Ciel Phantomhive

Earl Ciel Phantomhive (シエル・ファントムハイヴ, Shieru Fantomuhaivu) is the current head of the Phantomhive house,Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 1, page 5 the notorious Queen's Watchdog,Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 3, page 20 the owner of the Funtom Corporation, and an Aristocrat of Evil.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 2, pages 5-6Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 3, page 21 He is the son of Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive.
==Appearance==
Ciel is a short, slight teenage boy with grey-tinged,"Also, Ciel's hair has become grey-ish [in the new anime], matching his current hair colour in the original manga." blue-black hair and rich peacock-blue eyes."Yana stated back in 2007 that basically Ciel's left eye is peacock blue and his right eye purple." As described by his tailor, Nina Hopkins, Ciel has a well-proportioned body: His arms and legs are thin, his shoulders slim, and his waist narrow.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 37, pages 12-13 On the left side of his body is the mark of the "noble beast", which he was branded with during his time as a slave in a cult.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 27, page 15 Around this time, his slave-traders also pierced his ears to attach a price tag.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 135, page 8 Since then, he wears earrings.
Ciel typically dresses in a way that suits his noble standing, and he has an extensive wardrobe. He almost always wears a black eye-patch made of gauzeKuroshitsuji Character Guide, page 100 with a single cord over his right eye to hide the location of his Faustian contract with Sebastian Michaelis. When in disguise, he trades the black eye-patch for a white patch that resembles a transdermal patch, which is fastened over his ear with two cords.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 5Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 6
Ciel sports two rings. The one on his left thumb is an ornate silver piece that holds an emerald-cut deep-blue sapphire; it is a one-of-a-kind family heirloom that has been passed down for generations.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 3 The one on his right hand is a gold signet ring in the form of the Phantomhive crest, which he uses to stamp the wax seal on documents. Upon his return, the ring was given to him by Angelina Dalles, who told him that it was the only ring that had not been destroyed in the fire that killed his parents.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 62, page 15
==Personality==
Ciel is a proud, shrewd boy whom Sebastian Michaelis commends for his "presence of mind" and "keen intuition."Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 138, page 23 A chess prodigy, he often navigates challenging situations by visualizing making chess moves, with Sebastian as his pawn.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 138, page 26Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 19, pages 14-15 His paramount goal is to exact revenge on those who harmed him and his family, and he is willing to sacrifice his soul to accomplish it.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 138, page 32
As the Earl of the Phantomhive house, Ciel is an exceptional leader who inspires unswerving loyalty in his servants. Generally, he is undemonstrative; he seldom expresses his emotions, much less affection.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 2, page 23 Nevertheless, he is genuinely concerned for the well-being of his loved ones. For instance, he once jumped in front of a bear to guard Elizabeth Midford,Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 27 and he also attempted to protect her from a horde of Bizarre Dolls.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 54, page 16 Additionally, he is attentive to the needs of his servants; when he heard that they desired new items, he took them shopping and provided them with necessities.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 85, page 5
Moreover, Ciel is accustomed to luxury. He has difficulty in dressing himself and doing household chores.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 27, pages 6-9 He is loath to stay in a poor, relatively austere environment for long periods of time, considering such beneath his dignity and unfitting for an earl.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 27, page 18
As the Queen's Watchdog, Ciel works diligently and does not balk at resorting to morally dubious means in order to fulfill his missions; for instance, he was readily prepared to bribe Fred Abberline to gather more information, which he viewed as flexibility on his part.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 24, pages 3-4 He lies without compunction, particularly while he is undercover, and he is cynical and distrustful of the integrity of others.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 28, pages 10-11 Furthermore, he is merciless with his enemies; on numerous occasions, he had Sebastian slaughter them.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 34, pages 18-22
As the executive chairman and owner of the prosperous Funtom Corporation, Ciel possesses business acumen; he accurately assesses market trajectories and conditions, such as when he anticipated that demand for products tailored to women and children would only continue to grow, and applies his ingenuity and foresight to expand his enterprise.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 151, page 21 With the Funtom Corporation, he is simultaneously striving for revenge and realizing his childhood dream.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 151, page 20 His greed has "no boundaries"; for instance, when he learned that a popular performer could double the sales of his new product, he immediately put up advertisements of her.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 85, page 39
Although Ciel is, for the most part, wise beyond his years, he can be childish. He is exceedingly competitive, and he overestimates his skills at times;Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, pages 32 he is averse to draws, and he will not yield until a victor is declared.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, pages 23-31 Despite his weak constitution, he is a competent shooter; he always carries a gun to defend himself, and he keeps one under his pillow when he sleeps.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 13, page 24Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 4
Ciel suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder due to his time as a slave in a cult. He occasionally has flashbacks of the incident and loses awareness of his surroundings.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 34, pages 14-17Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 54, pages 20-24
Ciel is fond of sweetsKuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 1, pages 38-39 and allergic to cats.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 24, page 31 Like his mother, he has asthma.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 28, pages 17-18
==History==
On December 14, 1875, Ciel Phantomhive was born to Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive. His aunt Angelina Dalles helped to deliver him.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 130, pages 9-12
On his tenth birthday, Ciel was running through the manor when he came across his dead mother, father, and dog Sebastian. He called for help and ran into Tanaka, who urged the young boy to flee. Before he could say more, however, Tanaka was attacked from behind by an unseen assailant who then grabbed Ciel.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 19, page 1-5 He was subsequently sold and branded with the mark of a "noble beast" by the buyer.
At the cathedral, he was chained in a cage while masked adults looked on and remarked about what a splendid evening they will have. Ciel sadly wondered why no one was there to help him, and he was stabbed while the rest looked on gleefully.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 19, page 6-9
Fully embracing that there was no God coming to save them, Ciel managed to summon the demon he later named Sebastian Michaelis. He appeared in his true form and told Ciel that what he had sacrificed will never return. Sebastian asked Ciel if he wanted to make a contract and have his wishes granted. Ciel declared that he wanted the power to take revenge on those who mistreated him. The cultists tried to stop him from talking, but Ciel and Sebastian forged their contract. Sebastian asked him where he wanted his seal, saying that the more visible it is, the stronger the contract is. Ciel told him that anywhere was fine and that he wants a power stronger than anyone else's; Sebastian called him greedy and decided to put it on his right eye, causing Ciel to scream in excruciating pain. He then commanded him to kill his attackers; Sebastian then burnt down the building. Finally, Ciel stated his absolute orders: Sebastian must protect and never betray him, to obey his orders no matter what, and never to lie to him.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 19, page 10-11Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 62, page 2-6
The first place they went after these events was to the Royal London Hospital where his aunt worked; he was reunited with Tanaka, and a carriage was arranged to bring him back to his manor. He and Sebastian viewed the ruined manor, then visited the graves of him and his parents. Sebastian left briefly, and when Ciel returned to him, he found the manor had been rebuilt by the demon. Ciel later took his place as the Earl of Phantomhive and the Queen's Watchdog.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 62, pages 11-20 He established Funtom Corporation in the same year,Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 2, page 5 fulfilling his childhood dream of opening a toy store in London.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 132, page 14
A year later, Ciel summoned Sebastian to his room, complaining of a wobbly tooth that was preventing him from eating his food properly. After examining it, Sebastian decided to forcibly take it out, much to Ciel's chagrin. Ciel attempted to protest the idea but Sebastian proceeded regardless, under the impression that he was doing his young master a favor. After the tooth's removal, Ciel threw an angry fit at Sebastian. Ever since he has been unwilling to allow Sebastian to check for cavities in his teeth when they start to wobble.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 96.5, pages 21-26
Sebastian endeavored to recruit servants for Ciel. After successfully recruiting gardener Finnian and housemaid Mey-Rin while house steward Tanaka was on leave, Sebastian introduced Baldroy to Ciel as an American soldier who will be serving as chef.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 176, pages 11-13
==Plot==
==Quotes==
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Manga=
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Anime=
* "Pain tends to heal as time passes, but personally I don't want time to heal my wounds. You may think you can escape the pain and forget it, but that's nothing more than stagnation. You can't move forward without the pain."Kuroshitsuji anime; Episode 16
* (To Sebastian Michaelis) "Etch the pain deep in my soul as proof that I lived." Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 24
* "If you are crying, fight against it! If you're regretting, walk forward! Only complaining on your misfortune, you're nothing but a common pig!"Kuroshitsuji anime; Episode 27
* "Don't just stand there! You helped me get my revenge. This is an order: eat my soul this instant! Until that final moment when you've devoured every drop of my soul, you remain my butler, Sebastian Michaelis!"Kuroshitsuji anime; Episode 35
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==Trivia==
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General=
* Even though Sebastian harbors a great love for cats of all types, Ciel is allergic. He cannot let Sebastian come near him if he has been close to a cat.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 24, page 31 However, he has also stated that the allergy is irrelevant, since he would not allow one in the house anyway, simply because he wants to avoid doing something that would please Sebastian.Kuroshitsuji Character Guide; page 27
* Ciel is a rather good marksman when it comes to hunting and carries a gun on his missions, although he seldom uses it. He sleeps with a gun under his pillow.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 6
* Ciel reads books from various famous authors, such as Arthur Conan DoyleKuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 39, page 19 and Edgar Allan Poe.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 14, page 7
* Ciel can speak French fluently and understands Latin.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 63, page 6 While Ciel is "an intellectually gifted boy" who can even "compete with students," French is his best subject overall.Kuroshitsuji Character Guide; page 140
* Ciel's favorite animals are horses and dogs. He even named Sebastian after his previous dog.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 62, page 10
* Even though Ciel does not like sports and even hates to walk, he is very fond of horseback riding.
* Ciel hates spicy food, and, thus, dislikes mustardKuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 99, page 12 and wasabi.
* Ciel despises bad food, and would only eat it for diplomatic reasons.Kuroshitsuji Character Guide; page 27
* Ciel's favorite flower is the Sterling Silver rose.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 1, page 13
** The Sterling Silver rose was bred from the Peace rose and another unknown rose by Esther Gladys Fisher in 1957. The flower was introduced to the public in 1960."The Sterling Silver Rose" — Minneopa Orchards
* Because of the eye-patch he has to wear to cover his seal of contract, Ciel has problems with reckoning distances properly.
* Sebastian chooses Ciel's entire attire.Kuroshitsuji Character Guide; page 17
* Ciel had never seen either one of his parents cooking until the day his father tried to make his mother feel better by preparing some of his favorite dishes.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 99.5, page 26
* Ciel uses a revolver until the Circus Arc.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 32, page 24 Afterward, he switches to a Baby Browning.Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 53, pages 22-24Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 53, page 32Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 82, pages 14-15Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 100, page 16Kuroshitsuji manga; Chapter 101, page 3Kuroshitsuji anime; Episode 55
** The Baby Browning was designed in 1927 by Dieudonné Saive. The pistol has been in production since 1931.Wikipedia:FN Baby Browning
===Etymology===
* Ciel's name means "sky" in French, Italian, and Norman and also "heaven" in French, Italian, and Old French.Wiktionary — Ciel
 
* Before Yana Toboso settled on a name, various other names were considered for Ciel. For example, Estelle/Astre/Aster,Different Spelling — akumaddenglish on Tumblr Angel, Angelo Fate, Celestial, Sense/Zens, Celeste/Céleste, Celesta, Voltaire/Walter, Azur/Arthur, Rain, Lazulite, and Lapis/Azulite.Kuroshitsuji Character Guide; page 98 Tentative names for his surname were Be Hive/Beehive, Faust, and Ghosthive.
===Out of Universe===
* According to the official Kuroshitsuji character popularity poll, Ciel is the second most popular character in the series, with 3158 votes. He is ranked among the "Devil Six."June 2015 Issue of Square Enix's GFantasy Magazine
 
* Ciel's birthday (December 14) is also the date of Prince Albert's death. Coincidentally, in the second season of the anime, Ciel's "deathday" (August 26) is Albert's birthday.Wikipedia:Albert, Prince Consort
** December 14 is also the peak day of the Geminids meteor shower which occurs between December 7 and 17 every year.Wikipedia:Geminids
** Ciel's death date of August 26, 1889 is the historical date on which Queen Victoria signed the Prevention of Cruelty to, and Protection of, Children Act of 1889—also known as the Children's Charter—the United Kingdom's first ever Act of Parliament aimed against cruelty to children.
* Ciel uses rather foul language when he criticizes people he despises. This sometimes reaches the point where his words have to be censored before publication. For example, when Ciel addresses Kelvin, his lines had to be changed."Come to think of it, Ciel bashes those he despises using all sorts of foul language that even gets censored sometimes (back then, there was an incident when the lines he addressed to Kelvin had to be changed, lol)."
** A notable exception is Joker. When Ciel talks to him, he does not use any foul language because "Joker and his crew were aware of their own foolishness.""Ciel bashes those he despises using all sorts of foul language that even gets censored sometimes. [...] However, he didn't say anything about Joker. He neither called him stupid nor foolish. He just calmly confirmed the facts with him.This is because Joker and his crew were aware of their own foolishness - and so was Ciel. Thus he didn't say anything that would rub salt into the wound. Joker didn't really blame Ciel either.Yet these two characters' personalities were not the only reason [for them behaving like that]. They also kind of sympathized with each other, seeing as they are both 'foolish'. At least that was my thought when I was drawing that scene back then."
* In 2014, Toboso said that Ciel and Sebastian only interact with each other when it is necessary, e.g. when they "they face a mutual enemy." She herself did not notice this until others pointed it out to her. Although she did not realize at first that she was making this distinction, Toboso also draws Ciel looking at his servants' faces when he talks to them; however, when he addresses Sebastian, he rarely does so as he likely "takes it for granted that Sebastian always listens to him.""Title: The stray dog and the watchdogLately, people - be it the staff of my ['Yana Toboso original drawings'] exhibition or the anime staff - have asked me the same question one after another: 'Could it be that in the manga, Sebastian and Ciel do not interact with each other unless it's really necessary?' Hearing that, I was like 'Now that you mention it, I think you're right'. I actually thought that I had drawn a lot of coloured illustrations that feature this duo, but now that I put them [those illustrations] all next to each other, I noticed that there aren't that many. Indeed, when I was looking at the illustrations that were displayed at the exhibition, I thought 'Huh? There are barely any illustrations with only the two of them?' (lol)In the manga there aren't many scenes in which they look at each other while talking. Ciel probably takes it for granted that Sebastian always listens to him, whether Ciel faces him or not. When he (Ciel) talks to other servants, though, he always looks at their faces. I've drawn this [difference] totally unconsciously.So I thought 'Well then, let's draw an illustration with Sebastian and Ciel!,' but now that I'm trying to draw scenes in which Sebastian serves Ciel or picks him up, I can't think of any good ideas! (lol) The number of poses is quite limited due to the fact that Sebastian generally doesn't sit and because of their huge difference in height.To be honest, the only time these two characters get together is when they face a mutual enemy.
* Toboso once drew the Phantomhive household celebrating Tanabata and writing their wishes on tanzaku; Ciel's wish was "that my butler's sarcastic remarks and lecturing lessen.""I hope... [...] Ciel: ...that my butler's sarcastic remarks and lecturing lessen."
* Toboso once joked that, due to their height difference, Ciel sometimes stands on a box when he poses together with Sebastian for a cover illustration as he would otherwise disappear from the frame. Alternatively, Sebastian would have to kneel.Yana Toboso on Twitter"[Yana] said that Ciel sometimes stands on a box when he poses with Sebastian for a cover illustration because otherwise he would disappear from the frame due to their height difference."</br>
* Toboso draws Ciel as a very "manly" character. Just like Sebastian, Ciel often annoys her.Kuroshitsuji Character Guide; page 19
* Ciel is one of the characters whose character design was only slightly changed during the pre-production.Kuroshitsuji Character Guide; page 98
* Ao, a lord and one of the two main characters in one of Yana Toboso's old, discarded mangas, "Disguise," was the basis for Ciel.Downstairs with Kuroshitsuji, Volume VI
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Anime=
* In the first season of the anime, his name was misspelled as "Ciel Pantomhive."Kuroshitsuji anime; Episode 12
	
* The mark of Ciel's previous enslavement is located on the left side of his lower back. In the first season of the anime, the mark is located just below his left pectoral.Kuroshitsuji anime; Episode 16
* In the second season of the anime, human Ciel is noted to have died as of August 26, 1889, at age 13.Kuroshitsuji II anime; Episode 12
* Although Ciel hates spicy food, he enjoys the curry bread Agni and Soma give him in the second season.Kuroshitsuji II anime, Episode 6
	
* In the second season, Ciel's height is 158cm (5'2").
* At the end of the second season, Ciel is reborn as a demon. This change is abandoned in the third season.Kuroshitsuji anime; Episode 37
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Musicals=
* Ciel is portrayed by various actors in the musicals:
** By Shōgo Sakamoto in That Butler, Friendship.
** By Yukito Nishii in the first run of The Most Beautiful DEATH in the World and by Taketo Tanaka in the second run.
** By Nayuta Fukuzaki in Lycoris that Blazes the Earth.
** By Reo Uchikawa in Noah's Ark Circus and Tango on the Campania.
** By Eito Konishi in The Public School's Secret.
* Yana Toboso once told the actor of Sharpe Hanks for Ciel's profile that he is "as tall as twelve scones," but later retracted this statement on her blog. Hanks' profile also mistakenly gave Ciel's birthday as December 19."Come to speak of it, when I checked Hanks' long line about Ciel's profile in the musical, I told *him [*the actor who played Hanks] 'I haven't decided on Ciel's height yet, so let's put it like 'as tall as 12 Scones', but when I heard that line during the actual play I realised that that's extremely small.But wait... maybe the scones are really big...It's 'Great' Britain after all... "Kuroshitsuji musical; The Most Beautiful DEATH in the World
* Before the start of the first run of The Most Beautiful DEATH in the World, Nishii asked Toboso to name his new pet flying squirrel for him. She accepted his request and pored for a while over dictionaries before suggesting to call the ferret "Mer" (Meru-chan) as it means "sea" in French and fits with Nishii playing Ciel, whose name means "sky" in French.Yana Toboso on her D-6th blog (archived)"[...] Oh by the way, I recently had the honour of giving cute young master Yukito's cute new family member, a flying squirrel, a name. I saw it in the pictures he posted on his blog and it’s soooo cute! Its cuteness reminds me of the hamster my family keeps.
Since 'Ciel', whom Yukito is going to play in the musical in the near future, means 'sky' in French, I suggested 'What about 'mer'? It means 'sea’ in French,' and fortunately, he accepted it. This is such a great honour...(trembles)The reason why I was given this important mission of coming up with a name for his flying squirrel is that young master Yukito approached me during our first meeting and asked with a lovely, amiable smile: 'Um, um... I'd like to ask you a favour, sensei! I'll own a flying squirrel soon...' And I couldn't help but grant his request since young master (he's 14 years old!) was so incredibly cute.Later on, though, I realized how big a deal it actually was...Since then, I've been consulting dictionaries every day, thinking 'Hmm, he said he would prefer a name that is similar to 'Ciel' or 'Elizabeth'... And yet... wouldn't it be better if the name were somehow connected to 'Ciel'?' After a long time of pondering about this matter, I suggested the name 'Meru-chan' (Mer-chan)."
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==References==
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