Black Clover: Does Noelle have the potential to defeat a Paladin?

In the wake of recent events in the Black Clover manga, fans have started to theorize on which characters could defeat Lucius Zogratis's paladins. Judgment Day is set to arrive in seven days as the Clover Kingdom round-up their forces to take on Lucius Zogratis. This makes us wonder, does Black Clover's tritagonist and female lead, Noelle Silva, have the potential to defeat a paladin?

Yuno has elevated his power in the 15-month time skip, through which he can instantly defeat a group of high-ranking devils, making him an immediate candidate to take on a paladin or even Lucius. Meanwhile, the Black Bulls have rallied to find Asta. But what of Noelle? Surely she will not sit idle after Asta was eliminated and will want to avenge him by taking down Lucius and his paladins.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Black Clover manga and reflects the author's opinions.

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What are the chances of Black Clover's Noelle defeating a paladin?

Yes, Noelle has the potential to defeat a paladin. However, it depends on whether the Water Spirit Undine still serves her or not. After the Black Clover manga returned from its three-month hiatus, the story had a time skip of about 15 months as we were taken to a ceremony to celebrate Asta's promotion to First Class Senior Magic Knight. During the ceremony, we got a subtle hint about Noelle's powers.

Crimson Lions Captain Fuegoleon Vermillion mentioned how the Spade Kingdom and the Heart Kingdom had finally almost completely recovered from the effects of the events which took place 15 months ago.

Water Spirit Undine (Image via Studio Pierrot)

As we all remember, the Heart Kingdom's princess, Lolopechika, would use the Water Spirit Undine to keep the Kingdom's magic barriers and techniques active. This must mean that, after the battle ended in the Spade Kingdom, Undine must have returned to Lolopechika, helping her repair the damage.

Hence, we can assume that Noelle will no longer be able to Spirit Dive, making her far weaker than during the Spade Kingdom Raid arc. However, this theory has yet to be confirmed in the manga. Meanwhile, there is also the possibility that it took the Heart Kingdom about 15 months to recover and not any sooner because Lolopechika no longer has access to Undine.

Fans will have to wait until they get confirmation on the same from Black Clover's mangaka Yuki Tabata.

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How strong are Lucius's Paladins against the likes of Noelle Silva?

Lucius turns Sister Lily into a paladin in Black Clover manga (Image via Viz Media)

While there could be four paladins, with fans speculating them to include Damnatio Kira, Morgen Faust, and Marx Francois, for now, the manga has confirmed only one paladin, Sister Lily.

Lucius explained how he could use his Soul Magic to transform the soul of anyone he touches, enabling him to incarnate and purify the supreme devils for their powers to be used by the paladins. This meant that the paladins were similar to the Dark Triad, who had dual Mana affinity. Thus, their strength will vary according to the combinations caused by their own mana and the devil's mana.

In the case of Sister Lily, she has obtained Beelzebub's Spatial Magic powers. Also, Sister Lily Aquaria has Water Magic, which might have been enhanced due to Lucius's Soul Magic.

However, there also remains the possibility that the paladins will not be able to access their original powers. But if the paladins could use their powers, Noelle vs. Sister Lily would be an interesting fight as both would have an affinity for Water Magic, with Lily having the upper hand due to Beelzebub's Spatial Magic.

Sister Lily as a paladin (Image via Sportskeeda)

We have previously seen Noelle become the victor when she faced Vanica and Megicula in her Spirit Dive form. Thus, if Noelle does have access to Undine, she could potentially defeat a paladin. If not, she will have to do something to enhance her strength within a week.

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