Black Clover’s Episode 163, “Dante vs. The Captain of the Black Bulls”, has finally aired and, boy, was it a doozy! The bright lights were definitely on those two characters but other individuals definitely had their own share of the limelight. As the anime has already displayed all of the epic battle scenes, this review will focus more on the analysis of the new details made known to the audience and some possible predictions for the upcoming episode.
This particular episode has covered Chapters 244-245 and 247-248. We’ll briefly discuss what happened to Chapter 246 and why it was omitted from this episode.
Quick Recap
Here’s what you’ve missed in the last episode:
Dante Zogratis, the leader of the Dark Triad, attacked the Black Bulls’ base with the objective of capturing Yami Sukehiro with Asta, Gauche, Grey, Vanessa, and Henry as its only line of defense
Upon witnessing Vanessa Enoteca’s magic, Dante reveals that she is an arcane stage mage
Dante and his Gravity Magic was too overwhelming for the Black Bulls and had no trouble dealing with them
As Asta tried to defend the base and his comrades in his black devil form, Dante tried to kill Gauche in front of him in an attempt to enrage Asta and bring out his full devil powers
With Gauche in critical condition because of Dante’s attack, Asta went berserk and went toe-to-toe with Dante
You can check out the full review of the previous episode here.
The Arcane Stage
Princess Loropechika explained the system of Magic Stages which ranks a mage’s magical power on a tier system with Stage 9 as the lowest and Stage 0 as the highest. However, there are certain mages whose power goes beyond the highest tier and are classified under the “Dark Tier” as Arcane Stage mages.
There was no specific explanation with regard to how a mage is classified under this group but we do know that they are capable of vanquishing the devils.
As it currently stands, the only Arcane Stage mages are: Asta, Secre Swallowtail (aka Nero), Yami Sukehiro, Julius Novachrono, William Vangeance. Now the most recent addition to this list, thanks to Dante’s generous sharing of information, are Vanessa Enoteca and Grey. (Yup, you read that right, shy-shape-shifting Grey)
Now the question all of us should be asking is how does Dante know that these mages are in the Arcane Stage? Judging from the episode alone, all it took was for him to witness their type of magic and he immediately knew. And on top of that, knowing that these mages are capable of defeating devils, there’s not even the slightest indication of worry from Dante. He even wants them to be his girls!
The Devil is in the Details
It’s quite understandable how people fall into being enthralled by all the epic battle scenes as we have all been patiently waiting to see the results of the magic knights’ training. And with this episode, we get our first glimpse at Luck Voltia and Yami Sukehiro’s much improved abilities.
As luck came to the aid of the people of the Heart Kingdom, he came toe-to-toe with Vanica Zogratis’ Dark Disciple Svenkin Gatard. As amazing it was seeing Luck’s much improved abilities, what’s even more fascinating is his character development. From only wanting to fight the strongest people as a test of strength to now having a sense of purpose to support that desire is a fairly good leap for Luck’s growth.
Moving to Yami Sukehiro who appeared in the nick of time, thanks to Finral Roulacase. He also went to train on his own but with the help of Merleona Vermillion, he was able to take his already impressive abilities to even greater heights and now faces Dante Zogratis one-on-one. However, this battle comes directly after Zenon Zogratis defeats the Golden Dawn and successfully captures William Vangeance.
So why is the Dark Triad specifically targeting Yami and William?
People that were able to read the manga already know the answer to this question but for people who are strictly anime-only fans, this should be an obvious detail that needs some explanation given the recent attacks on the bases of the Golden Dawn and Black Bulls. And let’s not forget Vanica who is already in the Heart Kingdom seeking Loropechika.
This particular segment has been covered in Chapter 246 of the manga which we feel will be covered in the next episode.
This episode took the battle scenes to new heights as both the main protagonists and antagonists are already in the battlefield with their respective supporting casts. As great as the battle sequences have captured the audience, let’s not fall into that trap and forget each and every objective of the Dark Triad.
Lots of action still to come and we’re on the edge of our seats waiting for the magic knights to bounce back from their crushing first round defeat at the hands of the enemy. There are still a lot more mages who haven’t showcased their improved abilities so that’s one to watch out for and how Yami and Dante’s battle plays out.
Let’s all tune in to Episode 164 of Black Clover, “Battlefield: Heart Kingdom”, which comes out on February 16, 2021 at 6:25PM (JST).
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
There’s no clear indication how mages are classified as Arcane Stage but they do have the capability to defeat the devils
Current Arcane Stage mages are Asta, Secre Swallowtail (aka Nero), Yami Sukehiro, Julius Novachrono, William Vangeance, Vanessa Enoteca, and Grey
Luck Voltia displays good character growth from someone who only fights the strongest opponents as a test of strength to someone that fights with purpose as a member of the Magic Knights
Why is the Dark Triad targeting Yami and Vangeance?
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