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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Beelzebub Bangai-hen

Japanese: べるぜバブ

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 28

Chapters: 250

Status: Finished

Published: Feb 23, 2009 to Mar 13, 2015

Genres: Action, Comedy, Supernatural

Themes: Childcare, Delinquents, Mythology, School

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Shounen Jump (Weekly)

Authors: Tamura, Ryuuhei (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.14¹ (scored by 62,796 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #542²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #109

Members: 115,884

Favorites: 5,008

Resources

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 27 / 27

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Apr 11, 2009

MagicWookie

Recommended

Preliminary (55/250 chp)

A powerful delinquent named Oga is reluctantly chosen to be the human father to the son of the devil. Tagging along with the child is his demon caretaker, Hildegard. She has moved into Oga's house in order to help raise the baby. This is a dark-comedy+fighting type manga and since it deals with the supernatural, the humor can get pretty ridiculous at times. The overall feel of the manga never stays too serious. There will always be a gag or two to lighten the mood. If you're looking for epic fight scenes, skip ahead to the boss battles. Most of fights are going be very ...

Dec 20, 2009

Arkuatic

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/250 chp)

Story:10
The plot of this series is unique from most of the published manga in the same genre. The story begins with Oga, the protagonist finding a baby and becomes forced to care for him. The baby, Beelzebub(Hebrew for devil) is the heir to become the next king of the underworld but to become a being worthy of the seat he must be raised by a powerful human-which is Oga. The story mixes comedy and action in a smooth flow where the comedy doesn't stray from the story. Despite the protagonist's lack of common sense he is often reliable(the end justifies the ... means) and more than just an ordinary delinquent. Overall the story is very enticing with a balance of comedy and action.

Art: 8
The art is pretty clean in most cases and if I might add probably one of the best artwork for stories revolving around a delinquent. The characters are well drawn, no real slackoffs, and facial expressions help improve the humor of the story/dialogues.

Character: 9
Oga- The anti-hero or just the carefree not your average delinquent type of protagonist you'll usually get. Oga is infamous in his school where delinquency is 130% if I recall correctly for being the most powerful. Many of the groups in the school detest and fear Oga because he stands in their way of dominating the school. Oga usually doesn't pick the fights but the fights come to him and he's usually one to avoid fights however in most situations he gets in involve comedic reasons and test of his strength. Oga unlike the other groups of delinquents in the school has no interest in power but due to his idiocy he gets involved in every struggle for power that happens in and outside of school.

Baby Beelzebub IV: Baby Bel as he's referred to in the manga often appears hanging off the back of Oga butt naked anywhere he goes. From time to time Baby Bel would not be latched onto Oga's back but usually proceeding in humorous activities. Baby Bel despite being the next King of Hell he is often portrayed physically weak but when his emotions get the best of him he is capable of massive destruction, that or when he is 20ft or more away from Oga.

Furuichi: Oga's best if not only friend in the series who gets dragged in every scenario despite if he does or does not have any relevance in it. He is at most times a failed womanizer and a coward when things get rough but he's usually there for Oga when he needs advice-though many of the advices are criticism and appeals to Oga's ignorance/stupidity.

Hildegarda: Baby Bel's eternal servant who she claims, "exist to serve Baby Bel" and often has no regards or interest in anything that does not involve Baby Bel. She is at most times cynical and cold towards anyone besides Bel and you would see her be portrayed as the mother bluejay defending her eggs from outsiders. She, like Baby Bel is a demon and possess supernatural powers that she rarely displays but does if the situation calls for it. Oga's family see her as the mother of Baby Bel...and Oga is the father.

Enjoyment: This manga was particularly entertaining and unique from other mangas. The story might start off a bit sketch but the overall series is entertaining and humorous.

Overall: 9-The story, characters, and art were spectacular all blending in to create a unique story. The chapters in the series are a bit short though-20 pages average, and usually leaves a cliff hanger at the end of every chapter(like most but it really leaves a cliff hang grand canyon high).

Mar 27, 2015

Elgargini

Recommended

Good comedy, funny characters, weird school life, great fight scenes… if you you're looking for these standards then Beelzebub is a good choice for you.

Beelzebub was really one of my favorite manga, they were many funny moments that made me laugh for good…the fight scenes were good and interesting , it follows the story of Oga Tatsumi… a junior delinquent student of Ishiyama high school, who (by chance and in a weird way) get to meet baby Beel (most people prefer to call him like that)…who's a son of the demon's lord, strangely baby beel liked Oga from the first meeting (thanks to his vicious ... appearance) and this is where everything begins.

Story: the beginning of the story is really interesting…Oga (the protagonist) finds himself obliged to carry the demons' lord baby on his back as he attend his school (hence the name of the "Badass rearing Baby")…since it's a school full of delinquents Oga finds himself in many troubles…later he finds himself dealing with the demons too…which makes the plot really exciting and laughable, sadly because this manga went axed I just had to hate the ending…the series ended quicker than expected so there were many question marks (easily put this way), it's not like it's a bad ending but it's really a disappointment.
My rate for the story 6 out of 10.

Art: the art was really fine since it's a comedy story, I liked the settings, the characters designs were good…well I can't find any flaws and in the same time I can't find anything special about the art, so simply my rate for the art 7 out of 10.

Character: the personalities of the most characters fit well with the background of the story; no matter how serious they seem most of them have a humor side, what strange is that many antagonists will have a twist and turn to be supporting characters throughout the story; I really didn't mind that at all (well same thing happen in a lot of anime&manga stories) since the Ishiyama gang are the ones that keeps this story lively… especially Oga and Baby beel with their random personalities and their main supporter...Furuichi Takayuki, and of course I don't forget the best two female characters...Hilda and Kunieda Aoi.
My rate for Characters 7 out of 10.

Enjoyment: I really loved Beelzebub, I didn't find any arc to be boring and I really enjoyed reading it… but this work went axed (don't know the reasons) so the author somehow was obliged to end the story in a way you must hate (but I guess it couldn’t be helped)… so the only thing I hated about this manga was the ending (and of course the most important things about a story is its beginning and ending).
My rate for Enjoyment 7 out of 10.

Overall I rate this manga with a 7 out of 10, I can't say I hated this manga just because of its ending, I really enjoyed and laughed a lot while reading this work so I guess this rating is fair.

Thanks for reading :)
Sorry for any linguistic mistakes.

Aug 4, 2012

LordessMeep

Recommended

I have read my fair share of fantasy fiction and anything involving the demons tends to be on the darker side of horror and it is not usually fit for mainstream consumption. The ones that are mainstream, unfortunately, tend to be a mere shadow of the original.

Yeah, Beelzebub is nothing like that.

I wasn’t quite sure if Beelzebub would live up to its hype – despite the acclaim it has received. But within a few pages, it had me in splits.

To start with, Oga Tatsumi is a terror to be reckoned with. He picks up a strange green haired baby who, he’s informed, happens to be ...

Jul 17, 2014

Heatherfall

Recommended

Preliminary (243/250 chp)

Story: 9
The story is filled with humour and has a plot with its great conflicts. I like a story that actually has a problem that takes time and effort to fix, and Beelzebub definitely gave me what I wanted. The arcs have a nice variety, and the story somehow weaves the violence and fights into it that makes it so hilarious, such as the Christmas arc. The manga artist has an amazing sense of timing when it comes to humor; most of the chapters are simply priceless.

However, I think the last arc was a little rushed and I didn't really understand it without ... reading back on it; I felt I was being jerked off my feet with the force of that one. It seemed it introduced a bunch of new characters at once that I keep track of who was who, and I ended up thinking "that guy" was like this, "this other guy" fought Oga. It also developed the concept of demons and how their world works which is good, but I think it was very overwhelming.

Character: 9
Beelzebub has its own weird assortment of characters which are totally different from the others, so there is no-one who is there without a purpose in the manga. In the delinquent school, everyone has to fight; naturally the girls are badasses in their way, with Queen Aoi Kunieda and the Red Tails.

Oga starts off by trying to get rid of Beelzebub, causing a number of misunderstandings which has its own butterfly effect. However, he grows to appreciate and like his new son, and matures as the series goes. His sadistic character combined with his supernatural strength make him a person to behold and fear. I personally really like his character because he's actually a nice person deep down, however much of an asshole he may be, and really cares for his friends in his own way. His natural fighting ability make him the "living legend, child-rearing badass" standing at the top of Ishiyama, his kingdom with baby Beel at his side.

The Ishiyama Tohoshinki are ferocious fighters in their own right; they are not to be underestimated just because Oga defeated them. Being the only girl leader, Aoi Kunieda was definitely going to be more developed than the other leaders, but that was expected and it really paid off. They stand behind their king and help him when the going gets tough, but all from their own will and their undying loyalty to him.

Personally I really liked Furuichi. Even as polar opposites he is still best (and only) friends with Oga, by his side no matter what happens; I really like that part of him. Though he is a perverted one, he is definitely the closest person to being "normal" in Ishiyama, and the one to provide comic relief and to point out the illogical circumstances, but his words usually fall on deaf ears. Doesn't matter though, it's Ishiyama High!

Enjoyment: 10
I swear there wasn't a single chapter where I was either grinning like a madman or just totally immersed in the story. The comedy is basically "people beating each other up" but it's actually a lot better than that. Beware, because the manga will find absolutely the most random places to put a comedic scene, and it'll throw you off course, but it's still going to be awesome

Overall: 10
Honestly this is the first manga I've read in a single day... I read it from 12 noon to 5 in the morning because I was so hooked on this and I simply couldn't wait until the next day to finish it. Technically it wasn't a single day but you get what I mean. 5 HOURS OF SLEEP BUT TOTALLY WORTH IT. I would definitely recommend this one. I had really hoped it would continue, but I guess it would have become worse if it did. After all, "you either die as Death Note, or live long enough to see yourself become Bleach."

Dec 21, 2009

Chenoan

Recommended

Preliminary (50/250 chp)

Ever had one of those days when a potential Freddy Mercury double washes up near you by the river? And then he splits in two revealing a naked green-haired baby? Then the baby attaches to you and you can't get him off so you have to keep him only to later discover that the babies the Demon King's son and will electrocute you and potentially kill you if you remove him by force? Then a strange gothic lolita woman, claiming to be the babies caretaker tells you that you are now the babies’ caretaker and that she'll be living with you from now on, fooling ... your parents into thinking that you’ve knocked her up and are trying to disown your "legitimate" child? No? Never had one of those days?

Oga had that day.

Oga Tatsumi, an infamous delinquent, is a first year attending the notorious Ishiyama High, the "school for delinquents." Ultimately the story consists of Oga trampling and beating powerful delinquent opponents the majority of which are from his school, however this is not where the true story lies. The true story begins as Oga, lazing near a river, notices a large man floating down it, he pulls him to shore only to witness him split open revealing a naked baby boy. As it would happen, this is the son of the Demon King and the future destroyer of mankind and Oga has been chosen by the baby (named Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV or simply Baby-BL) as the one that would raise him. Oga is later joined by the demon maid Hilda who was sent to help care for the Demon King’s son, his rational best and only friend Furuichi and occasionally the strange man from the river, Alaindelon. The story follows Oga as he faces trials; some of his own making and others the product of fathering the future Demon King.

But why Oga, you ask? Oga grew infamous amongst his peers due to his formidable strength and sour attitude which emerged without warning from the woodwork. His journey to the top began recently as a freshman at one of the most dangerous schools around where everyone’s a delinquent and everyone’s looking for a fight (save for Oga's friend Furuichi Takayuki who has proven himself both a weakling and the only rational voice in the manga). It is this strength that was the founding basis of Baby-BL's attachment to Oga, the specific characteristics of the future Demon King's guardian later described as being strong, arrogant and thinking nothing of his fellow man, characteristics Oga possesses for the most part inspired by his violent nature.

The calibre of the battles in the manga can hardly be called battles, a more apt name being simply a fight, although this is what makes Beelzebub so interesting. Beelzebub can deliver an intense fight without powering up, magic or absurd weapons; just two men and their fists (though Baby-BL does lend Oga his power on some occasions, though few) giving the manga a refreshingly authentic taste in comparison to some of the more mainstream fighting anime; however it wouldn’t surprise me if the manga took this path further into the story. I can easily see Baby-BL’s power becoming a larger factor in fights later in the manga, especially as Baby-BL’s and Oga’s relationship develops.

Violence aside, one of the most attractive aspects of the story is the relationship between Oga and Baby-BL. Originally their relationship is that of the resolutely dependent baby and the reluctant father as is proven by the many attempts to pawn the young Demon King off onto other strong characters Baby-BL takes a liking to in a way won’t end in Oga receiving a potentially fatal electric attack from the 15 metre separation rule Baby-BL has developed. However, despite this there are many occasions where Oga attempts to teach the child his own moral values such as “men never leaving their friends behind” and helping Baby-BL to overcome his fear of half-dead cicadas; though his methods are crude, his heart is more often than not in the right place, making Oga seem to have a little more depth. Their relationship is strongly demonstrated in the Toujou arch where their separation makes them realise just how much they’re bonds have grown.

The supporting characters have all proven interesting as well, including necessary stereotypes present in most manga from this genre though each put in situations that make them stand out. To begin with there is Furuichi Takayuki, his best, and probably only, friend in the beginning who provides the necessary reality check in this otherwise wacky world; Furuichi has proven to be quite the ladies man, taking every chance to flirt with the Red Tails, though he’s never succeeded. The Red Tails are the collection of women at Ishiyama High, they are also delinquents and opt for weapons over fists in a fight unlike the male students; they were originally led by Kuneida Aoi (nicknamed the Queen as a result), a skilled swordswomen who first appears when she first meets Oga and Baby-BL in the park dressed in a disguise so that she might walk her baby brother without earning unnecessary attention from gossiping mothers mistaking her for a teenage mother. When she first appears at school, Oga doesn’t recognise her letting him think that the girl at the park and the formidable Queen of Ishiyama High are separate people. Aoi has a crippling crush on Oga and serves as his primary love interest. Another debatable love interest is the Demon Maid Hilda (full name Hildagarde) who has the appearance of a foreigner though dresses like a gothic Lolita and speaks Japanese fluently, she was sent to watch over Baby-BL by his father, the Demon King himself, she acts as a the primary link between the human world and the demon world.

The art style used is common in most fight manga. The art is realistic, though remains animesque enough so that there is still room for comic relief, though still sensible that the fight scene remain intense. The manga utilises shading for the realistic effect though it isn’t strange to see panels in mostly white or black however many of the backgrounds are very well drawn and appear to have had much time invested in them, I largely enjoyed the style and the effort that was put into it.

The jokes were spectacular, the endless comedic possibilities the story line provided was done justice as many situations are seen through the eyes of the amusingly idiotic antagonist. If you’re looking for something serious, then you will find it here, but expect to be thoroughly amused by it as well.

If you’re eager for a violent shounen coated with laughter and wackiness then Beelzebub is the way to go.

Oct 2, 2011

eleventy12

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (46/250 chp)

This is my first review, so read at your own risk.

I first found this when the manga website I used listed this above Naruto in popularity. Something that might topple that behemoth in popularity I had to see, so I went ahead and tried it. And it was oh so very promising. I had laughed within the first couple of minutes, the facial expressions were very good. The main character seemed interesting enough, and the absurd circumstances seemed like a break from the typical shonen.

And it did follow through, for a short time. The manga set up that there were 4 student bosses ...

Oct 24, 2021

OgaZoSo

Recommended

Beelzebub is one of my favorite manga (you can tell it by my nickname from years ago lol) and it has the funniest comedy I've seen in one; granted, I don't have a very wide repertoire of completed manga, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But, let's get to the juicy stuff:

The story of Beelzebub is very simple and nothing to right home about, except when it is. Like any shonen, there are various arcs, and while I wouldn't call any of them bad, there are definetely golden ones that are just a delight to read. Beelzebub doesn't take itself very ...

Jun 5, 2014

KatrinLouiseo24

Recommended

Preliminary (243/250 chp)

Synopsis:
The story follows the "strongest juvenile delinquent," Oga Tatsumi, a first year in "Ishiyama High"-- the school for delinquents. One day while beating people up next to a river, he sees a man floating down it. He pulls him to shore and the man splits in half revealing a baby boy. This boy is the son of the demon king who wants to destroy the human world and Oga has been chosen as the one to raise it. With the baby's demon maid, Hilda, the story follows his life with the child and at the delinquent school.

Story: 10
The plot was sooooo cool! You'll completely fall ... in love with the beginning. The humor so amazing and you'll almost die of laughter! If I were to compare it with another manga, I think the humor is one step lower than Gintama lol Every chapter was exciting and it'll keep you reading for more! Surely it is a page turner! Thumbs up! The author has brought delinquents into a whole new level. So interesting and attention-catching!

Art: 10
The manga was well drawn. Though at first the manga was shabby and rough, as time passes, the drawing improved. The details were superb! The characters' look suits them very well-- looking like delinquents and all. Aside from the drawing skills, I really liked it that it has less dialogue and more action.

Character: 10
I have nothing to complain about the characters. They all suit their attitude and qualities. Their qualities, being delinquents and all, make them who they are. My reaction would always be like "Oh yeahh! Kick that freakin' asses!!" lol Whenever they're in action mode or in a fight, I would always think of who's gonna kick who's asses lmao The manga has given enough highlights to every characters that is why there is not much of a mystery. Though the Demon Lord, Beelzebub III, was soo weird and at the same time so stupid, it is very much of who he is. There's nothing off about the characters. All was just perfect as it is.

Enjoyment: 10
200% for enjoyment!!! No jokes. I really enjoyed the humor and the plot. I love how the lead characters kick the villains and how every characters make their punchlines lol So much for entertainment~ I really recommend this manga. There would be no page that you'll get bored. Expect for so much humor and, of course, fighting.

Overall: 10
I really recommend this "Beelzebub" manga. And I am completely looking forward to the next one (and it's already out!). The 243 chapters are totally worth it~ You'll die of laughter and you're adrenaline will get pump up when they're battling (as for me, when I'm reading the manga, I can imagine sound effects when they're fighting lol). Though I feel like the last battle was kind of rushed, I still liked it. Even in the last chapters, so much for adventure and humor! My hopes are high for the continuation. If action and adventure is what you're looking for, make "Beelzebub" your top list. An action-comedy, school life with delinquents, and full of adventure you'll enjoy! Thumbs up!

Nov 9, 2009

nobody_knows

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/250 chp)

Have you guys ever baby sit your friends kids or maybe your relative kids just for a while? While for me i haven't baby sit anyone (yet), but after reading Beelzebub; i can say one thing about baby sit: IS LIKE HELL!!!!!! (and in a very crazy way!)

Beelzebub in my country are roughly translate as 'The Demon Baby-Sitter', and hell it really kick my leg with this craziness on this manga. The story start up with a so call 'nice and simple' start:

In the story, there is a nice kind young men (a Fxxxing bad ass, in which he want mention himself as a nice ...

Dec 15, 2011

Thatguy31

Recommended

Preliminary (133/250 chp)

I. LOVE. BEELZEBUB. the manga version anyway, I despise the anime from the deepest parts of my heart and soul but thats another review. Beelzebub is my favorite ongoing manga right now, and why? because I'm a comedy person if anything and Beelzebub always cracks me up while also displaying some awesome action. as much as I wanna be a fanboy and say its perfect, I can't I'm being a reviewer and I have to treat it as any other work.

Story: Its pretty odd but simple: a delinquent kid gets stcuk with the prince of hell and in his attempts to try and latch the ... child off to someone more vile and evil, they cause ALOT of stuff to go down. Ok so maybe there isn't any deep subliminal messeges nor does it stray that far from shounen tropes, but what keeps beelzebub intresting is its bizzare nature and humor, its so random that you really can't tell what will happen next. there might be a fight, but maybe some dude's gonna fall through the roof. there might be romance, but maybe baby beel will turn the room into a shock chamber. There might be a joke, but maybe someone's gonna get slammed into the wall before the punchline is reached. did any of that make sense? exactly. and thats what makes it so enjoyable. as far as structre goes its pretty well put together. It keeps a straight forward plot without too many subplots and if there are any they end soon. If beelzebub were to end at anytime there would be almost no plot holes left... well excpet for two, but I hope for it to go on and cover those. As the plot gains a tad more substance and more is divulged into the demon world and its fractions, the action gets toned up, however unlike reborn, it dosn't didtch what got it this far and remains funny even throughout the asskicking.

Art: This is Ryuhei Tamura's Very first manga, so in the begining it dosn't really look as good. However he makes great designs for the delinqents and early environment. There aren't any messy pannels were you can't tell whats going on and he has a goot dynamic for when the action kicks in.There are a few goofs with the psysics of someone when they are sent flying however, wether its intentional to show a characters strengh or not isn't sure though. The art gets better by the chapter as most mangas do, never really noticing once your up to chapter 136 but when you go back you can see the diffrence once you go back to chapter 15 or so. Another merit is that Ryuhei makes HILARIOUS faces for his characters when a WTF momment comes and it adds to the humor.

Character: Oga tatsumi is set off to be "a evil bastard" even without beel at the start of the story, and that hardly changes, though he isn't dislikable. Your able to laugh at his sheer stupidity, of which is only topped by Tojo, and are able to admire the badass that he is. He may follow some shounen tropes but its in such a twisted way it seperates him from the crowd. Baby beel is the prince of hell, a infant baby who may or may not even be a year old. Unlike other anime babies like Koenma or Reborn, He acts like an acctual baby and its hilarous. shifting from power to gag pack the only thing you can dislike is that he's constantly naked, but you kind of get used to it* no not in that way you sick bastards* Amongst the cast are a variety of characters that are either badass or hilarious in their own right, and your bound to get a few favorites.

Enjoyment: LONG LIVE THIS MANGA!! I always look forward to this eveyweek and everyweek I love the chapter and crave more. Its humor is so WTF bats**t insane that there will probably be at least ONE time where you tear up laughing, and when a character is out to kick ass, they kick it and send it flying into a wall *heck its Oga's signiture disaster mark!" I never have a dull momment with this manga.

Overall: It may not be perfect, but its pretty damn good and worth the read. I firstly reccomend this to anyone who likes a good comedy and reccomend action fans second. It started out as insane comedy action manga, and it still is an insane comedy manga. Even if you watch the anime I urge you to read the manga, you'll find some good enjoyment.

May 21, 2014

evaUNITroku12

Recommended

Preliminary (243/250 chp)

Oh man, I love Beelzebub! Admittedly, the story is not really deep, so don't expect too much from the plot (especially considering that it had a rushed ending). However, I didn't read this for weeks to see any uber-deep plot developments; NAH, I read it to laugh my ass off every week. THIS MANGA IS REALLY FUNNY!!

The art was kind of rough in the beginning, but it gets really clean and nice before you know it. Every chapter is pure silliness, and I loved every single panel of it. C'mon, who wouldn't love a green-haired baby Demon prince?(!) The action is pretty cool, too. ...

Oct 13, 2019

MilkyFluids

Recommended

The premise of this story was certainly unique, for me anyway. And while it had a few ups and downs I definitely enjoyed reading this.

Story 6/10
Art 9/10
Character 9/10
Enjoyment 8/10

Beelzebub honestly had really good character development, which is a big reason I found it as good as it is. The main & supporting casts were just really likable, funny, and unique. The story itself wasn't too gripping, and quite messy at times. I was never really engaged in the story nor taking it seriously, but I always enjoyed reading nonetheless because I liked the characters.

Don't expect anything amazing from the story though, as it pertains ...

Apr 8, 2009

Skorching

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/250 chp)

Beelzebub is a story about a delinquent,Oga Tatsumi who is finds a man floating down the river and the man suddenly splits in two and grants Oga Tatsumi a baby, a baby which is the child of the Demon King and is the baby who is supposed to bring destruction to the human world, after finding this out Oga along with Hidegarde (demon made) must now raise the baby in a good manner, the fate of Mankind rests on Oga's hand.

Apr 19, 2011

FullMetalTroopa

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/250 chp)

Beelzebub at first, looked like just another anime/manga that comes every season, nothing interesting about it or anything enjoyable about it in any sense of the word.
This was a very wrong first impression.
I will say this, i did not like the anime anyway as much as the manga, the anime is new so it only has about 13 episodes right now, and it looks like it could be filler riddled.
The story was not like it seemed at first. Its about a bunch of kids that are trouble riddled, not in the emo sense, but as in "I'll kick your ass if you look at ...

Mar 19, 2019

Degenerate12

Recommended

Note:This is not going to be a super in depth review

Beelzebub is a manga that I think deserves more recognition since it's basically forgotten in jumps history but was very entertaining and funny with some good fights

Story: 9 I thought the story was fun and all the major arcs were done pretty well (except for the last arc that felt pretty rushed)

Art: 8 Art was good and you can see it get better as the series goes on.

Character: 8 For character development it was good in that regard. There were some characters that felt important in the first arcs (natsume) but did not get ...

Jul 7, 2021

Another_Badger

Recommended

“You don’t need to do something this grand and ridiculous. Just come over to where I am and play. I’ll be your opponent in a game. Hell, I’ll take you on as much as you’d like.”

- Oga, Chapter 138

Episodic-style comedy can be a difficult thing to get right. Short plots focusing on a core concept are at risk of quickly becoming bland repetitive; especially when a series runs for a long time. This is especially true when the concept is as specific as it can get. Beelzebub manages to navigate its peculiar premise in which a delinquent becomes the unwilling parent of a future ... demon lord, evolving consistently to keep the series fun and engaging.

Tamura creates a number of situations that bring the best out of Beelzebub’s premise while not relying on too many overused tropes, although a couple can become a little bit repetitive. This is especially true of the earlier chapters which focuses almost exclusively on comedy. The fights are also enjoyable, with the variety in characters' fight styles really aiding to the action moments; especially fights that don’t involve the main character. For some, the chopping and changing of tone might be a little jarring, but most of the time the comedy and action mix well together.

The more emotional moments also hold up well, working with the overall themes of Beelzebub, most notably surrounding the idea of family and the relationship between Beel and Oga. While definitely not the focal element of Beelzebub by a long shot, these moments offer a nice reflection on how far the characters have come.

The biggest problem with Beelzebub’s story is that, towards the end, Tamura begins to lose grip on its pacing. This is a shame because there are some interesting ideas floating around, but they get steamrolled by the number of fights and new antagonists being introduced. Beelzebub slowly falls into the trap of constantly needing bigger antagonists to fight against and it means that they begin to lack any meaningful characterisation. Fortunately, most of Beelzebub doesn’t suffer from this problem and the later chapters are still enjoyable, but it is clear that there was a struggle to wrap up the narrative.

Tamura’s art style is really strong; capturing the more emotional moments well and having a couple of really intense splash pages. It doesn’t become too focused on intricate detailing which works well for the action and comedy moments; making scenes easy to read and avoiding them becoming too cluttered. The changes in art between the comedy and action scenes are also handled well since it doesn’t become too distracting. Most of the action scenes are also well-paced on the page, with the stylistic choices often emphasising the more physical elements of Beelzebub.

Where Beelzebub really shines is with its characters; especially those introduced during the first half of its run. As mentioned earlier, a couple of the later antagonists fall through the cracks but this definitely doesn’t reflect the rest of the series. Each character is unique and can carry their own weight. This is especially true of the main characters and the characters from Ishiyama High School. Their interactions with each other, as well as their reactions to strange events happening around them, is varied enough that there is always something new.

Comedy series tend to live and die by their casts, and Beelzebub definitely has a group of characters that can carry it through all the crazy shenanigans. The delinquents manage to each feel like their own entities and while a couple fall into singular gags; they are used sparingly enough that it doesn’t become annoying. It is easy to become invested in these characters as they develop over the course of the series.

Overall, Beelzebub starts off as a strong episodic-style comedy that develops into an interesting plot. While its final quarter begins to lose sight of its core, falling into the pitfall that many battle shōnen face, the rest of the series is definitely enjoyable for people who like comedy series. By the time you reach the weaker plot elements, the investment in the characters will keep you reading.

Mar 12, 2014

anjimymay

Recommended

Preliminary (243/250 chp)

"Dabu!" - Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV, otherwise known as Beelzebub.

I'm going to be as unbiased as possible so please bear with me. Warning this review contains a few spoilers.

Summary- The great demon lord has sent his son, Beelzbub, out to be raised by a human in order to destroy humanity. This human is known as Oga Tatsumi a human who is "strong, arrogant, and thinking nothing of his fellow man".

I know it's very Ironic!

Story- The summary itself explains the beginning of the story quite well. As far as story development goes. It had some strong points an example being in the beginning. Oga is ...

Apr 2, 2012

Danno

Recommended

Preliminary (150/250 chp)

The story starts off in a pretty stupid way and things remain pretty stupid throughout. The demon lord is a really whimsy guy that wants to destroy the human world, but he's too lazy to do it himself. It'd probably take him all of 5 seconds to do it. Stupid... A good kind of stupid that makes you laugh at just how absurd it is. A naked baby that just clings onto Oga's back? A person being driven into a wall with just their ass out and legs hanging down? This manga's full of weird stuff like that, and that gives it a certain charm ...

Apr 19, 2014

tsukimiyuki

Recommended

Preliminary (243/250 chp)

Beelzebub climbed its way to second place in my favourite shounens list.
I do not want to write anything too explicit because reading the manga felt more like an experience than anything else.
Characters: very entertaining. There was no one you could hate, even the villains were interesting and lovable.
Writing: the author never fails to return to his main characters. By keeping the settings and arcs brief, and the characters being introduced short, it does not distract the reader from the main plot of the manga. It helps keep things nicely paced and connections between characters almost seamless. As with many shounens the action ...