Why Talent Reigns Supreme In Black Clover

When I started watching Black Clover in 2020, I was a newbie to anime and didn’t notice things like animation quality and the number of episodes. That allowed me to fully enjoy the wonderful story crafted by Yuki Tabata, unhampered by expectations or critical ratings. And it was enthralling, it really was. Being someone who always roots for the underdog, the notion that someone without magic could crawl his way to the top through sheer effort warmed my heart and put me on the edge of my seat. When the anime entered its final cour, it became one of the most streamed anime in the world. Everyone was watching it, and the fanbase was ecstatic that it was finally being treated with respect. From theirs and my perspective it was getting the recognition it deserved. When the series ended prematurely in 2021, it left a hole in many watchlists that are yet to be filled. It was one of the last anime that dared to release weekly, making it in a sense, the end of an era. Now, three years and a movie after its ending, I came to understand that although the mangaka strived to create a story where anything was possible, he undermined the underlying theme. On purpose, I suspect. Although the story promoted messages of hard work and effort it became painfully clear to me that even though it professed those ideals, in the same manner with Naruto, it did not concur with the content of the story. And now, I’m going to give a summary of Talent vs. Effort in the world of Black Clover. It’s a topic that I can discuss for hours, but I’ll keep it brief enough to remain concise. In the world of Black Clover, only one word carries weight behind it. Mana. Mana equals power and prestige. Century after century has been defined by those with the power to enforce their will. In the Clover Kingdom, these are the nobles. With the societal prejudice aimed towards those with less capability for magic, the protagonist of Black Clover was behind from the start. Being a peasant is one thing, as they typically have less mana than others. However, in the case of our protagonist, he was born with no magic at all. Combined with his goal of becoming the Wizard King, the mightiest magic user in the Clover Kingdom, he was rendered a laughable existence with an impossible, foolhardy goal. Despite the setbacks and ridicule he faced, he moved forward, utilizing a mysterious five-leaf grimoire with the power of Anti-Magic, garnering recognition by the kingdom’s elites and impressing them with his strength and conviction. As the series progressed, the initial centerpiece of hard work and effort grew invalid. Although the most powerful characters in the show were those who had put in immense amounts of effort, yes, they possessed the greatest talent of their generation. Clear examples of this notion are Yuno, The Prince of Stars and the protagonist’s brother, as well as Mereoleona Vermillion, The Uncrowned Lioness, the captain of the Crimson Lion Kings for a time and one of the highest ranking nobles. It is known that the both of them have put in remarkable effort into developing their strength, yet individuals such as Magna, one of the protagonist’s squadmates had until recently keep being left behind as his friends continued to move ahead. He increasingly became irrelevant to the plot. Although he surpassed everyone’s expectations to reinvent himself and his abilities, he is only one of the few exceptions to the rule. The key takeaway from all this is that Magna Swing was one of the few central characters in the plot of Black Clover. Leopold Vermillion, the younger brother of the aforementioned Mereoleona, is very much the antithesis to Magna. Coming from nobility, he was blessed with talent from the start, and influenced by the work ethic of his siblings, he grew steadily. When he was introduced in the story, he was simply one of the few nobles who respected the protagonist and recognized him for his abilities. That was his role, the wannabe rival. His purpose would change for the better as the series progressed, elevating him to greater levels of importance as the beliefs of the protagonist rubbed off on him, motivating him to work that much harder. Comparing Magna and Leopold, who I’m sure trained and practiced themselves to the point of injury, only one showcased rapid growth. And the reason is as clear as day. One was noble, the other was not. This predicament is one faced by many people in that world, and in most cases impossible to overcome. For that singular reason it would be difficult, if not nigh inconceivable to overwrite the prominent caste system permeating every corner It’s worth noting that Magna is the only ‘normal’ character in Black Clover. He has natural limits placed upon him by nature that he cannot overcome. Most members of the cast don’t have this attribute, even the seemingly untalented protagonist. Asta has always strived to attain strength, and achieved it through bodybuilding. ‘My magic is never giving up!’, exudes his character in an obvious manner. His story is both proof that anyone in the world of Black Clover can make it to the top through their own efforts, and that none will succeed unless they’re blessed with fortunate encounters. Just skimming through the entire cast of characters in Black Clover, it’s glaring that the most powerful characters are nobility or from similar lineage. Asta, and his mentor, Yami Sukehiro are the only commoners to reach the epitome of power, although Asta was only able to do so by tapping into powers that were not his own, and Yami to a much lesser extent. Having said all that, it’s impossible to scrutinize the protagonist’s goal of creating an equal society and not wonder how that would be possible. As it is, mana and magic are the most important resources in their world, and most peasants as well as commoners will never be able to move past that boundary. Talent and effort. Two very intertwined concepts. One brings out the other, but without the former, the latter is worthless.