Who needs magic abilities anyway?
In a world where using magic is seen as the best thing possible, being anti-magic has never been cooler than in Black Clover.
Since 2017, the hit anime franchise has graced screens with multiple TV seasons and films, and even branches off into standalone shorts exclusive to annual fan conventions.
The story focuses on Asta, who is a young boy that’s been born without any magical abilities in a society that requires them. He soon receives a rare grimoire that gives him anti-magic abilities, allowing Asta to be powerful in his own way.
Together with a group of mages known as the Black Bulls, he sets off to become the next Wizard King.
With so many ways to enjoy Black Clover, it can be difficult to know where to start to catch up. Turns out, no magic is needed to get on board with the anime’s story.
Whether you’re a seasoned fan looking to rewatch before the speculated season 5 or just want to get in on the action, here’s how to watch the Black Clover franchise in order.
How to watch Black Clover in release order
Despite the main Black Clover anime series taking up most of the franchise’s space, there have been a few other one-offs along the way.
The June 2023 release of Sword of the Wizard King marks the franchise’s biggest film to date, though some fans might not be aware that a few other standalones can be consumed along with the main storyline.
To watch Black Clover according to its release date order would look something like this:
- 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)
- Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (film, 2023)
How to watch Black Clover in chronological order
However, some fans might choose to watch the franchise according to the fictional timeline that takes place in the show.
For the most part, this isn’t too different to the release date order, although there is one key change: The events of Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King take place during the time skip between the Elf Reincarnation arc and the Heart Kingdom Joint Struggle arc.
This means that the film would need to be watched in the middle of season 4 for the overall timeline to make total sense.
That would look like the following:
- Black Clover season 1
- Black Clover season 2
- Black Clover season 3
- Black Clover season 4 (up to episode 157)
- Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King
- Black Clover season 4 (from episode 158)
As none of the OVA specials are officially part of the Black Clover timeline, these can be watched at any time or be completely skipped.
How to watch the English dub of Black Clover
English dubbed episodes of Black Clover can be found on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
An English dub of Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King is also available on Netflix.
How to watch Black Clover in the UK
All seasons of Black Clover can currently be found on both Crunchyroll and Funimation, with Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King available to stream on Netflix.
You can catch Black Clover on Crunchyroll. Sign up to Crunchyroll from $7.99 per month with a 14-day free trial.
Check out more of our anime coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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