Magic reigns supreme in the fantastical world of Black Clover, yet there is a realistic approach to character development. On the surface, Yuki Tabata’s manga series doesn’t seem to break new ground in the shonen genre. Asta is a scrappy orphan with a single-minded goal to become the Wizard King, not unlike Naruto Uzumaki’s desire to be the Hokage, or Luffy’s dream to become the Pirate King. However, there is more to the manga when digging a little deeper.
Tabata develops most of his characters through story progression. Sometimes they undergo a transformative experience in their journey, like the noblewoman with a heart Noelle. Meanwhile, characters that seem rather static may surprisingly reveal hidden depths, such as the fiery powerhouse Mereoleona. Black Clover is a battle fantasy where humans can truly be demons in their souls and even the darkest monsters can find light in their path.
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10 Asta Understands That Right And Wrong Isn't So Simple
He's Very Emotional, But He Can Also Think Rationally
Like most shonen protagonists, Asta is very headstrong, but he also uses his brain more often than he’s given credit for in Black Clover. The main protagonist of the series lacks magic in a setting where it’s required, so he fights with the grimoire of Anti-Magic. He’s not just clever in the battle sense, like when he dispels a blood curse by using his own weapons to cut the wound. Asta is also very reflective on what he does in the story.
His conversation with Mereoleona Vermillion in the Elf Reincarnation arc is a prime example of when Asta simply takes a step back to assess the situation, rather than make judgements on who is right or wrong. He’s not going to do what he’s told without questioning why. Asta is deceptively smart despite his lack of formal education. Manga series are made or broken with their protagonist, and someone like Asta really helps elevate his own work.
9 Mereoleona Vermillion is More Than Meets The Eye
Uncrownded and Undefeated in Emotional Support For Her Subordinates
With a fiery temper to match her blazing red hair, Mereoleona formerly led the Crimson Lion Kings in her brother’s stead. There’s a reason why she’s a breakout character among the fanbase. She’s a determined woman that saves the day and displays awesome feats that back up her boasts. However, she is also surprisingly complex with her emotional intelligence. Mereoleona knows what to say and when in Black Clover.
Whether she’s motivating Asta by reminding him of his dreams, or favorably comparing Noelle’s capabilities to her mother Acier Silva, Mereoleona has a particular talent in uplifting people. She lights a fire in them like nobody else can. She is brutally honest and never minces words, but just like Yami Sukehiro, the archmage really does look after the Black Bulls. Mereoleona is a meteorite of power with a few more layers to her characterization.
8 Yami Sukehiro is Not as Simple As He Looks
The Lord of Destruction Creates a Camaraderie Like No Other
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Yami is a very simple man at first glance. Rough and reckless, the Captain of the Black Bulls is both a foreigner and practitioner of Dark Magic, which makes him a societal outcast that can relate to his subordinates. Beneath his rugged exterior lies a man with a big heart, as Yami takes in the Clover Kingdom’s biggest rejects and turns all of them into respectable Magic Knights. Sometimes the simplest writing style works the best.
More often than not, Yami is the best part of Black Clover’s ongoing story. He balances hilarious running gags with serious and dramatic fights that truly display his awesome prowess on the battlefield. Yami is also a stealth mentor to Asta and the rest of the Black Bulls with his unconventional training methods. With force and finesse, he gathers a tightly knit group of pariahs, and gives them a place they can finally call home.
7 Zora Ideale is The Ideal Anti-Hero
He is The Voice of The Voiceless in The Clover Kingdom
Zora knows how to make a dramatic entrance. He first makes a late arrival in theRoyal Knight Tournament, and with the crafty power of his Trap Magic, the devious trickster deals with a corrupt Magic Knight threatening an old woman. Black Clover sets his vigilante tone right away. Due to the untimely death of his father, Zora swears revenge on the system that dealt him a bad hand in life, which is why he’s cold and distant from the Black Bulls.
Like most characters in the story, Zora is inspired by Asta’s heroism, particularly in the Royal Knight Tournament. His relationship with Magna Swing is a heartwarming one, as they bond over their peasant upbringing during a timeskip, and Zora even teaches Magna all his cool moves. This is a far cry from his previous troll persona. Zora’s personal growth is very underrated, but he’s still written very well for a supporting character.
6 Langris Vaude is a Child Prodigy With Development
Even The Worst People Can Find a Way to Better Themselves
A spoiled and sad*stic brat with a natural talent for destructive spatial magic, Langriss is a truly awful person in Black Clover. His power is second only to Willaim Vangeance among the Golden Dawn. Langriss serves as the main antagonist of the Royal Knights arc. He’s also the cause of his older brother’s inferiority complex. However, it turns out that Langriss suffers from his own self-esteem issues, despite his superiority in magic arts.
Finral is praised for his skills in social etiquette, whereas Langriss’ unfriendly personality makes him difficult to deal with. After his brother saves him from possession, Langriss does the unthinkable and changes his ways. He even swallows his pride, as he accepts Yuno Grinberryall as the vice captain of his former post, and personally trains him in spatial magic. Langriss always had potential to be a better person had it not been for his parents.
5 Patry Walks a Villainous Path Before He Becomes a Hero
Asta is The Only Person That Brings Him Up From The Bowels of Despair
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There is always capacity for change in Black Clover. Licht is a charismatic leader who served as the main antagonist in the first half of the story. However, in a plot twist, it turns out the Eye of the Midnight Sun is secretly run by Patry, a dark elf that only assumes Licht’s appearance. He was deeply resentful of the entire human race for the massacre of an elven village, and believes himself to be a chosen one, fighting a holy crusade against evil.
Patry’s character development happens when Asta convinces him to fight monstrously powerful devil Zagred, who is truly responsible for the elven murders that forced him into a dark path in life. He accepts that his vengeance was empty, as he willingly sacrifices himself to save humans from berserk elves. Patry is later revived in Licht’s body and finally atones for his actions. He even trains humans in the ways of elf magic.
4 Vanessa Enoteca Has More Depth Than Her Drinks
The Caged Bird Simply Wants to Fly Into The Skies
She may fulfill the role of fanservice in Black Clover, but there’s nothing shallow about Vanessa. The ''Booze-Loving Witch'' drowns her sorrows in liquid spirits due to her dark background. Vanessa is a Thread Magic user whose fate had been spun by her mother. Locked in a cage for the nearly entirety of her existence, she was accidentally rescued by Yami. This explains why she lives her life to the fullest, because she had none to begin with.
Vanessa also learns to grow into her role as a Magic Knight. With some motivation from Asta, she finally stands up to the Witch Queen and plays a crucial role in healing the hero during an epic confrontation. Vanessa is essentially the Japanese retelling of the Rapunzel story in manga form. Unlike the fairy tale, her relationship with her mother is mended later on. Vanessa is a party girl first and foremost, but she will always value friendship.
3 William Vangeance Has a Dark And Troubled Past
He Befriended Patry When Nobody Else Could See Past His Disfigured Face
The captain of the Golden Dawn used to bring dusk wherever he went. By using the power of darkness with his World Tree Magic, Vangeance could allow demons to enter the human realm. However, despite his dangerous abilities, he’s a sympathetic character with conflicting loyalties between Julius Novachrono, the 28th Wizard King, and Patry, elf ruler of the Eye of the Midnight Sun. They both gave him a place in this world despite his cursed mark, which shunned him from society.
Vangeance allows himself to become a host for Patry in Black Clover, who swears revenge on humankind for their destruction of the elven race, but he later deeply regrets his actions. Unlike most anime villains who side with the heroes, Vangeance remains quite remorseful over what he did and spends the rest of the series atoning for his sins. Not every Magic Knight has forgiven him, so it’s a long road ahead for the mage prodigy.
2 Finral Roulacase Doesn't Need to Be The Strongest
He Simply Acklowedges His Weaknesses And Makes Them His Strength
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At first glance, Finral seems like nothing more than hopeless romantic, a typical shonen archetype with very little in the way of further characterization. He also starts off with a cowardly disposition. Unfortunately, the pack mule carries a lot of baggage due to being disowned by his own family in favor of his brother Langris. With the help of Asta and the Black Bulls, he finally grows a spine and overcomes his low self esteem.
The tragic irony is that while Finral believes he isn’t good enough for noble society, most royals genuinely liked him for his kind nature, as opposed to his brother’s despicable behavior. Finral doesn’t quite use offensive spatial magic like his brother does, but he later works a way around it by teleporting his targets instead. His relationship with his brother is very complicated, and it’s led to bitter political disputes, but Finral truly loves Langris despite everything that happened between them in Black Clover.
1 Noelle Silva Overcomes Her Trauma
She Desires Acknowledgment of The Silva Family
Even a daughter of a powerful royal family can suffer from discrimination. Noelle Silva is quite easily Black Clover’s most complex example of a multilayered character. At the start of the series, Noelle believes herself to be above the Black Bulls, and even belittles Asta for his low social class. However, her haughty nature is later revealed to mask deeper insecurities about herself. Noelle faces ridicule from her family over her poor handling of magic, which causes her to make several mistakes.
Years of emotional neglect from her brothers and sisters had nearly destroyed Noelle’s confidence in herself, which led to her inability to control water magic. It takes a long while, but Asta and the Black Bulls give her the love and care that she desperately needs. This inspires Noelle to eventually complete her character arc when she regains her sense of self worth. Now her own family recognizes her true mage potential.
Black Clover (2017)
TV-PG
Action-Adventure
Fantasy
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
*Availability in US
Asta and Yuno were abandoned together at the same church and have been inseparable since. As children, they promised that they would compete against each other to see who would become the next Emperor Magus.
- Release Date
- October 3, 2017
- Cast
- Dallas Reid , Jill Harris , Christopher Sabat , Micah Solusod , Brandon McInnis , Lydia MacKay
- Main Genre
- Anime
- Seasons
- 4
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll , Hulu
