Black Clover: Damnatio was always going to fight the Black Bulls (and chapter 363 confirms it)

Throughout the entirety of author and illustrator Yuki Tabata’s Black Clover manga series, fans have seen Asta’s journey be one of constantly proving himself to those around him. This became especially true and prevalent after it was confirmed that his anti-magic actually comes from the use of a devil’s powers.

In fact, an entire section of the Black Clover story revolved around Asta being put on trial and potentially being executed simply for being a devil host and user of their powers. As fans may remember, none other than the recently reappearing Damnatio Kira was behind this persecution of Asta.

With Damnatio now appearing once more to prevent Asta’s return home, fans are finally getting to see the mage in action in a real and true fight against the Black Bulls. However, as many Black Clover fans are pointing out, this is somewhat unsurprising since Damnatio was always meant to fight the group over Asta’s fate ever since his initial introduction.

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Tabata’s latest full-circle plot line has Black Clover fans singing his praises

Why Damnatio was always going to fight the Black Bulls, explained

As mentioned above, Damnatio Kira was the one responsible for the persecution of Asta due to his being a devil host in the earlier events of the Black Clover manga series. Citing the recent dangers devils had brought to the Clover Kingdom, Damnatio asserted that Asta could in no way, shape, or form be trusted as a Magic Knight or even a Clover Kingdom citizen.

During the trial, just when all hope had seemed lost, the rest of the Black Bulls squad stepped in and even threatened to fight Damnatio over his actions against Asta. Likewise, they asserted that Asta could be more than trusted as both a Magic Knight and a citizen of the Clover Kingdom, ending the trial early much to Damnatio’s chagrin.

Now, with the release of Black Clover chapter 363’s spoilers and the long-awaited unofficial start of this fight, fans see what Tabata’s long-term plan was for Damnatio all along. Just as the Black Bulls opposed Damnatio for Asta long ago, they now do the same again, at arguably the most crucial juncture in the entire series thus far.

This long-term narrative also cements that Damnatio was the enemy the Black Bulls were meant to face all along. While each of the lesser members is still an incredibly powerful mage in their own right, it makes sense that they’re unable to stand up to the level of a Paladin individually.

Hence, the choice to have them all fight as a group against Damnatio, a Paladin makes sense on multiple levels. It provides closure to a plot point established earlier on in the Black Clover story, while also giving them the opportunity to significantly contribute to the Judgment Day battle. This will ring true even if they end up losing against Damnatio, as long as they occupy him long enough to secure Asta’s return.

Unsurprisingly, this fight has become one of the most highly anticipated in the Judgment Day war due to the intertwining narratives and storytelling it represents. It also further establishes that Tabata has been crafting the series with a long-term narrative and vision in mind, which in turn emphasizes his skill as an author and the quality of the series overall.

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Be sure to keep up with all Black Clover manga news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.