Black Clover: Who is Yami Ichika?

Key insights

• Yami Ichika resents her brother Yami Sukehiro for a crime he didn't commit.
• Ichika faces her past and overcomes her misplaced hatred.
• Ichika is a powerful magician with dark magic and ki manipulation abilities.

Yami Ichika is the estranged younger sister of Captain Yami Black clover. Unlike Yami, Ichika lives in the Land of the Sun, where she serves the Shogun as a member of the Ryuzen Seven, a group of powerful magicians.

When I first meet Ichika, she is a stern woman who deeply angers her older brother, believing that Yami murdered her entire clan. However, after meeting Asta and Yrul, one of the paladins, Ichika confronts her past and begins to right her wrongs.

Who is Yami Ichika?

The estranged younger sister of Captain Yami Sukehiro, who harbors misplaced dislike for her brother

Yami Ichika is the younger sister of Yami Sukehiro, the captain of the Black Bulls. Ichika and Sukehiro come from a distant land called Hino Country or the Land of the Sun, where Asta was teleported in Chapter 336. Ichika was first introduced in Chapter 337 alongside the Shogun Ryudo Ryuya of the Land of the Sun.

When first meeting Ichika, unlike Captain Yami, she shows a strict personality. She strictly follows the rules and often corrects Asta when he addresses the Shogun. However, this hostility could also be due to Ichika having a slight crush on Ryu when she was young; She feels deeply indebted to him since he supposedly saved her when she was younger.

Ichika and Captain Yami are descendants of the Yami Clan, a group of assassins known as the “Kijin”. Their ancestors made a name for themselves through numerous battles during the war years. As samurai, they were entrusted with protecting the Land of the Sun. Since there were five provinces in the country, they were tasked with guarding the Ryudo family's province.

However, in the province of the Ryudo family there is also an old legend about a five-headed dragon that once ran rampant in the Land of the Sun. Despite being propitiated by a celestial maiden, the dragon's Yoryoku, the Land of the Sun's version of magical power, had seeped into the sea, turning it black and stagnant. The dragon was also believed to cause a distortion of time and space related to hell.

How Ichika's past shaped her future

Ichika grew up with a grudge against her older brother, which pushed her to become an exceptional magician and swordsman

Ichika and Captain Yami's father believed that the Yami clan was of noble blood and did not like living in the Ryudo family's remote territory. Her father was also misogynistic and drunk and believed that women like Ichika were not needed in the Yami clan, from whom Captain Yami always defended his younger sister.

I saw it with my own eyes…!! It's the truth!!

Her father also believed that Captain Yami would inherit the title of the clan's strongest Kijin. When Captain Yami was 13 years old, Ichika awoke to the sight of Captain Yami and the massacred corpses of the entire Yami clan. However, in Chapter 347, Ichika learns that this is not the case and her hatred and resentment are misplaced.

In the fight against Yrul, one of the paladins created by Lucius Zogratis, Yrul summons the Bogeyman with his beast magic. This beast magic awakens the memories and fears of its targets and becomes them. In this case, Ichika's fear was her father, as he had previously mistreated her when she was younger. What she didn't expect, however, was to recall her forgotten memories of the day her clan was massacred.

That day, Ichika learns that her father gave her the “Oni Soul Pill,” a secret drug that has been passed down through the Yami clan for generations. Her father believed that this pill could explosively increase your bloodlust and latent Yoryoku. After her father forces Ichika to take the drug, her physical abilities spiral out of control and she loses control of her mind. At this point, Ichika murders her entire clan.

You were my benefactor and I knew nothing. I treated you to it! I'm really sorry!

However, it was Captain Yami who killed her father after he went mad, and he also took on the burden of being the one who murdered the clan when he left the Land of the Sun. At this point, Ichika had lived her life believing that Captain Yami was the source of all her hatred and resentment; As such, she lived her life accordingly, disliking men and proving her strength by joining the Ryuzen Seven. However, after learning the truth and reuniting with her brother, Ichika softens and no longer lets her resentment hold her back.

What are Ichika's powers?

As the sibling of Captain Yami, Ichika has similar magical power

As mentioned above, Ichika and Captain Yami are part of the Yami clan. This allows the siblings to use Dark Magic, a rare magical attribute. Since Ichika was part of the Yami clan, it was likely that her latent power had not yet manifested as her father saw no point in training her as he favored Captain Yami and his skills as a swordsman.

However, after her clan's death, Ichika became a powerful swordsman and mastered her dark magic. Since Ichika is from the Land of the Sun, she can also manipulate Ki. Since Ichika can manipulate Ki, she can also use Zetten, a much more advanced version that explosively releases a targeted blast of energy. Because Zetten is an advanced technique, only those within the Ryuzen Seven were able to manipulate their ki to such an extent. The Ryuzen Seven are a group of powerful magicians who serve under the command of the Shogun Ryuya Ryudo.

• Ki is the flow of vitality and energy within humans and requires the individual to focus all five senses on feeling, as Captain Yami explains in Chapter 48.
• Mana and Ki exist separately from each other.
• While Ki is the flow of life force, Mana is a form of energy.

Because Ichika can manipulate Ki, she can also use Zetten, a much more advanced version of Ki that explosively releases a targeted burst of energy. Because Zetten is an advanced technique, only those within the Ryuzen Seven were able to manipulate their ki to such an extent. The Ryuzen Seven are a group of powerful magicians who serve under the command of the Shogun Ryuya Ryudo.

During Asta's training in the Land of the Sun, Ichika was also able to consistently win his matches. However, this could likely be due to Asta's hesitant technique and conviction. During the battle with the five-headed dragon, Ichika was able to deliver several blows to the dragon, demonstrating her power as one of the Ryuzen Seven and a member of the Yami clan.

Despite being abused by her father for being a woman in the prestigious Yami clan, Ichika has proven herself to be a skilled magician and swordsman over the years, with the ability to join a powerful group such as the Ryuzen Seven.

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