Black Clover creator Tabata rumored to take a creative break

As part of the spoilers released on Wednesday, February 1, for the latest Black Clover issue, it was revealed that series author and illustrator Yuki Tabata would be taking a one-week creative break. While unexpected to be announced for longer than a week, the break is nevertheless crushing to fans, coming at a crucial point in the series.

Nevertheless, Black Clover and its author likely need to take this break to prepare for coming issues. Following the chapter 340 spoilers and their reveal that antagonist Lucius Zogratis will make his move in three days, Tabata is likely taking the break to plan out what the series’ final stages will look like.

---

Despite Black Clover fans’ concern, Tabata’s health likely not a factor in the latest one-week break

While the latest Black Clover break could truly be due to several reasons, one factor that is unlikely to play a role here is Tabata’s health. Although the concern is warranted following several weeks of breaks in November and December 2022 specifically for his health, a break longer than a week would likely be implemented here if his health was a factor.

The most likely reason for the break is a creative one, as mentioned above. Although Tabata took a 3-month hiatus in the summer of 2022 to plan out the final arc, there are likely adjustments he wants to make before beginning its final stages. Alternatively, he could further hone and focus on a more general vision he had for the final stages following the summer hiatus.

An alternative theory that isn’t creative is that this could be a planned break for Tabata, independent of health and creative factors. One Piece author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda is known for doing this, occasionally publishing on a 2-on-1-off weekly schedule. Variations of this have come forth in the past, but the overall essence and approach remain the same.

Furthermore, while Oda and Shueisha will announce his switches to a regular break schedule, this may not be the case for Tabata. This would explain why fans weren’t made aware of the break before the release of spoilers for the upcoming issue. It would also account for why the break is coming at what appears to be a fairly crucial point in the story.

In any case, it’s unlikely that Tabata’s health is at risk, given the one-week length of the break. This is undoubtedly the most important aspect of the manga’s production, especially following the 2021 death of Kentaro Miura, an absence that the manga industry and fan community still feels today.

---

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