With more than two thousand years of existence, this group has several branches all over the world being secretly under the command of the Vatican itself and acting in a clandestine manner.

Witnessing Shiro dying to protect him, Rin draws the demon-slaying sword Kurikara (倶利伽羅), which restrains his demonic powers.

From that moment on, Rin not only gains demonic features like fangs and a tail, but also the power to ignite into blue flames that destroy almost anything he touches.

He enrolls at the prestigious True Cross Academy (正十字学園, Sei Jūji Gakuen), an exorcist cram school, which is actually the Japanese branch of the True Cross Order (正十字騎士團, Sei Jūji Kishidan), an international organization dedicated to protect Assiah from Gehenna.

A prototype one-shot, titled Miyamauguisu House Case (深山鶯邸事件, Miyamauguisu-tei Jiken), was published in Shueisha's Jump Square on August 4, 2008.

[33] The series began broadcasting in the United States and Canada on Viz Media's online network, Neon Alley, on October 2, 2012.

[36] Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia, streaming it for a limited time on its YouTube channel until February 29, 2024.

[40][41][42] Koichi Hatsumi directed the sequel, while Toshiya Ōno wrote the scripts, Keigo Sasaki designed the characters, and Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto composed the soundtrack.

[47] It was later revealed to be a third season, titled Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga, which adapted volumes 10–15 of the original manga.

The sequel was produced by Studio VOLN and directed by Daisuke Yoshida, with scripts written by Toshiya Ōno, character designs handled by Yurie Oohigashi, and music composed by Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto.

[60] Four light novels written by Aya Yajima, with illustrations provided by Kazue Kato, have been released by Shueisha under their Jump J-Books imprint.

[62] It focuses on past events, such as Rin, Yukio, Ryuji, Renzo, and Konekomaru's childhoods, as well as Juzo Shima and Mamushi Hojo's time as students at True Cross Academy.

[64] A visual novel for PlayStation Portable, Ao no Exorcist: Genkoku no Labyrinth was released on April 26, 2012, by Bandai Namco Games.

[66] A 3D action RPG, Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story (オルタナヴェルト -青の祓魔師 外伝-, Orutana Vueruto Ao no Ekusoshisuto Gaiden) was announced at Jump Festa 2024.

[68] A stage play based on the series, titled Live Act Ao no Exorcist: Mashin no Rakuin, ran for nine performances at the Nippon Seinenkan hall in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward from May 11–17, 2012.

[61] Critics have praised the Blue Exorcist manga, with Comic Book Bin reviewer Leroy Douresseaux feeling the first volume had potential, enjoying the comedy in the work and the characters and their interactions, recommending it to teen readers.

[71] Danica Davidson from Otaku USA felt that while the series employs disturbing storytelling, Rin's heroic traits despite being Satan's son make the plot more appealing to the readers.

[72] Kato's artwork has been praised by Anime News Network's Carlo Santos for the way each character has distinct traits while background images are well designed.

[73] Deb Aoki of About.com praised Kato's art and the series' "multi-dimensional world that melds European architecture, Japanese culture, modern technology and Tim Burton-esque whimsy", also stating that it is a "multicultural mishmash" of Harry Potter, Cirque du Soleil, Blade Runner and Alice in Wonderland, but she called the action scenes "a bit chaotic, and sometimes hard to follow".

[75] Sandra Scholes of Active Anime noted similarities to other series like Trinity Blood, Fullmetal Alchemist and Bleach, but wrote that the story and characters have "plenty of their own to tantalize us to watch.