After much research, I’ve managed to condense and mingle a few ideas of my own relating to the Sebastian-Mephistopheles and Two Ciels theories. Though extremely questionable – as they are after all, only theories – there have been some notable moments throughout Kuroshitsuji which show the plausible nature of these theories. Though I’m too convinced with the Sebastian-Mephistopheles theory, the possibility of twin Ciels existing in the story is intriguing. It might just be true; you’d be surprised by how the proof almost makes sense! But who knows in all actuality, save for Yana-sensei herself. Like I said before, she’s a mastermind. This is all a conjunction of pure fanaticism, a side effect of her favourite move (mindfuck).
The Sebastian-Mephistopheles theory: Goethe in Kuroshitsuji.
Many fans speculate that Sebastian may in fact be Mephistopheles due to the similarity in the insignia of their Faustian contracts.
Mephistopheles’ contract (left) and Sebastian’s contract (right).
In the above link, StarrGirl proclaims:
“First off, Mephisto came to Faust(the man)as a devilish-looking and talking poodle. This has lead me to think that Sebby was Sebastian the dog, and was Vincent’s demon.”
Another key concept mentioned in the above link is that were Sebastian contracted to Vincent and had taken on the form of Sebastian the dog (the one which Ciel happened to name the black butler after):
“it would probably explain why he resembles Vincent so much– if he was formerly contracted to him, it would make sense to take on the form of the human you knew best.” – myfish32
Vincent, Ciel's otou-san, and Sebastian the dog.
While it sounds almost convincing, I find this unlikely. Why? Why would Sebastian dislike dogs then? Why would there be a need for the cult to sacrifice Ciel and the other children in order to summon the demon if he was already roaming Earth?
I don’t suppose demons go “poof” so quickly once they’ve finished their meal. Though it’s possible that the Phantomhive household may have been contracted with demons over many generations, particularly in order to aid them in their dirty work, it would seem rather cliché on Yana’s behalf was Sebastian the same demon that Vincent once contracted to, moreover in the form of a dog…
Disregarding such an idea, the likelihood of Sebastian’s ambiguous true form being Mephistopheles remains. Wikipedia also describes:
“Although Mephistopheles appears to Faustus as a devil — a worker for Satan — critics claim that he does not search for men to corrupt but comes to serve and ultimately collect the souls of those who are already damned. Farnham explains, ‘Nor does Mephistophiles first appear to Faustus as a devil who walks up and down in earth to tempt and corrupt any man encountered. He appears because he senses in Faustus’ magical summons that Faustus is already corrupt, that indeed he is already ‘in danger to be damned’.’
Mephistopheles is already trapped in his own hell by serving the Devil. He warns Faustus of the choice he is making by ‘selling his soul’ to the Devil: ‘Mephistophilis, an agent of Lucifer, appears and at first advises Faust not to forgo the promise of heaven to pursue his goals’.”
And indeed, Sebastian did warn Ciel. The thing that interests me is that Mephistopheles is trapped “in his own hell by serving the Devil”; it goes quite well with Chapter 62, where flashbacks explore Sebastian’s perspective of Ciel and finds the child disagreeable. This is all in the metaphorical sense however. What if we were to perceive this literally? Though this plays on another theory and intertwines with the anime, suppose Ciel was a demon – the eternity of serving the brat would be no doubt a hell. Just what if? (I’ll have to elaborate on this another day)
The Two Ciels theory, otherwise known as the possible Twin theory.
Let’s suppose Ciel had an identical twin prior to his kidnapping by the cult. I know, it sounds crazy, but believe me or not, it’s… promising, particularly with so many hints scattered throughout the manga. Take, for example, this:
“Hear me out! I know, it sounds so stereotypical and stupid and unlikely, but it’s as ppngai said; he had no blood on his shirt, and there was still that conspicuous hand on the sacrificial altar thing in the flashback in this chapter. If he’d been stabbed and he was dying, there wouldn’t really have been much coherent thought to be able to summon a demon. If the one being stabbed was Ciel’s brother, then it’s likely that Ciel would have been able to summon Sebastian, in some sort of desperation of maybe knowing or thinking that he was next or something.
Also, the slight hesitation he said to say ‘Ciel Phantomhive, the one to inherit the Phantomhive manor’ or whatever it was may have been because he was supposing that even though he was the youngest, there was no one else left.” – Seven
“Sebastian did seem… a little too amused when the boy presented himself as an earl, and in that summary pic you can clearly see that the boy who is sacrificed has a hair sweep that goes one way, and his top button is buttoned, the other boy has his bottom three buttoned and his hair sweeps both ways. He did hesitate when he presented himself as well…” – LethalLeigh
The two images are pages 23 and 24 of chapter 54. There’s an obvious difference between the two, despite being one page after the other, notably in Yana’s presentation of Ciel. As the above fan statements proclaim, page 24 depicts a less bloody Ciel contrary to the one shown on page 23. One would most likely think that Sebastian had cleaned the boy but what about this:
Is that the same person as the one shown in page 23 of chapter 54?
And then there’s also this:
“This is worth more than two people.”
Identical twins of noble lineage would be a rare occurrence, wouldn’t it? Unless the translators have screwed up, which I hope they haven’t cause that would mean the doom of the non-Japanese fandom, the idea of there being two Ciels is there. We know for sure that the current Ciel is well versed with aristocracy, as demonstrated by his taming of Sebastian as a butler, hence
1. Ciel has a twin, or
2. One of the two Ciels is a fake but with similar skills as the original, perhaps in order to act as a dummy?
I’m not too certain with the latter but the possibility of two Ciels existing (or having existed as one is now dead) is high. Very high.
“In my update in September, I mentioned a slight possibility that Kuro might turn out to be like a manga I read a long time ago, called The Gentleman’s Alliance Cross. In there, a prestigious family had two sons, and basically only one can be known to the world, and one has to be a substitute for the other in case anything happened. So I thought if there were two Ciels, and one had to be kept away all this time, it would make perfect sense why nobody knew, and how “Ciel” seems to so quickly fit into his role. Now he doesn’t know where his mansion is, which ceases to even surprise me because if what I guessed is true, he must have been somewhere else all his life.” – Tanekura
Here’s another possible hint:
“I want power… the power to take revenge on the ones who did this to us.”
I’ve forgotten which chapter and page this was from, but Ciel had undoubtedly mentioned “us”.
“One would probably assume at first glance that he is talking about all the kids, but if you take a second and realize the type of person Ciel is (as seen when he burnt down the whole house where the kids were kept by Baron Kelvin, in chapter 34) you would notice he probably doesn’t give a fuck about anyone else but himself. Which immediately leads me back to the twin theory. How the two of them connect you can probably figure out yourself.” – Tanekura
In a moment of crisis, it’s understandable that Ciel only values himself and perhaps, if he’s nice enough, those dear to him as well. TWIN THEORY INSERT.
And let’s not forget this moment either:
“As Ciel Phantomhive, head of the Phantomhive household, I swear I won’t!”
“Hmpf.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Well, you told me not to lie, yet you seem to be quite a liar.”
It’s a bit ambiguous though the fact that Sebastian knows that the current Ciel isn’t what he proclaims to be and was thus never destined to be the head of the household, stands firm.
What more could this all imply other than there being two Ciels? Dun dun dun. Damn Yana-sensei for keeping all the secrets to herself.
– Serenata.
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The Otaku's Blog 
One of the things that draw me to Kuroshitsuji, and Yana-sensei’s way of storytelling is that she scatters subtle clues and details which are developed with foresight. Though some aspects may seem insignificant in the present arc, more information will surface later and make you go ‘Aha, I see!’.
Yana-sensei also draws many historical references, from the Jack the Ripper arc, to The Speckled Band/Sherlock Holmes murdery mystery arc, and now, the Titanic-like setting. During the murder mystery arc, many fans picked up that since the theme was ‘Sherlock Holmes’, they used the clues given and quickly deduced that the outcome will be loosely based upon that particular short story.
It is therefore likely that Yana has once again taken inspiration from Faust’s tale. I don’t think the details of the first theory pointed out here are mere coincidences. I’ve never taken a good look at the contract symbol, but now that I have, it has become the strongest evidence that Sebastian is Mephistopheles. As for Sebastian’s dislike for dogs, I’m assuming that he had an unsavoury experience when acting in the form as one (perhaps he believes that it is beneath himself?). I can’t remember what he had said about dogs when it was revealed that he hated them, though.
If it is true that Mephistopheles is inherently attracted to corruption, it would make sense that he can be summoned by a cult. Surely, cruelly sacrificing children to summon a demon is an act reserved only for those who are corrupted?
As for the ‘Two Ciels’ theory… Since this comment is already too long, I will make it brief and say that this one is a little weaker because it’s mostly based on ‘textual evidence’. Translators try their best to make scanlations as close to and transliteral to the raws, but they do quite often take liberty to use the English terms they deem best. If we analyse all the English translations too closely, and use them as a singular evidence, our theories may end up going completely off-course. Of course, this doesn’t mean that translators are not worth worshipping (because without them we have no scanlations), or that I completely disown this theory.
While Kuroshitsuji isn’t as intrinsically woven as Death Note, the logic behind its mysteries is undeniably worthy of praise. Good mysteries rely on much planning and should be, as you said, developed overtime at a decent pace throughout the storyline. Hints, in this manner, feed the fandom and their various theories.
I, too, reckon Yana has drawn much of her inspiration from the Faust legend for her character design of Sebastian. If Sebastian is really Mephistopheles in the guise of a human butler, then this might spark your interest (though this is just a claim by critics and Wikipedia):
Personally I doubt any demon would let go of a soul that he/she has spent nurturing over the years… but is there a possibility that Sebastian might prove us otherwise? I dunno, Yana tends to prove many of my speculations wrong.
As for Sebastian’s dislike for dog, this is the only thing that throws the above theory haywire. I read somewhere on the BB forums where a fan had proclaimed that Sebastian hating dogs only appeared on the anime and was etched into the minds of the fans due to the producers’ use of the concept as a comedic leeway. However, we see Sebastian’s annoyed reaction in the flashback when Ciel names him after a dog – this is the only instance I can remember where Sebastian’s dislike is shown towards canines.
And as for the Two Ciels theory… It’s like you’ve said, there’s no concrete evidence outside of the manga itself which might lead to such a possibility. The fact that many of the fans who had helped in developing such a theory read from a translated version of Kuroshitsuji only adds fuel to the fire of doubt. I guess in all entirety, what sparked my interest in this particular theory was Ciel’s constant wavering thoughts about his identity. It’s as if the boy is hiding something.
Hmm… I thought long and hard on that extract. I really can’t come up with any good theory about the morality of Sebastian/Mephistopheles! (*´Д`) *brain is fried*
And you’re quite right about the anime-only evidence about Sebastian’s distaste towards dogs. Perhaps he doesn’t feel very much for them after all?
I’ll dedicate a few more lines to the Two Ciels theory this time. It’s undeniable that Ciel’s constant assertions about his ‘identity’ sounds fishy. And it is unlikely that the line, “Well, you told me not to lie, yet you seem to be quite a liar.” was mistranslated (if only I could catch a glimpse of the raws, then I would say this with much more confidence).
To clarify, I’m not entirely against the Two Ciels theory, it’s just that I don’t think it’ll be a twin or a look-a-like stranger. In the quote (this is another of dialogue which is hard to mistranslate) “As Ciel Phantomhive, head of the Phantomhive household, I swear I won’t!”, Ciel lies. This particular wording suggests that there are two possibilities to what he is lying about:
1) He is not Ciel Phantomhive
2) He is not the head of the Phantomhive household
I would be devastated if he’s not the real Ciel Phantomhive (I’m to attached to this concept), so my theory is that he is only lying about not being the true head. Perhaps a (now dead) older brother? If you take a quick look at Chapter 62 (around page 17) you can see four fresh graves in the family burial grounds. Assuming one each belongs to his father, mother, and himself; servants are not allowed to be buried in the same memorial grounds, and that Sebastian the family dog was not buried; that leaves one unnamed grave. Could that belong to an older sibling?
If Ciel had an identical twin, Elizabeth or Madam Red would have at least mentioned it. But this would not apply to an older sibling, as shown by the introduction of Elizabeth’s older brother (who would’ve known that she even had one?).
The more I think about this, the more I doubt the possibility.
Elaborating from the Two Ciels/Twin theory, yes, had Ciel had an identical twin then the notion ought to be mentioned by his relatives. Personally, I’m leaning more towards your thought of Ciel not actually being the true head of the Phantomhive household. This would explain Sebastian’s musing with Ciel’s demand for him not to lie. What puzzles as well as intrigues me is how Ciel proclaims “Ciel isn’t here anymore” and “I am Earl Phantomhive, and I am me, and I..”. The latter almost sounds like a mantra – as if the boy was trying to convince himself of his identity.
As for the four graves… More questions arise. It would have helped had Yana-sensei made the stones different. There’s too many crosses to determine whether there’s any major significance in the other two, particularly since Ciel seems to have many relatives that we’re not event aware of – I wasn’t even aware that he had a grandfather in the first place, and the old man was covered in bandages and Ciel had asked him if he knew anything about the perpetrators (the cult), meaning the grandfather was also involved in the incident. There might have been relatives other than Ciel’s father and mother who could have be caught up in the mess…
The reason I doubt the first possibility that “1) He is not Ciel Phantomhive” is that during the most recent flashback, in which Ciel deals with the cult and returns home, we see Ciel’s grandfather (at the hospital) and Madam Red recognising him as Ciel Phantomhive. Moreover, like I said above, “We know for sure that the current Ciel is well versed with aristocracy, as demonstrated by his taming of Sebastian as a butler” so even if this “Ciel” is merely a disguising himself as the Phantomhive child, then he must somehow know the mannerisms and workings of the nobles?
This is getting interesting… I’m rereading Chapter 62 right now, in hopes of uncovering more clues. (On a side note, for some reason I feel really sad how Ciel addresses Madam Red as Aunt Ann… It really shows how much he’s changed…)
I’m becoming more and more confused about Ciel’s identity now, as there are many mixed ‘evidence’ — perhaps there just aren’t enough to make a coherent and consistent theory about who he really is?
Also, there is only one unidentified grave out of the four — Ciel also has a plaque on top of his ‘supposed’ grave. (Yana has drawn the four fresh graves as plots of soil with a plaque on top of it, as well as with a concrete cross) In fact, speaking of Ciel’s empty grave… Could it not be possible that all four graves are empty? The murder may have been treated as arson, hence officials may not have recovered the bodies of the Phantomhive family and just presumed that they were all dead. Since Ciel survived the Phantomhive murder, why can’t his ‘theoretical sibling’ also survive? And therefore be the ‘true’ head of Phantomhive?
The word-choice of the translation is very misleading. When Ciel calls out ‘Grandfather’ in the hospital, it does not literally mean that they are related. ‘Ojiisan’, meaning grandfather, is also used to affectionately address elder men. I’m pretty sure the old man in the wheelchair is Tanaka, since he: calls Ciel ‘young master’, possesses the Phantomhive butler pocketwatch, bows to Sebastian, and asks him to ‘take care of the young master’.
Ah, that would make sense – the old man being Tanaka.
And oh my god, Ciel does have his own grave! Why didn’t I see that earlier? I feel like a fool now. Perhaps it’s like you’ve suggested – the officials merely assumed that the Phantomhive family is dead, like they did with Ciel. But it’s a given that Vincent and Rachael Phantomhive are dead since we see their bodies in pools of blood in Ciel’s flashback (can’t remember which chapter)… unless Undertaker has done something. Oh, just what if?
Nevertheless, the real question now lies in who exactly does that fourth grave belong to? If it really does belong to another relative of Ciel’s then we might just hit the jackpot. Who knows.
Could it be that a grim reaper decided that the Phantomhive’s should live? I think It could be possible because of the Undertaker helping them all the time. If he was still a grim reaper during the time they were killed he might have seen their names on the to die list and saved them. Why they haven’t showed back up yet, if that was the case, doesn’t make sense. Unless they are waiting for their enemies to be killed.
I think Ciel having a twin would make sense if he had been hidden away. It was said Ciel’s health was poor and during the circus arc you see him with Vincent. Maybe Vincent decided to bring his other son with him. If one or both of them had bad health it could be they kept the younger hidden away in case the other died. In noble families that needed predecessors this could make sense, or it does to me. It could be a reason that Ciel doesn’t know that in chapter 66 it was the first Easter Lizzy made her own egg. If his older brother was to marry her Ciel may not have met her before he came back saying he was ‘Ciel Phantomhive.’
Another point is that when Sebastian is called Ciel is in a cage. Ciel should have been laying on a slab cut open. You see this in some pictures but they are not from Ciel’s veiw of laying there being cut open, as in some memories of calling Sebastian where he is looking at his shoes through the cage bars (can’t remember the chapter). It is of Ciel watching someone else being cut open. Like when he sees the girl being stabbed and remembers an image of someone else being stabbed. Ciel’s brother may have also been the sacrifice that was given to him. Because Sebastian said something along the lines of “the sacrifice that was given will never be returned.” It could be a reason why Sebastian made the comment about Ciel being a liar. He knew that the real Ciel had died.
Wow, that was way to long. I hope some of what I said made sense.
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i think ciel has a twin. and he took his place. and lizzy and madam red thought that was ciel and not his twin and that his twin had died. but since ciel(or his twin) said he didn’t go out much, no one could have known that ciel had a twin. and since no one ask lizzy or madam red about his twin. or they were so sad that they couldn’t talk about it….who knows
The old man is definately Tanaka lol (It took me a few moments but I was like oh yup thats tanaka) For the Mehphisto theory I totallu buy that but I am sorta skeptical about the Ciel Twin theory. It seems so fantastical and farfetched, even for Kuroshitsuji.
Chapter 66 adds to me suspicion of the Twin theory, IMO, particularly Ciel’s blunder in thinking that it was just another Easter hunt where in fact it was Elizabeth’s first time making her own egg despite saying otherwise in the previous pages. Moreover, the fact that Ciel was confused but later played along with Lizzy’s lead makes me think that Ciel may not be the “Ciel Phantomhive”.
I don’t think the two ciels were necessarily twins, remember madam red was at the birth, she would KNOW if there were twins, maybe it was just two boys who looked really similar? It would have to be quite a coincidence but it COULD happen even if it I’d highly unlikely, maybe they shared stories of they’re pasts and this was why fakeciel knew it all? Oh well only yana knows and hopefully we too will soon find out.
Hopefully. Yana’s jumped into a new arc so we can’t say anything as of now but my suspicions are still there.
I agree with this completely. Heck, this even makes me wanna write a fanfiction on it…..
…the facts are so straight forward about the Twin Ciel theory, and even though Yana never states it directly, it’s painfully obvious the point she’s trying to get across.
Great research!
Regarding: “I want power… the power to take revenge on the ones who did this to us.”
Could he be using the majestic plural aka Royal we. Like that famous saying by queen Victoria “we are not amused.” According to wiki the majestic plural it is commonly employed by a person of high office, such as a monarch, earl, or pope.
When Ciel said he want power for us maybe he was using majestic plural? like that famous queen victoria saying we are not amused. according to wikipedia It is commonly employed by a person of high office, such as a monarch, earl, or pope.
did anyone know that sebastian michaelis was in reality a demonologist? in 16th and early 17th centuries. Sébastien Michaëlis. i found this on wiki. maybe it doesn’t make sense in this context but i found it quite interesting for myself… (sorry for my bad english)
If you take into consideration the most recent chapter released , there is a possibility that there that there were two Ciel’s ,If only in a metaphoric sense. Going along with the twin theory , there is a chance that it may be similar to what occurred in the anime with Trancey. That there are two souls in his body. The “Phantomhive heir” and Ciel Phantomhive.
In the Green Witch and Werewolf arc you see ANOTHER being taking over for Ciel. That Ciel had been reverted back to the boy on the alter that had been sacrificed and the other Ciel seemed to be the one we s readers are accustomed to.
So the two Ciels theory may hold some water in this case and judging by the direction the current arc is going there may be more evidence to support , validate or disprove the theory. Who knows in the theory of the two Ciel souls one could very well be his father.
For the twin theory: there is also that scene in the end of chapter 31 and the beginning of the next one where Ciel meets Kelvin as a little child. First he acts friendly and then suddenly pretty shy. Not to mention that there are also a hand and a dress hiding one site of Vincent. I really think Ciel has a twin