Explaining "Blue Exorcist" Author Kazue Kato! Introducing Her Profile and Past Works

"Blue Exorcist" (Ao no Exorcist) is a manga serialized in "Jump SQ." (Shueisha) since 2009, with cumulative sales exceeding 25 million copies.

This article provides a detailed explanation about Kazue Kato, the author of the manga "Blue Exorcist." We will also introduce her profile and past works.

Index

What Is "Blue Exorcist"?
Who Is Kazue Kato, the Author of "Blue Exorcist"? Her Profile
What Are Kazue Kato’s Major Past Works?
Why Was "Blue Exorcist" Temporarily on Hiatus?
Does the Author Use X (formerly Twitter)?

What Does Kazue Kato Really Look Like? Does She Show Her Face?
Summary

What Is "Blue Exorcist"?

"Blue Exorcist" depicts the battle between demons trying to interfere with the "Assiah," the material world where humans live, and the exorcists who fight to repel them, crossing the boundary between two realms that should not interact: "Assiah," the human world, and "Gehenna," the world of demons.

The protagonist, Rin Okumura, is a boy raised in a monastery by Father Shiro Fujimoto. After graduating from middle school, Rin learns that Shiro is a real exorcist who vanquishes demons and that Rin himself is the son of Satan, the king of demons. Shiro loses his life in the battle with Satan, but the exorcists consider recruiting Rin as an asset in their fight. Rin, together with his talented twin brother, Yukio Okumura, enters Futsuma Juku, which is established within Seijuji Gakuen. There, Rin and Yukio meet companions and are drawn into the battle with demons.

To defeat Satan, who killed Shiro and seeks to exert his power in Assiah, Rin repeatedly fights and grows as an exorcist.

Who Is Kazue Kato, the Author of "Blue Exorcist"? Her Profile

Kato is female and was born on July 20, 1980, as revealed on her former blog "Kato Kikaku."

Hailing from Tokyo, Kato has been drawing manga since elementary school. In her third year of junior high, she submitted a work to the Weekly Shonen Jump Manga Award and won an Encouragement Award. At age 18, she began making manga in earnest, and upon submitting to Weekly Shonen Jump again, her work "Boku to Usagi" received an Honorable Mention in the 59th Tezuka Award, leading to her debut.

In 2009, she began serializing "Blue Exorcist" in "Jump SQ." The series’ popularity soared when the first season of the TV anime started airing in 2011, with the initial print run of the manga volumes increasing more than sevenfold in less than a year after the anime premiere. As of January 2024, 30 volumes of the manga have been published.

Kato and Tatsuya Endo, author of "SPY×FAMILY," served as assistants for each other before Endo started serializing "SPY×FAMILY." Kato assisted Endo on his series "TISTA" (2007–2008), and afterward, Endo worked as Kato’s assistant on "Blue Exorcist."

What Are Kazue Kato’s Major Past Works?

Before "Blue Exorcist," Kato published several works. Following "Boku to Usagi," which received an Honorable Mention at the 59th Tezuka Award and marked her debut, she produced several short stories. In 2005, Kato began serializing "Robo to Usakichi" in Kodansha’s "Monthly Shonen Sirius."

This work is a space road movie adventure set in the solar system, featuring a boy who is a super-robot weapon called "Hoshi no Ko" and Usakichi, a member of the Selenoid rabbit race, fighting together. All five volumes of the manga were published in the Sirius KC line. In addition, the spin-off "Stargazer" was published as a single chapter in "Monthly Shonen Sirius" as a later side story to "Robo to Usakichi."

In 2008, Kato’s one-shot manga "Miyama Uguisutei Jiken" was published in "Jump SQ." The story features an exorcist who visits Miyama Uguisutei to save a young ikebana master targeted by a demon. This work became the basis for "Blue Exorcist," which began serialization the following year and has continued as of January 2024.

Why Was "Blue Exorcist" Temporarily on Hiatus?

"Blue Exorcist" was on hiatus from the September 2021 issue through the May 2022 issue. During this period, Kato worked on the manga adaptation of Fuyumi Ono’s novel "Eizen Karukaya Kaiitan." On X (formerly Twitter), Kato herself explained that handling two series simultaneously was difficult and so she put "Blue Exorcist" on hiatus for just over half a year to focus on "Eizen Karukaya Kaiitan."

"Eizen Karukaya Kaiitan" is a short story collection centered on a repairman who solves supernatural phenomena related to houses. The collected volume was published in November 2022.

Does the Author Use X (formerly Twitter)?

Kazue Kato does have an account on X, but it appears to be managed mainly by staff. Most posts focus on work-related publicity and information, such as release dates for "Jump SQ." or "Blue Exorcist" volumes and anime-related news.

If Kato herself makes a post, "(Kato)" is added at the end of the message. Many daily updates, often accompanied by illustrations, are also posted.

What Does Kazue Kato Really Look Like? Does She Show Her Face?

Kato generally does not show her face. Even in the December 15, 2016 issue of "Jump Ryu!" which featured her workplace and scenes of her working, her face was not shown. She does not share photos of herself on X either, but followers can see glimpses of her daily life, such as her beloved cat or her enjoyment of playing games like "The Legend of Zelda."