Blue Exorcist: Runaway Kuro
青の祓魔師(エクソシスト) クロの家出 (Ao no Exorcist: Kuro no Iede)
- Supernatural
- Anthropomorphic
- Pets
- Urban Fantasy
- Episodes
- 1
- Duration
- 24 min
- Aired
- Oct 26, 2011
- Status
- Finished Airing
Synopsis
Feeling overlooked by Rin, Kuro decides he’s had enough and sets off on his own to search for a new master. As he wanders in pursuit of someone who can take Rin’s place, Kuro is forced to confront what he truly wants—and whether anyone can really replace the bond he already has.
Otaku Consensus
Runaway Kuro is best received as a compact, pet-focused Blue Exorcist extra: its single-episode direction keeps the emotional comedy tight, while A-1 Pictures’ 2011 polish, Keigo Sasaki’s designs, and Hiroyuki Sawano’s music preserve the TV anime’s urban-fantasy identity. The reservation is scale: viewers already critical of Blue Exorcist as typical friendship-powered shounen, or of the franchise’s uneven season-to-season reputation, may find this special too slight to change their mind.
Why You Should Watch
Watch Runaway Kuro when you want Blue Exorcist’s demon-school flavor without committing to a full battle arc. It is built for viewers who like supernatural shounen most when the ensemble’s mascot, pet logic, and domestic comedy get the spotlight instead of another escalation of power levels. The appeal sits closer to a character-side OVA than a franchise centerpiece: A-1 Pictures keeps the familiar visual polish, Hiroyuki Sawano’s score gives even small moments franchise weight, and Ayahi Takagaki turns Kuro into more than a cute accessory. If the main series scratches your itch for action-fantasy like a lighter, school-based cousin to exorcism shounen, this special works as a warm cooldown episode with sharper focus than its length suggests.
Key Characters
- KKuro(VA: Ayahi Takagaki)
Kuro stands out because the special treats a demon familiar with pet-like instincts as the emotional center rather than comic background noise.
What Makes It Stand Out
- 1
It is a one-episode finished special released on October 26, 2011, so its structure is closer to a concentrated character vignette than a mini-arc.
- 2
A-1 Pictures handles the animation, maintaining the clean 2011 Blue Exorcist TV look that fans frequently cite as one of the franchise’s strengths.
- 3
Keigo Sasaki’s character design credit matters here because the episode depends on Kuro’s readable expressions and body language more than extended action choreography.
- 4
Hiroyuki Sawano’s music gives this small side story the same dramatic audio signature associated with the main Blue Exorcist anime.
- 5
The AniList tag profile is unusually precise for the special’s appeal: Shounen and Animals both sit at 79%, with Demons at 66%, clearly marking it as a supernatural pet-character episode rather than a standard exorcism showcase.
Fun Facts & Trivia
- Fun fact 1
- The Japanese title is Ao no Exorcist: Kuro no Iede, which directly identifies Kuro as the focus of this Blue Exorcist side entry.
- Fun fact 2
- Kazue Katou, the original creator of Blue Exorcist, is credited on the special, tying it back to the source-material franchise rather than treating it as an unrelated anime-only gag short.
- Fun fact 3
- Kuro is the only main character listed in the provided cast data, with Ayahi Takagaki credited as the Japanese voice actor.
- Fun fact 4
- The special’s music and theme-song ecosystem links it to notable 2011 anime names: Hiroyuki Sawano composed the music, UVERworld is credited for OP1 performance, and 2PM for ED1 performance.
- Fun fact 5
- Its reception is solid but niche: MyAnimeList lists a 7.27 score from 71,050 votes, rank #3287, and popularity #1866, while AniList records a 69/100 score and 192 favourites.
Studios
- A-1 Pictures
