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| “ | This isn't over! I will bring a new world! My magic is 'never giving up'! | „ |
| ~ Conrad's ideal magic before being sealed away. |
| “ | You have a skewed idea of what a king is capable of. You think the Wizard King's all powerful. But none were able to bring revolution to this nation, including the first! In fact, Julius did quite the opposite when he was beaten by the elves. Or have you forgotten?! Because of him, the Clover Kingdom almost met its doom! Changing nothing! Protecting nothing! Every Wizard King has been effectively useless. | „ |
| ~ Conrad declaring the Wizard Kings to be useless. |
| “ | Did that boy just defeat me? How strange. If that's the case, why do I feel so at ease? Ah. Now it's making sense. Asta. Become the Wizard King. And then share the warm world you hold in your heart with every citizen in this nation. Your magic is 'never giving up.' So I know you can do it. | „ |
| ~ Conrad encouraging Asta to become the Wizard King. |
Conrad Leto is the main antagonist of the 2023 Japanese anime movie Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King.
He is the 27th Wizard King that was imprisoned by his successor, Julius Novachrono, for his crimes against the Clover Kingdom. He would later escape from his imprisonment and revive the previous Wizard Kings before him. With the support of the other Wizard Kings, Conrad would resume his plot of creating an ideal world of peace.
He is voiced by Toshihiko Seki in the Japanese version of the movie (who also voiced Rau Le Creuset in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Lord Embryo in Cross Ange and Muzan Kibutsuji in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba) and by Chris Niosi in the English version of the movie.
Personality[]
Conrad was once a noble and respected individual amongst his people, who held him in high regard. According to Julius, he was much like Asta; someone that was honest, cheerful and empathized with those that were struggling. He desires to live in a world where there is no oppression amongst others, one where people can live in joy and happiness together.
However, having his wife, Lovilla, and his former squad members be murdered and being framed by royalists for the crime caused him to see the cruelty of the world for what it truly is. In response to this, he decided he would remake the world by trapping everyone within the Sword of the First Wizard King, only to bring back those that live up to his ideals. It's also for this very reason that he loses respect for both his successor and most of the Wizard Kings that preceded him, as he believed they failed in bringing true revolution and equality to the Clover Kingdom.
Nonetheless, in spite of his cruel and malicious ways, he still stands by his ideals of creating a peaceful world. As such, he finds himself having a newfound respect for Asta and why he's able to relate with him, believing the two of them are very much alike. Even when Asta rejects his notions and methods, Conrad respects him enough that he will regret the day when he'll be forced to kill him.
Upon his defeat, however, Conrad slowly comes to the realization of who Asta truly is, having witnessed his determination and how much he cares for everyone in the Clover Kingdom. Having found himself at peace, Conrad's dying wish was for Asta to become the Wizard King and create the warm world that he intends to share with everyone.
History[]
Past[]
Conrad's wife, Lovilia.
Conrad originally came from a noble family where he had possessed incredible magic known as Key Magic. His power was viewed as something only a thief could have, however, and as a result, he was shunned by others and grew up having a lonely childhood. Though as he grew older, regardless of whether people continued to fear his power, he never let such a gap abridge him and those around him he considered his dearest ally after discovering the true value of his magic. It was only then he would join the Magic Knight and where he met Julius Novachrono and the love of his life, Lovilia, which whom he came to trust and has made many achievements with them to where he became the Captain of the Magic Knights Squad, the White Serpent.
However, one day, he and his squad were sent on a mission that turned out to be an ambush set by a royal faction that hated Conrad, resulting in the deaths of his beloved wife and most of his squad. He would end up tragically losing what he had loved most and had been consumed by his newfound hatred for royals and nobles, to where, in spite of Julius' attempts to persuade him from his loss and hatred, Conrad became consumed by his darkness as it deepened and wore his late wife's necklace as a memento in her memory. He would eventually become the next Wizard King, who was thought to be very noble and beloved.
Conrad about to steal and wield the Imperial Sword: Elsdocia
However, his intentions, while well-meant, took a dark turn even after he tried his best to change the kingdom's corrupt ways, it was to no avail despite his efforts. As a last resort, he decided that in order to make a world of equality, one where those can respect and laugh with one another, he decided to take matters into his own hands by destroying the kingdom. He then rebelled against the very kingdom most Wizard Kings were swore to protect by stealing the Imperial Sword: Elsdocia, crafted and made by Lemiel Silvamillion Clover, and plotted to use the sword to absorb all of those with mana to create a better world.
He is later confronted by Julius, who lead a group of Magic Knights to capture him 10 years ago. Initially overpowering them, Julius manages to seal him away, causing him to rant about how wants was to create a better world with no prejudice and discrimination as he starts using the fullest of his Key Magic combined with the Imperial Sword to wipe out the rest of the Magic Knight standing in his way.
With Conrad sealed away, Julius and the others informed the citizens about his disappearance, spinning a story that he had passed away from an illness, in order to hide the truth of his betrayal.
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King[]
Conrad makes his return when Julius was temporarily killed by Patolli, thus breaking the seal that imprisoned him and exact his intentions of destroying the Clover Kingdom still. To do so, Conrad had revived three past Wizard Kings who got their status invoked, Princia Funnybunny, Jester Garandros, and Edward Avalaché. He and his newly-found allies gathered and invaded the Festival Stadium, having them attacking the attendees as he stands before Julius, mocking his "fragile" look and reminding him that his ambitions still remain unchanged. However, Asta and his allies fought against the Magic Soldiers, meanwhile, Conrad explains to Julius how he revived the three past Wizard Kings using Elsdocia, which is only then would Conrad turned his attention onto Marx Francois when he attacked him.
Conrad then proceeds to absorb and steal Marx's Memory Exchange Magic before deciding to join his allies in the battlefield when other Magic Knight Captains arrived, which their attacks against him had no avail of flinching him before effortlessly, even having to successfully absorbed the magic of the stadium's audience earlier inside Elsdocia. He then uses Elsdocia to locate singular points that hold veins of mana, which he also activated the transformation of the entire Festival Stadium that later became his floating fortress, the Triumph, to begin his plans, and later on had many of the Magic Knight Captains beaten and kept prisoner.
Eventually, Conrad made his way into the depths of Branch Zero thanks to Marx's magic, which he has destroyed one of the magic tools Nero and Sally worked on, a potential sheath that could withhold the power of Elsdocia, and proceeds to attack Asta and the rest out cold. He pins Asta to the ground, knocks out Finral, and later reveals to Nero and the rest that he knows who they are using the Memory Exchange Magic while showing them a projection of Princia's attack on the Clover Kingdom and thousands of its people having their magic absorbed thanks to Elsdocia supplying her the boost to do so. He then proceeds to mock Nozel in front of Noelle, calling him a "coward", which provoked her to attack him, only for Conrad to restrain her and later absorbed her Creation Magic out of interest.
Asta breaks free before Conrad used Noelle's magic against him, leading to an intense fight between the two, though Conrad overpowered Asta in each turn he gets and while he's seemingly interested in taking Asta's Anti-Magic, he decided to refrain due to knowing it may affect his other abilities. He then proceeds to convince Asta into joining him since they both are alike and explains the creation of the Imperial Sword Elsdocia, a sword meant to preserve the unique and exceptional magic of past Wizard Kings, even having a piece of their souls, which can unleash an impeccable amount of power at once. Conrad plans to create Gargantuan Compound Magic from the past Wizard Kings' magic and the magic he stole, driving it into one of the main veins within the country that could potentially lead to catastrophic consequences within the continent.
He also stated that Elsdocia is capable of storing the departed souls of those victimized by his attempt, choosing who will live in his new world or not. Conrad convinces Asta once more when having him relate to their similar experiences, tempting the young boy into joining his side, though he persistently refused as Conrad easily beats him using every last magic attack from his Key Magic, as Asta lies heavily injured on the ground. He then tells Asta that the compound magic will be completed by tomorrow dawn as a way of taunting him, though as Asta tells him that "never giving up" is his magic, he caught him off-guard upon reminiscing his tragic past before Asta was taken back by Finral and the rest. Conrad then deals with Yuno, Millie Maxwell, and Sally before they all retreated from the area.
Conrad is then reported by Jester that they are almost there to completing the fusion magic before telling him the perfect area to use Elsdocia with the most mana veins, which was located within the Hage Village right beside the skull of the demon, not before reminiscing his younger years with Julius and ultimately, it was decided to mark the village as the start of Conrad's plans. He's then seen with the rest of his fellow allies, reporting that the Magic Knights are on their way with countermeasures. He then taunts Julius, sparing him to make him watch the kingdom crumble before him and those he swore to protect dying would haunt him forever, as he believed the new era he'll make draws near. Just as Asta and the rest arrived, Conrad is on the verge of impaling Elsdocia into the skull of the demon skeleton, kickstarting his plans into motion with rays of light bursting out of the continent's terrain, endangering multiple villages as it goes.
It was then he and Asta go against one another in combat, unleashing the full extent of his Key Magic as he had hundreds of his doors blast magical attacks onto Asta and then unleash light rays at full force, then taunts him on how meaningless it is to becoming a Wizard King while sadly remembering the deaths of his allies and his beloved wife. Looking back at his wife's necklace, he then traps Asta in a wave of doors creating a forcefield, while offering him one last chance to join him and even name him as his successor, though Asta still refuses nonetheless. When Asta breaks free and fights him again, Conrad tires of the same agenda as he proceeds to finally engage in using Gargantuan Compound Magic to transform him into a much stronger state of himself while saying that he wanted Asta to be rewarded in life but no longer holds the same intention to do so.
After transforming into his final form, Conrad summons his own sword and fought Asta once more, this time with the fusion of the magic within him, he overwhelms the latter effortlessly and proceeds to torturously stab Asta by the heart, ranting that Wizard Kings did little to change the nation's corruption of royals and nobles to where he states they are utterly useless. However, Asta, not willing to give in due to Julius and Lemiel's inspiration, awakened his full potential with Liebe empowering him to fight Conrad, as he then goes on ranting that Asta still doesn't understand or see the inequality and prejudice the kingdom holds, even saying Asta's beliefs wouldn't be enough to reach out the whole nation as he goes all-out on the Anti-Magic user.
As he pins down Asta and tries to slay him, the latter gets up and incidentally neutralizes Conrad's grimoire, returning the magic he stole, including Noelle's creation magic, while it seized the revival of Princia, Jester, and Edward as they accepted their deaths and turn into light. While trying to finish off Asta with a full-blown blast of his remaining magic, it holds no effort before Asta ended up defeating Conrad and unsealed Elsdocia from the skull. Despite this, Conrad unleashed his dangerous spell that was forbidden, Doom's Gate, which summoned a dark red sphere and tries to have it launched into the whole continent as a desperate means of refusing to give up his goal. When he came close to succeeding, Asta, now with a powered Elsdocia combined with his allies' magic, reached into space to stop Conrad.
Conrad's last moments before he peacefully goes onto the afterlife.
Consumed with frustration and rage, Conrad furiously pushes the sphere further and angrily admits on badly he wanted to destroy the kingdom for being rotten to the core if it meant he can still "save everyone", which it was not until he noticed the necklace snapped from his neck and remembers his wife and his allies, stopping for a moment until Asta uses his Demon Slayer sword's full power to not only destroy the sphere but also separate Conrad's soul from his body as it vanquished. Defeated, Conrad begins to see a new light in Asta, wishing him to become the next Wizard King soon before his soul is met with the spirits of Edward, Jester, and Princia. He looks back at his fellow allies before he accepts his death, finally resting in peace as he heads onto the afterlife.
Powers & Abilities[]
- Key Magic: Conrad possesses this unique magic, which allows him to create keys that can summon and open magical doors that lead to different dimensions. He is able to use other people's magic and grimoires by taking them away and storing them in these summoned dimensions.
Trivia[]
- Conrad serves as a dark parallel to Asta;
- Both were victims of prejudice and discrimination for their respective backgrounds, Conrad was shunned by others simply due to his Key Magic while Asta was judged for having no mana at all and later on, incriminated for having a devil within him.
- They share the same beliefs of "never giving up" being their magic.
- The main difference between them is that Conrad lost his wife and his allies which led to his bitter judgment on the Clover Kingdom being clouded by his hatred and grief, to the point he was willing to destroy the very kingdom he was supposed to protect.
- Asta, on the other hand, despite his hardships and being incriminated by royals and nobles who looked down on him, he never let their judgment get to him and remains optimistic that he'll change the kingdom for the better.
- According to the light novel's Q&A, Conrad's Key Magic was never initially meant to be his main source of magic. Originally, there were ideas about "Door Magic" being his specialty, however, it was thought more differently and it was decided that Conrad's magic could've been better had the doors he summoned through his magic can be locked and unlocked through with a "key". It was then his "Key Magic" would be finalized to his characterization.
External Links[]
- Conrad Leto on the Black Clover Wiki
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 Villains
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