Black Clover’s New Schedule Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to It

Black Clover is now on a quarterly release schedule as the final arc of Yuki Tabata’s manga continues through to its end, and it’s ended up being the best thing that has ever happened to the series. Black Clover originally made its debut with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump back in 2015, and like the other series in the magazine, ran on a weekly schedule with new chapters continuing the story every single week. It meant that while the manga was moving at a steady pace, there were many weeks where chapters were fairly short in comparison to many of the other series.

A weekly manga release schedule isn’t the healthiest as we have seen many prominent creators suffering from all sorts of ailments as a result of the demanding workload, and that’s ultimately what Tabata had mentioned when Black Clover then shifted over to Shueisha’s Jump GIGA magazine for the final arc. Noting that the quarterly schedule is what was necessary for the creator’s better health, a year into this schedule and it’s clearly the best decision the series has ever made. Black Clover’s final arc is the best the manga has ever been.

Why Did Black Clover Leave Shonen Jump’s Weekly Schedule

“As Black Clover has continued, I have found that I started to struggle with the weekly manga creation schedule,” Black Clover series creator Yuki Tabata shared in a message with fans when the series first moved to Jump GIGA. “After multiple discussions with the editorial department, it has been decided that I will move the series to Jump GIGA. I know this sudden decision may be a shock to many of my readers. I’m so sorry for not being able to end the series in Weekly Shonen Jump. But I believe that in GIGA, I will be able to end the series in a manner that matches my current drawing pace and is much better for my health.”

Tabata initially made the jump to the quarterly release schedule of a new magazine for the better of his health, and it ended up being a great move in retrospect. Because while fans had expected the series to be returning for a single chapter every few months, it’s actually been much better in practice. In the little over a year since the new schedule began, there have been multiple chapters included in each update helping to bring each of the final battles of this final arc to their respective ends. So it really has been a surprise each time Black Clover returns.

When the series first shifted into this schedule, it outlined a few major fights needing to be settled like Asta and Yuno vs. Lucius, Yami vs. Paladin Morgen and more. These have since been brought to their respective ends with updates throughout the past year, and had been fleshed out with nearly 40-50 pages for each fight. It’s meant that each one got the kind of grand finale that fans had been hoping to see, and each one got their time to shine. Nothing has felt rushed in the slightest.

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Black Clover Might Get Shonen Jump’s Best Ending

One of the major issues with Shonen Jump overall is how its series actually come to an end. Whether it’s a series that is cancelled before it ever gets a chance to tell the full scope of its story, or a series that naturally comes to an end after a decade, Shonen Jump never quite gets its endings right. It’s an issue across the board as regardless of how a series wraps up, it’s never quite satisfying enough for the fans. It’s just that the weekly release schedule for a series means that when the final chapter hits with its 15-19 pages, that’s it for the series.

It’s left some series feeling lacking even when they get a full rollout. Look at what happened to My Hero Academia recently. It not only ended last Summer, but had to lay out five weeks of epilogue chapters to bring about its proper conclusion. And even that wasn’t enough as the creator had returned for not one, but two additional chapters of material taking place after that series finale. It just wasn’t enough. But that’s not likely going to be the case here.

Black Clover‘s quarterly schedule means that not only will fans get plenty of time and warning to get ready for the final chapter, but it’s also getting the time to explore every little bit it needs to before it comes to an end. It doesn’t feel rushed, the quality of the art is the best that Tabata has ever produced, and it seems to just be a healthier series overall. It’s tough for those fans who wait the months in between each update, but it’s hard to argue that this ultimately wasn’t the best decision for Black Clover’s future.