Earl Ciel Phantomhive (シエル・ファントムハイヴ Shieru Fantomuhaibu) born on December 14, 1875 is the business-savvy, egotistical 12-year-old (13-year-old as of chapter 14) and the head of the English Phantomhive noble family after the deaths of his parents, Lord Vincent Phantomhive and Lady Rachel Phantomhive. He runs the Funtom Company, which manufactures toys and sweets, with the later addition of a food branch after winning a Royal Warrant. His right eye, which is usually covered with a black eye patch, bears a pentacle, the sign of the Faustian contract he made with the demon Sebastian. Sebastian says that the mark on Ciel is proof of their contract. He also says that demons mark their prey so that they can locate them.
After his parents' deaths and prior to meeting Sebastian, he was a slave and a sacrifice in a cult ritual. During one particular instance where Ciel was being tortured, his hatred for his torturers summoned Sebastian. He then commanded the demon to kill all the people in the room. During his time as a slave, a mark was burned into his back; in the anime adaption, it is found on his left side, near his chest. In the manga the mark is found on the left side of his back. He does not want anyone to see this mark and appears to not enjoy physical contact, though he tolerates Sebastian and does not complain when the demon picks him up or holds him. If stressed, he will slap someone touching him away, proclaiming "Don't touch me so easily!" He also once pointed a gun at Sebastian that he had hidden underneath his pillow, for he was having a nightmare of being tortured (supposedly provoked from reading Edgar Allan Poe before bed). This is a negative influence of the trauma he underwent during his time as a slave.
He is usually portrayed as emotionless, cold, boring, not fun, rude, and un-childlike, though he occasionally expresses concern for the well-being of the few close to him; Sebastian is not one of those people. He sometimes portrays himself as a happy person (mostly when undercover), but soon returns to his true self. Whether he worries for Sebastian's well-being or not is unknown, but ultimately he sees Sebastian as a pawn. Although, that said, there was one time that proved Sebastian was the most important person to him. There have been times when he wishes for Sebastian to fail at a task or request for humor's sake. He is a little close to his cousin and fiancée Elizabeth, seeing her as an annoying cute friend, the marriage was arranged, though Ciel is not so fond of Elizabeth that way other than just family. Before the loss of his parents, Ciel seemed to be a happy childlike child.
Ciel seems to be highly reliant on Sebastian and does not appear to interact with other staff members as often, though they are all devoted to him. While he appears somewhat callous in the anime, such as not hesitating to throw a dart at Finnian and causing the gardener to bleed, in the manga, Finnian notes that he is loyal to Ciel because Ciel does not hurt him. Ciel is proficient with the use of guns, keeping a number of concealed guns nearby in order to protect himself. He has asthma, which was inherited from his mother. He is also allergic to cats, and does not freely allow any of his staff members to keep them; however in chapter 44 of the manga it is revealed that Sebastian had been hiding a large group of cats from him in his (Sebastian's) wardrobe.
At the end of the anime adaptation, with his revenge completed, Ciel's soul is supposedly devoured by Sebastian. Ciel insists that Sebastian make the process as painful as possible so as to "carve the pain of his life into his soul". He is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro on the first drama CD, Maaya Sakamoto in the anime adaption and second drama CD, and Brina Palencia in the English dub.
In the second TV series, Ciel is resurrected by the end of the first episode by Sebastian using his family ring (which somehow was concealed in a "New Moon Drop" tea box in Alois Trancy's manor). In a later episode, it was shown that Claude, Alois Trancy's butler, had stolen Ciel's soul. Ciel's resurrection is enigmatic - though he remembers Elizabeth and a few other people like Tanaka, Finnian, Mey-Rin, Baldroy, and the Undertaker - he does not seem to remember other people or certain instances. This is highlighted in the third episode when Grell makes an appearance, and Ciel asks Sebastian who Grell is. Ciel also orders Sebastian to make sure his aunt doesn't know about his mission, unaware that she is dead (Sebastian does not tell him this). However, when he sees Grell's overcoat a vague image of Madame Red comes into his mind, although he dismisses it quickly. It seems the events that transpired in the first season have been forgotten by him. Also, for some unknown reason, in the first episode, Alois Trancy recognizes him when he sees his lifeless body in Sebastian's suitcase and wants to capture him and Sebastian. By the end of the third episode, Ciel becomes aware of the noble house of Trancy, though it seems that Sebastian has not informed him of the events in the first episode. In episode 10, however, Ciel recovers his memories of the first season and orders Sebastian to remain his butler until he could eat his soul.
