Black Clover Season 2 Episode 1 has surpassed 130,000 likes on Crunchyroll in less than a week, making it the most-liked anime premiere of 2026 on the streaming platform.
The episode, titled “The War Begins,” premiered on Oct. 3, marking the anime’s return after nearly five years.
As of writing, the episode has garnered around 134,000 likes.
The episode also debuted with an IMDb rating of 9.4/10.
The premiere has overtaken the first episode of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, which currently has approximately 128,900 likes on Crunchyroll. It has also surpassed Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 1, which has around 68,900 likes.
The first episode of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 premiered on Jan. 8, 2026, while Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 debuted on Jan. 16, 2026.
Meanwhile, the first episode of The Apothecary Diaries Season 3, which debuted one day ahead of Black Clover Season 2, has around 63,000 likes.
Black Clover‘s extended hiatus played a huge role in season 2 getting a strong response following its return.
The first season concluded in March 2021 after 170 episodes, leaving the adaptation on hiatus for nearly five years before its return this October.
The second season of the anime starts with adapting the Spade Kingdom Raid, where the Magic Knights from the Clover Kingdom launch a joint assault on the Spade Kingdom with their allies from the Heart Kingdom to rescue Yami Sukehiro, William Vangeance and Lolopechka from the Dark Triad who want to open the gates to the underworld.
![[Exclusive] The Great Indian Anime Show: The Journey Behind India’s First Ever Anime Talk Show](https://animehunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Analyst6-150x150.webp)
