Blue Exorcist season 3 release date, cast, plot and everything you need to know (2024)

Blue Exorcist, the action fantasy series based on Kazue Katō's manga, is returning after six years away.

Strangely, it's not the first time Blue Exorcist has gone on a hiatus of this length. The series first season aired all the way back in 2011, while its second (the Kyoto Saga) didn't come out until 2017.

Given the long wait, it's no surprise that fans are excited for the return of Rin and the rest of True Cross Academy. this year's AniPlex Online Fest event brought us a whole host of details – and even a trailer.

So here's everything we know about Blue Exorcist season three, aka the Shimane Illuminati Saga.

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Blue Exorcist season three, aka the Shimane Illuminati Saga, officially begins airing in Japan on January 6, 2024.

The show has yet to confirm its international distribution plans, but we'd expect it to be available worldwide via either Netflix or Crunchyroll.

The release window was announced alongside a teaser trailer and a key visual at the annual AniPlex Summer Fest event. AniPlex itself has overseen the distribution of the franchise's animated offerings since the beginning.

We also didn't get confirmation of how long the new season will be, although it seems unlikely we'll get a full 25 episodes (per the show's first outing).

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Blue Exorcist season three is set to feature the same voice cast as the rest of the show, and while it's not 100% confirmed yet, we'd expect it to include the following people:

• Rin Okumura - Nobuhiko Okamoto (JP) / Bryce Papenbrook (EN)
• Yukio Okumura - Jun Fukuyama (JP) / Johnny Yong Bosch (EN)
• Shiemi Moriyama - Kana Hanazawa (JP) / Christine Cabanos (EN)
• Ryuji Suguro - Kazuya Nakai (JP) / Kyle Hebert (EN)
• Renzo Shima - Kōji Yusa (JP) / Brian Beacock (EN)
• Mephisto Pheles - Hiroshi Kamiya (JP) / Sam Riegel (EN)
• Satan - Keiji Fujiwara (JP) / Kirk Thornton (EN)

The Shimane Illuminati Saga is being brought to life by animators at Studio VOLN with Daisuke Yoshida directing. It's worth noting that the previous seasons of Blue Exorcist were both handled by A-1 Pictures, and it remains unclear why the change in studios occurred.

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Blue Exorcist season three will be based on volumes 10-15 (chapters 50-64) of the original manga, known as the Shimane Illuminati arc.

Without spoiling too much, the arc is famous among Blue Exorcist fans for its twists and turns; including the revelation that at least one of the True Cross students is a mole for the titular sinister organisation.

The arc also focuses heavily on Rin and Yukio's relationship, although given that the anime has already overwritten some of that canon (ie by giving Yukio powers) there's no guarantee the new season will strictly follow the manga.

A trailer for the new season was released at AniPlex's event, reuniting anime fans with their favourite half-demon (an increasingly competitive title) exorcist and his pals.

You can watch it at the top of this article, although it's currently only available in Japanese without subtitles.

Blue Exorcist is available to watch on Netflix and Crunchyroll.