How to watch Black Clover in order
With over 150 episodes and several standalone spinoffs, there's a lot of Black Clover to cover!
Black Clover offers a subversive take on the fantasy genre, set in a world where everything is magic – except for the story's hero.
The young orphan Asta is born with no magical powers, making him an outcast in his society. But when he acquires a rare book that gives him anti-magic abilities, he creates a new path for himself, embarking on a journey to become the next Wizard King.
Beginning as a manga series by Yūki Tabata in 2015, Black Clover has since spawned a stage play, video game spin-offs and, of course, an extensive anime franchise.
Between the Black Clover TV series, OVAs and films, the sheer volume of anime canon can be a little intimidating. So if you're looking to speed-watch the most important parts, we've got you covered with our Black Clover filler list.
Otherwise, whether you're a new viewer or a longtime fan waiting for Black Clover season 5, here's our guide for how to watch Black Clover in order.
How to watch Black Clover in release order
The bulk of the Black Clover anime franchise is relatively simple, covered in the four current seasons of the TV series. However there are also several connected spinoffs including OVAs and the 2023 movie Sword of the Wizard King.
If you want to watch Black Clover in order of release date, here's where to start:
- Jump Festa 2016 OVA (OVA, 2017)
- Black Clover season 1 (anime, 2017–2018)
- Black Clover season 2 (anime, 2018–2019)
- Jump Festa 2018 OVA (OVA, 2018)
- Squishy! Black Clover (ONA, 2019)
- Black Clover season 3 (anime, 2019–2020)
- Black Clover season 4 (anime, 2020–2021)
- Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (film, 2023)
How to watch Black Clover in chronological order
Of course, there's also the option of watching Black Clover according to the franchise's narrative timeline.
There isn't a huge difference between this and the original release order, aside from one key difference. The movie Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King tells a story that takes place between the Elf Reincarnation arc and the Heart Kingdom Joint Struggle arc in the TV series.
In other words, you should watch that movie halfway through season 4 for the full timeline to make sense, taking a break at episode 157:
- Black Clover season 1
- Black Clover season 2
- Black Clover season 3
- Black Clover season 4 (up to episode 157)
- Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King
- Black Clover season 4 (from episode 158)
As you may notice, none of the OVA specials appear in this list. That's because they're not officially part of the Black Clover timeline, so you can watch them at any time or skip them altogether if you prefer.
How to watch the English dub of Black Clover
English dubbed episodes of Black Clover can be found on Crunchyroll.
An English dub of Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King is also available on Netflix.
How to watch Black Clover in the UK
All four seasons of Black Clover are available to stream on both Crunchyroll and Netflix, along with the movie Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King.
You can catch Black Clover on Crunchyroll. Sign up to Crunchyroll from $7.99 per month with a 14-day free trial.
Check out more of our anime coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Gavia Baker-Whitelaw is a freelance critic and entertainment journalist specialising in geek culture, TV and film. She has written for numerous outlets including Empire, TV Guide, Wired and Vulture, and hosts the film podcast Overinvested.
