Warning: Spoiler for Black Clover chapter #365How Nero describes her relationship with Asta can be seen as black clover interested only in the popular shounen friendship theme, but the way the series took advantage of Nero’s unique situations has revolutionized what is often abused in the genre.
In chapter #365 of Yuki Tabata’s Black Clover, Nero reflects on how her 500 years of anti-bird work almost drove her insane and that she would die without Asta. She then admits that Asta is the reason why she’s alive, has companions, and can get her heart back before begging him to come save them. And in true Black Clover style, Asta, of course, appeared at that moment.
While shounen is famous for its beautiful images and metaphors, most of the series rely on the candor of friendships by showing the power of these important relationships in literal ways. most imaginable. While this particular strategy is valuable, the extent to which shounen spams this mail entirely requires a less direct or explicit approach. Black Clover is now forced on the matter by relying on the strange circumstances in which Asta and Nero met. Of course, on the surface, it seems Nero is just saying why she cares for Asta and how their friendship has made her a better person. But with additional context, her words are much more powerful.
As an anti-bird, Nero is naturally attracted to people who possess less mana as that is one of the main attributes of the particular species she transforms into. Thus, her inclinations positioned Asta as the perfect person Nero had ever met because he had no mana. However, Asta is also resistant to magic, allowing him to remain a hero and perform heroic deeds that are likely to inspire Nero, who, as an anti-bird, is always near him and is able to witness these miracles firsthand. These experiences became the foundation for Nero to see Asta as the person who gave her the means to survive, form friendships, and win her heart back.
While most of the series have obvious metaphors, Yuki Tabata has enough faith in his readers that he can keep them as subtle as possible, allowing his fans to uncover these revelations for themselves. Another good example occurs in the way that Asta once interacted with Yuno’s Star magic, turning the magic into a physical manifestation of Yuno’s relationship with the royal family and his foster family. Instead of creating an easy but common metaphor, black clover is combining powerful visuals to revolutionize an aspect of the shounen genre that too many films take for granted..
black clover Chapter #365 is available to read from Viz Media.