Pretty much agree with everyone, don't read this manga if you're looking for a solid shounen manga. Although, I have to acknowledge that the art is top of the line. Characters are beautifully and uniquely drawn.

Here's the deal, we excuse shounen manga for the all the tropes, i.e. MC is stupid and loud, Asta/Yuno rivalry like Naruto/Sasuke, rival is gifted and MC compensates with hardwork. What made me drop this was because it seems like the other characters were useless without the MC. It was really uncomfortable since a lot of them were more powerful than the MC. I understand that everybody has their own way of fighting (which is said a lot in the manga), but everyone's acting like a support hero to Asta's magic-less attacks. Case in point: Suddenly, it seems like everyone's powerless against him. They couldn't even finish off an enemy without relying on his power. It was just too frustrating to see.

In Fairy Tail, Natsu even says that he wouldn't fight other's [comrades] battles because they wouldn't grow. In that manga, the other characters could pretty much finish off nasty enemies and sometimes the MC doesn't even fight the big boss because there's just a gap in power and it would make no sense. In here, it seems like we are forced into believing he is the be all and end all. I am re-watching Fairy Tail and the more I do, the more I see the flaws in Asta and his guild -er- Black Bulls troop. ~Out of topic: Various anti-magic mages appear in Fairy Tail and they're easily defeated due to sheer strength. ~

*sigh* The start of this manga was promising and I was rooting for it but I've had enough and am dropping this. I read shounen manga for the fights and overcoming against all odds, but this feels so forced and fake.

And just saying if this manga was a parody on shounen trope, it was mediocre. If you want a shounen manga that sh*** on tropes, then read One-Punch Man (god-level manga where I really don't mind that nobody is stronger than the MC).

... Last updated on August 4th, 2020, 2:13pm

I rmb starting out the manga and thinking the art is OK and I don't find the characters to be that annoying. OK it was set in a genetic western setting the MC has nothing going for him other his love of exercise but people must start from somewhere right? I read through the book selection, team fights, and some other trials but the final moment that caused me to drop the series that nothing really matters in the larger scheme of events.

There's a plot twist and I realize it's just going to another travel the world and collect special items story but his best friend is going to be some hidden royalty son vs a villager. I feel like it would be a OK JRPG game but the actual reading other manga makes it less interesting since we know that you know that I know that the MC won't lose and that's a lot of the motivation out of following the next chapter.

btw: there's really creepy character in the cast and I have no idea why the manga-ka included him like why it dragged down the entire series now

... Last updated on April 4th, 2020, 2:23pm

I can't believe how much hate this series is getting on here. YES it has elements from "Naruto". YES it is heavily inspired by "One Piece". BUT it HAS original ideas!! It HAS unexpected plot twists!! It HAS complexity and... why is it bad that it reminds us of our beloved "Naruto" and "One Piece" to begin with??

Let me explain. "Black Clover" is neither a rip-off of "One Piece" nor of "Naruto", although I have to admit that it felt like that to me as well AT THE BEGINNING! For example it has this whole Tenryuubito style discrimination going on, the magic is just like Ninjutsu and Mars' background story was just like Zabuza's but Yuuki Tabata made much more out of it. Actually this sentence sums it up quite well: Yuuki Tabata made much more out of it! It combines the best and ONLY the best parts of "One Piece" and "Naruto" and thus takes the Shonen genre to a whole new level! It feels like a natural evolution as it omits all the flaws its predecessors had. As much as we all like Naruto as a character it is very hard to like Sasuke and Sakura. While the three main protagonists in "Black Clover" share the same character dynamic as team 7 from "Naruto" and are somewhat similar, Noelle is much more likeable than Sakura and Yuno is much more sympathetic than Sasuke.

Let's take a look at "Naruto"'s biggest flaw: He was ALWAYS a loner and had to win his battles all by himself no matter how hard Kishimoto tried to pretend that his friends were also important for the story because... they were not if you are honest to yourself! Team 7 was non-existent for the biggest part of the manga and Naruto and Sasuke take so much screentime that characters like Ino, Tenten, Rock Lee, Kiba and so on lose any relevance by the beginning of "Shippuden" (not to say that Tenten ever had any relevance to the story). So here we have what makes "Black Clover" superior: The members of the Black Bull stick together! They fight together! They live together! They stand together! A lot like the Strawhat pirates from "One Piece". Each of them alone is a loser who can't accomplish anything but together they are undefeatable and their incredible teamwork is what turns the worst squad into the best squad over the course of the series. Thanks to Yami who brought this odd bunch together and Asta who managed to give all of them confidence in themselves. This part already is what makes "One Piece" better than "Dragon Ball" where characters like Yamcha and Chaozu can never catch up to Goku and Vegeta and are therefore left to die over and over again. In "One Piece" there are lots of instances in which the weakest two - Nami and Usopp - save everyone's asses and in a similar way "Black Clover" gives every member of the Black Bull time to shine and I'm pretty sure that by the end of the series everyone of them will surprise the reader at at least one point in the story. In fact most of them already did.

The art style resembles "BLEACH" which is also a big plus as BC's artstyle is outstanding in the same way!

Then there is Julius Novachrono. I just HAVE to mention how great he is. He is everything that the third hokage wasn't and is more like an adult Naruto so you just have to love him as a character and human being.

So just shut up and continue reading this! While the story of the elves is a bit similar to the Edotensei plot in "Naruto", it is delivered so much better in BC and in that arc the story gets really complex - even similar to something written by CLAMP. I really love "Black Clover" as someone who has read a lot of shonen and so will you if you stop being so biased!

Let me start this off by saying the people who call this a cliche rip off of naruto don't understand the author's intention at all. It seems so blatantly like here every other shonen, because the author does use a lot of cliches. However the way they're used is more like a parody of the genre than a rip off. This is further supported by the fact the manga doesn't take itself too seriously outside of the fight scenes, which are wonderfully executed btw. The characters embody certain shonen tropes to the extreme that the author often uses for comedic effect, making it more of a parody. And speaking of the author, he's the same dude that wrote hungry joker, so expecting this to be just like any other shonen is a real shame. The characters don't have much depth as of now, but they're charming and the interactions between them more than make up for it. That on top of the wonderful art makes this quite an enjoyable read.

... Last updated on October 3rd, 2019, 3:35pm

I like shounen a lot. I am not very highbrow, and I don't mind formula... but man, was this one tired and derivative. The main character is Naruto. I mean, exactly, down to every detail. Except Naruto with the backstory and the emotional complexity and the character development taken out. Basically just a knockoff Naruto who hollers motivational slogans and powers up, then all the side characters tear up and switch to his side and talk about how wonderful he is - which is maddening and makes no sense, because it is completely unearned. It's like when the villagers recognize Naruto as their hero years and years into the series, but they do it every single fight, starting from the very first one.

I usually finish manga I start, but I dropped this one when realized that reading it just felt like a chore, and I couldn't remember most of the characters.

... Last updated on July 7th, 2019, 11:19am

I have a mix opinion on this. In some ways, I think the mangaka is SMART. He did all his research, the manga is 'well-formulated' with EVERY SINGLE TROPE that a generic shounen has to offer. "Smart!", yes it smart but where's the originality? The lack of originality in Black Clover is what makes the manga lackluster. Had this manga been produced before all the big shounens, it would have been a great hit. But overall, it is still an enjoyable read for me. But it doesnt leave a big impression on the readers.

Black Clover is dumb. It has not a single original idea to offer. You've seen every single character before. It plays all of its tropes straight. It's got a loud and dumb underdog protagonist who has an inexplicable hidden power. It's got a silent broody type rival character. There is a tsundere love interest. It has a band of misfits who the protagonist joins to go on adventures with. It's got big bombastic fights with magic powers that amount to dong measuring contests rather than any acts of strategy and skill. It's got plenty of asspulls and deus ex machina. I quickly forget the names and faces of most of the characters because of how unimportant they all feel. There is basically no character development even after a hundred chapters. The writing is basic at best and asinine at worst. And to top it off, it's got pointless slapstick comedy that is not funny in the slightest. It's a cliche storm is what I am trying to say. I am honestly not sure what the author is going for here, there is nothing Black Clover does that its contemporaries don't do much better.

But, all that being said Black Clover is still a fun read. This is mostly due to the pacing. Black Clover never dwells on anything. Unlike Naruto for example which had so much filler that most of the chapters felt completely pointless, Black Clover has not a single chapter that can be accurately called filler. While the story has nothing interesting to offer, it doesn't wallow in its own rampant mediocrity or pretend to be better than it is. It's undeniably dumb, but it's a light and quick read that you can breeze through in no time at all mostly thanks to the excellent art and panel composition.

UPDATE: I take back my second paragraph. Having re-read all available chapters out of boredom, I came to the realization that Black Clover has absolutely nothing going for it in the slightest beyond the art and panel composition.

... Last updated on December 30th, 2017, 7:09pm

as my title says, what you want from shounen manga are there in Black Clover, and its really good but if you want some serious reading, something fresh this manga aint for you just get the f**k off from here because shonen manga are always fun and enjoy to read with straight plot not something like berserk or monster when come to critical thinking read, so if you dont like it just leave it be, just enjoy the freaking manga YOU NERDS!

... Last updated on October 3rd, 2017, 10:54pm

If you've read a shounen manga, you've read this before.
Every battle is won through power-ups and the plot is super hackneyed.

But the art is good and (other than the main character) the characters are full of potential. Unfortunately the author either doesn't realize this or they don't understand how to develop characters. Main character is literally Naruto. His rival was born without a personality but is attractive so people won't comment on him. The love interest... I don't even want to go here because she could be so much more than a love interest.

I like the settings and abilities though. The artist is super talented and comes up with great concepts. But unfortunately they're juicing tiddies for that token shounen jump appeal, not that I blame them.

Read it if you like Magi or Boku no Hero Academia (although it isn't as good).

Edit: so two years later, and I have to say the story does get better and the author tries to develop the characters but they still feel artificial. In all, it's okay. Not as horrible as it initially was but also there's no originality to it, it's stale.

... Last updated on June 23rd, 2019, 12:28pm

Change hokage for magic empreror put naruto in a Fairy Tail kinda universe and done... oh and give the main char the same power from index... really, not an ounce of originality. Still to be honest shounen manga as a general rule ain't seeking to be original and they simply ain't. So if you like Naruto, Fairy Tail, Bleach, etc. you'll probably like this.
That said, the artstyle is great, there is a lot of attention to detail when intended and the action is fluid, that alone puts it above many similar mangas.
Other than that there is not much more to tell, if you are looking for an action shounen manga this one is good, chars are dumb but funny at times (mc is a one line pony thou), story is generic yet not terrible and Yami story was a fun spice, the fights are good and it's naive to the core.