Black Cloverisa hidden gem of the shōnen genre.With over 150+ episodes and a movie, it’s a treat for anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of watching it yet. Even though it’s quickly gaining a cult following of devoted fans, there are plenty of anime watchers who haven’t checked the series out yet.Black Cloveris a series starring Asta, a magic-less peasant in a world where a person’s ability to control magic determines their standing in life.
Though the series undeniably has its fans thanks to Yūki Tabata’s original manga and the anime adaptation by Pierrot,Black Cloverremains one of the most underrated shonen anime. Even as detractors unfavorably compare the series to shonen greats that came before, the series is still full of memorable moments. The best episodes ofBlack Cloveraren’t just great pieces of entertainment, they’re proof positive that the series stands tall among the best shonen has ever had to offer.
10The Captain Fight
The Captain Fight inBlack Cloveris one of the best reasons to watch it. It’s rare in any shōnen series that so many nearly overpowered characters fight each other at once, but that’s the case in the Captain Fight. The Magic Knight Captains are said to be thestrongest magic users in all the Clover Kingdom, bar the Wizard King Julius Novachrono himself. When the Captains divide into two teams and go into battle, they put on quite a show.
The battle is put in place to reassure the people of the Clover Kingdom of the sheer power their leaders possess. At this point in the series, a terrorist group called the Eye of the Midnight Sun has been causing a lot of havoc for the Clover Kingdom, and its citizens are scared, to say the least. After this fight, however,the citizens have complete faithin the Magic Knight Captains to protect them.
9Yami Unlocks Dark Cloak Dimension Slash
Episode 49 - Beyond Limits
Captain of the Black Bulls Yami Sukehiro is the king of surpassing limits.Not only is he one to yell at his own squad and make them surpass their own limits, but he also leads by example. There have been many times in the series where it looks like all is lost for the Black Bulls, or even for Yami himself, only for them to achieve what they previously thought impossible. When Vetto of the Eye of the Midnight Sun breaks into the underwater testing facility, Yami has to go where he hasn’t gone before.
Most shōnen series feature a character surpassing their limits, usually in the heat of battle.Dragon Ball Zis a great example of this, asGoku himself has had to achieve numerous formsin order to beat his opponent.Yami does the same against Vetto, unlocking the Dark Cloak Dimension Slash and destroying his foewith a single swing of his katana.
8Asta Makes a Deal With Liebe
Episode 170 - The Faraway Future
If Yami is the king of surpassing limits,Asta is the king of forgiveness.OnlyNaruto with his talk no jutsu could rival his ability to see the best in his opponent. Asta had no idea he was sharing power with the devil Liebe. When the Devil Binding Ritual began, Nacht told him that he had to dominate Liebe in order to subjugate him and steal his powers. Fortunately for Liebe, that isn’t his style at all. Asta asked what the devil’s name was, and decided to continue sharing power instead of subjugating Liebe like Nacht wanted.
It’s a touching, refreshing moment for the shōnen series as a whole. Sure, Asta had already beaten Liebe in battle, but he didn’t see a point in controlling himwhen they could just work together.It’s moments like these that not only setAsta apart from other shōnen protagonists,but makeBlack Cloverfeel unique from other shōnen series as well.
7Julius Saves the Kingdom
Episode 93 - Julius Novachrono
Shōnen series are usually defined by their strongest characters. While characters like Asta and eventually gain the strength to bethe strongest anime character around, they don’t start that way. They gain strength both physically and mentally by following their betters, and in Asta’s case, he has one of the best examples to follow in Julius Novachrono. Julius is far above every other character in the series when he fights Licht, later revealed to be Patry. Instead of simply dominating his enemy,he sacrifices his lifeto save the people of the Clover Kingdom.
It’s a brutal momentthat’s equally heartfelt as the audience gets to see where Julius’s true intentions lie. He didn’t become the Wizard King as a testament to his own power. He became the strongest in order to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves, the mark of a true leader and someone worth following.
6Golden Dawn vs. Zenon
Episode 161 - Zenon’s Power
There are plenty of moments inBlack Cloverthatmake it stand out from other shōnen seriesand give it a true underrated feel. One of those moments is when the villain Zenon Zogratis invades the Golden Dawn and almost single handedly wipes them out. At this point in the series, the Golden Dawn is supposed to be the strongest squad of Magic Knights in the Clover Kingdom. They have Captain William Vangeance, Yuno Grinberryall, and many more.
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They don’t stand a chance against Zenon and his Spade Kingdom troops. He wipes the floor with the Golden Dawn, killing half of their squad like nothing. It’s a rare moment for a shōnen series to allow so many of its ‘good guy’ forces to die,Black Cloverisn’t afraid of killing off people for the sake of advancing the story.
5Mereoleona vs. Princia Funnybunny
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King
WhatBlack Clover: Sword of the Wizard Kinglacked in a true story, it made up for in some of thebest fights inBlack Cloverhistory. Mereoleona is an underrated character withinBlack Clover,and a well-written one at that. There aren’t many characters who want to fight as badly as Mereoleona does, and she finds her match in a former Wizard King, Princia Funnybunny.Their fight is one of the most excitingin the series, as they trade blows with smiles on their faces.
Moments like this one letBlack Cloverstand out in the shōnen genre. While a lot of action-based series have great fights, not many can display their characters having such a great time while they’re fighting. Mereoleona is on the back foot for most of this fight, andshe couldn’t care less. All she wants to do is continue fighting her hardest and taking Princia beyond both of their respective limits.
4Charmy is Half Dwarf
Episode 114 - The Final Invaders
The story ofBlack Cloverseems relatively simple at first, and that’s what makes all the developments along the way even more interesting. Charmy Pappitson is a normal, chibi character who wants nothing more than to feed her friends with the most delicious food her spells can come up with. When the elves reincarnate themselves into Clover Kingdom Knights, Lira, the person taking over Rill’s body, starts to fight Charmy. At first, it seems like Charmy doesn’t have a chance untilher half-dwarf form emerges.
Charmy is actually based onBlack Clovercreator Yūki Tabata’s wife.
Form changes are always exciting in the shōnen series. This moment was made even more thrillingwhen Charmy herself didn’t knowthat she was half-dwarf. It’s also the first time in the series that dwarves are even mentioned, adding an entirely new element to the series that nobody would have seen coming.
3Asta Invades the Spade Kingdom’s Ship
Episode 158 - The Beginning of Hope and Despair
Asta’s transformation into a muscular, battle-hungry young man isone of the best inBlack Clover.He started the series as a scrawny, magic-less peasant and couldn’t do much about the problems around him. Instead of accepting his lot in life, Asta trained harder than anyone. He trained constantly with his swords until he became the powerhouse he’s seen as later in the series. His body changed too, growing absurd muscles that could handle multiple heavy swords like they weren’t much more than paperweights.
When the Spade Kingdom’s ship is heading towards the Heart Kingdom, Asta flies straight at it. He doesn’t care about the enemies on the ship or how strong they might be.He plunges head-first into dangerand obliterates his enemies without a second thought. It’s an exciting, captivating moment in a series filled with thrills.
2Asta and Yami vs. Dante
Episode 167 - Black Oath
Asta is the hardest working character inBlack Clover.He’s achieved immense strength in just a few years, not with his given talent like other characters, but through hard work alone. His hard work finally pays off when Yami uses his name for the first time in the series in a fight against Dante, theleader ofBlack Clover’sZogratis siblings. Yami recognizes that he can’t take on Dante alone and calls to his junior for some help. Asta responds like he just took a Senzu Bean from Dragon Ball Z andflies right back into the fight.
Moments like this one define a series. When a hero is needed most, their response not only underlines the battle itself, but their character arc and the series as well. Asta not giving up on himself and choosing to instead surpass his own limits is a key feature ofBlack Cloverand one of the easiest ways to see thatthe show is truly underrated.
1The Black Bulls Protect Finral
Episode 80 - Special Little Brother vs. Failed Big Brother
Black Cloveris filled with hype moments: Asta and Yami vs. Dante, Mereoleona vs. Princia, and more. None of them, however, hold a candle tothe Black Bulls stepping in to protect one of their own.This single moment can be watched again and again and it’s just as exciting every time. When Langris goes to execute his already defeated brother, the Black Bulls rush to save him. Each of the members of the squad is ready to fight.
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Asta, Luck, and Magna surround Langris and say jaw-dropping one-liners. Luck even tells Langris that he doesn’t care about the match at all and will kill him where he stands. It’sa cold, heart-pounding momentthat somehow makes the Black Bulls look even cooler than they normally are. There are plenty of shōnen series with cool moments, but not many can compare to this one.
