Who is Astaroth? Black Clover's most elusive Devil and his hosts

Lucius Zogratis, as seen in the manga
Lucius Zogratis, as seen in the manga (Image Credit: Shueisha)

The world of Black Clover has amazing characters who are ridiculously overpowered. While characters like Asta, Yuno, and Yami Sukehiro are known for their strength, on the opposite end of the spectrum is Astaroth, the devil of Time Magic. Once shrouded in mystery and only whispered in devil hierarchies, Astaroth has become a pivotal figure in the series’ most critical arcs.

It has been revealed that Astaroth is one of the high-ranking demons in Black Clover. Also, he is considered to be among the most powerful beings in the demonic hierarchy. The series has a clear lore about devil and how they are classified on the basis of their strength, power, and authority.

The reason Astaroth stands out is that he can wield one of the rarest types of magic known as Time Magic. According to the history of devils, three devils stand at the top of the Qliphoth Tree, and each of them is given the responsibility to govern a form of reality-altering magic.

That is why Lucifero (Gravity), Beelzebub (Spatial), and Astaroth (Time) as seen as the biggest threat to humanity. While Lucifero and Beelzebub continued with their work, Astaroth vanished without leaving a single trace.

Some of the Paladins in the manga (Image Credit: Shueisha)
Some of the Paladins in the manga (Image Credit: Shueisha)

His uncalled disappearance confused humans and demons alike. But it was revealed later that Julius was not who he claimed to be. He was a host body created for Astaroth, with his real identity being Lucius Zogratis, the eldest of the Zogratis siblings from the Spade Kingdom.

Astaroth’s goal wasn’t chaos like Lucifero’s, nor curiosity like Liebe’s. His vision was order. He believed that the human world was flawed and that only through the manipulation of time, souls, and biology could he “perfect” it. This included turning humans into paladins, altered beings infused with purified devil power.

His goal in Black Clover is to bring world peace, in his terms. He believes that one can achieve everlasting peace by controlling time, rewriting souls, and merging devil and human abilities. Basically, he wants to create a new race of humans known as the Paladins, who are supposed to be creatures who would blindly obey orders with no capability of forming original thoughts.

This god complex puts Astaroth in a league of his own. He doesn’t want to destroy humanity like Lucifero; he wants to overwrite it. His ideal world is one without flaws, emotion, or rebellion. Everyone plays their part, lives in peace, and never steps out of line.


How Astaroth affects the main storyline in Black Clover

Astaroth’s presence rewrites much of Black Clover’s timeline. The character we knew as Julius was never truly Julius. Every decision, every protection spell, every delay in dealing with threats may have been carefully planned to allow Astaroth time to prepare for his ideal world.

This includes:

1) Allowing threats like the Eye of the Midnight Sun to destabilize the kingdom.

2) Not fully intervening during the Elf Reincarnation War.

3) Biding time while studying Asta, Yuno, and other outliers.

All of this implies that Astaroth was watching the chessboard unfold, adjusting his moves accordingly. The level of manipulation is staggering and gives a whole new context to the series' previous arcs.


In conclusion, Astaroth in Black Clover is supposed to be one of the final antagonists who is seen as the biggest threat everyone has to face. As he has the power to manipulate time and has used his powers to strategically influence for the longest time, he is a compelling villain in the history of anime. Whether he ultimately wins or falls will determine not just the fate of the Clover Kingdom, but the soul of the story itself.

Edited by Tanisha Aggarwal