In Black Clover, the Magic Knight Squads are the Clover Kingdom’s first line of defense against any threats to the kingdom. There are a total of nine squads, each run by different captains, also known as Grand Magic Knights. That said, not all squads have equal capabilities. The competition to prove themselves as the best Magic Knight Squad is fierce, and creates an obvious hierarchy. It doesn't help that most of the Magic Knights are royals and nobles because of their immense amount of mana. On the other hand, it wasn't until a few years prior to main story events that commoners were even allowed to join the squads.
Seeing as commoners don't have much mana to begin with, most of them only have a basic level of magic that is not good enough for combats. The desire to prove themselves in front of the general public is much stronger in nobles. In Black Clover, certain squads have proven their might while others have been low-key in all arcs. The two squads that stood out the most are the Black Bulls and Golden Dawn. Golden Dawn was the kingdom's most powerful squad while Black Bulls was considered the weakest. The difference in their status was massive until Asta joins the Black Bulls. Delve deeper to find out why the Black Bulls were underrated and if they were always stronger than Golden Dawn.
Why Golden Dawn Was So Popular
Golden Dawn was led by a charismatic leader, and the members all belonged to high-ranking nobility. Members such as Mimosa Vermillion, Klaus Lunettes, and Langris Vaude were considered prodigies among the nobles. Even their Captain William Vangeance is an incredibly strong mage, who would always support and motivate his subordinates to become stronger.
The main reason they were so popular was due to the number of accolades awarded to them. In the Clover Kingdom, the knights are awarded stars for their merit, and they are also stripped of a certain amount of stars for demerits. The might of a squad is measured every year based on the number of stars they have.
Why Did the Black Bulls Have an Unfavorable Impression?
From the beginning of Black Clover, the Black Bulls were looked at unfavorably by the public. The members were unruly, and most of them were commoners. The squad gained 31 negative stars due to the destructive behavior that caused their performance to be more harmful than the threat of the missions. The squad didn't have a lot of members either, and each of them was hand-picked by their Captain Yami Sukehiro.
Yami is a foreigner, and despite having incredible talent and a rare magic type, was not popular with the public. Due to his lineage, he was looked down on, even among the other Magic Knight Squads. In the Clover Kingdom, the commoners are treated poorly by the nobles, but the foreigners are treated even more horribly. Therefore, it goes without saying that with a notorious captain, the entire squad was looked down upon.
The Black Bulls Rise In Popularity
It all started ever since Asta joined the Black bulls. The members of the squad all had unusual magic and were talented in their own right, yet, they didn't have the motivation to work hard and make a name for themselves. However, as they saw Asta's determination and dedication to become stronger even without having any magic, the rest of the Black Bulls were greatly inspired. They also began working harder and supporting Asta in every way possible.
Each year, there is a Star Festival every citizen from the kingdom joins in the festivities and enjoys with their families. The festival is also a great way to boost the morale of the public by announcing the merits of each squad. The squads are then ranked based on the number of stars they have achieved. Up until Asta joined, the Black Bulls were always the squad with the lowest number of stars. It was only recently that they got the second position in the recent Star Festival.
Though the number of stars itself isn't enough to measure the capability of a squad, still they gained a favorable impression because of this event. However, Asta isn't the only reason the Black Bulls ascended to their current position. On several occasions, the Black Bulls have saved the Clover Kingdom against extremely serious threats. Moreover, even though the squad has so few members, they all have unique magic types, especially Arcane magic, which can harm devils.
Usually, the devil won't be harmed by normal magic attacks, only arcane magic can hurt them. In the Heart Kingdom, the power of mages is classified by stages; Stage 9 being the weakest and Stage 0 being the strongest. However, arcane magic is a class on its own and cannot be categorized like that. So far, Yami, Asta, Nacht, Vanessa, Grey, and Secre are the Arcane mages in the squad.
Were the Black Bulls Always Stronger than Golden Dawn?
Yes, even before Asta joined, every member of the Black Bulls was strong enough to hold their own against even the nobles and royals. Though they had the title of junior-level magic knights, they were all strong enough to become intermediate or senior-level magic knights. Though strength alone isn't enough to get a promotion, one must have some merits or contributions to show before gaining a higher rank. In the Royal Knights Tournament, the Black Bulls, having already become the second-best squad showed their prowess in front of everyone.
Not only that, but Asta, a junior-level magic knight was able to defeat Langris Vaude, the Vice-Captain of Golden Dawn. Another example was the fight against the Dark Triad. When Zenon attacked the Golden Dawn, more than half of their members had fallen in battle, and the captain had also lost. Meanwhile, Dante attacked the Black Bulls, who were able to hold their own against him without any casualties. Yami and Asta were fighting against Dante and were slowly gaining the upper hand. Unfortunately, Zenon launches a surprise attack and kidnaps Yami.
Compared to Golden Dawn, which mostly relied upon strength in numbers, Black Bulls excelled in flexibility in their attacks and adapting quickly to the situation. In a fight with all the members of both squads, Black Bulls will win. It's because Asta's magic nullification has no limitations.
He can nullify even the world's most powerful spells. Moreover, Vanessa's fate magic can change the course of the battle in an instant while Charmy can make sure that the members never run out of mana. The others can also make equal contributions in the fight to ensure their victory.