How Inappropriate is Black Butler Really?

Summary:

• Black Butler is a rather dark series.
• Fans have been fighting over Sebaciel for ages.
• Fanservice doesn’t make the author problematic or inappropriate.
• There’s nothing wrong with shipping, either.

Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) has always been a dark series full of violence, profanity and sinister themes. It’s rated R for a reason, and watching it with your younger sibling after school might not be the best idea. Of course, it’s nowhere even close to the Made in Abyss level of problematic, but there are still a couple of things that fans find worrisome.

Endless Sebaciel controversy

Back in the day, no one really cared about shippers and what fics they were reading behind closed doors, but the mentality has undergone significant development over the years, and people can’t simply enjoy things anymore. Sebastian and Ciel were always the most popular Black Butler couple, and quite a big part of the fandom was really into the pairing.

On top of that, the series itself throws tons of hints and fanservice at you. Sebastian and Ciel are not canonically romantically involved, of course, but Yana Toboso really likes toying with her readers, as it may seem. All of that raises a big question about her intentions and if she supports a relationship between a minor and an ancient creature.

Child abuse in Black Butler

The series gives a proper answer to the issue of child abuse: it’s unacceptable. Pedophilia is never romanticized in Black Butler, and Ciel’s PTSD shows us how horrible the effects of perversion and child abuse are. It’s unfair and outrageous to say that the author would support such things in real life.

Shipping, however, is another thing. Actual romance between Ciel and Sebastian was never on the table. We all know it is impossible, and the story will never go this way. It exists solely in fanfiction and doesn’t hurt anybody. Most Sebaciel shippers are either underage or very young, so saying they are all somehow related to pedophilia is even more questionable than the romance between Ciel and Sebastian itself.

Black Butler is a show about gray morals, that’s for sure. It explores a lot of dark themes, but it never suggests you enjoy them in real life. On top of that, Black Butler doesn’t try to portray these themes as something they are not. It doesn’t romanticize violence or abuse. Does it have a little fanservice? Yes, of course, but which series doesn’t nowadays? Does it make you problematic if you enjoy it? We doubt that. Just keep all of that in mind while watching or recommending Black Butler, and you’re good.