After 11 Years, 2026 Will Officially Prove Why Black Clover Has The New Gen's Best Shonen Hero (Exclusive)

Published Aug 8, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT

An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.

His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.

Born with the opposite of a gift for magic in a world governed by it, Asta's sky-high aspirations to become the Wizard King were met with enormous doubt from his fellow villagers. Even upon receiving his grimoire against all odds, he'd have to work extremely hard in order to take advantage of his Anti-Magic. Despite all of this, Asta received no proverbial "gift from the goddess," and dodged the typical "chosen one" cliché so many shonen heroes eventually embody, making him a truly underrated standout.

Asta's qualities of determination and his sheer valuation of hard work don't go unseen either by the viewers or even by the cast themselves. In fact, ScreenRant got to confirm this recently via an interview with Gakuto Kajiwara, the long-serving voice of Asta, at Anime Expo 2026, getting his biggest takeaways from embodying the character for nearly a decade now. With the manga and its guidebook capping off Asta's saga, the Anti Magic-wielding boy from Hage's big return will leave no room for doubt about just what Kajiwara loves about Asta, and that many fans feel likewise.

Black Clover's Voice Of Asta Finds Empowerment In The Role

It's not unusual for Japanese voice actors or really any dub actors to grow attached to their most iconic roles. Some feel the emotional weight of the characters and seeing them through their darkest days like Yuki Kaji, voice of Attack on Titan's Eren Yeager. Others, like Goku voice actor Masako Nozawa and Naruto voice actor Junko Takeuchi feel a bond ranging from familial connections to the character, or outright sharing a soul. Others like Mayumi Tanaka are practically unable to depart from the role even in their later years. Gakuto Kajiwara confirmed his connection to Asta is very much a positive one, though, keeping him grounded in difficult times.

In terms of myself, one of the things I can take away from Asta is his never give up spirit. Me personally, I don't have such a strong heart like him, and a lot of times, when I feel like I want to give up, Asta comes to mind. I can remember his character and personality of just not giving up, and for me I feel like I got encouragement from him and really a lot of power in my personal life. That's why he's special to me.

It's immediately not a surprise that Asta's tenacity rubs off on those who portray him. While English dub actor Dallas Reid spoke of how intimidating the role would be to return to previously, it seems Kajiwara's biggest takeaway from the role was that Asta's attitude actively pushing him along despite claiming his will isn't as strong as the character he portrays. Consdiering even the glimpses fans have gotten, and the recent screening of Black Clover season 2 at Anime Expo, it seems Kajiwara hasn't missed a beat, and is ready to bring Asta through Black Clover's best anime arc ever.

Black Clover Fans Never Gave Up On Their Favorite Anime, And It's Paying Off

Despite plenty of setbacks, particularly for Tabata as he had to shift the series to the quarterly Jump GIGA to prioritize his health, work-life balance, and family, Black Clover landed the plane both in its final manga chapters, and now with an elegant anime return. Season 2 benefits immensely from Studio Pierrot's refined approach, even if it had to wait its turn after four incredible seasons of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. It's not even the only Pierrot anime that's had to go on hiatus, either, with Boruto fans similarly waiting with hopes that they'll get their big Black Clover moment as the series moves to fully adapt the Omnipotence Arc.

The Spade Kingdom Raid has the absolute best fights in all of Black Clover, with a stack of opportunities to showcase numerous heavy-hitters like Asta, Noelle, and Yuno, but also giving more screen time to the other underdogs such as Magna Swing. But throughout the arc, Asta's hard work pays off immensely with some of the most jaw-dropping physical feats in the entire series by a comfortable margin. Fans may be delighted how briskly the anime will soon move along, so savor every moment, as the series only has a few arcs left beyond this point.