Season 1
| # | Title | Original Airdate | English Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "His Butler, Able" "Sono Shitsuji, Yūnō" (その執事、有能) |
October 3, 2008 | January 11, 2011 |
| Earl Ciel Phantomhive is awakened by his butler, Sebastian Michaelis, who informs him that Damian, the head of Funtom Company, which is Ciel's confectionery toy manufacturing company, is coming for a visit. Sebastian orders the household staff, Baldroy, Finnian, and Mey-Rin—them being the cook, the gardener, and the maid, respectively—to prepare for Damian's arrival. Their attempts result in disaster, as Baldroy overcooks the food, Finnian kills the garden by spraying herbicides on it, and Mey-Rin breaks all of the china. To resolve the situation, Sebastian orders them to rearrange the yard into a Japanese rock garden and has Bardroy make beef donburi. Damian, impressed with the staff's preparations, plays a board game with Ciel in which his character loses his legs and is ultimately incinerated. Following the dinner, Damian calls his associate, commenting that the factory he owns has been sold and he is attempting to fraudulently acquire more money from Ciel. When Damian attempts to return to the lounge, the scenario in the board game occurs. Damian breaks one of his legs, and Sebastian locks him in the oven, to be burned with the dessert; he later limps away from the mansion, as Ciel and Sebastian laugh in amusement. | |||
| 2 | "His Butler, Strongest" "Sono Shitsuji, Saikyō" (その執事、最強) |
October 10, 2008 | January 12, 2011 |
| After a visit from Madame Red and Lau, Ciel is kidnapped for ransom by Azzurro Vanel, a drug dealer and leader of an Italian mafia. Sebastian is first targeted by a sniper and driver in a forest, yet he ends up tilting them off a cliff. He then easily defeats a mob of underlings who are guarding the mansion, all with using various dining supplies. When approaching to retrieve his master, Sebastian is shot several times, however he instantly recovers. Ciel calls for Sebastian's help, which enables the latter to save the former from Azzurro. | |||
| 3 | "His Butler, Omnipotent" "Sono Shitsuji, Bannō" (その執事、万能) |
October 17, 2008 | January 13, 2011 |
| Grell Sutcliff is requested by Madame Red to train under Sebastian. It is later revealed by Tanaka that the Phantomhive estate was previous burned down three years ago, in which Ciel's parents died in the fire. Elizabeth Middleford, Ciel's fiancée, arrives at the estate for a visit. Although Ciel does not wish to dance with her, Sebastian convinces him to learn to dance for the sake of preserving his social reputation, and teaches him the simple Viennese waltz. Elizabeth later unhappily shatters Ciel's family ring on the floor, since she had already chosen a ring for him, though she is absentminded when realizing its value to him. Nonetheless, Ciel throws the family ring out the window, declaring his status as head of the family, with or without it. Ciel then asks a teary-eyed Elizabeth to dance with him. Later that night, Sebastian finds Ciel depressed in bed and restores the family ring undamaged. Ciel wonders how many generations have died wearing the ring. He tells Sebastian to stay by his side until he falls asleep, amusing Sebastian, who comments on Ciel showing his weaknesses to him. | |||
| 4 | "His Butler, Capricious" "Sono Shitsuji, Suikyō" (その執事、酔狂) |
October 24, 2008 | January 14, 2011 |
| The news of Jack the Ripper terrorizes the city of London. After receiving information from the Undertaker, Sebastian narrows the suspects down to a man known as the Viscount of Druitt. Madame Red creates a plan for Sebastian, Ciel, and Lau to attend a ball to catch the culprit, which involves Ciel, in a dress and wig, posing as her young niece and Sebastian in the role of his tutor. They realize that Elizabeth is attending the ball and must avoid her, lest she blow their cover. The Viscount takes a liking to Ciel, who flirts with him hoping to learn his plans. Sebastian distracts Elizabeth and the other guests by pretending to be a magician. Alone in a room with the Viscount, Ciel loses consciousness, later awaking to find himself being sold in a large underground auction, bound and blindfolded. When the Viscount removes the blindfold in order to display Ciel's eyes, Ciel keeps them closed, then opens them and calls for Sebastian. The lights go out, cries are heard, and the candles are suddenly relighted to reveal Sebastian, who takes Ciel home as the police arrive at the scene. | |||
| 5 | "His Butler, Chance Encounter" "Sono Shitsuji, Kaikō" (その執事、邂逅) |
October 31, 2008 | January 17, 2011 |
| Ciel and Sebastian continue to pursue Jack the Ripper and come to a confrontation at the house of the latest victim, Mary Jane Kelly. They discover that the murderer is a combination of Madame Red and Grell, the latter is actually a Grim Reaper. While Sebastian is busy fighting Grell, Madame Red attempts to kill Ciel, but she hesitates and refuses to kill him. Grell kills Madame Red because of this and her life is played back before her eyes, as Grim Reapers can see a person's memories as they die. She had always been jealous of her elder sister, whom married the Earl of Phantomhive, but could never bring herself to hate her sister. Even after marrying another man and conceiving a child, an accident killed her husband, and an abortion was to be undergone to save her life, making her unable to have children. The following month she visited her sister only to see the once great mansion colored with the red color she despised so much. When one of her patients approached her for an abortion, claiming children were a nuisance, Madame Red decided to kill those who would throw such a precious thing away. Later that night, she followed and killed her patient in crazed desperation. It was then that she met Grell, and the two of them murdered prostitutes that have had abortions as Jack the Ripper since then. Sebastian is then ordered by Ciel to kill Grell. | |||
| 6 | "His Butler, At the Funeral" "Sono Shitsuji, Sōsō" (その執事、葬送) |
November 7, 2008 | January 18, 2011 |
| Sebastian, cleverly using his tailcoat to jam Grell's chainsaw scythe, is suddenly interrupted by William T. Spears, the administrator of the Grim Reapers. Spears takes a defeated Grell back to his headquarters, ending Jack the Ripper's reign of terror. The following day, Ciel and Sebastian attend Madame Red's funeral. In the funeral, Madame Red was dressed in the traditional white gown. As she was lying lifeless in her coffin, Ciel appears with a red dress claiming that somber colors like white did not suit her and said the same words as her beloved Earl of Phantomhive. After the funeral, they tend to Mary Jane Kelly's tombstone. Sebastian mentions to Ciel that his nobleness is a sign of weakness, seeing as he was afraid of killing his own aunt. Ciel responds by analogizes the manipulation of chess pieces must not be hesitated. Sebastian promises to Ciel that he will stay by his side no matter the circumstances. | |||
| 7 | "His Butler, Merrymaking" "Sono Shitsuji, Yūkyō" (その執事、遊興) |
November 14, 2008 | January 19, 2011 |
| By the command of Queen Victoria, Ciel is to secure Houndsworth, a village controlled by a nobleman Henry Barrymore. The supposed resort is, in fact, a dark and dreary place inhabited by a demon hound. Angela Blanc, Henry's servant, warns Ciel and Sebastian to leave the resort at once, only for them to witness a death caused by the demon hound. Finnian intervenes when a bad dog is sentenced to punishment, forcing him along with Bardroy, Mey-rin and Tanaka to be tied to a post, while Ciel is chained to a wall. Sebastian unveils that Henry used a silhouetted projection of a dog's face and thereby proves his guiltiness. | |||
| 8 | "His Butler, Training" "Sono Shitsuji, Chōkyō" (その執事、調教) |
November 21, 2008 | January 20, 2011 |
| Henry is soon found dead, with an arm missing and blood coming from his head. Ciel becomes more and more interesting in this case, trying to figure out who is responsible for Henry's death. Finnian and Mey-Rin discover Angela's dominatrix personality, much to Finnian's dismay. When Angela goes missing, Ciel's servant venture outside to search for her. However, they encounter the real demon hound. Sebastian arrives in confrontation, alternating his tactics between reward and punishment. It is soon found out that the demon hound is named Pluto and can take human form. Angela asks Ciel to take Pluto in as a member of the Phantomhive estate, as Sebastian is ordered to train him. | |||
| 9 | "His Butler, Phantom Image" "Sono Shitsuji, Genzō" (その執事、幻像) |
November 28, 2008 | January 21, 2011 |
| Ciel assigns his servants to take a photo of Sebastian with a camera that reveals what is most precious to the subject that is not of this world. Sebastian evades their efforts over and over again effortlessly, while keeping them busy with Pluto to take care of. Sebastian welcomes a businessman named Paul Jones into the estate, ending up exhausting him with the expansion of confectionery toy manufacturing. Ciel risks his own life for Sebastian to save him in an attempt to capture a photograph. In the end, Sebastian takes a photo of Ciel, who had fallen asleep at his desk, with Pluto behind him at the back window which leads to an amusing photograph that confuses the rest of the servants at the mansion. Sebastian later comments that it was an honor to learn that the thing Ciel most treasures that is not of this world is Sebastian himself. | |||
| 10 | "His Butler, on Ice" "Sono Shitsuji, Hyōjō" (その執事、氷上) |
December 5, 2008 | January 24, 2011 |
| Ciel and Sebastian visit a festival held on the frozen River Thames. They enter an ice-sculpting contest for the prize, a ring with a slice of blue diamond called the Hope Piece, which is important evidence in an investigation by Scotland Yard into the kidnappings of several young girls. Sebastian creates an ice model of Noah's Ark, complete with animals inside, but the Hope Piece is apparently lost in the river following a bombing incident. Meanwhile, Elizabeth desperately looks for a present for Ciel's birthday. She later discovers the Hope Piece in a toy ship she buys. | |||
| 11 | "His Butler, However You Please" "Sono Shitsuji, Ikayō" (その執事、如何様) |
December 12, 2008 | January 25, 2011 |
| Ciel recalls of when his parents died in a fire when the Phantomhive estate burned down two years ago, remembering it was the night of his eleventh birthday. Elizabeth becomes distraught and goes missing. It is reported that a series of kidnappings of young girls are occurring in London. While Sebastian is ordered to come up with a list of suspects, Ciel encounters Grell in the streets, learning from him that a puppeteer named Drocell Keinz is behind the kidnappings. Once the two enter a tower, Grell is occupied with a army of dolls while Ciel tries to escape from Drocell. Ciel finds Sebastian at the top of the tower. | |||
| 12 | "His Butler, Forlorn" "Sono Shitsuji, Sekiryō" (その執事、寂寥) |
December 19, 2008 | January 26, 2011 |
| Sebsatian saves Ciel from Drocell, though Ciel is upset that Elizabeth is still endangered. He soon finds her in the storage room of the tower, but it turns out that Drocell is controlling her like a marionette, forcing her to attack Ciel. Sebastian and Grell manage to release Elizabeth from manipulation, later being able to defeat Drocell . After finding the master of the tower, Ciel is dismayed once exposed of his desecrated existence. Nevertheless, the master himself is also being controlled by a puppeteer, in which Sebastian refuse to pursue. Later, Elizabeth celebrates Ciel’s thirteenth birthday with a party orchestrated at the Phantomhive estate, wishing to see him happy again. | |||
| 13 | "His Butler, Freeloader" "Sono Shitsuji, Isōrō" (その執事、居候) |
December 26, 2008 | January 27, 2011 |
| While walking in the London streets, Ciel and Sebastian find themselves in the presence of Prince Soma and his servant, Agni, who are searching for an unknown Indian woman. Prince Soma orders Agni to attack Ciel, and Sebastian is stunned by his agility. Unfortunately, Ciel later begrudgingly lets the two take up temporary residence at the Phantomhive estate. The story of Kali, the Hindu goddess of power, is explained. Ciel and Prince Soma tells Sebastian and Agni to duel in a fencing match, only for it to end in a draw. Agni convinces Bardroy, Finnian, and Mey-Rin to help prepare supper together. He then reveals that he is searching for his former nursemaid, Meena, who had left him for an unknown wealthy Englishman, much to his despair. | |||
| 14 | "His Butler, Supremely Talented" "Sono Shitsuji, Inō" (その執事、異能) |
January 16, 2009 | January 28, 2011 |
| Harold West, a wealthy businessman and a merchant of Indian goods, is responsible for Agni's betrayal and Meena's wedlock. Sebastian intervenes when West orders Agni to attack Prince Soma. Sebastian tells Prince Soma to face the truth, in that Agni would abandon him someday. Ciel preaches to Prince Soma to never give up on finding reaching one's goals, using the death of his parents as an example. A curry festival competition sponsored by the Queen Victoria is mentioned, and West's plans involving Agni and Meena are revealed. It is said that Agni is talented at preparing curry, making it seemingly impossible for any competition. Agni recalls his past, remembering his hopeless life until he met a godly Prince Soma. At the curry exhibition, Prince Soma finds Meena, who confesses that she had escape from India in order to free herself from the caste system. Queen Victoria, escorted by her butler, Ashe Landers, makes a grand entrance before the start of the curry festival competition. | |||
| 15 | "His Butler, Competing" "Sono Shitsuji, Kyōsō" (その執事、競争) |
January 23, 2009 | January 31, 2011 |
| Sebastian creates his curry with chocolate, Agni uses blue lobster, and another chef uses a mysterious spice that was given to him by Angela. Ciel sympathizes for Agni's loyalty, while Agni weeps for Meena's arrogance. Sebastian ends up winning with his curry buns, but the people who ate the curry with the mysterious spice become possessed and start attacking others. Sebastian and Agni fight them off and they are cured after a taste of Sebastian's curry buns. With the competition over, Prince Soma and Agni bid farewell to Ciel and Sebastian and return to their homeland. | |||
| 16 | "His Butler, in an Isolated Castle" "Sono Shitsuji, Kojō" (その執事、孤城) |
January 30, 2009 | February 1, 2011 |
| Ciel is informed that the abandoned Ludlow Castle that his estate owns is haunted by ghosts and the workers are too spooked to continue remodeling it into a hotel. He and Sebastian head to the castle to investigate. There they encounter the ghosts of two princes who were assassinated four centuries ago, Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York. Ciel plays a game of chess against Edward V to pass the night, in the former loses and the latter claims Sebastian as his winnings. Sebastian must serve as butler for both Edward and Richard, an order made by Ciel himself. Come nightfall, Ciel and Sebastian find a secret passageway inside the library of the castle. Edward shows them the skulls of his family on a chessboard, revealing that Richard has the missing knight chess piece. After a struggle to obtain the skull from the clutches of Richard, it is unveiled that Edward was holding a grudge against the very man who assassinated the two princes. Once the mystery is solved, the princes thank Ciel and Sebastian before departing for the afterlife, and the remodeling of Ludlow Castle resumes. | |||
| 17 | "His Butler, Offering" "Sono Shitsuji, Hōnō" (その執事、奉納) |
February 6, 2009 | February 2, 2011 |
| Ashe informs Ciel that an abandoned monastery in Preston, Lancashire has been taken over by a cult that is possibly planning to overthrow the government. Ciel and Sebastian meet up with Grell and the Undertaker, finding out that the cinematic records were stolen. The four head to the monastery to investigate. Sebastian seduces a nun named Mathilda Simmons, in order to soon learn that the cult uses a strange doomsday book to recruit new members and expose their pasts. Ciel, Sebastian, and Grell witness a cleansing ceremony in the cathedral. Ciel is later summoned that night, and he gets taken away by Angela, who reveals herself to be an angel. | |||
| 18 | "His Butler, Transmitted" "Sono Shitsuji, Tensō" (その執事、転送) |
February 13, 2009 | February 3, 2011 |
| Angela uses the cinematic record to force Ciel recall his painful past, including the events surrounding his parents' murder. but Ciel eventually rejects her attempt to rewrite his past. Meanwhile, Sebastian and Grell go the Grim Reaper library to see Spears, who tells them that Angel cannot change the past but rather change the impression of the past. Angela then uses the cinematic record to trap Ciel in a meadow face-to-face with his parents, all in order to achieve purification. Ciel overcome this by his overwhelming power of hatred. She later escapes and locks Ciel, Sebastian, Grell, the Undertaker, and Spears in the library. While Angela attempts to purify the members of the cult at the cathedral, the Undertaker uses a death bookmark on the cinematic record of Matilda to transport Sebastian, Grell, and Spears to incapacitate Angela. It is then that Angela destroys the monastery, causing all the monks and nuns to evacuate, which leads to her evasion. | |||
| 19 | "His Butler, Imprisoned" "Sono Shitsuji, Nyūrō" (その執事、入牢) |
February 20, 2009 | February 4, 2011 |
| The body of John Stanley, a man who worked under Queen Victoria, is found murdered in the River Thames. Ashe wants Ciel to retrieve an item from Stanley's body. Ciel goes to Lau, who controls the area where Stanley's body was discovered, for information. Lau does not recognize the name, but mentions a new drug, Lady Blanc, the name of which reminds Ciel of Angela. A large amount of the illicit drug is later found in one of Ciel's warehouses. Lau and Ciel are charged with drug trafficking, but Lau escapes. Ciel is separated from Sebastian, who is taken to the Tower of London. It is revealed that orders for the arrest were given by Ashe with the drugs planted as a pretext. | |||
| 20 | "His Butler, Escaping" "Sono Shitsuji, Dassō" (その執事、脱走) |
February 27, 2009 | February 7, 2011 |
| Sebastian is tortured in the Tower of London by Angela herself. Ciel continues to pursue Stanley's case on his own, though Fred Aberline, inspector of the Scotland Yard, declares his allegiance with Ciel. Ciel frees Sebastian by summoning him through their contract, and together they manage to get onto Lau's junk. Sebastian duels against Ran-Mao as Ciel confronts Lau, who turns his dao on Ciel. Aberline intercepts in time to take a fatal blow for Ciel and subsequently dies from the wound before Ciel's eyes. Sebastian strikes a blow at Lau to prevent him from continuing to fight, and escapes from the sinking junk with his master. | |||
| 21 | "His Butler, Recruiting" "Sono Shitsuji, Koyō" (その執事、雇傭) |
March 6, 2009 | February 8, 2011 |
| Ciel's servants want to impress their master, though the three seem to cause chaos instead. Ciel ponders on the Lady Blanc case, especially recounting Aberline's sacrificial death and Lau's schematic plot. The servants turn to Elizabeth about what the estate was like before they were hired, as she responded that the place was a happy environment. So they show off their hidden talents in an effort to cheer up their master and protect the Phantomhive estate. Elizabeth ask Ciel to teach her how to play chess until sundown. The backgrounds of Mey-Rin, Bardroy, and Finnian are revealed in a series of flashbacks. Mey-Rin was a sniper for hire, being asked to assassinate politicians. Bardroy was a soldier in the military, being the only survivor in his unit. Finnian was an imprisoned human test subject, being given superhuman strength. In the end, Ciel is much amused when he sees his servants covered in filth. | |||
| 22 | "His Butler, Dissolution" "Sono Shitsuji, Kaishō" (その執事、解消) |
March 13, 2009 | February 9, 2011 |
| Ciel and Sebastian head off to the Exposition Universelle in Paris to meet Queen Victoria and become wrapped up in the festivities. A taxidermy monkey suddenly springs to life and destroys the lighting equipment, so Sebastian makes Ciel escape ahead to an elevator in the Eiffel Tower. Inside he finds Queen Victoria waiting for him. The two arrive at the top of the tower, where she reveals that Ashe granted her youth. Sebastian and Ashe engage in a duel, raining debris down onto people below, so Ciel calls Sebastian off to prevent from hurting them, which angers Sebastian. The next morning Ciel realizes that Sebastian has left him alone at the hotel and is non-responsive to his summoning, so Ciel attempts to make his way back to London on his own. He barely makes it to the port, where he spends the night sleeping cold and hungry on the docks. Meanwhile at the Phantomhive estate, Ashe takes control of Pluto and sets the property around the mansion on fire. | |||
| 23 | "His Butler, Up In Flames" "Sono Shitsuji, Enjō" (その執事、炎上) |
March 20, 2009 | February 10, 2011 |
| The Phantomhive estate is burnt to the ground and Tanaka is seen writing in his diary alone in the debris. Ciel stows away in the cargo hold of a London-bound steamship, where he meets the Undertaker, who informs Ciel that he is about to die. The great fire in London has taken many lives yet it remains unabated, turning the once-beautiful city into a literal "hell on earth". Ciel wanders through the streets and eventually finds his servants trying to tranquilize a rampaging Pluto. He comes to a decision and gives the servants the order to kill Pluto. It is seen that Angela and Ashe are merged together as one angel, as they try to convince Sebastian to join forces with them, but to no avail. Ciel then makes his way to Windsor Castle on horseback, where he discovers Queen Victoria dead. The palace guards believe that Ciel murdered her, as they shoot him. When the guards try to shoot him again, Sebastian appears and saves Ciel. The pair takes off toward the heart of London. | |||
| 24 | "His Butler, Fluent" "Sono Shitsuji, Tōtō" (その執事、滔滔) |
March 27, 2009 | February 11, 2011 |
| Ciel heads to the Tower Bridge that is still in mid-construction with Sebastian, where he finds a merged Angela and Ashe. Ciel commands Sebastian to kill the angel. Ciel's servants have taken down Pluto. Grell, the Undertaker, and Spears cut off the supply of souls that fuel the strength of Angela and Ashe. And Sebastian reverts to his true demonic form to defeat them. In the aftermath, a false Queen Victoria emerges and urges London to begin rebuilding. Ciel wakes up being ferried by Sebastian on an ominous river to an unknown location. Sebastian hands Ciel Tanaka's diary, in which Tanaka details the former Earl Phantomhive's knowledge of his impending death. Sebastian and Ciel land at the rubble of a mansion, where Ciel calmly waits for Sebastian to take his soul. Ciel's final order to Sebastian is to make the process as painful as possible, so as to carve the pain of his life into his soul, to which Sebastian agrees. | |||
| OVA | "His Butler, Performer" "Sono Shitsuji, Kōgyō" (その執事、興行) |
—— | February 14, 2011 |
| Ciel and Sebastian are celebrating their third year anniversary of PhantomHive Company, by hosting Hamlet as the play for an orphan charity. However, all the actors hired to perform in the play will not arrive in town for another week due to a shipwreck. Since the play cannot be postponed, Sebastian is ordered by Ciel to make the play a success regardless. Sebastian rallies up the whole group together to be in the play, and they are visited by mostly every character in the series in this episode. Though the plot was ultimately altered, the play turns out, for the most part, a success. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Black Butler Episodes, Episode List
Famous quotes containing the word season:
“The season developed and matured. Another year’s installment of flowers, leaves, nightingales, thrushes, finches, and such ephemeral creatures, took up their positions where only a year ago others had stood in their place when these were nothing more than germs and inorganic particles. Rays from the sunrise drew forth the buds and stretched them into long stalks, lifted up sap in noiseless streams, opened petals, and sucked out scents in invisible jets and breathings.”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)