Black Clover Teases Final Villain Showdown in New Chapter Release, & Fans Should Be Hyped

Summary Black Clover's final showdown with Lucius Zogratis is anticipated to be explosive.

The Black Bulls will step up to protect the Clover Kingdom during the battle.

Yūki Tabata's workload transition to Jump GIGA has resulted in improved chapter quality.

Yūki Tabata's grand magic fantasy series Black Clover is eventually ending, and the upcoming release of chapters #372 and #373 is set to be explosive. The transition from Weekly Shonen Jump to Jump GIGA has been difficult, but the artistic quality and consistency of the latest chapters since the change have improved, as Tabata's workload is now more manageable. With the next chapters of Black Clover, the showdown with Lucius Zogratis, and likely Astaroth and other devils, is imminent while the Black Bulls handle the fight on the ground.

Black Clover entered its final arc in chapter #332, released in August 2022. The news of its upcoming conclusion is exciting with the promise of new content, yet bittersweet, as an excellent shonen series will soon bow out.

Custom image by J.R. Waugh

With Black Clover eventually joining My Hero Academia in finishing its run, fans are sure to expect the showdown to be electrifying, just as the fights with the Dark Triad were in the Spade Kingdom Raid Arc. But the question on everybody's mind is whether there are any surprises in store for Black Clover chapters #372 and #373.

Black Clover Chapter #372 & #373 May Feature Asta & Yuno vs. Lucius

The Final Showdown With the Ultimate Villain

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Releasing on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, at 8:00 AM PDT (11:00 AM EDT), Black Clover chapters #372 and #373 will likely feature Asta and Yuno reaching the prospective Great Magic Emperor Lucius Zogratis. The main tease comes from chapter #370, where Asta and Yuno acknowledge that they must fight Lucius' real body as he prepares a massive spell resembling World Tree magic above the Clover Kingdom to carry out his plans. With fans already knowing Lucius' plan to kill and resurrect humanity as immortal bodies he can rule over, Black Clover's final showdown has the highest stakes.

The newest chapters of Black Clover will be available in English on MANGA Plus and VIZ Media's Black Clover portal.

Additionally, it's fair to suspect that Lucius's contract with Astaroth teases other major opponents for Asta and Yuno to face. Chief of these opponents is Astaroth himself, along with other remaining devils overtaken and purified but not explicitly confirmed dead, like Beelzebub, Adramelech, or Lucifugus. This could mirror the final arc of Naruto featuring Madara's replacement by the stronger Kaguya. Still, in Black Clover's case, a final showdown with the remaining devils, purified by Lucius' magic, would not surprise the fans.

The Black Bulls Stay Behind To Protect the Clover Kingdom

The Ultimate Underdogs of Black Clover Will Shine Like Never Before

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One of the most exciting power-ups from Black Clover's return was that of the Black Bulls, bolstered by Asta's anti-magic while they prepare to hold the fort while putting their trust in Asta and Yuno for their final showdown against Lucius. This can easily mean more devil confrontations are on the way, especially with the show-stopping fight between Mereoleona and Moris from chapter #372 and the ongoing fight with Lucius' many clones being among the best fights in Black Clover.

However, it might also be worthwhile for the team to vanquish a more interesting opponent, as the Bulls are joined by other fan-favorite Magic Knights, such as the brigade captains Charlotte Roselei, William Vengeance, and Rill Boismortier. It's uncertain whether any other characters will pay the blood toll for the Clover Kingdom in the final chapters of Black Clover, and it's unlikely August 2024's release of chapters #372 and #373 will be the end for the series.

Black Clover's Publication Change Was Worth It for the Final Arc

Yūki Tabata Deserves All the Time in the World

With the pressure of a weekly series as crushing as one of Lucius' Gravity Magic spells, it's unsurprising that the quality of Black Clover's latest chapters since changing to Jump GIGA is as immaculate. With essentially a seasonal release schedule, the next chapters of Black Clover dropping around Obon Festival and the previous ones around Golden Week, work can be more evenly paced out. Yet, even though fans acknowledge this, they can't help but be frustrated with having to wait months for several chapters, no matter how excellent they are.

But such is the nature of a passionate manga consumer market eager to pick up any new installments of their favorite series, with Black Clover's final showdown being a recent example of this. Other noteworthy cases include the recent One-Punch Man hiatus through much of Summer 2024, Yoshihiro Togashi's long-awaited return to Hunter x Hunter, and the glacial pace of releases for new Berserk chapters. However, seeing the result, as opposed to more unfinished and rushed chapters like in the Elf Reincarnation Arc, Black Clover is getting the gradual sendoff it's certainly earned.