Blue Exorcist season 3

Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga
Season 3
Key visual for Shimane Illuminati Saga
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	Tokyo MX
Original release	January 7 (2024-01-07) – March 24, 2024 (2024-03-24)
Season chronology
← Previous S2: Kyoto Saga Next → S4: Beyond the Snow / The Blue Night Sagas
List of episodes

Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga (Japanese: 青の祓魔師（エクソシスト） 島根啓明結社（イルミナティ）篇, Hepburn: Ao no Ekusoshisuto: Shimane Iruminati-hen) is the third season of the Blue Exorcist anime television series, which is based on the manga series of the same name by Kazue Kato. Studio VOLN took over from A-1 Pictures as animation producer, with Daisuke Yoshida replacing Koichi Hatsumi as series director. The season aired from January 7 to March 24, 2024, on Tokyo MX and other networks. ^{[1] [2]} In August 2025, it was announced that the season's English dub would make its broadcast television premiere on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block beginning on August 24, 2025. ^[3]

The opening theme song is "Eye's Sentry", performed by Uverworld, while the ending theme song is "Gakkyū Nisshi" (学級日誌; lit. "School Diary"), performed by Mulasaki-Ima. ^{[4] [2]}

Episodes

See also: List of Blue Exorcist episodes

No. overall	No. in saga	Title  [5] [6]	Directed by  [5]	Written by  [5]	Storyboarded by  [5]	Original release date  [7]	English air date  [8]
38	1	"The World's Astir" Transliteration: "Zawameku Sekai" (Japanese: ざわめく世界)	Junichi Fujise	Toshiya Ōno  [ ja ]	Daisuke Yoshida	January 7, 2024 (2024-01-07)	August 24, 2025 [3]
During regular class hours at True Cross Academy, Rin notices fellow classmate Sei Godaiin can also see demons and confronts him about the matter, with the boy telling Rin that he no longer wishes to see them. The next morning, Rin receives a message from Mephisto notifying him that his scheduled execution by the Vatican was delayed and gets invited to a banquet at his living quarters to celebrate this news. Seeking ulterior motives to help Sei out, Rin accepts the banquet invite and confronts Mephisto later that night, before Mephisto suddenly confesses that his real identity is the demon Samael. When Rin attempts to unsheathe his sword on him, Mephisto halts Rin and indicates that he is not an enemy, as he wishes to see humanity prosper since it fascinates him. Already knowing the situation, Mephisto tells Rin he has eyedrops that'll stop Sei from seeing demons and will give it to Rin once he completes a task for him. The next day, Rin and fellow Exwires gather to eliminate a shapeshifting demon that is possessing paintings in the school's art gallery. After successful completion of the task, Mephisto gives Rin the eyedrops to help Sei stop seeing demons.
39	2	"Where Secrets Are" Transliteration: "Himitsu no Arika" (Japanese: 秘密の在り処)	Jungmook Lee	Toshiya Ōno	Satoshi Nishimura	January 14, 2024 (2024-01-14)	August 31, 2025
Yukio is summoned to an inquiry meeting by the Vatican with all the True Cross Order branch directors present to be questioned about Todo, the mastermind behind the resurrection of the Impure King. At Lewin "Lightning" Light's advice, they bind Yukio to a blood contract to ensure he cannot leak information or else the demon who drafted the paper will hunt him down to kill him. In the morning, Yukio visits Shiemi to help tutor her, all the while questioning whether he actually did inherit Satan's powers. That night, Yukio notifies the Exires about a demon known as "Mayuko of the Toilet", which is causing mischief inside the girl's dormitory bathroom. Since the entity only appears when females enter the room, Shiemi and Izumo are tasked with working together to eliminate it. Izumo fights her conflicting feelings about Shiemi as she manages to rescue her when she gets captured by the demon, exorcising it in the process. Elsewhere in Russia, the True Cross Order discovers a man-made Gehenna Gate being created through a particle accelerator. Mephisto buys the order some time by temporarily freezing spacetime for the gate, with Lightning concluding that the Illuminati is responsible for the gate's formation.
40	3	"True Cross Academy Festival" Transliteration: "Seijūji Gakuen-sai" (Japanese: 正十字学園祭)	Norifumi Udono	Toshiya Ōno	Satoshi Nishimura	January 21, 2024 (2024-01-21)	September 7, 2025
Lightning's familiars detect three Illuminati spies within the True Cross Order, with one of them residing in the Japan Branch. Shura is ordered to track down the Japan spy. Meanwhile, True Cross Academy prepares for the upcoming school festival. Renzo and Rin attempt to find partners to attend the music festival with, but they are both continually rejected. Rin's luck turns as a few days later Shiemi reveals she has officially become a student at the Academy after passing the school's transfer exam. As Rin attempts to ask Shiemi to the dance however, he discovers that she plans to ask Yukio out. When Shiemi confronts Yukio, he declines, telling her that he is part of the festival's staff. Rin turns to working the onigiri festival stand with Sei, asking Izumo to help out that night, to which she bluffs him. When the customers subside, Rin goes to enjoy the festivities before discovering Shiemi in the crowd and asking her to dance with him. They find Yukio working and ask him to join in dancing with them as well. Elsewhere, Izumo begins feeling guilty for lying and attempts to go work at the onigiri stand before suddenly being confronted by Nemu.
41	4	"Insider" Transliteration: "Naitsū-sha" (Japanese: 内通者)	Erika Toshimitsu	Toshiya Ōno	Satoshi Nishimura	January 28, 2024 (2024-01-28)	September 14, 2025
Nemu presents a kitsune doll to Izumo which she recognizes as belonging to someone named Tsukumo, with Nemu telling her to follow him. Meanwhile, Arthur and Lightning capture one of the spies hiding among the True Cross Order and learn that the Illuminati is planning to abduct someone during the concurrent festival at True Cross Academy. After receiving this news, Shura gathers the Exwires to search for Izumo. Once arriving in different location, Nemu tells Izumo that he was ordered to keep her safe before the Illuminati arrived, which makes Izumo assume that he is an enemy. Izumo fights Nemu, with both summoning their familiars until Renzo arrives and seemingly rescues her. After using a high-level familiar to incapacitate Nemu, Renzo proceeds to knock Izumo out and is revealed to be the Japan spy. Soon thereafter, top members of the Illuminati and their leader, Lucifer, arrive at the academy as the Exwires run to confront them, knocking out the school's defensive barriers in the process. Using multiple seraphim to broadcast their announcement worldwide, Lucifer declares that the Illuminati will revive Satan in less than a year and battle any faction that opposes them before quickly leaving with Renzo and Izumo.
42	5	"Destiny" Transliteration: "Unmei" (Japanese: 運命)	Junichi Fujise	Seiko Takagi	Satoshi Nishimura	February 4, 2024 (2024-02-04)	September 21, 2025
Izumo awakens from a dream about her mother and younger sister Tsukumo to find herself in a vacant room all alone. Meanwhile, all True Cross Order branches are thrown into chaos after the Illuminati's declaration of war. Rin, Yukio, and the remaining Exwires depart for Izumo's hometown in Shimane Prefecture in an attempt to retrieve her and Shima. Inside the Illuminati's Far East Laboratory, Shima arrives inside Izumo's room to greet and reintroduce her to the higher-ups, who also bring along her badly injured mother and the organization's doctor, Michael Gedōin. Izumo insists she is not ready for Michael's experimentation, as she was instructed to become an Exorcist capable of Divine Summoning. Michael dismisses Izumo's concerns, informing her that they have since developed a way to force a demon into a host even if the vessel is not ready. Elsewhere, the Exwires arrive in Shimane and spend the day doing reconnaissance at restaurants and the local Inari shrine in an effort to discover the Illuminati's hidden base where Izumo is being held captive. To help with the search, Nemu summons Miketsu, who proceeds to explain the secret backstory of Izumo from five years ago which led to the current situation.
43	6	"I Can't Rely on Anyone" Transliteration: "Mō Dare mo Tayorenai" (Japanese: もう誰も頼れない)	Hidetoshi Watanabe	Kakuzō Nanmanji	Satoshi Nishimura	February 11, 2024 (2024-02-11)	September 28, 2025
Coming from a long line of Kamiki family shrine maidens for the Inari shrine: Tamamo, Izumo and Tsukumo's mother, serves as the head of the current Kamiki family who must bear the burden of controlling the fox demon ninetails which is sealed within the killing stone. Although Tamamo possesses excellent divine power as shrine maiden, she is a boisterous and irresponsible mother who gave birth to illegitimate children through the shrine's head priest, Soji Inami. One night after talking with Soji and discovering his aversion of their offspring, Tamamo begins to mentally spiral and neglect her duties. Tamamo's decline would lead to the ninetails completely possessing her body. To save her family, Izumo calls the Illuminati, who arrive and capture Tamamo. While Michael conducts experiments on their mother, Izumo and Tsukumo is sheltered in their laboratory until an Illuminati member named Maria Yoshida discovers that they are going to begin experimenting on Tsukumo. Maria gives her up to a private orphanage and informs Izumo that she will help her escape after she retrieves data. However, Michael discovers Maria's betrayal and kills her with an experimental necrotic injection, telling Izumo that she must obey them or else they will find Tsukumo.
44	7	"Hesitation" Transliteration: "Mayoi" (Japanese: 迷い)	Jungmook Lee	Toshiya Ōno	Satoshi Nishimura	February 18, 2024 (2024-02-18)	October 5, 2025
Back in the present, Izumo is taken to Michael to undergo a medical examination, where she suddenly creates a diversion to escape her captors. Above ground, after learning about Izumo's past and the Illuminati's current grip on the local townspeople from Mike, Rin and the others head to Peace Town Inari, which they believe holds the entrance to the Illuminati's base. Upon witnessing Illuminati guards stationed outside, Yukio initially decides to wait for backup from Mephisto. However, that plan changes once Mike is summoned by Izumo, leading the group to deduce that she is in danger. The Exwire group ambush the guards and charge in, where they discover the building's interior actually houses a shopping mall. Furious about the group's intrusion, Michael unleashes his hoard of zombies into the mall. The group is quickly cornered into the center of the mall by the zombies, where Michael plunges them down underground and into individual holding cells with even bigger zombies. Meanwhile, Izumo encounters Renzo in the laboratory hallways while attempting to flee and prepares to fight him alongside Uke and Mike. Renzo summons Daiitoku, who effortlessly kills both of Izumo's familiars despite her desperate attempts at ordering them to vanish beforehand.
45	8	"Determination" Transliteration: "Kakugo" (Japanese: 覚悟)	Makoto Ōwada	Seiko Takagi	Satoshi Nishimura	February 25, 2024 (2024-02-25)	October 12, 2025
46	9	"Help Me" Transliteration: "Tasukete" (Japanese: 助けて)	Erika Toshimitsu	Kakuzō Nanmanji	Satoshi Nishimura	March 3, 2024 (2024-03-03)	October 19, 2025
47	10	"Friends" Transliteration: "Nakama" (Japanese: 仲間)	Norifumi Udono	Toshiya Ōno	Ida–Dyne	March 10, 2024 (2024-03-10)	October 19, 2025
48	11	"Pink Spider" Transliteration: "Pinku Supaidā" (Japanese: ピンクスパイダー)	Jungmook Lee	Seiko Takagi	Ida–Dyne	March 17, 2024 (2024-03-17)	TBA
49	12	"Hidden True Feelings" Transliteration: "Kakusareta Hon'ne" (Japanese: 隠された本音)	Chika Nenbe	Kakuzō Nanmanji	Junichi Sakata  [ ja ]	March 24, 2024 (2024-03-24)	TBA

Home media release

Japanese

Aniplex (Japan – Region 2/A)

Vol.	Episodes	Release date	Ref.
1	1–6	April 24, 2024	[9]
2	7–12	May 29, 2024	[10]

English

Aniplex of America (North America – Region 1/A)

Vol.	Episodes	Release date	Ref.
Box Set	1–12	December 17, 2024	[11]

References

1. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 10, 2023). "Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga Anime Reveals Promo Video, Visual, January 2024 Debut". Anime News Network . Retrieved January 5, 2024.
2. Loo, Egan (December 3, 2023). "Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga Anime's New Video Unveils Mulasaki-Ima's Ending Song, January 6 Debut". Anime News Network . Retrieved January 5, 2024.
3. "Blue Exorcist - Shimane Illuminati Saga is coming to Toonami! Check out our lineup for August 23rd". Facebook . Toonami. August 8, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
4. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 16, 2023). "Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga Anime's New Promo Video Previews Uverworld's Opening Theme (Updated)". Anime News Network . Retrieved January 5, 2024.
5. "Sutōrī | TV Anime "Ao no Ekusoshisuto: Shimane Keimei Kessha-hen"" STORY | TVアニメ『青の祓魔師 島根啓明結社篇』 [Story | TV Anime "Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga"]. www.ao-ex.com (in Japanese). Retrieved January 5, 2024.
6. "Watch Blue Exorcist - Crunchyroll". Crunchyroll . Retrieved October 26, 2024.
7. "TV Anime "Ao no Ekusoshisuto: Shimane Keimei Kessha-hen"" TVアニメ『青の祓魔師 島根啓明結社篇』 [TV Anime "Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga"]. www.ao-ex.com (in Japanese). Retrieved March 23, 2024.
8. "Adult Swim Schedule". Adult Swim . Retrieved October 3, 2025.
9. "Jōkan - Burūrei & DVD | TV Anime "Ao no Ekusoshisuto: Shimane Keimei Kessha-hen"" 上巻 - Blu-ray&DVD | TVアニメ『青の祓魔師 島根啓明結社篇』 [Volume 1 - Blu-ray & DVD | TV Anime "Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga"]. www.ao-ex.com (in Japanese). Retrieved January 6, 2024.
10. "Gekan - Burūrei & DVD | TV Anime "Ao no Ekusoshisuto: Shimane Keimei Kessha-hen"" 下巻 - Blu-ray&DVD | TVアニメ『青の祓魔師 島根啓明結社篇』 [Volume 2 - Blu-ray & DVD | TV Anime "Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga"]. www.ao-ex.com (in Japanese). Retrieved January 6, 2024.
11. "Blue Exorcist -Shimane Illuminati Saga- Complete Blu-ray Set". blueexorcist.com. Retrieved May 17, 2025.

External links

• Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga official website (in Japanese)
• Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga official website (in English)
• Official website at Crunchyroll
• Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga (anime) at Anime News Network 's encyclopedia