Black Butler: How can you best watch the gothic Victorian mystery anime?

Popverse's top stories of the day

• Marvel is bringing back the West Coast Avengers, starring Iron Man, War Machine and... Ultron as a good guy?
• Batman has a new boss: DC's next Gotham editor has been chosen
• Glorfindel is coming to Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - here's what you need to know

The Black Butler anime has had a long, strange broadcast journey. Parts of it were made before Yana Toboso’s manga had finished, resulting in a vastly different story from the original comic. Later seasons and films would eventually retcon those anime-only segments out of continuity, making it a confusing journey to watch the show.

Despite its unusual history, Black Butler remains classic anime primarily due to its rich, gorgeous animation and unique style. Set in Victorian-era London, Black Butler follows Ceil, a 12-year-old noble who forms a pact with a demon to help him track down his parents’ killers. In exchange, the demon – named Sebastian – will be allowed to consume Ceil’s soul. If you’re wondering how to get started with the Black Butler anime, our watch order is here to help.

How to watch Black Butler without filler

Filler in anime typically refers to material that is not present in the original manga. Unfortunately, Black Butler is rife with that. Because the first two seasons were made before the manga finished running, the producers had to take the story in their own direction. That means that the anime was forced to create entirely new characters and storylines. The result is large parts of the anime being non-canon to the manga.

If you want to watch Black Butler without the filler, here is your best bet:

• Black Butler Season 1 Episode 1-6
• Black Butler Season 1 Episode 13-15
• Black Butler Season 3: Book of Circus Episodes 1-10
• Black Butler OVA Book of Murder
• Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic movie

How to watch Black Butler in release order

Though so much of the anime can be relegated to non-canon status, the rest of Black Butler has some really fun moments that are worth watching. If you want to explore the world a bit more, you can watch the rest of Black Butler in release order. The downside to watching these extra episodes is that from the third season – known as Book of Circus – onward, no references to any non-canon portions of the anime are made so there are some big, unanswered plot threads to deal with.

• Black Butler
• Black Butler II
• Black Butler: Book of Circus
• Black Butler OVA: Book of Murder
• Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic

Where can you watch Black Butler?

For a while it had been quite difficult to stream most of Black Butler as it left Netflix but hadn't been added to Crunchyroll yet. However, it eventually got added to Crunchyroll's library, meaning you can stream the entire series from start to finish - filler and all - in one place.

What’s next for Black Butler?

After the Black Butler: Public School Arc debuted in April 2024, we got our first new Black Butler anime in nearly seven years. However, we won't have to wait quite as long to see more, as Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc, the next season of the gothic anime, is due out in 2025.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out our guides to upcoming movies, upcoming TV shows, upcoming comics, and upcoming comic conventions. If you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we have all the upcoming MCU, upcoming Star Wars, upcoming Star Trek, and upcoming DC movies & TV for you. If you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to all the upcoming superhero movies and upcoming superhero TV shows (and new seasons) as well.