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All Black Clover Arcs Ranked From Worst to Best
Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Black Clover manga! Yūki Tabata’s hit action fantasy manga, Black Clover, is currently in its final phase after more than a decade since its debut. The manga initially debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump but transitioned to Jump GIGA in December 2023 after entering its final arc. Since then, the manga has been releasing two to three chapters every quarter, allowing Tabata more time to work on the finale without compromising his health. However, even though the final arc has been ongoing for a while, fans are nowhere near ready to bid farewell to their beloved series yet.
While the final fight against Lucius Zogratis is reaching its end, the anime has also confirmed its return, more than four years since it ended on a cliffhanger right before commencing the battle in the Spade Kingdom Raid Arc. The series has a total of 11 arcs, all of which offer new challenges for Asta and the Magic Knights. While it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say all Black Clover arcs are absolutely thrilling, there’s always one better than the other. So, which arc comes out on top after more than a decade of the manga’s debut?
11) Magic Knights Entrance Exam
The first arc of the series builds the foundation of the story by introducing us to the world created by Tabata as well as the main characters. While Asta grew up being loved in his orphanage, the people in the Royal Capital were ruthless with their mockery since it’s rare to see anyone without mana in the world. Nonetheless, Asta rose to the challenge and was selected as a member of the Magic Knight Squad despite having no magic.
Yami Sukehiro, the Captain of the Black Bulls Squad, may be notorious for several reasons, but he’s the only one who saw a power within the young boy that no one else could. On the other hand, Asta’s rival, Yuno, joined the Golden Dawn Squad, the best squad in the kingdom. From here on out, the story continues to follow their journey as they strive toward their goal of becoming the Wizard King.
10) Dungeon Exploration Arc
An ordinary dungeon exploration turns out to be a joint mission between the Golden Dawn and the Black Bulls Squads. However, the Magic Knights on the mission were unaware of this information, and their meeting turned into chaos. Amid their bickering, they encountered troops from the Diamond Kingdom, an enemy nation that wanted the treasure from the dungeon. While members from both squads should have been enough to keep the enemies at bay, things took a turn for the worse when a mysterious mage named Mars appeared at the scene.
Even someone as talented as Yuno wasn’t able to defeat Mars on his own. However, Asta proved once again that nothing is impossible if you try hard enough. It’s only the second arc of the series, but it takes a major turn with the introduction of potential enemies (or allies), as well as giving Asta and Yuno a surprising boost in power.
9) Witches’ Forest Arc
After learning that Asta can’t use his hands anymore because of a curse placed by Vetto, Vanessa takes matters into her own hands and returns to the Witches’ Forest. It’s not only her homeland but also the place where she was imprisoned, and yet she didn’t hesitate to go back there so she could change Asta’s future. However, Asta and the others follow her to the place and eventually run into members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun and mages from the Diamond Kingdom.
With a three-way battle going on, Asta and his group find themselves in a tight spot until an unexpected connection between Mars and Fana is revealed. The story reveals the brutal truth behind the Diamond Kingdom and the horrible fate that befell Fana before she became the puppet of an unknown entity. Amid all the chaos, Vanessa takes all the spotlight by awakening her Red Thread of Fate, the power to change people’s destiny.
8) Seabed Temple Arc
Black Clover never shies away from giving its female cast the attention they deserve, and this time, all eyes were on Noelle Silva. Having grown up among the prejudice of those around her, Noelle was unable to have perfect control over her magic, not because of her high mana reserve but also due to her lack of self-confidence. However, she had to live up to the expectations of her Squad members, who didn’t hesitate to entrust their lives to her during one of the biggest missions.
Not only did she safely take everyone to the Underwater Temple, but she also used a powerful attack spell on Vetto, one of the strongest members of a dangerous terrorist organization. Additionally, the arc highlighted the specialty of all the Black Bull members as they grew significantly during the fight. This also applies to Yami Sukehiro, who showed everyone why he’s their Squad Captain.
7) Royal Capital Assault Arc
Since the Royal Capital is protected by Guardian mages, no one expected the villains to ambush the city. Even with the presence of several Magic Knight Squad Captains and many other high-ranking Knights, the capital was thrown into chaos. Since the Wizard King was absent during the emergency, Fuegoleon Vermillion, the Captain of the Crimson Lion Squad, took charge of the situation and tried to get things under control.
He not only fended off the enemies but also motivated Asta and Noelle, proving that he’s not even close to the other Royals and Nobles who look down on the commoners and the weak. However, the attack on the Royal Capital ended with Fuegoleon’s shocking defeat, as well as the Magic Knights having to live with the disgrace of failing to protect the Royal Capital. The arc also highlighted that the Eye of the Midnight Sun, a group they had never heard of, is not to be taken lightly.
6) Heart Kingdom Joint Struggle Arc
Right before their raid on the Spade Kingdom, mages from the Clover Kingdom underwent intense training, with some of them spending months in the Heart Kingdom. The Dark Triad is unlike anything they have ever faced before, and the fact that all three siblings have Devil Fruit powers only makes them more terrifying. After the training was over, even the villains put their plan into motion and kidnapped Yami and William Vangeance, the Captain of the Golden Dawn.
Yami and Asta successfully managed to defeat Dante Zogratis, but even they couldn’t anticipate Zenon’s arrival. After killing about half of the Golden Dawn members, fatally injuring Yuno, and kidnapping William, Zenon took Yami away with him, too. Just when the Clover Kingdom was in chaos, the Vice Captain of the Black Bulls, Nacht Faust, made his debut and awakened a power within Asta that he had never known about.
5) Eye of the Midnight Sun Encounter Arc
After the attack on the Royal Capital, the Black Bulls run into the Eye of the Midnight Sun again when their holiday lands them in unexpected trouble. It doesn’t take long for the situation to escalate and reach the ears of the higher-ups. Yami goes one-on-one with Licht, the leader of the terrorist organization, and it’s the first time ever that the series shows the full extent of his power.
However, even he is forced into a corner when the Third Eye, the three most powerful members of the organization, appear. Luckily, three more Squad Captains come as backup to save them, but even this encounter results in nothing as the villains successfully escape from the Magic Knights’ grasp. The arc highlights the true powers of the villains who are hellbent on destroying the Clover Kingdom.
4) Royal Knights Arc
The Tournament trope in Shonen never gets old, and the Royal Knight Selection Exam in Black Clover proved it once again. Before the final fight against the Eye of the Midnight Sun, the Magic Knights participated in a tournament to join the Royal Knights and engaged in several fights against opposing teams.
The arc introduces several talented mages and the reasons why they made it into the Magic Knights. Of course, the highlight of the arc wasn’t just Yuno’s fight against Rill Boismortier, but also how the Black Bulls saved Finral Roulacase from his stepbrother. Amid all the thrilling battles, we learn the pasts of several characters and what drives them to do their best as Magic Knights.
3) Elf Reincarnation Arc
Despite being a fairly popular manga, Black Clover’s anime had a rocky start due to average animation and slow pacing. However, the Elf Reincarnation Arc played a huge role in boosting the series’ popularity, not just with improved animation but also as one of the best arcs in Shonen. The mission to take down the Eye of the Midnight Sun goes awry when the elves are reincarnated into the bodies of several Magic Knights, plunging the Clover Kingdom into chaos.
The arc introduces a devil who happens to be the mastermind behind everything that the Eye of the Midnight Sun has done so far. Furthermore, the story also introduces the First Wizard King and his connection with the elves. Lastly, Asta and Yuno establish their position as one of the best rival duos in all of Shonen with their fight against the true leader of the elves.
2) Final Arc
The final arc of Black Clover is still ongoing, but it’s already considered the second best among all the arcs in the series. The series has some of the best final arcs in Shonen history, which is a major achievement as it continues to boost the manga’s popularity. After the brutal fight in the Spade Kingdom, the Clover Kingdom enjoyed a brief period of peace before Lucius Zogratis arrived and plunged everything into chaos yet again.
The Magic Knights and the citizens of the kingdom suffer the worst days of their lives due to one devil host, proving just how unimaginably powerful he is. Asta and Yuno again join hands to defeat a common enemy, and this time they are far stronger than a couple of years ago.
1) Spade Kingdom Raid Arc
The anime concluded right after teasing the best arc in the series, but at least we won’t have to wait long before it returns to adapt the Spade Kingdom Raid Arc. The Magic Knights successfully invade the Spade Kingdom not just to defeat the Dark Triad but also to rescue Yami and William. After months of training, they have all grown much more powerful than before, but the villains are just as strong.
Whether it’s Nacht’s backstory, Magna defeating Dante, Nozel and Noelle avenging their mother, Yuno awakening his true power as the Spade Kingdom’s Prince, or Asta using another destructive ability, the arc has too many exciting moments to count.
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