Reaction to Black Clover, “Zenon’s Power”

WARNING: Spoilers for Black Clover Episode 161, “Zenon’s Power”

If you aren’t watching Black Clover, first of all why are you reading this post and second of all what have you been watching? (Seriously what are you watching, I need to expand my list.)

By now we are blasting into the Spade Kingdom arc at full speed. While filler episodes were fun and tied in surprisingly well to the main content, this is where the action is. We’ve briefly seen what Asta and the gang are up to since the time skip but this episode is one of the few moments where we get to see Yuno shine.

Apparently in the six month time skip he’s become vice captain and hit stage zero. (Also he’s apparently a prince! Who else is over here going that’s great but where did Asta come from?) Yuno has always been powerful, so the fact that he is royalty really comes as no surprise. What’s more shocking is the amount of emotion we see him display over the course of this one episode. The care for his comrades really comes through this episode and it’s his anguish over the devastation he finds that emotionally locks you into his battle with Gaderois.

Now we’ve had close calls before for major deaths (we were all on the edge of our seat for the Elf Invasion arc) but that moment when Ralph arrives to find Bell sobbing over Yuno’s lifeless body is a literal gut punch. I truly thought at that moment, Yuno was going to die. With Bell disintegrating and the light in his eyes fading, there was not a dry eye on this couch. How bold would it have been to leave Yuno and half of the Golden Dawn dead with no chance of coming back. My first thought was “oh no this is what’s going to fuel Asta further into the hands of his demon.” Things are going to get dark.(Did no one else catch demon Asta in the opening?) Luckily we didn’t have to theorize that long and in anime fashion the majority was mysterious saved by an absent Vangeance. I will applaud Tabata, and Studio Pierrot, for really setting the tone now that maybe not everyone will make it out alive this arc.

Overall this was a fantastic episode. I loved every minute of it but there is just one tiny issue I have with it. Where was the Wizard King?!

There is no way someone didn’t call him. If they had time to inform Yuno out in Hage, then they had time to ping Marx. Obviously this makes for better story telling if the Golden Dawn faces insurmountable odds without him but it really makes you wonder. How did Zenon even infiltrate the Clover Kingdom without Julius knowing?

Until next time!