Black Clover (TV series)
An anime series about magic, rivalry, and the quest for Wizard King.
**Black Clover** is a Japanese anime television series adapted from Yūki Tabata’s manga of the same name. Produced by Pierrot, its first season ran on TV Tokyo and its TXN affiliates from October 2017 to March 2021, totaling 170 episodes. A second season is scheduled to debut in October 2026. A feature film, *Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King*, premiered in Japanese theaters on March 31, 2023, and was released on Netflix internationally on June 16, 2023.
The story centers on Asta, an orphan raised in a rural village alongside his fellow orphan Yuno. In a world where everyone is born with magical ability, Asta has no mana and relies on physical strength, while Yuno is a prodigy with immense wind magic. Driven by a shared dream of becoming the Wizard King—the kingdom’s highest authority—the two develop a friendly rivalry. Yuno obtains a legendary four-leaf grimoire once held by the first Wizard King, while Asta, despite his lack of magic, acquires a mysterious five-leaf grimoire containing elf swords and a bodiless devil who wields anti-magic. Asta joins the Magic Knight squad the Black Bulls under Yami Sukehiro, alongside Noelle Silva, while Yuno becomes a member of the Golden Dawn. Their adventures pit them against the extremist group Eye of the Midnight Sun, whose leadership is manipulated by a devil seeking vengeance for past injustices against elves. Later, the Magic Knights confront the Dark Triad of the Spade Kingdom, learning of the devils’ influence on Asta and Yuno and the Triad’s plan to fully manifest devils into their world. Finally, they face the Dark Triad’s eldest sibling, Lucius Zogratis, who aims to create his own perfect world.
The anime was announced at the Black Clover Jump Festa event on December 18, 2016. Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, with scripts by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, character designs by Itsuko Takeda, and music by Minako Seki, the series premiered on October 3, 2017. Broadcast continued without major interruption until late April 2020, when episodes were postponed due to COVID-19 production delays. Episode 133 onward were delayed, and the first episode was rebroadcast on May 5, 2020. The series resumed on July 7, 2020, and concluded its first season with episode 170 on March 30, 2021. At Anime Expo in July 2025, a second season was announced, also produced by Pierrot and directed by Ayataka Tanemura, set to premiere on October
- Genre
- Anime television series
- Based on
- Manga by Yūki Tabata
- Studio
- Pierrot
- First aired
- October 3, 2017
- Last aired (first season)
- March 30, 2021
- Number of episodes (first season)
- 170
- Network
- TV Tokyo and TXN affiliates
Lore & Background
The series follows Asta, a young orphan raised in a rural village alongside his fellow orphan Yuno. In a world where everyone is born with magical power, Asta is born without mana and relies on physical strength, while Yuno is a prodigy with immense wind magic. Motivated by a desire to become the Wizard King, the two develop a friendly rivalry. Yuno obtains a legendary four-leaf grimoire, while Asta gains an enigmatic five-leaf grimoire containing anti-magic and a devil. They each join Magic Knight squads: Asta joins the Black Bulls under Yami Sukehiro alongside Noelle Silva, and Yuno joins the Golden Dawn. They face the extremist group Eye of the Midnight Sun, manipulated by a devil avenging an injustice against elves. Later, they confront the Dark Triad of the Spade Kingdom and their eldest sibling Lucius Zogratis.
Reader's Guide
Black Clover is significant as a long-running shonen anime adaptation that maintained consistent broadcast from 2017 to 2021 despite pandemic-related delays. It gained international reach through Crunchyroll simulcast, Funimation English dub, and Netflix distribution. The series was the most-watched anime on Crunchyroll in 2020, viewed in 87 countries. Critical reception noted its improvement over time, with praise for its handling of female characters and ambitious animation. The series received a film in 2023 and a second season announced for 2026, indicating continued relevance. Its legacy includes being listed among Crunchyroll's top 100 anime of the 2010s and recognition for a notable fight scene.
Did You Know?
- The first season of Black Clover consisted of 170 episodes, airing from October 2017 to March 2021.
- A second season is set to premiere in October 2026, produced by Pierrot and directed by Ayataka Tanemura.
- The anime film Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King premiered simultaneously in Japanese theaters and on Netflix internationally in June 2023.
- Black Clover was the most-watched anime series on Crunchyroll in 2020, watched in 87 countries and territories.
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