u/cosmicstruggler

… where the season might end off at. Let me explain.

At Anime Expo, some accounts were reporting online that Season 2 may be split into two parts, kind of like how Pierrot has been doing with TYBW recently. Now, these are as of right now just rumors and/or speculation, but if this turns out to be true, I believe the only place to leave off on is >!Lucifero’s entrance after Asta performs Infinite Slash: Equunox!<. It is the perfect setup for a Part 2 imo. It may seem obvious since it’s such a hype moment, but there’s another reasoning as to why this might be the case.

We get not only a list of the main characters in the first half of the raid (Asta, Noelle, Nacht, Yuno, etc.), and not only do we have the captains, but we have the Black Bulls reserved in a higher position on the list than said captains. Usually, the higher you are on a credits list, the more time you have in said production. Meaning, the >!fight with Morris vs. the Black Bulls has the potential to be the final fight of the season, and might receive an extension due to this reason. Hopefully this happens (even if it’s a normal season), cause Morris certainly deserves some time in the spotlight as a villain.!<

With the captains >!playing a significant role in the initial fight against Lucifero, you would think their VA’s would each be moved higher on the credits list. This is why I believe that Morris’s fight with the Black Bulls could be the ending to Part 1. If it gets extended, we could get to see more of the squad in action and showing off their own skills, talking about their various feelings about Yami (which matters, considering this is the fight right before the “We love you!” scene), etc.!<

I’m not aware of any leaks talking specifically about fights other than >!Nacht vs. the Twin Devils!<, so this is all purely speculation on my end. But if the upcoming season is truly being split into two parts, then it makes sense to leave off on these specific scenes.

Absolute peak has finally dropped. It looks incredible. They’ve nailed just about every single design. The fight previews we’ve gotten so far make everything look promising.

All that’s left to do is wait until October. Black Clover is back.

Patiently waiting for this trailer to drop lol. Anyone know what time we should expect it?

Art by @aoi3103_0713

Still hung up on the fact we didn’t get something similar to this once the war concluded but this art will heal me in the meantime lol

I still have some small feeling that he’s gonna meet Subaru at some point and learn more about different fighting styles. Maybe he’ll learn Sand-and-Bone and use that alongside IWPS. Plus, you never know if there are some unforeseen Soga techniques (aside from Kurotsuchi, if Akemura has it) that he could pick up. Can’t forget about Dark Power and how that might end up playing out depending on the whole “death” conditions.

That being said, I think this next part in Chihiro’s life is about finding purpose in his own strength and power, rather than being a jack of all trades and strictly holding onto the lessons of his father and tutors. It’d make sense given where he’s at right now.

Tagging as spoiler just in case.

Something that I don’t understand is how some people can’t see the point of Asta’s trial + his exclusion from becoming a 1st Class Senior Magic Knight alongside Yuno.

All throughout the story, we’re shown and told about how corrupt the Noble Realm is and how biased they are against commoners and peasants. It’s the cornerstone of the story and one of the leading ideals that Asta intends to break. During his trial, I always see different posts about how unfair it was or how idiotic it is that he was “snubbed” from ranking up alongside Yuno.

Yeah, that’s the point.

It’s reinforcing the stereotype that no matter how much good you do, those with nefarious intentions are going to shut you down as much as they can. Damnatio quite literally says to Asta’s face that the only outcome he banked on was one where Asta would be forced to choose between his innocence or the Magic Knights as a whole. That’s one peasant Magic Knight vs. a good portion of the country’s military. Realistically, which way did you think it was gonna go?

And keep in mind that the Golden Dawn were not just the only ones controlled by Elves, though they were the primary force. This affected a great deal of the Magic Knights, including captains, perhaps even half of their forces if we’re being generous. Damnatio used Asta’s good nature against him in this moment, and it makes sense logistically to do this if you’re looking to pin something on someone.

As for the ceremony where Yuno and the others are promoted, the insinuation that it was wrong for Asta to get snubbed while Yuno gets preferred treatment is ludicrous. Both of them deserved it because they play a huge role in defeating Zagred, but Yuno is the only one promoted why? Cause Asta is currently on trial. Promoting someone actively going through a trial — no matter how bogus said trial is — won’t do the Magic Knights or Julius any favors. And that’s not even counting Marx specifically saying that if a certain trial had not been occurring, a certain someone would be getting promoted too.

People have to stop acting like it doesn’t make sense that Asta was put on trial or stonewalled from reaching 1st Class Senior MK. In the context of the story overall, it makes sense that things like this happened. Is it a false trial? Absolutely, but you have to keep in mind that this is the way the world works. Things are unfair on purpose, idk why it’s such a hard concept to grasp.

Anyways, those are my points. Are there any other misconceptions that you see that irk you as well?

Art by @imkebius

I really like the use of a classic knighting here, especially with Noelle being the one who’s bestowing the title to Asta. Couple that with the capital in the background and the springtime vibe going on, this is a great piece.

“Upcoming weeks” is kinda vague but it would be insane if it lines up with the release of Cour 4 or drops after the movie premieres

Either way, Bleach is (most likely) BACK!

Asta throwing hands against dangerous opponents will never not be cool

Art by @so_yaCreations on Twitter/X

I didn’t really know how to title this without spoiling the manga but this will be about Julius’s magic and how much he shares with Lucius. This is mostly me rambling so apologies in advance for the essay. TL;DR at the bottom if you just wanna skim but I’d recommend reading it if you’re interested in Julius/Lucius.

It’s not a stretch to think that Julius’s original magic isn’t Time Magic, nor is it Lucius’s. Yeah, it seems stupid to just say that since it’s common knowledge but lemme explain. We all know that Time Magic belonged to Astaroth prior to the binding, but a question that I saw from time to time throughout the final arc’s run was “what was Julius’s real magic if not Time?” We never get a straightforward answer despite a few implications and theories here and there.

With all that in mind, a conclusion that we can draw is that both Lucius and Julius were simultaneous wielders of Soul Magic. In turn, this means that Julius himself could have originally been from Spade and not Clover. Again, this isn’t any groundbreaking theory but I wanted to expand upon this.

When I think back to Julius’s random disguises as different people, it always seemed odd to have a man who wielded Time Magic be associated with disguises. Later on, we find out about Lucius, but for the longest time it was confusing on how Julius was able to essentially turn himself into a different person. That being said, Soul Magic is the key.

If it seems weird that Julius can just use Soul Magic without any knowledge or training of it, then think back to when Yuno acquired his second grimoire. A lot of people claim it’s an asspull, but we have to remember that magic is not bound by the grimoire — it is a natural part of the individual. Yuno’s Star Magic was an innate power within him, one that had already matured with him as he aged.

It’s why he picked up the various spells easily against Zenon, and why his mastery over it in the Wizard King Saga was exceptional. He mainly used his Stars as forms of teleportation in Spade Saga, while in Wizard King Saga he used them more flexibly and harnessed a great deal of unique spells in 15 months. Basically, Yuno had time to train his Star Magic.

Julius, unlike Yuno, never trained with Soul Magic. Assuming that he is from Spade like Lucius, Julius’s talent of manipulating souls was only at the innate stage. However, where Lucius is an expert at configuring other people’s souls and messing with their mana, Julius’s knowledge would pretty much cap off at him only being able to change the way he looks and the way his mana felt.

And because the mana was what had changed, nobody could sense that a random old lady or a measly bartender was actually Julius. This also lines up with Asta being the first to pick up on Julius/Lucius’ Ki on their first contact. Ki involves heightened sensory awareness that goes beyond just sensing mana, and since Asta has no mana, it was much easier for him to sense that something was wrong with Julius/Lucius.

Rewinding a bit to the topic of the Elf Spirit residing in Yuno, we know that his magic is Wind Magic but it should also be pointed out that Licht’s Sword Magic probably served as inspiration for Spirit of Zephyr, a sword-based Wind weapon. Familial/soul-linked magic types have been a thing since the beginning of the series, so Julius and Lucius both sharing Soul Magic in that regard makes some sense.

This part of what I’m about to type has the most amount of speculation based off of hints and personal assessments, but we never learn anything about Julius’s origins except for the fact that Lucius and him are Soul Twins. It’s my belief that both of them are from Spade because Soul Magic — like Body, Blood, and Bone — originated from there.

Clover Kingdom has “modern”/developed and unique combinations of magic types, Heart has a deep connection to Mana of the Natural World, much of Diamond has modified/“hybrid” magic, and Spade has magic that has a connection to cosmic/human concepts (Sun, Moon, Body, Blood, etc.), almost in the territory of “heavenly creations” if you will. So, Soul Magic being tied inherently to Spade fits with this, and since Julius is a Soul Twin, this could be how he fits into being from Spade too.

Now, back to Julius’s use of Time Magic. We know that his grimoire is coverless due to how much knowledge and spells were inside it. However, every Clover grimoire, even the Five-Leaf that Asta has, has that symbol identifying the country of origin. Every kingdom does this. Even Lucius’s Spade Grimoire has the Dual Spades similar to Yuno’s Four-Leaf. So keeping the Time Magic “Grimoire” kind of obscured in this way lends itself to the idea that Julius is actually from Spade like Lucius.

I will say that my main area of doubt though about both being from Spade is Lucius notably being wheelchair-bound while Julius suffered no deformities. I get it, the whole “each soul has their own curse” and whatnot from the whole William/Patry thing. That said, I’m still a bit hazy on the timeline between Julius being a captain/becoming Wizard King and Lucius growing up with his siblings while being paralyzed.

Originally I thought that the body in Spade was a clone and that Lucius can essentially split his time between both bodies when needed, but I’m not sure how that works out considering all of the Zograttis Siblings’ magic types were needed to create clones.

There’s the possibility of Lucius just erasing Julius’s memories whenever, so maybe that’s it. But it still doesn’t explain Lucius’s wheelchair-bound state. It’s one of the last few things about Lucius that I’m confused about that I hope gets touched on in the anime. I know it’s a relatively small thing but it sticks out like a sore thumb lol.

TL;DR: Both Julius and Lucius possess Soul Magic, while Time Magic was always just an extension of Astaroth’s original power. Julius has subconsciously been using Soul Magic as part of his disguises because it is his innate magic, which doesn’t require a grimoire to activate. Additionally, because Soul Magic is likely tied to Spade, and because his grimoire was coverless and without a symbol of origin, this can mean that Julius himself is from the Spade Kingdom.

Idk the artist who owns this. I’ve tried reversing the image to find the source but I’ve had no luck. If you know the artist please tag them in the comments cause they deserve the credit for this great art.

Obviously Asta becoming the Wizard King takes the spotlight, but Yami and Charlotte getting married as well as the Silva siblings having lunch together were personal favorites of mine as well. And seeing Nacht leading the Black Bulls as their captain now feels really fitting.

Which character do you think got the best ending?

Image unrelated (still funny though)

What did Clover do for 1 year and 3 months without any sign of Julius, and why were three candidates already selected for succession? I know it seems like I answered my own question but let me explain.

In the 15 months that happened between Spade Raid and Judgement Day, we know that Lucius has been devising his plans and whatnot. During Asta’s ceremony, someone mentions how Julius must be out on one of his expeditions due to his absence. This is when Asta also asks about Fuegoleon, Nozel, and Mereoleona being nominated for the title of Wizard King.

This got me thinking as to who has been serving as Wizard King in the 15 months that Lucius has been scheming. Moreover, why was there a need for nominations in the first place when, by all accounts, Julius was still “active”?

A likely explanation as to why there was no need for an interim Wizard King is that since there were no more persistent threats (Devils defeated, Diamond collapsed, Midnight Sun wiped out), no one really questioned Julius’s time away from the castle-town. Peace was pretty much restored continent-wide. Thus, there was no need for an acting leader or for Julius to spend much time in the public.

However, the question still remains as to why Fuegoleon, Nozel, and Mereoleona were even propositioned in the first place. It’s suggested that Julius is simply in disguise and out exploring the continent, not that he’s retired or forcibly removed from his role. So why put up a Silva and two Vermillion’s as candidates?

If the arc started out the same way Chapter 390 opened up (with different people asking who is going to be the next Wizard King), then that provides some stronger context and legitimacy as to why Julius isn’t there. On top of that, it implies that Julius himself is being replaced in favor of others (which could work well with Black Clover’s story about good people being looked over by those with other intentions).

In all honesty, you could probably chalk it up to nobles wanting more influence by having a royal in the position, or how Julius’s transformation mid-Ancient Demon battle may have been perceived by the general populous. Still, it’s a bit confusing as to why it opened up this way.

I don’t think I’d call it a plot hole, but just a small oversight I guess. Then again, the only times we’ve seen Wizard Kings get selected is through direct battle (Lumiere vs. Licht, Lucius vs. Conrad, Asta vs. Yuno) so I’m not really sure how the process is even handled in the first place. (I’m sure that there are explanations in a databook or character sheet for Conrad and the other three from the movie on how they became WK’s but I don’t have a way to know for sure.)

Personally, I think it would’ve been both cool and creepy to have one of Lucius’s clones pose as Julius to keep up appearances from time to time. This wouldn’t be revealed right away, as it would defeat Lucius’s eerie presence and entrance at the end of 332 if someone during the ceremony just randomly said that they saw Julius just a few days back.

Maybe during the emergency meeting following Asta’s “death” would’ve been a decent way to casually mention “he seemed like his usual self not too long ago” or something to that effect. It maintains the illusion and secrecy surrounding the 15 months while retroactively making Lucius more cunning and deceptive. Think about how crazy it is to know that the leader you looked up to is now nothing but a puppet/husk for someone else’s goals.

At the end of the day, it’s not that big of a deal to me. I’m just curious and am probably looking too deep into something that isn’t meant to be closely looked at lol.

Not sure if the source is verified or not (or if there even is one) but this’ll be big if it winds up being true

As much as I would love to have a follow-up to Black Clover or something equivalent by him, I highly doubt that Tabata would want to continue in a monthly magazine this close to the series’ ending. Not because he wouldn’t enjoy it or that it would be bad, but because of the circumstances that we all know that he’s been through.

Without going into spoilers, there are some things that are left open-ended for sure. However, the timing of this just feels way too soon, especially since we already know that we’re getting a databook with new info on characters and spells in August, as well as some small bonus content in the Volume 38 release.

I’m curious to hear what you all think though. Is this just severe cope on some people’s ends or is there a shot at Tabata being the “veteran” that the editor is referring to? I’m thinking the former is the more likely outcome.