Who is Asta’s Devil? Powers, Origin & Anti-Magic Explained!

Yūki Tabata’s Black Clover started toying with the existence of devils at the beginning of the manga itself.

Since the manga had bombed the idea of the devil of World Soul magic, it created a whole new line of antagonists in Black Clover. However, the thing that nobody saw coming was that Asta’s anti-magic stems from his devil. Crazy, right?

Liebe is Asta’s devil and his adopted brother too. He was an oddity just like Asta; he was mana less and so was Asta, making them the perfect peas in the pod . Liebe possesses Anti-magic, which nullifies any type of magic.

This is what makes him and Asta stand out from the others; they had a rocky start but have progressed and are rocking it, literally an invincible pair-up.

This Anti-Magic reminds me of Dazai’s unique ability, “No Longer Human,” with which he can nullify any type of ability with just a touch.

1. Who is Asta’s devil?

Asta’s devil is Liebe, who is also known as the devil of anti-magic. He had been sealed in the Five-leaf grimoire by his adoptive mother, Richita, when they were under attack from Lucifero, one the formidable rulers of the underworld.

Since Lucifero had ruined Liebe’s life and killed Richita, Leibe has been simmering with hatred for devils ever since.

Originally, Liebe was a low-ranking devil without any mana and was subjected to torture and bullying by the higher-ranked devils. Damn, who knew bullying took place even in the underworld?

Anyways, One day he was kicked out of the gate of the afterworld by a high-ranking devil.

While others expected his body to shatter, the Anti-Magic Devil passed through the gate due to his lack of mana and entered the human realm. Guess that backfired.

After being hunted down by humans for being a devil, the Anti-Magic Devil collapsed and was ready to embrace death. However, the next time he opened his eyes, he was in a bed, with his wounds all taken care of.

It turns out Asta’s mother, Richita, saved him. Due to the latter’s body that absorbed all vital energy and mana of anyone nearby, she lived alone in a cottage far away from the village.

The Anti-Magic Devil’s lack of mana meant that he was the only person Richita could stay near without causing him harm, and Richita was the only person who had ever cared for him.

Hence, a beautiful bond was forged, and Asta’s mother named the Anti-Magic Devil Liebe, the German word for “love,” and the central message of Black Clover and made him her adoptive son, which also makes him Asta’s adoptive brother.

2. How Did Liebe Get Anti-Magic?

Now this question has boggled many fans about how Liebe got Anti-Magic, as not much is known about his birth and origin.

Let’s dive right into some theories as to how Liebe attained Anti-Mgic.

I. Theory 1 – Dark Magic

The first theory states that Liebe did not have any magic (not even anti-magic) when he was a child, which was proved when he passed through the otherworldly gate and spent time beside Richita.

However, after Lucifero tries to possess him, Richita saves him by sealing him in a five-leaf grimoire, and he is stuck there for years on end.

Due to this, just like how Patri became a dark elf, Liebe transformed, took control over his dark side, and awakened anti-magic.

In addition, the Five-Leaf Gromoires are super rare. Not even the great wizard king Julius Novachrono knows about its spells.

Five-leaf Grimoires are the “Grimoire of Despair,” with the gift leaf representing the devil.

Unlike the Grimoire of three leaves, representing love, faith, and hope. The four-leaved Grimoire represents those with some extraordinary magical prowess, with the fourth leaf symbolizing good luck.

Hence, when Liebe was trapped in the Grimoire, he had immense feelings and emotions of despair, anger, and violence, which turned into negative mana.

This usually happens with elves, and we all know that the Grimoire’s previous owner was an elf named Licht. Hence, the negative mana stayed within the Grimoire, along with Liebe, already brimming with hatred for devils which turned into Anti-Magic.

II. Theory 2 – Licht & Richita’s Magic

The second theory shares the same basis; however, the reason behind his awakening anti-magic is different.

Licht’s grimoire possessed sword magic, which could absorb, negate, and reflect magic with the help of swords.

After Richita used her magic to “store” Liebe in Licht’s 5-leaf grimoire, her ability to absorb all mana and life forces combined with its sword magic to create anti-magic.

This then became a part of Liebe, thus giving birth to his name – the Anti-Magic Devil.

3. Other Devils in Black Clover

Devils are creatures in the Black Clover universe that reside in the underworld who, possess malevolent powers, and seek to corrupt and harm the human world. They are malicious creatures with mana even on par with the strongest of elves.

All Devils start their life in the afterworld, where their ranks are decided from birth. A strict hierarchy is followed in their realm where the higher-ranked and stronger devils bully the weak.

In particular, the devils love to target humans; fortunately, it isn’t easy for them to enter the human realm.

However, a few have managed to do so as the series progressed. Currently, six devils have been seen in the series, with only four of them having solid identities.

I. Zagred – The Devil of World Soul Magic

Zagred — the devil of World Soul magic or Kotodama magic, was officially the first devil to be introduced in the series. He had abandoned his body and entered the human world as a spirit.

Zagred is one of the strongest devils we know of. He even possesses the ability of Kotodama Magic.

This enables him to materialize various magic attributes by speaking, creating, controlling, and manipulating physical and magical objects.

However, it has limitations, like he can’t force someone to kill themselves.

It was he who orchestrated the massacre of elves five hundred years ago and was the primary antagonist of the Elf Resurrection arc, truly the epitome of a horrendous being.

II. Liebe – The Devil of Anti-magic

Liebe is the devil of anti-magic who resides in Asta’s five-leaf grimoire. He has no magic and has been able to negate any and every magic whatsoever.

He is Asta’s stepbrother since Richita had taken him in and raised him until Lucifero sniffed him out and attacked. Richita was able to seal him in a Grimoire to protect Liebe while losing her life.

This is why he bears a grudge against the devils, and especially Lucifero, who caused Richita’s death and has sworn to exact revenge.

Initially, Liebe and Asta had a rocky relationship as Liebe harbored deep-seated hatred for both demons and humans due to his past as a discarded Devil. He saw Asta as just another human and wanted nothing to do with him.

However, as the series progressed, they fought side by side, with the common goal of defeating formidable enemies and protecting their loved ones. Their shared sense of purpose brought them closer together.

The “Devil-Binding Ritual” incident was a critical 180 on their relationship. With the ritual, Asta willingly formed a contract with Liebe.

This allowed them to share their powers and collaborate deeper, resulting in Asta gaining better control over the Anti-Magic.

Their Devil Union Mode is truly a sight to behold. They are invincible.

III. Megicula – The Devil of Curse Magic

Megicula, the user of Curse magic, is a malevolent high-ranking devil who serves Vanica Zogratis, a Spade Kingdom’s Dark Triad member.

After his enigmatic disappearance, He took over the Astaroth’s position in the Tree of Qilphoth.

He is extremely interested in conducting various experiments with magic. Due to his curious nature, Megicula is highly unpredictable and whimsical.

He cruelly experiments on humans using his Curse-Warding Magic to see what effects it would have on them.

He is the one who has placed deadly curses on Acier Silva, Lolopechka of the Heart Kingdom, and water spirit – Undine.

IV. Beelzebub

Beelzebub is another strong devil holding a prestigious position among the top-tier devils linked to the Tree of Qliphoth, standing as one of the underworld’s three rulers.

Beelzebub’s pact is with Zenon Zogratis, a key figure within the Dark Triad of the Spade Kingdom, who was killed by Yuno, who had sliced his heart.

There’s more to be revealed about him, but as of now, we know that he is a proficient Spatial magic user.

V. Lucifero – The Devil of Gravity Magic

Lucifero stands as the mightiest Devil, exuding unparalleled malevolence and ferocity within the world of Black Clover.

Occupying a high-ranking position among the Devils, he holds dominion over Dante, the formidable ruler of the Spade Kingdom and a prominent member of the enigmatic Dark Triad.

He uses otherworldly magic that has yet not been introduced and can heal a fatal wound in mere seconds. Lucifero has been shown to have some different characteristics as compared to the other known devils.

Instead of two wings and two horns (weg), Lucifero possesses four wings and four horns — fitting for the devil who possesses a king!

In addition, he is a proficient user of Gravity magic. He can even bring the greatest of mages down to their knees. He can easily warp space to evade an attack. How cool and frightening is that?

Furthermore, it was revealed that Lucifero was the devil who tried to possess Leibe and, presumably, the one who threw him into the human world. He even killed Richita, Liebe’s foster mother.

4. How Can a Devil Enter Our World?

It is believed that devils can be found lurking in the shadows of the human world – like the Kotodama devil five hundred years back. There are three ways to enter the human world, with the last one being exclusive to Liebe.

I. Contract With Humans

One way a devil can enter the human world is if a human uses Forbidden Magic and a sacrifice to summon it and form a contract.

The pact can be formed in exchange for power, knowledge, or desires. A human offers something of value to the Devil, such as their mana, life force, or even their own body.

This contract allows the Devil to enter the human world and share their abilities with the human.

This contract has specific unofficial prerequisites, such as the need for a ritual and negative emotions or desires within the human hosts to feed it.

However, this contract can only be voluntary, as otherwise, the world would be filled with devils, obviously.

The Dark Triad used this method to allow Lucifero and Megicula to enter the human world.

II. Grimoire of Despair

The second way to enter the human world is by acquiring a five-leaf grimoire. The super rare one where the fifth leaf represents the devil.

When the holder of the four-leaf grimoire is filled with deep despair and hatred, his grimoire turns into a pitch-black five-leaf – the grimoire of despair.

By possessing this grimoire, the devils can enter the human realm, despite not owning a physical body.

III. Liebe’s Special Case

The final method by which a devil can cross into the human realm is when it lacks any magical power or mana.

If they are manaless, they can only break through the barrier separating the two worlds.

When Liebe was thrown up to the afterworld gate by a high-ranking devil, his body did not shatter, and instead, he passed through the gate due to his lack of mana and entered the human realm.

Since manaless devils are rare, only Liebe can traverse the worlds this way.

5. About Black Clover

Black Clover is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yūki Tabata. It has been serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since February 16, 2015.

The story centers around Asta, a young boy seemingly born without any magic power, something that is unknown in the world he lives in; and his foster brother Yuno who received the rare four-leaf grimoire and has more magic power than most people! With his fellow mages from the Black Bulls, Asta plans to become the next Wizard King.