From the anime returning with a new season after four whole years, and the manga dropping three exciting chapters all at once, Black Clover is seemingly pulling out all the stops for its tenth anniversary. Joining in on the celebrations, many of Shonen Jump’s most illustrious creators, such as Masashi Kishimoto, Eiichiro Oda, Tite Kubo, and Gege Akutami, have paid tribute to Black Clover, bringing many of the series’ beloved characters to life in their own unique style. Needless to say, some stand out more than others, with various creators shifting focus between featuring their favorite characters, or in the case of Asta, sharing the stage with other iconic shonen heroes.
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That said, one of the more underrated author tributes includes Naoya Matsumoto, the creator of Kaiju No. 8, which recently wrapped up its run in Shonen Jump after five years. Matsumoto, whose stunning, wallpaper-worthy illustrations have been a well-known highlight of the manga throughout Kaiju No. 8’s serialization, does not disappoint in his anniversary tribute to Black Clover, giving Asta a fierce makeover. The illustration features Kafka in his monster form, together with Asta in Matsumoto’s signature art style, which surprisingly seems to suit Asta quite well, which of course begs the question of why the two series haven’t crossed paths before this.
Asta and Kafka Get All Fired Up in New Black Clover Anniversary Tribute
While Kishimoto and Oda are typically praised for their gorgeous art, be it of their own respective series or crossovers, admittedly, both seemed to have missed the mark with their anniversary tributes to Black Clover. In fact, some of the best illustrations have come from the newer generation of mangaka, such as Kohei Horikoshi, who drew Noelle, Gege Akutami, who drew Mereoleona, and, not to forget, Naoya Matsumoto, who perfectly captures Asta and Kafka’s infectious positivity and enthusiasm.
It’s sad to think that with Kaiju No. 8 having ended, it might be a while till fans get to gaze upon Matsumoto’s beautiful art. Although considering how well Matsumoto’s art style complements Black Clover’s character designs, it would be quite fun to see a proper crossover between the two series illustrated by Matsumoto. There’s no doubt that Kafka and Asta would make a very fun, chaotic duo, as would Noelle and Kikoru and Reno and Yuno. All that said, fans can only hope that Naoya Matsumoto returns with a new series soon enough, but until then, Kaiju No. 8 definitely has many potential successors that fans can dive into, such as Rai Rai Rai and Tokyo Fears Rhapsody.
Source: @WSJ_manga on X.
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