Black Clover Season 2 Is Finally Here: Everything You Need to Know About the Five-Year Return

Five years. That is how long Black Clover fans waited. And on October 3, 2026, the wait finally ended: Black Clover Season 2 premiered on TV Tokyo and Crunchyroll, picking up the story at episode 171 with 'The Battle Begins.'

The original anime ran for 170 episodes from October 2017 to March 2021, ending deliberately so Yūki Tabata's manga could build a proper lead. That patience paid off. Studio Pierrot is back with director Ayataka Tanemura (who helmed Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King), a stacked staff, and a production schedule the team says is far healthier than the first run's. The new opening theme, 'Kienai Riyu' by WANIMA, is already stuck in our heads.

Season 2 dives straight into the Spade Kingdom Raid, adapting the manga's most anticipated chapters. Early episodes have already delivered one of the moments fans have begged to see animated for years: Mereoleona's Hellfire Incarnate form, unleashed in full as the Magic Knights face the Spade Kingdom's devils. And in a gift straight from Tabata himself, the anime includes new material not in the manga, including the Magic Knights' captains invading the Spade Kingdom's castle, after the author told Tanemura to 'make the battles extra cool.'

Here is what is confirmed:

• Premiere: October 3, 2026 — TV Tokyo (Japan), Crunchyroll (worldwide)
• Episode count continues: New season opens at episode 171
• Studio: Pierrot | Director: Ayataka Tanemura
• Source: The manga concluded May 1, 2026 in Jump GIGA; final volume 38 released August 4, 2026, with over 25 million copies in circulation
• Today: New episode 'Black Guardian' airs October 17, teasing the opening of the underworld gates

For a series returning to a story whose ending already exists in print, there is a rare freedom here: no filler arcs, no catching up to the manga, just the final arcs given the full animated treatment they deserve. If the premiere is any indication, this is the Black Clover fans always knew it could be.

Black Clover Season 2 streams on Crunchyroll. Are you caught up? The Nerd's List wants to hear your take on the return.