The Devil is a Part-Timer! is a unique mixture of slice of life and shonen anime with Sadao Mao being the devil himself and yet simply trying to live a human life as a fast food worker. Of course, even such a simple concept needs some sort of foil for the main character: this is Emi Yusa.
Back in their homeworld, she was a hero who defeated the devil, here on Earth she’s a call center employee with conflicting emotions. In the two seasons of the anime that have been aired so far fans have already noticed a plethora of changes from the initial introduction of Emi to her current character.
Personality
In season 1 Emi was introduced as a savior figure, extremely powerful and entirely dedicated to good. Her entire goal in life was to defeat the devil. She even pursued him through a portal in this effort even though in doing so she knew she was probably giving up a chance to return to her home world for good. This single-minded pursuit was still noticeable on Earth, though perhaps toned down to a more domestic scale. She did attack him in the street but quickly retreated to watching him suspiciously from afar. Seeing him fix the damage wrought by an otherworldly battle made her start to question if he truly was as evil as she had previously believed.
In season two Emi’s feelings really start to grow and change. This is largely due to Alas Ramus and the positions that she puts the two of them into as her chosen parents. Emi starts to go on dates with Sadao, and she also starts to work with him to protect Alas and Chi, even going so far as to challenge the angels with whom she used to work. Of course, she did work against Sariel in season 1 but that was only under extreme duress. Her reaction to Gabriel is far more immediate, and less prompted. Her conversations with Sadao also start to have her questioning everything she thought she knew. When they are at the fair for example he forces her to realize that demons have a society, with families, children, and culture. She had previously believed that every single demon that existed was in the army.
Visually
Fans also noticed a major visual change in Emi from season one to two. Her face seems to have lost some of its intensity, and her clothing changed dramatically as well. These changes could be simply because the animation style of the series changed slightly, or they could be reflecting the internal changes that Emi is facing.
She no longer has such a stern strict outlook on life and she is starting to be more flexible in her opinions. While the personality changes seem to be appreciated by fans, the visual changes are less well received in general.
What Caused These Changes?
Events at the end of season one were really where these ideological changes began to happen. Olba’s radicalism she was able to write off as the ravings of a single man, she didn’t like it but she didn’t believe that it indicated anything deeper. However, the betrayal of Sariel forced her to question who it was that she had aligned herself with. He attacked her without provocation and was more concerned with forcibly stealing her divine blade from her body than he was with dealing with the devil. This caused the first fractures in her idealism.
In season two, Alas Ramus and Gabriel do nothing to encourage her back into the light. Alas acts as a way for her to connect with and understand the devil even more, whereas Gabriel shines more light on the darkness within the church. The more she learns about the devil the more she realizes that he is just a person, that the things that drive him are perhaps, at their roots, the same things that drive anyone.
As more and more corruption is uncovered in the church on the island, Emi is driven further and further into a moral no man’s land. She clearly has feelings for the devil and in episode four acts on them more than season one Emi would ever have considered, but she can’t quite convince herself to align with him entirely yet.
Emi Yusa underwent some minor visual changes and some major personality changes in season two when compared to the first season. While the differences in her personality are a stark contrast, they can still be traced in a smooth, well-executed arc. She has grown as a person and learned that there is often no one right answer. Every person has a story and a reason for acting as they do.
No one act is entirely good or entirely evil. Yes, the devil tried to conquer Ente Isla, but the church also slaughtered every single demon that they were able to: war and death aren’t something that can be attributed only to demons. She is still clearly the same person, and her story is easy to follow, but the growth she has shown is a wonderful addition to an already entertaining show.