Black Clover is a manga written and drawn by Yūki Tabata and published in Shūeisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since 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. In this article, we are going to give you the complete Black Clover watch order guide, including all the OVA episodes, the anime series, and the non-canon ONA series that aired in 2019.
How many Black Clover seasons and episodes are there?
The Black Clover manga by Yūki Tabata began publication in 2015. Since then, the manga has received several adaptations. The first was a 27-minute OVA episode that was released on May 2, 2017, followed by a full, four-season anime series that aired from October 3, 2017 to March 30, 2021 with a total of 170 episodes. A second OVA was released in 2018, during the airing of the anime.
On March 30, 2021, the Black Clover anime ended, but the franchise will continue through an anime movie that was announced that same month. Not much is known about the Black Clover anime film, but it will be a sequel to the finished anime series and will air sometime in 2023. Also, there is an 8-episode ONA series that aired from July 1, 2019 to August 19, 2019, but it is actually a spin-off and is not part of the original narrative. Here is a general overview of the whole Black Clover chronological watch order:
- Jump Festa 2016 OVA (OVA, 2017)
- Black Clover, Season 1 (anime, 2017–2018)
- Black Clover, Season 2 (anime, 2018–2019)
- Jump Festa 2018 OVA (OVA, 2018)
- Squishy! Black Clover (ONA, 2019)
- Black Clover, Season 3 (anime, 2019–2020)
- Black Clover, Season 4 (anime, 2020–2021)
- Untitled Black Clover Film (film, 2023)
Black Clover chronological watch order
In this part, we will focus on the chronological Black Clover watch order, providing you with some details on each of the works listed here.
Jump Festa 2016 OVA
Release Date: November 27, 2016
A 27-minute OVA episode that was released on May 2, 2017, roughly half a year after it premiered on the 2016 Jump Fiesta. The OVA features the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony, as well as a fight between Klaus Lunettes and Yuno versus Mars, and Asta versus Revchi Salik.
Jump Festa 2018 OVA
Release Date: November 25, 2018
This special OVA episode was titled “The All Magic Knights Thanksgiving” and was set before the events of the main anime series.
Black Clover
Release Date: October 3, 2017 – March 30, 2021
The anime series contains a total of 170 episodes, spread through 4 seasons. The first two seasons had 51 episodes each, the third one had 52 episodes, while the final season had just 16 episodes. The seasons ran consecutively from October 3, 2017, to March 30, 2021.
Each season was divided into several chapters for the home releases, and we’ll give you a short overview of the structure of each of these chapters.
Season one (titled Year 1) was divided into five chapters. The first chapter included episodes 1 to 10, and its official summary revealed this:
“In a world filled with magic, one boy will prove that real power lies in never giving up! Abandoned as a baby, Asta grew up in the poor, backwater village of Hage with one dream: to become the Magic Emperor. The only problem? He doesn’t have any magic! While his rival, Yuno, excels at magic, Asta is completely powerless but not hopeless.
Training his body (and drinking weird concoctions!), Asta prepares for the moment his abilities might awaken. But on the day he’s supposed to receive his magical grimoire, the unexpected happens! To reach his goal, Asta will find his own path to greatness with or without magic.”
Chapter 2 of the first season included episodes 11 to 19 and its official summary revealed the following:
“In a world filled with magic, one boy will prove that real power lies in never giving up! After proving himself on his very first mission, Asta gains recognition from the Magic Emperor and is assigned a new task—to investigate a magical dungeon! Together with Noelle and Luck, he’ll scout out the mysterious vault only to find they aren’t the only ones sent to explore.
Up against Yuno and The Golden Dawn teammates, Asta is even more fired up to do his best and get to the treasure first! But their race is abruptly interrupted when they face mages from The Diamond Kingdom. Witnessing such unbelievable strength and magic, Asta and his companions may have met their match!”
Episodes 20 to 29 were collected in Chapter 3 of Year 1, with the summary revealing the following:
“In a world filled with magic, one boy will prove that real power lies in never giving up! After a close call against Mars and the Diamond Kingdom knights, Asta and his friends are honored by the Magic Emperor. But the celebratory event is more jeers than cheers as the other Magic Knights show their true colors. Before things get too heated inside, they learn there’s a more serious problem happening outside.
The rising dead, an energy-sapping witch, and other horrors are plaguing the capital as terrorists run amok! Fighting alongside Magic Knight captain, Asta will witness amazing powers that get him fired up. But his battle is just the beginning of something much bigger, and his abilities will be put to the test!”
As for Chapter IV, it collected episodes 30 to 39, and the summary revealed the following:
“In a world filled with magic, one boy will prove that real power lies in never giving up! What should have been a relaxing vacation turns into a chilling adventure when mysterious magic snow lures the children of Nairn into a deadly trap. Joining up with Gauche, Asta will face his toughest challenge yet—trying to work with the stubborn mirror mage!
While Gauche is more focused on protecting his beloved little sister, Asta is stuck fighting in the mud. But when members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun show up, this battle goes from dirty to dire! Luckily, an unexpected pair arrives as reinforcements. Will they have what it takes to face the powerful Licht and his elite squad, the Third Eye?”
The final, fifth Chapter of Year 1 collected episodes 40 to 51, with the summary going as follows:
“In a world filled with magic, one boy will prove that real power lies in never giving up! A trip to the beach isn’t fun in the sun for Asta and the Black Bulls they’re on a mission to recover a magic stone! Deep in the Seebed Temple lies new danger and mages with extraordinary powers. But getting in is the first challenge!
Luckily, Noelle receives help from a mysterious girl with Song Magic to master a new spell to help her team. But real danger makes a splash when, Vetto of the Third Eye, storms the temple! He takes out Asta’s friends and allies, with unimaginable strength, like they’re nothing. Can the magicless mage face all odds and take on the beastly villain?”
Chapter VI was actually the first chapter of Year 2, and it collected episodes 52 through 63. The summary revealed the following:
“Not even broken arms can stop Asta! But when his injuries are beyond Healing Magic, this could mean the end of his journey. Except his magic is never giving up! Together, with his friends, they head to the Witches’ Forest to find a cure—or more trouble.”
Episodes 64 through 72 were collected in Chapter VII of Year 2, whose official summary reveals the following:
“The Queen of Witches makes Asta her puppet, but a new spell in Vanessa’s grimoire will put the strings of fate into her hands. Meanwhile, the Magic Knights let loose at the Star Awards Festival! Can they keep it together and make it to the ceremony on time?”
Chapter VIII collected episodes 73 through 83, and the official synopsis revealed as follows:
“With Asta’s curse finally lifted and the Witches’ Forest safe, the Black Bulls are ready for a little rest and relaxation…not! The Magic Emperor is forming a new squad, plunging Asta and other elite Magic Knights into a fierce competition.”
Chapter IX contained episodes 84 through 90, and the 2018 OVA episode. The summary of the narrative reveals the following info:
This Knight’s day has finally come. Even though he couldn’t fight Yuno in the final exam, Asta is still chosen to become a Royal Knight! Now, he must take the same determination and heart into a looming battle at the Eye of the Midnight Sun’s headquarters!
Chapter X finally collected episodes 91 through 102, ending Year 2 of the anime series. Its summary revealed the following info:
All hail the Magic Emperor. With tensions at their boiling point, the Magic Emperor squares off against Licht for a battle that will change the Magic Knights forever. Follow them all on a frenzied journey that will take Asta and Yuno back to where it all began.
Chapter XI, the first chapter of Year 3, collected episodes 103 to 112. It summary stated the following:
As the elves pursue the Clover Kingdom, hell-bent on destroying humankind, Asta discovers that his newest sword may just be the key to stopping them—and keeping human souls from being lost to the underworld forever!
Chapter XII collected episodes 113 to 120, with the official summary revealing the following:
Locked in a bitter battle with the elves inside the Shadow Palace, Asta and the Magic Knights must now contend with a devilishly powerful villain! Like a twisted puppet master, he’s been pulling their strings all along. Is their time almost up?
Episodes 121 through 129 were collected in Chapter XIII of Year 3. The official summary states the following:
One devil may be defeated, but the danger isn’t over yet. There are more out there, and the Black Bulls must find them. The Clover Kingdom fears an attack by the Spade Kingdom, and the Magic Knights reach out for help—and answers.
Chapter XIV of Year 3 collected episodes 130 through 141, with the official summary revealing the following:
The Magic Knights prepare to attack Megicula and other Spade Kingdom-dwelling devils, but things are not quite so simple for this crew. They only have six months to get ready—and earth, fire, and water will all play key roles in the devils’ defeat!
Chapter XV was the last chapter of Year 3, collecting episodes 142 through 152. The official summary went like this:
Standing on the border between banishment and belief, Dazu turns vengeful when the Magic Knights fail to protect Tiulyu. Resentment grows throughout the Common Realm, and the Magic Emperor knows that unity is the only way to survive the impending war.
Chapter XVI of Year 4 is the final chapter of the whole anime series, collecting episodes 153 through 170. As of the time of writing this article, this chapter has yet to be released in the West.
Untitled Black Clover Film
Not much is known about the upcoming Black Clover movie save for the fact that it is going to be a sequel to the anime series and that it is going to come out sometime in 2023. You can check out the teaser trailer above.
Squishy! Black Clover
Release Date: July 1, 2019 – August 19, 2019
This 8-episode ONA series featured chibi versions of characters that appeared in the Black Clover anime series in different, often funny, situations. In Episode One, Asta struggles to find out how to become the Magic Emperor. When he goes to ask Julius, he finds Yuno already there asking the same question.
The two boys renew their vow to become the Magic Emperor. In Episode Two, Asta and Yuno wander the Royal Capital in search of merits, while Magna and Luck chase after Sekke and are turned into robots.
Again, in Episode Three, Asta and Yuno search for the person who turned Magna and Luck into robots, meanwhile Charmy makes and sells mille crêpes. Sally sneaks up on Charmy and turns her into a robot. In Episode Four, Sally buys drinks for Finral and Vanessa but Asta and Yuno later find the pair have also been turned into robots.
In the next, fifth episode, Yuno decides to use Asta as bait to trap the culprit. Gauche goes to visit his sister, and Sally pretends to be Marie and tricks him into becoming a robot.
In Episode Six, Noelle is flustered when she sees Asta dressed as a present. Sally poses as a fortuneteller and tricks Noelle into becoming a robot. Grey also happens to be turned into a robot. Episode Seven sees Yuno vents his frustration over not being able to talk much and then accuses Yami of turning the Black Bulls into robots.
Sally reveals herself to be the culprit and makes the robots join together to form a Black Bull mecha. She has also awoken the giant demon skeleton to attack the Royal Capital.
Finally, in Episode Eight, Sally reveals that her plan was to dissect Asta and turn him into a robot. Asta is convinced to combine with the mecha and defends the Royal Capital from the demon.
Do you need to watch Black Clover in order?
Since the bulk of the anime series is actually contained in the 170-episode anime series, you can mostly skip the two OVA episodes (okay, you can watch the first one, but the second one is a filler) and definitely the ONA series, which features chibi versions of the characters and is not actually related to the main narrative. So, just watch the anime series and you’re good as far as Black Clover is concerned.
Will there be more Black Clover anime?
Black Clover is not over. And while the anime series might be over, there is still more manga material to adapt and we already know that a Black Clover anime movie is going to be released as a sequel to the finished anime series. This means that we are going to see more Black Clover anime in the future.
