I was going to save this topic for last, since it is one of my favorite things about Black Clover, but with this week's episode of the anime, the subject is particularly pertinent, so I'm gonna move it up, get on my soap box and rant and rave a bit. This is a bit of a personal subject for me, and it also involves me defending and praising one of my favorite characters in the series, so apologies in advance for the opinionated flavor of this post. But before I get into the meat and potatoes, just a reminder, this is an ongoing series, so be sure to check out Part 1, 2, 3, and 4 if you want more of my thoughts on this awesome anime series.
For many shonen anime, one of the best ways to show the character's growth and development is the inclusion of a rival character. This rival is one of the protagonist's peers, often someone who is naturally more gifted than the protagonist, who challenges the protagonist to grow better and become stronger. There are many types of rivals, good and bad. I intend to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Yuno, from Black Clover, is in fact, one of the best rivals in anime. Yes, I'm starting with a controversial statement, because honestly, the "best" anime rivals are pretty terrible at the actual "rival" thing.
But to prove why Yuno is the best rival, we first have to determine what a rival is. I led with a short definition earlier, but I think it's important to flesh out what I mean when I say rival before detailing why many shonen rivals fall short The first point I want to stress is that a rival is different from an enemy. An enemy is a barrier between the protagonist and his goal. A rival, on the other hand, is someone who seeks the same goal as the protagonist. This might seem like playing with semantics, but is actually a huge difference. In some cases, a rival might serve as an antagonist (this is most obvious with something like sports where only one team can win, preventing the other team from moving forward, but in the end, rivals pursue a common purpose to the protagonist, so a rival is not an enemy. Secondly, a rival is someone who inspires the protagonist to grow. As I mentioned earlier, many anime rivals are more naturally gifted than the protagonist, which causes the protagonist to work harder in order to catch up and surpass their gifted peer. Rivalry is a show of respect where a protagonist acknowledges another's strength and uses that individual as a goal as they grow stronger. And it is this feature; respect, that I think is so often missing in shonen rivalries, and which makes Yuno a much more interesting and well constructed character than many people give him credit for.
I want to look at two shows that are often compared with Black Clover and which also possess iconic anime rivalries. Naruto is the story of an outcast boy and his quest to become "the Hokage" or leader of his village. His rivalry with the revenge obsessed Sasuke is iconic; even before I started watching the show I was aware of the competitive spirit between the two. The second show is My Hero Academia which started around the same time as Black Clover and immediately gained greater popularity and acclaim. This is the story of Midoria, a young man who does not have a "quirk" or superpower in a world where everyone has some sort of ability, who wants to become the number one hero (starting to see a pattern here?). His rival is Bakugo, a childhood friend with a powerful explosion quirk and anger management issues.
Both Sasuke and Bakugo start the story from a position of strength. They are the strong geniuses with vast talents for the heroes to try to catch up with. They are arrogant, self absorbed and (honestly) cruel to their less fortunate friends. While Sasuke and Naruto do develop a friendship early in the series, it is a friendship built (from Sasuke's perspective) on the understanding that Naruto is the weaker of the two. Similarly, Bakugo is constantly trying to prove his superiority; before Midoria acquires a quirk he mocks him as "useless," and after Midoria gains the quirk "One for All" Bakugo is spends the vast majority of the show trying to prove, over and over, that he is still superior to Midoria. There is a lot of interesting character development here, but ultimately, I do think it hurts the rivalry aspect of the show. Both Bakugo and Sasuke define themselves by their superiority over their counterparts, and when that is threatened, they lose their foundation. Sasuke literally goes to the dark side and joins Orochimaru because he is jealous that Naruto has grown stronger than he is (yes, I realize the situation was more complicated than that, but ultimately the point stands). While Naruto has constantly had to work hard to improve and catch up to Sasuke, when Sasuke is threatened by Naruto's strength, he takes the "easy" road and looks for a quick power-up. Bakugo is not much better. From writing Midoria off as useless to exploding in powerful tantrums when the other hero begins to grow stronger, Bakugo's violent antipathy towards Midoria's growth is the defining feature of his character.
This is a stark contrast with Yuno. In many ways, Yuno is an opposite of Sasuke and Bakugo. He does not talk a lot, and he does not show a lot of emotion. While Sasuke and Bakugo are pillars of backstory and "character development," Yuno is off screen more than he is on. He is a quiet, imposing presence at Asta's back; always felt but rarely seen. What makes Yuno a superior rival, however, is his respect for Asta. As I mentioned, Naruto and Midoria might respect Sasuke and Bakugo, but their rivals are hugely disdainful toward them. In contrast, Yuno is nothing but respectful of Asta's capability. He might call Asta short, loud, and obnoxious, but he always, always, acknowledges Asta's strength. In the second episode, when Asta receives a grimoire despite having no magic, Yuno's comment is simply, "I knew it. There's no way that Asta wouldn't have been chosen. Asta's always been that way. He always does the unthinkable." He openly admires Asta's strength and determination, and he is immensely satisfied when the other makes progress. One of the scenes that best epitomizes this relationship is immediately after the underwater temple arc. Asta, who has seriously injured his arms, accompanies Yami to a town that is being attacked by the Diamond Kingdom. Yuno's squad the Golden Dawn, is in charge of the defense. At this point it has been a while since we have seen Yuno, and he appears with new magic, easily obliterating the enemies in front of him. When he meets Asta, he takes in the other's bedraggled appearance as quietly states, "You're all torn up, scrambling around, and soaked with sweat...talk about ugly. The fact that you're so beat up means... You got stronger again, didn't you? I'm not losing to you, Asta!" Yuno doesn't boast about his own growth, and he doesn't disparage Asta's injured condition, instead he correctly attributes that condition to his rival's continued growth. As much as Asta is inspired to grow stronger by pursuing Yuno's genius, Yuno is also inspired by Asta to grow stronger and improve. This is the most positive rivalry I have seen in a battle shonen. Instead of rivals that bicker and fight, rivals that disparage each other and treat each other poorly, Asta and Yuno respect each other and it is that mutual respect that pushes the two to grow stronger.
This mutual respect is closely linked to their shared history. A lot of people disparage the early chapters and episodes of Black Clover for being too slow. But the tone established for Asta and Yuno's relationship serves as the foundation for their rivalry throughout the show, and the source of Yuno's character. Yuno was a very sensitive child, often labeled as a "cry baby" by others at the orphanage. One night, when he was sent to deliver a message, he encountered a drunk man who tried to steal his pendant, the only clue he has to who his family might be. Asta comes to his friend's defense and takes a beating from the older man, who eventually gives up trying to rob the pair in disgust at the child's persistence. In this moment, Asta declares that he will become the wizard king to prove that even a poor orphan from the middle of nowhere can be important and powerful. Yuno is inspired by his friend's bravery and persistence and, wiping away his tears, declares that he will not cry again, and that he too will be the wizard king. It seems like a small moment compared to the epic scale of the rest of the show, but this simple moment defines Yuno as a character and as a rival. In the previous examples I mentioned, both Bakugo and Sasuke operate under the assumption that their "rivals" Midoria and Naruto are weaker than them, and thus feel threatened at their new strength. Yuno's story starts with being saved by Asta. Asta inspires Yuno to become the wizard king, his determination and strength motivate Yuno to become stronger. Thus, Yuno isn't starting from a place of superiority; despite being a magic genius, despite being smarter, more talented, better looking, and more respected than Asta, Yuno does not see the other boy as his inferior, but rather as his goal, the person he must reach and surpass in order to succeed. While Asta strives to match Yuno's power and genius, Yuno strives to match Asta's determination, strength, and idealism.
This sense of equality, this mutual respect, allows Yuno's character to develop in a truly unique manner. Yuno's critics complain that he is boring because he doesn't really change, and there is truth to the point because he remains remarkably stable throughout the current run of the narrative. But I think this is the most interesting thing about his character; his ideals, his sense of self were forged and crystalized by his childhood experience with Asta. He is single minded; his goal is to become the Wizard King and surpass Asta. Only by becoming the Wizard King can he even hope to surpass Asta, only by beating his rival to this final goal will he ever transcend Asta's idealism and determination. Their rivalry forms the solid core of his character, a core that results in a surprising amount of insight; more than any other character (except maybe Mereoleona and Julius, the two most powerful characters in the show), Yuno knows exactly who he is: he is Asta's rival, the boy who swore never to cry again, the man who will become the Wizard King because only then can he truly surpass his brother, the boy who inspired him.
The most recent episode of Black Clover spotlight's the beauty of Asta and Yuno's rivalry (spoilers in this analysis, of course). Patry, the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, has succeeded in reincarnating the elves into the bodies of many of the gifted magic knights of the kingdom, Yuno among them. With this reincarnation, the elves have turned on their magic knight companions and overwhelmed them with their incredible magic power. Asta encounters Yuno and two other reincarnated elves who declare that they are going to kill all the humans. Asta calls out to Yuno, trying to break through the spell. Battered by the elves attack, Asta stands up and declares, "Not yet. I'm not going to die yet! I promised my friends I'd come back alive! I won't let my friends kill my other friends! I'll survive this. I'll survive all of this...and then I'll become the Wizard King!" The words of his rival trigger something in Yuno, who had been dazed by the reincarnation magic, and he jumps to his friend's defense, commenting, "What are you talking about, Asta? I'm the one who's going to become the Wizard King!" No words can describe how incredibly cool this moment is; there is no other example in the show of a human taking over the body while an elf soul is reincarnated in it. The other elves are stunned by the development, commenting that Yuno must be, "incredibly strong minded" to resist the force of the elven soul within him. This is the strength of Asta and Yuno's rivalry, a strength forged of mutual respect and admiration, a desire to grow stronger and change the world that transcends even the powerful elven magic.
And the epicness only eschalates from there. The two are forced to confront the newly awakened Licht, the most powerful of the newly reincarnated elves, and again, their trust for each other and respect for the other's power overwhelms. It's an incredibly animated fight with Licht's light magic swords magic going toe to toe with Yuno's wind spirit magic and Asta's anti-magic. It's a fight neither of them could win on their own, but the faith that they have in the other's power allows them to create incredible combinations and stand up to a foe that individually they would be completely annihilated by. Again, it is Yuno who shows absolute faith in Asta, when, after driving Licht back, unleashes a powerful attack because he also knows, "This is when Asta will surpass his limits." There is no jealousy, no animosity, nothing but respect for the other, a respect that drives him to grow even stronger and push past his own limits.
And this is what separates Yuno from rivals like Bakugo and Sasuke; Yuno approaches his rivalry with Asta from a place of stability that stems from a unique maturity. Yuno's opinion of Asta was formed during his childhood, as was his own image of himself. Asta's determination and grit inspire rather than threaten Yuno, and so he can compete with Asta as a rival without the latent animosity or superiority and jealousy that is seen in other shonen rivals. Because his character is more mature, he doesn't develop in the same way. Yuno does not need to come to a conscious realization of his rival's power because he already has it. He does not need to experience uncertainty in his own identity because he has already been forced to confront his own weakness. The healthiest way his character can develop is by remaining stable; despite the knowledge of his magical superiority, despite getting into the Golden Dawn when Asta is only allowed into the Black Bulls, despite being chosen by an elemental spirit, Yuno's perspective allows him to remain consistent, to continually work hard despite the temptation to rely on his genius, and to constantly recognize Asta's strength regardless of their relative positions.
This is the sort of rivalry I wish was more common in battle shonen. It shows up a fair bit in sports anime like Haikyuu!! and the emotional impact is enormous. Respectful rivals become characters the audience can cheer for along with the protagonist; I cry even when Karasuno wins their matches because I love their rivals and want them to be successful as much as I want that for the main characters. Similarly, it was heartbreaking for me to see Yuno as a reincarnated elf because I was emotionally invested in his rivalry with Asta, and it was so satisfying when their rivalry became the foundation for his triumph over that magic. I actually don't know who I want to become the Wizard King, Asta or Yuno, because both characters are strong, hard working, and kind. It is easy to cheer for Midoria over Bakugo because Bakugo is a jerk. It is easy to wish for Naruto to become stronger than Sasuke because Sasuke is an arrogant prick. It is more complicated, more interesting, and more emotionally compelling to watch a pair of rivals who are both worthy of my respect, to see both give their all, to build each other up and push each other forward, and in the end, it will be all the more bitter sweet when one of them eventually takes that step ahead of the other.
So anyway, there's my thoughts on rivalry in Black Clover, scattered and opinionated as they may be. If you disagree with me, please feel free to comment... I am always down for rational dialogue, and I certainly understand that many people may not share my perspectives on these characters. Hopefully part 6 will be underway sometime over the next week or so; it's more a matter of marshaling my thoughts into coherent orders and having too much to say that is causing delays at this point.
Well, back to reality.
