The magic-less hero is back on our screens, and if you're only now jumping in, you're going to need this catch-up. Black Clover returned to TV on October 3, 2026, more than five years after its first run ended — and Season 2 shows no signs of easing new viewers in gently. So here is your no-filler recap of the 170-episode journey that got Asta to this moment.
The first season of the anime ran from October 3, 2017 to March 30, 2021, a 170-episode marathon produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, adapting Yūki Tabata's manga (which launched in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2015 before moving to Jump Giga in 2023). The premise is one of the best hooks in shonen: Asta, a boy born completely without magic in a world where magic is everything, refuses to give up on his dream of becoming the Wizard King — even as his prodigy rival (and best friend) Yuno gets every advantage.
Where the season goes, in broad strokes:
- Episodes 1–51: The grimoire ceremony gives Asta his rare five-leaf clover grimoire of anti-magic. Both boys enter the Magic Knights exam; Asta lands with the rowdy Black Bulls under Captain Yami, Yuno with the elite Golden Dawn. Early arcs build the squads and the kingdom's threat: the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
- Episodes 52–102: The Underwater Temple and Witches' Forest arcs push Asta's anti-magic to new levels, and the Midnight Sun's master plan starts clicking into place.
- Episodes 103–136: The Elf Reincarnation arc detonates — the elves' centuries-old grudge turns the kingdom upside down, and the final battle reveals the devil behind it all.
- Episodes 137–170: Victory brings a new nightmare: the devils' gate, the Dark Triad of the Spade Kingdom, and Asta forging a contract with the devil Liebe. The season closes with war against the Spade Kingdom officially on.
Don't sleep on the music, either — the show's openings were era-defining, starting with "Haruka Mirai" by Kankaku Piero, which you can relive on Crunchyroll's official upload: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6KZI74zKfE
Where we are now: Season 2 premiered October 3, 2026 on TV Tokyo (11:00 p.m. JST) and streams weekly on Crunchyroll, with Ayataka Tanemura — who directed the first season's final stretch and the 2023 film Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King — back in the director's chair. The opening theme is "Kienai Riyū" by WANIMA, and the ending is "Yellow Brick Road" by ONE OR EIGHT. Studio Pierrot is promising animation that surpasses the original run. New episodes are dropping every week — surpass your limits, and go catch up!
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