is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by

Yana Toboso is a Japanese manga artist. She was born in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan and currently resides in Yokohama. Selected works '' Rust Blaster'' is a 2006 six-chapter manga published by Square Enix in one volume. It tells the story of a hu ...

. It has been serialized in

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...

's manga magazine ''

Monthly GFantasy is a manga imprint owned by Square Enix Holdings. It originated as a manga imprint for Enix before the company merged with Square to form Square Enix. It publishes manga in several anthologies aimed at different reader demographic groups in t ...

'' since September 2006. The series follows Ciel Phantomhive, the 12-year-old

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

of Phantomhive serving as the Queen's Watchdog. He is tasked with solving crimes in the underworld of Victorian-era London. Ciel has formed a

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

with demon Sebastian Michaelis, who disguises himself as his

butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

, to seek revenge on those who tortured him and murdered his parents. In exchange for his services, Sebastian will be allowed to consume Ciel's soul. A 24-episode

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series adaptation, produced by

A-1 Pictures is a Japanese animation studio and production company founded by ex- Sunrise producer Mikihiro Iwata. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm Aniplex. History The company was established by SMEJ's animat ...

, aired from October 2008 to March 2009. A second 12-episode season aired from July to September 2010; this season features two new main characters and has an anime-original storyline which does not feature manga content. Another series, titled ''Black Butler: Book of Circus'', was broadcast between July and September 2014. A two-part theatrical

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

(OVA), titled ''Black Butler: Book of Murder'', screened in Japanese theaters in October and November 2014. A

live-action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...

film adaptation was released in Japan in January 2014. An

animated film Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

, titled '' Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic'', premiered in Japan in January 2017. A fourth 11-episode season produced by

CloverWorks is a Japanese animation studio that was rebranded from A-1 Pictures' Kōenji Studio. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm Aniplex. Establishment On April 1, 2018, A-1 Pictures rebranded its Kōenji Studio ...

, titled ''Black Butler: Public School Arc'', aired from April to June 2024. A fifth season, titled ''Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc'', premiered in April 2025. In North America, the series has been licensed by

Yen Press Yen Press is an American manga, graphic novel and light novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published '' Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, ...

. It was published in ''

Yen Plus ''Yen Plus'' was an American monthly anthology magazine of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and original English-language (OEL) manga published by Yen Press. History The first issue of ''Yen Plus'' went on sale on July 29, 2008, with five manga ...

'' from August 2009 to July 2010. The anime series was licensed by

Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...

. Funimation lost the rights to the first two seasons, and they were later acquired by

Aniplex of America Aniplex of America, or Aniplex USA, is an anime distributor based in Santa Monica, California that serves as the American distribution enterprise of Aniplex, an entertainment company owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, where its goal is to ...

. By March 2024, the ''Black Butler'' manga had over 35 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series.

Plot

12-year-old earl Ciel Phantomhive lives in

Victorian-era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed th ...

London. He acquired his title and position after the events of his tenth birthday on December 14, 1885, when the Phantomhive manor was attacked by unidentified perpetrators. Ciel's parents died along with the family dog, Sebastian, and he is taken and sold into slavery. He ends up in the hands of a sadistic, demon-worshipping cult and endures physical, mental and sexual abuse at the hands of his captors. One night, during a sacrificial ceremony to summon a demon, the demon arrives but states that he came in response to Ciel's summoning, not the cult's. Ciel sells his soul to the demon and forms a contract to be saved; the demon kills all the cultist members and places the

Faustian Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a crossroads, exc ...

contract symbol on Ciel's right eye. As part of the contract, the demon will consume Ciel's soul as payment for helping him achieve his goal; revenge on those who brought down his family and the House of Phantomhive. Ciel names the demon Sebastian Michaelis, after his deceased dog. The duo returns to society as Ciel takes over his late father's position as the Queen's Watchdog: someone tasked with investigating cases that Queen Victoria herself deems threatening to England. To assist with this task, Sebastian recruits notable individuals such as the sniper Mey-Rin, the veteran soldier Baldroy and Finnian, a teenager with superhuman strength, who join the Phantomhive estate, disguised as Ciel's servants. As Ciel and Sebastian resolve several incidents under the Queen's orders, some of them are related to the "Aurora Society", a secret organization performing experiments involving reanimated corpses, led by a

grim reaper The Grim Reaper is a popular personification of death in Western culture in the form of a hooded skeletal figure wearing a black robe and carrying a scythe.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by

, ''Black Butler'' started in

's manga magazine ''

'' on September 16, 2006. In June 2024, it was announced that the manga would enter on hiatus, and that Toboso would be conducting research and making preparations as the series heads toward its climax. The series is set to resume on April 18, 2025. Square Enix has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on February 27, 2007. As of April 26, 2024, thirty-four volumes have been released.

licensed the series for an English language release and serialized the manga in ''

'' August 2009 issue for the magazine's first anniversary. The publisher released the first volume on January 26, 2010. As of June 18, 2024, 33 volumes have been released.

Drama CDs

On August 10, 2007, a drama CD was released by Frontier Works. It featured many of the characters appearing in volumes one and two. A second drama CD was released on November 26, 2008, under the

Aniplex Aniplex, Inc. (株式会社アニプレックス, ''Kabushiki-gaisha Anipurekkusu'') is a Japanese entertainment company and a subsidiary of Sony, Sony Group Corporation, founded in September 1995 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The company fo ...

label.

Anime

In July 2008, it was announced that an

adaptation of ''Black Butler'', directed by Toshiya Shinohara and produced by

. It premiered in October 2008 and broadcast on

MBS MBS may refer for: People * Mohammed Ben Sulayem (born 1961), president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile * Mohammed bin Salman (born 1985), crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia * Mohan Bikram Singh (born 1935), Nepales ...

as well as the TBS. On an event on June 14, 2009, it was announced that the anime would be returning for a second series. Japanese

voice actor Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

Junichi Suwabe is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo. He is affiliated with Haikyō. His popular roles include Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez in ''Bleach'', Omega Zero in '' Megaman Zero 3'', Keigo Atobe in ''The Prince of Tennis'', Victor Nikiforov in '' Yuri!!! o ...

confirmed this news on his official blog later that day. The second series, , premiered in July and follows a butler, Claude Faustus, and his master, Alois Trancy, as well as Sebastian and Ciel. Both new characters were designed by Toboso.

released the complete Blu-ray and DVD set of both seasons and their extra OVAs on May 7, 2014. On March 29, 2010, North American anime distributor

announced on their online FuniCon 3.0 panel that they had licensed ''Black Butler''. At

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...

2010, Funimation also announced that they would stream the simulcast series, ''Black Butler II''. Funimation announced on their Facebook page that they had fully licensed the second season. Funimation released ''Black Butler'' Combo Pack Blu-ray/DVD first and second season on April 3, 2012. The series made its North American television debut on February 8, 2011, on the

Funimation Channel Funimation was an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime and other foreign entertainment properties in North America. It streamed popula ...

. Funimation lost the rights to the series' first season in 2017, and the rights to the second season in 2018. The first season is currently licensed by

and it was released on a Blu-ray Disc box set on January 29, 2019. In November 2019, Funimation re-licensed the first two seasons for its streaming service. On January 16, 2014, it was announced that a third ''Black Butler'' anime series was in production. Titled , the series was a close adaptation of the manga, unlike the previous seasons, adapting the "Noah's Ark Circus" arc. The series was directed by

Noriyuki Abe is a Japanese anime storyboard artist, sound director and director. He worked at Pierrot on anime series, such as '' Yu Yu Hakusho'', '' Ninku'', '' Flame of Recca'', '' Great Teacher Onizuka'', ''Bleach'' and '' Boruto''. He won the ''Animage'' ...

, with

Hiroyuki Yoshino is a Japanese voice actor and singer. On leading roles, he played Yoshimori Sumimura in '' Kekkaishi'', Hibiki Tokai in '' Vandread'', Yuji Kagura in ''Tona-Gura!'', Takumi Nishijō in '' Chaos;Head'', Yusuke "Bossun" Fujisaki in '' Sket Dance ...

in charge of scripts, along with Ichiro Okuchi and Yuka Miyata as scriptwriters. The main cast from the previous anime series returned, along with new cast members, and the series aired from July 10, 2014, to September 12, 2014. In addition, a two-part

(OVA) titled the ''Book of Murder'', an adaptation of the "Phantomhive Manor Murders" arc, was screened in Japanese theatres on October 25, and November 15, 2014. The OVAs featured returning staff from the previous season. On August 7, 2014, Funimation announced that they have licensed ''Black Butler: Book of Circus'', and have streamed it on their simulcast. Funimation released the series on Blu-ray and DVD on April 19, 2016. Additionally, Funimation has licensed the two-part OVA ''Black Butler: Book of Murder'' and released it on May 17, 2016. At

2023,

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...

announced that a fourth season was in production. Titled , it was directed by Kenjirou Okada and produced by

, with Hiroyuki Yoshino handling series composition, Yumi Shimizu designing the characters, and Ryo Kawasaki composing the music. The series was broadcast for eleven episodes from April 13 to June 22, 2024, on

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...

and other networks.

Muse Communication Muse Communication Co., Ltd. (also known simply as Muse) is a Taiwanese distributor and licensor that specializes in the distribution of Japanese animation. Based in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, the company also distributes Asian and E ...

licensed the series in Asia-Pacific. At Anime Expo 2024, it was announced that a fifth season, titled , was in production. Licensed by Crunchyroll, it will be again directed by Kenjirou Okada and produced by CloverWorks. The series premiered on April 5, 2025, on Tokyo MX and other networks.

Musical

, a musical adaptation of the manga, had run at the Sunshine Theater in

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro Station, and several shops, restaurants, and department stores are located within city limits. Transportation At the center of Ikebukuro is ...

between May 28, 2009, and June 7, 2009.

Yuya Matsushita is a Japanese pop and R&B singer and actor under Japanese Dream Records. His debut single " foolish foolish" was released on November 26, 2008. He had his first breakthrough as Sebastian Michaelis in the '' Black Butler'' musical and since the ...

portrayed Sebastian Michaelis,

Shougo Sakamoto is a Japanese actor and singer affiliated with Don-crew. Career Early in his career, Sakamoto played Ryoma Echizen in the fourth generation Seigaku cast in ''Tenimyu'', ''The Prince of Tennis'' musical series. In 2009, he originated the role o ...

played Ciel Phantomhive and Uehara Takuya as Grell Sutcliff. , the second musical adaptation of the manga, ran at Akasaka Act Theater (1300 seats) in Akasaka,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, and

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, between May 3 and May 23, 2010.

reprised his role as Sebastian Michaelis, Yukito Nishii played Ciel Phantomhive, and Uehara Takuya reprised his role as Grell Sutcliff. The other two main characters, Eric Slingby and Alan Humphries, were portrayed by Taisuke Saeki and Shinya Matsumoto, respectively. The musical was written by

Mari Okada is a Japanese screenwriter, director and manga artist. She is one of the most prolific writers currently working in the anime industry. She won the 16th Animation Kobe Award. Among her credits, Okada is best known for her writing and produci ...

, directed by Sakurako Fukuyama, with music composed by

Taku Iwasaki is a Japanese composer and arranger. His hometown is Tokyo, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japa ...

, and lyrics by

Yukinojo Mori , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese lyricist, composer and poet who is affiliated with Amuse, Inc. He has written over 2,500 songs for numerous artists such as Kyosuke Himuro, Takuro Yoshida and Junichi Inagaki and theme songs fo ...

. A second run of ''The Most Beautiful Death in the World'' was announced in December 2012. It ran between May 17 and June 9, 2013, in the Akasaka ACT Theater (Akasaka, Tokyo) again, and the Umeda Arts Theater in Osaka. It was announced in February 2013 that

, Uehara Takuya, and Shuhei Izumi would reprise their roles as Sebastian Michaelis, Grell Sutcliff, and the Undertaker, respectively. The rest of the roles were re-cast, with Taketo Tanaka replacing Yukito Nishii as Ciel Phantomhive, and Shinji Rachi and

Masataka Nakagauchi is a Japanese actor. He is represented by Kaos Performance Office. Discography Singles Albums Videos Filmography Stage Live shows Events TV drama TV series Films Photobooks References External links

* {{DEFAULTS ...

replacing Taisuke Saeki and Matsumoto Shinya in the roles of Eric Slingby and Alan Humphries. A third musical was performed in September 2014. Most of the cast reprised their roles from the re-run of ''The Most Beautiful Death in the World'' although Fukuzaki Nayuta replaced Taketo Tanaka as Ciel Phantomhive and Yuka Terasaki replaced Saki Matsuda as Mey-Rin. Akane Liv was introduced as Madam Red, Yuusuke Hirose as Charles Phipps, Oota Motohiro as Charles Grey and Araki Hirofumi as Lau. A re-run of the third ''Black Butler'' musical "''Lycoris that Blazes the Earth''" was scheduled to perform in November–December 2015. It started in Osaka on November 7 then travel to Miyagi, Tokyo and

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

. The new run of the third musical was the first oversea tour in China (Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen) in December 2015. Yuta Furukawa replaced Matsushita as Sebastian Michaelis. Meanwhile, most of the cast from the third musical reprised their roles. A fourth musical, based on the Noah's Ark Circus arc of the manga, ran between November and December 2016. Yuta Furukawa reprised his role as Sebastian Michaelis, with Reo Uchikawa replacing Nayuta Fukuzaki as Ciel. Miura Ryosuke was introduced as Joker, Tano Asami as Beast and Tamaki Yuki as Snake, among others. Notably, Izumi Shuuhei reprised his role as the Undertaker again, making him the only original cast member still performing. A fifth musical, ''Tango on the Campania'', based on the Luxury Liner arc in the manga, ran between December 2017 and February 2018. Yuta Furukawa reprised his role as Sebastian Michaelis, with Reo Uchikawa also reprising his role as Ciel Phantomhive. Mikata Ryosuke was introduced as Ronald Knox,

Momoko Okazaki , known by her stage name Momometal, is a Japanese singer and dancer. She is best known as a member of kawaii metal band Babymetal, which she joined as a touring member in 2019 before becoming an official member in 2023. She was previously a mem ...

as Elizabeth Midford, and others. Other actors from previous performers also reprised their roles, such as Uehara Takuya as Grell Sutcliff, Izumi Shuuhei as the Undertaker, and Sasaki Yoshihide as Viscount Druitt. A sixth ''Black Butler'' musical, ''The Public School's Secret'', based on the Public School arc of the manga, ran from January to April 2021. Toshiki Tateishi portrayed Sebastian Michaelis, and Eito Konishi played Ciel Phantomhive. The four 'perfects' were portrayed by Hiroki Sano (Edgar Redmond), Shougo Tazuru (Henry Greenhill), Masamichi Satonaka (Lawrence Bluewer), and Dai Goto (Gregory Violet). A seventh musical, ''The Green Witch and the Werewolves'', is set to run from September 9–12, 2025, in Osaka, and from September 21–28 in Tokyo.

Video game

A video game for

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

, called ''Kuroshitsuji Phantom & Ghost'' was developed by

and was released on March 19, 2009. The game is sold in two versions, a limited first-press edition with a higher price and numerous extra goods, and a regular edition.

Print

The was released on February 27, 2009. The book was released on March 27, 2009. An official comics anthology, titled , was also released on that date; a second ''Rainbow Butler'' volume was released on August 27, 2010.

Films

It was announced on January 18, 2013, that the manga would be made into a live-action film starring

Ayame Goriki is a Japanese actress, singer and model. She was represented by the talent agency Oscar Promotion until 2020. Currently she was represented by the talent agency Short Cut. Early life and career Biography Goriki was born on 27 August 1992 in H ...

as Genpou Shiori,

Hiro Mizushima , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor, creative director, and writer. He appeared in a number of Japanese TV dramas, including '' Mei-chan no Shitsuji'', ''Hanazakari no Kimitachi e'' and '' Zettai Kareshi''. Additionally, he was well ...

as Sebastian Michaelis. Filming began in April 2013 and the film was released on January 18, 2014. On October 10, 2015, it was announced an animated film for the series has been green-lit, and the original anime cast returned to reprise their roles. On February 17, 2016, the film ''Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic'', was confirmed to be an animated adaptation of the arc from the original manga. It was released in Japan on January 21, 2017. On April 1, 2017, Funimation announced that they have licensed the animated film and would screen it in a limited theatrical release in North America later in the year. ''Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic'', premiered in Japan on January 21, 2017, and in North America on the selected dates of June 12 and 14, 2017.

Reception

By January 2021, the ''Black Butler'' manga had over 30 million copies in circulation worldwide. By July 2022, the manga had over 32 million copies in circulation. By July 2023, it had over 34 million copies in circulation. By March 2024, it had over 35 million copies in circulation. Individual volumes have appeared in

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

's weekly chart of best-selling manga, taking several high spots. In addition to the volumes, the comics anthology ''Rainbow Butler'' ranked seventeenth during the week of March 31 to April 6 2009, selling 41,083 copies after ranking thirty-third the previous week. The fourth and fifth volumes ranked thirty-third and thirty-ninth of the top-selling manga in Japan during 2008, selling 529,210 copies and 468,550 copies respectively. The sixth volume ranked thirteenth of the top-selling manga in Japan during the first half of 2009, selling 619,501 copies. The series itself was ranked tenth of the top-selling manga series in Japan during 2009, selling a total of 1,603,197 estimated copies. The Japanese music distributor Recochoku has created an annual survey of which anime characters that people would like to marry. Sebastian Michaelis ranked ninth in the category "The Character I Want to Be My Groom".

References

External links

* at Square Enix * * * on

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