Black Clover triumphs over My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen for once, and its because of Mereoleona

Black Clover looks to have outdone its competitors in terms of major female supporting characters. The Uncrowned Undefeated Lioness, Mereoleona Vermillion, has breezed her way through the toughest challenges to stand tall for her beliefs. In Fuegoleon's absence, she captained the Crimson Lion Squad and the Royal Knights Squad.

In comparison, female characters from anime like My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen seem to find it challenging to do the same. The likes of Star and Stripe or Yuki Tsukumo have been impactful, but their time in the spotlight was somewhat limited.

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Mereoleon allows Black Clover to stand tall over My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen

Mereoleona Vermillion in Black Clover (Image via Pierrot)

Black Clover's Mereoleona Vermillion is a well-written character that has grown with the series. Upon introduction, she seemed like an absolute indomitable powerhouse. She lived up to the titles bestowed upon her as she crushed her opponents with strength, powerful magic, and sheer grit.

As shown in the series, she was a genius to begin with, receiving her Grimoire and almost immediately becoming too powerful. Through harsh training in Grand Magic Zones and fighting inhuman creatures, she steeled herself and her resolve—the result - her overcoming unimaginable odds to secure victory.

Her character doesn't follow typical animanga clichés. Instead, it breaks past them and actually allows her to justify being the strongest captain arc after arc. Mereoleona's fights against Vetto, the 5 Elves, Zenon Zogratis' Demon Spawn, and, more recently, Moris Libardirt are testaments to her strength.

Yuki Tsukumo in Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via MAPPA)

Moving forward, compared to Black Clover's Mereoleona, the female characters from Jujutsu Kaisen tend to fall slightly short. For instance, Yuki Tsukumo, one of four Special Grade Sorcerers, had a bit of an underwhelming time on screen.

While she was built up well, and her ideologies were impressive, implementation was somewhat lacking. Her fights are few, initially appearing to save her Jujutsu High colleagues from Kenjaku and later pairing up with Choso to fend off Kenjaku. She does put up a good fight but eventually succumbs to Kenjaku's might.

Maki Zen'in can be stated as another instance. She receives a massive power-up midway through the series and only grows stronger. Moreover, she unlocks her full potential after sparring with Rokujushi Miyo. But even after all this, her contribution to the final Ryomen Sukuna isn't all what it was made out to be. To put it simply, her character lacks a shining moment that trumps her male counterparts.

Star and Stripe in My Hero Academia (Image via Bones)

As for My Hero Academia, Star and Stripe stand as the best example. For the hype built around her and her Quirk, New Order, she received negligible screen time and was dispatched as quickly as she arrived. Even with all its limits, New Order could have been the series' most ridiculous powers to exist.

Further, Rabbit Hero: Mirko looked heavily nerfed when the time came for her to shine. Granted, she was impressive when invading Garaki's lab and fighting off the Nomu.

Adding to that, despite sustaining grave injuries, she continues to fight with a smile on her face. But even so, characters seem to receive limited time in the spotlight and are held back in some regard.

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Final thoughts

In terms of writing and design, Black Clover creator Yuki Tabata has done a commendable job with Mereoleona Vermillion. She is a rare example of a powerful female character who survives throughout the series and evolves with it. With how anime is today, great female representation is a must.

In comparison, other anime can view Mereoleona as a burning example. Not to be mistaken, My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen have their own respective female characters who are equally good, if not better. However, a few faces, like Yuki, Mirko, etc., could have shone brighter.

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Related links:

• Mereoleona in Black Clover is what Yamamoto in Bleach should have been
• Is Mereoleona Vermillion Stronger than Yami Sukehiro? Black Clover's strongest captain explained
• 10 anime characters like Star and Stripe from My Hero Academia