What is an interesting fact about Black Clover?

Black Clover ran for 170 episodes on TV, airing from Oct 3, 2017 to Mar 30, 2021, making it a true long-running shounen commitment rather than a short seasonal adaptation.

What is an interesting fact about Black Clover?

The anime is produced by Studio Pierrot, a studio strongly associated with long-form battle shounen production pipelines—part of why the series is often discussed in terms of pacing and later-arc quality gains.

What is an interesting fact about Black Clover?

Community reception is notably robust: it holds a MyAnimeList score of 8.14/10 from 970,431 votes and sits at Popularity #55, reflecting how widely it’s been watched and debated.

What is an interesting fact about Black Clover?

AniList tagging heavily emphasizes what the show leans into: Magic (96%), Shounen (95%), Found Family (90%), and an Ensemble Cast (83%), which aligns closely with the way fans describe its strengths.

What is an interesting fact about Black Clover?

Key visual identity is anchored by credited design leadership—Itsuko Takeda (Character Design) with Kumiko Tokunaga (Sub Character Design)—a crucial factor in keeping a large cast readable across a multi-year run.

Black Clover

ブラッククローバー

8.1(970,431)

MAL Score

Ranked #504

Popularity #55

Action
Fantasy

Episodes: 170
Duration: 23 min per ep
Aired: Oct 3, 2017 to Mar 30, 2021
Status: Finished Airing

Synopsis

Asta and Yuno were left at the same church on the same day and grew up side by side, inspired by stories of the Wizard King—the kingdom’s most powerful mage. As they get older, their rivalry takes shape: Yuno shows extraordinary magical talent and control, while Asta has no magic at all and throws himself into relentless physical training to keep pace.

At 15, Yuno is chosen by an impressive four-leaf clover grimoire, but Asta is passed over—until Yuno is attacked by someone seeking to steal that grimoire. Outmatched but refusing to give in, Asta’s determination surges, and he receives a rare five-leaf clover grimoire known as the “Black Clover,” gaining the power he needs to turn the fight around. Soon after, the two set off on their own paths, each aiming for the same title: Wizard King.

Otaku Consensus

Black Clover earned a sizable, loyal fandom by turning a rough, trope-heavy opening stretch into a consistently hype battle-shounen with strong character growth and an easy-to-love squad dynamic. Fans and critics alike frequently point to its noticeable quality upswing—especially in action animation and ensemble chemistry—while detractors cite early pacing, loud shounen habits, and predictability as persistent hurdles. With 170 episodes and high community engagement (MAL 8.14 from 970,431 votes; Popularity #55), it’s widely viewed as a long-runner that rewards patience.

Why You Should Watch

Watch Black Clover if you want a high-energy fantasy action series that lives and dies on momentum: training, teamwork, and explosive payoffs. Its biggest hook isn’t novelty—it’s escalation done with conviction, where an underdog lead and a stacked ensemble push each other past their limits in a world built on magic, class tension, and guild pride. Studio Pierrot’s long-running production finds its stride as it goes, and when the show is “on,” the swordplay and super-power clashes hit with real punch. If you enjoy shounen rivalry, found-family squads, and a steady drip of new abilities and matchups, Black Clover is built to binge—and to win you over over time.

What Makes It Stand Out

1
A long-form shounen “turnaround” that many viewers highlight: early episodes can feel generic, but the series steadily tightens its character arcs and delivers bigger, cleaner payoffs as it progresses.
2
Ensemble-cast appeal with strong found-family energy—Black Clover thrives when it’s bouncing between personalities, rivalries, and team-based problem solving rather than relying on a single hero moment.
3
Action-forward fantasy staging that leans into swordplay and super-power clashes; when the animation hits, it sells speed, impact, and teamwork with crowd-pleasing clarity.
4
A clear thematic backbone of class struggle and bullying within a medieval-flavored magic society, giving the underdog narrative extra bite beyond simple power scaling.
5
Distinct production craftsmanship visible in the staff lineup—dedicated roles for character design (Itsuko Takeda), prop design (Kousei Takahashi), art direction (Yuki Maeda), and color design (Aiko Shinohara) help the world feel coherent over 170 episodes.

Fun Facts & Trivia

Fun fact 1: Black Clover ran for 170 episodes on TV, airing from Oct 3, 2017 to Mar 30, 2021, making it a true long-running shounen commitment rather than a short seasonal adaptation.
Fun fact 2: The anime is produced by Studio Pierrot, a studio strongly associated with long-form battle shounen production pipelines—part of why the series is often discussed in terms of pacing and later-arc quality gains.
Fun fact 3: Community reception is notably robust: it holds a MyAnimeList score of 8.14/10 from 970,431 votes and sits at Popularity #55, reflecting how widely it’s been watched and debated.
Fun fact 4: AniList tagging heavily emphasizes what the show leans into: Magic (96%), Shounen (95%), Found Family (90%), and an Ensemble Cast (83%), which aligns closely with the way fans describe its strengths.
Fun fact 5: Key visual identity is anchored by credited design leadership—Itsuko Takeda (Character Design) with Kumiko Tokunaga (Sub Character Design)—a crucial factor in keeping a large cast readable across a multi-year run.