Zagred Knows the Truth About Asta's Five-Leaf Grimoire (2024)

Grimoires are spellbooks imbued with their own magic. The origin of these arcane objects remains unknown, but each of the four Kingdoms has its own version of the grimoire. However, the origin of Asta's five-leaf clover grimoire, and the true extent of its power, have been mysteries at the center of Black Clover since its first episode. The full extent of what his grimoire can do has yet to be revealed in the anime, but it comes with a sordid history that has left many fans wondering why Asta's grimoire chose him.

When a grimoire chooses a mage, it is normally blank or almost blank, and spells appear as the grimoire grows in knowledge and strength alongside its owner. The connection between a grimoire and its master is so strong that no one can use a grimoire that belongs to another mage. However, this rule doesn't apply in extremely special cases. That said, Asta wasn't the first owner of this iconic five-leaf clover spellbook, which means there's more to Asta's grimoire than meets the eye.

Updated on February 7, 2024, by Ajay Aravind: The Black Clover anime still has a long way to go before it covers the latter section of the manga, so anime fans only have a barebones understanding of Asta's grimoire. Season 4 revealed the devil living inside the 5-leaf clover. Named Liebe, or "love," this devil shares a lot of his life experience with Asta. As such, we've updated this feature about Asta's grimoire with some more information.

What Are The Grimoires In Black Clover?

Magic-Users Employ Grimoires To Cast Specialized Spells

Fantasy anime exploit a wide range of magical combat systems. The one used in Black Clover relies on spell books known as grimoires. Each potential magic-user can acquire one of them after turning 15, since they are allowed to enter the Grimoire Tower for the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony. Yuno received his 4-leaf clover grimoire almost immediately, whereas Asta didn't get anything (at that point). It can be assumed that nearly everyone employing a grimoire must have obtained it in the same way.

The four kingdoms all use grimoires, although the cover changes depending on the location — the Heart, Diamond, Spade, and Clover kingdom grimoires all come with their eponymous totem. Interestingly, the Hino Country (where Yami hails from) uses scrolls for magic rather than grimoires. That said, it seems the kingdoms themselves don't have any effect on the grimoires' power levels. On the contrary, the amount of mana wielded by an individual decides their magical output. Grimoires remain with their users until their deaths, following which they disappear completely.

Grimoires contain magical spells, some of which mysteriously appear when the user can handle them. People can also inscribe their personalized spells on the empty pages of their respective grimoires. Not every grimoire is the same, either. They can have hundreds of pages or even just one. Julius Novachrono's grimoire is unique in that it doesn't have a hardbound cover. This is most likely due to his reliance on Time Magic. 4-leaf clover grimoires are extremely rare and are often found with extremely powerful magic-users. Asta's, on the other hand, boasts five individual clover leaves, making it practically unique.

How Is A 5-Leaf Grimoire Created?

Hate And Despair Are Required To Generate A 5-Leaf Grimoire

Five-leaf grimoires are different. Most mages receive grimoires that have three leaves, which represent faith, hope, and love. Those with exceptional magical abilities are chosen to wield a grimoire with a four-leaf clover. The fourth leaf symbolizes good luck. Both these versions are a representation of natural magic. A five-leaf grimoire is an extremely rare magical object, whose fifth leaf represents a devil. This information was revealed relatively early in Black Clover, but the explanation took much longer.

Also known as a Grimoire of Despair, a five-leaf grimoire is created when a mage chosen by a four-leaf grimoire is filled with so much hate and despair that the book becomes twisted by his own dark emotions. This causes a fifth leaf to appear on the cover, and the cover itself becomes darker than before. While the bond between a mage and their respective grimoire is essentially the same regardless of the cover, the five-leaf grimoire holds all the same power with the added bonus of hosting a devil. Further, it becomes dormant after the death of its owner, rather than disintegrating. That said, the new owner must be worthy of the 5-leaf grimoire. Unlike the other grimoires in Black Clover, however, nothing happens to the 5-leaf grimoire even after its user dies. On the contrary, it lies waiting for the next person worthy of wielding it.

How Did Asta Get His Grimoire?

It Suddenly Appeared When Yuno Was In Danger

See Also

Clover Guide: How to Grow & Care for Clovers & Popular Types

A devil named Zagred created Asta's grimoire around five centuries prior to events in Black Clover. At that time, it was a four-leaf grimoire that belonged to an elf named Licht. By tricking the humans and the elves into killing each other and having Licht watch all of his loved ones die, Zagred manipulated Licht into letting his darker emotions consume him, which turned his grimoire into a macabre reflection of his soul. Once Licht died, his grimoire was forgotten until it chose Asta at the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony.

It has already been revealed that a devil called Liebe possesses Asta's grimoire. He also possesses Asta when he engages in battle, allowing him to become a human-devil hybrid version of himself called Black Asta. Liebe enables Asta to fight with heightened strength and cunning while amplifying his anti-magic, which makes him almost unbeatable. Disregarding Nacht Faust's warning, Asta finally forges a partnership of equals between himself and Liebe in the Season 4 finale.

Alongside the power his devil gives him, Asta's grimoire also contains unique weapons. These weapons include the Demon-Slayer sword, which he can use to cut through magic and ride like a surfboard; and the Demon-Dweller sword, which can cut through spells and can absorb the magic of those around him. Other than Licht, Asta is the only person capable of wielding this latter sword. Then there's the Demon-Destroyer sword, which can nullify spells. The true power of Asta's grimoire is still largely unknown, but with the full power of a devil and anti-magic weapons on his side, it is possible Asta will one day rule as the Wizard King.

Who Placed Liebe Inside Asta's Grimoire?

Asta's Mother Seals Liebe Within Licht's Original Grimoire

Fans were waiting to learn about the mysterious entity lurking within Asta's grimoire for years before the anime eventually revealed the truth. In fact, the Black Bull's Vice-Captain Nacht Faust is introduced for the sole purpose of helping Asta resolve his unorthodox relationship. Asta subsequently manifests Liebe so that the human could fight and defeat the devil, effectively enslaving him to Asta's will. To Faust's surprise, Asta reacts to Liebe as a sibling rather than an enemy. This is probably because he unconsciously senses Liebe's former relationship with Richita, Asta's mother.

After leaving the newborn Asta at the orphanage, Richita inexplicably finds Licht's 5-leaf clover grimoire. She later discovers a small toddler-demon lurking in the border forests of the Clover Kingdom. Richita saves the creature and names him Liebe, the German word for "love" and the central message of Black Clover. Richita and Liebe spend some time bonding, but Lucifero eventually identifies Liebe's presence in the human world.

When he tries to seize control of the young devil, Richita fights back. Richita's magical attribute is unique — she automatically absorbs the mana from her surroundings, explaining why she can't be around other people. It also explains Asta's non-magical status. With this power, Richita manages to exorcise Lucifero and simultaneously protects Liebe by placing him inside the 5-leaf clover grimoire. Asta gets the grimoire several years later, and the rest is history.

Black Clover (2017)

TV-PG

Action-Adventure

Fantasy

Asta and Yuno were abandoned together at the same church and have been inseparable since. As children, they promised that they would compete against each other to see who would become the next Emperor Magus.

Release Date

October 3, 2017

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

4

Studio

Pierrot