Kara Dennison
June 24, 2024 
Farewell, Dear Anemone… hello, Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi. There’s a trend toward exorcists as of late in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, with last week’s new arrival Yokai Buster Murakami presenting a meek exorcist and his skeptical bestie. This new demon-tamer operates alone, though. And he’s got problems of his own to deal with.
We’re taking a look at the first chapter of this new series by Shoichi Usui. What makes Kiyoshi so “ultimate”? While it may not seem like it in the manga’s first pages, he’s got something beyond his training that makes him a force to be reckoned with.
He’s Super Trained
Tattooed, taught, and tested, Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi sure seems to come by his name honestly. He’s trained his whole life for this exact job: exorcising demons that would hurt humans. And when the first chapter starts, we see him on his latest job. Today, he’s going to try and pull a demon from the spirit of an especially resilient young lady.
But that’s not all he’ll have to do. Seeing just how tough the demon’s possess-ee is, a higher-ranking baddie arrives to get a piece of the action. Will Kiyoshi be able to stand up against him? At first, it seems like he won’t…
He’s Terrified
Demon exorcisms might not seem like the idea job for you if you are, notably, terrified of demons. And Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi presents us with that exact experience. He’s scared stiff of the exact beings he needs to conquer. Granted, there’s a very good reason for it, which we discover by the end of the first chapter.
And it’s not just the fear that gets to Kiyoshi—it’s the fact that he’s now stuck in his less-than-ideal job. Being covered in tattoos means he can’t even go to most bath houses anymore, and his life has pretty much been eaten up by this line of work. How will he find fulfillment in a job he’s not even sure he can do, especially when his ability to switch jobs is pretty much sunk at this point?
He’s Dedicated
Fortunately, Kiyoshi is an absolute sweetheart. Before the chapter concludes, he reveals his reason for becoming an exorcist, as well as the reason he’s so scared of demons—and the two happen to be one and the same. Kiyoshi also learns that not all demons are bad… some are just trying to get by like the rest of us. And that, plus his own determination, gives him the strength he needs.
We can’t wait to see how Kiyoshi’s story will progress. Will he ever overcome his fear? Will he meet more kindly demons? Will the lords of Hell notice just how skilled he is? We’ll keep reading to find out!
Start reading Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi on the VIZ website!
