black butler

Anime Like Black Butler

Young Earl Ciel Phantomhive is a noble in the service of Queen Victoria of England. Not only does he handle the business affairs of his family’s toy business, but he travels around solving mysteries that irk Her Majesty’s kingdom. However, he doesn’t do it alone.

After the death of his parents and in his darkest hour, Ciel formed a pact with a demon to help him get revenge on those that wronged him in exchange for his soul afterwards. Now this demon poses as his butler, Sebastian, a man with superhuman abilities.

Folks – He’s one hell of a butler. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Black Butler, head on down below.

Anime Like Black Butler

For Fans of Old European Settings

moriarty the patriot anime

Moriarty the Patriot

William Moriarty is the second son of the noble Moriarty family. During the day, he is a mathematics professor, but at night he uses his keen mind in order to work as a consultant for individuals with a particular need for his intellect.

He has dedicated himself to revenge against nobility in order to crumble the crushing social hierarchy that oppresses much of England.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Moriarty the Patriot

  • Dark Victorian setting
  • Main characters driven by a vendetta that aren’t above killing
  • Arc-based problem solving other people’s problems
  • Aboveboard main characters during the day who become dark vigilantes at night

Differences Between Black Butler and Moriarty the Patriot

  • Moriarty the Patriot is Sherlock Holmes-inspired
  • Moriarty the Patriot focuses more on intrigue than action while Black Butler has plenty of shounen-style action
  • Moriarty the Patriot is not supernatural like Black Butler
gosick anime

Gosick

Kujou Kazuya is a transfer student to the elite Saint Marguerite Academy in the Southern European country of Sauville. However, because of his Japanese descent, he is shunned by the other students.

One day in the library of the school, he ends up following a long blonde hair to a beautiful doll-like girl call Victorique de Blois who can predict the future, including their own currently entwined one.

Together, the pair begin to solve the mysteries that are beginning to plague their surroundings.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Gosick

  • Dark Victorian setting
  • Duo main characters investigating problems, often solving them
  • Supernatural inspirations
  • Arc-based mysteries feeding to an overall main character plot

Differences Between Black Butler and Gosick

  • Gosick is a detective anime about investigating supernatural-seeming mysteries and discovering the usually not supernatural cause to them
  • There is no obvious supernatural in Gosick unlike in Black Butler where it has demons everywhere
  • Gosick has romance, eventually
case study of vanitas anime

The Case Study of Vanitas

Scorned by his vampire peers for being born under a blue moon, it is said that the vampire Vanitas created a powerful grimoire known as the Book of Vanitas that would bring retribution to all crimson moon vampires.

On his way to Paris, Noe is searching for this fabled book. While traveling aboard an airship, he is saved from a vampire attack by an eccentric man that claims to posses the Book of Vanitas and uses it to cure the attacking vampire that was driven rabid by a progressing event afflicting vampires called the Charlatan’s Parade.

Similarities Between Black Butler and The Case Study of Vanitas

  • Duo main character roles of master and their servant
  • Mysterious main characters whose mysteries are alluring and revealed over time
  • Dark, fantasy Victorian setting
  • Both offer interesting, but shounen-style, supernatural action

Differences Between Black Butler and The Case Study of Vanitas

  • The Case Study of Vanitas is about a mysterious human helping vampires while Black Butler is more about doing the Queen’s bidding as he works towards his own personal revenge
  • The master-servant relationship forms by happenstance in The Case Study of Vantias rather than blood pact like in Black Butler
  • The Case Study of Vanitas is more steampunk supernatural Victorian than the traditional Victorian setting with supernatural events that Black Butler features
earl and fairy anime

Earl and Fairy

In Scotland, Lydia Carlton makes her living as a fairy doctor. Though no one believes her, she insists that she can see and communicate with fairy creatures.

However, Edgar believes in her powers, and after rescuing her, becomes her employer hoping that she can help him deal with the many mysteries that follow him.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Earl and Fairy

  • Supernatural Victorian setting
  • Duo main characters solving supernatural events
  • Traveling England and meeting lots of different people and creatures
  • Main character mystery unraveled as the series goes on

Differences Between Black Butler and Earl and Fairy

  • Earl and Fairy has plenty of action, but it is a shoujo romance first and foremost unlike Black Butler that only has moments of romance
  • Earl and Fairy is more drama and romance than action
  • Earl and Fairy is based on real Celtic sort of supernatural lore rather than the more Christian-inspired demons in Black Butler
The Mystic Archives of Dantalian anime

The Mystic Archives of Dantalian

After losing his eccentric grandfather, Lord Hugh “Huey” Disward is set to inherit his estate, but on one condition. He must take over care of his grandfather’s archives full of forbidden knowledge and care for a mysterious girl named Dalian.

However, he soon learns that the rival of his grandfather’s and his suspected killer is in the possession of a cursed tome that is causing problems in the world.

Now with Dalian’s help, he must work to do what his grandfather failed to do – seal the tome away.

Similarities Between Black Butler and The Mystic Archives of Dantalian

  • Duo main characters – one human, one supernatural
  • Victorian setting
  • Traveling the countryside, dealing with supernatural problems

Differences Between Black Butler and The Mystic Archives of Dantalian

  • As The Mystic Archives of Dantalian features a male/female duo, it has a more prominent romantic element than Black Butler, but romance is still not the main focus of the show
  • The Mystic Archives of Dantalian is about collecting forbidden books that cause supernatural occurrences, this means there is often more storytelling to the events and less action
  • Dantalian in The Mystic Archives of Dantalian is not a malicious demon like Sebastian in Black Butler

For Fans of Masters and Servants

undead murder farce anime

Undead Murder Farce

In an alternate 19th century, supernatural creatures exist among humans, but have been hunted and persecuted to the point where they have become quite rare.

Tsugaru Shinuchi is an experimental half-oni that has been used by a freak show to destroy the supernatural for the entertainment of the crowd. One night, he is approached by a woman carrying a bird cage containing a severed head. The head introduces herself as Aya Rindo, and asks Tsugaru to help her find and retrieve her immortal body that was stolen from her by a mysterious foreign man.

Leaving Japan for Europe, the trio decide to become detectives who come to be known as, “The Cage User,” investigating supernatural mysteries hoping they might hold clues to the mysterious body thief.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Undead Murder Farce

  • Supernatural mystery solvers
  • Clear master-servant relationship with the power dynamic prominently featured
  • The ”servant” to the master is cool, skilled, and a bit sinister
  • Dark, supernatural Victorian setting

Differences Between Black Butler and Undead Murder Farce

  • Undead Murder Farce features less frequent action than Black Butler, but is better animated and choreographed
  • The three-person detective team in Undead Murder Farce have a more playful dynamic than Ciel and Sebastian
shadows house anime

Shadows House

The Shadows are a family of nobles who live in their massive mansion. They are pitch black in appearance and emit soot that will linger on everything they touch. In order to effectively display their emotions, each Shadow is given a Living Doll to be their attendant and their face.

This is the tale of cheerful and curious Emilico, a newly created doll, who was given to her more soft-spoken young Shadow, Kate.

While it is promoted that Living Dolls be loyal and unconcerned about trivial matters, Emilico is constantly intrigued by the massive mansion and those that live within.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Shadows House

  • Dark, supernatural Victorian setting
  • Supernatural creatures primed to prey on humans
  • Master-servant relationships

Differences Between Black Butler and Shadows House

  • Shadows House is more about unraveling the mysterious, sinister situation about humans serving as the “faces” of soot creatures that all live in a single large house, so it is not a mystery solver like Black Butler
  • Shadows House has minimal action since no one has much in the way of combat ability
inu x boku ss anime

Inu X Boku SS

Ririchiyo Shirakiin is the sheltered daughter of a rich family, but she has been dependent on them her entire life. However, while she seeks to change that, she has a sharp tongue that needs minding.

When she moves into a high security apartment complex to start her new life of independence, she discovers that the residents are not only strange, but everyone in the apartment – including herself – are half-human and half-yokai.

Furthermore, as a condition of being able to move out, she now has to live with her new bodyguard, Soushi – a handsome and oddly submissive secret service agent.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Inu X Boku SS

  • Master-servant relationship
  • The supernatural servant is mysterious, but extremely devoted
  • The younger master often relies on their servant

Differences Between Black Butler and Inu X Boku SS

  • Inu X Boku SS has a modern setting, not a Victorian one
  • As Inu X Boku SS has a male/female duo, of course it is romance focused
  • Inu X Boku SS doesn’t have much action unlike Black Butler

For Fans of Deals With Demons

pandora hearts anime

Pandora Hearts

Young Oz Vessalius is the heir to his noble house. However, during his coming-of-age ceremony, the Baskerville Clan comes to oust him from his seat and force him into the Abyss that he once thought fictional.

Inside, he finds it much like the stories so now he must learn to survive and escape this place infested with beings called Chains.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Pandora Hearts

  • Dark Victorian setting Shounen, almost shoujo action anime about fighting demons causing trouble
  • Main duos have a master-servant relationship
  • Bit of a revenge focus since the main characters were both sacrifices
  • The human main character formed a pact with a demon who may or may not kill them later

Differences Between Black Butler and Pandora Hearts

  • Pandora Hearts features very clear Alice in Wonderland inspirations
  • Pandora Hearts features a male/female main character duo, so there is some romantic baiting
  • Pandora Hearts has others trying to protect the main character from his demon while Ciel and Sebastian are mostly left on their own
Demon Detective Nougami Neuro anime

Demon Detective Nougami Neuro

Neuro Nougami is a demon that feeds on mysteries and puzzles.

However, as a demon who must remain unnoticed by humans, he pairs up with a human girl in order to solve mysteries. A job she hopes will help her solve her own personal mystery.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Demon Detective Nougami Neuro

  • Duo main characters
  • Human and demon working together to solve problems
  • The demon is actually sinister and malicious

Differences Between Black Butler and Demon Detective Nougami Neuro

  • Demon Detective Nougami Neuro has a modern setting
  • Demon Detective Nougami Neuro isn’t a master-servant relationship, it’s more mutually a beneficial partnership
  • Black Butler features a bunch of different events for the main characters while Demon Detective Nougami Neuro is just investigating mysteries so the demon can eat them
tale of outcasts anime

The Tale of Outcasts

Wisteria is an orphan who is forced to beg on the street for her orphanage in order to be fed. Her days are bleak, but her nights have a small ray of hope in the form of Marbas. This apathetic immortal demon comes to her window and they enjoy chats, despite him being hounded by hunters wherever he goes.

One day, Wisteria finds her freedom from her situation through Marbas, binding the two of them together with a promise to see the world. However, their pact did not come without a cost.

Similarities Between Black Butler and The Tale of Outcasts

  • Dark, supernatural Victorian settings where demons are uncommon, but present
  • Duo main characters getting involved in other people’s problems
  • Human child main character, sinister adult demon with incredible power
  • Both series have supernatural action as the major focus

Differences Between Black Butler and The Tale of Outcasts

  • As the main duo is a female/male partnership, of course it baits a romantic connection
  • The demons are all beastpeople in The Tale of Outcasts
  • The Tale of Outcasts struggles to cement an overall plot unlike Black Butler which is quite clear
servamp anime

Servamp

High schooler Mahiru Shirota dislikes difficult things, but things become a lot more trouble when he rescues a black cat from the middle of the road.

Giving him the name Kuro, from that day onward a contract between Mahiru and the servant-vampire Kuro is born, pulling them both into the war between the other servamps.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Servamp

  • Duo main characters
  • Master and servant relationship
  • Shounen supernatural action

Differences Between Black Butler and Servamp

  • Servamp is about vampires
  • Servamp is modern-set
  • The “servant” Kuro in Servamp is lazier and less malicious than Sebastian in Black Butler
jackel hellsing

Hellsing Ultimate

In this world, there are monsters that lurk in the darkness. Ones waiting to devour everything you are and hold dear.

To stem the tide of this darkness is the Hellsing Organization. Commanded by Integra Hellsing, the organization’s powerful military force dedicate their lives to fighting monsters.

However, their most powerful weapon is the vampire, Alucard, who turned against his own kind in service to Hellsing. Now with his new vampire assistant Seres at his side, he must battle not only monsters, but anyone that stands in Hellsing’s way.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Hellsing

  • Dark, supernatural Victorian setting
  • Master and servant relationship plays a prominent role in the show
  • The supernatural “servant” would definitely kill every single person except maybe their master
  • The supernatural being is the highlight of these supernatural action anime

Differences Between Black Butler and Hellsing

  • Hellsing is the bloodier, more vicious series
  • Hellsing is about vampires rather than demons like Black Butler
  • The “servant” Alucard is more the main character of the show whereas Black Butler has the “master” Ciel be the main character and Sebastian plays a more secondary role
devils and realist anime

Devils and Realist

After his uncle fails in his business venture, William, heir of his family, returns home with his butler to search for stuff to sell.

In the basement, William ends up inadvertently summoning a devil named Dantalion. This devil reveals that apparently William is the designator who can choose the acting ruler of the demon world.

Similarities Between Black Butler and Devils and Realist

  • One human and the demons that serve him
  • Victorian-styled setting
  • Not small and not subtle moments of BL bait
  • Weak human, and a strong demon that saves the day

Differences Between Black Butler and Devils and Realist

  • Devils and Realist is about a human meant to elect who will rule over hell, so the demons are campaigning for his favor rather than doing stuff so they can consume a delicious soul later like Sebastian
  • Devils and Realist has a whole harem of demons around the main character
  • Devils and Realist is more a school-set action anime

Do you have more anime recommendations like Black Butler? Let fans know in the comments section below.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top