The first episode of Black Clover Season 2, titled “The War Begins,” has quickly become the most-liked anime premiere of 2026 on Crunchyroll. The episode, which debuted on October 3, has accumulated over 130,000 likes on the streaming platform in less than a week since its release. This marks the anime's return after a nearly five-year hiatus.
As of the current reporting, the episode has approximately 134,000 likes. It also received an IMDb rating of 9.4/10 upon its debut. The strong reception follows the conclusion of the first season in March 2021, which ran for 170 episodes.
Surpassing Other Premieres
The Black Clover Season 2 premiere has surpassed other notable anime premieres of 2026 in terms of Crunchyroll likes. It has overtaken the first episode of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, which currently holds around 128,900 likes. That episode premiered on January 8, 2026.
Additionally, Black Clover's return has outpaced Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 1, which debuted on January 16, 2026, and has approximately 68,900 likes. The first episode of The Apothecary Diaries Season 3, released one day before Black Clover Season 2, has around 63,000 likes.
Season 2 Story Arc
The second season of the anime begins with the adaptation of the Spade Kingdom Raid arc. In this storyline, the Magic Knights from the Clover Kingdom, alongside their allies from the Heart Kingdom, launch a combined assault on the Spade Kingdom. Their objective is to rescue Yami Sukehiro, William Vangeance, and Lolopechka, who have been captured by the Dark Triad. The Dark Triad's goal is to open the gates to the underworld.
Key points
- Black Clover Season 2 Episode 1 is the most-liked anime premiere of 2026 on Crunchyroll.
- The episode, titled “The War Begins,” premiered on October 3.
- It garnered over 130,000 likes on Crunchyroll in less than a week.
- The episode received an IMDb rating of 9.4/10.
- The anime returned after a nearly five-year hiatus since March 2021.
Source: Anime Hunch · Oct 10, 2026
