Dark fantasy anime usually go one of two ways—they either hit you with high-concept drama and forget the heart, or they wallow in gore without much substance. Clevatess -Majuu no Ou to Akago to Shikabane no Yuusha- is trying to do something bolder. My husband (not usually one for bloody, morally complicated stories) is glued to it, and honestly, so am I. So naturally, I had to put it through my Five-Episode Test before deciding if it’s just grim for grim’s sake… or if there’s something more. But to be fair, I adore dark fantasy.

Why 5 Episodes?

I always give a new anime five full episodes before making any big decisions, whether I’ll keep watching weekly, wait for a binge, or drop it entirely. Not one, not three… five. That’s the sweet spot where most shows reveal their true nature. Clevatess is exactly the kind of series that needs this window. A brutal dark fantasy about a Beast Lord raising a baby princess with the help of an undead heroine doesn’t scream “easy to digest”, it screams complex, ambitious, and maybe even messy. The first episode gave us gore, grief, and a glimpse into a world teetering between genocide and redemption. But is that enough? Not quite.

The five-episode rule keeps my watchlist under control and gives each show a fair chance to evolve. I want to see if Clevatess can maintain its tension, grow its characters, and deliver something deeper than just shock value and trauma. And by episode five, if I still care about Luna’s future, if I believe in Alicia’s journey, and if Clen continues to learn what it means to be human… then I know this series has something special. Because dark fantasy is great, but it’s the heart beneath the blood that keeps me watching.

• Clevatess airs on Wednesdays.
• It streams on:
  • Crunchyroll
  • iQIYI
  • BiliBili
  • YouTube: Ani-One Asia
  • ANIPLUS
• Airing 2025

What is Clevatess about:

• Full Genre list: Action, Dark Fantasy
• Demographic: Seinen
• Themes: Power struggle, undead servitude, vengeance, found family (twisted), fate vs free will
• Expected number of episodes: 12
• Age restriction: R – 17+ (intense violence, mature themes)
• Trigger warnings:
  • Brutal warfare, 
  • Slavery, 
  • Bodily resurrection, 
  • Implied sexual violence/abuse (especially around slavery and young female characters), 
  • and graphic combat
• Animation Studio: Lay-duce
• English Dub: Yes
• Source: Manga
• Kanji: クレバテス-魔獣の王と赤子と屍の勇者-
• Alternative Title: Clevatess -Majuu no Ou to Akago to Shikabane no Yuusha-
• Official Website
• Follow their official accounts: X: @clevatess_anime
• Social hashtags: #クレバテス #clevatess

In the isolated realm of Edthea, humanity is hemmed in by four monstrous beings known as the Lords of Dark Beasts, who guard each cardinal direction. One of them, Clevatess, the Beast Lord of Moonlight, lays waste to the kingdom of Haiden. He slays its king and rescinds thirteen heroes who invaded his territory, leaving devastation in his wake. But in a moment of twisted mercy and curiosity, Clevatess rescues the baby heir, naming the child Luna, as the last hope for a dying world. He then resurrects Alicia, one of the heroes he killed, binding her soul with dark magic to serve both as Luna’s caretaker and guide to humanity. Bound to his will, Alicia must accompany him and the infant on a journey that could reshape the fate of both race and realm. 

My Impressions on the first 5 episodes of Clevatess

Clevatess doesn’t ease you in. It’s clear this world runs on cruelty, consequence, and a twisted sort of care. But what kept me watching wasn’t just the horror or the high-stakes fantasy, it was the unexpected emotional core. Across five episodes, the series balances brutal truths with real character development, weaving in themes like bodily autonomy, post-war trauma, surrogate motherhood, and the thin line between vengeance and redemption.

Episode One: The Lord of Dark Beasts

Wow, this premiere delivered. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a show that kicks off with a literal bloodbath, but Clevatess knew exactly what it was doing, grabbing my attention, then immediately twisting the knife (in the best narrative way). It opens like your usual grimdark fantasy: thirteen heroes march to their deaths, the kingdom of Haiden gets obliterated, and I’m thinking, “Okay, cool carnage, but where’s the soul?” Then bam, we pivot into a bizarre but heartfelt setup where a shadowy beast lord adopts a royal baby and resurrects the heroine he just killed to help raise her. Alicia instantly had my sympathy, trying to live up to her father’s legacy, only to die and get cursed into immortality. Her scenes with Clevatess (or Clen, in his human disguise) are tense, strange, and weirdly touching. There’s no trust, but there’s something… and I already want to see it grow.

Thematically, this is everything I want in a dark fantasy: messy morality, uncomfortable power dynamics, and a world that doesn’t hand out easy answers. Alicia is both victim and guardian, and Clevatess is both destroyer and protector, a beast trying to understand humans through the most human thing of all: parenthood. Luna, the baby, becomes this little beacon of hope and rebirth surrounded by blood and ashes. I loved the political undercurrents too, kingdoms scrambling over arcanacites while ignoring the actual fallout of their own aggression? Very on brand for humanity. The symbolism is rich, the animation held its weight, and the vibes were straight-up cinematic. The only reason it’s not a full five is because it was a bit info-dense and I’m still adjusting to the tone shift, but if it keeps this up, it could easily become one of the most unique dark fantasies I’ve watched in a while.

Episode Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5)

Episode Two: The Beast Lord in Captivity

This episode hit hard. The shift in focus from sweeping world-ending stakes to the cruel, intimate violence of a slave camp was jarring, in a good way. That grimdark label? Absolutely earned. We’re introduced to the Crows, a band of slavers led by the scumbag Broco, and the entire atmosphere is just thick with unease. Seeing Clevatess (or Clen, in his weakened human form) play along as a lowly kitchen helper was weirdly tense because we know what he’s capable of, but he holds back, watching, learning. And when he finally does act? It’s viciously satisfying. That shadow magic scene was brutal and cathartic. Nell’s introduction is heartbreaking, but she’s so much more than a tragic backstory, though. There’s dignity in her refusal, a stubbornness that makes her stand out, and I respect the hell out of her for it. I also loved that the show doesn’t rush her decision or romanticise her suffering. She’s traumatised, and the writing lets her stay complicated. My heart honestly hurt for her.

Alicia, though. She steals the whole damn episode by the end. After the horrific implication of what Fleeto intended to do to her, her decision to jump, knowing her body will break, but that she won’t die because of the curse? That was absolutely metal. Horrifying, smart, and courageous. That one moment fully cements her not just as “the revived hero,” but as someone who refuses to be broken again. I wasn’t expecting this kind of psychological grit so early in the show. Thematically, we’re diving deep now, abuse, resilience, identity under captivity, and the question of who really has power when appearances lie. Clen’s commitment to understanding humans is being put through a very dark trial, and Luna, still just a baby, is this symbol of hope that somehow keeps the whole story tethered emotionally. The pacing was great (even if the episode felt longer than the premiere), the writing is sharp, and I’m properly locked in now. Clevatess is shaping up to be something special.

Episode Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5)

Episode Three: Hero’s Duty

I went into this one expecting fallout, but wow, they didn’t hold back. Alicia’s regeneration scene was one of the most viscerally uncomfortable things I’ve seen in a while, bones snapping, nerves twitching, her body literally knitting itself back together while she just screams. But it’s the way she gets up after all of that, barely healed, still in agony, and fights? That cemented it. Alicia isn’t just a victim of Clevatess’s magic; she’s using it to own her power, and that barrel dive into the mine? Iconic. She’s bloody, broken, and still thinking like a tactician, taking out bandits while calculating her shot at retrieving the Regalia. The pacing here was much tighter than last episode, no wasted moments, and the tension just kept rising. We finally got more insight into how Clevatess’s immortality magic works; it turns out to be less a gift and more a personal hell. You survive, sure, but you feel everything. That theme of pain without death is really landing hard.

Meanwhile, Nell. Ugh. My heart. I knew they were going to do something awful to her, but even knowing that didn’t make it easier to watch. Broco feeding her to the troll, Betty was horrific, and watching her limp, half-digested body get spat out genuinely made my stomach turn. She’d better survive. The thing that’s sticking with me, though, isn’t just the violence; it’s the way this show lets its characters respond to that trauma. Alicia’s steel, Clen’s quiet rage, Nell’s fear and flickering hope, they’re messy, human, and earned. Animation was a little uneven (Alicia’s fight choreography was stiff), and the music didn’t quite hit as hard as last time, but emotionally? Still a powerhouse. We’re three episodes in and this series already feels bolder than most dark fantasies manage in a whole cour. That final shot, Clevatess finally stepping in, Betty turning on Broco, and that simmering vengeance? Yesss. It’s payback time.

Episode Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

Episode Four: The Aptitude of Magic

This episode went off. We got payoff, resolution, character growth, monster mayhem, and finally, finally, Alicia got her hands on that legendary Regalia sword. That whole underwater sequence with her struggling to breathe, then facing off with the Ancient One in pitch-black depths? Horrifying. Realistically, she doesn’t beat the monster, because this isn’t a power fantasy. She gets the sword and runs. Smart, grounded writing that respects its world’s power scale. I also love that the show didn’t take the easy route with those bandits begging Alicia for help. Girl looked them dead in the eyes and walked away. Chills. And then we have Broco, the delusional troll-master who thought invisibility would save him from Luna’s cries and Alicia’s wrath. That whole sequence was brutal and hilarious. He died the way he lived, loud, stupid, and overconfident.

The emotional centre, though? Alicia sacrificing her undead self to save Nelluru. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t ask questions, just did it. And it worked. Nell’s transformation into her fully healed self, free from years of abuse and degradation, was honestly moving, even if the whole “now she’s hot” thing felt a bit tropey. Still, the symbolic weight of it hit. That scene visually cleared up, like all the literal noise faded from the frame as she came back. Beautiful direction. Clevatess watching all this unfold, learning about humans in real time, was compelling too. He’s being challenged emotionally now by both Alicia’s sheer selflessness and Nelluru’s resilience, and it’s pushing his arc forward in subtle but effective ways. We’ve now got our trio: Klen, Alicia, and Nelluru, with Luna at the centre. Bandits are dead, sword’s been claimed, and the next phase of this story’s ready to begin. What a ride.

Episode Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5)

Episode Five: Boelate’s Match

This episode hit the brakes a little, but in a good way, slowing things down to deepen the worldbuilding and push the bigger narrative pieces into place. After last week’s emotional intensity, this felt more like the eye of the storm. We finally get a better sense of the global stakes: human nations scheming, the dark beasts divided, and Clevatess navigating both as Luna’s increasingly reluctant protector. I love how the show’s been layering conflict, between species, within factions, and even internally for characters like Clen and Alicia. We’re starting to see that not all dark beasts are unified (shoutout to Zavthier and their whole “humans are stealing our kids” vendetta), and it makes the setting feel massive. The introduction of Gart was a solid surprise; his whole “I thought you were Broco” moment made me laugh, but he adds another dynamic layer now that we know he’s also a dark beast in disguise.

On the character side, Alicia’s development is really starting to shine. She’s still impulsive (like, girl, please breathe before you go charging with that sword), but her new sword technique and the way she confronts Clen about humanity’s complexity show how far she’s come. Meanwhile, Clen continues learning how messy humans are, not just in action, but in motivation. Nelluru being strong enough to carry Luna now is a beautiful full-circle moment, even if Carme’s past actions leave a bad taste (seriously, inducing stillbirths to protect her? That’s some dark survival logic). As for the big wizard reveal, Meynard, with those creepy vibes and cult energy? Yep, totally sus. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s another beast undercover or part of some hybrid project. The show’s doing a great job keeping that tension sharp.

All in all, this was a slightly slower, more dialogue-heavy chapter, but it was needed. There are now so many threads, missing beast children, empire-forge wars, dark beast politics, and the mystery around Luna’s identity, and it all feels tightly managed. If they stick the landing, this could honestly be one of the smartest dark fantasy anime in years.

Episode Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

Will I continue watching Clevatess and do I have any expectations?

Absolutely, I’m locked in. After five episodes, Clevatess has shown it’s more than just shock-value and grimdark flair. It earns its brutality through layered character arcs, political tension, and surprisingly tender emotional beats. Alicia’s agonising immortality, Clen’s slow journey toward understanding humanity, and Nelluru’s quietly devastating trauma all ground the series in something real. It’s the rare kind of dark fantasy where the gore isn’t just there for spectacle; it serves the story. Every episode adds weight, weaving themes of survival, grief, power, and redemption into a world teetering between collapse and rebirth.

What impresses me most is how balanced it feels. Even the slower Episode 5 felt deliberate, opening up new mysteries and hinting at massive shifts to come, from beast politics to human conspiracies. It’s a slow-burn, sure, but it knows exactly where it’s going. With strong characters, meaningful world-building, and zero fear of showing the ugly side of both humans and monsters, Clevatess has earned a permanent spot on my weekly watchlist. If it keeps this up, it could be something truly special.

Are you watching Clevatess? Or is it still sitting on your “maybe later” list? Now that we’re five episodes deep, I’m curious, what’s your take so far? Has it pulled you in with its brutal worldbuilding, complex characters, and gut-wrenching emotional beats? Or is the gore and grim tone keeping you at a distance?

Average Rating So Far: 9/10

A beautifully brutal dark fantasy with real emotional weight, complex characters, and worldbuilding that sticks, Clevatess is as haunting as it is hopeful.