Black Clover Season 2 Tops 2026 Anime Premiere Likes

Black Clover returned to television after nearly five years away, and its second-season premiere quickly became Crunchyroll's most-liked anime debut of 2026. The episode, titled "The War Begins," premiered on October 3, attracting approximately 134,000 likes in less than a week as fans welcomed the continuation of Asta's journey. According to Animehunch, the premiere had overtaken the opening episode of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, which had approximately 128,900 likes on Crunchyroll.

The first episode of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 had around 68,900 likes, while The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 premiere had approximately 63,000. Black Clover's opening episode also received an IMDb rating of 9.4 out of 10, according to Animehunch. The response followed an extended break after the original television run concluded in March 2021.

Studio Pierrot produced the first season, which ran for 170 episodes from October 2017 to March 2021, and returned for the second season, which premiered in October 2026, according to IGN India. The franchise also expanded into feature animation with Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King, released in June 2023.

The new season adapts the Spade Kingdom Raid, a storyline in which Magic Knights from the Clover Kingdom join forces with allies from the Heart Kingdom. Their mission is to rescue Yami Sukehiro, William Vangeance and Lolopechka from the Dark Triad, whose plans involve opening the gates to the underworld. The story continues to center on Asta, an orphan who dreams of becoming the Wizard King despite being born without mana. His unusual five-leaf grimoire grants him access to anti-magic, allowing him to counter conventional magical attacks, while his fellow members of the Black Bulls support him in battles against increasingly powerful opponents.

The series is available on Crunchyroll with Japanese audio and English subtitles, according to IGN India. Its return continues the adaptation of the manga created by Yuki Tabata, which began publication in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2015. Ayataka Tanemura, who has worked on Black Clover since its early episodes, returned as director for the second season, according to Vietnam.vn. He discussed the production at Anime Expo 2026 in an interview with Crunchyroll, describing his progression through different production roles and the experience he gained directing the franchise's feature film.

Tanemura's early work included contributing to the storyboard and character performances for episode 4 of the first season. He later moved from assistant director responsibilities into a broader leadership role as the story approached its conflict with the Spade Kingdom. In discussing the differences between television production and feature animation, Tanemura explained that a series requires coordination across a much larger body of material, limiting how closely a director can oversee every production stage.

His experience on Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King gave him an opportunity to supervise more aspects of animation production directly. At Anime Expo 2026, the production team introduced the new season's first episode. Tanemura expressed enthusiasm about returning to Asta's world, noting that the story still contains opponents and battles that audiences have yet to see.

The director also said the team was working to deliver a stronger season than the first, with greater challenges and more dangerous adversaries for Asta and his companions. The second season begins with the Spade Kingdom conflict, continuing the anime's story after its nearly five-year television hiatus.