Black Clover Fan Theory: Is [SPOILER] Really Asta’s Mother?

Asta, the explosive young protagonist of the Black Clover manga, became known for two main qualities: his desire to become the Magic Emperor and his unprecedented lack of magic power. While readers have followed him along his journey to self-discovery and personal growth, not much exposition has been given as far as his familial background. However, the latest chapter of this grand manga may have just revealed some details, but does it truly confirm what some fans are speculating?

Having been raised at a church in the village of Hage without his biological parents, Asta often received ridicule and was underestimated his entire childhood. Power in the Black Clover universe almost always comes with strong magic abilities. This can be especially seen in the status of the nine heavily selective groups of mages that protect the Kingdom known as the Magic Knights. Asta, despite having no magic, manages to catch the attention of a group known as the Black Bulls, proving that he does not need magic to find success. Now, readers have a theory on what might be the cause for Asta’s lack of magic, and it has to do with his mother.

Chapter #268 (appropriately titled Devil) opens with Asta and Liebe (aka the Anti-Magic Devil). Through his memories, readers get a closer look at Liebe’s view of the underworld. After undergoing harassment from another devil, Liebe found himself thrown into the human world. Here, he meets a woman named Licita, who gives him a home. She lives away from others as her body causes her to drain other’s magic and life force. However, Liebe has neither, allowing him to live safely with Licita as her son.

Not long passes before a higher devil named Lucifero discovers Liebe. Lucifero attempts to take over Liebe’s body, but Licita stops him by stealing his magic. Though the altercation ends up killing Licita, she managed to save Liebe. As she steals Lucifero’s magic, she has a flashback in which she leaves a basket outside of a building. She claims, this time, she will not let go. As she dies, she calls Liebe her son, and he calls her his mother. It can be assumed that the basket she left behind held a child she felt compelled to abandon.

The scene immediately prompted fans to believe that the basket held a young Asta. His name never appears though, leaving no concrete evidence that the baby was in fact Asta. Much discourse surrounds this backstory. On one hand, some readers have pointed out that the timeline does not perfectly match up. The abandonment of the basket may have been a necessary plot point for Licita and Liebe’s storyline, without having anything to do with Asta.

Biologically, the fact that her magic steals other’s magic would provide the perfect reasoning behind why Asta has none. It’s possible that she unknowingly stole Asta’s magic throughout the pregnancy. The guilt of this, combined with the knowledge that she would only steal Asta’s life force, could reasonably have caused her to leave him behind. However, this exact argument can be used to explain why the baby would not be Asta. If her magic steals other’s life force, it would be hard for a baby to make it to term. The child in the basket could have not survived, leaving Licita with no choice but to leave them.

However, it seems that it is more likely that Licita is in fact Asta’s mother than not. Stealing his magic could very well have kept her from stealing his life force instead. This seems to be the most common belief amongst the Black Clover fandom. Regardless, both sides of this fan theory stand strong. The biologic family of Asta will surely be a topic further explored in issues to come. Until then, the debate will continue.