Ciel Phantomhive
Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (JP), Brina Palencia (EN) Foreign VAs
Live actors: Shougo Sakamoto [2009]; Yukito Nishii [2010]; Taketo Tanaka [2013]; Nayuta Fukuzaki [2014-2015]; Reo Uchikawa [2016-2018]; Eito Konishi [2021-Current] (Musical)
"I am indeed arrogant, but not so much that I would irresponsibly boast that I can save anyone."
The current Earl of Phantomhive, the sole survivor after the mysterious and untimely murders of his parents and the burning of his mansion. With the aid of his loyal butler, Sebastian, who appeared in his service only two years ago, he has not only maintained but strengthened his family's wealth and title, while also serving as "the Queen's Guard Dog", charged with investigating and dealing with problems relating to the criminal underworld.
open/close all folders
A-D
- Adaptation Dye-Job: His hair is light blue only in the anime. In the manga, his hair is grey.
- Adaptational Jerkass: In the manga, Ciel is not exactly a good person, but under normal circumstances, he's aloof and dismissive at worst. In the first anime, Ciel is more overtly demeaning of others and a bit abusive. For example, in the first episode of the first season, Ciel arrogantly claims he doesn't have to explain his actions when he throws a dart and injures Finny. He threw a dart at Sebastian too, but his butler seems like he's used to it. In contrast, the manga makes clear Ciel is strict, but wouldn't abuse his servants for amusement, nor would manga Sebastian allow it, as it would be behavior not fitting the aesthetic of an earl.
- Adaptational Wimp: In the first two anime seasons Ciel's accomplishments are almost entirely due to Sebastian - Ciel never learns to take care of himself on a most basic level with Sebastian, and his greatest accomplishment at the climax of Season 1 is yelling for Sebastian to come save him. In the manga, he starts out on this level but improves his acting, analysis skills, ability to think on his feet, stops relying on money and power all the time, and learns to dress himself properly by the time the public school arc comes around.
- Adorably Precocious Child: He's usually very solemn and composed for a boy between 12 and 13 years old. He's also very committed to his jobs (running the Phantomhive family business, and fighting supernatural evil). Slightly different from the norm in that most people take him quite seriously, at least the ones who know him well.
- Agent Peacock: Is quite the dandy, dressing up as fancily as you'd expect from an earl, yet repeatedly proves to be quite the badass when required.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: In the non-canon second season's ending, Ciel becomes a demon.
- Angsty Surviving Twin: His twin brother, the real Ciel, died in the ritual that summoned Sebastian. Plus, he himself seems to view himself as an "extra" and his past as the asthmatic, weaker twin seems to have had an effect on his confidence and self-worth as a human being.
- Animal Motifs: Dogs. He is known as the Queen's Watchdog due to being the one she sends out for major cases, and has been called a chihuahua in the anime. Similarly to one, he fulfills the role of being small yet vastly underestimated and dangerous.
- Animals Hate Him: The pet dog of his family, Sebastian, always barked at him and poked him with the snout for some reason, even though the dog never did that with anyone else in the house.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: In chapter 86 he says people dying because of a curse is "ridiculous", despite his previous encounters with supernatural beings like demons, grim reapers, or the undead. To his credit, he was right: people weren't dying because of a curse but because of a inhalation of a poisonous gas made by the villagers.
- Arranged Marriage: He's engaged to his cousin Elizabeth, but he makes it clear it is a forced arrangement and not something he decided for himself. However, he does openly care about her as family and she for him.
- At Least I Admit It: In chapter 95, he realizes how self-serving his motives and actions are and embraces it by claiming his self-righteousness and selfishness as a critical element of his humanity.
- Attractive Bent-Gender: "Lady Robin" is a very convincing girl.
- Badass Adorable: Leaving his personality aside, Ciel is a very pretty-looking young boy who looks cute and harmless, to the point no one would suspect he's the Queen's Watchdog and master of a demon at first glance.
- Badass Boast: Ciel is very proud of being Earl Phantomhive, and would very much like you to know that.
- Badass Cape: He sometimes puts on a cape when doing his job as the Queen's Guard Dog.
- Bad Guys Play Pool: In one of the earlier chapters, he is shown to be playing billiard with a couple of nobles, all of whom are known to engage in villainous activities, or, at the very least, are very morally ambiguous.
- Bare-Handed Blade Block: Against Alois.
- Bathe Her and Bring Her to Me: Played straight in the anime. Played for drama in the manga, as being fed, bathed, and dressed up nicely only lulled him into a false sense of safety that was cruelly shattered when he and his brother were raped.
- Beautiful Dreamer: Everyone seems to like watching him sleep, so it can be taken in a non-romantic way as well.
- Because Destiny Says So: In the manga, Ciel's goal is to torture and kill the people who killed his parents, though once this goal is complete, it is almost certain and an inescapable fate that Sebastian will eat his soul. In the anime, this is averted, as Ciel becomes a demon and Sebastian is unable to take his soul...until the Retcon starting with 'Black Butler: Book of Circus'.
- Been There, Shaped History: He was the one who inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to continue writing mystery novels...by telling him he orchestrated two murders, framed an innocent man who was not so innocent, and that his butler is really a demon.
- Being Tortured Makes You Evil: He used to be a nice, sweet boy before being kidnapped and tortured. Now, he's a cold, selfish and ruthless adolescent who won't hesitate to kill other people if they're in the way.
- Blue Means Smart One: His visible eye is blue, his hair is grey-tinged blue, and he often wears blue clothing. At Weston College, he's a student of the Blue House where the most academically gifted students reside. He's also one of the smartest characters, usually playing The Chessmaster.
- Boyish Shorts: He's a 12-13-year-old boy and most of his outfits have him wearing a pair of knee-length shorts.
- Break the Cutie: His parents' murders, his kidnapping and subsequent enslavement/torture at the hands of a cult traumatized him. He was only 10 years old at the time, and, now in his teens, is still dealing with this trauma.
- Broken Ace: He's a very cute young male, the head of the Phantomhive noble family, and runs Funtom Toy Company. He is shown to be extremely competent and intelligent, both at running his company and at learning new tasks. He learns to dance in a short period of time, just through Sebastian's teaching. He also comes across as being a mostly emotionless, cold, intelligent child due to a horribly traumatic past. He also seems to have no qualms with lying to, stealing from, or killing others, so long as it benefits him in some way.
- Broken Bird: Before the loss of his parents and his life as a slave, Ciel was an innocent child who could smile sweetly. Now, he says he has long forgotten how to smile.
- Butt-Monkey: He has his moments of slapstick, especially in the first few episodes of the Noah's Arc Circus season.
- Byronic Hero: A very young example, but he still fits this trope to a T. He's a charismatic, brooding, cynical, self-destructive, and isolated individual tormented by a dark past and driven by his desire for revenge.
- Cannot Tell a Joke: It takes him all night to make Undertaker even utter a simple "...hah."
- The Chessmaster: Proved it during the murder mystery arc where he planned out and orchestrated the entire event. Lacing the blame on someone else in order to complete the mission given to him from the queen, all while not only keeping suspicion off of himself, but also making himself seem like a victim. Then very end where he only tells a young Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of his scheme because he wanted to motivate him to continue to write mystery novels.
- Claimed by the Supernatural: When he made a contract with Sebastian, he was marked with a magic seal on his right pupil as proof that his soul will eventually be eaten by Sebastian.
- Classy Cane: He's almost always seen walking with a cane outside of the mansion. Combined with his gorgeous clothes, it sure makes him look classy despite being a young boy.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: In his backstory, he spent a whole month held captive by an evil cult that subjected him and his twin brother to unspeakably horrifying torture in preparation for making a sacrificial lamb for a ritual.
- The Collector: Possibly; Try and count the number of tea sets he has, especially in the anime.
- Comfort Food: Drinking hot milk with honey is one of the few things that help him calm down during PTSD episodes.
- The Comically Serious: Compared to Sebastian's jokes and the bumbling foolishness of his servants, Ciel's serious, deadpan reactions quickly edge into hilarious, especially if it involves Sebastian and cats.
- Consummate Liar: Ciel can fool anyone with very convincing lies and some impresive acting.
- Corrupt the Cutie: Pretty much what the cult did to him. It becomes apparent throughout the series that Sebastian may be slowly making it worse (see rule number 43).
- Creepy Child: He's a cynical, jaded, and very driven 13-year-old who is The Chessmaster. He has no qualms about getting involved in dangerous missions and will command his badass demon butler Sebastian to kill someone without a second thought. Then again, he's this way as a result of losing his family and being put through a living hell.
- Curtains Match the Window: In the anime, both his hair and eyes are a shade of light blue.
- Dark and Troubled Past: His parents were killed, his house was burned down, he was kidnapped, sold, and used as a sacrifice for a devil-worshipping cult. Unintentionally summoning a demon, he met Sebastian and sold his soul to him in exchange for revenge.
- Darkness Von Gothick Name: His surname Phantomhive sure sounds gothic, fittingly for the master of a demon.
- Deadpan Snarker: The first anime season gave him a snarky streak. In the manga and the anime seasons faithful to it, he's portrayed mainly as The Comically Serious.
- Dead Person Impersonation: The real Ciel Phantomhive is long dead. The Ciel we know is actually his twin brother who assumed the real Ciel's identity after his death.
- Deal with the Devil: Made a deal with Sebastian to be his Battle Butler in exchange for his soul.
- Death Seeker: In the anime, he seems genuinely eager to die so long as he gets his revenge first.
- Declaration of Protection: He promises Lizzy he will protect her when they're trapped in a sinking ship filled with zombies.
- Deconstructed Character Archetype: Of Weaker Twin Saves the Day. Though he's achieved so, so much ever since becoming the Earl, and done some pretty impressive things both with and without Sebastian's help, he's hiding self-confidence issues due to constantly pretending to be the real Ciel.
- Defiant Captive: When he's kidnapped and held at gunpoint by some Italian gangsters, he's completely unfazed and talks down to his kidnapper while waiting Sebastian to arrive. After all, he has little to fear when a demon is his bodyguard.
- Defiled Forever: His flashbacks show that he felt this way after being raped by the cult.
- Delicate and Sickly: He has asthma like his mother did. When he was little, he frequently got sick and couldn't go outside much.
- Despair Event Horizon: Ciel crossed it in the past when his twin brother was murdered right in front of him. Crossing it was what allowed him to summon Sebastian and make a contract with him. It's probably also part of the reason he has given up on a happy life and is focused on revenge instead.
- Disguised in Drag:
- He's forced to disguise as a girl in a fancy, pink ballgown in order to investigate the Viscount Druitt.
- He does it again when he disguises himself as Sullivan.
- Distressed Dude: For all of his vocal badassery Ciel is actually not that skilled in combat. He constantly has to be saved by Sebastian as their deal dictates. However, it is not only Sebastian. As it turns out he is this for his fiancée Elizabeth too.
- The Dog Bites Back: He spent an entire month held captive by a perverse cult, where he was horribly abused and humiliated as their toy. Once Ciel crossed the Despair Event Horizon at the Human Sacrifice ritual where his brother was killed and Sebastian appeared, Ciel had everyone in the cult killed.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: He looks so girly that Joker had to ask if he was a boy to make sure, and Sullivan grabbed his crotch when she questioned his manhood after he didn't make advances on her.
E-O
- Effeminate Voice: He's a boy with a face so girly that he looks gorgeous in a dress. Fittingly, he's voiced by a woman doing a somewhat boyish voice.
- Empty Eyes: Downplayed, but Ciel's eyes are much brighter during flashbacks to his childhood prior to his tenth birthday. In the present, his eyes only exude that same brightness when he's faking sweetness.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Ciel deeply cares for his family members, mainly his cousin/fiancée Elizabeth and his (deceased) parents and aunt. At one point in the anime, he stops Sebastian from hunting down Grell because he "doesn't want Lizzie to witness anymore bloodshed." In a Flash Back of chapter 131, it was revealed that he used to have an inseparably strong bond with his twin brother.
- Even Evil Has Standards: As ruthless and manipulative as he is, there are indeed some things even he is disgusted by and would never stoop to doing.
- Even the Guys Want Him: Aleister has shown attraction to Ciel even when the latter isn't crossdressing.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": After he's revealed to not be the real Ciel, his allies either call him "Earl" or "Young Master". This becomes the best way to refer to him in order to set him apart from his twin brother.
- Evil Stole My Faith: During his captivity in the cult which culminated in his twin brother's death, Ciel stopped believing in God. This was what caught Sebastian's interest in him.
- Exotic Eye Designs: His right eye has a pentagram symbol for a pupil due to his demonic contract with Sebastian.
- Expecting Someone Taller: Those who don't know of Ciel's young age beforehand are surprised by it considering his position as an Earl. Arthur was in fact picturing the Earl Phantomhive as a scary middle-aged man until he saw the real thing is a young boy.
- Eyepatch of Power: He's the Queen's Watchdof and always wears an eyepatch to hide the mark on his eye that came with his contract with Sebastian.
- Family Eye Resemblance: He mostly looks very similar to his father, but he has his mother's eyes.
- Feigning Healthiness: He has had asthma from an early age, but hides it from others, especially Elizabeth. In general, he had been doing a good job of keeping it a secret from everyone until he relapsed in the Circus Arc. He deflects when Sebastian asks why he never told him about it, simply saying that he never asked. The real reason is that making his illness known would make people suspicious of his true identity, given that his brother never showed symptoms.
- Fish out of Water: The circus arc shows that Ciel doesn't take well to unfamiliar territories, i.e., having to do manual labor. He gets better as time goes on, being much more self-sufficient in the Public School arc.
- Flat-Earth Atheist: Driven away from all promises of heaven by his experiences in life, despite (or maybe
due to) the fact he has a covenant with an honest, actual demon who has freely told him that there is a heaven. - A Glass of Chianti: Occasionally. Given that this is Victorian-era England no one bats an eye at a 13-year old doing this.
- Grade-School C.E.O.: Besides being an Earl, he's the head of a massive toy and candy company at only 12-13 years old.
- Hates Being Touched: He appears to not enjoy physical contact with others, though he tolerates Sebastian and does not complain when the demon holds him, dresses him, bathes him, or picks him up. If he is stressed, he will slap someone touching him away, proclaiming, "Don't touch me so easily!" This is due to the trauma he underwent during his time in captivity.
- Heroic BSoD:
- In PTSD fashion, Sebastian's actions when trying to save Ciel from the werewolf curse in the Green Witch arc (later revealed to be toxic gas effects) trigger painful memories of his time imprisoned. This causes him to revert back to the frightened, helpless state he was in when he was 10 and held captive by the cult. In this state, he lashes out against Sebastian, and does not let any of the other adults near him. Coupled with him now being blind, he clings only to the young Finnian for safety and comfort. Sebastian has to nearly eat him to snap him out of this helpless state.
- Ciel suffers this again after his unexpected reunion with his twin brother, the true Ciel Phantomhive, his true identify expose to Scotland Yard and his family, and Elizabeth's betrayal. As the result, he gave up trying to clear his name after the true Ciel framed him for being the mastermind of the Blue Cult. He got over it after he and the servants (minus Tanaka) take shelter in Lau's company in chapter 147.
- That being said, what led to him getting over it was when Lau suggested that he and what remained of his loyal staff members should run away and start a new life. Ciel stands up at the dinner table and starts savagely eating and drinking like an animal before shouting that he's not running away and will take back everything his resurrected brother stole from him.
- Hidden Depths: After 129 chapters, the audience learns that his arrogance and aloof attitude conceal deep-rooted insecurities about living a lie. His determination and refusal to live for anything other than revenge also seem to be symptoms of Survivor Guilt.
- Hiding Behind Your Bangs: His bangs are more dense over his right eye, which usually has an eyepatch over it to conceal the mark from his contract with Sebastian. It also fits his aloof and unscrupulous personality.
- Hope Is Scary: Soma believes Ciel is deliberately refusing others' affection because he's afraid of obtaining happiness. It's revealed at one point that if Ciel ever tries to give up revenge to pursue a happy life, he would essentially be forfeiting his contract and as a result Sebastian will devour his soul. It's understandable Ciel doesn't view a happy future as an option for him anymore.
- How Dare You Die on Me!: His breakdown over Sebastian's "death" in the murder mystery arc can be considered this, although later on this is Exploited, as they were acting.
- I'll Kill You!: He yelled this to the evil cult members when they killed his twin brother. Ciel's cry of rage and despair was what caused Sebastian to appear.
- Improbable Age: Ciel is the leader of a popular toys and candy company, is working for the queen as a black ops/assassin, owns a mansion, and is rich from the money he inherited when his parents died. He is also only 13 years old, and this whole situation likely started around three years ago. He's also highly skilled at pool to the point that he can beat a bunch of adults, despite being so short he actually has to sit on the pool table to make a shot.
- Inferiority Superiority Complex: He may treat everyone around him as inferior, but it has been suggested he's hiding some serious self-loathing and insecurities behind that exterior.
- Informed Ability: The first few volumes have characters like Sebastian and Madame Red waxing poetic about Ciel's chessmaster skills before he does anything even remotely close to the type of planning that quallifies one as a chessmaster.
- Inhuman Eye Concealers: Ciel has an eyepatch to hide the pentagram engraved on his Magical Eye.
- Innocent Prodigy: Sebastian outright says in the murder mystery arc that Ciel is still a child despite being the head of the Phantomhive manor.
- In-Series Nickname: "The Queen's watchdog/guard dog," one of the "evil noblemen."
- I Owe You My Life: In a very literal sense towards Sebastian. Sebastian saved Ciel from the cult that kept him prisoner, but to do that Ciel had to enter a contract which will make Sebastian take his soul one day.
- Ironic Allergy: He doesn't like cats, because he's allergic. This leads to hilarity when Sebastian is involved due to his love of cats.
- Ironic Name: "Ciel" can translate to "Heaven". Ironic since after he's through with his revenge, his soul will be eaten by Sebastian, leaving him unable of ever reaching Heaven.
- It Amused Me: The reason Ciel invited Arthur to the banquet and told him what really happened-including Sebastian being a demon was because he liked his writing and wanted him to continue.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He acts like a coldhearted and ruthless person because of his dark past and job as the Queen's Watchdog, but at times it seems he actually does care for those around him, especially Elizabeth, in his own way. He's also a quite benign employer to the servants he took in when they didn't have anywhere to go.
- Kid with the Leash: He's in control of a demon who just happens to be working as a butler in his mansion. Sebastian pretty much does whatever Ciel tells him to do. He won't do anything without Ciel ordering him to.
- Kissing Cousins: Downplayed. He is engaged to his cousin Elizabeth, but it's an Arranged Marriage and he doesn't show feelings for her that seem anything but normal familial affection, unlike Elizabeth who is very happy to be his future wife.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: In season 2 of the anime he doesn't remember recent events prior to the season 1 finale thanks to his soul being taken, including the death of Abberline and Madam Red or who Grell, Soma and Agni are. Sebastian convinces the others to play along and not remind him.
- Last-Name Basis: After his true identity was revealed, he is only refer by his last name and never his first name.
- Laughing Mad: After all the crap he pulled during the circus arc, he ventures off to the workhouse they were told about only to find out that it's in ruin. Ciel finds this darkly amusing.
- Little Miss Snarker: Again, mostly in the anime, as the manga portrays him more as The Comically Serious.
- Little Professor Dialog: Part of how he presents himself is by speaking with far more maturity than his appearance would imply. Even when there's no one else around he never turns this off.
- Living a Double Life: The public is mostly unaware of his role as the Queen's watchdog, and mostly regards him as the owner of a toys/sweets company.
- Lust Object: To Baron Kelvin, and more recently to Sieglinde.
- Magical Eye: As proof of his contract. It's covered by an eyepatch for public reasons to avoid connections to the occult.
- Manipulative Bastard:
- With a few well chosen words towards Snake, Ciel turned a former enemy into another one of his devoted servants.
- Later he does the same thing to Sieglinde Sullivan, although instead of making another servant, he's created a potential new weapon for Queen Victoria. However, not wanting Sieglinde's ultimate secret weapon of devastating power to fall into the Queen's hands, he has Sieglinde give her some valuable information, but makes her promise to keep her ultimate weapon secret to the grave. This is the first time that Ciel withholds valuable information from Queen Victoria.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: He is a British nobleman with great taste in clothing. He also deals with criminals on behalf of the queen.
- Mark of the Beast: His right eye is purple and has Sebastian's seal on it, as proof of their contract.
- Mark of the Supernatural: His Eyepatch of Power hides his cursed, mismatched eye that holds the symbol of his contract with Sebastian. It's purple, and glows with an eerie neon when he gives Sebastian an order.
- Master Actor: He's capable of portraying himself as an engaging, happy, easygoing individual, typically when undercover, but is quick to revert to being callous when he no longer has to hide his true self. He also pulled a very convincing act when Sebastian was "murdered" and Ciel pretended to be mourning his "death".
- Mercy Kill: He justifies his order to Sebastian of burning all the kidnapped kids at the end of the Noah's Ark Circus arc as this, since the kids already had a lifeless expression on their faces, due to the crazy Doctor tampering with (and possibly lobotomizing) their brains, and wouldn't get over the trauma they went through. Hence, in Ciel's mind, they are better off dead. He most likely felt this way about Freckles/Doll too.
- Mr. Fanservice: Well, crossed between this and Mr. Fan Disservice since he's thirteen to fourteen years old. Nonetheless, the story makes a repeated point of how gorgeous other characters find him, sometimes has him crossdressing, and frequently depicts him nude, albeit with nothing too compromising on display.
- Mundane MacGuffin Person: Anime-only, and only in season 2. Ciel is first sought after because Claude made Sebastian The Scapegoat to fulfill his contract with Alois quicker, but what really kicks the plot off is Claude finding out just how delicious Ciel's blood is. Subverted at the last minute when it turns out Claude had mistaken Alois' blood for Ciel's.
- My Sibling Will Live Through Me: When his brother was killed, Ciel came to only think of himself as his twin's replacement in case he died. This is why he took his brother's name and identity.
- Nervous Wreck: As the result of a bad Heroic BSoD after being affected by a curse or rather, toxic gas inhalation. It takes some time and Sebastian nearly eating him for him to go back to normal.
- Never Be Hurt Again: This is pretty much the reason why he made a contract with Sebastian. Ciel wanted the power so that no one would ever make him suffer again and he could have his revenge on those who ruined his life.
- No Full Name Given: We know his last name is Phantomhive, but we still don't know his real first name from before he took his twin brother's name.
- Non-Action Protagonist: While he himself is not a fighter, and if anything is the weakest character physically, he is noted as a capable Chessmaster who is far more than capable of manipulating others into his plans. He proved it during the murder mystery arc where he planned out and orchestrated the entire event; lacing the blame on someone else in order to complete the mission given to him by the queen, all while not only keeping suspicion off of himself but also making himself seem like a victim. Then very end where he only tells a young Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of his scheme because he wanted to motivate him to continue to write mystery novels.
- Non-Idle Rich: In chapter 52, Ciel even mentions that sitting around and leisurely discussing "nonsense" with other aristocrats is not for him.
- No Place for Me There: Implied. After leaving Weston in the manga, Ciel's stated reason for breaking off his ties with the other students is that they were no longer useful, but a few of his lines imply this trope as well.
- Not So Stoic: He usually wears a cold and aloof mask, but when he breaks down, he breaks down.
- Of Corset Hurts: A Rare Male Example. Ciel had to go to a ball Disguised in Drag and Sebastian put a corset on him. Ciel was yelling he felt as his organs were going to leak out. This scene is the page image of the Funny section.
- Only Sane Man: Is constantly getting exasperated with the quirks of his household a servants, including Sebastian, at times.
P-Y
- Pay Evil unto Evil: His job as the Queen's Watchdog is eliminating any criminals that disturb the order in London. This involves him doing pretty evil things himself to capture and/or kill said criminals.
- Perpetual Frowner: More so in the anime than in the manga. Especially in the second season, where you can count on one hand the number of times he smiles, even if it's just a smirk.
- Perspective Flip: In the Back Story of chapter 131, it turns out that most of Ciel's flashbacks seen in past arcs are actually from the perspective of his twin brother, the real Ciel since he was always following him around without him noticing. Due to the illness he inherited from his mother, he wasn't allowed to go outside and was unable to spend time with his family most of the time.
- Though an acute eye will notice a handful of flashback scenes do seem to be from his perspective; such as the final eight panels of the flashback in chapter 99.5, and the brief memory of being nursed by Lady Red in chapter 28. Every flashback to Ciel's pre-kidnapping past from another character's POV are always about the real Ciel.
- Pet the Dog: He has his moments of kindness, but it's usually to get something he wants out of someone. However, there's no doubt that he cares for Elizabeth. She's the one person he will put himself at risk in order to protect.
- Power at a Price: He sells his soul in return for help from Sebastian in succeeding in all of his goals, including killing his parents' murderer[s]. After that last goal is finished, Sebastian will be able to take Ciel's soul.
- The Power of Acting: Ciel is an amazing actor. It's almost scary how he can do it so well. Most of the cases he takes on require undercover work, but this is not a problem for the earl. He has slipped into many roles with ease, such as a dazzling damsel or a low class pageboy. Even when he is not undercover, he displays a façade of a lighthearted sociable gentlemen in public but his true feelings are usually dark and troubled.
- Pragmatic Hero: Ciel is willing to do all sorts of morally grey or even black things — murder, blackmail, emotional manipulation, sacrificing innocent lives, etc. — for the greater good of serving Great Britain's interests. That said, at times it seems to weigh on his conscience, and for the most part he does genuinely want to help people.
- Pride: Ciel seems very proud of his status. That said, see Hidden Depths above.
- Pursue the Dream Job: He had childhood dream of running a toy store, and now runs a gigantic company that originally focused on selling toys. Interesting example, in that the toy company takes a backseat to his work as the Queen's Guard dog.
- Rage Breaking Point: After doing all his duties as Earl Phantomhive and the Queen's Watch Dog only to have it taken away by his resurrected twin brother, Ciel snaps and starts scoffing down his food and drink before declaring he is going to take everything back from him.
- Rags to Riches: An interesting aversion in that he went from riches to (being tortured in) rags, then back again.
- Rape and Revenge: The devil-worshipping cult gang raped him to make him a sacrifice worthy of the devil. When Sebastian was summoned and made a contract with him, Ciel made sure those bastards had the horrible deaths they deserved.
- Rape as Backstory: He was gang raped by the cult that kept him prisoner.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Anime-only. When he gets turned into a demon, his eyes can glow an eerie fuschia.
- Reflectionless Useless Eyes: His eyes go dull when blinded in the Emerald Witch Arc.
- Revenge: After Ciel's parents were killed, his house was burned down, and he was kidnapped and tortured, he decided that he would seek out the person/people responsible and deliver to them the same pain and humiliation that he went through.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl:
- The Savvy Guy to Elizabeth's Energetic Girl. Ciel is very brooding and no-nonsense, in contrast to Elizabeth's bubbly and cheerful disposition.
- In the Circus arc, he has to be roommates with the energetic tomboy Doll.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: The reason that he can usually get away with killing anyone he wants without any consequences.
- Security Blanket: There is a specific pillow that he cannot sleep without. Exploited, as it is later revealed that it was just an excuse to hide the blood on Sebastian's chest.
- Sheltered Aristocrat: He was very sheltered throughout his childhood before he met Sebastian, mainly due to his poor health. He didn't even know where his house was and needed to look for his aunt to know how to go back. He has grown out of it thanks to Sebastian's education.
- Shorter Means Smarter: He's one of the shortest characters and also happens to be one of the smartest.
- Shrinking Violet: In the flashback of chapter 131, Ciel used to be very shy around guests and had a habit of hiding from them. The only people he felt comfortable talking to were his relatives, Tanaka, and his twin brother.
- Slave Brand: Ciel was branded on his back when he was kidnapped and kept as a slave. He is deeply ashamed of the mark and goes to great lengths to hide it.
- Slouch of Villainy: He slouches when he's about to do something particularly nasty, and unless he is standing up, almost always gives orders to Sebastian exclusively in this pose. Also, he does it in almost all the official art.
- Smart People Play Chess: He's good at playing chess and it's used to directly compare his position of using living people as his pieces in order to achieve his goals.
- The Snark Knight: Most of his dialogue has some form of sarcasm and cynical disdain for everything around him.
- So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Zigzagged. Ciel never complains or comments on his appearance. That said, he frequently uses his good looks to manipulate others and definitely reaps some rewards simply for being cute, but his good looks have earned quite a bit of unwanted attention. The three most notable examples are in the fifth chapter/second episode when his captor plans to sell him to a brothel (introducing this trope), the entire Circus Arc, and his history with the cult.
- Soul Jar: In the anime, and it's been hinted in the manga that he might be this to his father.
- Sour Outside, Sad Inside: His arrogant and abrasive attitude is largely the result of a horrible past and trauma. In the rare moments he lets his guard down, it's shown he's still hiding a very insecure, scared and sad young boy behind that mask.
- The Stoic: Though he can get very angry, his default personality seems to be pretty stoic.
- Strong Family Resemblance: He resembles his father and inherits his mother's eyes. If he were to grow up, he'd end up looking exactly like his father (according to the "Ciel In Wonderland" OVA).
- Strong Girl, Smart Guy: The Smart Guy to Lizzy's Strong Girl.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Ciel is extremely aloof, distant and arrogant in public, never allowing any vulnerability to show in front of anyone. He does have a soft spot for his cousin/fiancee Elizabeth and he's shown to care for his servants in his own way.
- Survivor Guilt: His twin brother was made into a Human Sacrifice to summon a demon. Ever since, Ciel has been convinced he should have died instead and has tried to be the person the real Ciel would have been out of guilt.
- Sweet Tooth: He usually orders Sebastian to give him something sweet to eat.
- Sympathetic Murderer: As if you didn't want to give him a big ol' hug when he ordered Sebastian to kill Baron Kelvin and set a bunch of kids on fire, Doll's death on the other hand....
- Tareme Eyes: Oddly for his arrogant and cynical character, Ciel has big, droopy eyes like those of his mother. It's eventually revealed this is meant to contrast his twin brother's Tsurime Eyes; Ciel was the shy and weaker twin of the two.
- Teen Genius: He's only 13 years old and is intelligent enough to handle the responsibilities of an adult, such as being an Earl, managing a toy company and hunting down criminals.
- Tempting Fate: He seems to think that because of his contract, Sebastian won't do anything to him until it's full-filled so he has no problem being a brat towards him. However the Green Witch arc makes it frighteningly clear that Sebastian can indeed eat Ciel's soul any time he chooses if he merely suspects that Ciel is in violation of their agreement in some way. Basically Ciel is at Sebastian's mercy and seems to forget that fact, or least tries not to think about it.
- Took a Level in Kindness: He has become significantly nicer towards people, at times even swallowing his pride to make Lizzy happy or showing concern for Snake and even Sebastian.
- Trauma Button: Anything that reminds him of his time with the devil-worshipping cult tends to elicit very severe reactions from him. Perhaps the most notable example occurs near the end of the Circus Arc. After witnessing a reenactment of his brother's ritual sacrifice performed on a comatose young girl, he has flashbacks of his time back then, screams in horror and anguish, and vomits profusely as he's reliving those memories and struggling to come back to reality. It's implied that the entire ordeal is so much for him that he disregards the Queen's orders to rescue the captive children and, instead, orders Sebastian to burn the entire manor down with them and their dead captors inside to erase it all.
- Trauma Conga Line: His house gets attacked and burned down by a mysterious culprit in his 10th birthday, his loving parents are murdered and he gets kidnapped to be sold into slavery. The people who buy him happen to be part of a perverse devil-worshipping cult which proceeds to having him horrendously gang raped after giving him a false sense of safety. And if all that wasn't bad enough, his twin brother is sacrificed as part of a summoning ritual right in front of his eyes. With all that in mind, it's surprising Ciel hasn't completely broken down yet. It makes his cynical outlook all the more justified.
- Troubled, but Cute: Both people who know his real character and people who don't have all commented how adorable he is.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Considering his past it should come as no surprise.
- Unable to Cry: He could cry when he was younger, but now he apparently can't. The closest he has come to since then was when his eyes got watery in chapter 34.
- Subverted in Chapter 89, when he fully seen crying. Granted, it's due to being subjected to a toxic gas, but still.
- Subverted again in Chapter 91, when Ciel is seen actually crying for real when Finnian tells him that he'll protect him, and Ciel says he's not worth protecting.
- The Un-Favourite: Subverted. In the past, Ciel was believed to be one since his father chose his twin brother to be the next successor to the Phantomhive Company instead of him. In reality, however, it was only due to the asthma he inherited from his mother and lack of social skills making him unfit to be heir.
- Upper-Class Equestrian: He rides horses when going to hunt at his state.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Once upon a time, he was a sweet and innocent little child who dreamed of opening a toy store. Losing his family and his horrific time as a slave of an evil cult turned him into an extremely cynical and ruthless boy who hunts down criminals and lives solely to get revenge.
- Villain Protagonist: Ciel is cold, ruthless, bitter, and out for revenge. He treats all the people around him as pawns in his never-ending chess game. Usually his enemies are even worse, though his treatment of the members of the Noah's Ark Circus is particularly cruel.
- Weak Boss, Strong Underlings: He holds the highest rank in the Phantomhive Household, but he's also a bit of a pansy, and likely the most physically incapable in the entire series. Meanwhile, his servants are a demon, an escaped human experiment with Super-Strength, a sniper, and a veteran soldier.
- Weirdness Magnet: It started when a demon became his butler and after he became the Queen's Watchdog, unusual people and Grim Reapers keep popping up.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: In the manga, it's become apparent that Ciel is either afraid of his Dark and Troubled Past, knives/sharp objects (since he always seems to react particularly stronger emotionally if they are involved), or both.
- Withholding Their Name: His real name is not Ciel; that was his twin brother's name. He has been impersonating his twin ever since the latter died and he has kept his true name a secret.
- Would Hit a Girl: He almost struck Lizzy after she destroyed his ring during a tantrum had Sebastian not stopped him.
- You Killed My Father: He wants to find and get revenge on the one who murdered his parents.
- Your Days Are Numbered: Ciel's apparently innate ability to sense shinigami (an ability that even Sebastian doesn't have) are an indication that he's got one foot in the grave. Either that, or it's an indication that his days were officially numbered — until Sebastian stepped in at the last microsecond.
