11 Interesting Facts About Sebastian Michaelis In Black Butler/Kuroshi

10 Interesting Facts About Sebastian Michaelis of Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji

“Forsake the future” – Sebastian Michaelis

Sebastian Michaelis of Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji is a fascinatingly charming character – the demon butler and a member of senior staff at the Phantomhive household. He has inadvertently created a cult following as well as being featured across hundreds of memes. Most Black Butler enthusiasts will likely have a deep understanding of his background and character, but in this blog I aim to dive into ten interesting facts about the legendary Sebastian Michaelis himself.

1) Fan favourite- According to the official Black Butler character popularity poll, Sebastian was ranked the most popular character in the entire series, receiving over 4000 votes, placing him at the top of The Devil Six, surpassing even his master.

2) Play on names- Sebastian’s surname Michaelis is actually derived from a Japanese word translating to ‘repayment’. It is in fact rumoured that Sebastian’s character was based on a real-life French inquisitor who lived in 16t century France. Fascinatingly, he was best known for his works on demonic possession and classification, as well as having involvement in the exorcism of several nuns.

3) Creepy inscription – Sebastian’s tombstone features the eerie quote ‘May you be in heaven an hour before the devil knows you’re dead’. Quite a mysterious quote to have written on your grave, but pretty awesome at the same time.

4) Double meaning – “I am simply one hell of a butler” is Sebastian’s go-to phrase when he is complemented by humans on his abilities. However, when we look at the Japanese translation of this quote from the manga it is written as watashi wa akumade shitsuji desu. This is an interesting play on words as akuma translates to ‘demon’ or ‘evil’ in Japanese. Hence, it can be interpreted to mean that he is either a demon or a butler.

5) Original form- In the very first episode of the series, Sebastian is introduced in the form of a crow. This is the case for the anime series, however in the manga he appears in what is mentioned as his ‘true form’ – something which has not yet been completely revealed. What we do know is that it is shown to have sharp teeth, high heel boots and elongated nails. Many fans have theorised as to which mythological creature this could be, but we currently do not have evidence to support these claims. Seeing as how the creator of the series likes to take inspiration from real-life literature, however, this could certainly be the case.

6) Mysterious age- According to the anime, Sebastian’s true home is an alternate world which is rather different from the human world. One difference between Sebastian’s world and the human world are which creatures are kept as pets. It is not yet disclosed as to exactly how old Sebastian truly is, but we are given some clues, such as claiming responsibility for the spread of the Black Death which occurred 500 years ago, as well as meeting an ancient Egyptian mummy which would mean he is over 3000 years old. He also mentioned that if he was to compare his life to his masters, it would feel as if only one second had passed.

7) Ability to taste- Although we are told that demons do not have the ability to taste, Sebastian is shown to test the flavour of his curry during the curry contest arc. Perhaps this suggests that demons do actually have the ability to experience taste to the same level, but would probably be quite different from a human being’s. At the same time, however, when he first made contact with Ciel, he was unable to conjure up any cakes that were considered edible. We do, however, know that as a demon he does not need to eat human food to survive.

8) Aversion to salt- The common belief and as depicted in various movies, shows and literature, demons are believed to have an aversion to salt. It appears Sebastian shares this same trait, as during episode 17 of the anime, the Undertaker is shown being submerged in salt. During this moment, Sebastian is shown holding a handkerchief to his nose, as if to indicate he is allergic to salt. On the contrary, he seems completely unaffected by items that are considered ‘holy’ such as rosemary beads, churches or crosses.

9) Distinguished multilingual – Sebastian is fully fluent in French and Latin. However, he is also proficient in Dutch, East Franconian and German too – as shown during his conversations during the Emerald Witch arc.

10) Butler with hobbies- Sebastian’s interests include listening to stories pertaining to his master, observing the rest of the servants, cooking meals and baking desserts, tutoring and playing with cats.

11) Uncanny resemblance- Observant fans of Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji may have noticed a distinct resemblance between the appearance of Sebastian and Vincent Phantomhive. The creator of the show actually confirmed that this was intentional and even draws them side-by-side to accentuate the similarity. The reason for this, however, has not yet been revealed.

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