and they are indeed filler episodes, but we knew that already. Now, let us see when the second season of Blue Exorcist takes place.
Season 2 of Blue Exorcist takes place directly after Episode 17 of Season 1
Now, in order to properly place Season 2 on the timeline of Blue Exorcist, we are going to analyze the manga content adapted in the season. As we know, Season 2 adapted the following chapters:
- Chapter 16: When It All Began
- Chapter 17: Let’s Go to Kyoto!
- Chapter 18: Discord
- Chapter 19: Drunken Son
- Chapter 20: Traitor
- Chapter 21: Calamity
- Chapter 22: Flare-up
- Chapter 23: The Father’s Story
- Chapter 24: Empty Sword
- Chapter 25: Impure King
- Chapter 26: Fire of the Heart
- Chapter 27: Battle at Kongo-Shinzan
- Chapter 28: Crimson Lotus
- Chapter 29: Barrier Spell
- Chapter 30: Fateful Occurrence
- Chapter 31: Death
- Chapter 32: Abyss
- Chapter 33: Obliterate
- Chapter 34: Wrapping Things Up
Knowing that Episode 17 of Season 1 ended with Chapter 15, we can actually confirm that Season 2 of the anime takes place directly after Episode 17 of the first season of Blue Exorcist, which means that you can completely skip Episodes 18-25 of Season 1 and still be updated on the story. This is, as we have explained, due to the fact that these episodes of Season 1 were completely original and had nothing to do with the manga canon.
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