One of those comparisons Black clover can not help but draw is to NarutoBut Black Clover is actually a massive evolution of Naruto's core concepts. As one of the Big Three of shōnen, Naruto's influence is everywhere. It established a number of archetypes and concepts that shōnen today constantly find themselves building upon. While it's clear that Black Clover certainly took a lot of influence from Naruto, it's often overlooked how Black Clover developed many of the systems in ways that would become hallmarks of modern shōnen.
Black Clover is an innovative series in its own right, with many adoring fans eagerly awaiting its fifth season. Following the story of Asta and Yuno, two orphaned brothers from a ruined village who intend to become the Wizard King, Black Clover puts Asta at the center of a long story about maturity, perseverance and comradeship.
It's not just Naruto that borrows from both. It openly airs its admiration for shōnen, and has no problem building on shōnen stereotypes. Black Clover tweaks these stereotypes in ways that are fundamentally interesting and impactful in their own right.
Black Clover never copied Naruto (and saying they did is wrong)
Fans Misunderstand the Importance of Small Changes
Asta is often the first point of comparison between the two series, which have superficial similarities to Naruto. Both are fierce and combative orphan protagonists with indomitable wills and, in the anime adaptations, even have similar voices. Both have a certain kind of power and a desire to be recognized in their societies. That's more or less where the similarities stop, and even when one digs deeper into them, they are not worth much either.
First of all, if defiance, a special talent, a great desire that one must prove oneself to achieve, and constantly going through challenges on the path to becoming the greatest are what make a Naruto clone character, then Most of the major characters in written history could be Naruto clones. Walter White or Odysseus could even be considered Naruto's clone. It's absurd for obvious reasons, but viewers don't always apply the same kind of discrimination to Asta and Naruto because they're both clearly fighting shounen in their dialogue with each other.
The same would apply to other parts of Black Clover. If Magic Knights are like Shinobi because they guard an area and have some sort of procedure before being allowed to work under them, then the armies on both sides of the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea are essentially two armies of cloned Shinobi in a cold confrontation. The list could go on. This approach oversimplifies the very important differences between the series and How Black Clover Always Proud of Its Influences – and take pride in contributing something extra to them.
From the very first episode, Black Clover has been distinct from Naruto. The village of Hage is a great example, and it provides a stark contrast to Naruto's Konoha. From the very beginning, Hage is shown to be a village rundown, poor and largely forgotten by the Clover Kingdom leaders at the Capitol.
While Naruto's childhood was based on personal poverty that was barely mentioned by anyone else (he was hated because he was an ajinchuriki, not because he was poor), the structural poverty that pervades the Clover Kingdom is necessary for both Asta and Yuno's desire to become the Sorcerer King. While Naruto initially wanted to become Hokage for recognition, Asta and Yuno wanted to become the Wizard King to repay the village that raised them. In this sense, Black Clover takes the premise of Naruto but corrects its crucial flaws in world building.
Class, lineage, and aptitude are the main driving forces in Black Clover, unlike Naruto.Naruto depicts a world where most conflicts take place between Hidden Villages and nations, or with rogue groups like the Akatsuki that want to challenge the Kage system altogether. Black Clover reverses this. While it somewhat simplifies the overarching antagonistic forces, it goes into more detail about the conflicts within the Clover Kingdom and its sociopolitical order.
Black Clover is one of the first “modern Shonen” thanks to the influence of Naruto
Many changes in Black Clover will be followed by today's Anime
When it comes to identifying the many characteristics that can define modern shōnen, Analyzing the relationship between Black Clover and Naruto provides a great starting point. The aforementioned difference in world-building somewhat foreshadows the trend towards darker themes and greater world realism with the advent of series like Attack On Titan. It also describes how The conflict becomes more about the vast forces of good and evil. (In Attack On Titan, first it's humans vs Titans, then Eldians vs Marleyans) is used as a backdrop to show the cruelty of the world.
This is further illustrated in Asta's anti-magic mechanism. The anti-magic mechanism allows for the intriguing premise that Asta, unlike Naruto's massive chakra, does not have the same magical abilities as most people in the Clover Kingdom – justification for abuse and his own determination. In general, with Naruto and other series like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Hunter x Hunter (for the most part), Dragon Ball, etc., the villains and evil forces often have the same type of energy as the “good guys”.
In contrast, “modern shōnen” tend to be more complex. Asta’s anti-magic spells corrupt the magic system in Black Clover. Demon Slayer’s Nezuko is a demon who must prove her benevolence. Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji has no innate skills and his powers are mostly superhuman strength and martial arts ability, especially early on. Any ability to manipulate cursed energy comes from Sukuna, a distinctly malevolent force. Many shōnen shows today good energy against bad energyor as in Jujutsu Kaisen, They further complicate the fact that the powers are based on the same type of energy for both heroes and villains..
This change is also what makes Naruto's power from Kurama different from the power of the demon Asta. Speaking of which, Black Clover is also one of the to have a character threatened with death specifically because they embody a dangerous, evil power. Asta, Nezuko, and Yuji are all examples again, as is Gabimaru from Hell's Paradise. All of the series mentioned above build up Naruto's hatred for being Kurama's seal while increasing the danger level significantly.
There was also one tend to depict more complex rivalrieswhen they're there. Whether it's Naruto and Sasuke, Gon and Killua, or Goku and Vegeta, rivalries tend to start out clearly defined by characters with opposing ideals. Asta and Yuno, on the other hand, start out as best friends, and one of the most emotional parts of the show is watching them grow apart. As the dynamic changes, it also becomes less noticeable. The entirety of Shippuden revolves around Naruto and Sasuke, but for a large part of Black Clover, it's easy to forget that Yuno exists.
In other words, where competition was once the default, They are now becoming less frequent, less defined, and more complex in where they are found.. Demon Slayer has no real rivalry to speak of; Jujutsu Kaisen's Yuji and Megumi have an interesting relationship that isn't even a rivalry in the first place. In fact, Jujutsu Kaisen even reverses the rivalry dynamic, with Mahito declaring Yuji a rival because he possesses Sukuna, and Sukuna himself being Yuji's rival more than anyone else.
These are just a few of the ways that Black Clover was the first to herald many changes that would fill the modern shōnen genre.. Not every contemporary shōnen will implement these elements. Competition is important to Haikyu!!. The opposite is also true: many older shōnen can predict the ideas that make modern shōnen so popular, like the realism, dark art, and mechanical subversion of Hunter x Hunter's Chimera Ant arc. The inclusion of these elements doesn't make a series better or worse, but it does reflect what anime fans today clearly want to see.
In short, Black Clover improved many aspects of Naruto.so that those aspects can better meet the needs and expectations of today's shōnenFrom undermining unified power systems like chakra to developing a darker and more vibrant world, Black Clover has foreshadowed many of the changes that would shape what is considered the best anime today. Developments like this are sure to make Black clover an underrated shōnen series – and that makes calling it a clone unfair.
