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Protagonists
Both
- Badass and Child Duo: Ciel is a non-combatant child who mostly relies on Sebastian to battle the enemies for him.
- Brains and Brawn: Downplayed. Sebastian is highly intelligent himself, but his main job is protecting Ciel and does all the fighting during their missions. Meanwhile, Ciel focuses on being The Chessmaster.
- Lady and Knight: A rare
male/male version of the trope. Ciel is the Dark Lord who commands the demon Sebastian to protect him while he's hunting down criminals and waiting to find the culprits who killed his family and ruined his life. - Red Oni, Blue Oni: Ciel is the Blue Oni and Sebastian is the Red Oni. Ciel is more calm and calculating, as opposed to Sebastian who is more expressive and brutal in combat. To drive this point home, Sebastian has red eyes while Ciel's visible eye is blue.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Calling them "buds" is a stretch, but Ciel and Sebastian are accomplices with full trust in each other's skills. They actually look like they kind of have fun when they argue and pick at each other.
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-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.
See his folder here for tropes regarding him.
Sebastian Michaelis
Sebastian Michaelis
Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (JP), J. Michael Tatum (EN) Foreign VAs
Live actors: Yūya Matsushita [2009-2014]; Yūta Furukawa [2015-2018]; Toshiki Tateishi [2021-Current] (Musical); Mizushima Hiro (Film)
"Even though I dislike being kicked by others, I do enjoy the feeling of kicking others."
The eponymous character. Ciel's mysterious but charismatic and highly skilled butler; he appeared out of nowhere with Ciel two years ago and is rarely far from his master's side. In reality, he is actually a demon who has made a Faustian pledge to Ciel; in exchange for utter obedience to Ciel, and assisting him in finding and killing the murderers of Ciel's parents, Sebastian will be allowed to kill Ciel and take his soul once his service is ended or Ciel dies.
- Above the Influence: He can seduce others easily, but it seems impossible for others to seduce him.
- The Ace: He's capable of doing almost everything, from cooking, cleaning, decorating, and, of course, fighting.
- Agent Peacock: He has a flamboyant demeanor, and is by far the most badass character in the series.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: He begged Sieglinde to save Ciel, and his desperation was sincere. Yeah, the situation was just that serious.
- Always Save The Boy: He cares about protecting Ciel more than anything else.
- Ambiguously Evil: He's a demon that eats souls, but most of the time, it looks like he follows more of a Blue-and-Orange Morality rather than being unambiguously evil. He acts polite and well-educated around people who aren't a threat to his master, but shows no mercy to those who are his and his master's enemies. In general, all he truly cares about is eating his master's soul at the end of their contract and he won't actively seek to harm humans as long as they don't get in the way of his goal.
- Animal Motifs:
- A raven is associated with his demonic nature in the anime. In the manga, he has a strong motif with dogs, despite his anime counterpart's distaste for them. He is referred to by Ciel as his dog, as well as being named after the boy's former pet dog Sebastian. One chapter cover depicts him as being chained and muzzled, giving the impression of collared guard dog.
- Vincent's dog Sebastian has strong similarities to the butler. He is once depicted as being seating next to Vincent, and with its black fur and striking gaze, the image of Ciel and Sebastian will come to mind. There is also a resemblance in personality, poking and barking at a young Ciel, but is still loyal and protective to the very end.
- Anime Hair: Less pronounced than usual examples, but still, a butler shouldn't have a hairdo like that, especially in the Victorian era.
- Back Stab: On the receiving end of a truly epic and brutal one courtesy of Undertaker.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Wears a very nice butler outfit, which he usually manages to keep prim, even after an intense battle.
- Badass Longcoat: A cool coat befitting a butler of his status. It can also jam chainsaws.
- Badass Teacher: He made Ciel into the Earl Phantomhive he is today and taught him pretty much every skill a noble is expected to know and then some. It's also hinted he taught both Finnian and Mey-Rin how to read.
- Battle Butler: He's a demon butler who is good at everything, especially fighting.
- Berserk Button: He will not tolerate any chance of Ciel straying from his revenge and going against their contract. He makes this frighteningly clear in the Emerald Witch arc when he comes very close to killing Ciel and devouring his soul when it looks like Ciel won't snap out of his PTSD episode.
- Bizarre Alien Senses: He can apparently sense souls, in addition to having heightened senses of hearing, sight, and smell. He can also detect poison through taste, although this may be from feeling its effects rather than having a heightened sense of taste.
- Born Winner: It doesn't appear that he's actually done anything other than being a demon to become so awesome.
- Cannot Tell a Lie: His contract with Ciel literally forbids him from ever telling Ciel lie.
- Character Catchphrase:
- In the dub, "I am one Hell of a butler." In some manga translations, it's "I am a devil of a butler."
- Also, some variation of, "If I didn't/wasn't (insert task here), then what kind of butler would I be?"
- "A butler who couldn't (insert highly improbable situation here) isn't worth his salt."
- "Yes, my lord" would probably count too.
- "I do not tell lies."
- The Charmer: Has occasionally used his good-looks and sex appeal to get information from the ladies. Chapter 112 returned to this trope with beautiful prostitutes, although it's left ambiguous whether or not they had sex this time.
- Chef of Iron: He's not only one of the best fighters in the series, but also one of the best chefs.
- Cheshire Cat Grin: Occasionally, his malicious smiles rind of the Cheshire Cat.
- The Coats Are Off: He removes his tailcoat in his fight with Grell, and that's when things really go down.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Sometimes performed on his/Ciel's enemies.
- Cute Little Fangs: As a human, his fangs show up every once in a while, especially when he is enjoying himself.
- Cuteness Proximity: When he is near his beloved cats, he even ignores Ciel. He even reacts like this to a tiger!
- Dark Is Evil: He's a demon taking the form of a butler dressed in black. He's also extremely ruthless and genuinely malevolent.
- Death Glare: Gives a scathing one to the servants after they laugh at him for wearing a bonnet that Lizzie gave him.
- Demihuman: In his human-like form, he still has Cute Little Fangs (at least in the manga), and his eyes are red or at least some rare shade of auburn. These features aren't always apparent though. His eyes glow bright red and he bares his fangs when he is about to attack or in some state of arousal.
- Deuteragonist: Sebastian is the second most important and focal character after Ciel. While Ciel is the one driving the plot with his goals and motives, Sebastian's actions to protect and serve Ciel are what keep the story going.
- Dissonant Serenity:
- In the Cruise Arc, Sebastian smiles similarly to that of a child who just got his candy after massacring a metric shit ton of zombies, all while his master watches on in utter horror.
- In Bard's flashback, Sebastian nonchalantly sets up a picnic in a cave full of dead soldiers, blaffing Bard who was the Sole Survivor.
- Dragon with an Agenda: He only serves Ciel due to a contract the two made and plans to devour his soul as soon as they are done.
- Dream Walker: This and Dream Weaver. One of the side stories revolves around Sebastian entering and manipulating one of Arthur Conan Doyle's daydreams when he dozes off from writing and happens to think of Ciel after the events of the murder arc. In the main story Sebastian possibly does this again with Bard after he's mortally stabbed, turning a peaceful Dying Dream into a nightmare in order to stop the cook from dying.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: His pure white skin coupled with pitch black hair hint at his demonic nature. Not to mention how terrifying he can be when the situation calls for it.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- He seems somewhat uncharacteristically dismayed and disgusted by Baron Kelvin's amusements at having children being killed and eaten alive for entertainment. He also seems somewhat disturbed about Ciel burning down Kelvin's mansion and killing the children inside, although that may be O.O.C. Is Serious Business of his master going against the queen's orders to bring back the children alive.
- When he and his master formed the conditions of their contract, Sebastian denied he would form a contract with someone else while his current contract is active as it goes against his "demon aesthetics".
- Evil Brit: If he can be considered British, he sure counts given that he's a malevolent demon.
- Evil Mentor: To Ciel, combined with Trickster Mentor at times to get around the "must obey" contract clause. Though he usually plays this role when it's convenient to him or if the lesson will lead Ciel towards despair.
- Evil Wears Black: As the titular Black Butler, he always dresses completely in black and is a malevolent demon.
- Excuse Me While I Multitask: Since Ciel ordered him not to draw attention by using magic all the time, Sebastian just does impossible deeds at insane speeds instead.
- Faking the Dead: The murder mystery arc revolves around solving Sebastian's "murder". Only for it to be revealed at the end of the arc that Sebastian was playing dead the whole time and everything was an elaborated act composed by him and Ciel.
- Fangs Are Evil: They come and go, but generally Sebastian's fangs show up when he's about to be nasty.
- Fate Worse than Death: He looked pretty darn unhappy with the fact that he'd have to serve Ciel for the rest of eternity in the anime's "second season".
- Faux Affably Evil: He plays the role of a perfect gentleman butler, even when he's mercilessly murdering people.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: His current form is the one he took when he became Ciel's servant. His original form is unknown, but it's implied he might not have a definite true form at all and he can take any appearance he wants.
- Formal Characters Use Keigo: Sebastian is a demon currently working as the butler of an earl. Therefore, he always speaks very formally.
- Game Face: He shows his true form very occasionally to his and Ciel's enemies, though the actual readers have still never seen the whole thing up to this point.
- Genius Bruiser: Sebastian is both an extremely capable combatant, who's easily able to take down entire groups of people, and a very cultured and intelligent demon.
- Gentleman Snarker: He always behaves like a well-educated and sophisticated butler, even when mocking others and his master isn't spared of his snarky remarks.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: When Ciel suffers a major Heroic BSoD after being affected by a curse or rather, toxic gas inhalation, Sebastian suggests to shock him again to force him to go back to normal, but Tanaka tells him not to. Eventually Sebastian's patience runs out and he tries to eat Ciel, which finally snaps him out of it. Ciel asks Sebastian if he seriously was trying to eat him, but Sebastian says he was only 90% serious.
- Glamour Failure: It's subtle but in Book of the Atlantic and chapter sixty-four, after Sebastian is almost fatally injured by Undertaker, his eyes revert to being blood red with Hellish Pupils, instead of the burnt orange colour (which is the closest he can get to replicating a natural human eye colour according to Yana) with round pupils typical of his human disguise.
- Gratuitous English: In the original Japanese manga/anime, he always says "Yes, my lord" in English when answering to his master.
- Healing Factor: He can recover instantly from any wound made by a human weapon, though it take him a bit longer to recover from wounds inflicted by death scythes.
- Hellish Pupils: His pupils occasionally turn slitted when he reveals his true nature as a demon.
- Hired Help as Family: Played With. Sebastian is a demon working as Ciel's butler because of a Deal with the Devil. Instead of master and servant, they often act like Vitriolic Best Buds. Sebastian has also served as Ciel's most trusted caretaker and protector since the tragic death of his parents. Ciel's aunt once said Sebastian is like family to Ciel, but Sebastian denied it because in the end, his goal is devouring his master's soul.
- Historical Rap Sheet: Played for Laughs in the anime, where before being tortured, Sebastian says in a light-hearted manner, "I admit it, I started the Black Plague." Considering his age and what he is, he probably wasn't kidding.
- Hot as Hell: He's a demon disguising as a handsome human butler.
- Hot Teacher: When undercover at Weston College, Sebastian poses as the teacher in charge of the Blue dorm and he looks too damn good in the teacher outfit.
- Hypocrite: Calls people "shameless," but has no problems with saying sexist words and do shameless deeds among countless other things.
- I Kiss Your Hand: He does this to Ciel in a flashback.
- Immune to Bullets: Not so much "immune" as "heals too quickly for them to really work". He doesn't particularly like being shot, even if it doesn't do much more than hurt.
- In-Series Nickname: "Sebas-chan" by Grell ("Bassy" in the dub, "Little Sebas" in the English manga). William never uses his name and usually simply calls him "demon" or something along the lines of "vile creature."
- Intrigued by Humanity: Sebastian regards humans in general to be "difficult creatures," but he is fascinated with their struggles and lofty goals. He is intrigued by how seemingly insatiable they are, for they are willing to "drag others down to get what they want, even in death."
- Ironic Name: Loves cats and dislikes dogs (in the anime, at least). Named after Ciel's dog.
- Additionally, the name Sebastian means "venerable". Strip him of his charming mask, and this particular Sebastian is not.
- "Michaelis" can bring to mind the name Michael which is not only the name of the Archangel (specifically the one known as the captain of angels and portrayed as slaying Satan himself) but can translate to "There is none like God / There is no one as powerful or famous as God."
- The Jeeves: Well-dressed, can do any chore perfectly, polite, devoted to his master, yet can give him snarky comments just to get on his nerves. One Hell of a butler, indeed.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: Probably the only truly benign trait in his personality is his genuine adoration of cats. He can't resist petting a cat whenever he sees one and hides several stray cats inside his closet to shelter them from the rain. This also extends to other felines as seen when he pets a tiger in the circus and stops Beast from hitting the tiger with a whip even though the tiger was biting his head.
- Kiss of Death: In the Green Witch's arc, he inhales poisonous gas and kisses Sieglinde's evil mother to kill her with it.
- Lack of Empathy: Towards humans, given his nature its hardly surprising. Although he does seem to have quite a bit of empathy for cats. He once even took in a whole lot of cats into his room out of the rain at the risk of ruining his and Ciel's plans.
- Manipulative Bastard: His goal towards anyone who isn't Ciel is to manipulate them into helping Ciel, and his goal towards Ciel is to drive him to despair.
- Meaningful Name: Toboso derived Michaelis from the Japanese word 見返り (mikaeri), meaning 'repayment', referencing his contract with Ciel.
- Mr. Fanservice: He's a charming, evil butler in a great suit. He is also a Bishōnen. He is also shown by both the anime and manga to be very capable in bed. Hell, in his demon form, he even gains heels.
- Mysterious Past: Sebastian is the most mysterious character of them all. Little is known about him other than he is a demon, not even his true name or form (though certain aspects of the later is shown, such as the fact that he wears high heels as a demon). The anime gives a few tidbits, if you consider them to be canon: He met a Egyptian pharaoh, he spread a famous, major, and real life plague more then a 100 years prior to the events of the series, and he probably is of the Fallen Angel variety of demon because a crapload of feathers swirl around him like a twister in his true form.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Named after the French inquisitor Sébastien Michaëlis
. - Narcissist: To quote Toboso herself (translation by akumadeenglish):
Demons probably don’t understand the feeling of “being flattered” since they’re hyper-narcissistic.
- Nominal Hero: Sebastian is an evil demon who only cares about devouring Ciel's soul. To achieve that, he has to act as Ciel's loyal servant until their contract is fulfilled. Killing horrible villains and protecting Ciel just happens to be part of the job. It also appears to amuse him to see the most twisted sides of human nature.
- Nonchalant Dodge: He can dodge almost any attacks effortlessly.
- Non-Human Sidekick: He's Ciel's demonic sidekick.
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: Being a demon, he has no reaction to skimpily dressed women, such as Ran-Mao.
- Not So Invincible After All: Amazingly, the manga has added a few situations that Sebastian has failed to solve instantly or prevent. He's lost to the Undertaker twice (though both times he also had reasons not to go all-out). He also doesn't seem immune to curses of supernatural beingsnote - later revealed to be a chemical weapon - either. True, he's still Nigh-Invulnerable, but to see one of manga's most famous Showy Invincible Heroes taken down to merely Nigh-Invulnerable is quite surprising. Although, he reaffirms his credentials somewhat by showing he can breathe in the mustard gas without any harm to himself, and exhale it afterwards as if he were breathing air. Granted his first experience gave him the same symptoms as Ciel, but it never threatened his life and he learned how to counteract it pretty quickly.
- Not So Stoic: On the two occasions when he thinks Ciel is about to die and he really can't do much to help.
- Ciel appearing to be in actual mortal danger can send him into a panic. He's just that devoted to the aesthetics of keeping up his half of the contract and protecting Ciel until his revenge is complete.
- He's actually pretty expressive when he's not in "polite butler mode" and drops the forced smile.
- Ciel's very strict aunt, Francis Midford, is perhaps one of the few people to make him break out in a cold sweat.
- Offhand Backhand: Gave us a pretty epic one to a zombie while soaking wet on a sinking ship.
- One-Man Army: In one of the early chapters, Sebastian kills an Italian mafia all by himself. In the Emerald Witch arc, he takes on a tank on his own and comes out as the winner.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: "Sebastian" is only the name Ciel gave him, which also used to be his dog's name.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Sebastian contractually owns Ciel's soul and literally kills anyone who tries to kill Ciel before he can, even other demons.
- Only Sane Employee: Played With. Among the servants of Phantomhive, Sebastian is more or less the only one that can actually get things done. However, this is only when it comes to housework. The other servants are actually very competent for the other side of the job that needs them to take out any and all assassins that come after their master's life.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Whenever he drops his classic butler guise and acts like his real demon self its never a good sign. For example; When he couldn't deal with Ciel's Heroic BSoD in the Green Witch arc anymore, he reverted to his true form and was 90% prepared to devour his soul right there on the spot had Ciel not snapped out of it.
- Our Demons Are Different: Apart from masquerading as a butler with heightened talents, he almost never reveals his true form onscreen, and only long high heel shoes and some feathers falling around him implying that he at least has bird-like wings.
- Parental Substitute: For all the... complicated circumstances of their relationship, Sebastian acts as his master's guardian for all intent and purposes even though his ultimate goal is eating his master's soul. They met not long after Ciel lost both his parents and ever since then, Sebastian has looked after all of Ciel's personal needs.
- Perpetual Smiler: While Sebastian has shown instances of frowning or even scowling, most of the time his default expression is a courteous smile.
- Pet the Dog: He's a cruel demon who will kill without a second thought, but he has a huge soft spot for cats. He even went out of his way to shelter a bunch of kittens in his closet so they would stay out of the rain.
- The Prankster: He might be an evil demon but that doesn't mean he's without a sense of humor. He seems to enjoy messing with and playing pranks on Ciel every now and then. Given what a Spoiled Brat his master is, this might be one of the ways Sebastian copes with it.
- The Proud Elite: Suave but aloof, this demon turned butler is quite intelligent and there is very little he cannot do.
- Purple Is Powerful: Downplayed, but there have been occasions where Sebastian has been associated with the color such as emitting a purple and black aura when first appearing before Ciel as well as both his and Ciel's contract brandings glowing purple during certain orders.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: He has black hair with very pale skin. Also, there's no one who doesn't recognize how incredibly handsome Sebastian is.
- Really 700 Years Old: He takes on the form of a man in his late twenties/early thirties, but he's obviously much more older because he's a demon.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Once he finally gets fed up with Soma's spoiled ways, Sebastian gives him a very harsh scolding about how it was completely natural for Mina and apparently Agni to leave him when he's such an egocentric Royal Brat who has been given everything by his rich parents and has nothing that he has ever earned himself. He also claims that no one of the people who took care of Soma ever really loved him, although he's only right about Mina in that part. This speech shakes Soma so much that he's left terrified of Sebastian from that point on.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Almost counts as a Red Right Hand, as they're the main hint that he's actually a demon in disguise.
- Sadist Teacher: While Sebastian is more of a Stern Teacher, it does appear that he enjoys it when he can hit or punish his students. Sieglinde even ran out after having enough of it.
- Sarcastic Devotee: He won't ever betray his master as long as their contract is active, but he still enjoys making fun of him and putting him through difficult situations for his amusement.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Supernatural Powers!: He can ignore almost any rule of logic in his abilities as a butler because his powers as a demon are nearly godlike.
- Secret-Keeper: Before the big reveal of the real Ciel, Sebastian was the only one who knew his master is the true Ciel's twin brother who has been impersonating the dead Ciel.
- Servile Snarker: He always finds the opportunity to poke fun at his master's inability to function without his help.
- Sex God: Because he's a demon who has taken on the form of a handsome butler, Sebastian interrogates a cult member......very convincingly.Mathilda: I can see the Gates of Heaven!
Sebastian: (unamused) Oh I highly doubt that.- His encounter with Beast averts this with the infamous scene where he continuously pressures Beast into having sex with him even after she yelled "Piss off" and threw him a punch.
- Sexy Discretion Shot: His sex scenes with Beast in the Circus arc and Matilda in the first anime season don't show anything explicit.
- Shapeshifter Default Form: Being a demon, Sebastian can literally turn into whatever he or his master wishes. He currently takes the form of a handsome butler because he considers it the most suitable appearance for the servant of an Earl.
- Shapeshifter Weapon: In chapter 138, he transforms one of his arms into a saw blade.
- Slasher Smile: Occasionally, his demonic nature shows through his twisted smiles.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: With Bard in chapter 176. Also with Claude in the second season of the anime. Their interactions usually include backhanded "compliments" and snarking about the other's butler aesthetics.
- Stealth Mentor: Sebastian will occasionally make a challenge deliberately more difficult than it needs to be, or else goad the boy in order to get Ciel to do the work himself. He'll also comment on Ciel's actions, praising what he did well and pointing out mistakes; over time we can see the kid take these lessons to heart.
- Stern Teacher: Having Sebastian as a tutor can be a nightmare. However, his grueling training regimen is always in his students' best interests. The results speak for themselves.
- Supreme Chef: He prepares all the scrumptious meals in the Phantomhive household. He learns to make a curry that can rival the one made by Agni, whose curry is said to be the most delicious in India, in less than a week.
- Surrounded by Idiots: He's the only servant of the Phantomhive household who is any competent at housework. Every time he assigns a task to the others, they make a mess and Sebastian has to clean it up.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He takes the form of an absolutely gorgeous tall, black-haired man.
- Tall, Dark, and Snarky: He's black-haired, tall, handsome, and usually talks down to others, even his master.
- Technically Naked Shapeshifter: The clothes he usually wears come from his transformation powers as a demon.
- Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth: Several times Sebastian ends up in scenarios that make him squirm in discomfort, displeasure or just squick, despite the fact he's a demon portraying an almost stereotypically unflappable butler. Two early anime examples include the fact he seems quite alarmed when Madame Red gropes him and his repeated disgust when Grell flirts with him.
- Training from Hell: As mentioned above, he does not coddle when teaching new skills. Just ask Ciel and Sieglinde.
- Tranquil Fury: Very rarely does Sebastian lose his composure even when it's clear he's pissed.
- Troll: He has his moments of trolling, especially towards Ciel.
- Undying Loyalty: He has sworn to be by his master's side and never betray him until his contract is fulfilled. Then, he will take his master's soul as payment.
- However, he could actually be considered a subversion. To quote the wiki:
There are two aesthetics of demons: one, their masters' orders are absolute and two, obey those orders while keeping their contracts. These two aesthetics are the reason for most demons' actions. There is no faith or loyalty that prompts them to act otherwise. However, demons are highly afraid of breaking their aesthetics, this being why they value their masters' lives above their own.
- Unwitting Pawn: In the final episode of Season 2, he kills Claude and escapes being bound to Alois for all of eternity only to be bound to a demonic Ciel for all of eternity.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: He's an Eldritch Abomination whose human form is merely the shape he takes.
- We Named the Monkey "Jack": His master named him Sebastian after the Phantomhive family's dog. Sebastian wasn't amused by it.
- Wicked Cultured: He's a malevolent demon well-educated in several fields and an excellent (but strict) etiquette coach.
- Winter Royal Lady: Male example. Sebastian is portrayed as one these akin to The Snow Queen in the Book of Murder side story, down to wearing a winter-themed gown and residing in an ice castle with an equally winter-themed Ciel. He's referred to as the Snow King, though.
- Would Hit a Girl: He is not above hitting and killing female characters in the series.
- Would Hurt a Child: He has no problem harming and/or killing children if necessary. He has even less of a problem eating their souls.
Servants
In General
- Apologetic Attacker: In the first season of the anime, the servants are shown to not enjoy killing intruders that much and even apologize a couple times before using a silly pick-me-up to bring back their spirits. Whole different story in the manga story where killing intruders is either a chore or a sick game to them.
- Badass Crew: The reason why the servants, except for Tanaka, are so bad at looking after the mansion is because their master actually hired them as his special forces. When it's time to take down their master's enemies, it's their time to shine.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: They all act like incompetent morons when it comes to household chores, always needing Sebastian to clean up after their stupid mistakes. When they need to protect their master and the mansion from enemies, however, they're worth more than a small army.
- Happiness in Slavery: Every Phantomhive servant is a commoner with no family or other home to turn to. “Ciel” and Sebastian are mildly benevolent bosses who uses them as a private army. Being a Phantomhive servant just happens to be better than the lives they had before meeting Sebastian.
- Morality Pet: They collectively serve as this for Ciel. When they had nowhere to go, Ciel accepted them as his employees and gave them happier lives at his manor. While he did recruit them with their combat abilities in mind, he knows Sebastian is more than enough to keep him safe, with the implication being that he genuinely wanted to give the other servants a place they could call home. All the servants are very loyal to Ciel and see him as their benefactor.
- No Full Name Given: None of the servants ever have their full names mentioned.
- Undying Loyalty: They are all absolutely loyal to their master and their main life purpose is to protect him. After the return of the undead real Ciel, Finny, Mey-Rin, Bard, and Snake are the only people who don't hesitate to take their master's side and rescue him from arrest even though he has been revealed to be an impostor. Tanaka stays behind to work for the real Ciel, but his real motives are still questionable.
Mey-Rin
Mey-Rin
Voiced by: Emiri Katou (JP), Monica Rial (EN) Foreign VAs
Live actors: Atsuko Igari [2009-2010]; Saki Matsuda [2013]; Yuka Terasaki [2014]; Shiori Sakata [2015-Current] (Musical)
"A tiny mouse can run anywhere, but they are always in my sight."
The maid of the Phantomhive household. She wears Opaque Nerd Glasses given to her by Ciel that limit her eyesight and prevent her from viewing objects correctly at close-range, which causes her to be clumsy when doing her chores. Mey-Rin is actually a professional sniper and due to her sharp binocular vision, she does not require a scope to aid her.
- Action Girl: She's a Cold Sniper who can leap from roof to roof and go Guns Akimbo with two rifles.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Her hair and eyes are red in the manga, while in the anime her hair is closer to a dark shade of magenta and her eyes are a dark gold (though the very first episode showed her having bright blue eyes).
- All Amazons Want Hercules: She's a lethal sniper with Improbable Aiming Skills and she has the hots for the unbeatable Battle Butler of her master. Said butler was also the only one to have ever dodged her bullets.
- Animal Motifs: She was given the Code Name "Owl" when she was the sniper assassin of a triad because of her exceptional farsightedness making her able to spot her target from a kilometer away.
- Badass Adorable: You'd never guess this cute and huggable maid girl is a deadly assassin.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: She gave up her intentions of assassinating the Earl and agreed to become the Phantomhive household's maid because they took her in when she was nothing but a sniper assassin with nowhere to go, treated her as a guest and gave her warm meals. To Mey-Rin, who had to steal and kill just to eat cold and moldy bread, this was the greatest act of kindness she ever received. Encapsulated with her concluding lines in her flashback scenes in Chapter 165:Mey-Rin: In the end I couldn't be a proper maid. Every day was another gaffe. But still... Here, there's someone who appreciates me for what I am."
- Bespectacled Cutie: She fits the character archetype of the bespectacled Cute Clumsy Girl. But that's only when working as the Earl's maid; if you make her take off her glasses, she reverts to the Cold Sniper she was before meeting the Earl and Sebastian.
- Beware the Silly Ones: She may be a clumsy girl with a blatantly obvious crush on Sebastian, but despite her incompetence, she's an expert assassin who is very adept in using guns. Mess with her master or anyone else she cares about and you will end up with 1 or 2 holes in you, at least.
- Blessed with Suck: Her farsightedness makes her the perfect sniper. However, it is established that this comes with a proportional drawback in that without glasses she can't see anything close up beyond a hazy blob. When she was stuck working for the triad she couldn't tell if the bread she was given was moldy or a shoe by sight alone.
- Boyish Short Hair: In contrast with her current Girlish Pigtails, Mey-Rin had short hair before the Earl Phantomhive made her his maid and she only become feminine afterwards.
- Brats with Slingshots: In her childhood, Mey-Rin used slingshots to knock off the earrings of rich women so other street kids could steal them.
- Children Forced to Kill: Mey-Rin was a Street Urchin who was forcibly recruited by a triad because of her superhuman farsightedness. From a young age, Mey-Rin was used as their tool for assassination. If she refused to follow orders, she would have been killed like the triad did to her two friends.
- Cold Sniper: When she takes off her glasses, Mey-Rin changes from cute clumsy maid to ruthless sniper who won't hesitate to shoot you dead.
- Covered with Scars: Her arms are covered with scars that are leftovers of her life as a sniper of a triad.
- Covert Pervert: She gets really heated up over potential steamy situations with Sebastian, whether he's with her or Ciel. In the first anime, also sprouts a Nose Bleed at the sight of Pluto with Angela when she believes they are lovers, and is very appreciative of the view when they encounter Pluto wandering naked around the fens. Also from her time in Houndsworth, upon seeing a man training a dog, the dub renders her as saying,"I'd let him pet me, yes I would!"
- Crippling Overspecialization: Her absurd farsightedness and upbringing as an assassin of a triad made her only good at sniping. That's why she's so bad at being a maid.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: She's a clumsy maid who often breaks things and mixes up shoe polish for wood polish on a regular day, but if anyone threatens her employers, she will blow their brains out.
- Curtains Match the Window: Although they usually aren't visible, Mey-Rin's eyes are red like her hair in the manga.
- Cute Clumsy Girl: Justified. She's absurdly farsighted and the glasses Ciel gave her aren't the right correction. As a result, she frequently trips, knocks things over, and breaks them when doing her job as a maid. She also mistakes products like shoe polish for wood polish and misreads instructions because her eyes can't read the tags.
- Dark and Troubled Past: She was a Street Urchin who lost her parents to an epidemic. Forced to fend for herself in a foreign country, a young Mey-Rin cooperated with two other street boys and used her farsightedness to steal expensive earrings from rich women. One day, during their usual schemes, Mey-Rin's friends were caught by two men from a triad who ordered Mey-Rin to make a demonstration of her aiming skills or she and the boys would be killed. The man was impressed by Mey-Rin's demonstration, but only her life was spared and she was Forced to Watch as her two friends were thrown off a building. The men decided Mey-Rin's eyes were useful to them and they made her work with them as an assassin. Ten years later, she was given the mission to kill the Earl Phantomhive, but Sebastian defeated her and instead of killing her, he offered her to work for the Earl Phantomhive.
- Death Glare: Her default expression when she takes her glasses of, and for good reason.
- Expository Pronoun: Mey-Rin used the masculine first-person pronoun ore back when she was a tomboy living on the streets. She switched to female pronouns after she became the Phantomhive household's maid.
- Fully-Clothed Nudity:
- Reacts this way in season 1 of the anime, when she and the other servants go for a swim, and is embarrassed by her swimsuit, which by modern standards is extremely modest.
- Exhibits the same reaction in Chapter 147 of the manga while wearing a thigh-length Qipao.
- Girlish Pigtails: She has her hair tied in high pigtails. It contributes to her Cute Clumsy Girl image.
- The Glasses Come Off: When she takes off her glasses, she's ready to shoot you down. And don't make the mistake of trying to distance yourself from her.
- The Gunslinger: She's a master sniper who almost never misses her target.
- Guns Akimbo: Her rifle proficiency and marksman-level eyesight and gun control allows her to dual-wield bolt-action rifles with relative ease, as evidenced in the Book of Circus Arc. Noa's Ark Circus members Peter and Wendy found out about this the hard way, the latter by way of a Boom, Headshot! One-Hit Kill.
- Harmful to Minors: The little Mey-Rin saw as her two friends from the street were thrown off a building and smashed against the concrete. Then, she was forced to start her job as a sniper assassin when she was just a kid.
- Hopeless Suitor: Mey-Rin has a huge crush on Sebastian, but he’s a demon who actively despises her for her incompetence as a maid.
- I Owe You My Life: Mey-Rin was the sniper assassin of a triad and she was assigned to kill the Earl Phantomhive. Of course, because of Sebastian protecting the Earl, Mey-Rin's assassination attempt failed. The triad were going to have Mey-Rin killed for her failure, but Sebastian saved her and convinced the Earl to take Mey-Rin in as a maid of the Phantomhive Household because her sniper skills would be very useful to protect the Earl from future threats. This way, Mey-Rin was rescued from spending the rest of her life on the run from the triad and she finally was given a place where she felt at home and could be herself.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Mey-Rin never misses her target (see character quote.) Her eyes let her spot and shoot down anyone and anything from over a kilometer away, even if it's something as small as an earring.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Also spelled Mei Lin/Mei Rin/Maylene/etc. Yen Press' official transliteration is Mey-Rin, though chapter 163 shows that her name is actually '美玲' (Mei-Ling).
- It Was a Gift: Ciel was the one who gave her her glasses, so she cherishes them and refuses to give them up even though they aren't the right correction. Later on, Ciel does finally buy her new glasses that allow her to see at close-range better.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: All of the servants are this to an extent, but unlike Bard (who's laid back but still professional when fighting) and Finny (who reacts with a certain naivety to violence), Mey-Rin is dead serious when she's needed in a fight. She provides the most jarring contrast between her personality on and off duty.
- Long-Range Fighter: As a sniper, her speciality is shooting her targets from a long distance. She's pretty much useless in close quarters because of her extreme farsightedness.
- Meido: She works as a maid at the Phantomhive household and she deeply enjoys it, as she's made clear several times.
- Ninja Maid: She really sucks at the regular housework, but she's an amazingly efficient sniper with no compunctions about killing anyone who threatens her employers.
- Nosebleed: Her appearances in the first two Anime seasons display this especially towards Sebastian. This was later averted as of the Book of Circus Arc, probably to emphasize her skills as a marksman more.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: While all of the servants can spring into action should the need arise, the contrast between Mey-Rin's ditzy maid persona and her serious weapon master one is the most jarring. Baldroy's casual demeanor is evident at all times as is Finnian's childish exuberance, but Mey-Rin almost becomes a different person when she gets into the field.
- One of the Boys: When she was a kid living in the streets, she hung out with two boys who were her partners in crime. Since Mey-Rin dressed and talked masculinely back then, she really looked like another boy in her little gang.
- Opaque Nerd Glasses: She wears a pair of large round glasses that hide her eyes. Somewhat justified as they neutralize her absurd farsightedness when not going Guns Akimbo with scopeless rifles.
- Parental Abandonment: In the manga, Mey-Rin and her parents came to England on a tea clipper. However, some time afterward, her parents died in an epidemic, and Mey-Rin was left to live in the streets of a foreign country when she was a child.
- Professional Killer: She was an assassin working for a triad against her will. She was sent to assassinate Ciel because his actions as the Queen's Watchdog were obstructing the triad's criminal business. Sebastian defeated her and persuaded her to use her skills for the Earl.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: In the manga. As soon as she reveals her red eyes under her glasses, you're dead.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Towards Jane in Chapter 165:Mey-Rin: Serving a bastard of a master who deceives and exploits women... I'd never do that, even if you offer me all the money in the world.
- Reluctant Fanservice Girl: She's extremely embarrassed when she's put in a mid-thigh length Qipao because bare legs were seen as very indecent.
- Rescue Romance: Mey-Rin has a big crush on Sebastian, the man who saved her from being killed by her triad after failing her mission to assassinate the Earl Phantomhive.
- Samus Is a Girl: During Mey-Rin's first meeting with the Earl and Sebastian, neither of them were expecting to discover the deadly sniper Owl was actually a young woman.
- Scars Are Forever: In the manga, when Mey-Rin and Ran Mao are changing their clothes to maid outfits at Baron Heathfield's manor, Mey-Rin has several scars on her right arm. She lacked them in original anime as the detail hadn't been established by that point.
- Slasher Smile: Sports a particularly impressive grin at the end of Chapter 165◊.
- The Smurfette Principle: She's the only female servant at the Phantomhive mansion.
- Stocking Filler: She wears thigh-high stockings, which are held up by a garter belt.
- Street Urchin: Mey-Rin's parents were immigrants who died from an epidemic, leaving her an orphan trying to survive in the streets of London by helping other orphans steal.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: When she's working as a maid, she's cheerful, somewhat goofy, and swoons over Sebastian. When she's sniping, she's cold, calculating, and ruthless.
- Super-Senses: Her far-sight is so damn good that her rifles don't need scopes; Mey-Rin can shoot down targets at a kilometer of distance in just one try.
- Used to Be a Tomboy: When she was a child, Mey-Rin dressed like a boy, had Boyish Short Hair and used masculine speech patterns. After the Earl Phantomhive took her in as a maid, Mey-Rin became the girly Cute Clumsy Girl we are familiar with.
- Would Hurt a Child: When Wendy and Peter try to bisect Finny, she shoots Wendy in the head. When confronted by Peter, she shoots him in the shoulder and pins him down with gunfire, before sniping him when he tries to escape.
- Yaoi Fangirl: She has a crush on Sebastian, but doesn't mind him being all over Ciel and gets huge nosebleeds at the sight.
Baldroy "Bard"
Baldroy "Bard"
Voiced by: Hiroki Tochi (JP), Ian Sinclair (EN) Foreign VAs
Live actors: Tsuyoshi Koyama [2009]; Iwasaki Dai [2010]; Noboru Washio [2013-Current] (Musical)
"Cooking is an art! And art means explosions!"
The chef of the Phantomhive household. However, he never makes anything edible as he uses weaponry such as flamethrowers to cook, believing that cooking is an art requiring explosions. He's a former soldier and 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.
- Adaptational Nationality: Baldroy is an American in the manga, but is shown to speak with a lower-class English accent in the anime and his flashback in the first season shows him serving in the British Army (though for some reason he still doesn't know the words to God Save the Queen). Then again, it's possible he just lost his original accent really quickly when he came to work for Ciel.
- A-Team Firing: Lampshaded when blasting up the kitchen with the Gatling Gun, Dagger and Beast manage to dodge him, and he expends all his bullets. He laments that while it has a very good number of rounds, the device is made for rapid fire and not accuracy, though in the chaos he did manage to kill Dagger.
- Badass Normal: He's just a regular human using his experience in wars at America to do his job as one of Ciel's private soldiers.
- Chef of Iron: His food isn't good mostly because he's blowing people up with it.
- Cradle of Loneliness: When Sebastian found him, he was cradling one of his dead friends.
- Crippling Overspecialization: He sucks at cooking and housework because he's only good at handling weapons to kill people.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: While he typically comes across as hopelessly incompetent when it comes to cooking, cleaning and just about every other domestic task, Baldroy is an experienced combatant who can hold his own in a fight.
- Crusading Widower: His wife and only son were killed by the Natives who burned down his hometown. After that, he went from battlefield to another in order to kill Natives until Sebastian appeared before him to hire him.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Before Baldroy became a soldier and and one of the Phantomhive servants, he was a farmer living with his wife and son until he found his home was on fire. When he attempted to save his family from the fire, he found they were already dead. He spent years fighting in wars, basically looking for a place to die, but he always came out of the battlefield alive while his fellow soldiers all died. One day, Sebastian appeared to him and offered him to work as a private soldier for the Earl Phantomhive at England.
- Determinator: Baldroy's special quality. He's not an inhuman powerhouse like Finny or a preternatural marksman like Mey-Rin, he is a completely normal human in every respect except that he refuses to die. He was something of a legend in the US Army known as the Invincible Private Soldier because no matter the odds, or how bad the casualties were on the Army's side, he survived through nothing more than sheer force of will.
- The Engineer: A combat type. His real specialty is maintaining weaponry at the mansion that he uses in case of intruders.
- Gatling Good: He owns a machine gun that he keeps in the kitchen.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Baldroy almost has to resort to cannibalism by eating one of his dead comrades, but Sebastian shows up and recruits him to become one of Phantomhive's servants.
- I'm Cold... So Cold...: As he almost dies from blood loss, his hands and feet start to feel cold and his senses becomes dull.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Baldroy/Baldo/Bard.
- In the Back: He gets wounded from behind by Layla.
- Last Request: When he thinks he's going to die from blood loss, he requests Lau and Ada to let Ciel know that Athena Sanatorium will never give blood to Undertaker and "Ciel". Subverted as he ends up surviving.
- Lethal Chef: The food he cooks is always inedible, but it could be better if he tried cooking it the right way instead of using flamethrowers. Justified; this is actually a carryover from his days as a soldier, back when he had to prepare his food quickly or he was likely going to miss his chance to eat before the fighting picked up again. He's just never lost the mentality.
- Near-Death Experience: In chapter 189, he almost dies and sees his late wife and son waiting for him in the afterlife, but Sebastian appears to literally drag him back to the world of the living.
- Number Two: As the chef, he is second only to Sebastian (and technically Tanaka) in the servants hierarchy, and Sebastian gives him instructions on how to look after things when he's not around. His ability to take command is the actual reason he was hired on, and he's shown to be very adept at giving Finny and Mey Rin orders when the manor is under attack.
- Older Than They Look: He doesn't look like he's around forty years old. Toboso admits this is because she struggled with drawing middle-aged men when she first started the manga.
- Only Sane Employee: He isn't anymore qualified to be a chef than Finny is to be a gardener and Mey-Rin is to be a maid. Despite this, he has much more common sense and level-headedness than his two co-workers. It makes sense when it's revealed Bard is the only one of them who had a normal life before he joined the war and Sebastian hired him.
- Outliving One's Offspring: He used to have a son named Baldroy Jr. Unfortunately, his son was killed during a conflict between the settlers and the natives.
- Pillow Pistol: The Book of Murder arc reveals that he sleeps with a pistol under his pillow. Bard almost shoots Sebastian when he wakes him.
- Red Baron: In America, he was known as the "Invincible Private Soldier" because he would move from battle to battle and, no matter the odds, just wouldn't seem to die.
- Replacement Goldfish: It's subtly implied that his attachment to Mey-Rin and Finny is because they remind him of his dead wife and son.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After he lost his family, he started moving across the frontier, joining different Indian wars for a chance to kill as many Natives as he could. Even after realising why the Natives attacked his town and that he was just perpetuating a cycle of bloodshed, he refused to stop because he had no other reason to live.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: He had more than enough experience with the horrors of war. His past does seem to haunt him, and he still thinks like a soldier.
- Skilled And Strong: Sebastian hired him precisely because he needed a soldier who has experience with large battlefields and combat strategies since both Finny and Mey-Rin, while very deadly fighters, are very disorganized in their fighting styles.
- Smoking Is Cool: He's a chill and laid-back ex-soldier who is rarely seen without a cigarette on his mouth.
- Sole Survivor: One day a few years ago Bard was out and about when Native Americans raided his farm, and when he rushes back to his burning house he finds both his wife and son murdered.
- Stuff Blowing Up: As a former soldier, he has knowledge of weaponry including explosives.
- Survivor Guilt: In the past, Baldroy felt guilty for being the Sole Survivor when his comrades tragically lost their lives in the war. He even has nightmares about them, as he sees countless dead bodies where they were killed. On top of that, he has the trauma of surviving the fire that killed his son and wife.
- The Team Normal: Bard is the only completely ordinary human of the servants Ciel got after becoming the Earl. He isn't a demon like Sebastian, doesn't have Super-Strength like Finny, and can't shoot a target from kilometers away like Mey-Rin can with her superhuman farsightedness. His background as a soldier doesn't let him stay behind, though.
- Technical Pacifist: As much as he enjoys explosions, he seems to like not having to kill people... unless necessary.
Finnian "Finny"
Finnian "Finny"
Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (JP), Jason Liebrecht (EN) Foreign VAs
Live actors: Shouta Minami [2009-2010]; Takuya Kawaharada [2013-Current] (Musical)
"It requires strength? Since that's the case, I might be able to do it! I wanna do it! Please allow me to do it!"
The gardener of the Phantomhive household. However, it seems every time he tends to the garden, it is destroyed through an accident caused by his clumsiness. Finnian was a test subject in some human experiments that gave him Super-Strength and was taken in by Ciel after he ran away from his cell.
- Badass Adorable: He's got the excitement of a little kid, and the strength of several men.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: His master was the first person who ever treated Finny as a human being instead of a disposable experiment, and gave him a real name and a good home. For these reasons, Finny is going to protect his master no matter what.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Finny is a lovable and kind-hearted young boy... unless you're a threat to his master and the manor. In that case, you better run because Finny won't hesitate to kill you with a single punch.
- The Caretaker: Forced to look after Ciel during the latter's Heroic BSoD in the Witch Forest arc, as he's the only one of the servants Ciel will let get close to him.
- Caring Gardener: He's happy that the Earl made him his gardener because Finny can now grow life instead of destroying it as he was taught to. However, he's not good at the job since he often ends up ruining the garden and Sebastian has to clean up his mess.
- Close-Range Combatant: His only weapon is his Super-Strength. Naturally, he's the most efficient in close range combat out of the servants.
- Crippling Overspecialization: His Super-Strength and past as a test subject makes him only good for breaking stuff or people.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: May not know much about gardening yet, but he uses his strength more proficiently than what he normally implies; which is usually none at all.
- Cute and Psycho: Finny is typically a sweet young man with the temperament of a cheerful but naive child, but it's been shown that of the servants, it's him that takes the most pleasure in killing intruders, and will do so with glee and a smile.
- Cute Bruiser: An absolutely adorable and childish young boy with superhuman strength that makes him capable of crushing nearly anything in his path.
- Dark and Troubled Past: The poor boy was captured and cruelly experimented on. When he wasn't left alone in a dark cell, he was given numerous unsafe injections and saw his fellow subjects killed with a bullet to the brain. He killed the scientists before they killed him too and ran into Ciel, who decided to take him in.
- Declaration of Protection: He swore to protect his saviour Ciel and the new home he gave him.
- Does Not Know His Own Strength: He's aware of the Super-Strength his body has as a result of the experiments he was subjected to, but he hasn't learnt to control it properly to do his job at the manor. When blowing on hot milk to cool it down, he accidentally breathes at fifty mph.
- Escaped from the Lab: He was a test subject in a human experimentation facility. Eventually, the experiment was uncovered and the scientists began killing the test subjects, causing Finny to kill them in self-defense. During his escape, he met Ciel and Sebastian who took him in as a servant.
- Excellent Judge of Character: He's able to tell that the servants can trust "Jeremy," and he can tell that something is off with the true Ciel.
- Friend-or-Idol Decision: In Chapter 207, Finny has two choices to choose from: Escape with Theo and the others alive before the staff come and kill them or kill Doll and try to save Snake. He is forced to abandon the dying Snake and escape with the kids.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Zig-Zagged. He has blond hair and he's very innocent and optimistic... of course when in battle it's a different story.
- In a Single Bound: He can jump and land great distances across gaps and depths and while it still hurts, it doesn't cost him any great damage.
- In-Series Nickname: He's called "Finny" for short.
- I Owe You My Life: Before the Earl found him, Finny was nothing but "Test Subject #12" locked up in a cell. The Earl gave him a home by bringing him into his manor and gave him a real name, which allowed Finny to develop into his own person. Because of this, Finny swore to protect the Earl from anything that tries to harm him.
- Keet: He's very cheerful and excitable like a cute kid.
- Kiddie Kid: He's 16 years old yet he has the naivete and behavior of someone half his age. While such traits can make him seem adorable, it does admittedly become problematic at times, such as in the Phantomhive Manor Murders Arc. As he is causing a ruckus over Arthur suggesting to examine Sebastian's apparently dead body as part of the investigation, Ciel tells him to leave the room if he is going to act like a child as he is being in the way. This apparent stunt in emotional maturity is probably due to his time as a human experiment in which he was isolated from society.
- Lightning Bruiser: Not just strong but quick too. Seen especially when carrying Sullivan out of the forest in chapter 100.
- Meaningful Name: Ciel named him after Fionn mac Cumhaill, a mythical hunter-warrior of Celtic Mythology, because of Finnian's blond hair and great strength.
- Only One Name: Finnian is his only name. Prior to meeting Ciel, he didn't even have a name in the first place.
- Sole Survivor: His fellow test subjects were killed by the scientists after Ciel and Sebastian arrived to stop their human experimentation. Finny survived because he killed the scientists before they could kill him.
- Super-Strength: Because of the human experimentation he was subjected to, Finny has strength comparable to an elephant.
- Super-Toughness: He can get his head smashed against concrete and brush it off as a scratch.
- Tears of Remorse: He sheds these tears after he was forced to abandoned the dying Snake.
- They Would Cut You Up: His Super-Strength comes from surviving human experiments.
- You Are Number 6: He was referred to as #12, as shown by his tattoo, during the experiments.
Tanaka
Tanaka
Voiced by: Shunji Fujimura (JP), R. Bruce Elliott (EN) Foreign VAs
Click here to see his "normal" Super-Deformed form.
"Ho ho ho."
The steward of the Phantomhive household and the only one of the servants who has worked for the household since before the death of Ciel's parents.
- Ambiguously Evil: In the Blue Cult arc, he's the only servant who doesn't follow "Ciel", claiming he's going to serve the real Ciel instead. However, it's still questionable which of the twins he's really loyal to because he doesn't seem happy to work for the real Ciel.
- Art Shift: Usually drawn Super-Deformed. When he needs to be serious, he's drawn the same as the rest of the cast.
- Battle Butler: He was the butler of the previous Earl Phantomhive and has the combat skills needed to handle the dangers of the job.
- Cool Old Guy: He's the only servant Sebastian tolerates because he's just that cool. That and he doesn't get in the way.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He's usually seen drinking from a Japanese tea cup and commonly seen in a Super-Deformed form. Despite his appearance, Tanaka is a master of bartitsu and just as dangerous as the other servants when he needs to be.
- High-Class Glass: He wears a monocle and he's the most dignified of the servants.
- Loyal to the Position: Unlike the other Phantomhive servants who are specifically loyal to the current Earl, Tanaka serves whoever is the head of the Phantomhive household at the moment. When the real Ciel returns to take back his position from his twin, Tanaka is the only one who doesn't leave to help Ciel's twin as he claims he'll only serve the head of the Phantomhive family.
- Master Swordsman: He's a master of bartitsu capable of cutting bullets in half in midair.
- Non-Standard Character Design: Playing with a Trope. He's usually designed deformed and simple compared to the cast, but when he's serious, he's drawn the same way as the rest of the cast and goes back to his deformed mode, once he's said what's needed to be said.
- Old Master: He may be old, but he shows why he was once the butler of the previous Earl Phantomhive when he takes out his sword and starts cutting through bullets. He does know he isn't the same fighter as when he was young and leaves most of the action to the younger servants.
- Old Retainer: He has served the Phantomhive family for decades and is something like a grandfather figure to the current Earl.
- Parrying Bullets: He's fast enough to cut bullets in half in midair with his sword.
- Secret-Keeper:
- In the anime, Tanaka was told directly by Vincent Phantomhive that Queen Victoria would be the one responsible for his death, but was also asked to keep this from Ciel. At the end of the first season, Sebastian gives Tanaka's diary to Ciel, which reveals this.
- In the manga, Tanaka is the only servant who knows that Ciel has a twin brother, although he didn't confirm that the current earl took his twin's name until the revived real Ciel appears.
- Signature Laugh: "Hoh hoh hoh"
- Super-Deformed: In his normal appearance, he's drawn cartoony and a lot smaller than the other servants. When serious, however, he's almost as tall as Sebastian.
Snake
Snake
Voiced by: Takuma Terashima (JP), Spike Spencer (EN) Foreign VAs
Live actor: Yuki Tamaki (Musical)
"I'm sorry for my carelessness that could have sent you to the next world."
The snake charmer of the Noah's Ark Circus. Said to be half-snake himself, Snake is capable of understanding snakes and allows them to speak through him. He returns after the events of the Murder Mystery arc, Ciel gets him to join his staff and Snake becomes the footman of the Phantomhive household.
- Animal Eyes: He has snake-like pupils. Justified since he's half-snake.
- Because You Were Nice to Me:
- The circus members were the first people who showed Snake kindness and welcomed him as their friend despite his snake-like features.
- Later on, he's grateful to Ciel for taking him in and giving him a home when he had nowhere to go.
- Better with Non-Human Company: He has lots of snake friends, but can barely communicate with other people without his pets.
- Bound and Gagged: When Sebastian captured him, he was locked inside a box, all tied up.
- The Bus Came Back: After the Circus arc, he was left behind none the wiser. He returned near the end of the Murder Mystery arc to look for his friends by questioning Ciel and Sebastian. He joins Ciel's staff in the meantime.
- Conflicting Loyalty: After Doll tells Snake the truth about their circus family’s murder, he cannot decide who he should side with Doll, his former circus mate who had been colluding with the FOL orphanage staff in killing their fledged orphans, or Finny, Jumbo’s murderer.
- Consulting Mister Puppet: People sometimes wonder whether he's simply a mouth-piece for his snakes or not.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Prior to joining the circus, he was put in a cage as a Half-Human Hybrid attraction until the circus members freed him.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Doll slashes Snake's throat by mistake when he protects Mabel from her. Shocked at what she did, Doll cries and holds Snake's body in her arms as he bleeds to death.
- A Dog Named "Dog": His name is Snake since he's half snake.
- Expressive Hair: He has a cowlick of hair that shoots up when he's surprised and trembles when he's nervous.
- Flaw Exploitation: When he goes to avenge his circus friends, Ciel takes advantage of Snake's naivety and wish to see his friends again so Snake believes his lies that the circus members are probably still alive. With this, Ciel converts him into his staff.
- Friendless Background: Before being taken in by the circus, he never had friends because he was raised as an attraction in a freak show.
- Half-Human Hybrid: He's a half-human, half-snake.
- Hates Being Alone: One of the reasons why he accepts Ciel's offer to join his staff is because he felt very lonely without his circus friends and working at Ciel's mansion lets him find new friends in the other servants.
- Heroic BSoD: He has an emotional breakdown when he finds out the circus members he viewed as family are all dead and he has been living with their murderers at the Phantomhive household. To make it worse, he also learns the circus crew members were kidnappers who were responsible for the deaths of many children.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Ciel lied to him about wanting to cooperate and find the "missing" circus members, yet Snake puts his full trust in him. He's distraught when he learns that not only Ciel lied to him, but he and his servants murdered the circus members.
- I Am a Monster: Thinks himself as one due to his snake-like skin, which attracts several insults when he was in Campania, along with Ciel and Sebastian.
- Idiot Hair: While not an idiot, Snake has a distinct cowlick. Doubles as Expressive Hair.
- Ignorance Is Bliss: Ciel tells Snake that his missing friends' whereabouts were unknown and that staying with Ciel is the fastest way to see them again. The reader knows that they were all killed by Ciel's staff when they attempted to ambush the mansion.
- I Owe You My Life: The Circus saved him from being an attraction on display. Snake became attached to them in return.
- Locked Out of the Loop: The only primary-tier circus member with no knowledge of Baron Kelvin and the whole kidnapping incidents.
- Luminescent Blush: He sprouts a bright blush in chapter 52.
- Moment Killer: Baldroy accuses him of doing this when he finishes the servant's salute to Ciel with "says Keats".
- Mysterious Past: All we know about him is that he used to be the exhibition of a freakshow until he was saved by the Noah's Ark Circus. It's unknown how he came to be a snake man.
- Mystical White Hair: As if being a mysterious half-snake man wasn't enough, his white hair makes him stand out even more.
- Never Given a Name: Having lived as a freak show attraction most of his life, Snake doesn't have a real name.
- No Social Skills: He was treated as a freak or circus attraction his entire life. He doesn't even know how to have a normal conversation with other people and only speaks on behalf of his snakes.
- Not So Stoic: While his initial appearances seem to present him as emotionless, he does have facial expressions, which is shown more frequently after becoming Ciel's staff.
- Parental Abandonment: Due to being half-snake.
- Perpetual Frowner: Rarely express his emotions, and when he does, it's most likely negative.
- The Quiet One: He never seems to speak for himself, only translating for his snakes.
- Sacrificial Lion: He's the first of the Phantomhive servants to get killed off.
- Scarily Competent Tracker: He used his snakes to follow Ciel's scent after the circus arc. Though he ended up going to the wrong house and it was actually thanks to Sohma and Agni he found Ciel, since they had mistaken Snake for a friend of Ciel's so they greeted him warmly and sent him to Phantomhive Manor.
- Shrinking Violet: He isn't used to being around people besides his circus friends. He gets awkward and timid in public because he knows his snake-like features make him stand out.
- Sixth Ranger: He joins the Phantomhive manor's staff midway through the series while all the other servants have been working for the Earl since the beginning.
- Slashed Throat: In the Blue Revenge arc, Snake gets his neck slashed while protecting Mabel from Doll. He then slowly bleeds to death as Finny is forced to run away and abandon him.
- Snake Charmer: He can control snakes.
- Snake People: Downplayed. While he looks mostly human, he does have some snake-like features due to being a Half-Human Hybrid, like reptilian skin and pupils slitted like a snake's.
- Sole Survivor: Being the only member of the circus' first tier still alive is what leads him to attempt revenge on Ciel and co. Ciel then tricks Snake and makes him believe the circus crew merely went into hiding, convincing Snake to join Ciel.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: His specialty is to talk to snakes.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He mostly shows himself as stoic and reserved to the point of only communicating through his snakes. He's still a good person at heart and he cares a lot for those who show him kindness.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: He has golden eyes, highlighting the fact that he's a Half-Human Hybrid.
- Taking the Bullet: When protecting Mabel from Doll's attack, Snake's throat gets sliced by the knife.
- Team Pet: His snakes count. Ciel jokingly says he considers Snake one shortly after hiring him.
- Theme Naming: His snakes are all named after authors.
- Token Good Teammate: For the Noah's Ark Circus. The Murder Mystery arc reveals that Snake was the only major performer not privy to the kidnappings and experimentations on the children.
- Took a Level in Cheerfulness: Starts to be more expressive after joining Ciel's staff.
- Verbal Tic: Whenever he speaks (or even thinks), he ends the sentence with "..says (Snake's name)", even if they include personal pronouns referring to himself. This is taken even further in the anime, with him becoming a Man of a Thousand Voices due to each snake having a completely unique voice.
- Viewers Are Geniuses: One of his snakes, Webster, refers to himself as having been born on "the Island of Queimada Grande". This island is famous for having only a single species of snake, the highly-venomous Golden Lancehead Viper.
- Weaksauce Weakness: Hearing a snake charming flute causes him to faint.
