Kazue Katō, the creator of the popular manga Blue Exorcist, has announced on her official Twitter account that she has contracted COVID-19 and will take a one-month break from her work. She thanked her fans for their support and apologized for the inconvenience. She also said that her autograph signing event will be postponed to January.
Blue Exorcist is a manga that Katō started in 2009 in Shueisha’s Jump SQ. magazine. It is a dark fantasy story about Rin Okumura, a boy who discovers that he is the son of Satan and decides to become an exorcist to fight against his father’s evil plans. The manga has been on hiatus several times due to Katō’s health issues, but it always resumed after a few months. The latest volume, the 29th, was released on July 4.
The manga is licensed by Viz Media in English, and they describe the story as follows:
Rin Okumura grew up with Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist. But one day, Rin learns that he is actually the son of Satan, the king of demons. Rin vows to defeat Satan, but to do that, he has to join the True Cross Academy and become an exorcist himself. Can Rin hide his demonic heritage and fight against the forces of darkness? It won’t be easy, especially when his father’s sword unleashes his hidden power!
The manga has inspired various adaptations, including a 25-episode anime series in 2011, an OVA in 2011, a movie in 2012, and a second anime season in 2017. A new anime series, titled Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga, was announced in December and will premiere in 2024.
The franchise also has several novels and stage plays based on the manga.
