Watch the original Black Clover episodes 1–170, then continue with Black Clover 2nd Season. Sword of the Wizard King is an optional film after the original run; it is not required before the continuation. For a shorter first watch, use the optional episodes below. Keep the training episodes near the end: jumping straight from 129 to 158 cuts more than recaps.
In the Clover Kingdom, magic shapes a person's standing, and the Magic Knights use it to protect the realm. Asta has no magic but wants to lead that order as Wizard King. A sword that cancels spells gives him a way in; his gifted childhood rival Yuno pursues the same ambition. For the premise and cast, read our Black Clover introduction.
Sword of the Wizard King is an optional film after the original run. See film advice.
Content: frequent fantasy fighting, blood and death, sexual jokes and drinking. This is a teen-oriented action series rather than a gentle children’s adventure; Common Sense Media’s US parent guide recommends 13+ and gives fuller detail.
Which episodes can you skip?
Watch every episode not listed as optional. Numbers follow the original broadcast sequence, regardless of a service's season labels. Taking every skip leaves 153 of the original 170 episodes.
Full route: about 68 hours. Shorter route: about 61 hours. At an assumed 24 minutes per episode including credits, the 17 optional episodes save roughly seven hours. Film and continuation viewing are extra.
| Episode(s) | Our recommendation | What you give up | Resume at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Optional recap | Earlier events retold by people around Asta, with some new framing. Useful after a break; less useful when you have just watched them. | 30 |
| 66 | Optional, mostly recap | A review of the threat facing the kingdom, framed by the characters discussing it. Keep it if you want a reminder before the next stretch. | 67 |
| 68 | Optional comedy | Yami and Jack turn running festival stalls into a rivalry. Stay for their squabbling; skip if you want to get back to the larger story. | 69 |
| 82 | Optional comedy special | A collection of Petit Clover sketches with small, cartoon versions of the cast. | 83 |
| 123–124 | Optional recaps | A two-part retelling from Nero's perspective. Keep these if the preceding story is hazy. | 125, or 126 if skipping the next row too |
| 125 | Optional side story | The Black Bulls search for escaped magical pets. This is a new comic detour, not a third recap. | 126 |
| 131 | Optional character episode | Asta and Yuno visit their home village. Keep it if you want time with the people who knew them before the Magic Knights. | 132 |
| 134–135 | Optional character comedy | A gathering at the Vermillion home, then romantic complications involving Finral and Charlotte. | 136 |
| 142–148 | Optional seven-episode side story | A conflict involving people with little magical power and their distrust of the kingdom. Watch the block if that side of the world interests you; skip the whole block if you want the training storyline sooner. | 149 |
The community-maintained Anime Filler List classifies episodes by their relationship to the source material. That does not tell you whether a detour is enjoyable. TV Tokyo's archive describes what happens in each episode; the table uses those descriptions to explain the consequences of each skip.
Why keep 149 when filler lists include it?
Episode 149 deals with the aftermath of the side story, but it also brings news that training in the Heart Kingdom is ready to begin. We keep it as a transition. If you skipped 142–148, expect references to that incident at the start. If you want its ending to remain a surprise for a later watch, watch 142–148 before 149. TV Tokyo, episodes 141–150
What changes as you follow the route?
The opening takes Asta from a village church to the Magic Knights. Joining the Black Bulls gives his ambition a daily setting: a noisy squad whose members have different powers and different reasons to feel out of place. Yuno's place in another squad keeps their rivalry alive without making him a villain.
If you want an early stopping point, episode 10 finishes the first mission. By then the show has put Noelle's difficulty controlling her magic alongside Asta's complete lack of it. TV Tokyo's episode 10 synopsis describes her defensive spell protecting the villagers. It is an early example of why the squad needs more than a boy with an anti-magic sword. Ten episodes take about four hours; there is no obligation to continue that far if the shouting and repeated jokes already grate.
Later battles ask the Black Bulls to combine their abilities. In episode 47, Finral's spatial magic and Vanessa's thread magic help Asta reach an opponent. The broadcaster's synopsis identifies that combination. N.E.C's Anime UK News review of Part 5 likewise highlights the squad's combined effort. This is what a shorter route should preserve: the steps that make another person's ability matter to Asta's success.
Why keep parts of episodes 130–157?
There is more than one kind of extra material here. Some episodes give the cast downtime; others show preparation that the next run of episodes builds on. Our shorter route keeps 130, 132–133, 136–141 and 149–157.
Three parts are worth knowing about before you reach for the skip button:
- 151: the captains' team battle. Keep this if the fights are a reason you watch Black Clover. Shawn Hacaga's episode review for The Fandom Post singles out its choreography and animation. That is a reason to watch an anime-original episode even when it is not advancing the manga plot.
- 153–156: training preparation and practice. These cover the selection of trainees, a Yuno and Langris encounter, the Heart Kingdom instructors and further combat practice. Skipping them removes some of the steps between deciding to train and seeing the results. TV Tokyo, episodes 151–160
- 152 and 157: recaps with present-day framing. At 152, Asta looks back while visiting a new entrance exam; at 157, recollection sits inside his ongoing training. Our route keeps both whole episodes. A blanket “skip every recap” rule would also cut that surrounding material. TV Tokyo's synopses; Anime Solution's episode 157 review.
Also keep 2, 8–9, 12, 30, 69 and 102 if you are using a list that marks them “mixed”. That label means an episode combines adapted material with additions. Skipping the whole episode also skips part of the adaptation. Anime Filler List's categories
When should you watch the movie?
After episode 170 is our recommendation for a first watch. Sword of the Wizard King is optional; you do not need to insert it halfway through the television run.
Netflix's own film explainer calls it a standalone story, places it after season 4 and says future seasons will not necessarily incorporate its events. Finishing the original run first gives you a clear viewing point without interrupting it. This is a viewing recommendation, not a claim about the film's exact place in the story's timeline.
The film puts Asta and his comrades against four former Wizard Kings. Conrad, their leader, wants to destroy the kingdom and remake it; that brings a darker version of Asta's own ambition into view. Choose it when you want another confrontation involving the established cast. It offers an additional adventure, rather than the next episode of the television storyline.
Allow just under two hours: the UK BBFC records Netflix’s submitted streaming version at about 111 minutes. If you want to continue the television story immediately, leave the film for another evening.
The film artwork below shows later character designs.
What comes after episode 170?
Look for Black Clover 2nd Season (2026), the title on the official continuation site. Do not select an older streaming season labelled “2” solely because its number matches.
The original run ends at 170 in the broadcaster's archive. For the continuation’s Japanese broadcast and streaming schedule, see our Black Clover 2nd Season update. Check the exact title and available episodes on your local service before subscribing.
Continuation artwork: later character designs
Where should you resume after a break?
- Finished 122? Watch 123–124 for Nero's recap, then 125 for a comic detour; the shorter route resumes at 126.
- Finished 129? Continue at 130 and follow the table. Do not jump to 158: that also removes the captains' battle and much of the training.
- Finished 141? Continue at 142 for the side story about magical inequality, or 149 for its aftermath and the training transition.
- Finished 170? Move to Black Clover 2nd Season. The film is optional.
Use the original episode number as your bookmark. Streaming “season” labels can divide the same 170 episodes into different packages; an old “season 2” is not the 2026 continuation.
Sources
Episode archives and reviews linked here contain story spoilers.
- Common Sense Media’s US parent guide: violence, sexual jokes and drinking.
- Apple TV original-series listing: opening squad image. Official film website: film visual.
- TV Tokyo, episodes 1–10 and 41–50: first mission and the episode 47 combination; N.E.C at Anime UK News discusses the squad’s teamwork.
- Anime Filler List: Black Clover supplies community classifications, not an official ruling on canon.
- TV Tokyo's episode archive supplies episode numbers and story descriptions. Relevant pages cover 21–30, 61–70, 81–90, 121–130, 131–140, 141–150 and 151–160.
- Anime Solution's reviews of 29, 66 and 157 identify recap material; The Fandom Post's review of 151 informs the action recommendation.
- Netflix Tudum's film explainer, published 16 June 2023, explains the film's standalone status and premise.
- The UK BBFC film record lists Netflix’s submitted 2D streaming version at 110m 50s (approximately 111 minutes).
- The official on-air page supplies the continuation's Japanese schedule.