Blue Exorcist New Anime Season Release Dates

The upcoming year will mark the return of the anime adaptation of Kazue Kato's Blue Exorcist. A brief teaser trailer, available on Aniplex's official YouTube channel, confirms that the third season of this dark fantasy series is set to debut in January. This season will adapt the "Shimane Illuminati" arc from Kato's manga and introduces a fresh aesthetic style as the up-and-coming production company Studio VOLN takes the reins from the veteran animation studio A-1 Pictures, which handled the first two seasons.

Kato's ongoing manga made its debut in Shueisha's Jump Square in April 2009, resulting in 29 volumes of content thus far. The story centers on Rin, initially a seemingly ordinary high schooler who discovers that he and his twin brother are, in fact, the sons of Satan. After demons tragically take the life of his guardian and father figure, Rin enrolls at True Cross Academy to learn how to control his blue flame powers and ultimately confront his father. Blue Exorcist has garnered a substantial fanbase since its release and ranks among the best-selling manga series in history, alongside works like Yūsei Matsui's Assassination Classroom and Katsura Hoshino's D.Gray-Man, with over 25 million copies sold worldwide. The anime adaptation has had a somewhat tumultuous production history. The initial season of Blue Exorcist premiered way back in April 2011, followed by a tie-in film the subsequent year. The second season did not grace screens until January 2017. Despite the change in animation studio, many original voice cast members are returning for the Shimane Illuminati Saga. Notably, Nobuhiko Okamoto (known for Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma) and Jun Fukuyama (famous for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War) will reprise their roles as Rin and his twin brother Yukio, respectively. The cast for Blue Exorcist Season 3 also includes Kana Hanazawa (from Bungo Stray Dogs) as Shiemi Moriyama, Kazuya Nakai (recognized for Death Note) as Ryuji Suguroi, and Yuuki Kaji (known for Attack on Titan) as Miwa Konekomaru. 

Blue Exorcist is not the only major anime series returning for another season in the Winter 2024 lineup. Notable releases include the second season of J.C.Staff's Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy and the fifth season of Pierrot's Kingdom, both set to premiere in January. Additionally, the Winter 2024 lineup will introduce highly anticipated new shows like Pon no Michi, the latest project from the director of Fire Force, and Studio Trigger's Delicious in Dungeon.