Interview: Ayataka Tanemura and Gakuto Kajiwara Talk Black Clover Season 2
Ahead of the highly anticipated return of the Black Clover anime, Anime Atelier had the opportunity to interview the Season 2 director Ayataka Tanemura (種村綾隆) and the voice of Asta, Gakuto Kajiwara (梶原岳人).
The anime revealed a new trailer at Anime Expo '26, which is also where we get to chat with Tanemura and Kajiwara. The two shared some of the most memorable moments related to Black Clover anime and chatted with us about the production, Asta's character, and the fandom.
Q: Tanemura-san, you're the director of Black Clover 2nd Season, and you also took the helm at the end of season 1. Is there anything that you're able to do in the second season that you were not previously able to do in the first?
Tanemura: Compared to season 1, the schedule is a little bit different. I wasn't able to do "total checks" much at the time, but now I have time to check how things like the animation look and check off the final product.
Q: Kajiwara-san, you performed the ending theme 12, "A Walk." How were you approached, and what did you learn from this experience?
Kajiwara: I had an interest in doing music, and I had been telling people from Avex about it. At the beginning of my career, they told me to wait until I was a little more famous before I sang anything, which I was okay with. As I started doing more things, the timing worked out by chance, and I received the green light from them.
Q: Kajiwara-san, as Asta's voice actor, what has been your most challenging performance so far?
Kajiwara: The first 50 episodes. In terms of a time period, the first year. After the recording sessions, it was often just me and the sound director one-on-one, and we'd do retakes over and over again. It was like a wall that I had to overcome, and I was thinking that I wanted to get better and better. That wall during my first year was very big.
Q: Tanemura-san, in the latest PV, we noticed important aesthetic changes. Was it your initiative, and how was this conducted?
Tanemura: As the director, part of it is my idea, but I also meet with the people around me, and we discuss how we should proceed and how to get through the challenges. The finished video is what you see.
Q: Tanemura-san, is there another episode director or storyboard artist from season 1 who left a strong impression on you?
Tanemura: [Tatsuya] Yoshihara-san, the director, had a big impact on me. I'd see him drawing, making edits, and his struggles. It really showed me the work ethic and process of being a director.
Q: Similarly, Kajiwara-san, is there an episode where a performance by another voice actor left a strong impression on you?
Kajiwara: In season 1?
Q: Yes.
Kajiwara: Season 1... can I include season 2?
Q: You can, but I don't know if they'll allow us...
Kajiwara: Ah, no spoilers!
Q: Okay, that's fine!
Kajiwara: Asta is on the lower end of the social status rungs. There's another character of similar social status, Magna [Swing]-senpai played by [Genki] Muro-san, who is a great actor I know personally. Whenever I listen to Muro-san's performance, I can feel the passion coming through. Magna and Asta have a mindset of reaching for the top and making it in the world, and that kind of passionate performance will be prominent in season 2.
Q: Kajiwara-san has been playing Asta for nearly 10 years now. Has your understanding of the character changed looking back?
Kajiwara: I did an interview with [Yuuki] Tabata-sensei where I conveyed that when we first meet Asta, up until now, we only see the strong version of him, but as we get closer to the end, we've come to know his weakness and a more human side of him. He's not just strong; he has a lot of hidden weaknesses, which help him to become stronger as he bears those weaknesses. To be able to convey a person with a weak heart becoming stronger in my performance makes me happy.
Q: When did the two of you realize that Black Clover had become so popular overseas?
Kajiwara: Today... I was surprised.
[Tanemura laughs]
Kajiwara: I don't have many opportunities to go overseas and promote Black Clover, and this is my first time in America. At the panel, I saw lots of fans coming into the room, and when we showed a video or made an announcement, they'd give a big applause.
Tanemura: I'm not certain exactly when, but when the worldwide streaming started, I heard that it was quite popular overseas. When we came here [to Los Angeles], seeing so many fans and seeing their reactions in-person—that's when I felt it.
We'd like to thank Tanemura-san and Kajiwara-san for taking the time to answer our questions. Black Clover Season 2 premieres in October 2026 and will be available to watch on Crunchyroll, where the first season is also streaming.
Credits:
Interviewer: Sarca
Interpreter: Tomo Tran
Assistance: ftLoic
Editor: Tamara Lazic
Special Thanks: Crunchyroll Team, TV Tokyo Team
