Black Butler

Black Butler is a manga written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. Since its debut on September 16, 2006, it has been serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy.

The series follows Sebastian Michaelis, a demonic butler who is bound by a supernatural contract to serve Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old head of the Phantomhive noble family and the business-savvy owner of the Funtom company, a toy manufacturer. And in return Sebastian will obtain Ciel's soul when Ciel has finished all of his tasks including getting revenge on the people who killed his parents; after that Sebastian is then allowed to kill him and take his soul. It was announced in July 2008 that an anime adaption, directed by Shinohara Toshiya and produced by A-1 Pictures, was expected. It premiered in October 2008, and has since ended with 24 episodes. The second season aired in 2010 spanning 12 episodes with two new main characters, Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus. The series has been licensed by Yen Press in North America and published in Yen Plus' August 2009 issue for the magazine's first anniversary.

Plot

In a manor house on the outskirts of Victorian era London, butler Sebastian Michaelis serves Lord Earl Ciel Phantomhive, the orphaned twelve-year-old head of an English noble family and a toy and candy empire, who serves directly under the Queen as her "guard dog". Sebastian carries out any task required by his master while solving the problems plaguing England with ease and perfection, because of his demonic lineage and Faustian contract with his master. The parents of Master Phantomhive estate were murdered when Ciel was younger. As a result, he made a deal with a demon asking for vengeance upon those who had disgraced him, and the Phantomhive name, in exchange for his soul.

The characters:


Sebastian Michaelis

Sebastian Michaelis is the butler of the Phantomhive household and acts as Ciel's bodyguard. Sebastian often describes himself through his catchphrase "I am simply one hell of a butler" . The phrase plays on the word "demon" and the phrase "to the end" . It can also translate to "I am a demon and a butler". In Funimation's English translation, this phrase becomes "I am a devilishly talented butler" or "I am one hell of a butler" which is, obviously, another play on his demonic origins.

He has been described by multiple women (Madame Red, city women, nun in anime) throughout the anime and manga series to be extremely attractive and seductive.

Being a butler is a job he is completely devoted to. He follows Ciel's orders faithfully, however, he does not seem to be overly concerned about Ciel's well-being most of the time, as he insults and irritates Ciel to see his reaction. However, occasionally he does appear to care about Ciel's well-being, such as in the Noah's Arc Circus arc where he was worried when Ciel had an asthma attack, and again later on when Ciel had a panic attack. He calls Ciel a "brat" who treats his workers rudely. Sebastian is also shown to be obsessed with cats, kittens, wild catlike beasts, and so on; in chapter 44 of the manga, he is shown to be hiding 15 cats in his room. In chapter 49, it is shown that the cats were found by Sebastian in the rain when he was doing a task for Ciel, and just couldn't leave them outside. He also appears to love a stray black cat with amber eyes, who occasionally appears near the Phantomhive household or inside the household's garden. Comically, the only times he does not follow Ciel's orders is when he sees a cat, too preoccupied with it to pay any attention to anything else, such as in the second season of the anime when he sees kittens drinking milk from their mother and Ciel calls him a "cat obsessed moron," or right before Mary Jane Kelly is murdered, when he is describing the softness of a black cat the alley the two are hiding in, and he doesn't appear to hear anything Ciel is saying.

He is highly skilled in any area except liking dogs, and handles every task, no matter how impossible it is, as well as any problem that arises from the errors of the other staff with ease, stating it is only natural as the butler of the Phantomhive family. This is due to the fact he is a demon bound by a Faustian contract to abide by Ciel's will. A sign matching the one marking Ciel's right eye can be found on Sebastian's left hand. The mark of the contract has been said to allow Sebastian to find Ciel. The name Sebastian is, in fact, a temporary name given to him by Ciel and was previously held by Ciel's dog. It has been established that he is a cat-person, ignoring Ciel's words to comfort a stray cat. In the anime, he also shows high disdain for dogs, especially towards Pluto. In the anime adaption, Sebastian can take the form of a bird similar to a crow or a raven. In the manga, Sebastian does not appear in this form. Sebastian's true demonic form has not been fully revealed in the manga or the anime. However, a depiction of sharper teeth, high-heeled boots, and elongated nails have been given in both. In the anime, his true form is also shown, but only briefly in glimpses at the finale, sporting high-heel boots and claw-like hands. In the manga chapter 19, a similar appearance has been shown. In the manga adaptation, Sebastian appears to Ciel to form the contract in his true form, while in the anime version, he appears as a crow. He is voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa on the first drama CD, Daisuke Ono in the anime adaption and on the second drama CD, and J. Michael Tatum in the English dub. His name is similar to that of Father Sebastien Michaelis, who compiled a hierarchy of demons in Hell.


In The Second TV Series, Sebastian resurrects Ciel with his Family Ring (which was somehow located in a "New Moon Drop" tea box under Alois Trancy's manor). He comes into Trancy's manor in the disguise of a wanderer needing to shelter himself from a storm, however he criticizes Claude Faustus's abilities as a butler saying he does not seem to take his responsibilities seriously when he sees a drop of sauce on the side of his dinner plate. This alerts Claude that he is Sebastian as he attacks him later on when he gets the "New Moon Drop" tea box from Alois. In the battle, the large traveler's trunk he is carrying opens, revealing Ciel's lifeless body. When Alois gets excited, seemingly recognizing Ciel, and wants to touch him, Sebastian says that he cannot allow such a low person as Alois and his copy-cat butler Claude to catch them. Sebastian resurrects Ciel and follows his orders obediently as before, however, he does not mention the Trancy incident or tell Ciel anything that has happened (it seems Ciel has forgotten a lot of things that had transpired in the first TV series). The air around the relationship between Ciel, Sebastian, Alois, and Claude is an enigma that seems to be one of the pinnacles of the second series.

It is later revealed that when Sebastian had wanted to consume Ciel's soul, Claude came (in the form of a spider) and stole Ciel's soul prior to having Sebastian consume him - thus voiding their contract. Claude then merely tells Sebastian that he was acting upon the orders of Alois Trancy who wanted to obtain Ciel. As Ciel has forgotten the revelations at the end of season one, his soul is incomplete. Sebastian and Claude then forge a contract with their blood upon a rose (which turns black) that Claude will only come after Ciel when Ciel's revenge is complete and Sebastian agrees that Alois Trancy will be the target of Ciel's revenge. But the progress of this contract has gone haywire. Claude (in episode eight) kills Jim Macken (aka Alois Trancy) because Jim has expressed love for him - this makes Claude disinterested in consuming Alois' soul. He hypnotizes Ciel and puts the Trancy ring upon him (which contains Jim's soul) and makes him believe that Sebastian had killed his parents (as Alois and Ciel share similarities with their memories being mixed). Sebastian becomes helpless when Ciel, using his contract's seal, tells him to disappear from his sight as he now recognizes Claude as his only butler and that Sebastian was responsible for the deaths of his parents and the burning of the Phantomhive household.

Sebastian complies only to go away to a distance and mutters that though he was late in preparing dinner, it will be served - implying that he will defeat his enemies. His form becomes glowering black and eyes glow red, for there are no longer any 'contractual handcuffs' to obey and claims that he will, "Clean up every last spider."

He later defeats Claude, Hannah, and Alois, and obtains Ciel, though due to Alois's wish (for neither demon to be able to obtain Ciel's soul), Ciel turns into a demon. Since Ciel had ordered Sebastian to be his butler until the day he took his soul, at the end of the second season, Sebastian would have to remain as Ciel's butler for eternity.

Ciel Phantomhive
Earl Ciel Phantomhive born on December 14, 1875 is the business-savvy, egotistical 12-year-old (13-year-old as of chapter 14) and the head of the English Phantomhive noble family after the deaths of his parents, Lord Vincent Phantomhive and Lady Rachel Phantomhive. He runs the Funtomhive Company, which manufactures toys and sweets, with the later addition of a food branch after winning a Royal Warrant. His right eye, which is usually covered with a black eye patch, bears a pentacle, the sign of the Faustian contract he made with the demon Sebastian. Sebastian says that the mark on Ciel is proof of their contract. He also says that demons mark their prey so that they can locate them.

After his parents' deaths and prior to meeting Sebastian, he was a slave and a sacrifice in a cult ritual. During one particular instance where Ciel was being tortured, his hatred for his torturers summoned Sebastian. He then commanded the demon to kill all the people in the room. During his time as a slave, a mark was burned into his back; in the anime adaption, it is found on his left side, near his chest. In the manga the mark is found on the left side of his back. He does not want anyone to see this mark and appears to not enjoy physical contact (possibly aphephobic), though he tolerates Sebastian and does not complain when the demon picks him up or holds him. If stressed, he will slap someone touching him away, proclaiming "Don't touch me so easily!" He also once pointed a gun at Sebastian that he had hidden underneath his pillow, for he was having a nightmare of being tortured (supposedly provoked from reading Edgar Allan Poe before bed). This is a negative influence of the trauma he underwent during his time as a slave.

He is usually portrayed as emotionless, cold, boring, not fun, rude, and un-childlike, though he occasionally expresses concern for the well-being of the few close to him; Sebastian is not one of those people. He sometimes portrays himself as a happy person (mostly when undercover), but soon returns to his true self. Whether he worries for Sebastian's well-being or not is unknown, but ultimately he sees Sebastian as a pawn. Although, that said, there was one time that proved Sebastian was the most important person to him. There have been times when he wishes for Sebastian to fail at a task or request for humor's sake. He is close to his cousin and fiancée Elizabeth, seeing her as an annoying cute friend, the marriage was arranged. Before the loss of his parents, Ciel seemed to be a happy childlike child.


Ciel seems to be highly reliant on Sebastian and does not appear to interact with other staff members as often, though they are all devoted to him. While he appears somewhat callous in the anime, such as not hesitating to throw a dart at Finnian and causing the gardener to bleed, in the manga, Finnian notes that he is loyal to Ciel because Ciel does not hurt him. Ciel is proficient with the use of guns, keeping a number of concealed guns nearby in order to protect himself. He has asthma, which was inherited from his mother. He is also allergic to cats, and does not freely allow any of his staff members to keep them; however in chapter 44 of the manga it is revealed that Sebastian had been hiding a large group of cats from him in his (Sebastian's) wardrobe.

At the end of the anime adaptation, with his revenge completed, Ciel's soul is supposedly devoured by Sebastian. Ciel insists that Sebastian make the process as painful as possible so as to "carve the pain of his life into his soul". He is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro on the first drama CD, Maaya Sakamoto in the anime adaption and second drama CD, and Brina Palencia in the English dub.

In the second TV series, Ciel is resurrected by the end of the first episode by Sebastian using his family ring (which somehow was concealed in a "New Moon Drop" tea box in Alois Trancy's manor). In a later episode, it was shown that Claude, Alois Trancy's butler, had stolen Ciel's soul. Ciel's resurrection is enigmatic - though he remembers Elizabeth and a few other people like Tanaka, Finnian, Mey-Rin, Baldroy, and the Undertaker - he does not seem to remember other people or certain instances. This is highlighted in the third episode when Grell makes an appearance, and Ciel asks Sebastian who Grell is. Ciel also orders Sebastian to make sure his aunt doesn't know about his mission, unaware that she is dead (Sebastian does not tell him this). However, when he sees Grell's overcoat a vague image of Madame Red comes into his mind, although he dismisses it quickly. It seems the events that transpired in the first season have been forgotten by him. Also, for some unknown reason, in the first episode, Alois Trancy recognizes him when he sees his lifeless body in Sebastian's suitcase and wants to capture him and Sebastian. By the end of the third episode, Ciel becomes aware of the noble house of Trancy, though it seems that Sebastian has not informed him of the events in the first episode. In episode 10, however, Ciel recovers his memories of the first season and orders Sebastian to remain his butler until he could eat his soul. However, Alois' wish, that Ciel's soul could not be taken by either Sebastian or Claude, interfered with their plans. To complete Alois's wish, Hannah turned Ciel into a demon, and as such, Sebastian was unable to obtain Ciel's soul by the end of the series and therefore was forced to remain as Ciel's butler for eternity.

Supporting

Phantomhive household

The Phantomhive Estate belongs to the English noble family Phantomhive and is located outside the city of London. The Phantomhive family is a secret executive agency controlled directly by the Queen and is often referred to as the "Evil Noblemen" and the "Queen's Watchdogs". They are tasked with eliminating anything that worries the Queen by any means necessary. They are able to control and manage the underworld of the United Kingdom to avoid any information of its existence from reaching the general public. The current head of the family is Ciel Phantomhive, son of Earl Vincent and Lady Rachel Phantomhive who were murdered and their original estate burned (the estate in which Ciel currently resides in with his servants is an exact replica of the original estate) . In addition to the services they provide for the Queen, the Phantomhive family runs a toy and confectionery company called Funtom Company.

The estate currently has five servants, but their positions as servants are a front for their real jobs of protecting the Phantomhive Estate as well as protecting Ciel, who they are deeply devoted to. Baldroy serves as the household cook. Finnian is the gardener and Mey-Rin is the maid. The three were personally chosen and trained by Sebastian for their duties. Tanaka has served under Earl Vincent and Lady Rachel, but has not been seen doing any work during his service under Ciel. Sebastian Michaelis, a demon, acts as the butler. Lady Rachel and Earl Phantomhive each have one sister; both have married and become parts of other noble families before the start of the series. Madame Red, born as Angelina Durless, married into the Barnett family. She commits the murders investigated in the Jack the Ripper case and is killed by her accomplice after she is exposed. Marchioness Frances married Marquis Middleford and their daughter, Elizabeth, is engaged to Ciel.

Bardroy

usually referred to as Bard or Baldo, is the household cook of American descent. He rarely produces anything edible as he uses weaponry such as flamethrowers to cook, believing that cooking is an art requiring explosions. Sebastian believes anything he creates is made up of charcoal and carcinogens. Bard pursues cooking to learn how to slow down, as he states cooking takes patience to master. He used to be an English soldier whose entire platoon was wiped out, leaving him as the only survivor. While terrible at cooking, he is shown to be capable of taking advantage of his surroundings, such as using fine flour to create an explosion. At the conclusion of the first season of the anime, it was unknown whether he survived, although it was noted he was breathing before he collapsed. In the second season, he is revealed to have survived. Like Finnian and Mey-Rin, he provides much of the comic relief. He is voiced by Hiroki Touchi in the anime adaption and Rikiya Koyama on the drama CD, and Ian Sinclair in the English dub.

Finnian

Finnian, often called Finny, is a gardener. However, it seems every time he tends to the garden, it is destroyed through an accident caused by his clumsiness. He is portrayed as an innocent, Shota-like character who loves his work, but is dubbed an idiot by Sebastian. Finnian displays feats of superhuman strength, such as dragging and throwing Pluto around, which he tries to suppress for fear of hurting others and risk of sabotaging his work. The sequence, S-012, is tattooed on the nape of his neck and is usually covered by his straw hat. He works as a gardener to spend as much time as possible outside because he was not able to do so before. Furthermore, he explains that he loves working for Ciel because he does not give him injections, put him up against his friends in a death match, or lock him in a cage. He was experimented on to increase physical strength before the events of the story until he was rescued by Sebastian; Sebastian had offered Finnian a good salary for his services, but Finnian had only wanted to go outside. In the anime, he develops an infatuation for Angela because of her kindness and beauty until he sees her true dominatrix personality. At the conclusion of the first season of the anime, it was unknown whether he survived, although it was noted he was breathing before he collapsed. In the second season, he is revealed to have survived. Like Bardroy and Mey-Rin, he provides much of the comic relief. He is voiced by Yūki Kaji in the anime adaption and Motoki Takagi on the drama CD, and Jason Liebrecht in the English dub.

Mey-Rin

Mey-Rin is a clumsy maid whose glasses do nothing to improve her clumsiness. However, she refuses to purchase a new pair as they are the first thing Ciel bought for her. Sebastian believes her main problem is her intelligence and not her poor eyesight. She has a crush on Sebastian as she blushes whenever she is in his presence and is even clumsier when Sebastian is watching. In the anime, she fantasizes about being close to him. She is rather superstitious but admits to having a soft spot for scary stories. Mey-Rin used to be a sniper who did not use a scope, due to her sharp far-sighted vision. The glasses she wears help limit her vision so she doesn't get distracted from her work. She is also physically fit as she can use a sniper rifle like a hand gun and keeps hundreds loaded at once to decrease reload time. At the conclusion of the first season of the anime, it was unknown whether she survived, although it was noted she was breathing before she collapsed. In the second season, she is revealed to have survived. Like Baldroy and Finnian she provides much of the comic relief. She is voiced by Emiri Katou in the anime adaption and Fumiko Orikasa on the drama CD, and Monica Rial in the English dub.

Tanaka

Tanaka is the house steward who has served under the former Phantomhive Head. He was present when Ciel's parents were killed and was stabbed in the back trying to protect Ciel. As a result, he rarely talks or does any work. Sebastian seems to respect him the most out of all the staff. He is usually seen drinking from a Japanese tea cup. Despite his appearance, Tanaka is capable of killing intruders effortlessly. Prior to Sebastian's appointment as Ciel's butler, Tanaka served as the head butler of the Phantomhive household, for both Ciel's father and Ciel. In the manga, when Sebastian is apparently murdered, Ciel appoints Tanaka as the head butler again, a position he fulfills nearly as well as Sebastian. In the anime, he is commonly in a super deformed form. When he is not, he is as capable a servant as Sebastian. As the series progresses, he is seen less often in a super deformed form. He is voiced by Shunji Fujimura in the anime adaption and Mugihito on the drama CD and R. Bruce Elliot in the English dub.

Snake

As a snake handler, Snake was the latest First Tier member to the Noah's Arc Circus. He is always seen with at least one snake draped around his shoulders and has distinct snake skin patterns covering various patches all over his body. His sentences always ends with "said Oscar" (or a name of one of his many snakes) indicating he is uncomfortable when communicating to others unless through his pets. Snake was taken in as a 'brother' after the First Tiered members freed him from a traveling freak show. He had vowed to avenge his dead siblings after Ciel and Sebastian had disposed of them all, leaving him alone again. Snake tracked down the Phantomhive Mansion using the clothes Smile left behind and a little unexpected help from Prince Soma. After the murder cases within the mansion were solved, Snake was revealed as the 13th guest caught by Sebastian while hiding on the mansion grounds in an attempt to take Ciel's life. Instead of killing him, Ciel welcomed him as an addition to his servants, making him the footman of the Phantomhive Mansion.

Pluto

Appearing in the anime adaption, Pluto, also known as the Demon Hound, is a large dog that terrorizes the town of Houndsworth until Sebastian tames him and brings him to the Phantomhive Estate. He can breathe fire, walk through barriers and shape-shift into a human. As a human, he still retains dog-like behaviour. Although Sebastian hates dogs, Pluto has taken a liking to him and only listens to Sebastian's orders. He has ties to the organization that killed Ciel's parents, as he is seen resting by the feet of a member licking his hand and has been with Angela prior to living at the Phantomhive Estate. When Ash uses him to set fire to the Estate and burn London, Ciel orders his staff to kill Pluto. He is voiced by Takafumi Yamaguchi in the anime adaption and Z. Charles Bolton in the English dub of the anime.

Madame Red

Madame Red, born Angelina Durless , was Ciel's aunt. As her title suggests, she was known for her red appearance and clothing. Initially she hated her red hair, which she inherited from her father, until Ciel's father, Vincent, said he liked it. Angelina fell in love with him, but became distraught when she found out her sister was marrying him. Madame Red later married Baron Barnett, who treated her lovingly and gently, stating that he does not mind that she harbors feelings for another. She obtained a medical license against the wishes of her parents and practiced at the Royal London Hospital. After a carriage accident in which her husband was killed, her womb and unborn child had to be removed. This causes her great strife as a doctor because she regularly performs abortions on prostitutes because they believe having a child was troublesome. Unable to bear her misery at ending so many pregnancies when she herself wants one so badly, she begins to kill her patients with Grell Sutcliffe and the two become known as Jack the Ripper. However, she cannot kill Ciel because she sees him as her own son. This causes Grell to turn on her and kill her. She is voiced by Romi Paku in the anime adaption, Masako Katsuki on the drama CD and Lydia Mackay in the English Dub.

Elizabeth Middleford

Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Middleford is the daughter of Marchioness Frances Middleford and is both fiancee and cousin of Ciel Phantomhive. Elizabeth is often called "Lizzie" for short, and has green eyes, blond hair, and is usually seen in a red dress, or a pink coat. She also tends to wear no healed shoes to not appear taller than Ciel when they are together. Lizzie adores cute things, dancing, and most importantly Ciel, whom she has known all her life, and wishes to see smile again. She tries to only look cute in front of Ciel because of a comment he made about Elizabeth's Mother being "a strong wife" and that it scares him. While it looks as though she can not hold her own in combat, in chapter 57 of the manga it was revealed that she can defend herself and fence similar to her mother when she was about to be killed by zombies, much to Ciel and Sebastian surprise. In Chapter 58 it's said by an on looker that Elizabeth's older Brother is rumored to be a "Genius with a Sword", but as it turns out, Elizabeth is the true genius.

Lau
Lau is a Chinese noble, President of the British Branch of a Chinese trading company, and friend to the Phantomhive family. He is actually the head of the Shanghai Mafia and runs an opium den. He is always smiling and his eyes are always closed except for brief moments in episodes fifteen and twenty. Lau often agrees to things before learning what is happening and jumps into conversations with helpful information only to later state he has no idea. He is also unaware his antics appear strange to others. However, he can be very coldblooded and cryptic, willing to go further than Ciel would, such as having Lord West and his wife killed because he knew they'd try to cheat again. He is often seen with his personal assassin Ran-Mao , a Chinese, doll-like girl referred to as his sister, although not by blood.

Although she very rarely speaks and is portrayed as emotionless, she is very loyal to him, later revealed to be his personal assassin. In the anime adaption, Lau and Ran-Mao are defeated by Ciel and Sebastian after they use the Earl's company to store and sell Lady Blanc opium in the guise of candy. Lau and Ran-Mao then throw themselves into the River Thames. They have shown to have survived this in Season 2, and oddly back on good terms with the Phantomhive family. Lau is voiced by Koji Yusa in the anime adaption and Jerry Jewell in the English dub. Ran-Mao is voiced by Sayuri Yahagi in Japanese and Trina Nishimura in English.

Prince Soma

Prince Soma Asman Kadar is a seventeen-year-old Indian prince. Unlike Ciel, he is spoiled and uses his parent's fortune for his personal needs and blames all of his problems on others. He bestowed his affections on Meena , a beautiful maidservant who had served at his palace in India since his birth. He saw her as an older sister. However, she came to hate him due to his arrogance and ran away to England with Lord Harold West, a trader in Indian goods, to become a rich wife, rather than an ordinary cook bound to her social class. During the course of his time in England, Soma begins to see things in a different perspective, realizing that he is blaming problems he caused on others. After learning Meena hated him for his ignorance, Prince Soma decided to stay with Ciel and learn how to act as a gentleman and even proclaims to be Ciel's best friend. He does not know that Meena and Lord West were both killed by Ranmao on Lau's orders after they lost the curry contest. Shortly after, Ciel has him and Agni manage his property in London, in order to keep them out of his way. In the Anime, he and Agni are seen on the streets handing out curry bread to the poor.He is voiced by Shinnosuke Tachibana in the anime adaption and Christopher Ayres in the English dub.

Agni

Agni is the servant of Prince Soma, whom he sees and worships as a god. Agni was once a nobleman named Arshad (in Indonesia: Arsyad) who used his powers and wealth for his own desires to the point that he was to be hanged for his crimes. Before he was to die, Prince Soma offered him a new life, shedding his former self. He is able to fight on a par with Sebastian while using a fencing foil, a feat which briefly makes Ciel wonder if he is a demon until Sebastian confirms he is a human. The source of his martial prowess comes from his devotion to Prince Soma. Unlike Sebastian, he is able to see the good in the Phantomhive manor staff and assign them tasks where their skills will be of use. He is known as the "Right Hand of God" for his god-like skill at making curry. He betrays Prince Soma and becomes the chef for a curry contest for Lord West to keep him from revealing to Soma that Meena ran away and hated the prince. Later, Agni reconciles with the prince. He is staying in the Phantomhive manor to learn to become a better servant from Sebastian, and even calls Sebastian his friend, something that surprises Sebastian as no one has ever called him that before. Sebastian also takes Agni's advice on taking care of Ciel, much to the younger boy's annoyance. He is voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto in the anime adaption and Patrick Seitz in the English dub.

Grim Reapers

Grim Reapers are in charge of deciding whether a dying soul should be allowed to continue living or to die with scythes that resemble gardening tools (some of which shouldn't even exist in that timeline such as a lawn mower and a chainsaw). They must remain neutral and must not kill for enjoyment. In the manga, there are three Grim Reapers introduced so far: Grell Sutcliff, William T. Spears and Ronald Knox . Grell forges a partnership with Madame Red after witnessing her murder a former patient and helps her murder prostitutes. The two become known as Jack the Ripper. When they are exposed as the killers, William T. Spears comes to the human world to punish Grell for infringing upon three regulations applying to grim reapers. He killed people not on the to die list, he was in possession of an illegally modified death scythe, and he was about to give information that was not to be given. Spears belongs to the Dispatch Management Division. Grell's scythe is confiscated and Grell does not reappear in the manga until chapter 55. In the anime adaption, Undertaker is a legendary Grim Reaper in the Management level. He is highly respected by Spears. Although he is retired, Undertaker can access the Grim Reaper Library and alter the books. In the last episode of the anime adaption, the Grim Reapers cut away tainted souls unfit to be kept in the Grim Reaper Library. So far all Grim Reapers introduced have been shown to wear eyeglasses at some point in their life; it is said that when they take them off, they are officially retired.

Grell Sutcliffe

Grell Sutcliffe , Grell, in the anime adaptation, is a flamboyant Grim Reaper who works as Madame Red's butler. He is initially portrayed as worthless and is often seen in the anime adaption trying to commit suicide after mishandling tasks. He tried to commit suicide so often that the Phantomhive staff eventually just gave up on trying to stop him. As a Grim Reaper, he is characterized with red hair and shark-like teeth. Originally, Grell wears a black suit similar to Sebastian, but after killing Madame Red, he throws his own coat away to wear his former employer's red coat hanging off his elbows instead. Grell is transgender and identifies himself as female. He often verbalizes his infatuation with Sebastian, much to the latter's disgust. He meets Madame Red while the latter is murdering a former patient. Grell and Madame forge a partnership and continue the murders.

They are known as "Jack the Ripper." Grell's Grim Reaper scythe is illegally modified to look and function like a chainsaw. When cutting someone with his Scythe, their past memories are played out like a video reel; this is referred to as the "Cinematic Record." Sebastian almost kills Grell with the Grim Reaper's own scythe, but he is stopped by William T. Spears. William beats Grell and takes him back to headquarters. In the manga, Grell has reappeared in chapter 55.

He makes a reappearance in the anime adaption, where his role is lengthened through missions William assigns him to investigate. His scythe is confiscated and Grell has to rely on small scissors able to cut through anything. At the anime's conclusion, William returns his chainsaw scythe so that he can help the other Grim Reapers destroy the tainted souls caused by Angela / Ash. is voiced by Jun Fukuyama in the anime adaption and the second drama CD and Daniel Fredrick in the English dub. His last name is similar to that of Peter Sutcliffe, nicknamed the Yorkshire Ripper for murdering thirteen women.

William T. Spears

William T. Spears is a high-ranking death god and belongs to the Dispatch Management Division. He is portrayed as emotionless. William comes to the human world to take Grell back for punishment. He has a strong, open hatred for demons, to the point of becoming disgusted with himself after apologizing to Sebastian for Grell's behavior. His scythe is a double-sided clipper that is able to extend to unknown lengths. In the anime adaption, it appears to be the standard scythe and he uses it often to adjust his glasses. William also complains often that he has too much work to do without having to babysit Grell. He is not as proficient at blending in with humans as Grell or Sebastian, often openly talking about Grim Reapers and demons, but the people that hear this think of him as a jokester. In the Circus Arc of the manga, he appears as one of performers under the stage name of 'Suit'. He is voiced by Noriaki Sugiyama in anime adaption and Barry Yandell in English dub.

Undertaker


Undertaker is, as his name suggests, a funeral director and he always carefully examines his newest bodies to take care of and is disappointed when the body is in perfect condition. So when Grell appears in his shop thought to be dead when she was only sleeping, gave us a glimpse at a brief moment of when he's not smiling. Grell then buries him in a large vase filled with salt, the undertaker comments that having all the moisture sucked out of his body was a great feeling. He often works with corpses resulting from movements in the underworld of the United Kingdom and acts as Ciel's informant. He seems to have known Ciel's father, Vincent, as he appears as one of the "Evil Nobles". He is a rather eccentric man, almost always wearing a smile, and wishes to hear a funny joke for his services instead of receiving any of the "Queen's money". He shows a strong disdain for the Queen. In the anime adaptation, he is a legendary and retired Grim Reaper ranked in the Management level and is highly respected by William T. Spears. Although he is retired, he can still access the Grim Reaper Library and has the ability to alter the books using an item known as the death bookmark which is only in the possession of the highest ranking officials in the management level. He often does not return the books he borrows from the grim reaper library. In chapter 35, a manga panel showed that he is somehow linked to a person with a name, Claudia P. His scythe is akin to that of the stereotypical Grim Reaper scythe. In chapter 59 of manga, during the Ship arc, he is shown to use Japanese Grave markers (Sotoba) as weapons He is voiced by Junichi Suwabe in the anime adaption and John Swasey in the English dub.

Ronald Knox

Ronald Knox is one of the youngest reapers and is portrayed as easy-going and social. He uses a scythe in the shape of a lawn-mower. He is respectful towards his "senpai", or seniors, even "troublesome" ones like Grell. It appears he also hates demons, but not quite as much as his higher-up, William, does. He is voiced by KENN in the anime adaption.