It has been over five years now since the second season’s airing, and finally, a new Blue Exorcist anime has been announced, though fans are wondering if it’s a proper Season 3 or if it will be a remake.
The new anime was revealed alongside many other big announcements at Jump Festa 2023.
Its reveal came with a special teaser video and visual alongside a commemorative illustration by series creator Kazue Kato.
Blue Exorcist New Anime Announcement
While it may not be as high-profile as other titles published in Weekly Shonen Jump, Blue Exorcist is still one of Shueisha’s biggest hits over the past decade, not to mention that it has a strong and dedicated fanbase.
Since the series began serialization in Jump Square 13 years ago, Blue Exorcist has exceeded 25 million copies in circulation. Its popularity was also boosted in part by the anime adaptation.
During the announcement of the new season, Shueisha didn’t go into much detail about what to expect, leading fans to wonder what kind of anime it will be.
However, it was confirmed that the cast from the previous season will return for the new anime.
Though the long gap between the second and third seasons wasn’t surprising for many fans.
After all, the manga is serialized in a monthly shonen magazine, which means it takes a while before there’s enough source material to animate.
READ MORE: Where to Start Reading the Blue Exorcist Manga After the Anime
Remake or Season 3 Debate
While the manga continues to be a popular series, the anime adaptation has received mixed responses from fans, especially the first season.
This is because the first season diverged from the manga as it ran out of source material to adapt. The events are reminiscent of the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime.
Specifically, the first season is a faithful adaptation of the manga until Episode 16. From Episodes 17 to 25 though, the anime has an original story that’s considered non-canon.
What makes things confusing is that the series’ second season picks up after Episode 16.
While manga readers were satisfied with Season 2’s direction, the retcon makes it a bit confusing for anime-only viewers.
Despite these, many are still excited for a proper Blue Exorcist Season 3, though the Jump Festa announcement didn’t mention what the story of this new anime will be.
Some reports suggest that the new anime is going to be the third season and that it will pick up right after the second season’s events. But there are others that say this will be an entirely new adaptation.
While fans are debating if this will be a third season or a remake, we will have to wait until more info about the series is announced.
Right now, there’s no word yet on a release date for the upcoming Blue Exorcist anime.
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Source: Blue Exorcist's official Twitter account
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