Clover
A dystopian science-fiction manga series by CLAMP about gifted children controlled by a militarized government.
Last updated November 3, 2026
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Overview
Clover, stylized as CLOVER, is a science-fiction and fantasy manga series created by CLAMP, the Japanese all-female creative collective formed by Satsuki Igarashi, Nanase Ohkawa, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Mokona. Set in a bleak technological future, the series follows children known as Clovers, whose supernatural or magical abilities are classified by the number of leaves in their ranking. The government identifies, studies, confines, and monitors these children through the Clover Leaf Project, treating extraordinary talent as a potential military threat rather than as a source of individual freedom. The central character is Su, the only known four-leaf Clover. Her abilities are so powerful that she is isolated in a research facility and kept under the supervision of the parliamentary military council known as the Wizards. Su longs to experience what she calls a true Elsewhere beyond her controlled existence. At the request of General Ko, former military officer Kazuhiko Fay Ryu is assigned to escort Su to Fairy Park, a place connected to her hopes and to the memory of Ora, a singer who had communicated with Su by radio. Their journey becomes entangled with military factions, underground agents, teleportation technology, and the army of the neighboring country of Azaiea. The manga is structured as an intentionally fragmented narrative. Its first two volumes present the principal journey in the story's apparent present, while the later volumes move backward to explain the relationships among Su, Ora, Kazuhiko, Gingetsu, and Ran. The plot explores isolation, surveillance, exploitation of children, emotional attachment, military power, and the possibility of happiness under authoritarian control. Su's personal history is especially tragic: she was sold to the military by her parents when she was very young and subsequently raised in confinement. Her connection with Ora gives her a sense of companionship, while Ora's death and Kazuhiko's role in the aftermath shape the series' emotional and political conflicts. Clover was serialized in Kodansha's Amie magazine from 1997 until the magazine ceased publication in 1999. The story was planned as a four-part work, but CLAMP indicated that additional books would be needed to complete it; the published manga therefore remains unfinished. Kodansha initially collected the chapters in four volumes and later reissued them in two volumes. The work received several English-language editions, including releases by Tokyopop and Dark Horse Manga, followed by a Kodansha Comics hardcover edition in 2020 that gathered the series into a single volume. It was also licensed in French by Pika Édition and in German by Carlsen Comics. Clover has an associated animated music video produced by Bandai Visual and Madhouse. The short film adapts material from the manga's prologue chapters and was shown in Japanese theaters before the Cardcaptor Sakura film in 1999. It was later issued on DVD in a CLAMP compilation. The manga is recognized for its unusual page composition, substantial use of empty space, cinematic sequencing, detailed mechanical imagery, and somber atmosphere. Critical responses have praised its visual design and production values while also noting that its experimental structure and poetic presentation can leave the plot and characterization comparatively thin. Despite its incomplete narrative, Clover remains a distinctive work in CLAMP's body of manga, contrasting sharply with the group's more overtly cheerful and conventional magical-girl productions.
History
CLAMP conceived Clover as a four-part manga set in a controlled futuristic society where children with extraordinary powers are catalogued as Clovers. The work was serialized by Kodansha in Amie beginning in 1997. Its unusual design and narrative structure distinguish it from more conventional shōjo manga: scenes are often presented in short, cinematic fragments, with broken page grids, large areas of white space, intricate mechanical motifs, and lyrical dialogue. The visual approach supports the story's themes of emotional isolation and institutional surveillance. The first two collected volumes form the principal present-day storyline. Former military deputy commander Kazuhiko Fay Ryu is ordered by General Ko to escort Su, an isolated four-leaf Clover, to Fairy Park. Kazuhiko's assignment is connected to his former lover Ora, a singer and one-leaf Clover who had communicated with Su through radio waves. During the journey, Kazuhiko and Su encounter Azaiean forces, underground operatives, and agents associated with the Wizards. Su eventually reveals the scale of her powers and explains her connection with Ora before reaching the destination she has imagined as a place of freedom and happiness. The third and fourth volumes work as prequels and flashbacks. They describe how Su and Ora became friends through radio communication, how they composed the song “CLOVER,” and how Ora's death led Kazuhiko to leave the military. They also explain the history of Ran, originally designated C, one of three three-leaf brothers held in a military facility. After C separates from his unstable brother A, Gingetsu takes him in and gives him the name Ran. These episodes broaden the series' examination of the Clover Leaf Project and show how the government attempts to contain people whose abilities could challenge its authority. Kodansha collected the original serialization in four volumes, with the first volume released in June 1997 and the fourth in August 1999. A two-volume reissue followed in 2008. In English, Tokyopop published the series from 2001 to 2002 before its edition went out of print. Dark Horse Manga subsequently released a single right-to-left volume in 2009. After that license expired, Kodansha Comics published a one-volume hardcover edition in 2020. French and German editions were issued by Pika Édition and Carlsen Comics respectively. The adaptation history includes a short animated music video produced by Bandai Visual and Madhouse, directed by Kitarō Kōsaka, with character designs by Nobuteru Yūki and music by Ichiko Hashimoto. It was screened in Japan in 1999 and later included in a CLAMP compilation released on DVD. A feature-film adaptation was discussed in connection with Dark Horse and Universal Studios, but no film had been produced or released as of the available reference material. Because the magazine ended before the larger plan could be completed, Clover remains an unfinished manga rather than a concluded long-form narrative.
- 2020
Kodansha Comics hardcover edition
[1]Kodansha Comics publishes the available English material in one hardcover volume.
- 2009
Dark Horse collected edition published
[1]Dark Horse Manga releases the available series as a single right-to-left volume.
- 2008
Kodansha reissues the manga in two volumes
[1]Kodansha releases a two-volume reissue in Japan.
- 2001
Tokyopop English edition begins
[1]Tokyopop starts publishing the manga in North America.
- 1999
Serialization ends
[1]Publication stops after Amie ceases operation; the larger planned story remains unfinished.
- 1999
Animated music video screened
[1]The Clover animated short is shown in Japanese theaters before a Cardcaptor Sakura film.
- 1997
Amie serialization begins
[1]Clover begins serialization in Kodansha's Amie magazine.
- 1997
First collected volume published
[1]Kodansha publishes the first collected volume on June 6.
Products and positioning
An atmospheric, experimental dystopian manga combining science fiction, military drama, romance, supernatural abilities, and highly stylized visual storytelling.
Manga series · 1997
Clover manga
The original CLAMP manga is a dystopian science-fiction story about government-controlled children with supernatural abilities. Its narrative follows Su, Kazuhiko, and the people connected to the Clover Leaf Project, using fragmented chronology and cinematic page design to explore confinement, military power, memory, and longing for freedom. The published work consists of four Japanese volumes but remains incomplete.
Animated short · 1999
Clover animated music video
A short animated music video adapts material from the manga's prologue chapters. Produced by Bandai Visual and Madhouse, it was directed by Kitarō Kōsaka, designed by Nobuteru Yūki, and scored by Ichiko Hashimoto. The film was screened theatrically in Japan and later released as part of a CLAMP video compilation.
Collected edition · 2020
Clover English hardcover edition
Kodansha Comics' 2020 English hardcover gathers the available Clover manga into one volume after earlier North American editions from Tokyopop and Dark Horse Manga.
Controversies
2021
Clover workers join national strike over planned retrenchments
In November 2021, Clover workers affiliated with the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) and the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (Giwusa) joined an indefinite national strike. The strike was over planned retrenchments, factory closures, salary cuts and working conditions at Clover SA. The unions also called for changes to working arrangements and other demands. The event was reported by IOL on 25 November 2021.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Clover workers join national strike over planned retrenchments[2]
Clover workers affiliated with Fawu and Giwusa joined an indefinite national strike over planned retrenchments, factory closures, salary cuts and working conditions at Clover SA. The unions also called for changes to working arrangements and other demands.
Reported
Customer Loyalty Accelerator launches app for Clover merchants[3]
Customer Loyalty Accelerator announced the launch of an app for Clover merchants combining loyalty rewards, gift cards, and digital marketing tools on Clover POS.
Reported
Oakland Black Business Fund announces corporate partnerships[4]
Oakland Black Business Fund announced corporate partnerships with Clover, Community Bank of the Bay, Fiserv, Square, Target, and Xero. The partners committed to donating to its grant program and offering additional services to its portfolio of Black-owned businesses.
- Unconfirmed
Clover to close Lichtenburg cheese factory and move production[5]
Clover says it is closing its cheese factory in Lichtenburg, South Africa, and moving production to Queensburgh in Durban, citing ongoing poor municipal service delivery and water and electricity disruptions.
Reported
Clover announces $12 million growth capital financing[6]
Clover announced $12 million in growth capital financing, comprising growth debt from Espresso Capital and a structured equity investment from an existing investor. Clover said it plans to use the funds to accelerate its growth.
Reported
Bithumb Global announces Clover blockchain platform[7]
Bithumb Global announced Clover, an open-source blockchain platform powered by Polkadot technology and focused on decentralized finance.
Reported
Skupos makes its POS solutions available through Clover App Market[8]
Skupos made its suite of point-of-sale solutions available to retailers through integration with the Clover platform and listing in the Clover App Market.
Reported
Clover ends relationship with Kyle Larson[9]
Clover ended its relationship with Kyle Larson after he used a racial slur during an online sim race livestream.
Reported
JazzHR and Clover announce recruiting software integration partnership[10]
JazzHR announced an integration partnership with Clover, making JazzHR available to Clover customers through the Clover App Market and allowing them to manage recruiting tasks through their existing business processes.
Reported
DonorsChoose.org announces Round Up for Schools app[11]
DonorsChoose.org announced the Round Up for Schools app, which lets customers at participating Clover merchants round up purchases and donate the change to nearby public schools’ classroom projects. Donations through the app will be matched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation while funds last.
Sources12 sources
- 1Clover (Clamp manga)en.wikipedia.org
- 2Clover workers join national strike over planned retrenchmentsiol.co.za
- 3Customer Loyalty Accelerator 推出面向 Clover 商户的应用prnewswire.com
- 4Oakland Black Business Fund宣布企业合作关系prnewswire.com
- 5Clover 将关闭利希滕堡奶酪工厂并转移生产news24.com
- 6Clover 宣布获得 1,200 万美元成长资金prnewswire.com
- 7Bithumb Global宣布Clover区块链平台coinspeaker.com
- 8Skupos透过Clover App Market提供其POS解决方案prnewswire.com
- 9Clover终止与凯尔·拉尔森的合作关系foxnews.com
- 10JazzHR与Clover宣布招聘软件集成合作prnewswire.com
- 11DonorsChoose.org宣布推出 Round Up for Schools 应用prweb.com
- 12Clover closes SA’s biggest cheese factory due to poor service delivery by North West towniol.co.za
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