So when we were talking about this show about a month ago, we drew upon the fact that the ring the Demon Sullivan had given to Iruma for protection developed a mind of its own and even started materializing and speaking to him. The spectre calls itself Alicred, and being the manifestation of a demon’s power, he has some truly chaotic tendencies. So earlier, we thought that perhaps Iruma’s personality change in the final moment of the previous season was owed to some kind of merging between himself and Ali (the ring), because of the purplish colour of Iruma’s hair in that state compared to the cobalt blue hair colour Iruma usually has. We were right, but also dead wrong!

We thought that Iruma and the ring had overlapped their personalities and become some kind of Dragon Ball Z-inspired fusion, but what actually happened is that the mischievous Ali was inspired by the events surrounding a spell that was cast on the Student Council President, Ameri, turning her strong, bold personality into a meek and mild nadeshiko-type. This spell wasn’t permanent but took hold because of a developing insecurity within Ameri’s mind. Ali saw that personality shift and applied the same magic to Iruma as he slept, hoping to turn him into a bad boy by the morning! The spell worked and birthed an Iruma who is confident, cool, a badass, takes the carriage to school, and has genuine ambitions.

For the next three or four episodes, the Iruma we got was this version, the one we called “Delinquent Iruma”. The characters in the series, not knowing how this had come about, had it attributed to Iruma’s “Evil Cycle”, which is a recurring period in the lifecycle of a demon where their original demonic programming or instinct kicks in, making them more prone to being evil, murderous, mischievous or all of the above! So as a result of his misconception, we’re going to call the badass Iruma “Evil Cycle Iruma” from here on out.

Despite the spell clearly being cast to turn Iruma into an evil version of himself, all it really did was make him a little edgy and it made him tone down on his over-consideration for other people to some extent and prioritize his own wants and needs. As a result, Evil Cycle Iruma had the level of confidence to challenge the opinions of the entire school and appeal for his Misfit Class to be assigned to the prestigious Royal One classroom, the classroom built specifically for the sake of previous Demon King when he attended Babylys Demon School. The classroom had since not been in use; however, Iruma’s boldness in his Evil Cycle enabled him to challenge the status quo and once they were allowed inside, Iruma shocked everyone when he walked straight to the Demon King’s throne and sat down. In that moment, Asmodeus Alice was close to saying that Iruma’s appearance on that seat was reminiscent of the Demon King himself.

Iruma’s overall demeanour in this state also influences some fairly radical ideas about what it means to be a demon within him, which is incredibly important considering the various first season nudges towards Iruma being a possible Demon Lord candidate. He believes that his classmates are unfairly treated as outcasts for their various idiosyncrasies. Considered the lowest Babylys has to offer, Iruma vehemently argues that his classmates are all due recognition for being demons that choose to live however they want no matter what. Iruma considers this a critical characteristic in all demons, believing that his classmates’ being who they are makes them the ideal individuals to herald the return of the previous system in the Demon World – the return to demon origins.

Despite being a ruder, less considerate, more ambitious and disrespectful version of himself, Iruma is still himself in his Evil Cycle, retaining his inability to say no to someone who has asked him for help. In a strange way, Iruma maintains his consideration for other people in certain circumstances, but he is also somehow demeaning them. This is apparent when he appeaels to his closest friends by “letting them” do things for him, like when he gives Asmodeus his schoolbag to carry saying it’s because, Iruma’s aware that he’s always wanted to carry his bag, and when he feels chilly in the Misfit Classroom and tells Clara to sit on his lap to keep him warm (perhaps showing that Iruma is not oblivious to Clara’s crush on him). His boldness in this state knows no bounds, which makes the already powerful Iruma a different beast entirely. Even so, his feelings of affection and care for his friends are also augmented by his Evil Cycle.