10 best anime like Black Butler

With its intriguing premise, dark themes, and memorable characters like Sebastian and Grell, anime like Black Butler has gained a huge fan following. Black Butler is a popular dark fantasy anime series that follows the story of Ciel Phantomhive, a young boy who forms a Faustian contract with his demon butler, Sebastian.

If you have finished watching Black Butler and want something similar to fill the void, there are plenty of great anime recommendations for fans of the series. From demonic contracts and Victorian settings to eccentric shinigami and dark mysteries, here are 10 incredible anime like Black Butler.

10 anime like Black Butler featuring dark themes and intricate plots

1. D.Gray-man

D.Gray-man (Image via TMS Entertainment)

D.Gray-man is perfect for fans looking for more gothic dark fantasy and Akuma-hunting action in an anime like Black Butler.

Set in an alternate 19th century, it follows Allen Walker, an exorcist with a cursed eye that can detect Akuma. He joins the Black Order and uses his powerful anti-Akuma weapon to fight the Millennium Earl and his army of Akuma machines.

With its gothic aesthetic, Victorian setting, and prominent focus on demons, D.Gray-man beautifully complements the devilish charms of Black Butler. Fans will also enjoy Allen's intricate backstory as he unravels the mystery behind his eye while confronting the Earl.

2. Pandora Hearts

Another dark fantasy anime like Black Butler blends mystery and aristocratic extravagance.

Pandora Hearts centers around Oz Vessalius, heir to a noble family who is thrown into the hellish Abyss on his coming-of-age ceremony. He makes a contract with Alice, a Chain with connections to the Abyssal realm.

As Oz tries to piece together Alice's lost memories to discover the truth behind his family's past, they get embroiled in twisted supernatural events orchestrated by the shadowy organization Pandora. It shares Black Butler's flair for dark mysteries, emphasizing aristocratic intrigues and Victorian Gothic aesthetic.

3. Hellsing Ultimate

Hellsing Ultimate (Image via Madhouse and Satelight)

If you are looking forward to more demonic servants after Sebastian, Hellsing Ultimate can be your next anime obsession. This violent vampire-hunting series revolves around the Hellsing Organization and its most powerful warrior - the vampire Alucard, servant of Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing.

With his insanely powerful vampire abilities and signature cruel smirk, Alucard never fails to steal the show during intense, bloody fights with other vampires and ghouls. Paired with the equally eccentrically wicked Father Alexander Anderson, Hellsing Ultimate is a non-stop action and violence anime like Black Butler.

4. Ouran High School Host Club

Ouran High School Host Club (Image via Bones)

Ouran High School Host Club offers a wonderful palette cleanser for a lighter, fluffier take with a valuable focus still on the aristocracy, splendid costume drama aesthetics, and some bits of sly demonic humor.

This romantic comedy centers around average high schooler Haruhi, who accidentally joins the elite Ouran Host Club comprised of six handsome, bored rich boys.

It also has slight shards of demonic humor via Nekozawa and the Black Magic Club. Overall, Ouran High School Host Club is an anime like Black Butler that beautifully complements it with its elite, aristocratic leads.

5. The Ancient Magus' Bride

The Ancient Magus' Bride (Image via Wit Studio)

The Ancient Magus' Bride makes a wonderful pick for a softer, more fantastical take on mystical contracts. This dark fantasy anime, like Black Butler, follows Chise, a young girl sold at an auction to a towering inhuman mage named Elias.

Although feared as a monster, Elias takes Chise as his apprentice and future bride, vowing to protect her. Despite rumors about Elias's true identity, fans will adore the tender moments and genuine affection between the outcast leads.

With its focus on outcasts, magic, and the deceptively kindhearted nature of a mysterious non-human entity, The Ancient Magus' Bride evokes the subtle beauty underlying Ciel and Sebastian's own strange contract.

6. Death Note

While vastly different in tone and premise compared to Black Butler, Death Note shares a crucial appeal - the intricate mind games and battles of wits between its two main leads.

Like Black Butler, this anime centers around genius high school student Light Yagami, who discovers a supernatural notebook allowing him to kill anyone just by writing their name. This leads to a complex cat-and-mouse game with enigmatic detective L as Light tries to create a crime-free world while evading capture.

With the gripping mental back-and-forth between Light and L complemented by the story's thriller tension, Death Note offers a singular appeal reminiscent of Sebastian and Ciel's unique contract.

7. Dance with Devils

Dance with Devils (Image via Brain's Base)

Dance with Devils follows characters like Rem, Urie, and Mage, who are devils targeting the same girl, Ritsuka, for mysterious, potentially nefarious reasons.

Fans who loved anime like Black Butler, will also adore the simmering romantic tensions between Ritsuka and charismatic devils like Lindo, Urie, and Mage, along with the striking Browse visuals during musical performances.

The appeal of forbidden supernatural romances, hidden identities, and musical spectacle gives Dance with Devils a special charm reminiscent of Black Butler's flair.

8. Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist

Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist (Image via Dogakobo)

Sharing similar occult themes as anime like Black Butler, Makai Ouji centers around realist aristocrat William Twining, who discovers he is the heir to Solomon, the man who commanded 72 demons. He unwillingly forms several contracts with demons like the adorably mischievous Sytry.

Fans will surely enjoy the eccentric hijinks that arise as William confronts various figures from mystical lore with the help of Sytry, Dantalion, and other demons. There is also intricate lore about mystical grimoires and magical artifacts that fans seeking anime like Black Butler will appreciate.

9. Kuroshitsuji: Book Of Circus

Kuroshitsuji: Book Of Circus (Image via A-1 Pictures)

A phenomenal and chilling addition to the Black Butler universe, Kuroshitsuji: Book Of Circus will delight old and new fans with its sinister circus premise. When news about kidnapped children emerges, Ciel and Sebastian investigate Noah's Ark Circus and uncover its dreadful secrets.

With the circus structure infusing dark flair into Kuroshitsuji, viewers are in for a thrilling and creepy ride uncovering the history of Joker, Wendy, and Beast. Iconic moments like Sebastian's fire-breathing circus act and the flexible Dagger's knife-throwing scenes make it a must-watch for all Black Butler lovers.

10. Noblesse

If you enjoyed Sebastian's style, wit, and efficacy in serving his master, Noblesse offers a similar appeal to Frankenstein and Raizel. Like Black Butler, this anime follows an elegant yet powerful noble vampire named Raizel who awakens in modern-day Korea after 820 years of slumber.

He forms a contract with his servant Frankenstein to help him blend into human society while uncovering existential threats from Raizel's troubled past as a nobleman.

With Frankenstein being the perfect butler who brings Raizel's subtle charms and hidden attractiveness to life, Noblesse is a brilliant anime like Black Butler.

Conclusion

Whether you enjoyed Black Butler for the eccentric grim reapers, Victorian aesthetic, web of aristocratic conspiracies, or the simple devilish charm of Sebastian, these incredible anime like Black Butler offer fantastic new worlds to immerse yourself in.

With captivating themes encompassing fantasy, gothic adventure, comedy, romance, and the occult, fans seeking anime like Black Butler will surely find their next perfect anime match from these recommendations.