Few modern shonen anime divide audiences quite like Black Clover. Read enough Black Clover reviews and you'll find two completely different shows described: a generic, screaming-filled Naruto clone — and one of the most rewarding underdog stories of the last decade.
So what's the truth? In this breakdown, we look at the actual numbers on IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and MyAnimeList, plus the recurring points critics and fans keep making. If you're deciding whether the 170-episode journey is worth it, this is your answer.
Black Clover Reviews at a Glance
Here's how the anime scores across the major platforms:
- IMDb: around 8.2/10 — a strong score for a long-running shonen.
- MyAnimeList: roughly 8.14, rated by over 965,000 users, with a massive popularity rank of #55 sitewide.
- Rotten Tomatoes: no official Tomatometer critic score for the series, but individual season pages show a small pool of critic reviews and generally warm audience ratings.
The pattern is clear: audience scores are consistently high, while formal critic coverage is limited but cautiously positive.
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The Black Clover IMDb rating sits around 8.2/10 for the 2017–2021 series — impressive for a show with 170 episodes across four seasons. You can browse the full spread on the show's official IMDb page.
The Positive Reviews
The most common praise points in user reviews:
- The payoff argument. Many reviewers admit the early episodes tested them but say the show "gets a lot better," calling the later arcs genuinely great.
- Character growth. The Black Bulls squad dynamic and Asta's earn-everything underdog arc are repeatedly highlighted.
- Fight animation peaks. Studio Pierrot's later sakuga episodes — especially the legendary Episode 170 — are treated as some of the best TV anime action of its era.
The Negative Reviews
Critical IMDb users tend to raise the same three issues:
- The Asta screaming complaints. Early-episode Asta's constant yelling is the single most cited turn-off, even among fans who eventually loved the show.
- Derivative formula. Some reviewers call it a watered-down blend of Naruto-style tropes: enemy too strong, friendship flashback, power-up, miracle win.
- The slow start. The first 15–20 episodes are widely considered the weakest stretch.
Notably, even harsh reviews often concede the show improves dramatically — the disagreement is mostly about whether the early grind is worth it.
Black Clover Rotten Tomatoes: How Do Critics Rate It?
Here's the part most articles get wrong. Black Clover Rotten Tomatoes coverage is thinner than fans assume.
No Official Tomatometer Score
The series does not have an aggregate Tomatometer rating, because too few approved critics formally reviewed it. Anime TV series often fall into this gap on Rotten Tomatoes, where Western critic coverage skews toward films and prestige TV.
What does exist are individual Black Clover critic reviews on season pages, and they're measured but fair:
- One premiere review scored it 7/10, praising the beautiful art and underdog setup while flagging distracting CGI.
- Another called it a series unafraid to reuse familiar shonen elements — one that "knows its audience" rather than reinventing the genre.
- Season 2 coverage was warmer, with a B+ review praising the show's energy and how it plays with audience expectations.
The Audience Score Tells a Different Story
The audience side (Popcornmeter) skews clearly positive, echoing IMDb: viewers who pushed past the opening arc tend to rate it highly, while drop-off reviews cite boredom with the early episodes.
Sword of the Wizard King Reviews
The 2023 Netflix film gave critics a rare chance to formally review the franchise. The Sword of the Wizard King reviews on Rotten Tomatoes landed around 3/5 on average — critics called it a nonstop action spectacle made for existing fans, with standout animation but a generic story for newcomers.
Black Clover MyAnimeList Score: The Fandom Verdict
For anime-native audiences, the Black Clover MyAnimeList score is arguably the most meaningful metric — and it's excellent.
- Score: ~8.14, from over 965,000 ratings.
- Popularity: #55 out of every anime on the platform, with 1.86 million members.
- Trajectory: the score climbed steadily over the show's run as the later arcs won over skeptics.
That popularity rank is the headline stat. Regardless of score debates, Black Clover is one of the most-watched anime on MyAnimeList — mainstream shonen territory alongside giants of the genre.
So, Is Black Clover Worth Watching?
Synthesizing hundreds of reviews, the consensus answer is yes — with one honest caveat.
Almost every piece of Black Clover anime criticism, positive or negative, agrees on the shape of the experience:
- Episodes 1–20: rough. Loud protagonist, familiar tropes, patience required.
- Episodes 20–100: steady improvement as squads, stakes, and world-building click.
- Episodes 100–170: the payoff. The elf arc, Spade Kingdom arc, and Episode 170 deliver top-tier shonen action.
With the manga now complete and a new anime season arriving on Crunchyroll in October 2026, there's never been a better time to judge for yourself — the "slow start" complaint matters far less when you can binge past it in a weekend.
Conclusion
The main points across Black Clover reviews are remarkably consistent. IMDb (8.2) and MyAnimeList (8.14) show strong audience love built on character growth and spectacular late-series animation. Rotten Tomatoes has no official critic score for the series, but the limited critic reviews that exist rate it as solid, self-aware shonen — around 7/10 or 3/5 — while its audience scores run notably higher.
In short: critics see a competent genre show; fans see a slow-burn classic. Watch past episode 20, and you'll find out which side you're on.
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