Ciel Phantomhive

Ciel Phantomhive is the main protagonist of the Kuroshitsuji anime and manga.

Ciel is the current head of the Phantomhive house, the notorious Queen's Watchdog, the owner of the Funtom Corporation, and an Aristocrat of Evil.

Appearance
Ciel is a short, thirteen-year-old boy with bluish-black hair and rich, deep blue eyes. As described by Nina Hopkins, his tailor, Ciel has a "wonderfully proportioned body." His arms and legs are thin, his shoulders slim and his waist narrow. Ciel typically dresses in a way that suits his noble standing, and he has a very extensive wardrobe.

Ciel almost always wears a black eye-patch made of gauze with a single cord over his right eye to hide the location of his Faustian contract with Sebastian Michaelis. However, while in disguise, he wears a white patch that resembles a transdermal patch, which fastens over his ear with two cords. Ciel also has a brand on the left side of his body from his time as a slave in a cult.

Ciel sports two rings: one, which he wears 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 had been passed down for generations. The other is a gold signet ring in the form of the Phantomhive crest. Ciel wears this on his right hand, and uses it to stamp the wax seal on documents. Upon his return, the seal 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.

Personality
Ciel is an arrogant and shrewd boy, with numerous exalted positions.

As the Earl of the Phantomhive house and a distinguished nobleman, Ciel is very strict, proud, and accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle. As a result, he has considerable difficulty dressing himself up and doing household chores if left on his own. He also refuses to stay in a poor environment for long periods of time. Ciel is stern with his orders, especially in the assertion of his authority, because he expects his butler, Sebastian Michaelis, to complete them without any shortcomings. Ciel often finds it entertaining to challenge Sebastian in areas of both strength and skill. He and Sebastian frequently work together, and only the latter seems to be fully aware of Ciel's schemes. Furthermore, Ciel has a relatively cold outlook on life. His main goal is for those who have betrayed the Phantomhive family to experience the same level of humiliation and suffering he did. During his time as a slave to cultists who tortured him cruelly, he was branded with a mark he absolutely does not want other people to see. The symbol was burned into his skin located on the back middle torso. Ciel possesses unwavering determination — instead of falling into hopelessness, Ciel chooses to die without regrets by working hard to fulfill his revenge, despite his aunt's insistence that he should live a happier life. He often compares predicaments to games such as chess, and is willing to gamble with his life on the line to win them.

As the executive chairman of the Funtom Corporation, Ciel possesses business acumen and impressive keenness in management affairs. Cunning and artful, he successfully administers sister Funtom Corporation simultaneously. His greed is described as "knowing no boundaries"; when he learned that a popular performercould double the sales of his new product, he immediately put up advertisements of her for promotion.

As the Queen's Watchdog, Ciel demonstrates great loyalty to Queen Victoria and aims to accomplish all tasks she assigns to him. He is undaunted by dense mysteries and macabre cases, and confident that he will be able to solve them all. He is readily prepared to resort to dishonest measures such as bribery, as long as he can gather more information and finish his job swiftly and efficiently — though, he claims it is simply flexibility on his part. As his duty sometimes obliges him to disguise himself, he is quite a versed actor; unscrupulous, he has no qualms about lying and believes that humans do not as a species. He is merciless with his enemies, and does not hesitate to command Sebastian to eradicate anyone who stands in his way.

Ciel displays signs of post-traumatic stress disorder because of the abuse he went through, as a slave in a perverse cult. He occasionally has flashbacks of the traumatic event, and when he does, he would become completely unaware of his surroundings. Due to his horrific past, Ciel seldom smiles. He had once admitted that he has forgotten how to smile happily, though after being Smile he appears to be much better at smiling naturally, though he is usually faking it. Ciel does, however, show genuine concern for the well-being of those close to him. For instance, he jumped in front of a bear to guard Elizabeth Midford. He had also sworn to protect her from a horde of violent Bizarre Dolls. He pays ample attention to the needs of his servants; when he had heard that they desired new items, he went shopping with them and provided them with necessities.

Although he usually presents himself as a solemn and mature person, Ciel can be rather childish at times. He is exceedingly competitive, a trait which he acknowledges himself. He is unsatisfied withdraws, and refuses to quit until a victor is declared. Sebastian had noted that because of Ciel's talent in competition, he tends to overestimate his skills and think that he can never lose. Nonetheless, the experience of losing to Francis Midfordin a hunting game humbled Ciel quite a bit. Despite his weak physical condition, Ciel is competent at shooting. He always carries a gun in order to defend himself and has one under his pillow when he sleeps.

Ciel is very fond of sweets, and allergic to cats. Like his mother Rachel Phantomhive, he has asthma.

Trivia

 * 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. 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.


 * 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.


 * Ciel reads books from various famous authors, such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe. Ciel can speak French fluently and understands Latin. While Ciel is "an intellectually gifted boy" who can even "compete with students," French is his best subject overall.


 * Ciel's favorite animals are horses and dogs. He even named Sebastian after his previous dog.


 * 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 mustard and wasabi. However, he did enjoy the curry bread given to him by Agni and Soma.


 * Ciel despises bad food, and would only eat it for diplomatic reasons.


 * Ciel's favorite flower is the sterling silver rose.


 * 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.


 * 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.