Black Clover is under fire by Naruto fans for stealing ideas from Masashi Kishimoto’s beloved shonen.
Initially reported by Anime Senpai, a wave of plagiarism accusations followed after images from the latest chapter were leaked online. One panel shows a character awakening a new power by manifesting a comma-shaped symbol in their eyes that closely resembles Sasuke’s sharingan. This image inspired many subsequent posts on social media bashing Black Clover creator Yuki Tabata and his popular series.
This is not the first time that Tabata has faced criticism for allegedly stealing from Naruto. As Kishimoto fans online were quick to point out, there have been other instances where Tabata seemed to cross the line between inspiration and theft. One Twitter user posted several side-by-side images from Naruto and Black Clover that illustrate close similarities between the two manga, writing, “I am utterly disappointed, tabata, or should I say copybata cannot keep getting away with this because he keeps disrespecting Kishimoto.”
The Real-World History of the Tomoe
It is worth noting that Kishimoto did not invent the symbol used in Sasuke’s sharingan, as the Tomoe actually originates from Japanese mythology and has been present in the culture for thousands of years. Some Black Clover fans used this to defend Tabata, with one posting a chart containing the various Tomoe symbols and noting Sasuke is “literally Kurapika,” a character from Hunter X Hunter with a similar background and motivation.
Yuki Tabata’s Black Clover manga launched in Weekly Shonen Jump in February 2015 and went on to become a big hit with the publication’s readers. As of November 2022, there are over 18 million copies of the series’ 33 compiled volumes in circulation worldwide. Pierrot’s popular anime adaptation debuted in October 2017, running for 170 episodes until its conclusion in March 2021. The franchise’s first feature-length film, titled Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King, is currently in production, but its original slated premiere date has been pushed back three months to June 16 due to problems caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Naruto and Black Clover are both available in English from VIZ Media.
Source: Twitter, via Anime Senpai
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