ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Black Clover,’ Volume 25

Black Clover Volume 25 is an action-adventure fantasy manga written and illustrated by Yūki Tabata. VIZ Media publishes the series as a part of the SHONEN JUMP imprint. Black Clover is set in a fantasy world where nearly everyone in the human population is born with magic and magical abilities. Unfortunately for a young boy named Asta, he is a rarity because he was born without any magic. 

The manga’s story centers on the story of Asta and Yuno, orphans who find themselves striving for the same dream of becoming the next Wizard King. While Yuno is a prodigy born with an advanced skill at magic, Asta’s power is believing in himself and never giving up; even without magic, he continues to work towards his dream. 

In Black Clover Volume 25, the Spade Kingdom’s Dark Triad launch an all-out attack on the Black Bulls and the Heart Kingdom. While Asta and company have gotten stronger, it doesn’t look like they can stand up to these new devil-possessed mages. This might be the perfect time for Yami to save the day. 

The artwork is great as usual. The mangaka continues to deliver beautiful panels filled with action and impressive background art. I especially enjoy how the artist doesn’t limit the art to the barrier of the panels in some scenes. They let actions and characters overlap panel lines, and I think it’s a very expressive way to show the intensity of a battle or character’s emotions. A great example of this can be seen during Charmy’s fight with one of the Spade Kingdom’s followers. 

Black Clover Volume 25 does a great job of pacing the story and not making it feel like any of the fights are dragged out for too long. This volume also allowed the other members of the Black Bulls and the Clover Kingdom to shine and show how much they have grown. We get to see a lot of that growth in other supporting characters. My personal favorite was seeing Yami, captain of the Black Bulls, in action and see him apply his new powers in battle.

The previous story arc felt like it brought a lot of the series full circle. However, after reading Volume 25, it is clear the story is not over yet. In this volume alone, we see new applications of magic, get more information about the devils, the antagonists reveal more of their true intentions and how it involves certain members of the Magic Knights, and lastly, there seems to be a mysterious Black Bull who is deep undercover in enemy territory. 

Once again, I have to applaud the mangaka and their amazing storytelling skills.  I feel all of this is a huge credit to the mangaka’s world-building. Yūki Tabata has truly created a series that continues to and expand and grow right along with the characters as they further develop themselves.

Lastly, there are some moments in this volume that might just make your jaw drop. I’m not saying the death flags are flying, but it is safe to say that no one is safe. Black Clover Volume 25 shows that the stakes are really high with the new antagonists and their devil-possessed powers. I’m interested to see how and if all of the heroes will survive and defeat their enemies in the end. 

Overall, Black Clover Volume 25 does a great job providing further character development in the “Heart Kingdom Joint Struggle Arc.” It is a good read and worth picking up. The pacing of the storytelling is great because there is plenty of action and fights, but they don’t get dragged out for very long and keep the story moving forward. Additionally, while the previous arc brought some things in the series full circle, Volume 25 clarifies that there is still much more of the story to be told. The stakes seem even higher in this arc, and I am eager to read the next installment to find out what happens next.

Black Clover Volume 25 is available wherever books are sold on May 4, 2021.