Black clover It’s come a long way, from being the show about a scream wizard to being one of the baddest shounen series ever. Season two of Black clover Announced during Crunchyroll’s Anime Expo panel in 2025, the new season is scheduled to premiere in October of this year. The manga, adapted from Yuki Tabata’s manga of the same name, follows brothers Asta and Yuno in a world where magic is everything. Yuno has amazing magical powers, but Asta doesn’t have any. Eventually, when they both turn 15, Asta receives an anti-magic grimoire, giving him the ability to fight by nullifying and blocking spells rather than casting them himself. The two brothers compete towards their common goal of becoming the Wizard King.
During the anime expo, we had the opportunity to sit down with a couple who were instrumental in the success of the series: Ayataka Tanimura, the anime director. Black cloverand Gakuto Kajiwara, the Japanese voice of Asta. We discussed how different experiences across their careers influence their work on the series and what they do Black clover To make it so great.
Portions of this interview have been lightly edited for clarity. This interview was conducted with the assistance of a translator.
Q: It’s been 5 years since we’ve seen any new Black Clover. How do you feel being part of the series’ return for this new season?
Kajiwara-san: As I mentioned, it’s been a long time since fans have seen and heard from Asta. And I think there was a lot of excitement among the fans and the staff, right? Let’s see how she has grown and matured as a character. Even for me, I think I want to really show how he’s grown in this season.
Tanimura-san: Yes, of course, it has been 5 years since then. We have been able to secure a strong schedule as well as the funds needed to produce this new season. We hope everyone can actually see the energy Black clover. We just premiered the first episode of the new season, which was really exciting. And on the production side, I think for me, I feel like we want to continue to make a great product so that the fans will enjoy every episode that airs.
Question: Tanimura-san, you worked on the series in several capacities before becoming a director. Have your other experiences influenced the way you approach directing? Do you still find yourself working in your previous capacity?
Tanimura-san: definitely. I think the previous director, Yoshihara-san (Tatsuya Yoshihara) – I’ve seen his work, and for this season, I really want to apply my directing style and deliver a really strong storytelling final product for the fans to see. And for me, I’m really learning and challenging myself and taking on new challenges at the same time.
Q: Kajiwara-san, the role of Asta came very early in your anime voice acting career. As you’ve grown as an actor, how has the way you approach voicing Asta evolved as well?
Kajiwara-san: As I mentioned, yes, the role of Astha – I got it around the same time I was first starting my career. At that time I was still new. I wasn’t sure – I think a lot of times, I did things quickly. But now, my career as a voice actor spans 10 years. I think that’s as long as I’ve had a relationship with Black clover series. Only in this new season, Asta, shows not only his strengths, but also his weaknesses. Also, you will see a lot of changes in him this season. So, I hope I can show that through my acting, and show his kind of feelings through my acting.
Q: Tanimura-san, you actually made some changes to the direction of Black Clover when you became director. With the new season approaching, what do you think you want to focus on or try newly?
Tanimura-san: I don’t focus on just one thing, but on different aspects. For example, magic, we’ll show that, action scenes, put some new ideas into that, and compared to last season, we’ll really improve it and enhance the look of it. These are some of the aspects I focus on.
Q: Kajiwara-san, are there any other voice actors whose performances were uniquely impactful for you or beneficial to your performance?
Kajiwara-san: Yes, Libyan. So there is a demon inside Asta. There are many times where they influence each other. Libby swings Asta, Asta swings Libby. Sometimes they combine together. So, I think Liebe’s voice actor, Okamoto-san (Nobuhiko Okamoto), I just saw him take on the role, and as a person, I learned a lot from him as well.
Q: What element of your role do you find yourself focusing on most? In other words, what is most important to you?
Kajiwara-san: to Black cloverAs you know, I play Asta, who is one of the main characters. Being the main character, I hope the series continues. I also feel like I want to work with other actors as much as possible, and work with them longer. But it’s not just me standing in the middle and being on the front lines. Instead, work on visualizing holding hands with your fellow actors. We are on the front lines and working together to make this series great. I feel like this is something I really keep in mind and is important to me.
Tanimura-san: To myself, I feel it Black clover It already has great source material, which is the manga. As an anime director, I want to make an anime that is really fun and engaging for people who watch it. However, the approach in which I can do this is the type of action I can incorporate, or the rhythm of the anime. These different aspects are what I always think about when diving into directing anime.
Q: A lot of people enjoy Black Clover for its action and memorable battles. What are some aspects of the series that you wish people would pay more attention to?
Kajiwara-san: I think, regarding Asta, in this new season there will be a lot of powerful enemies. He wouldn’t be able to defeat them alone with his own strength. The thing to consider is how he brings his friends and comrades together to help defeat these enemies. This is just the process of how he does it. I think that’s something – how he works together, how he continues to do it, and navigates through each battle. I think this is something to take into consideration.
Tanimura-san: I think that in this new arc, there will be characters that will be taken from the story. This is one of the big themes of this series. Because of this incident, you can see the characters have a stronger bond and relationship, especially within the groups they belong to. I hope fans can really focus on these aspects as well.
We would like to thank Ayataka Tanimura and Gakuto Kajiwara for taking the time to talk to us about Black clover Season 2, and I thank Crunchyroll for coordinating the interviews. You can watch Black Clover now On Crunchyroll.