Black Butler - Ciel's Relatives and Associates / Characters

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Phantomhive Family

Vincent Phantomhive and Rachel Phantomhive née Dalles

Vincent is voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu (JP), Robert McCollum (EN), Luis Leonardo Suárez (Latin American Spanish)

Rachel is voiced by: Kana Uetake (JP), Brina Palencia (EN), Carla Castañeda (Latin American Spanish)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vincent_and_rachel.png

The lates counts of Phantomhive and Ciel's deceased parents.

Aristocrats Are Evil: Vincent was said to have been the Queen's Watchdog before Ciel succeeded him, and it's subtly implied that he committed actions of dubious nature just like Ciel has. In fact, Word of God once stated that it would have been impossible for Vincent to have been a good person given how twisted Ciel turned out.
Cool Big Sis: Rachel was very loving and doting towards her younger sister Angelina.
Death by Origin Story: Crossed with Plot-Triggering Death. Their tragic deaths in the backstory are one of Ciel's main motivations for revenge, kickstarting the events that lead to him making a Deal with the Devil (AKA Sebastian) and taking the title of Earl.
Deceased Parents Are the Best: They are described and remembered as loving and devoted parents. In the case that sick 'Ciel' would survive his twin, Vincent was ready to throw his family's strenuous duty as the Queen's Watchdog to ensure his remaining son would survive, even if it means losing his fortune and land.
Delicate and Sickly: Rachel had a fragile health because of her asthma. Her younger sister became a doctor to help her.
Motherly Side Plait: Rachel, Ciel's late mother, wore her hair in a loose ponytail over her right shoulder.
Posthumous Character: They have been dead for 3 years by the time the story takes places. We only see them alive in flashbacks.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Vincent was a tall, dark-haired, and handsome young man.
Together in Death: Their son found their corpses embracing each other.

Claudia Phantomhive

Ciel's paternal grandmother with a mysterious yet highly important connection to Undertaker.

Posthumous Character: Though she is long dead by the time the series takes place, her name is engraved in one of the Undertaker's "precious" lockets, which is currently in Ciel's hands.

Ciel's brother - Major, unmarked spoilers within

True Ciel Phantomhive

Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (JP), Brina Palencia (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/true_ciel_cover.png

"I'll never leave your side again. I've come home."

The older twin brother of 'Ciel' and rightful heir of the Phantomhive Earldom. His twin assumed his name and identity after his death. However, the real Ciel was brought back to life.

Always Identical Twins: He looks identical to his twin brother, the only major difference between them being that this Ciel's eyes are drawn in the same way as Ciel's father, Vincent.
Ambiguously Evil: The true Ciel's core motives and moral alignment are still unknown, but it is all but stated that he is the one who attempted to kill Soma and has the Blue Cult under his thumb as Master Sirius.
Arc Villain: Of the Blue Cult arc. Once he reveals himself, he kills Agni and leaves Soma convinced 'Ciel' was the killer, turns Lizzie against 'Ciel', and frames his own brother for the Blue Cult's crimes.
Back from the Dead: Undertaker found a way to bring True Ciel back to life in a much more conventional state than the Bizarre Dolls.
Bathe Her and Bring Her to Me: Before the twins were brought to the cult, their buyer saw fit to bathe them, feed them, and dress them in elaborate costumes.
Big Brother Instinct: Flashbacks show Ciel deeply cared about his weak twin brother and always looked after him. He even wanted to become the Earl in order to help his brother when he was in trouble.
Broken Pedestal: To his brother. Soon after being brought back to life, he completely destroys the idealized image of the kind, good older brother in his brother's memories when he comes back to steal everything his brother spent 3 years building with his hard work and frames him as the mastermind of the Blue Cult.
Cain and Abel: In a non-lethal, but still twisted way. After his revival, he reunites with his brother so he can reveal him as an impostor and frame him for the murders of the Blue Cult. He lets his brother's servants save him from arrest to have their "first real fight", the conflict being his twisted obsession with 'Ciel' and the title of earl.
Came Back Wrong: Unlike other Bizarre Dolls, he looks and acts mostly human, but it's implied his resurrection was still far from perfect. He apparently needs constant blood transfusions to prevent his body from decaying and doesn't seem to be in the right state of mind, to say the least.
Cheerful Child: In sharp contrast to his shy twin brother, he was a very confident and lively kid.
The Chessmaster: Much like his brother. He manipulates several events to frame his brother for his own crimes as Master Sirius and Agni's murder as well.
Declaration of Protection: Promised his twin brother he would protect him during their time in captivity. Sadly, the real Ciel was killed soon after that.
Dies Wide Open: After he was stabbed through the chest, his corpse was left with the eyes open. His brother closed his eyes.
Evil Twin: It's implied that after being revived as a Bizarre Doll, his personality drastically changed to becoming a cold, manipulative, and twisted person. He has no problem framing his twin brother for being an identity thief and for being the mastermind of the Blue Cult.
Family Eye Resemblance: While his twin brother has their mother's eyes, the true Ciel inherited their father's eyes.
Foreshadowing: There is an ungodly huge amount of subtle foreshadowing throughout the manga that uses clever use of panel direction and minor visual cues to hint at the existence of a second Ciel, such as Vincent holding the hands of two boys during Baron Kelvin's flashback to meeting Ciel for the first time, with the one not introducing himself to Kelvin hiding behind Vincent.
Hidden Villain: His very existence was carefully hidden from the audience for a big part of the manga's run for the sake of the extremely shocking reveal that the main culprit behind the Sphere Music Hall's blood collection is the Earl's undead twin brother. His corpse was preserved by Undertaker for 3 years and was reanimated during the Campania arc, with none of this being revealed until he reunites with his brother and it is finally made clear the Earl was impersonating his twin brother all along.
Human Sacrifice: Killed by a sect as part of a cult that resulted in Sebastian being summoned.
It's Personal: While indifferent towards anyone who isn't his brother, he clearly stated that he strongly dislikes Sebastian for devouring his soul in the past and then manipulating his twin brother into forming a Deal with the Devil.
Living Emotional Crutch: Even after losing their home, their parents, and being sold to a depraved cult that put them through unspeakable things, Ciel's brother didn't cross the Despair Event Horizon until he saw Ciel being killed right in front of him.
Please, Don't Leave Me: After he heard his twin brother wanted to leave the Phantomhive state and open a toy store in London, he became sad because he didn't want to ever be apart from his twin and would feel lonely without him. His brother tried to comfort him by reminding him he would still have Lizzy by his side, but even that didn't cheer up him.
Plot-Triggering Death: His death at hands of the evil cult caused Sebastian to come to the human world and convince Ciel's brother to make a contract with him.
Polar Opposite Twins: In their early childhood, he was cheerful and confident in contrast to his shy and insecure twin brother. After his revival, he and his twin are similarly ruthless, but his twin still has some good in him while he has none.
Rape as Backstory: The twins were gang raped by the cult to make them into worthy sacrifices.
Slave Brand: The twins were branded as devil's sacrifices when they were held captive by the evil cult.
The Soulless: His soul was devoured by Sebastian during the summoning ritual. The thing that has been brought back by Undertaker is a malevolent living corpse without a soul.
Stronger Sibling: Unlike his sickly and shy twin brother, the real Ciel was healthy and had a more confident character.
Strong Family Resemblance: Like his twin, he strongly resembles his father, Vincent.
Tsurime Eyes: Fitting of his more bold character, his eyes are drawn sharper, like his father. This is the main difference between him and his twin brother.
The Undead: He died 3 years ago and has been brought back as a Bizarre Doll by Undertaker.
Undead Child: He died when he was 10 years old. Undertaker preserved his corpse and gave it nutrients to make it grow to the age of 13 before succeeding in reanimating it by altering his life's record.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Flashbacks show he was an adorable Cheerful Child who look after his sickly twin when alive. When he returns as a Bizarre Doll, he is a cold Yandere and hides a very manipulative nature behind his smile.
Walking Spoiler: Knowing there is another Ciel is a major give away for one of the biggest revelations in the manga.
Yandere: Flashbacks show hints that he had a dark obsession with taking care of his twin brother, even before he became a Bizarre Doll.

Midford Household

In General

Badass Family: The Midford family is made of master swordsmen and knights who protect England (and presumably the other two countries that make up Great Britain). Everyone in the family receives harsh training.
Badass Normal: In the Campania arc, Sebastian offers to protect them from the Bizarre Dolls, but the Midfords are perfectly capable of defending themselves because they all have been trained in swordsmanship for years.

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Midford

Voiced by: Yukari Tamura (JP), Cherami Leigh (EN)^{Foreign VAs}

Live actor: Momoko Okazaki (Musical)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elizabeth_midford_film.png

"Low-heeled shoes, Mother's teachings, a sword to protect you... These are the nice things my current self is made of."

Daughter of the leader of the British Knights, as well as Ciel's cousin and fiancée.

Action Girl: Crossed with Beware of the Nice Ones and Badass Adorable. Like the rest of the Midfords, Lizzy is a very talented and powerful Master Swordswoman. Once she stops hiding it to protect Ciel, the young mistress shows Dual Wielding towards hordes of zombies and even put up a fight against Sebastian.
Anime Hair: Her drilled twintails can't possibly be achieved in real life without lots of curlers and hair gel. As Lizzy's hair seems to be naturally straight◊, it isn't possible without several curlers for her, as well.
Badass Boast: Crossed with I Am X, Son of Y. Gives one during her CMoA in the Campania Arc.
Elizabeth: I am the daughter of the leader of the British Knights, Marquis Alexis Leon Midford - Elizabeth! The wife of the Queen's Watchdog!
Big Brother Worship: To Edward. Though he isn't as talented as her, Lizzy admires her brother's determination and caring nature, much to his great satisfaction... But he overstates the most of the time and loudly opposes her Arranged Marriage.
Break the Cutie: Crossed with Jerkass Realization, Love Hurts, and You Should Have Died Instead. Ever since she found out the Ciel she has been hanging out with stole his twin's identity and the Real Ciel is in an undead state, Lizzy completely loses her cheerful demeanor, looks deeply hurt, and is plagued by self-loathing. It gets worse when she admitted to Edward that she initially blamed the fake Ciel for impersonating her fiance and toying with her emotions, but she then had a horrible realization - if the fake Ciel told her family that his twin brother was dead, they would have wished he, the sickly twin who was mostly isolated from the earldom, was dead and his brother was still alive. She is absolutely horrified at the mere possibility that she is the sort of person who could have thought something like that. Realizing that the basis of her relationship with the fake Ciel was an act and her bond with the real Ciel the result of an Arranged Marriage, she declares that her love for both twins is fake.
Broken Tears: Lizzy broke down uncontrollably in her brother's chest after Ciel's twin brother and Sebastian are arrested by Scotland Yard.
Dance Battler: Crossed with Waif-Fu. Lizzy does a number of pirouettes and ballet-like moves as she fences. She almost becomes a mini hurricane in battle.
Death Glare: Little Lizzy is so badass that when Grell was about to make an entrance, the former pointed a sword and glared at her.
Elegant Gothic Lolita: Loves to dress in cute, frilly gowns. Unsurprising, given the time period.
Every Proper Lady Should Curtsy: Lizzy gracefully does so when greeting Sebastian.
Et Tu, Brute?: Lizzy helps the real Ciel expose his twin brother's true identity to the Scotland Yard and her family. This, among many recent shocks, leaves the fake Ciel distraught.
Genki Girl: Crossed with Stepford Smile. Lizzy is a very cheerful, energetic girl always ready to jump at her friends to give them a hug. Behind that bubbly smile, however, she keeps most of her fears and worries inside her head, out of the belief that attractive girls must be all smiles and not cause concern to others around.
Elizabeth: Ciel finally returned to the mansion, but wasn't able to laugh anymore... Why is it as though we always seem to end up going in circles? How can I bring back his smile?
Girlish Pigtails: She's a young girl obsessed with cute and girly stuff. Fittingly, her hair is always styled into large pigtails.
Girly Bruiser: Lizzy is really girly and obsessed with anything cute. She's also a deadly swordswoman prodigy who can slash a horde of zombies and keep up against a demon on her own.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Her gold hair highlights her sunny disposition and caring personality.
Hired Help as Family: Lizzy treats her maid Paula as a dear friend. In return, Paula thinks of her as a little sister more than a mistress. Her attempts at cheering Lizzie up are So Unfunny, It's Funny.
It's All My Fault: After Our Ciel and Sebestian's arrest, Lizzy blames herself that she failed to recognize the Ciel she been with for three years was not the real Ciel.
Kissing Cousins: Lizzy and Ciel are cousins from her mother's side and engaged to be married. Not that this was unusual for this time period.
Lady of War: Despite her fear to be seen as unladylike, she manages to look graceful and elegant while slashing monsters.
Locked Out of the Loop: Like most people, with many things regarding Ciel. Such as what happened during the month he was kidnapped or even the fact that he has asthma. He probably keeps these things from Lizzy in order to not reveal his secret.
Morality Chain: Her entire reason for existence seems to be a Love Martyr who keeps Ciel from falling into the abyss, both emotionally and physically.
More than Mind Control: It is initially assumed the Blue Cult is controlling Lizzie somehow and that's why she ran off home to guard their place. It is later revealed she has reunited with the real Ciel, discovering that 'Ciel' is his impostor twin brother. She refuses to return to the latter's side because she can no longer trust him and, while doubtful if it is right, stays to the real Ciel's in order to protect him.
No Listening Skills: Elizabeth isn't a very attentive listener, which often causes problems, much to Ciel's annoyance. In her introductory appearance, she refuses to listen to him when he tries to object to the idea to organize a dance party and inviting him to dance, despite her adversion. When she complains about using his blue ring the party, Ciel explains it is a heirloom item, but she didn't listen until the end, claiming she was kidding and snatching the ring away. She even refused to give it back when he told her to, instead she breaks it in a fit, which provokes Ciel's ire.
No Guy Wants an Amazon: Crossed with Deliberately Distressed Damsel. Very good Descontructions and later Subversions. Thinking Ciel wouldn't like her enough if she was too "brash and uncute", Lizzy didn't use her swordmanship skills until there was no choice. It is shown that she also did these things in order to try to maintain his pride, but it harmed her self-esteem in the process. However, once Ciel came back home alive after being missing for an entire month, Lizzy makes a Declaration of Protection that she would become a wife capable of defending him, which she began to do after building up courage in the Campania arc. Both kids clearly like the change.
Non-Idle Rich: Comes from a noble family, yet her mother wouldn't let her just be an elegant lady and taught her how to fight.
Obfuscating Stupidity: Lizzy isn't so harmless or naive as she appears. In this case, it's to fool Ciel into thinking she's someone he needs to protect, instead of the other way around.
Ojou: Lizzy belongs to a highly influential noble family and her father is a marquess.
Outdated Outfit: By about thirty years, if not more, as has been the case for most of the feminine fashions in the manga and anime alike. Most of Lizzie's dresses look like they belong in the 1840s, '50s or perhaps early '60s, not 1889, but a lot of them just plain are not Victorian.
Overly Long Name: Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford" is her full name. It's not unusual for the period either. For obvious reasons, she prefers to be called "Lizzy" as an Affectionate Nickname.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: She's engaged to Ciel because of an arrangement between their families. Although he can find Lizzie tiresome at times, Ciel does seem to have warmed up to their relationship and Lizzie herself also seems quite happy about it. However, finding out her fiancé isn't the real Ciel makes Lizzie question her feelings very severely.
Plucky Girl: Crossed with Violently Protective Girlfriend. It isn't obvious at first, but Lizzie eventually reveals a brave side who is determined to face any danger to protect Ciel.
Protectorate: To Ciel, at first. He once threw himself in front of a bear for her and did whatever he could to make sure she was safe from a ship load of zombies. It is lampshaded in chapter 58 she even stated that her goal was to become a wife Ciel could protect. Then she decided to change into a wife who can protect Ciel.
Silk Hiding Steel: More like Sugar Hiding Steel. Lizzy does her best to be a feminine young lady, but uses her exceptional fencing skills when needed. Despite her fear to be seen as uncute, she manages to look graceful and elegant while slashing monsters.
Skewed Priorities: During the Campania arc, Ciel instructs Lizzy to take off her dress and climb a wall to escape the sinking ship's boiler room before it becomes filled with water. Lizzy refuses because she would rather die than letting Ciel see her behaving in an unladylike manner. Ciel then tears off Lizzy's dress himself and reminds her that if she dies, everything will be over and she will never be able to wear the dresses she loves again.
Spot the Thread: Lizzy figures out that something is wrong when Ciel fails to recall details about previous Easters spent together. She then proposes an elaborate contest to confirm it.
Strong Girl, Smart Guy: Ciel is quite The Chessmaster, while Lizzy is a young Lady of War.
Woman Scorned: Played for Laughs when Lizzy finds Ciel in a compromising position with Sieglinde and Lizzy thinks Ciel is cheating on her. He admits that facing a tank was less terrifying than Lizzy's wrath.

Francis Midford née Phantomhive

Francis Midford

Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (JP), Elizabeth Maxwell (EN)^{Foreign VAs}

Live actor: Mio Akisono (Musical)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/francis_midford_film.png

"Have you no faith in our swords?"

A knight of the Order of the Garter, Ciel's aunt on his father's side, and Elizabeth and Edward's mother.

Action Mom: She's an exceptional swordswoman and personally trained her children in swordsmanship.
Affectionate Nickname: Her brother Vincent called her "Frannie".
The Dreaded: Played for Laughs, but also straight. Francis has a reputation for being a harridan, sure, but she is also one of the few people who could conceivably uncover Sebastian and Ciel's secrets through sheer intellect.
Etiquette Nazi: She will chivvy anybody she thinks lacks decorum or taste and doesn't think twice about making them fit what she thinks is proper.
Gender-Blender Name: Francis is originally and typically a masculine name. The homophone Frances is the feminine version.
Iron Lady: The uncompromising attitude, high standards, hair: she's this all over. She not only can easily put Ciel in his place, also can make Sebastian break out in a cold sweat with her sheer intimidation factor.
Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: During the Campania arc, Francis is decked out in a semi-opulent, floor-length pseudo-Victorian dress, but it does little to hamper her skill with the sword.
Lady of War: Crossed with Action Mom. Francis is a Proper Lady, genius fencer, and expert markswoman. Despite being older and having birthed two children, her strength is not to be underestimated. She elegantly takes on the zombies abroad the Campania to protect the passengers, sword in hand.
Non-Idle Rich: Francis continues to train swordmanship rigorously and ensures her children receive the same education. In the past, she trained the real Ciel as part of his education as the Queen's Watchdog.
Prim and Proper Bun: Her hair is usually styled in a neat bun, frequently berates Ciel and his servants for "sporting untidy hairstyles" by letting their bangs extend over their eyes.

Edward Midford

Voiced by: Seiichirō Yamashita (JP), Justin Briner (EN)^{Foreign VAs}

Live actors: Akiyoshi Utsumi [2017-2018]; Takuto Nakajima [2021-Current] (Musical)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/edward_midford.png

Elizabeth's older brother and Ciel's cousin.

Ambiguously Bi: Edward blushes when Sebastian gives him a hands-on demonstration of how to be "a heartbreaker."
Big Brother Instinct: He adores his little sister and wants protect her... but he overstates the most of the time.
Big Damn Heroes: With Greenhill in chapter 71, Edward saves Ciel.
Cool Big Bro: Lizzy thinks so, to Edward's great satisfaction.
Determinator: Edward is not a genius like his relatives, so he doubles his efforts to learn from those more talented than him.
Distracted by the Sexy: While playing cricket, Edward gets distracted by Lau's scantily-clad women.
Even the Guys Want Him: When he gets into his "heartbreaker" persona, even men are shown to be blushing over him.
My Sister Is Off-Limits: Edward loudly opposes Lizzy and Ciel's Arranged Marriage.
Secret-Keeper: Became this to prevent a scandal if he were to reveal the true deaths of the missing students and Vice-Principal and their fates.
You Are in Command Now: After Greenhill's expulsion, Edward becomes the Prefect of the Green House at Weston College.

Alexis Leon Midford

Voiced by: Joji Nakata (JP), Jeremy Schwartz (EN)^{Foreign VAs}

Live actors: Kōzō Nasu (Musical)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alexis_leon_midford.png

The head of the Order of the Garter, husband of Francis, and father of Edward and Elizabeth.

Action Dad: Like his wife and children, Alexis is a Master Swordsman. He fights at their side at the Campania arc.
Amazon Chaser: Alexis fell in love with Francis when she managed to defeat him in a fencing duel.
Shared Family Quirks: He is as overaffectionate as his daughter.

Paula

Voiced by: Yui Itsuki (JP), Jessica Cavanagh (EN)^{Foreign VAs}

The maid and dear friend of Elizabeth.

Broken Tears: In chapter 129, despite being reunited with Edward, she looks very saddened after he mentions his sister's whereabouts. She sadly states that Elizabeth "has gone to where she belongs". After that she continues to shed tears uncontrollably.
Canon Immigrant: Originally an anime-only character, she later makes multiple appearances in Lizzie's flashbacks in the Ship Voyage arc in the manga, then appears in the present (albeit as a cameo) with Elizabeth as a spectator of the cricket tournament in the Public School arc, and then once more at the beginning of the Blue Order arc.
Character Catchphrase: "Jingle jingle!"
Curtains Match the Window: Paula has brown eyes and hair.
Damsel in Distress: In the manga, it was revealed during Blue Cult arc that she was forced against her will to work at Sphere Music Hall until Scotland Yard raided the hall, but they detail Paula and send a notice to Edward afterwards.
Hired Help as Family: Elizabeth treats her as a friend and Paula thinks of her as a little sister more than a mistress in return.
Lady-In-Waiting: She works as Elizabeth's personal maid.
No Full Name Given: Only her first name is known.
Satellite Character: She was created to accompany Elizabeth in the anime. Even after she was included in the manga, she appears very little and has no characterization beyond caring about Elizabeth.
So Unfunny, It's Funny: Her attempts at cheering Lizzie up in the anime are very awkward, but endearing.

Burnett Family

Angelina "Madam Red" Burnett née Dalles

Angelina "Madam Red" Dalles

Voiced by: Romi Park (JP), Lydia Mackay (EN)^{Foreign VAs}

Live actors: Akane Liv (Musical)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BBRed_502.jpg

"I used to hate my red hair that was just like my father's. I used to hate red."

A beautiful doctor, Ciel's aunt, and the younger sister of his Missing Mom Rachel.

Anti-Villain: She did some monstrous things, but it's pretty hard not to have some sympathy for her.
Arc Villain: She's one of the two culprits of the Jack the Ripper arc.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She presents herself as a kindly and doting aunt to Ciel, but she's really half of Jack the Ripper, punishing prostitutes for requesting abortions while she can't have kids because of an accident that also killed her husband. She also secretly resents Ciel for surviving even though his father, who she loved, died. It's Zig-Zagged since at the end she couldn't bring herself to kill Ciel because she really did care for him.
Blood Lust: Just as her fixation with the color red, she developed a fascination with blood after she started murdering prostitutes.
Broken Bird: She was a sweet and innocent woman, but being denied happiness many times and losing almost her entire family left her with many screws loose.
Buxom Beauty Standard: When she was a teenager, she thought of herself as unattractive, but her older sister told her that wasn't true, pointing out Angelina's ample bust as one of her attractive features.
Cannot Tell a Joke: When trying to pay the Undertaker's "fee" she resorts to a story she heard from gossip. What follows is a Cluster Bleep-Bomb that ends with her and Lau gagged.
Classy Cravat: Her red dress has a white cravat, as befits an aristocrat.
Collective Identity: She's half of Jack the Ripper, along with Grell.
Color Character: Her nickname, Madam Red, which she was given because of her red hair and red dresses.
Color Motif: Red, which is the color of her hair and clothes as well as part of her nickname.
Cool Aunt: She's a very loving aunt to Ciel, thinking of him as her own child.
Cool Car: Drives a Lamborghini Countach in the "Making Of" episode of the Second Season OVA.
Curtains Match the Window: Red hair and eyes.
A Death in the Limelight: She appears to be an important major character in the first arc of the series, only to be murdered by her own butler (who also happened to be a Shinigami), complete with a half-chapter montage of her story.
Dies Wide Open: She dies with her eyes open after being killed by Grell. Her nephew closes them.
Driven by Envy: She envied the pregnant prostitutes who came to her clinic for abortions... so she killed them.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: She's a Serial Killer and tries to kill her nephew when he discovers she's behind the murders, but she's unable to hurt her nephew because she loves him like her own son.
Evil Aunt: Played With. She was a Serial Killer and tried to stab her own nephew out of resentment that his father married her sister instead of her, but she couldn't bring herself to hurt her nephew because she did love him like her own child and this got her killed.
Evil Redhead: More like very broken redhead, though. She's half of Jack the Ripper and has brutally murdered prostitutes along with Grell, but it's difficult to not sympathize with the circumstances that lead her to do it.
The Fashionista: She has a great love for fashion and dresses. She's the one who picks the pink dress her nephew must put on for disguise.
Freudian Excuse: She lost her ability to give birth in the accident that killed her husband and her unborn child. She started killing prostitutes that went through abortions because they threw away what she lost and now could never have.
The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Crossed with Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other. Since she couldn't be as beautiful as her older sister, she studied medicine and became a doctor. Another reason was to try to cure her sister's asthma, of course.
Good Girl Gone Bad: She was a really sweet girl who only wished for the man she loved to be happy with her big sister, but then she lost her husband, her unborn child, shortly followed by the man she loved and her sister and then she was forced to give abortions to prostitutes. All this broke her and she became half of the infamous Serial Killer Jack the Ripper.
Gossipy Hens: If her attempt to make Undertaker laugh is any indication.
Hiding Behind Your Bangs: As a young girl, she was quite shy and used to have long bangs to hide her face in. She cut her bangs after Vincent said he liked her red hair and she gained more confidence thanks to it.
Historical Gender Flip: While the true identity of Jack the Ripper is a famous mystery, it's widely accepted that the Serial Killer was male. In this manga, Jack the Ripper was a female doctor with a grudge against protitutes who had abortions and a Grim Reaper transwoman acted as her accomplice.
Hospital Hottie: She's a doctor and a beautiful one at that.
I Am Not Pretty: In her youth, she thought she wasn't pretty like Rachel, mainly due to her red hair which she saw as undesirable. She started changing her mind when Vincent complimented her hair color.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: She's stabbed through the chest by Grell's chainsaw.
Important Haircut: She used to have longer hair before she started killing people. She cut it after she got it stained with the blood of her victims.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: She tried to convince herself that she was happy as long as Vincent and Rachel were happy. However, there was always some resentment in her heart over their marriage.
Killed Mid-Sentence: She's killed by Grell just as she's about to say she can't kill her nephew because he's her child.
Like a Son to Me: She thinks of Ciel as her own son. This saves Ciel's life, actually, and costs Angelina her own.
Mad Doctor: She murdered the prostitutes that asked her for abortions.
Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: She used her medical knowledge to mutilate the bodies of the prostitutes that asked her for abortions.
Non-Idle Rich: Being a noble didn't stop her from studying medicine and becoming a doctor.
Obfuscating Stupidity: She poses as a carefree and goofy aunt to avoid the suspicion that she's a Serial Killer.
Only Known by Their Nickname: She's mainly referred to by her nickname "Madam Red" instead of her real name Angelina. Even her nephew calls her Madam Red.
Pining After Protagonist's Parent: She was in love with Earl Vincent Phantomhive. However, he married her sister and they gave birth to her nephew, Ciel. Angelina tried to move on, but she never completely let go of Ciel's father. Despite everything, Angelina does love Ciel like he was her own son.
Precocious Crush: When she was a young teenager, she was enamored with Vincent Phantomhive, who would go on to marry her sister Rachel.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: She has red eyes and is secretly a Serial Killer who murders prostitutes brutally.
Redheads Are Ravishing: She inherited her father's red hair and she envied her older sister's flaxen hair. She was self-conscious about her hair color until Vincent told her that her red hair was beautiful, comparing it to the color of the flower lycoris.
The Resenter: She started murdering prostitutes out of resentment that they would go through abortions while she couldn't have children.
Shrinking Violet: When she was younger, she was very shy and lacked self-confidence because of her hair color.
Sibling Triangle: She was in love with the man her sister Rachel married. Although she found another man and married, she never stopped loving Vincent.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She fell in love with Vincent because he was the first to tell that her red hair was beautiful.
Stepford Smiler: A combination of the Depressed and Unstable types. She acts as a cheerful and playful aunt during most of her appearances. Then we learn Madam Red has really been completely destroyed by the consecutive tragedies and unfairness that have plagued her life. All this drove her to become a deranged Serial Killer that is known as half of Jack the Ripper.
Tragic Stillbirth: She married a good man and got pregnant with his child. Tragedy hit when an accident killed her husband and caused her to miscarriage. To make it worse, she had her womb removed to save her life, leaving her unable to start a family ever again. After being forced to perform abortions for prostitutes, Madam Red snapped and began killing the prostitutes out of rage that she would throw away what was so precious and she wished for so badly.
Trauma Conga Line: The love of her life marries her older sister, though Red still manages to marry a good and loving Nice Guy anyway. Then, after getting her medical license, her husband and unborn child are killed and she has to have a hysterectomy. She then loses both her sister and the love of her life in a fire. After all of this, she gives abortions to prostitutes. Yikes Jealous of the pregnancies they can't keep or don't want, she begins killing them, which is where Grell steps in. However, when faced with more or less getting away with her murders so long as Grell keeps Sebastian busy and she murders Ciel, poor Red can't bring herself to kill her nephew "who was like a son to her"... and is promptly chainsawed by Grell.
Walking Spoiler: It's hard to talk about her without revealing her identity as Jack the Ripper and her death early in the series.
Why Can't I Hate You?: She envied Rachel for her beauty and marriage to Vincent, who Angelina also loved. However, Rachel was such a good and caring sister that she could never bring herself to hate her. Her feelings became a lot more complicated after Vincent and Rachel died; while she did mourn them both, Angelina couldn't stop herself from resenting the fact that Rachel got to die together with Vincent while she had to live on all alone.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: A dangerous Serial Killer who murdered and mutilated prostitutes, but she did it out of resentment that they would ask her for abortions after she lost her family and ability to have children.

Baron Burnett

Burnett

Madam Red's deceased husband.

Eyes Out of Sight: He only has one panel in the entire manga that doesn't have his eyes drawn on his face.
Nice Guy: He's described as an 'honest and pure man who treats [Angelina] very well'. Most notably, he knew Angelina loved another man (namely Vincent) more than she loved him and was completely fine with it.
No Full Name Given: His first name is never mentioned. Only his surname is known because of Angelina's married name.
Posthumous Character: He died in an accident years before the start of the series.
Second Love: Subverted. Angelina married him even though her heart never stopped pining after Vincent, hoping that starting her own family would help ease the pain of her heartbreak. Sadly, her husband died in an accident and things only went downhill from there.

Ciel's Associates

Undertaker

Voiced by: Jun'ichi Suwabe (JP), John Swasey (EN)^{Foreign VAs}

Live actors: Shūhei Izumi [2009-2018]; Ryosuke Okada [2021-Current] (Musical)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/undertaker_film.png

"Because you hold great power, you gradually fail to understand the importance of things that cannot be recovered. You will realize once it's too late."

A funeral director in London who has acted as an informant to the Phantomhive family for many years.

Absurdly Sharp Blade: As with every Grim Reaper, his Death Scythe can cut through anything except for other Death Scythes. When combined with his green energy, he can cut the local Titanic Expy in half in an instant.
Adaptational Heroism: When the first anime adaptation diverges from the manga, the Undertaker's character does as well. He's a Grim Reaper in both, but in the first anime, he's simply retired whereas in the manga, he's a renegade. The first anime plays him up as a Bunny-Ears Lawyer who comes to help in stopping Ash whereas the manga plays him as a Not-So-Harmless Villain who edges closer and closer to being a central antagonist.
Ambiguously Evil: Not outright evil, but certainly not on the good guys' side, either.
Badass Long Robe: Full of grave markers that may as well be spears.
Badass Preacher: Well, if said priest was also a J-Rocker. He's wearing the collar in any case.
Beautiful All Along: In chapter 59 of the manga he finally sweps his hair back and reveals himself as one hell of a Bishōnen. Cue the fangirls squee, of course.
Beware the Silly Ones: He's a ridiculous Cloudcuckoolander who demands payment in jokes. He's also a highly trained shinigami, and as such can be extremely dangerous when he wants to be.
Blind Seer: He tells Grell and Ronald that they're novices if they're "still using their eyes to see," implying that he's just as near-sighted as them but has found a way to move past relying on his vision.
Blind Weaponmaster: As a Grim Reaper, he's supposed to have very poor vision. This doesn't appear to be an inconvenience to him since he can wield his Sinister Scythe and single-handedly take on Sebastian, Grell and Ronald at the same time. And Undertaker had the upper hand the entire fight.
Cheshire Cat Grin: His default expression is a wide grin that makes it look like he's always amused.
Creepy Good: In the beginning of the series at least, and in the first two seasons of the anime. As of Chapter 60, not so much considering what's he up to in that arc though he still appears to care about Ciel.
Driven to Suicide: He's a Grim Reaper, meaning he was a human who killed himself.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Whatever connection he must have with Ciel's grandmother is unknown, but part of the reason why the Undertaker revived the real Ciel is because he didn't want to lose anymore Phantomhives, showing that he cares about the family rather deeply. Doesn't stop him from helping the true Ciel ousting Our Ciel as a liar and framing him for the Blue Cult murders, though.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Even the fellow reapers only call him the "Undertaker". His true name has yet to be revealed.
Eye-Obscuring Hat: Sometimes, his hat obscures his face.
Femme Fatalons: He is a male example with his long, painted black fingernails and progressively villainous role.
Flash Step: Displays this when posing as Weston's Principal. Sebastian himself failed to catch him.
For the Evulz: Morbid laughs are the only reason he does anything; in most settings, this would be classified as It Amused Me, but given the Evil Versus Evil of the setting and the fact The Undertaker is responsible for the zombie outbreak going on just because he thought it'd be funny to see what happened if he helped an idiot scientist reanimate corpses, the Undertaker's amusement can be seen in a rather negative light.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: It's as if his skull's had to have been stitched back together... and maybe it has.
Hidden Agenda Villain: The explanation he gives Ciel during the Atlantic arc is filled with Ambiguous Syntax and possible Double Meanings, with things like "At first (my motive) was curiosity," and "Those people wanted to test (the bizarre dolls)."
Hiding Behind Your Bangs: He's the most mysterious and shadiest character in the series. He uses his long bangs to hide his eyes because he's a rogue Grim Reaper.
Improbable Weapon User: He wields a set of eleven sotoba, wooden grave markers with inscriptions written on them, using them as both melee and thrown weapons. Ten of the sotoba are able to be destroyed, but the last can't, even by a Grim Reaper's scythe - because, as he reveals when he gets serious, it is his own Sinister Scythe in disguise.
In-Series Nickname: He was nicknamed "Silver Fox" by Othello because his Grim Reaper registration number was too long.
Inhuman Eye Concealers: In the first few arcs, his eyes are covered by his long bangs. During "Book of Atlantic", we discover he was hiding his phosphorescent green eyes, which mark him as a Grim Reaper.
Just Toying with Them: During the first half of his fight against Sebastian, Grelle, and Ronald, he wields only a set of eleven slowly decreasing sotoba as weapons, with ten normal grave markers and one unbreakable one which he juggles around, and he mostly acts defensively with his natural abilities - and even then, he still is delivering a Curb-Stomp Battle. When he stops holding back as much, the eleventh sotoba transforms into his Death Scythe, which he's much more aggressive with, and he augments his actions with massive blasts of green energy. Even then, he's not at full power, as he's a Grim Reaper fighting without glasses - though he implies that the fifty years of inactivity has made him able to fight without good vision.
Knowledge Broker: Unusual example, as he trades laughter for information. As in, you have to make him laugh before he tells you anything.
Logical Weakness: He might be much stronger and deadlier when wielding his proper Death Scythe instead of wooden grave markers, but if his attention is drawn elsewhere, then someone can get inside of his guard and catch him flatfooted. Somewhat averted, as he's acrobatic enough to disengage from such a situation, so the window of opportunity is small.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He has long silver hair that reaches the back of his knees and when his face is fully revealed at last, he looks gorgeous. Even the mangaka Yana said he is the most handsome man in the manga.
Mark of the Supernatural: His phosphorescent green eyes are proof that he's a rogue Grim Reaper.
Memento Macguffin: There's the question of why one of the funeral lockets (which Undertaker calls "his most prized possession") belonged to Ciel's grandmother.
Mystical White Hair: Like the hat it blocks his face and is reminiscent of an Ankou.
Necromancer: While working as a grim reaper, he started to wonder if there was a way of reviving humans after their life records reached their ends. He found a way by "editing" the records and adding new film stock at the end, which successfully reanimates the corpse, but doesn't restore the soul. First, he created the Bizarre Dolls which are normal mindless zombies that eat living humans due to being attracted to their souls. Later, he found a way to make the Bizarre Dolls more humanlike by adding Fake Memories to the end of their records which simulate the lives they wished they had if they haven't died. The process is still far from perfect, but Undertaker's new Bizarre Dolls are getting closer to fully resurrected humans.
Necromantic: His creation of and experiments with the Bizarre Dolls were an attempt to find a way to bring the real Ciel back to life because he didn't want to lose more of the Phantomhive family.
Nigh-Invulnerability: He got attacked by Grell's chainsaw Death Scythe but it had no effect because he's a shinigami.
Nightmare Fetishist: Quite a few different examples, including cooing over how nice a corpse looks with its cuts and allowing Grell to bury him in epsom salts and smiling about the sensation of moisture leaving his body. Justified in that he's a Shinigami in the anime, and later in the manga, as well.
No Sense of Personal Space: He tends to get a little too close for Ciel's comfort.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: He reveals himself to be much nastier than the slightly creepy Perky Goth everyone was used to. A ton of recently murdered (read: eaten) ship passengers should drive the point home. And he took on Grell, Ronald, and Sebastian at the same time and won effortlessly.
Perky Goth: He dresses in black clothes and works with corpses, but he's playful and always looking for a good laugh. He can get serious when the situation calls for it, though.
Perpetual Smiler: He's never seen without a smile on his face.
The Reveal:
- A flashback in Chapter 32 shows him seated with the former Earl of Phantomhive's gang. This doesn't get a followup until Chapter 85.
- He was the one who created the Bizarre Dolls for kicks, setting off the whole Campania story arc.
- The Principal who escaped from Sebastian so quickly that only his clothes were left? Yeah, that was him too. He took the job after he helped the P4 hide a few bodies.
- And probably the most important: He's a Shinigami, and an incredibly powerful one at that - so much so that William has a bit of a freak-out when he realizes who the hell this guy is.
- He is the one who brought the real Ciel Phantomhive Back from the Dead.
Shinigami: He's a renegade shinigami; apparently the fact he alone of the Shinigami we've seen so far doesn't wear glasses is a very bad sign.
Sinister Minister: Or at least wearing the collar of one.
Sinister Scythe: So far, the only Shinigami to use a real scythe. Decorated with bones, Absurdly Sharp Blade and all. He uses said Death Scythe to cut the Campania in two.
Take Our Word for It: We never find out what Sebastian did to make Undertaker laugh.
Too Kinky to Torture: Again, only in the anime.
Undertaker: He is Exactly What It Says On His Nametag; the undertaker.
Walking Spoiler: Sure, we can talk about some stuff about this guy, but trying to explain him beyond the "silly Undertaker who enjoys jokes at other people's expense and has a morbid store with a just as morbid sense of humor" would require copious amounts of spoiler tags. Just look at his various tropes here.
What Beautiful Eyes!: In the anime, Grell brushes out his bangs and is charmed by his eyes. She immediately asks him to make love to her.
White Hair, Black Heart: He has long silver hair and becomes a recurrent antagonist starting from the Campania arc where he fills a cruise ship with zombies.
You Are Number 6: In his days as a Grim Reaper, he was only known as "#136649" as he was the only one who didn't use his name from when he was human.

Lau

Voiced by: Koji Yusa (JP), Jerry Jewell (EN)^{Foreign VAs}

Live actors: Ryuuya [2009]; Hirofumi Araki [2014-Current] (Musical)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/LauCharaProfile_8153.png

"Even if you step toward a place from which you can't return, you choose not to reveal your screaming for help to other people, eh?"

A Chinese nobleman, leader of an opium den and head of the British branch of the Shanghai trading company "Kong-Rong."

Beware the Silly Ones: His pleasant spacey demeanor always seems to carry a sinister undercurrent.
Cannot Tell a Joke: Like Madam Red, Lau tries to pay the Undertaker's fee. His joke is rather bland but failed through a rushed delivery.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Downplayed. As noted in Beware the Silly Ones, Lau is pleasant though often distracted man, but with a devious streak underneath. He's also quite acrobatic and handy with a sword.
Dark and Troubled Past: A flashback in the anime shows that he lost his family during the Opium Wars. First he's seen walking with his sister when the English show up, and then shown holding her severed arm.
The Ditz: It's a running gag that he'll talk as if he knows a lot about a subject... and then ask what the subject actually is.
Et Tu, Brute?: While Ciel and his crew are on the run from the Scotland Yard, Lau confronts them and claims to be after the bounty placed on Ciel's head. Subverted in the next chapter where he was just kidding and he hasn't betray him yet.
Eyes Always Shut: He only opens his eyes slightly for dramatic moments.
Handsome Lech: Lau almost always seen with Ran-Mao in his lap… and occasionally hitting on Ciel.
Karma Houdini: Invoked, the main reason Lau lets Ciel boss him around is so he can keep running his enterprise without interference.
No Full Name Given: Many people refers him as Lau, but it's unknown what's his full name is.
Only in It for the Money: Lau betrays Our Ciel and has no problem of capture him for the bounty price on his head. Subverted in the next chapter.
Opium Den: Lau's occupation. Also smokes it himself, though he's rarely seen doing so.
Perpetual Smiler: Crossed with Psychotic Smirk. A smile that can be threatening or docile.
Pretty Freeloader: Lau has made numerous appearances, despite Ciel only requesting his service a couple of times.
Schrödinger's Butterfly: Frequently references the story of Zhuangzi in the anime.
Token Evil Teammate: Subverted: Among the Ciel's allies, Lau is the most overtly criminal with ties to the criminal world, dealings in opium and other gang related activities. However, as the series goes on, the audience learn that they all have the same questionable moral fiber as Lau does.

Ran-Mao

Voiced by: Sayuri Yahagi (JP), Trina Nishimura (EN)^{Foreign VAs}

"Glad... you're safe."

Lau's personal assassin. She's referred to as his sister, although they're not blood related.

Acquired Poison Immunity: She's unaffected by a tranquilizing dart, with the only reply she gives is that "opium works even better".
Animal Motifs: Ran-Mao's name translates to "blue cat" in Chinese, Lau refers to her as his cat and her hairstyle resembles cat ears.
Anime Chinese Girl: She dresses in a qipao, has odango hair, fights using chui and works as the personal assassin of the top official of a Chinese syndicate.
Beware the Silly Ones: Her cuteness and her naivety make for some truly hilarious moments but don't get the wrong idea about her, she's far from harmless.
Braids of Action: Her hair is arranged in thin braids coming out of her odango hair and she's a deadly assassin.
The Comically Serious: When she was going through Irene Diaz's possessions, she tried to wear a pair of bloomers as a hat, all with the same expressionless face she always has.
Cuddle Bug: She is always seen clinging on Lau's arm.
Cute Bruiser: While she looks cute, she's a trained martial artist who packs a powerful punch.
Dual Wielding: When acting as an assassin, Ran-Mao carries two chui.
Flowers of Femininity: Her hair is ornamented with a pink peony and is a quite beautiful Anime Chinese Girl.
Full-Frontal Assault: Ran Mao destroys the secret underground faculty completely naked.
Funny Foreigner: She apparently has no knowledge whatsoever of the Western world, leading to some comedic antics from time to time.
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: When the Baron Chris Heathfield calls her to her room at night, Ran-Mao takes no shit of his lies and seduction attempts, demanding him to tell her where the missing maids are. She mercilessly punches the womanizer over and over, breaking his nose and teeth. But when he was about to speak the truth, his own mercenary maid knocks out Ran-Mao... for about five minutes before Ran Mao puts the maid in a rear-naked choke.
Magic Skirt: Subverted in one episode where she tried to herself as a distraction to get Sebastian to hold still for a picture. Subverted in that viewer doesn't get to see anything.
Minidress of Power: She almost always wears a short qipao dress and is every bit as combat capable as any major woman in the series.
Ms. Fanservice: She's an Anime Chinese Girl wearing form-fitting Chinese dresses that emphasize her large breasts and long legs; a way of dressing that would be scandalous in the Victorian setting. She's also the only character who has been shown fighting in the nude.
Nerves of Steel: Not even acting as bait for a poisonous snake or going head to head against Sebastian in a fight will shake her.
No Full Name Given: Like Lau, no one has ever mentioned Ran-Mao's full name.
The Quiet One: She very rarely speaks. It's possible she doesn't know much English.
Satellite Character: Her role is summed up to Lau's lapdog for the most part. She follows his orders and only takes action according to them. We also don't know any personal information about Ran-Mao other than her being Lau's "sister".
Shameless Fanservice Girl: Unlike other women raised in the Victorian era, like Mey-Rin, or the Qing dynasty, Ran-Mao has no problem with walking around in an extremely short dress that exposes her legs. She also engages in a Full-Frontal Assault with no concern.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: While her face doesn't show her emotions, her loyalty and affection for Lau are obvious.
Stock Wushu Weapons: Her weapons of choice are chui, Chinese hammer-like weapons that are basically basketball-sized spheres of solid steel on the ends of short staves.
The Stoic: She never expresses any emotion.
Undying Loyalty: She's unquestionably loyal to Lau.
Waif-Fu: She's a pretty and slender young lady, but she's proven a fairly dangerous martial artist with formidable strength comparable to Finnian's, being able to carry heavy machinery with her bare hands.

Baron Diedrich

Voiced by: Kenji Takahashi (JP, Season 1), Kenji Hamada (JP, Book of Circus), Mark Stoddard (EN, Season 1), Anthony Bowling (EN, Book of Circus)

An old friend of Vincent Phantomhive and an Aristocrat of Evil.

Acrofatic: Despite his weight, he's a highly skilled athletic solider in the German military. He managed to fight off Wolfram Gelzer, a large muscular man and a high-ranking officer of the German military.
Defeat Means Friendship: Back when he and Vincent were members of the P4 in Weston College, Diedrich's team lost to Vincent's team in the cricket tournament and Vincent commanded Diedrich to become his loyal fag for life.
Formerly Fit: Diedrich had a robust, athletic body when he was younger. Some time after Vincent died, Diedrich gained a lot of weight.
I Was Quite a Looker: He was a very handsome and well-built young man in his younger days. In the present day, he's an overweight middle-aged man.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's grumpy, short-tempered, and abrasive, but he was a trustworthy friend to Vincent and will help his friend's son when he needs him.
No Full Name Given: He's only known by his surname.
Perpetual Frowner: He almost always seen with an angry-looking frown.

Pitt

A freelance reporter and an Aristocrat of Evil.

Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He betray Ciel by telling Randall to tell him where Ciel and the others went, and Pitt is quick to inform him that they are fleeing through the waterway.
No Full Name Given: Many people refers him as Pitt, but it's unknown what's his full name is.

Characters / Black Butler - Ciel's Relatives and Associates

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