WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Black Clover Chapter #304, “Reality and Magic,” by Yuki Tabata, Taylor Engel and Annaliese "Ace" Christman, available now in English from Viz Media.
Although Black Clover's battles between the Magic Knights and Supreme Devils have been entertaining, the outcomes are lacking a true sense of urgency. Magna defeating Dante seemed improbable, and there were no truly severe casualties. The battle with Megicula in Chapter #304 leaves three powerful mages -- Rill, Charlotte and Gaja -- at death’s door, but through the miracle of magic, they all survive.
This ongoing pattern makes it hard to believe any of the Magic Knights will actually die. Characters dying does not necessarily make a story better, but there are additional paths that could be explored if those outcomes were to happen.
The battle with Megicula teased Rill and Charlotte's impending deaths, which would have been a big deal for the Black Clover story overall. Two Magic Knight Captains falling in battle could have paved the way for other mages to surpass their limits and step into these roles. The positions would have probably been filled by the Vice-Captains, but it would've been interesting to see how characters who aren't often in the spotlight can stand out.
Charlotte’s death in particular would have also affected Yami, in either a good or bad way. Her love for Yami isn't currently reciprocated, but it wouldn’t be surprising to find out he likes her too. Losing the woman who loves him would have been a great opportunity to see Yami let loose from anger, especially since we didn’t really get to see him express sadness for the real Nacht’s death.
Meanwhile, Gaja’s death could've been extremely traumatic for Lolopechka, potentially providing an opportunity for the latter to develop as a mage. Luckily Gaja was saved and uses his second chance at life to admit his love for Lolopechka. The cliché move would have been to have Gaja confess to her as his dying words but Yuki Tabata flipped the script, even making the situation comical. Gaja’s nonchalant attitude mimics the tone of the battle's aftermath. He was literally at the point of death but now he’s alive. Might as well make a romantic confession, right?
Ultimately, Black Clover's characters are strong and surpassing their limits, but the urgency to win is offset by the likelihood that no one is going to die. Now, Mimosa might not be able to cast the magic spell often, and there might be some restrictions that limit its potential. Seeing as two Supreme Devils have been defeated with no true repercussions for the Magic Knights is either setting the stage for a grander battle, or leading to another predictable outcome.
The current Black Clover arc had a golden opportunity to explore the fall of some characters to change the battle's tone, but Chapter #304 chose not to do so. It almost seems like the situation with the Devils infiltrating the Human World is already under control, and the only true goal now is to save Yami and Vangeance. Maybe Black Clover is purposefully making us drop our guard so the outcomes of the final battle hit harder, but for now it feels underwhelming.
