Why were the elves attacked in Black Clover? Explained

As Black Clover anime fans may remember, most episodes from the series opened with a recap that retold the events from 500 years ago, i.e., the fight between Lumiere Silvamillion Clover and demonized Licht after the elves were attacked. But why were the elves attacked in Black Clover?

The elves were attacked by a massacre orchestrated by Zagred as he wanted to corrupt the Elf tribe leader Licht's four-leaf grimoire into a five-leaf clover grimoire. As revealed by the anime, this process essentially turned an elf into a dark elf, an entity Zagred could take over.

Zagred's plan in Black Clover, explained

Zagred as seen in the Black Clover anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Zagred, being a devil, wanted to manifest himself in the living world. For this, he had two methods, i.e., to either take over a dark elf or use the magic stones to summon his original body from the underworld.

Having identified Licht as the owner of a four-leaf grimoire, he first went after him, hoping to turn him into a dark elf. For this plan, he targeted Licht and Tetia's wedding. First, he manipulated the royals' opinions against the elves by possessing a minister's body.

Licht and Tetia as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

On the day of the wedding, he had the King summon Lumiere away from the wedding venue so that he could not interfere and get blamed for the attack. Later, during the wedding, he trapped the elves within a barrier and attacked them with spears formed by Light Magic. Given that Lumiere was absent from the wedding and used Light Magic, they suspected him of the attack.

This event effectively left Licht in overwhelming despair as he held his wife while being surrounded by the deceased bodies of his tribe members. These negative emotions corrupted Licht's four-leaf clover grimoire into a five-leaf clover. This was exactly as Zagred had planned as the five-leaf clover grimoire was supposed to turn Licht into a dark elf, an entity he could take over. Unfortunately, Licht stopped himself from turning into a dark elf, and instead, turned into a demon.

Patri and Zagred as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

After Lumiere defeated Licht, Zagred tried stealing the five-leaf clover grimoire, but was instead sealed away by Secre Swallowtail in an eternal prison. Fortunately for him, before he got sealed, he managed to pull the magic stones to him and cast Noad Nephesh, a spell that suspended the elves' souls and set them to reincarnate, alongside him in the distant future.

Later in the future, Zagred took over Ronne's body and used the magic stones on the pedestal to summon his original body from the underworld.

Zagred's motivations

Zagred as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Zagred was a wicked and cruel individual whose actions reflected his deep desire for a body just so that he could properly manifest himself in the living world and unleash chaos.

He was extremely sadistic and enjoyed watching others in despair. On top of that, he looked down on both humans and elves as playthings and a means to his end. This displayed an extremely selfish and ambitious side to him as did not care what methods he had to use to achieve his goal.

The impact of Zagred's actions on Black Clover's story

Secre Swallowtail as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Zagred's actions heavily impact Black Clover's story as he was the reason behind the Elf tribe's massacre and establishment of Wizard Kings in the Clover Kingdom. Had it not been for his interference, Elves might have been part of the Clover Kingdom, the royal bloodline, and also the Magic Knights.

More importantly, Zagred's actions also affected some of the series' characters. Had it not been for Zagred's interference, Liebe and Asta might have never caught hold of Licht's grimoire and swords. Additionally, Secre Swallowtail would have never survived for 500 years and become a member of the Black Bulls.