Black Butler
Season 1
2008 • 24 Episodes
In Victorian-era London, on the night of Ciel Phantomhive's tenth birthday a fire destroyed his manor and killed both of his parents. In a moment of death Ceil strikes a deal with a demon, his soul in exchange for revenge. This demon becomes his butler and calls himself by name of Sebastian Michaelis, to protect and serve Ciel until the deal has been completed. One month after the fire Ciel returns from being missing, with his new butler Sebastian. Ceil is now the head of the Phantomhive corporation, handling all business affairs as well as the work as the Queen of England’s guard dog and looking for his parents murders.
Episodes
1. His Butler, Able
October 2, 2008
The Phantomhive estate bustles with preparations for an important meeting between the Young Master and a slithering captain of industry. The maid, the gardener, and the cook are fools, but the Butler is a man of hidden talents.
2. His Butler, Strongest
October 9, 2008
Plans to suppress an uprising of the vermin variety are put on hold when the Young Master is abducted. The Butler is obligated to act decisively in such matters, and no one sets the table better than Sebastian.
3. His Butler, Omnipotent
October 16, 2008
When the Young Master’s fiancée drops by for an unannounced visit, the Phantomhive Estate experiences a sickening outbreak of “cuteness.” Meanwhile, the Butler has his hands full with a suicidal apprentice.
4. His Butler, Capricious
October 23, 2008
The Young Master dons an evening gown to apprehend a monster who’s been butchering women of the night, but if his talent for cross-dressing is discovered, the Phantomhive name will be irreversibly sullied.
5. His Butler, Chance Encounter
October 30, 2008
The Butler and his Young Master scour the seedy back alleys of London in search of an infamous butcher. Imagine their surprise upon discovering that the ripper may actually be a reaper!
6. His Butler, at the Funeral
November 6, 2008
Sebastian continues his gruesome battle with the rogue reaper, and the Young Master takes special care to ensure that his beloved aunt is buried in the proper colors.
7. His Butler, Merrymaking
November 13, 2008
At the behest of the Queen, the Young Master and his underlings travel to a dreary land supposedly haunted by a demon dog. This new mission makes the Butler uneasy, but he’s always been more of a cat person.
8. His Butler, Training
November 20, 2008
The Butler puts on an exhibition in the art of training demonic canines to shake, roll over, and refrain from terrorizing gloomy villages. Meanwhile, the Gardener gets his first, painful taste of love.
9. His Butler, Phantom Image
November 27, 2008
The Young Master’s latest acquisition is a haunted camera which can photograph beings not of this world. Calamites are sure to follow when the servants set out to snap a shot of the elusive Butler.
10. His Butler, on Ice
December 4, 2008
Already a man of many talents, the Butler adds ice sculpting to his repertoire in an attempt to acquire a priceless-but-cursed gem for his Young Master.
11. His Butler, However You Please
December 11, 2008
When his betrothed is abducted by a deranged doll maker, the Young Master travels to London to investigate. Little does he know, the search will be complicated by a lovesick reaper who’s lost his scythe.
12. His Butler, Forlorn
December 18, 2008
The Master’s birthday approaches, but rescuing Elizabeth is of far greater importance than celebrating. A vile puppeteer is terrorizing London, and only the Butler can cut down his army of marionettes.
13. His Butler, Freeloader
December 25, 2008
A postcolonial conflict boils over when an Indian prince visits the Phantomhive estate. Later, the Butler’s prowess with a blade is unexpectedly matched by his foreign counterpart.
14. His Butler, Supremely Talented
January 15, 2009
Prince Soma has been betrayed by his manservant, and the Butler must put his hellish talents to the test in a curry-cooking competition against the blessed right hand of an Indian deity.
15. His Butler, Competing
January 22, 2009
The Queen is on hand as the Butler wages culinary warfare against Prince Soma’s royal servant. The competition reaches an unprecedented level of ferocity when someone’s secret ingredient unleashes the demon god of curry.
16. His Butler, in an Isolated Castle
January 29, 2009
When the Young Master is defeated in a supernatural chess match, he must surrender his most prized possession to a ghostly prince. Locating a very old and very specific skull is the key to bringing Sebastian back.
17. His Butler, Offering
February 5, 2009
The Queen orders young Master Phantomhive to investigate reports of a cult that promises to “purify” its unclean members. The mission is complicated by the appearance of a familiar reaper.
18. His Butler, Transmitted
February 13, 2009
An angel abducts Ciel and attempts to rewrite his unhappy memories of the past. The Butler is powerless to assist, but fortunately, the Young Master has an unhealthy attachment to his hatred.
19. His Butler, Imprisoned
February 20, 2009
There’s a potent new drug plaguing the backstreets of London, and it’s being sold in stolen Phantomhive candy wrappers. The Young Master is being set up, but what manner of man wants him to take the fall?
20. His Butler, Escaping
February 27, 2009
While the Young Master continues his investigation into the opium-filled, counterfeit candy wrappers, the Butler is chained and tortured in the Tower of London.
21. His Butler, Engaging Servants
March 6, 2009
A series of flashbacks reveals the secret pasts - and hidden talents - of the Phantomhive staff. While the servants go about their daily duties, the Young Master gives a chess lesson to pretty lady.
22. His Butler, Dissolution
March 13, 2009
The Young Master’s journey to Paris leads to another showdown with the Queen’s angelic butler and a painful parting of the ways with someone dear to his heart. Can Ciel survive without the demonic assistance he’s grown so accustomed to?
23. His Butler, Up in Flames
March 20, 2009
The Young Master arrives in London only to find the city engulfed by flames. After an ominous warning from the undertaker, Ciel attempts to visit the queen, but he’s shocked by his treatment at the hands of the palace guards.
24. His Butler, Fluent
March 27, 2009
Having regained the services of his Butler, the Young Master issues a chilling order to kill. Sebastian is eager to please, but this task will require a revelation of his true nature.