Mephisto Pheles and Faust existed in the AnE timeline and Mephisto learned about love because of it.
A version of Faust repeats over and over in the blue exorcist universe.
Mephisto promises a moment of transcendence to Faust. But that's only if he accepts his wager. If Mephisto succeeds, Faust must become his servant for eternity and Mephisto gets his soul (or maybe his body
Faust is part of Mephisto's world. It happened.
That's how Mephisto learned how to defeat a demon. Because he was defeated by a woman named Gretchen.
Depending on what version of Faust you follow, sometimes Mephisto wins, yet in others, a pious woman saves Faust's soul from Mephisto.
I'm going to totally fuck up this story. Illustrating Faust plot points alongside blue exorcist images.
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Mephisto makes a wager with Faust, a man that is in despair, with nothing to live for. Faust feels that life holds nothing new for him to experience or learn and contemplates suicide.
Mephisto promises a moment of transcendence to Faust. But that's only if he accepts his wager. If Mephisto succeeds, Faust must become his servant for eternity and Mephisto gets his soul.
Mephisto then introduces Faust to a more Libertine lifestyle, a life without love and morals. Taking him to Auerbach's cellar. A drinking tavern. He tries to convince him that the men are living their best lives.
Faust then falls in love with a pious maiden named Gretchen. Through Mephisto's manipulations, Faust desires her. Unlike the other women he's been with, Faust grows a deep love for Gretchen.
Gretchen is poor, innocent, idealistic and naive. The girl falls for Faust because of her loneliness and inexperience. Faust, realizing how innocent she is, battles his feelings, doesn't want to corrupt the girl and leaves. Living for a time in a cave.
Even though Shiro...i mean...Faust. Tries to stay away from Gretchen, Mephisto sets up the final seduction. Gretchen is given a potion to put her mother to sleep so she can be alone to have sex with Faust. Faust willingly goes to her.
However, the potion accidentally kills her mother, turning out to be poisonous. Despite not knowing, Gretchen takes responsibility for her actions, knowing she had sinned and done the wrong thing.
To add insult to injury she was also pregnant with Faust's illegitimate child
Gretchen kills her newborn in a fit of madness, believing the child is sinful. For her actions, she is sentenced to death. (In Blue Exorcist, Yuri instead fights to save her children, even though they are Satanic.) Gretchen takes full responsibility for her actions. Knowing right from wrong.
Faust tries to save her and help her escape prison, but the thought of that is morally incomprehensible to Gretchen, she must be punished for what she did. She doesn't want to be saved.
After her execution, Gretchen goes to heaven and her good soul is redeemed. Despite all the shit that's happened to her, she gets a pass because she has a good heart.
Faust is forever changed after her death and Mephisto loses his complete power over him.
Now depending on different versions. In some cases, Faust loses and Mephisto claims his soul. In other versions, Gretchen changes Faust and her love saves him from Mephisto. When Faust dies she leads his soul to heaven.
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Mephisto learned something very important
Regardless of whether Mephisto won the wager or not, he got a first-hand look at the power of love and how it changes people. Plus, love, empathy and positive energy can defeat a demon and has the power to defeat a demon contract. Mephisto knows from first-hand experience because he lost....or almost lost.
He knows there is a tipping point.
He knows humans that seem to be damned can be redeemed.
After his experience with Faust, Mephisto changes his worldview dramatically. Instead of preying on humans, Mephisto decides to switch sides and tries to help them. Knowing now, that the human race is redeemable. He forms True Cross Order. (That's what I'd like to think, anyway.)
So did Shiro Lose to Mephisto?
Mephisto in theory works for a higher being, as an instrument of judgment. He is offering a choice to those that are already damned, he's not out looking to corrupt souls with strong, good hearts.
In Shiro's case, he didn't know right from wrong, he was violent and heartless. He also only cares about his own needs and will do anything to have those needs met.
He agrees to kill demons for Mephisto, in exchange for power and beautiful women. Shiro's selfishness was driven by his terrible unloved childhood and his constant fight for survival.
Yet, Mephisto knows the chessboard and knows that someday Yuri and Shiro will meet and Shiro will have a redemption arc.
One thing I'll say. Shiro was a tough nut to crack.
After the death of Yuri, Shiro refuses to do Mephisto's bidding. He can't kill baby Rin, even though he swore an oath to kill all demons for Mephisto and never stand down from one.
At this point, Shiro loses his wager to Mephisto, but strangely enough, disobeying Mephisto saves Shiro's soul.
Shiro now has a firm concept of right from wrong, knows what love is and has developed a conscience. Shiro does a complete 180 and decides to raise Yuri's babies even though they're sons of Satan. Shiro continues on the righteous path, refusing later to treat Shura as a sex object, and martyring himself to Satan to save Rin.
Mephisto helped him redeem it.
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Who else is Mephisto testing?
Shura is like Shiro. At the beginning of the manga, she has nothing to live for, spending her life drunk, thinking her life is worthless. She wants to fulfill her contract with Hachiro and die. She has no concept of family or friends and doesn't care about anything. At this point in her life, Shura's soul is damned.
Mephisto then proves to her that she is useful and through her protection of Rin and Yukio, allows love into her heart.
Shiro knows from the very beginning that Shura has a good heart, and will beat any wager Mephisto presents her with. She has a great capacity for love, just no available outlets to receive it.
Because of Rin's platonic love for Shura, he is able to help Shura break Hachiro's curse. She now has a reason to live and like Shiro. It's her affection for two boys. When Shura cuts her hair, freeing herself from Hachiro, she cuts her ties to her damned soul and starts her life over brand new.
Does she trust Mephisto afterward? Thank him?
And I think Mephisto is pissed off about it too!
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Yukio's is the big battle for salvation currently playing out in the manga.
Mephisto can't save Yukio!!!!
Yukio's soul is damned. Mephisto has tried many times to make Yukio feel something, do something different and nothing works. Mephisto has given up on him.
Yukio like Shiro wants power. He's jealous of his brother and feels forgotten. He hates Rin so much he shoots Rin in the head. He's suicidal and violent.
Rin in the last few chapters has made a bit of headway, we got some tears out of Yukio when Rin gave him Shiro's food care package. But Yukio still hasn't been completely redeemed. What will be the final catalyst to save him?
A woman with a good heart.
Yeah, I fucking hate this trope but here we are.
Gretchen saves Faust, and Yuri saves Shiro.
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Would Shura martyr herself to save Yukio?
Of course, she would and it sucks.
It sucked when Yuri had to die. Yet according to Mephisto, when you fuck around with Satan that makes you a witch regardless of your good intentions.
Shura surely has more common sense, and she's not naive like Yuri. I don't think death should be her fate in any timeline and I'm hoping Mephisto has a better plan than allowing Shura to be crushed.
