Are you a real anime fan? Sure, you own enough dakimakura to spell “Weeb” in your yard, big enough for the International Space Station to read. And you’ve got more cast of clothing for lewd anime figures than real clothes. But could you glue yourself to the screen for 62 hours to catch up on 170 episodes before Black Clover S2 drops?
It’s a very special time for us at J-List, because 30 years ago this week, we started the first anime and hentai shop selling to fans around the world. And we’ve been able to make it this far thanks to our wonderful customers. We’re celebrating with a huge 20% sale on all in-stock Japan products, through October 7th. Start browsing now!
From Tourist to True Anime Fan in T-4 Days
Impostor syndrome. Or, in the context of anime fandom, that feeling that the grumblings about anime tourists are aimed at you. It’s that thought that you don’t belong in the same room as the die-hard anime fans. Your insights and expertise pale in comparison to theirs.
The only solution, the only way to earn fandom respect, is to go hard. You know it won’t be easy, but you lock your door, sit your ass down, and watch all the anime. Peter-senpai will be impressed. Hot girls will be more impressed. Black Clover’s existing 170 episodes present the best chance for you to prove your devotion to anime, whether you’re coming to Black Clover for the first time or trying to recap. Quick. Black Clover S2 drops on Crunchyroll on October 3rd, so you’ve got a few days left. Should be manageable. Maybe.
You can do it.
Don’t give up.
Black Clover S2 Looks like S5 from down Here
Black Clover is getting a second season, which makes it the perfect time to jump on the series. If you can see your way through Season 1 Part 1 (51 episodes), Season 1 Part 2 (another 51 episodes), Season 1 Part 3 (52 episodes, just to be different), and Season 1 Part 4 (16 episodes), you’ll be caught up and ready. That’s 170 episodes, excluding the original video anime (OVA) and then whatever drops on Crunchyroll for Black Clover S2 on October 3rd.
At roughly 22 minutes each, that’s about 62 hours of listening to main character (MC) Asta screaming. As far as I can tell, his vocalizations outlast the love screams on J-List’s entire JAV catalog.
Fortunately for your poor peepers and bleeding ears, we’ll help you decide if 62 hours of your life is a sacrifice you’re willing to make ahead of Black Clover S2’s launch. Many platforms stream Black Clover and the movie.
Naruto. With Magic
If you’ve watched Naruto, Black Clover will trigger your Spidey déjà vu.
Black Clover’s impatient Asta and cool Yuno are friends and rivals who’ve grown up together. Now, they’re both competing to become Wizard King. And, like the title of Hokage, there’s only ever one Wizard King. The setup reminds me of how an impulsive Naruto wanted to be Hokage and had to take on icy Sasuke to get there. At least Asta and Yuno aren’t intent on murdering each other.
As far as supernatural baggage, Naruto has a nine-tailed fox inside him, and Asta draws his power from a demonic weed. Or something like that. Black Clover’s MC is also an outsider, just like main-dude Naruto.
I love the idea of a protagonist with no magic, trying to get ahead in life in a world where everyone else has magical powers. Black Clover seemingly ditches that idea quickly, but don’t give up. It felt to me like seeing my presents before Christmas Day, until I got deeper into Season 1 and understood Black Clover’s setup better. But this is a shonen title, so I should’ve expected Black Clover to lean into the power fantasy.
If the Naruto comparison piques your interest, then 170 episodes of Naruto With Magic will be a fun trip in the nine-years-back-when machine. I wonder, though, how Black Clover S2 will reflect genre changes we take for granted in shonen anime today.
Never Give Up (For Black Clover S2 and Life)
“Not giving up is my magic.”
I love this powerful line from Asta, early in the series. I don’t know if Asta’s outlook would have resonated with me in 2017, when Black Clover premiered, but it does now. Asta’s story is provocative today, in 2026.
Asta’s world has magic. We have generative slop. But Asta doesn’t have ChatGPT membership and has never prompted Claude. Instead, he does things the hard way, doing his thousand pushups a day to make up for his shortcomings. Anyone trying to find their place in a changing world with an uncertain, machine-ruled future can draw hope from Asta’s dogged determination and his lesson that, if you work at it, your weakness becomes a superpower.
There’s a lot of pessimism and cynicism around today, but Asta reminds us to keep going. Just. Keep. Going. And Black Clover isn’t subtle about perseverance either. It grabs you by the collar and screams in your face. Those are Asta’s strained vocal cords.
From Manga to a 170-Episode Binge Battle
Before you start your sixty-two-hour Black Clover marathon, let’s unpack the history and details of the 170-episode Everest before you.
Black Clover is based on Yūki Tabata’s manga, which began publication in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2015. Studio Pierrot produced the television anime, which began airing in October 2017. That was October 3rd, too. Notice the perfect synchronicity that Black Clover S2 provides.
Unlike a modern seasonal anime, which drops 12 or 24 episodes before disappearing for a year, Black Clover was a long-running weekly production. It hit its 170th episode before going on hiatus in March 2021. The production company likely needed the break (but didn’t give up).
A little nosing around online confirms what you’d expect from that production model: dipping animation styles, pacing issues, and adaptation oddities. Studio Pierrot had to accommodate the manga’s publication pace, sometimes slowing the adaptation or including anime-original material.
Luckily, this means there are a few filler episodes you can skip in the lead-up to Black Clover S2. Anime Filler List lists 18 pure-filler episodes: 29, 66, 68, 82, 123–125, 131, 134–135, and 142–149. That brings us all the way down to only 152 episodes and 56 hours. Easy!
Don’t Forget the Movie
The Black Clover movie complicates watching the series somewhat.
Jesse Lab at JustWatch explains:
“Where things begin to get tricky is with the film Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (2023).”
The movie is set during the six-month time skip after Episode 120. It was initially easy to treat it like the many anime movies that tell a self-contained side story. However, Lab notes that concepts from the movie were incorporated into the manga’s finale. So, Sword of the Wizard King becomes integral to our preparations for Black Clover S2.
Black Clover S2, Finally Here After Five Years
170 episodes and five years later, Black Clover returns.
The second season begins on October 3rd, 2026, on Crunchyroll, with Studio Pierrot once again handling the animation. Ayataka Tanemura, who directed Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King and the latter part of Season 1, retains the director’s chair.
So, should you watch Black Clover S1?
The beauty of being an anime fan is that you don’t need to watch every major shonen series to earn your membership card. But if you do somehow manage the S-ranked task of catching up on Black Clover before Saturday, you’ll have earned something truly laudable: the ability to shout frustratedly in Japanese. Thanks, Asta!
Let’s Chat
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It’s a very special time for us at J-List, because 30 years ago this week, we started the first anime and hentai shop selling to fans around the world. And we’ve been able to make it this far thanks to our wonderful customers. We’re celebrating with a huge 20% sale on all in-stock Japan products, through October 7th. Start browsing now!
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