Demons (Blue Exorcist)

Demons are a species that feature in Blue Exorcist.

History

Demons (Japanese: 悪魔, Hepburn: Akuma) were a race of mystical demonic beings that were native to the other world of Gehenna who regularly sought entry into the mortal realm of Assiah.

In ancient times, they were considered conceptual beings known as Ba’als that did not possess a physical form and were situated far away from humans without the possibility of physical contact. However, as human civilization developed, humans began to worship and call out to the Ba’als, granting them distinct forms to the point of assuming flesh and blood. However, while Ba’als were immortal, conceptual beings, the humans that they possessed were not and withered as time passed. Having to go through a physical death with every vessel, Ba’als still continued to exist as conceptual beings after death because humans continued to believe in them. From having to suffer constant death and rebirth, Lucifer had built a strong hatred for humans and eventually turned his frustration towards the humans, invoking wars, floods, and epidemics. One night at a dinner gathering among his siblings, Lucifer attempted to wipe out all of existence to end the constant struggle. Mephisto convinced him to stop, suggesting that humans were also key to their physical existence. His solution was to attempt creating an endless supply of bodies for Lucifer to inhabit.

Alongside the Eight Kings was another group of demons known as the Emperors. Armumahel was one such emperor and alongside their comrade, Shemihaza, worked with the demon king, Azazel to found the Order to defend humanity from demons

In the past, Amaimon had caused the land to become inhospitable to life. In order to quell his anger, Shemihaza sacrificed herself, crystallizing her own body along with Amaimon, but spared Amaimon's sense of 'self' in exchange for serving her and her descendants. Since her crystallisation, her descendants have played the role of 'Shemihaza' of the Grigori, each using her name when assuming the role.

Around 16 years ago, Satan attempted to manifest in the world and began killing numerous powerful holy men as well as exorcists from around the world. This was an attempt to possess their bodies and operate in Assiah with the brutal event coming to be known as the Blue Night.

Overview

In appearance, Demons came in a wide variety of forms ranging from animals, elementals, corpses and some even appeared human. Key traits were that they had special supernatural powers along with increased physical attributes. Typically, they were unable to operate within Assiah unless they possessed a physical vessel within the earthly plane. Almost all demons belonged to one of the five elements of their kind with these being Fire, Rot, Air, Earth and Water. The Demonic Elements Chart maps out the relationships of superiority among the elements. They were capable of breeding with humans with their offspring being half-demons called Nephilim (混血ネフィリム, Nefirimu).

Ordinarily, Demons would be unable to make any sort of contact with the people of Assiah. However, through possession, they can pass into the world of Assiah with them able to take over humans, plants and even dust. The manner of possession varied as some Demons find their way into the hearts of humans by preying on their emotional instability. The host body must be strong enough to handle the power of the Demon possessing them, if the Demons power is too great for the host to handle, the body will begin to rapidly decompose. Under normal circumstances, the Demon is in control of the host body, however the reverse can be put into practice as well. A human can force a Demon to possess them, allowing them to gain the Demons powers while also remaining in control of their own body. A human who does this were known as Demon Eaters (悪魔喰いデーモンイーター Dēmon Ītā)

Nearly all demons are aligned with one of five attributes (属性 zokusei), or demonic elements (魔元素 magenso). The Demonic Elements Chart (魔元素の形成図 Magenso no Keisei-zu) maps out the relationships of superiority and inferiority among the elements.

Wounds or illnesses inflicted by a Demon resulted in a Mashō (魔ま障しょう Mashou). Initially Demons cannot be perceived by humans, but once a person suffers a mashō, they become able to see Demons for the rest of their life. As such, it is a rite that all prospective Exorcists must go through, if they had not done so incidentally prior to becoming an Exorcist.

The majority of demons were classified by their affiliation to any one of the Eight Demon Kings (八候王 Hachi-Kōō; lit. "Eight Assisting Kings"), or Ba'al (バール Bāru) of Gehenna with their followers being referred to as their King's kin.

Apart from Satan and the Eight Demon Kings, Demons are categorized into three different levels, Upper, Middle, and Lower, based on the strength they possess and the threat they pose. Upper Level Demons are those who possess tremendous strength and pose a high threat to human society. If left unchecked, Upper Level Demons could bring about terrible chaos and destruction, such as the destruction of entire cities, or a widespread plague. Upper Level Demons tend to be very large, larger than lesser ranked demons of the same type at least. In some cases they can be even bigger than a large building. Middle Level Demons are those of average strength and pose noticeable threat to humans. Middle Level Demons are of a medium size, around human size or somewhat larger. Lower Level Demons are those that possess very little strength and pose relatively no threat. Ultimately, Lower Level Demons are more of an annoyance than an actual threat to humans, with a few exceptions. Lower Level Demons tend to be of a small size, in some cases small enough to fit in the palm of someone’s hand.

Known types of Demons included:

• Koks (魍魎王コークス Kōkusu) :
• Bariyon (囀石バリヨン) :
• Das Stärkste Gefängnis (一番防御力が高い牢屋ダスシュタルクステゲフェングニス Dasu Shutarukusute Gefengunisu; Ger: "The Strongest Prison") :
• Black Dog (黒妖犬ブラックドッグ Burakku Doggu) :
• Chimera Zombies (異形屍人キメラゾンビ Kimera Zonbi) :
• Ghost Riders (ゴーストライダー Gōsutoraidā) : demons that possess corpses and vehicles.
• Naberius (屍番犬ナベリウス Naberiasu) : a variety of artificial Demon and a type of Ghoul.
• Galatea (人形ガラテア Garatea; literally meaning "Doll") : a form of artificial Demon created by a Tamer forcing a demon to possess a specific object. They possess dolls or statues. While normally low level, occasionally a high level demon will be one. When this occurred, the vessel did not last long.
• Jack-in-the-Box (吃驚匣ジャック・イン・ザ・ボックス Jakku In za Bokkusu) : a low to mid-level class of Fetish.

One means of entering into the mortal world was through a Gehenna Gate (虚無界の門ゲヘナゲート Gehenna Gēto) that were a living demonic doorway between Assiah and Gehenna. These large, macabre and ornate gateway, the Gehenna Gate can be summoned in much the manner of a familiar, using the blood of Satan's host or his children and a chant. Their primary purpose was to allow passage between Assiah and Gehenna.

The gate can be dispelled by attacking a certain weak point (An eye in the manga, a heart in the anime) located at the top of the arch.

Members

• Satan (青焔魔サタン Satan) : the King of the Demons and the ruler of Gehenna.
• Lucifer (光の王 Hikari no Ō) : the King of Light who has shown affiliation with Demons with luminous bodies. Such Demons include Seraphims. Lucifer was the strongest of the Eight Demon Kings.
• Samael (時の王 Toki no Ō) : the King of Time who has shown affiliation with Demons who are able to transcend the boundaries of space and time. Such Demons include Phantom Trains[16] and Death. Samael was the second strongest of the Eight Demon Kings.
• Azazel (氣の王 Ki no Ō) : the King of Spirits who has shown affiliation with Demons who possess spectral bodies. Such Demons include Ghosts[18] and Furfur. Azazel is the third strongest of the Eight Demon Kings.
• Iblis (火の王 Hi no Ō) : the King of Fire who has shown affiliation with Demons whose powers or nature involve flames. Such Demons include Peg Lanterns and Salamanders.
• Egyn (水の王 Mizu no Ō) the King of Water who has shown affiliation with Demons with liquid bodies, or who resemble aquatic animals. Such Demons include Reapers and Kraken.
• Astaroth (腐の王 Kusa no Ō) : the King of Rot who has shown affiliation with Demons whose powers involve decay and/or illness, or who have bodies that are partially rotted. Such Demons included Coal Tars, Ghouls, Naberius, and the Impure King.
• Amaimon (地の王 Chi no Ō) : the King of Earth who has shown affiliation with Demons whose bodies possess plant and/or mineral attributes, or who have the attributes of land animals. Such Demons include Goblin, Dekalp, Greenman, and Bariyon. Amaimon was the seventh strongest of the Eight Demon Kings.
• Beelzebub (昆の王 Kon no Ō) : the King of Insects who has shown affiliation with Demons that resemble bugs. Such Demons include Chuchi.
• Armumahel : (アルムマヘル, Arumumaheru) : the Emperor of Nothingness (虚無皇 Kiyomu Ō) was one of the three members of the Grigori: the supreme advisors of the True Cross Order and one of the Sol.
• Shemihaza (シェミハザ, Shumihaza) : the Emperor of Creation (創造皇 Sōzō Ō) was one of the three members of the Grigori: the supreme advisors of the True Cross Order. She is one of the Sol and the three founders of the Order.
• Ucchusma (烏枢沙摩ウチシュマー Uchishumā) :
• Impure King (不浄王 Fujō Ō) :

Notes

• Demons were created by Kazue Kato and featured in the setting of the Blue Exorcist universe.

In other media

Television

• In Blue Exorcist, Demons appeared in the setting of the anime television series adaptation.

Appearances

• Blue Exorcist:

External Links

• Blue Exorcist Wiki Entry

This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.