Asta and Yuno

Hage Village, Clover Kingdom — Two baby boys are found abandoned at a church orphanage, one named Asta and the other Yuno. Father Orsi Orfai, who had found the infants, speculates on whether the two are brothers, but then just as easily dismisses the idea as they look nothing alike and seem to be polar opposites of each other. Namely, Yuno seems to be a calm child while Asta appears to be rather "spirited". 15 years later, Asta, now a spirited youth, proposes to one of the nuns at the orphanage, Sister Lily, promising to make her the happiest woman in the world. She turns him down, however, pointing out that she's a woman of the cloth. Not taking the rejection well, Asta tries again, forcing Sister Lily to use water magic on him. Yuno and some of the other orphans come along just then. While using wind magic to help Sister Lily with some laundry, Yuno confirms for Asta that Lily isn't allowed to marry, adding that neither are 15-year-old boys for that matter. Upset at Yuno for butting in, Asta challenges him to a fight, but Yuno refuses to take the bait, considering it a waste of time as it appears as though Asta has no magical abilities of his own. To make up for it, though, he tries to show up Yuno with his physical prowess. However, Yuno again refuses to take the bait. To make matters worse for Asta, Father Orsi appears just then, singing Yuno's praises, saying that Yuno will for sure make it into the Magic Knights. Sister Lily, meanwhile, tries to cheer up Asta by reminding him that he'll be getting a grimoire soon and will probably be using magic in no time. This gives Asta hope that he too can make it into the Magic Knights and from there become the next Wizard King. He goes off to rigorously train his body in a cave carved out of a giant demon's skull. In the meantime, Sister Lily tries to talk with Yuno, asking him to try to get along better with Asta. She thinks back to when the two boys were younger and used to be close, until one day when Asta had gotten badly injured. Ever since the incident, she says, both boys have been different.

Come March, Asta and Yuno prepare to undergo the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony, a rite of passage for 15-year-olds in the Clover Kingdom. They enter a tower full of grimoires — spellbooks meant to increase the user's magical power — along with other youths ready to aquire their own grimoires. Drouot, the master of the tower, commences the ceremony, wishing the acceptees "integrity, hope, and love." Hundreds of grimoires of varying sizes start floating around the room, choosing their new owners. Yuno ends up with a green tome with a four-leaf clover on the cover, identical to one that had once belonged to the very first Wizard King. Asta, however, doesn't even get a grimoire. While disappointed, he is still determined to catch up to Yuno and become his magical rival. He says he's not giving up, and that no matter how long it takes, he'll work hard to get a grimoire and become the Wizard King. Later, two boys jealous of Yuno go to attack him, only for Yuno to easily deflect their attacks. The fight, however, is interrupted by a man with a burn mark across one side of his face. The man, Revchi Salik, wields chain magic, which he uses to bind both Yuno and the boys who had been attacking him. He introduces himself as Chain Magic Revchi, mentioning that he used to be a Magic Knight before he was expelled from their ranks and forced to become a "humble thief". He steals Yuno's grimoire, even knowing that grimoires can only be used by their chosen masters. He says he has plans to sell it to some collector on the black market, before noticing a pendant Yuno's wearing and trying to steal that as well. Fortunately, Asta shows up, demanding that Revchi return Yuno's grimoire. Unfortunately, though, Asta still has no magic and is therefore unable to stop Revchi from using his chain magic on him as well. Revchi reveals that his chains not only prevent someone like Yuno from using magic but they can also measure a mage's power, and according to Revchi, Asta possesses not a single drop of magic whatsoever. Dejected, Asta realizes that no matter how hard he works, he'll never be able to use magic, which is everything in their world. Asta's about to throw in the towel, when Yuno sticks up for him, calling him his rival.