Tamal Kundu
With the release of ‘Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King,’ some of the unanswered questions in the ‘Black Clover’ universe are back in the minds of the fans. One of the most important among them involves the parentage of the protagonist, Asta. We have already been introduced to Asta’s biological mother in the show and manga, and she is a remarkable character. But her appearance has only increased the speculations about Asta’s potential biological father. ‘Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King’ introduces a character named Conrad Leto in the anime canon. He was the immediate predecessor of Julius Novachrono as the Wizard King.
After the royalists betrayed him and slaughtered his wife and comrades, Conrad snapped and sought to destroy Clover Kingdom with the intent of remaking it in the way he wished. Julius and other elite Magic Knights stood in his way and succeeded in sealing him off. Exactly ten years later, Conrad returns to finish his task. If the similarities between Conrad and Asta have made you wonder whether they are related, this is what we think. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Potential Bloodline Connection: Asta and Conrad
Conrad and Asta both have access to unusual magic power. Asta doesn’t have magic of his own, which has proven to be a blessing in disguise for him. He trains relentlessly and is now one of the physically strongest characters in that universe. The lack of magic has allowed him to use his five-leaf grimoire and the anti-magic swords. Although Conrad has the magic of his own — Key Magic — it’s relatively harmless on its own. His magic gives him the ability to open and close rifts out of thin air. The magic space behind these rifts absorbs anything Conrad wishes, including grimoires and other people’s magic, making him one of the most dangerous individuals in the history of Clover Kingdom.
The similarity between these two characters doesn’t end there. Both Asta and Conrad possess determination that seems to have no limit. Asta has overcome his apparent shortcomings to be the hero that Clover Kingdom needs several times and has never lost sight of his ultimate objective: to be the Wizard King. Similarly, Conrad has been trapped inside Julius’ time prison for ten years, but he is as resolved as ever to make his genocidal plans come true. Moreover, they both claim that their magic is not giving up. We don’t know much about Asta’s family history except for who his mother was and what happened to her. So, it’s entirely possible that Asta and Conrad are related.
Conrad’s Love Story Contradicts Fatherhood Theory
Asta already has several father figures in his life, including Yami Sukehiro, his squad captain. There is also Orsi Orfai, the priest in Hage village who has been a foster father for Asta, Yuno, and every other child at his church-run orphanage. It’s extremely unlikely that Conrad is Asta’s biological father. Although Yuuki Tabata, the writer and illustrator of the ‘Black Clover’ manga, wrote the story of ‘Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King’ before Johnny Onda and Ai Orii turned it into a screenplay, the film is not based on any material from the manga.
In the anime timeline, it is set shortly after the end of the series. It’s probably safe to assume that Tabata wouldn’t introduce as potentially important a character as Asta’s biological father in the movie. Furthermore, Conrad was evidently in love with his wife, and his chances of running into Asta’s mother, Richita, are slim. And if he was indeed Asta’s father, he doesn’t seem like a person who would let the mother of his child suffer the way she did and let his child be raised in an orphanage. Richita also doesn’t seem like a person who would hide the pregnancy from the child’s father.
Read More: Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King Timeline, Explained
