Every Blue Exorcist Filler Episode You Can Skip According To Fans
Anime has this fun little quirk where it frequently gives Christianity the "Dungeons and Dragons" treatment, and that's how shows like "Blue Exorcist" get to exist. The series follows Rin Okumura, the literal son of Satan, who learns the dark secret about his lineage and rebels against his evil papa to become a Demon Slayer — hang on, wrong title, sorry about that — an exorcist. He becomes an exorcist, folks. "Blue Exorcist" debuted in 2011 (via IMDb) with a 25-episode Season 1. In 2012, the nascent franchise expanded with a feature film, "Blue Exorcist: The Movie," which currently holds an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Happily, the supernatural anime returned to television screens in 2017 with "Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga," a 14-episode continuation of Rin's story.
Another quirk of anime — and this one is less fun — is to pump every season of every show with extra content. These filler episodes, oftentimes referred to as "OVAs" (aka Original Video Animation), can serve to build on established characters but they mostly serve to extend the length of any given production. Now, OVAs rarely come with a disclaimer saying, "Hey, this is filler and not required viewing for the actual story, continue at your own risk," leaving viewers with the choice to either barrel through, or simply give up. Fortunately, the internet is full of dedicated fans who have our collective backs. Here's how to watch "Blue Exorcist" without the fluff.
Blue Exorcist is nearly one-quarter filler episodes
The parameters set by Anime Filler List are as follows: Filler is the opposite of canonicity, which is a term that means information is part of the true storyline, and canonicity is measured by its dutiful representation of the manga source material. With that in mind, episodes are separated into three categories: There are canon episodes, canon-filler mix episodes, and filler episodes. By these metrics, "Blue Exorcist" has 10 filler episodes, five episodes of mixed canonicity, and 22 episodes that are purely canonical.
The episodes that blend the source material with new content are Episodes 1 to 3, as well as Episodes 16 and 17. The first batch fudges the lore a bit as they're updating the story for a different medium. The second grouping of episodes builds into an entire arc that can go unwatched. The chapters that are considered totally skippable are Episodes 6, 11, and 18 to 25. Episode 6 and Episode 11 are one-offs, while the rest comprise an entirely new story arc. What's left, Episodes 4 and 5, 7 to 10, 12 to 15, and 26 to 37 are all considered vital to the story of "Blue Exorcist." That said, it's highly recommended that Episodes 1 to3 are, at least, also viewed, considering they literally set up the series.
It's worth noting that simply because certain content is technically skippable, that doesn't mean it is without value. Remember, "Blue Exorcist" received positive reviews in spite of the canonicity issues, and there's no shame in relishing a little extra time with a story.