Energetic and gutsy hero Asta is just your average kid living in the fantastical world of Clover Kingdom where everyone has magic…except Asta himself! However, his lack of magical ability is made up for by his persistence and his genuine desire to protect the people around him. However, Asta does receive a Grimoire, or a magic book, that allows him to harness the power of a sword that negates magic. Pretty ironic for a guy who wants to be the Wizard King. But with the help of a misfit group of mages and his best friend and rival Yuno, Asta might just be the next Wizard King after all!

While the Black Bulls attempt to protect the impoverished village of Sausy against the ice magic user Heath Grice, Asta continues to put his heart and soul into whatever he’s doing no matter the odds against him. Even when his enemies look down upon him, he manages to overcome them by any means possible, usually with a strength that throws everyone off guard.

Honestly, even if becoming the Wizard King doesn’t work out for him, Asta still gets the award for being the most persistent protagonist I’ve ever seen. Every time we think that the Black Bulls are done for—and trust me that happens a lot—Asta always manages to surprise us with his tenacity and his ability to just never give up. Ever. In fact, this quirk of his is so contagious that it even has the stoic Yuno adopting Asta’s perseverance.

In addition to his determination to see everything through, Asta also has this uncanny ability to befriend everyone he meets. There are definitely a lot of characters that were introduced in the first volume, and mangaka Yûki Tabata Sensei does an excellent job in fleshing out their personalities through unique traits and snappy flashbacks. We haven’t learned everyone’s backstories yet, but I’m sure we’ll learn them soon. (Personally I’m gunning for Captain Yami’s backstory soon…just saying.) We also get to meet some new characters like the mysterious bird Nero that follows Asta and steals the show without saying anything—in fact, it mainly just stares at you with its shifty eyes!

But seriously, Nero is probably my favorite mascot, and the fact that he comes literally out of nowhere and just nests himself in Asta’s hair is absolutely priceless. As for the Clover Kingdom itself, there are still many factors that are unknown, like the different kinds of grimoires and what it means to be a Magic Knight. With Asta becoming more comfortable as a member of the Black Bulls, I’m excited to learn more about this magical universe and Asta's journey to become the Wizard King.

To read more about Asta and Nero in Black Clover Vol. 2, click HERE!

by Michelle Yee