Black Clover Watch Order (2026): Filler List, Movie & Season 2

Black Clover Watch Order (2026): Filler List, Movie & Season 2

Black Clover's anime went dark in March 2021 after 170 episodes and came back on October 3, 2026 — a five-year gap that outlasted most shonen hiatuses. In between, Studio Pierrot released a theatrical movie that most watch-order guides either skip or place vaguely, and Yuki Tabata finished the manga outright in May 2026, which changes how safe Season 2 is from running out of story. Here is the full Black Clover watch order: all 170 episodes, exactly which ones are filler (not "almost none," as some guides claim), where the movie actually fits, and what Season 2 adapts.

Quick Answer: Black Clover Watch Order at a Glance

One continuous story, no alternate timelines or reboots. The only decision point is where to slot in the movie:

  1. Season 1, Episodes 1–170 (2017–2021)
  2. Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (movie, 2023) — watch after episode 156/157
  3. Season 2, Episodes 171 onward (2026–), Spade Kingdom Raid arc

That's the whole order. The complexity isn't in alternate continuities — it's in the filler episodes scattered through the 170-episode run and knowing exactly where the movie belongs. If you're restocking on Black Bulls gear before Season 2 gets further along, Akibato's anime figures lineup ships out of Japan.

Wikipedia — Black Clover season 2
Image: en.wikipedia.org

Why the Anime Went Dark for Five Years

Black Clover's TV anime ran for 170 episodes from October 2017 to March 2021, adapting Yuki Tabata's Weekly Shonen Jump manga almost in real time. When the broadcast run ended, the manga was still ongoing — and Studio Pierrot didn't announce a continuation until July 2025, at Anime Expo. By the time Season 2 actually premiered on October 3, 2026, something had changed that no earlier Black Clover season could claim: the manga itself was finished. Tabata closed out the story on May 1, 2026, with chapter 392 in Jump GIGA's Spring 2026 issue, resolving the long-running Wizard King rivalry between Asta and Yuno. That means Season 2 isn't adapting a series that's still being written week to week — the studio knows exactly where the whole story ends.

Wikipedia — Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King
Image: en.wikipedia.org

Season 1: The 170 Episodes, In Order

The original run is one unbroken continuity — watch episodes 1 through 170 in order. No splits, no "which version first" debate. The only thing to know going in is that not every episode is adapted straight from the manga, which is where the filler question below actually matters.

The Real Filler Breakdown (Not "Almost None")

Several existing watch-order guides wave off Black Clover's filler with a line like "almost none — rare for a 170-episode shonen." That undersells it. Pulling the episode-by-episode classification directly, 44 of the 170 episodes (26%) are not straight manga adaptation:

Category Episode count Episodes
Manga canon 126 The core story, straight from Tabata's pages
Anime canon (original, not skippable) 20 3, 13, 55–56, 130, 132–133, 136–141, 150–157
Mixed canon/filler 6 2, 8–9, 12, 30, 69, 102
Pure filler (safe to skip) 18 29, 66, 68, 82, 123–125, 131, 134–135, 142–149

The 18 pure-filler episodes are genuinely skippable — side stories with no bearing on the main plot. The 20 "anime canon" episodes are the ones guides get wrong by lumping them in as filler: they're original material written for the show, not pulled from the manga, but the story treats them as having happened (several set up character beats the movie later assumes you know). If you're short on time, skip the 18 pure-filler episodes and keep everything else.

Where the Movie Fits: Sword of the Wizard King

Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King released in Japanese theaters on June 16, 2023, with a same-day Netflix release worldwide. It's not a recap and it's not an epilogue tacked onto the very end — Studio Pierrot placed it mid-story, during the six-month gap right before the Heart Kingdom Joint Struggle Arc. In practical terms: finish the Elf Reincarnation Arc, which wraps around episode 156, watch the movie, then continue into episode 157 ("Five-Leaf Clover"), which opens the Heart Kingdom Joint Struggle Arc.

One nuance competitors tend to flatten into a yes/no: the movie is original, not adapted from any manga chapter, so it isn't strictly manga-canon. But it is placed on the show's own timeline rather than floating as a standalone side story, which makes "optional but positioned" the more accurate description than a flat "skip it" or "required." It performed well on release — 6.4 million Netflix views in its opening weekend (the second-most-watched non-English film that week), an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes from early reviews, and a Best Film nomination at the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

Season 2 (2026): What It Actually Adapts

Season 2 premiered October 3, 2026, again from Studio Pierrot and again directed by Ayataka Tanemura. It runs 24 episodes across two cours and adapts the Spade Kingdom Raid arc — the Magic Knights' offensive into the Spade Kingdom against the Dark Triad, the antagonist group introduced late in the original run. The opening theme is "Kienai Riyū" by Wanima and the ending is "Yellow Brick Road" by One or Eight. It streams on Crunchyroll.

Do you need to rewatch anything first?

Not the whole run. The Spade Kingdom Raid arc picks up directly from where episode 170 left off, so if you finished the original 170 episodes and the movie, you can jump straight into Season 2. If it's been a while, the anime-canon stretch around episodes 150–157 (listed in the table above) is the most useful refresher, since it leads directly into the arc Season 2 continues.

Common Black Clover Watch-Order Mistakes

  • Treating the movie as purely optional. It's original, not manga-canon, but it's placed on the show's timeline and referenced later — not a true side story.
  • Skipping the "anime canon" episodes along with the real filler. Episodes like 150–157 aren't from the manga but aren't disposable either; they set up what Season 2 assumes you've seen.
  • Assuming Season 2 is a reboot or soft restart. It's a direct continuation picking up at episode 171's story point, not a retelling.
  • Worrying the anime will outpace the manga again. That was the real risk during the 2017–2021 run. With the manga finished as of May 2026, Season 2 has a complete story to draw from.

FAQ: Black Clover Watch Order Questions

How many episodes of Black Clover are there before Season 2?

170, airing from October 2017 to March 2021, plus the 2023 movie Sword of the Wizard King.

Is Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King canon?

It's original material, not adapted from the manga, so it isn't strictly manga-canon — but Studio Pierrot placed it on the show's own timeline, right before the Heart Kingdom Joint Struggle Arc, rather than leaving it as a disconnected side story.

How much of Black Clover is filler?

18 of 170 episodes (about 11%) are pure filler and safely skippable. Another 26 episodes are mixed canon/filler or anime-original-but-continuity-relevant material, which most "almost no filler" claims gloss over.

Do I need to read the manga to understand Season 2?

No. Season 2 adapts the Spade Kingdom Raid arc in order, and the manga itself is now finished (as of May 2026), so there's no risk of the anime catching up to an unfinished source.

Where can I watch Black Clover Season 2?

Crunchyroll, which is also where the original 170-episode run streams.

Will there be a Season 3 after the Spade Kingdom Raid?

Not yet confirmed. Season 2 is announced at 24 episodes across two cours; anything beyond the Spade Kingdom Raid arc would require a separate announcement.

The Short Version

Watch all 170 episodes of the original run, skip the 18 pure-filler episodes if you're in a hurry, catch Sword of the Wizard King around episode 156/157, and go straight into Season 2's Spade Kingdom Raid arc from there. The manga being finished as of May 2026 means this is the first time since the anime started that the adaptation can't run out of story to tell.

Sorting out another long-running shonen's filler and movie placement? Our guides to the Naruto watch order, Gintama watch order, and Fairy Tail watch order cover the same kind of canon-vs-filler breakdown.

If Season 2 has you hunting down Black Bulls gear, Akibato's anime figures collection ships straight from Japan.

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