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Adolescence is never easy, especially when your dad is Satan. That is precisely the plight of Rin Okumura (Nobuhiko Okamoto), who is shocked to learn the truth of his lineage at the start of “Blue Exorcist.” After the death of their mentor Father Fujimoto (Keiji Fujiwara), Rin is determined to put an end to his biological father. Armed with a dangerous sword that awakens demonic powers within him, Rin follows his greatest wish to be a bonafide exorcist. And where does one learn the art of exorcism to kill the one and only Satan? The True Cross Academy, of course. Hiroshi Kamiya’s character Mephisto Pheles grants Rin entrance to the prestigious academy, despite initial reservations. His style and ostentatious personality set him apart from the rest of the serious characters, as well as his apparent reference to Biblical lore.
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Though he is only one of the ways “Blue Exorcist” plays homage to Christianity, he is one of the most memorable. His name is a clear play on Mephistopheles from “Faust,” and Kamiya plays the trickster character well. It should be noted that these references are not an accident, either. “I made biblical references with the thinking that ‘I should not run away from these references if I’m working in the Exorcist genre,'” noted the creator of the manga Kazue Kato to Anime News Network. Mephisto may not be a direct translation of “Faust,” but he certainly plays toward the genre as Kato intended.
