Beelzebub (manga)

Beelzebub (Japanese: べるぜバブ, Hepburn: Beruzebabu) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ryuhei Tamura. It is the story about a first year student at a school for juvenile delinquents. It was first published in 2008 as a one-shot in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump, subsequently winning the fourth Gold Future Cup. The manga was then serialized in the same magazine, from February 2009 to February 2014, and then transferred to Jump Next!! as Beelzebub: Bangai-hen, where it ran from May 2014 to March 2015.

Beelzebub
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Tatsumi Oga, Beelzebub, and Hildegarde
ベルゼバブ (Beruzebabu)
Genre	Action, comedy, supernatural[1]
Manga
Written by	Ryuhei Tamura
Published by	Shueisha
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump (February 23, 2009 – February 24, 2014) Jump Next!! (May 7, 2014 – March 13, 2015)
Original run	February 23, 2009 – March 13, 2015
Volumes	28 (List of volumes)
Original video animation
Directed by	Yoshihiro Takamoto
Written by	Masahiro Yokotani
Music by	Yasuharu Takanashi Kenji Fujisawa
Studio	Pierrot+
Released	October 23, 2010
Runtime	34 minutes
Anime television series
Directed by	Yoshihiro Takamoto
Produced by	Kōji Nagai Makoto Furukawa
Written by	Masahiro Yokotani
Music by	Yasuharu Takanashi Kenji Fujisawa
Studio	Pierrot+
Licensed by	NA: Discotek Media SA/SEA: Muse Communication
Original network	NNS (ytv)
English network	SEA: Animax Asia
Original run	January 9, 2011 – March 25, 2012
Episodes	60 (List of episodes)

The Pierrot+ studio produced an original video animation (OVA) adaptation, which premiered at the Jump Super Anime Tour in October 2010. This was followed by a 60-episode anime television series, which aired between January 2011 and March 2012.

Plot

See also: List of Beelzebub characters

The story follows Tatsumi Oga, a delinquent student at Ishiyama High, who discovers an infant boy inside a dying man by a river. The child, Beel, is revealed to be the son of the Demon King, and Tatsumi is forced to raise him alongside the demon maid Hilda. Seeking to rid himself of this responsibility, Tatsumi attempts to transfer Beel to stronger students, targeting the Tōhōshinki—Ishiyama's four most powerful fighters. After defeating their leader, Hajime Kanzaki, Tatsumi inadvertently strengthens Beel's attachment to him. A supernatural seal appears on Tatsumi's hand, marking his contract with Beel. Its complexity grows with Tatsumi's malevolence, though he initially resists fighting to curb its spread. When Himekawa, the second Tōhōshinki member, kidnaps Hilda and Tatsumi's friend Furuichi, Tatsumi intervenes, unleashing the Zebul blast to win. The battle expands the seal, alarming Hilda with its toll.

Tatsumi later meets Aoi Kunieda, a girl who mistakes his bluntness for romantic interest. Unaware she leads the Red Tails and is the Tōhōshinki's third member, he asks her to become Beel's "mother," further confusing her. Their confrontation is interrupted by the MK5 assassins, whom Tatsumi defeats. Beel senses the fourth Tōhōshinki member, Tōjō, but Tatsumi remains oblivious. Aoi, believing Tatsumi and Hilda are married, is challenged by Hilda to test her strength but is deemed inferior. Meanwhile, Tatsumi is framed for attacking classmates by the MK5, prompting Aoi to fight him. Natsume exposes the deception, but Tatsumi defeats the conspirators.

Seeking to offload Beel, Tatsumi pursues Tōjō at the beach, unaware Kanzaki and Himekawa orchestrated the clash. Aoi warns Tatsumi of Tōjō's strength, but their duel is delayed when Beel falls ill. Beel's sickness severs Tatsumi's seal, and Hilda departs for the demon world for aid. Tatsumi later finds Tōjō carrying Beel and loses their first fight. Returning home, he learns from the demon doctor Furucas that Beel's illness stems from suppressed power. Restored by Furucas's assistant Lamia, Tatsumi, aided by the Tōhōshinki, defeats Tōjō in a rematch—but Beel's unleashed energy destroys Ishiyama High.

The students transfer to Saint Ishiyama, where discrimination ends after Tatsumi's team defeats the elite Six Knights in volleyball. The school president, secretly a demon, covers up Tatsumi's supernatural display during the match. A new teacher, Zenjirō Saotome, arrives, effortlessly subduing Tatsumi and Tōjō. When demons attack Tatsumi's group, Saotome reveals himself as a Spellmaster and repels them. He trains Tatsumi, who later defeats powerful human-demon contractors. The story concludes with Tatsumi returning from the demon world, carrying another mysterious infant.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Beelzebub chapters

Written and illustrated by Ryuhei Tamura, Beelzebub was first published as one-shot pilot chapter in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump on August 11, 2008,^[2] subsequently winning the fourth Gold Future Cup.^[3] It was later serialized for five years in the same magazine from February 23, 2009,^[3] to February 24, 2014.^[4][5] A spin-off series, entitled Beelzebub: Bangai-hen (べるぜバブ 番外編, Beruzebabu Bangai-hen; lit. 'Beelzebub: Extra Edition'), ran in Shōnen Jump Next!! from May 7, 2014, to March 13, 2015.^[6][7] Shueisha collected its 246 chapters in twenty-eight tankōbon volumes, released from July 2, 2009,^[8] to May 1, 2015.^[9]

Anime

Main article: List of Beelzebub episodes

An anime adaptation has been produced by Pierrot Plus. An original video animation was shown during the Jump Super Anime Tour between October 23 and November 21, 2010. The TV anime premiered on January 9, 2011, on Yomiuri TV and other NNS stations and ended on March 25, 2012.^[10][11] The series' cast included Katsuyuki Konishi as Oga, Miyuki Sawashiro, Shizuka Itou, Aki Toyosaki, Tomokazu Seki, and Takahiro Mizushima. Crunchyroll simulcasted the series in North America and Europe two hours after airing.^[12] However, some episodes were postponed and rescheduled following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.^[13] The series ended on March 25, 2012, with a total of 60 episodes.^[11] The series airs with English subtitles on Animax Asia in Southeast Asia, although it is edited to cover Baby Beel's nudity with a diaper.^[14][15] The series has been licensed in North America by Discotek Media in 2015.^[1] Muse Communication has licensed the series in Asia-Pacific and streamed on Muse Asia YouTube channel.^[16]

Music

Opening themes

• "Praise: The Boss Appears! Beelzebub" (アッパレ☆番長参上!べるぜバブ, Appare☆ Banchō Sanchō! Beruzebabu) by Hiroaki Takeuchi (OVA)
• "DaDaDa" (だだだ) by Group Tamashii (episodes 1–10), and used in the final episode (episode 60) ending
• "The First Goodbye" (始まるのは, サヨナラ, Hajimaru no wa, Sayonara) by On/Off (episodes 11–23)
• "Hey!!!" by Flow (episodes 24–35)
• "Baby U" by MBLAQ (episodes 36–48)
• "Only You -My Bonds With You-" (Only you -キミとのキヅナ-, Only you -Kimito no Kizuna) by Lc5 (episodes 49–60)

Ending themes

• "Answer" by no3b (episodes 1–10)
• "Show of Courage" (つよがり, Tsuyogari) by Shoko Nakagawa (episodes 11–23)
• "Rainbow☆Tears" (なないろ☆ナミダ, Nanairo Namida) by Tomato n'Pine (episodes 24–35)
• "Papepipu♪ Papipepu♪ Papepipupo♪" (パペピプ♪パピペプ♪パペピプポ♪) by Nozomi Sasaki (episodes 36–48)
• "Girl Traveller" (少女トラベラー, Shōjo Toraberā) by 9nine (episodes 49–59)

Video games

Oga appears as a playable character, assisted by Baby Beel, in the Jump crossover fighting game J-Stars Victory VS. Aoi, Hilda, and Alaindelon appear in the game's story mode as non-playable characters.