Soul Eater

Death City is home to the famous Death Weapon Meister Academy (Shibusen), a technical academy headed by the Shinigami—Lord Death himself. Its mission: to raise Death Scythes for the Shinigami to wield against the many evils of their fantastical world. These Death Scythes, however, are not made from physical weapons; rather, they are born from human hybrids who have the ability to transform their bodies into Demon Weapons, and only after they have consumed the souls of 99 evil beings and one witch's soul.

Soul Eater Evans, a Demon Scythe who only seems to care about what's cool, aims to become a Death Scythe with the help of his straight-laced wielder, or meister, Maka Albarn. The contrasting duo work and study alongside the hot headed Black☆Star and his caring weapon Tsubaki, as well as the Shinigami's own son, Death the Kid, an obsessive-compulsive dual wielder of twin pistols Patty and Liz.

As they take on missions to collect souls and protect the city from the world's threats, the Shibusen students work together under the snickering sun to become sounder in mind, body, and soul.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Death the Kid Main

Miyano, Mamoru Japanese

Albarn, Maka Main

Omigawa, Chiaki Japanese

Evans, Soul Eater Main

Uchiyama, Kouki Japanese

Black☆Star Main

Kobayashi, Yumiko Japanese

Nakatsukasa, Tsubaki Main

Nazuka, Kaori Japanese

Thompson, Patricia Main

Takahira, Narumi Japanese

Thompson, Elizabeth Main

Watanabe, Akeno Japanese

Crona Supporting

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Stein, Franken Supporting

Uchida, Yuuya Japanese

Excalibur Supporting

Koyasu, Takehito Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Oyabu, Yoshihiro Producer

Yamanishi, Tahei Producer

Yoshino, Aya Producer

Reviews

Dec 9, 2025

Naoki_Yamanaki

Recommended

English Version:

For many people, an 8/10 is already considered a very high score, especially when you take into account the somewhat rushed ending the anime had. But for me, Soul Eater is one of my comfort anime, and it’s very easy to understand why. Beyond its unique aesthetic—which blends impressive visual art with a dynamic and vibrant animation style—the anime manages to create an atmosphere that mixes action, humor, and tense moments in a truly engaging way.

Talking a bit about the first episode (without spoilers, of course), the series starts at a slightly slow pace, especially if you consider the first three episodes, which focus ... on introducing the three main groups. However, this is essential for us to get familiar with the characters and their motivations. From the fourth episode onward, things start to ramp up, and the dynamic between the characters becomes even more prominent.

About the main characters and their dynamics:

I really enjoy the interaction between the main characters and the contrasts among the different groups. Even though some characters have more typical anime archetypes, they’re well-developed within the show’s overall proposal.

Tsubaki, for example, is a character I have a bit of trouble with, but I can’t deny that she could have been explored more deeply. She has good moments, but compared to the other members of her team, she ends up feeling a bit underdeveloped in terms of personality.

Now, Black☆Star is one of the major highlights for me, despite all his eccentricities. He has undeniable charisma, and even though he can be over the top at times, there’s something charming about him. He’s like a Naruto with blue hair and an even more arrogant vibe, but his growth throughout the series is impressive. As much as he makes you want to strangle him sometimes (especially when he’s being excessively full of himself), you can’t deny he becomes a character worth following.

Soul is another personal favorite. His chemistry with Maka is fantastic, and the balance between the two creates a very appealing dynamic, with lots of room for emotional and narrative development. The fact that Soul has a more laid-back, carefree attitude while Maka is the more serious one results in a partnership that grows and evolves as the anime progresses.

As for Kid, he was actually the reason I started watching Soul Eater. When I first saw his introduction, with those “Sasuke-like” traits, I thought he’d be just another dark and serious character. But the surprise was a positive one. He’s much more than that. His obsession with symmetry and his “perfect” posture add both comedy and complexity to his character.

When it comes to the Thompson sisters, I still don’t have a fully formed opinion. They have their qualities, but they are also a bit underutilized.

About the ending...

Unfortunately, the anime’s ending always leaves that feeling of “it could’ve been better,” especially because they didn’t wait for the manga to finish before adapting it. This resulted in a somewhat rushed conclusion that could’ve been far more impactful if the original material had been fully completed.

About Episode 4 — The Beginning of the Adventures:

Episode 4 marks a crucial transition in the anime, as it begins to move beyond simply presenting the characters and their goals. In this episode, we see the first steps of the “meister and weapon” pairs in action. The focus is on Maka and Soul’s mission to hunt a witch in order to collect evil souls and continue their journey to turning Soul into a Death Scythe—God’s weapon. The action becomes more intense, and the early interactions with enemies and challenges are great for anyone who loves seeing the characters in motion.

In this episode, the anime starts to delve deeper into combat abilities and the importance of the meister-weapon partnership. The highlight is how the synchronicity between Maka and Soul—and their unique abilities—is essential for completing the mission. The animation and fight scene design are major attractions here, with fluid movements and lots of energy. We also get a bit more of the tensions and dynamics between the other characters, and we begin to see how their rivalries and motivations take clearer shape.

Versão em português:

​Para muitas pessoas, uma nota 8/10 já é considerada muito alta, especialmente quando se leva em conta o final um tanto apressado que o anime teve. Mas, para mim, Soul Eater é um dos meus animes de conforto, e é muito fácil entender o porquê. Além da estética única, que mescla uma arte visual impressionante com um estilo de animação dinâmico e vibrante, o anime consegue criar uma atmosfera que mistura ação, humor e momentos de tensão de uma forma envolvente.
Falando um pouco sobre o primeiro episódio (sem entrar nos spoilers, claro), a série começa com um ritmo um pouco lento, especialmente se pensarmos nos primeiros três episódios, que se concentram na introdução dos três grupos principais. No entanto, isso é essencial para que possamos nos familiarizar com os personagens e suas motivações. A partir do quarto episódio, as coisas começam a se intensificar, e a dinâmica entre os personagens ganha ainda mais destaque.
Sobre os personagens principais e suas dinâmicas:
Eu realmente gosto muito da interação entre os personagens principais e dos contrastes que existem entre os diferentes grupos. Acho que, apesar de alguns personagens terem características mais típicas de arquetípicos de anime, eles são bem trabalhados dentro da proposta do anime.
A Tsubaki, por exemplo, embora eu tenha um pouco de dificuldade com ela, não consigo deixar de achar que a personagem poderia ser mais aprofundada. Ela tem momentos bons, mas fica com uma sensação de falta de personalidade comparada aos outros membros do time.
Agora, o Black☆Star é um dos grandes destaques para mim, mesmo com todas as suas excentricidades. Ele tem um carisma inegável, e apesar de ser um pouco exagerado em alguns momentos, há algo encantador no jeito dele. É como um Naruto, só que com cabelo azul e com uma vibe ainda mais arrogante, mas o crescimento dele ao longo da série é impressionante. Por mais que às vezes a vontade de esganá-lo seja grande (principalmente nos momentos em que ele é excessivamente convencido), não dá para negar que ele se torna um personagem que vale a pena acompanhar.
O Soul é outro grande favorito meu. A química dele com a Maka é sensacional, e o equilíbrio entre os dois cria uma dinâmica bem bacana, com muito espaço para desenvolvimento e emoção. O fato de o Soul ter um lado mais relaxado e desapegado enquanto a Maka é a mais séria acaba criando uma parceria bem interessante, que cresce e se desenvolve conforme o anime avança.
Já o Kid foi o motivo pelo qual eu comecei a assistir Soul Eater. Quando vi a introdução dele e seus traços típicos de "Sasuke da vida", achei que ia ser mais um personagem sombrio e sério. Mas a surpresa foi positiva. Ele é muito mais do que isso. Sua obsessão pela simetria e sua postura de "perfeito" trazem uma camada de comédia e complexidade ao personagem.
Quanto às irmãs Thompson, ainda não tenho uma opinião totalmente formada sobre elas. Elas têm suas qualidades, mas também têm um pouco de subaproveitamento.
Sobre o final...
Infelizmente, o final do anime sempre deixa uma sensação de “poderia ser melhor”, especialmente porque não esperaram o mangá terminar para finalizar a adaptação. Isso resultou em uma conclusão um pouco precipitada e que poderia ter sido muito mais impactante caso o material original tivesse sido completamente concluído.
Sobre o episódio 4 - O Começo das Aventuras:
O episódio 4 marca uma transição crucial no anime, pois ele começa a ir além da simples apresentação dos personagens e dos seus objetivos. Nesse episódio, vemos os primeiros passos das duplas de "mestre e arma" em ação. O foco recai sobre a missão de Maka e Soul, que devem caçar uma bruxa para coletar almas malignas e, assim, continuar o caminho para transformar Soul em uma "Death Scythe" – a arma de Deus. A ação começa a ser mais intensa e as primeiras interações com inimigos e desafios são um prato cheio para quem gosta de ver os personagens em ação.
Nesse episódio, o anime começa a aprofundar um pouco mais nas habilidades de combate e na importância da parceria entre mestre e arma. O destaque fica por conta de como a sincronia entre Maka e Soul, e as habilidades únicas de cada um, são essenciais para o sucesso da missão. A animação e o design de cenas de luta são um grande atrativo aqui, com movimentos fluidos e bastante energia. Também vemos um pouco mais das tensões e dinâmicas entre os outros personagens, e como as rivalidades e os objetivos começam a se desenhar de maneira mais clara.
No geral, o episódio 4 é onde Soul Eater começa a se encontrar, mostrando que a série não se baseia apenas na estética e no humor, mas também em uma trama com desafios, lutas e a construção de um mundo rico e cheio de possibilidades. A partir desse ponto, o ritmo da série realmente pega e começa a se tornar bom.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Naoki_Yamanaki (1)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Dec 6, 2025

Scanerior

Mixed Feelings

Soul Eater is a series with good ideas and fun characters, but without the necessary time to elevate the whole story. The concept of hunting the souls of kishins and witches by Shibusen's young apprentices is presented nicely at the beginning, there are successful main characters, funny moments and elements that expand the plot, unfortunately the series goes up and down a bit, some episodes are almost bomb - others follow the same average path, but what is most important is the fact that the series takes the direction of an engaging big plot, gradually adds a number of great characters, but it no longer ... has time to work with all of it - the last episodes are a relatively flat story (like from a fast train) and all the potential evaporates like Kishin over Shibusen. Overall, I enjoyed the series, but it could have done better, much better...

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Scanerior (79)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Feb 14, 2022

Fishb0i

Not Recommended

Soul Eater is a show that I had heard a lot about before starting, yet I had also heard nothing about it. What I knew was that it was a show where people become weapons, and that it was apparently really good. Hearing the show get showered with praise like that, I was shocked to see that it only had a 7.8 here. After watching...I can see why.

To be fair, the show starts with a bang. The first third of the show rivals the GOATs of anime. Whenever the characters weren't cracking jokes, they were beating each other up. I loved it.

But that's also its ... biggest weakness. It sets itself to such a high standard that it could never keep, and then crumbles beneath its own weight not too long after. A similar thing happened with Bakemonogatari, but at least that one was short, and it collapsed as early as the third episode. Soul Eater managed to hold strong for seventeen episodes, and when it fell, the impact caused a second worldwide flood. The show became so boring that I had almost considered switching to the dub so that I could do something else while "watching."

See, once episode 18 hits, the show goes from "wacky school antics" to "shallow bromantic EVA ripoff." The main cast ends up under the school for twelve episodes and Maka (the main character) ends up flirting with this kid named Crona the entire time. Crona first appeared in episode six as what felt like a one-off miniboss-type meant to introduce the actual main villain, and instead he's here now, reintroduced as one of the main cast and pretty much only existent for the sake of having an emo character. Yeah, he has a tragic backstory and blah, blah, blah, but that's no excuse for almost single-handedly ruining the entire show.

From there on out, the only fun episodes until the end are the filler episodes. I'd say you should watch them, but it's not worth sifting through hours of filth just so you get a small bit of Excalibur. I'll admit that some of the fight scenes are really good, especially with that one guy who wrapped a chainsaw around himself, but most of the time I wasn't paying enough attention to even see them.

What I did gather was that there was a man behind the man behind the man, and I was actually invested in one particular character, Stein, who was slowly going insane throughout the show. That's about it.

However, the last three episodes are actually incredible, almost enough for me to give this show a positive score. One long fight scene (minus a small break to wrap up Soul's character arc), and it's gorgeous. A bit of Evangelion-inspired diving into the mind, and it's just about perfect.

And that's my review. Very sparse on details, but that's because (1) the first seventeen episodes are so good that you should watch them blind (that's why I don't review stuff that I like), and (2) everything else was so boring that I couldn't pay attention. Watch the first third, don't bother with anything else.

3/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Fishb0i (8)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Incomplete anime adaptations

by GreatTeacherKen

50 Entries · 6 Restacks

Y2K Gothic Floral

by seventhexpansion

47 Entries · 21 Restacks

All Anime that aired on Toonami (2012-2026) Part 1

by Nionel

46 Entries · 2 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for July

Here are the North American anime, manga, and light novel releases for July. Week 1: July 2 - 8 Anime Releases Bungou Stray Dogs 4th Season (Bungo Stray Dogs 4) Comp...read more

Jul 1, 2024 3:21 PM by Aiimee | Discuss (1 comment)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for June

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for June Week 1: June 4 - 10 Anime Releases Black Lagoon (incl. The Second Barrage & Roberta's Blood ...read more

Jun 3, 2019 6:11 AM by Sakana-san | Discuss (6 comments)

	Poll: Soul Eater Episode 19 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Darkreaper70 - Aug 11, 2008	114 replies	by Fatoh1234k8k9 »» Dec 7, 12:33 PM
	Poll: Soul Eater Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) zvuc - Apr 7, 2008	284 replies	by bunnyrainsan »» Dec 2, 11:40 PM
	Poll: Soul Eater Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Darkreaper70 - Jun 9, 2008	119 replies	by ClumzyUse »» Dec 2, 12:52 PM
	Poll: Soul Eater Episode 51 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) cbkh915 - Mar 30, 2009	625 replies	by Dumbass67 »» Nov 30, 7:01 AM
	Poll: Soul Eater Episode 33 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Rweck - Nov 17, 2008	115 replies	by Dis630 »» Nov 21, 12:39 AM

18 of the Funniest Anime Faces Ever

Some characters are funny because of all the crazy antics they get up to. But others just have the right kind of physiognomy, which make them prone to pulling off some funny anime faces - intentionally or unintentionally.

by MisterD98

858,756 views

CollectionFunny

Top 15 Yangire Characters in Anime: Yandere's Deadlier Cousin

We're all familiar with how a yandere's obsession with the love of their life leads them to commit brutal acts. Now meet the characters who will commit those same acts for little to no reason at all.

by melodius

319,817 views

Spoiler

CollectionAnime ArchetypesCharacter Analysis