Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (2023) is based on the manga of the same name by Yuuki Tabata. The movie propagates the idea of never giving up on your dreams! The movie follows Asta, who does not have magical powers but has to face one of the Wizard Kings, Conrad, who has attained incredible magical powers. Asta dreams about becoming the Wizard King one day. The movie has a run time of 113 minutes, and it’s more like an episode finale of an action-filled show. The entire movie has intense magical battles with very little communication. But they manage to send out the right message!
The article contains major spoilers.
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The movie opens with a 10-year flashback of Conrad and Julius dueling. Julius is Conrad’s successor for becoming the Wizard King. In this duel, Julius stops Conrad from destroying the nation- Julius is not strong enough to completely get rid of him, but he seals him into a magical bubble.
Ten years later, remembering this victory, the nation has magical tournaments. As Asta and Yuno are about to duel, they have a surprise visit from Conrad, along with three other deceased Wizard Kings, brought back to life. The three Kings are Edward, Jester, and Princia. Conrad instills fear in the magical knights as they vouch to destroy the Black Clover village. Asta, Yuno, and other magic knights try to fight back but to no avail.
Amidst the battle, some knights evacuated most of the citizens outside the stadium. Julius and Yami order Asta, Noelle, and Finral to reach ground zero and fetch a tool to help them destroy Conrad. After reaching ground zero, they learn about Conrad’s history. Conrad had supreme magical powers, empathized with the weak, and was kind-hearted. He was declared the Wizard King, but one day he changed and decided to destroy this nation. Asta learns they were sent there to fetch a tool that acts like an antidote to the Imperial Sword.
But to the group’s surprise, Conrad is already waiting for them, and he destroys the tool. He shows a glimpse of his power by draining out magic from one of the knights. Asta takes Conrad head-on but falls to the ground in vain. Conrad tries to persuade Asta to join hands with him in creating this new world. He does this by pointing out that Asta had faced discrimination from this world, and Conrad intended to build a world where everyone could live in harmony and joy. Asta refused to join hands with him.
The group realizes that Conrad wants to absorb enough magic into the Imperial Sword to destroy the nation. Conrad also shows Asta that Princia was controlling the nation, and they had built their kingdom protected from superior magic. Julius and Yami are trapped inside the magical bubble while the other captain is on a mission.
Asta motivates magical knights to join hands with him and fight Conrad and the other Wizard Kings. The captains join them and devise a plan to attack the Black Bull’s camp first. They successfully breach into the camp and replenish their energies. They then head toward the fortress to fight Conrad and the Kings. Asta’s role was to fight Conrad, and the rest of the knights fought the other Kings.
Yuno takes on Jester with the help of Yami, Fuegoleon, and Nozel. Mereleona takes on Princia. The Black Bulls squad takes on Edward. Asta heads straight to where Conrad is to fight him.
What happens between Conrad and Asta?
Asta and Conrad engage in an intense battle. Conrad is patient with Asta despite his several attacks, as he wishes Asta to join forces with him. Asta asks him why he is so stubborn about destroying the world, and Conrad tells him that he wants a world that respects each human being and can live as equals, which are Asta’s beliefs. He tells him that humans should earn their way there, and there were a lot of changes that existed today, and destroying or dictating a world was not the answer to bring about change.
Asta reveals that he wants to be a Wizard King. Conrad thinks Asta is naïve and explains to him that having that power is useless and no king could ever make changes for the better. They have a philosophical battle, but after realizing Asta will not join forces with him, he unleashes his true potential. In a surprising turn, we see Conrad almost destroyed by Asta. Conrad comes back up and uses one last weapon, but with the help of Julius, he manages to break through the barrier and saves the nation!
Battle between Mereloena and Princia
Princia sees Mereloena approach her and tells her she must test her skills before they fight. Mereloena passes the test, and they begin their fight. Mereloena tries her best and exhausts herself but cannot defeat Princia. Princia seems to be enjoying battling with Mereloena. Mereloena does not give up and fights harder and forces Princia to use her fists. Mereloena reveals how she finds her strength, and it is through her allies that she defeats Princia.
Black Bulls squad battle with Edward
Edward initially warns the Black Bulls squad to back off. He tells them to run and hide and explains that they had faced discrimination and hardships because of this nation and they should let him destroy it. The Black Bulls don’t heed his words and begin their attacks. They are barely managing to keep up with him. Edward makes his best move by freezing the place below 0 degrees and freezing the Black Bulls Squad. But the Black Bulls don’t give up and fight back and destroy Edward.
The battle between Yuno and Jester
Jester instigates Yuno by saying that even with Yami’s help, he won’t be able to harm him as Yami is drained of all the magic. Yuno does not care, and fights but Jester is not affected by it. In the end, Yuno does not give up and gives all he has. He takes inspiration from his ally Asta, fights with all his power, and destroys Jester.
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (2023) Ending, Explained
Conrad’s death
Conrad, after an intense battle with Asta, dies. In his final moments, he sees the other Kings waiting for him. Conrad looks at Asta and wonders, even though he is dying, why he had felt at ease. In those final moments, he realizes Asta’s pureness of heart and the will he carried within him. He encourages Asta to become a great Wizard King.
Conrad’s truth
Throughout the movie, we see Conrad adamant about destroying the nation as it was corrupt and discriminated against. Still, in the end, Julius reveals the truth behind Conrad changing his heart and developing hate towards the nation. Julius explains that the royals had framed Conrad for something, so his wife and comrades were slaughtered to death.
Who is right and wrong?
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King puts the viewers in a spot where they cannot decide who is right- Asta or Conrad. Asta was still young and believed he could make a difference by joining hands with others. He wanted to be the Wizard King and change things to improve the nation. On the other hand, Conrad had been there and done that and believed from his experiences that the power you get from being the Wizard King is worthless. In the end, we see Conrad die believing there was hope after seeing Asta, but that can change just like Conrad had changed.
Themes- Never give up and Team Work
Sword of the Wizard King showed us the power of teamwork. Every time a character tried to fight someone head-on without help, they were seen failing. The reason for the Black Bulls squad to divide the Kings and fight was that if they fought as one, Black Bulls had no chance. We see victory from Black Bulls as they use each other’s strength to fight the opponent. The last scene also shows us how the whole squad gave their magic to the sword to help Asta defeat Conrad.
Never give up attitude prevails in every scene of the movie. We see this attitude, especially with Asta and Conrad. They both function with the same philosophy but have taken the opposite direction regarding action. Asta and Conrad had one common thing that kept them strong: never to give up, and they would give up only if they lost their lives. Asta always inspired the Knights and slowly developed the same attitude and, until the end, never gave up!
Also, Read: Drifting Home (2022) Netflix Review & Ending, Explained – Do the kids manage to return home?
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King External Link: Rotten Tomatoes
Genre: Fantasy, Action, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Director: Ayataka Tanemura
Writer: Johnny Onda, Ai Orii
Release Date (Streaming): Runtime: Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Pierrot
