WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Black Clover Chapter 294, “As Promised,” by Yuki Tabata, Taylor Engel and Annaliese "Ace" Christman, available now in English from Viz Media.
Black Clover Chapter #294, “As Promised,” concludes the gutsy battle between Dante and Magna -- and to everyone’s surprise, Magna came out victorious without the help of anyone else. His victory even changed Jack’s mind about including peasant mages from forsaken regions in magical brigades. With that, a familiar question with Black Clover is posed, are peasants not supposed to be that strong?
Magna’s involvement in the overall war sets a different standard for all magical brigades to take another look at potential Magical Knight candidates. Here are some reasons why Magna’s victory shakes up the hierarchical magical system of Black Clover.
The simple fact that Yami, Asta and Jack couldn’t defeat Dante, but Magna did, in itself, is a significant deal for the overall story. Both Yami and Asta have been labeled as Arcane Mages, and Jack is a Brigade Captain. The magical talent between them can easily outshine Magna’s abilities, but the fiery Black Bull did not let mere magical powers limit his potential. Magna proved that guts with magical grit could be the determining factor to defeat any opponent, whether Devil or human. The acknowledgment from his peers highlights Magna's overall growth and allows for Magna to bask in the spotlight for a brief moment.
While rune arrays helped Magna defeat Dante, that doesn't take away from the time it took him to develop his ultimate move, Soul Chain Deathmatch. Rune arrays have leveled the playing field for all mages, especially since lower-status mages naturally possess less magic than royalty. Now, they can equip themselves with the appropriate spells to take on any foe.
Jack and Nacht, who were brought up in the current magical hierarchical system, were among the only mages that doubted Magna’s abilities. It’s common for mages with status to look down upon commoners, and the selection process for new brigade members is heavily reliant on social status. The higher-ups are too focused on the magical talent of an individual rather than their magical potential. Magna now stands as the pillar of hope for mages with weak magic affinity because of their status.
So Jack's personality changing towards peasant mages is a big deal -- even letting Magna have his moment when he knew the battle wasn't over yet since Dante's magical reserves began to mutate his human body. Jack was a commoner before he got accepted in the Magic Knights, but even he wasn’t expecting much from the forsaken region mages of the Black Bulls. However, when Magna bested Dante, Jack realized the worth of Yami's plan for the Black Bulls. Black Clover frequently challenges the perception of mages, reminding people that it takes more than raw power and social class to determine potential.
Like Asta and Yuno before him, Magna's victory over Dante opens the door for more forsaken region mages to enter the Magical Knights. Status alone cannot be a deterrent of power anymore, and maybe that was Yami’s goal when he began his magical brigade. With rune arrays that any mage can learn, new strategies and techniques can be developed to level the playing field amongst all Magical Knights. With a change in Jack, it will be interesting to see how he and the other Captains open up to the idea of a more inclusive range of magical talent.
