It’s Time To Revisit ‘Black Butler’

Oh, my fellow otakus do I have a SURPRISE for you. A bigger surprise than Peaky Blinders characters appearing in a Ron DeSantis campaign ad alongside shots of Patrick Bateman. But unlike that surprise, which was really more of a jumpscare, this surprise is actually a welcome one.

We all known that the demonically good Black Butler series has had three fiendishly fun seasons beginning all the way back in the glory days of 2008. You know, when the housing bubble burst and the recession started? Good times. But what I’m sure many of you DIDN’T know is that …

BLACK BUTLER IS GETTING A FOURTH SEASON!!!

It’s true! Crunchyroll recently announced at their 2023 panel that Ciel Phantomhive and his beloved demon butler Sebastian would be returning from the underworld for a brand new season. Let me say it once more for the people in the back. The new season is NOT a reboot, but rather a continuation of the story from season 3.

Now, in case you forgot what Black Butler was about (since its third season aired in the pre-Trump and pre-Covid halcyon days of 2014), the anime’s announcement included a handy dandy description of the action:

Ciel Phantomhive is the most powerful boy in all of England, but he bears the scars of unspeakable suffering. Forced to watch as his beloved parents were brutally murdered, Ciel was subsequently abducted and violently tortured. Desperate to end his suffering, the boy traded his own soul for a chance at vengeance, casting his lot with the one person on whom he could depend: Sebastian, a demon Butler summoned from the very pits of hell. Together, they’ll prowl the darkest alleys of London on a mission to snuff out those who would do evil.

Hell yes! Literally!

Diehard fans of the series will be pleased to know that the two main characters will be played by returning members of the original voice cast. Daisuke Ono will return as Sebastian Michaelis and Maaya Sakamoto will return as Ciel Phantomhive. 

As of now, the release date of the newest season is set for 2024. That’s not that far away! In case you’d like to refresh your memory on the action of the story, you can find the first two seasons streaming on Hulu and all three seasons on Funimation. There’s even a movie called Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic streaming on Crunchyroll!

Now feast your eyes on this trailer so you know I’m not pulling your goat-hoofed leg, you little devil you.

(featured image: A-1 Pictures)