Black Clover: Why Asta failing to save Sister Lily at this moment might be a good thing

The latest Black Clover chapter was a fantastic one for fans, who saw author and illustrator Yuki Tabata finally choose to have Asta return to the front lines against Sister Lily. What was especially exciting was Asta’s ending declaration that he will save Sister Lily from Lucius’ clutches at the conclusion of their forthcoming fight.

However, fans shouldn’t take the confident declaration as a sign that this will be the future they see in the coming issues of Black Clover. In fact, it may even be better from a narrative perspective to have Asta fail to save Sister Lily in this imminent opportunity to do so.

Follow along as this article fully breaks down exactly why Asta failing to save Sister Lily in Black Clover’s immediate future may be good for the series’ overall narrative.

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Emphasizing Asta’s acceptance of his weakness rather than wholly rejecting it may elevate Black Clover’s protagonist to new heights

In addition to Asta’s debut on the Ryuzen Seven versus Sister Lily battlefield, fans saw Black Clover’s protagonist literally slice through his fears and self-doubts. In the process, it was revealed that what Asta had feared this whole time was his own failure and weakness, especially in the context of his strength relative to Yuno Grinberryall’s.

The moment was one that fans had been awaiting for quite some time, with seemingly everyone but Asta himself recognizing exactly what he was afraid of and how it held him back. In any case, seeing the young Magic Knight overcome this self-doubt and master his Perfect Zetten was a universally welcome sight.

This parlayed into Asta’s aforementioned declaration of saving Sister Lily, a promise that most fans expect him to make good on in Black Clover’s coming chapters. However, this is far from guaranteed, especially considering that Asta still has Sister Lily, Heath Grice, and the five-headed dragon to contend with.

While the two latter threats will undoubtedly be handled by other characters, allowing Asta to focus on Sister Lily, the possibility of his loss still exists. In fact, from a narrative viewpoint, it seems to be more of a likelihood rather than a possibility. This is especially true considering the narrative framing of the Hino Country subarc, as Asta is training to overcome his own fears, weaknesses, and self-doubts.

If Asta were to fail at rescuing Sister Lily in the coming issues of Black Clover, it could be used as a narratively fantastic means of showing how far he has come. Having him fail yet again but continue to remain resolute in his beliefs, as seen in the latest issue, would emphasize that he truly means what he said, rather than it being a fleeting mindset spurred on by training.

Showing that he’s able to accept his failures and still maintain his beliefs would also help to solidify his maturity. Asta has always had an air of confidence about him, but being able to fully recognize and accept his failures while still believing in himself would truly elevate his character to new heights.

This would also essentially be the final evolution of Asta’s character in Black Clover, likely fully completing his character arc outside of becoming the Wizard King. While purely speculative with no spoilers for the upcoming issue available as of this article’s writing, it would nevertheless be an incredibly significant development from a narrative perspective.

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