Black Clover Age Rating & Parental Guide Explained

Black Clover is a manga written and drawn by Yūki Tabata and published in Shūeisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on February 16, 2015, after an initial one-shot of the series saw its release in November 2014. The title refers to the grimoire used by the protagonist, which has a black pent-sheet on the cover. The animated adaptation includes OVA episodes, the anime series, the non-canon ONA series that aired in 2019, and an upcoming anime movie. But is it appropriate for your kids? With Black Clover being one of the most important anime series in history, we have decided to tell you whether the series is appropriate for kids or not.

Black Clover is categorized as TV-PG in the United States; in Japan, the show is listed as being G. Black Clover is a very family and kid-friendly show and is a typical representative of the shonen genre, which is why there is absolutely no doubt that it is appropriate for all audiences who can follow the plot. Some scenes might be more exaggerated, but they don’t influence the overall tone of the series.

In the paragraphs that follow, we are going to elaborate on this answer and give you some additional information on the show’s content. You’re going to find out whether Black Clover is appropriate for children, how scary and gory it is, whether there is sex, nudity, and profanities, as well as what age it is appropriate for. This is going to be your ultimate parent’s guide for Black Clover.

What age is Black Clover appropriate for?

As per the official ratings, Black Clover is rated as “PG”, which means “parental guidance”. That standard is defined as follows: Most parents will find this program suitable for all ages. Japan lists the series as a G one, whereas most other countries have it listed in similar age categories (12-16, depending on the country). No countries have applied a stricter standard for Black Clover, which says enough about the maturity of its content.

This means that Black Clover is a show that is appropriate for teenagers and older fans. Children under the age of 14 should not be able to watch the series, as there is content that might be inappropriate for them as per the standard. This is the official rating for the show, and we are now going to observe how things stand in several different categories.

Black Clover: Sex & Nudity

As we could have seen, the series has a very mild level of nudity and some very benign sexual references, but over the course of the series, there haven’t been many such scenes, and they were – in most cases – shown in a very comical context. Here is an example of some scenes involving nudity and/or sexual references:

• There are sexual innuendos thrown in from time to time, but they’re benign and comical.
• Some brief nudity is shown, although it’s always brief and never explicit.
• The word “sexy” is used, we see characters in rather tight and revealing outfits, some topless male characters, and a lot of sex comedy is present, but nothing is taken seriously, and all of it is used purely to produce a comedic effect.
• References to dating and jokes about dating are also present.

As you can see, this is really not much, and while some scenes might be a bit suggestive, they are very limited.

Black Clover: Violence & Gore

The violence of the fights in Black Clover has also been described as moderate in general, although certain scenes are both milder and more violent than others, which is why certain moments would definitely earn a PG rating; the number of such scenes is very small and limited overall; some non-canon additions to the anime are more explicit than the canon ones, but it is nothing over the top. The fight scenes are epic, and violence is depicted in the show as per the plot, but it’s nothing over the top, and it’s not particularly graphic or gory.

Most of the violence portrayed in Black Clover is cartoony; you won’t have any trouble with it, and neither will your children. Some scenes suggest some deeper violence, but they are mostly comical. As the series progresses, the violence and the fights become more intense. There is more blood and even some morbid elements due to the villains becoming more dangerous. However, it’s still not over the top and its part of the series’ inherent magical realism.

Black Clover: Profanity

As far as profanities are concerned, they are not heavily featured in Black Clover, although they are present. Examples of words that can be heard are “crap,” “hell,” “ass,” “damn,” “bastard,” “shit,” and “dumbass,” and we can hear the word “bitch” used once during the series. Now, this might bother some viewers and it is something that children shouldn’t really repeat, but it adds to the realism of the show, doesn’t it?

First of all, we have to state that the characters of Black Clover are teenagers and magical heroes who fight and face various threats in their daily adventures to save their friends and families. People don’t really tend to watch their language while they’re fighting a superpowered demon or wizard, don’t they? It would be silly if these characters didn’t curse from time to time, wouldn’t it? This is only realistic, and the series adds to it by adapting the language to be appropriate for a specific situation.

So, profanities are certainly present in the show, but we don’t think it’s something bad. It simply adds to the show’s realism and helps the viewers better understand the characters, the world, and the complete setting. Anything else would be completely out-of-character, which is why we can only praise the show’s authenticity. And on top of that, they are not heavily featured or severe.

Should you allow your kids to watch Black Clover?

Black Clover is one of the more child-friendly anime series you can find today and is a remnant of the old anime generation. The show focuses on teenage issues and is a typical example of the shonen genre. This is why there is nothing overly exaggerated in Black Clover, as all three major categories – sex & nudity, violence & gore, and profanity – are generally mild, with some moderate violence present in the fights, but it’s not over the top. The series focuses on adventures and the daily struggles of its protagonists.

Settings such as Black Clover are nothing strange when Japanese art is concerned, and there are many other manga and anime that portray such worlds and that is why the shonen genre is so popular around the world. Black Clover is quite faithful to the original material, although there is also a fair amount of material in the series, that’s just how things were done back in the day. So, should you allow your children to watch Black Clover?

Well, the official ratings suggest that children under 14 should not watch Black Clover, but it all comes down to your parental approach. We at Fiction Horizon honestly don’t think that there is anything bad in watching such animated shows, and Black Clover doesn’t really cross any borders, which would make it overly inappropriate for children.

Children under the age of 7 or 8 might be confused if they cannot follow the plot, but we don’t think those older than 7 will have any problems with the show. If your younger children can follow the plot, they can also watch Black Clover because they could also learn a lot about friendship and heroism. So, we believe Black Clover is appropriate for all ages and children of all shapes and sizes, so if your child wants to watch it – we absolutely support it.