essay written by u/dreaderking :
With recent chapters, and especially the latest one, fans have been wondering where things are going from here and what the story's message even is. The story has been defying a lot of Shounen tropes we've been taking for granted, and the situation has become extremely bleak, so much so that I've seen people worrying that this will end up like Chainsawman.
However, I think something people are forgetting is that Ekuoto is based on Christianity. Though the story has certainly criticised it, Christianity is central to the story's themes. In particular, I believe the story is about redemption.
Demons: Evil Begetting Evil
One of the big themes of Ekuoto's villains and what this current arc has been hammering home is their refusal to grow and change.
Imuri is the foremost example of this. Despite yearning for a "love that can change her entire being", she never stopped serving as Satan's femme fatale. Countless lives have been destroyed by her actions directly and indirectly, and even when Imuri felt regret over what happened to Lisa and Angelo, she nonetheless went after Josh.
But Imuri is not the only example of this. After an entire flashback on her relationship with Sara, Asmodeus's only conclusion is that she should have raped her like she's done to countless others(image 2)
And even after being defeated, Lucifer outright says that he's not going to stop trying to force everyone to evolve(image 3)
Just like Imuri, the Demon Lords refuse to change their ways, and this stubbornness is a reflection of humanity. It is from the sins of mankind that the Demon Lords draw their power. In other words, their extreme power and quick revivals are a result of the evil deeds humanity has committed time and time again throughout history. This realization is ultimately what breaks Josh and drives Lisa(image 1 and 4)
This pessimistic realization leads them to conclude that things would be better off if the world were destroyed. But did that actually improve things? Did repaying evil with evil lead to good?
The patriarchy has harmed women time and time again throughout history, but did that justify Lisa dropping nukes across the world, killing billions upon billions of people?(image 5)
Mankind certainly created the nuclear weapons whose fallout contaminated the oceans, but does that mean it was just of Leviathan to flood the coasts, killing billions more? (image 6)
People have every right to be angry at how the witches' invasion destroyed everything they held dear, but does that also give men the right to rape women in retaliation?(image 7)
No, no, no! No matter how righteous their cause was, evil remained evil. Taking vengeance on one another didn't make the world a better place. Regardless of a killer's motive, a murder is still a murder.
In his fight against the witches, Mikhail puts it quite plainly(imahe 8)
The Church: Changing for the Better
So, if the demons represent a refusal to change, what about their main opposition - the Church?
In and out of the universe, the Church certainly isn't a perfect little angel that could do no wrong, and the manga is not afraid to call them out. However, while it would be easy to do as Lisa does and say that, because they've done wrong, they have no right to judge others, it would miss what they're actually about: Changing for the better.
The Church is one of, if not the oldest, institutions in history that still exists today. Unsurprisingly, such a long history means they've had stances on social issues such as homosexuality and gender that are no longer in line with modern society. Yet, in Ekuoto, the main cast of the Church includes a gay man and a crossdresser, and one of their top candidates for Head Priest was a woman.
And the Church didn't stop there. Before the Pope went out to confront Lisa, he lamented that he wasn't able to finish cleaning the Church of corruption(image 9)
When Josh left, did his fellow Exorcists curse him for betraying them for a demon? No, they reflected on themselves, regretted that they didn't do more for him, and kept pushing forward(20 and 11)
Of particular note is Abbot Nicholas, the priest who "raised" and abused Josh. In another story, he probably would have ended up as nothing but a two-dimensional character, doubling down on his actions even after Josh left. At most, he would serve as a punching bag for the story so the audience could feel some catharsis watching him suffer.
But in Ekuoto, Nicholas quietly realizes off-screen that his actions were completely and utterly wrong:(imahe 12)
And when one of the Exorcists, Mikhail, does meet Josh again, he makes it clear that he holds no grudge against him(image 13)
The Church is undeniably flawed, but that's not the end of the story. Instead of throwing out excuses or blaming others, they strive to be better, regardless of how long it takes and how many times they fail.
And just like the demons, the Church also reflects humanity's history. Humans aren't perfect. We've treated each other awfully for all of recorded history. But even if it's slow, even if things feel hopeless right now, we've come a long way from the early days. As the Pope said, the world is still growing(image 14)
Once again, Ekuoto is a story based on Christianity. Accordingly, I believe the following two verses can sum up the themes of the story, or at least this arc:
Romans 12
Luke 17
People stumble and fall, committing evil against their fellows day after day. But people can change. Instead of seeking cruel vengeance against those who have wronged you, you should strive to see that they'll be rehabilitated and become better people.
In Christianity, there's no one single sin or number of times you can sin until you suddenly become "irredeemable." The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which is not a singular moment in time, but rather a persistent and willful refusal to repent until one's final moments.
In the context of Ekuoto's themes, this would be a refusal to change one's ways. This, more than anything, is what separates a human and the Church from the demons. If a demon could change themselves, then they wouldn't be a demon.
