History YMMV / BlueExorcist

** Izumo and Paku, on the other hand, seem to be [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship nearly canon]]. Izumo initially had no interest at all in associating with anyone but her best friend Paku.

** Shiemi's strong desire to befriend Izumo, and willingness to be used as a doormat to that end. Izumo's tsundere and DefrostingIceQueen towards...well, everyone, but especially Shiemi.

* IncestYayShipping: [[{{Twincest}} Yukio/Rin]], and how. Kato himself seems to be aware of this. Just read chapter 74.

* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: The dub was pretty well-received, particularly Creator/BrycePapenbrook as Rin and Creator/ChristineMarieCabanos as Shiemi. Even people that hate Bryce Papenbrook consider Rin to be one of his better roles.

** Cheng-Long Liu from TheMovie is another fanart favorite, probably because of his HiddenHeartOfGold and for being a WhiteHairedPrettyBoy.

** Is Shiemi a Badass Moe girl, or a typical DistressedDamsel CuteClumsyGirl? It doesn't help that the first anime [[AdaptationalWimp neutered]] Shiemi's badassery from the manga. Since Shiemi's gotten less clumsy and more confident in the manga, she has become less of a BaseBreakingCharacter.

** [[TheLancer Yukio]]. Unlike Shiemi, Yukio has become an increasingly BaseBreakingCharacter as the manga's progressed. Between his [[GreenEyedMonster horrid treatment of Rin]], [[BrokenAce his self-loathing]], and his morally ambiguous actions, whether Yukio is a CompleteMonster or a JerkassWoobie is a subject of ongoing fandom debate.

** Much like ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist,'' the changes the anime adaptation was divisive. The anime was criticized for having too many filler episodes, despite being a 25 episode series that diverged from the manga halfway through anyway, questionable changes (like [[spoiler: making Satan a JerkWithAHeartOfGold despite [[AxCrazy how]] he is first introduced]]), poorly developing the main cast outside of Rin and Yukio, [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderizing]] the main characters, and playing the [[ClicheStorm cliches]] the manga deconstructed straight as a result of [[OvertookTheManga overtaking the manga]].

* ClicheStorm: Be ready for for A LOT of recycled {{Shonen}} tropes. [[TropesAreNotBad Not that this is a bad thing.]] To the series' credit, many of the tropes are occasionally twisted in new ways to keep things fresh. It arguably succeeds in this end as well. It is especially done well with the characters. All of the main casts fit pretty well into established character tropes, but are fully fleshed out as opposed to flat stereotypes. The flat stereotypes tend to get [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] in a fashion that resembles ''VideoGame/Persona4'', showing how no one is that simple.

** [[FourEyesZeroSoul Dr. Michael (Mihaeru) Gedouin]], the resident MadScientist of the Illuminati, spends the entirety of the Izumo Rescue Arc proving himself to be the most [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]] [[{{jerkass}} and utterly depraved]] villain in that story arc. In flashbacks, [[spoiler: he and his team abduct Izumo, her sister Tsukumo, and her mother to use as subjects in his research on the elixir of immortality. He subjects their mother to horrific experiments that reduced her to a broken, bloody shell of a person, while threatening to use Tsukumo (who was [[WouldHurtAChild two years old]] at the time) next if Izumo did not follow his demands]]. When the heroes storm his laboratory, they discover that he has been brainwashing people who visit the town near the lab and using them as disposable fodder for his experiments, turning them into shambling, [[AndIMustScream semi-conscious]] [[FateWorseThanDeath zombies]]. When called out on his atrocities, he [[InsaneTrollLogic actually employs]] a HumansAreTheRealMonsters argument to defend himself, considering himself to be above the people he uses as guinea pigs. Further, it is repeatedly show that his only motivation for his evil is to earn approval from Lucifer. An [[PsychopathicManchild immature]], [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]] bastard who [[{{Sadist}} relishes the suffering]] of others, Gedouin stands head and shoulders above most previous villains in terms of monstrosity, with his actions [[EvenEvilHasStandards even disgusting Lucifer]].
** [[KnightTemplar Ernst Frederik Egin]], exclusive to the anime, is a [[ChurchMilitant member of the True Cross Order]] who, despite his claims, is entirely motivated by his [[FantasticRacism racism against demons]]. Ernst would send men to kill demons and those associated with them, regardless of innocence. When he learns that his daughter [[AllLovingHeroine Yuri]] is pregnant with {{Satan}}'s children, he [[OffingTheOffspring has her]] [[BurnTheWitch put on the stake to be burned to death]], something he had done to many other women before. He even has people watch, but when Satan comes to rescue her, [[DirtyCoward he abandons them all while he escapes]]. Many years later, Ernst finds one of Yuri's children, Yukio, whom he persuades to his side. He then [[TheStarscream murders The Order's leadership]], [[KlingonPromotion becoming its new leader]], with his first command issuing all True Cross Academy students weapons forcing them to fight demons, despite many being inexperienced. He also tasks Yukio to bring him his brother [[TheProtagonist Rin]] saying he will spare Rin, only to [[ILied admit he lied]] once Yukio does this. Ernst proceeds to torture Rin, knowing it would open the [[HellGate Gate to Gehanna]] where he will drop his nuclear bomb, The Messiah, onto the world, destroying it and eradicating every last demon there. When Yukio [[HeroicSacrifice offers to take Rin's place]], Ernst allows it, but tries to kill Rin anyway. When Satan finally appears and foils Ernst's plans by revealing to Yukio what Ernst did to Yuri, he responds that [[IHaveNoSon Yuri was not his daughter]] for loving a demon and her children are just disgraces to him. Sacrificing all those he see, family members included, Ernst proves that [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters humans can become more evil than demons]].
* CounterpartComparison: Rin does have a resemblance to a certain PublicDomainCharacter. Flaming Sword? Check. [[PlayingWithFire Blue fire]]? Check[[note]]Obscure, but true, as the old verbal charm used to invoke him refers to his "flaming sword of cobalt blue."[[/note]]. Incredibly protective? Check. Willing to help all in need? Check. A tendency for arrogance? Check. Popular? Fandom says yes. Who does he greatly resemble? No one else but '''ArchangelMichael''' himself! And the recent StoryArc introduces the Demon King of Light...aka ''Lucifer'' as the BigBad.

* FanDislikedExplanation: Satan being [[spoiler: in love with Rin and Yukio's mother]] in the Anime. Many felt this drastically contradicts how AxeCrazy he was when he possessed Fujimoto and talked about how he never cared about Rin and his mother.

* FoeYay: [[ManipulativeBastard Saburota Toudou]] to [[TheLancer Yukio]]. Let's count the ways: straddling him numerous times, the dozen double entendres ("you're determined not to give in", "why do you reject me?", etc), and [[spoiler: recommending him to his boss Lucifer.]]

* HarsherInHindsight: Renzo showing up in all the merchandise makes a lot more [[FridgeLogic sense]] now that [[spoiler: he's been revealed to be [[TheMole an Illumanati spy]].]]
** All those times where Renzo was [[ButtMonkey picked on and treated]] as pure Comic Relief? Those moments where he was shown to be a "comedic" TheUnfavourite? Yeah, about that [[spoiler: not so funny now it's turned out he's been working with an evil organization and what with being a StepfordSmiler.]] Impossible to not look at him and wonder what exactly is going behind that smile on his face...

** And let's not get into all the fanfics with [[MarySue female]] [[OriginalCharacter Original Characters]] put in ''just'' to pair with Rin...

* MoralEventHorizon: While once a WellIntentionedExtremist, that goes out of the window when [[spoiler: Ernst Frederik Egin sentences his own daughter to be burned at the stake, and indirectly causing the Blue Night in the anime,]].

** Hachiro [[spoiler:puts both Shura and Yukio through MindManipulation in order to have the latter impregnate the former. And when Shura claimed Yukio was JustAKid, Hachiro decides to make her be the one to do it. If Rin had showed up even a minute later...]]

* SuperlativeDubbing: The dub was pretty well-received, particularly Creator/BrycePapenbrook as Rin and Creator/ChristineMarieCabanos as Shiemi. Even people that hate Bryce Papenbrook consider Rin to be one of his better roles.

* {{Wangst}}: A good chunk of Yukio's problems come from standard teenage wangst that he's supposed to slowly grow out of. Unfortunately, in this situation it gets heavily [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] as it plus the setting and the events around him conspire to have him have a serious breakdown. On the other hand, it adds a nice touch of realism to events and he's not the only one to get bogged down at times by teenage wangst; the entire main cast is of teenagers, it happens.

** Rin. {{Adorkable}}, check. [[NiceGuy Nice guy]], check. Orphaned from a horrible incident when he discovered he was really the son of Satan, check.

* ArcFatigue: Due to being a monthly manga, many have felt that the chapters do not provide enough content to satisfy a monthly release and that each chapter is paced like it would be more suited for a weekly manga. Readers would often get bored, and lose interest during certain parts of the manga. It could be during the Impure King arc where people found the build-up and the climatic battles to drag on much longer then they should have, it could be the school festival chapters following the previous said arc for being {{Padding}} chapters until the next StoryArc starts up, and even during the Izumo arc which many have felt has been stuck-in-place the past several months building up to the final confrontation.

* FanPreferredCouple: While canon seems to be leaning towards Rin and Shiemi, Rin and Izumo has a following due to her being the only one not to turn against Rin after [[spoiler: getting outted as a demon]] and quickly grew after the Illuminati Arc.

** [[BrokenAce Yukio]]. He was introduced as the refined and brilliant TeenGenius. But as the series goes on, [[BeneathTheMask we realize he's an emotional wreck]]. He saw demons all his life. He took up training to fight them with his father at the age of 7, making him a ChildProdigy. He always dreamed of protecting his brother. When Shiro dies and Rin is awakened, Yukio's life gets consumed with the burdens of teaching the class his deceased father had and [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling watching over his childish sibling.]] [[spoiler: Then during a fight with an enemy [[BreakThemByTalking who is psychoanalyzing him]], he discovers that he isn't entirely human.]] As time goes on, however, Yukio's Woobie status gets [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] '''hard''' as most of his problems are self-inflicted and come from his own twisted views on life.

** And, now, with the latest arc [[{{Tsundere}} Izumo]] definitely counts. DarkAndTroubledPast is only the tip of the iceberg and, for bonus points, her entire arc is a ShaggyDogStory.

** Is Shiemi a Badass Moe girl who can save her team and still be feminine, or a typical DistressedDamsel CuteClumsyGirl? It doesn't help that the anime [[AdaptationalWimp neutered]] Shiemi's badassery from the manga and heavily Flanderized her.
** Is [[TheLancer Yukio]] a BrokenAce who genuinely cares about his brother, or a JerkWithAHeartOfJerk [[GreenEyedMonster who hates his brother]]? The manga leans towards both, suggesting that his breakdown is moving Yukio towards the latter and beyond.

** [[KnightTemplar Ernst Frederik Egin]], exclusive to the anime, is a [[ChurchMilitant member of the True Cross Order]] who, despite his claims, is entirely motivated by his [[FantasticRacism racism against demons]]. Ernst would send men to kill demons and those associated with them, regardless of innocence and when he learns that his daughter [[AllLovingHeroine Yuri]] is pregnant with {{Satan}}'s children, he [[OffingTheOffspring has her]] [[BurnTheWitch put on the stake to be burned to death]], something he had done to many other women before. He even has people watch, but when Satan comes to rescue her, [[DirtyCoward he abandons them all while he escapes]]. Many years later, Ernst finds one of Yuri's children, Yukio, whom he persuades to his side. He then [[TheStarscream murders The Order's leadership]], [[KlingonPromotion becoming its new leader]], with his first command issuing all True Cross Academy students weapons forcing them to fight demons, despite many being inexperienced. He also tasks Yukio to bring him his brother [[TheProtagonist Rin]] saying he will spare Rin, only to [[ILied admit he lied]] once Yukio does this. Ernst proceeds to torture Rin, knowing it would open the [[HellGate Gate to Gehanna]] where he will drop his nuclear bomb, The Messiah, onto the world, destroying it and eradicating every last demon there. When Yukio [[HeroicSacrifice offers to take Rin's place]], Ernst allows it, but tries to kill Rin anyway. When Satan finally appears and foils Ernst's plans by revealing to Yukio what Ernst did to Yuri, he responds that [[IHaveNoSon Yuri was not his daughter]] for loving a demon and her children are just disgraces to him. Sacrificing all those he see, family members included, Ernst proves that [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters humans can become more evil than demons]].

** [[FourEyesZeroSoul Dr. Michael (Mihaeru) Gedouin]], the resident MadScientist of the Illuminati, spends the entirety of the Izumo Rescue Arc proving himself to be the most [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]] [[{{jerkass}} and utterly depraved]] human being in the story. In flashbacks, [[spoiler: he and his team abduct Izumo, her sister Tsukumo, and her mother to use as subjects in his research on the elixir of immortality. He subjects their mother to horrific experiments that reduced her to a broken, bloody shell of a person, while threatening to use Tsukumo (who was [[WouldHurtAChild two years old]] at the time) next if Izumo did not follow his demands.]] When the heroes storm his laboratory, they discover that he has been brainwashing people who visit the town near the lab and using them as disposable fodder for his experiments, turning them into shambling, [[AndIMustScream semi-conscious]] [[FateWorseThanDeath zombies]]. When called out on his atrocities, he [[InsaneTrollLogic actually employs]] a HumansAreTheRealMonsters argument to defend himself, considering himself to be above the people he uses as guinea pigs. Further, it is repeatedly show that his only motivation for his evil is to earn approval from Lucifer. An [[PsychopathicManchild immature]], [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]] bastard who [[LackOfEmpathy relishes the suffering]] of others, Gedouin stands head and shoulders above all previous villains in terms of monstrosity, and his actions [[EvenEvilHasStandards even disgust Lucifer]].
** [[KnightTemplar Ernst Frederik Egin]], exclusive to the anime, is a [[ChurchMilitant member of the True Cross Order]] who, despite his claims, is solely motivated by his [[FantasticRacism racism against demons]]. Ernst would send men to kill demons and those associated with them, regardless of innocence. When he learns that his daughter [[AllLovingHeroine Yuri]] is pregnant with {{Satan}}'s children, he [[OffingTheOffspring has her]] [[BurnTheWitch put on the stake to be burned to death]], something he had done to many other women before. He even has people watch, but when Satan comes to rescue her, he abandons them all while he escapes; the burns serve as evidence of his cowardliness. Many years later, Ernst finds one of Yuri's children, Yukio, whom he persuades to his side. He then [[TheStarscream murders The Order's leadership]], [[KlingonPromotion becoming its new leader]], with his first command issuing all True Cross Academy students weapons forcing them to fight demons, despite many being inexperienced. He also tasks Yukio to bring him his brother [[TheProtagonist Rin]] saying he will spare Rin, only to [[ILied admit to lying]] once Yukio does this. Ernst gleefully watches Rin being tortured, knowing it would open the [[HellGate Gate to Gehanna]] where he will drop his nuclear bomb, The Messiah, onto the world, destroying it and eradicating every last demon there. When Yukio [[HeroicSacrifice offers to take Rin's place]], Ernst allows it, but tries to kill Rin anyway. When Satan finally appears and foils Ernst's plans by revealing to Yukio what Ernst did to Yuri, he responds that [[IHaveNoSon Yuri was not his daughter]] for loving a demon and her children are just disgraces to him. Sacrificing all those he see, family members included, simply to fuel [[ItsAllAboutMe his desires]], Ernst stands as [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters more vile than any demon]] shown.

* {{Expy}}: Rin does have a resemblance to a certain PublicDomainCharacter. Flaming Sword? Check. [[PlayingWithFire Blue fire]]? Check[[note]]Obscure, but true, as the old verbal charm used to invoke him refers to his "flaming sword of cobalt blue."[[/note]]. Incredibly protective? Check. Willing to help all in need? Check. A tendency for arrogance? Check. Popular? Fandom says yes. Who does he greatly resemble? No one else but '''ArchangelMichael''' himself! And the recent StoryArc introduces the Demon King of Light...aka ''Lucifer'' as the BigBad.
** Yukio and Rin can be compared to [[Series/{{Supernatural}} Sam and Dean]] respectively.
*** With Sam being the responsible older brother.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: In the anime at least, Satan himself. Did he [[spoiler: actually love Rin and Yukio's mother and [[ThenLetMeBeEvil descend into full-on villainy when she died]], or was she just a means to an end that he exploited to the hilt]]?

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Rin Genderqueer? He has been shown multiple times to be InTouchWithHisFeminineSide, such as his love for cooking and being emotionally invested in a romantic manga, and he seemed to enjoy being DisguisedInDrag when dealing with the Okama ghost.
** And, in the anime at least, Satan himself. Did he [[spoiler: actually love Rin and Yukio's mother and [[ThenLetMeBeEvil descend into full-on villainy when she died]], or was she just a means to an end that he exploited to the hilt]]?

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Rin Genderfluid? He has been shown multiple times to be InTouchWithHisFeminineSide, such as his love for cooking and being emotionally invested in a romantic manga, and he seemed to enjoy being DisguisedInDrag when dealing with the Okama ghost.

* ClicheStorm: Be ready for for A LOT of recycled {{Shonen}} tropes. [[TropesAreNotBad Not that this is a bad thing.]] To the series' credit, many of the tropes are occasionally twisted in new ways to keep things fresh. It arguably succeeds in this end as well. It is specially done well with the characters. All of the main casts fit pretty well into established character tropes, but are fully fleshed out as opposed to flat stereotypes. The flat stereotypes tend to get [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] in a fashion that resembles ''VideoGame/Persona4'', showing how no one is that simple.

** And, in the anime at least, Satan himself. Did he [[spoiler: actually love Rin and Yukio's mother and [[ThenLetMeBeEvil descended into full-on villainy when she died]], or was she just a means to an end that he exploited to the hilt]]?

** And, in the anime at least, Satan himself. Did he [[spoiler: actually love Rin and Yukio's mother, or was she just a means to an end]]?

** Despite only being a StarterVillain and not appearing since chapter one, [[WhiteHairBlackHeart Reiji Shiratori]] [[DracoInLeatherPants has his]] [[WhiteHairedPrettyBoy fair share of fangirls]]. Astaroth, the demon that possessed him in the anime, also has fangirls due to being an AdaptationalBadass.

* CutenessProximity: Meta-Example; if [[TroubledButCute Okumura]] [[{{Adorkable}} Rin]] comes up in a conversation between fangirls, expect the word "cute" to show up 9 times out of 10.