Black Clover

Episode 147

What happens when those who are marginalized and downtrodden gather and muster up the will to do something about it? Historically, this has commonly resulted in uprisings, rebellions, or even outright revolution. You can only belittle people for so long before some will seek the means to fight back.

That is the situation that the Devil Believers are now in, and what Asta and Noelle must confront while Magus goes for reinforcements. As suspected, they are indeed headed to the Spade Kingdom with the intent to seek power from the devil there, and the ultimate goal of the leadership at least is to eventually come back and have their revenge on the people who looked down on them. Perhaps some of the dozens – if not hundreds – of low-mana individuals who are following them are of like minds, or perhaps they are just grasping for some way to improve their lot. Either way, they are desperate enough to take the risks involved in this perilous journey. They know they may die in the process, but that won't stop them. How do you reason with people like that?

Asta has never been the smartest or most diplomatic of individuals, but he seems to gradually be thinking things through more, such as with the comment about the potions, which have been his bane so far, being less effective in a windy environment. This is also a situation he can at least partly understand. He may never have hated the Clover Kingdom because of the way he was looked down upon, but he still has a better sense than anyone of what they have been through. That may be why he concentrates more on trying to secure Nero than on attempting to reason with them. However, he's in an odd position here. Many present revere him for accomplishing what he has through drawing on the power of a devil, but that does not mean that they will heed him, since they seek what he has. He seems to understand that he cannot promise them that things will get better, so all he can really offer is himself as a prisoner exchange. How smart a move that is remains to be seen, as he may not appreciate how valuable he's considered to be to the upcoming war effort.

In the process of this discussion, we also learn the truth about Daza. While nothing that she says explicitly indicates physical abuse (except for that as-yet-unexplained mark on her arm), it sounds like she may have suffered from emotional abuse, while Bow is more a case of being isolated by her lack of ability. That the two might make a connection under those circumstances is not surprising. The notion that Daza may be able to use her meager magic to unite the meager magic of the mass into a powerful effect is also interesting; cooperative magic is common in many fantasy settings but largely absent in this one, as even when individuals are using magic in concert, it still delivers individual effects. That could, theoretically, make her quite useful in a massed battle scenario.

Whether she'll ever get the chance to demonstrate that remains to be seen, as Yami's arrival on the scene could put a hard stop to their plans. He's an outsider because of his race and fully appreciates that these are the kind of people who need to be protected the most, but he has also seen up close both what a devil is about and what a revenge scheme can lead to, and he knows what's ultimately at stake. His arrival is a good dramatic note to end on for one of the least action-oriented and most purely serious episodes in the entire series

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Black Clover is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and FUNimation.