The next chapter of the manga will be published on 3 July.
It was announced by the official “Blue Exorcist” X (formerly Twitter) account that the manga will enter a hiatus for four months. Starting with the April issue of Jump SQ, which comes out on 4 March, the monthly manga will be on a break. It will return with the 167th chapter in the magazine’s August issue, to be released on 3 July, 2026. The manga author Kazue Kato has also confirmed it.
Is the Blue Exorcist manga actually ending?
Although nothing has been confirmed yet, the Blue Exorcist manga is likely reaching its climax soon. The series is currently on the Of One Cloth Arc, which is already coming to its end. It’s one of the longest running and most serious arcs of the series, and will likely bring the series to a conclusion with it.
In a statement to her official account, mangaka Kato reveals that the reason for the hiatus is to reorganise the work situation to prepare for the final chapter.
The statement reads in full (machine-translated):
To All Blue Exorcist readers!
Starting next month, there will be a four-month long hiatus!!!
I'm really sorry for the many hiatuses over the past few years, especially to those who follow the SQ magazine every month.
Dear readers…I'm sorry…!!!
The reason is mainly to reorganize the work situation and prepare for the final [episode]. I'll also be working on a book and taking a short vacation. It's also for the sake of it…!!
I would be very grateful if you could understand. Thank you very much.
Blue Exorcist is one of Jump Square’s longest running manga as it began back in April 2009. It has rbeen collected into 33 tankōbon volumes so far, and has a total of 166 chapters after 17 years of serialisation. It is one of the most beloved shonen series of our age with more than 25 million total copies in circulation.
The anime adaptation by A-1 Pictures came out in 2011, with a movie following in 2012. The second season was released in 2017, and the third came out in 2024. The fourth season of the anime was split into two cours, with the first cour airing at the end of 2024 and the second from January to March 2025. Viz Media publishes the manga in English and describes the story as:
Raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth—the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin’s veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan, but doing that means entering the mysterious True Cross Academy and becoming an exorcist himself. Can Rin fight demons and keep his infernal bloodline a secret? It won't be easy, especially when drawing his father's sword releases the demonic power within him!