The Undertaker (Black Butler)

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Undertaker

The Undertaker (アンダーテイカー, Andāteikā) is an ex-Grim Reaper (Shinigami) and a funeral director who works with the underworld of Britain. He frequently acts as an informant to Ciel Phantomhive.

In the early days of Black Butler, the Undertaker was a somewhat harmless old man who would trade underground information for what he consitered 'first rate laughs'. He was neither good nor evil, he was neutral as all Grim Reapers should be. Undertaker was and is still regarded as a legendary Grim Reaper in both the anime and manga. In the anime, he passed judgement on the soul of Robin Hood and sent Marie Antoinette to Hell, this testifies to Undertaker's age and his ability to judge mortal souls. It also seems like it is very hard to upset Undertaker, He wasn't even angry when Grell buried him in salt.

Anime

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Grell hugging Undertaker in respect.

Unlike his manga counterpart who is an antagonist in the Ship Voyage and Public School Arcs', in the anime adaptation he is neutral. 

Undertaker is seen helping twelve year old Ciel Phantonhive solve many London crimes in Season 1.

In Episode 17, Undertaker is also choked out and burried in salt by fellow Grim Reaper Grell Sutcliff after mistaking the latter for being dead. But Undertaker doesn't seem upset by this.

In fact later in Episode 18 after William T. Spears explained Undertakers past about him being the legendary Grim Reaper and Grell lifted his bangs to know if it was true, Undertaker lets Grell hug him. (Something no other character had allowed before).

In the anime, Undertaker seems to help more than he harms, though he does steal internal organs from his 'guests'.

Manga

His face finally revealed.

LIke his anime countepart, Undertaker is neutral in the first 60 chapters of the Black Butler manga series.

However, things changed during the Ship Voyage Arc.

Undertaker is only depicted as 'evil' where he explains that he is the one who created the Bizarre Dolls (Re-Animated human's) though at first it is not known by Ciel and Sebastian. Undertaker is aboard the Campania and taking part in the Aurora Society's private meeting though he uses this job as an excuse for being there. He is later seen carrying the device that controlled the Bizarre Dolls. While questioned by Ciel how to activate it, he answers that he doesn't know, and he doesn't see how such a device would be of any help. Aleister Chambers attempted to use the device to control the dolls, but failed.

When Grell attempted to kill the Viscount of Druitt, Undertaker stopped him, blocking Grell's deathscythe with his sotoba. The two fought for several pages until Undertaker lifted his bangs revealing his eyes, this act also showed Grell and Ronald Knox that Undertaker is a Grim Reaper. 

According to Grell, Undertaker is a deserter who has broken one of the Grim Reaper's most important rules by interfering with the lives and deaths of humans.

Undertaker explains that to re-animate the corpese he had to edit their Cinematic Records. Upon closer examation of the records it is discovered that Undertaker cut out large chunks of the persons life and replaced it with a recording of him dancing while dressed as Charlie Chaplin. Undertaker also explains why the dolls attack humans."In order to obtain a 'soul' they will open up the bodies of the living. To settle the balance of a never-ending cinamatic recond you see. It's impossible for them to make another' soul theirs though." A four way battle soon breaks out while the Campania slowly sinks, after some time Undertaker manages to slice both Grell and Ronald out of the way, he then uses Ciel to lure Sebastian into a well planned trap. He then stabs Sebastian in the back and watches his Cinematic record, and after it ends, Sebastian saves Ciel and Grell and Ronald re-enter the fight. When Sebastian joins the fight Undertaker seems to have trouble fighting all three and when the ship goes vertical Undertaker makes his exit by cutting the Campania in half and disappers leaving his 'Treasure' with Ciel. (His treasure of 11 morning lockets).

Appearance

Concept Art of Undertaker

Undertaker is a very tall slender man (six foot one to six foot three) with long gray hair that hides his green double iris eyes. Undertaker wears all black robes what look like over the knee black boots an old looking top hat with a long tail. Undertaker also has several large scars, one that runs across his face and over his right eye, another that goes round his neck and the last (visable) one almost looks like a ring that wraps round his left pinky finger. Undertaker wears several interesting pieces of jewlery, two beaded necklaces, and a belt adorned with morning lockets. Undertaker also has three piercings in each ear, two rings in his ear lobe and a rod going threw his upper ear. Undertaker seems to have long (one and a half inch) finger nails that have been painted black, and he wears an emerald ring, like Ciels.

Personality

Undertaker in salt.

Undertaker seems to like scaring people and acts creeply just to see how people will react, but Undertaker can be very calm and level headed speaking deeply about death and the joys of life. Undertaker seems to love his job as a funeral director and his work for the Phantomhive family. Known only by his profession, the Undertaker is a mysterious man whose scarred face is never fully visible beneath his long hair and crooked top hat. He occasionally provides information to Ciel at a price with funny jokes. While he finds Ciel amusing and enjoys helping him out, he has nothing but disdain for the Queen. He tends to punctuate his words with sweeping gestures and creepy giggles and seems to spend a good deal of time inside of coffins.

Deathscythe

Undertaker's Death Scythe takes the form of a stereotypical Grim Reaper scythe. It is silver in color, with a skull connecting the blade to the handle, which is wrapped in silver wires, like the bottom of the handle.

Death bookmark and Pen

In the anime, Undertaker is seen with a pink bookmark that allows him to edit someones live, though it does have limits. in Episode 18, all Undertaker could do to stop Angela Blanc's rampage in the Abbey is to write Sebastian, Grell, and William into the abby.

Quotes

• "Show me a "first rate laugh".
• (To Ciel) "Welcome, Earl. Do you want to see how it feels to sleep in my custom-made coffin?"
• (Referring to Jack the Ripper) "The world of darkness has the world of darkness's rules. He wouldn't murder random people for no reason. There must be an influence manipulating him from behind."
• "Today is a particular woman's special gala. The final great ceremony in each human's life. A funeral."
• "Victoria, aye? I'm not a fan. She sits herself up so high above everyone else, and leaves the painful dirty work to the Earl."
• "I wonder, if the butler isn't here, is the Earl just a child who can't do anything?"
• "Even though I told him to hold each and every soul dear. Because you hold great power, you gradually fail to understand the importance of things that cannot be recovered. You will realize once it's too late. How many times have I given you and the others the same warning?"
• (To Ciel) "You don't need to tell me, I know why you came, with just one look I can tell what's on your mind."
• (Referring to his bookmark) "And it's pink, isn't that lovely?"
• "How sad it would be, should laughter disappear."
• (Referring to Aleister Chamber while fighting Grell)"He, he... It's been a while since I've laughed so much... To lose such an amusing man would be like losing the whole world to me... Don't you agree? Grim Reaper?"
• (Referring to the Bizarre Dolls) "This beautifully stitched skin as white as wax, just like when they were alive. Their mouths that cannot clamour noisily or tell lies any longer. Aren't they all far more beautiful than when they were alive?"

Trivia

• He and Azzurro Vanel are the only two who have voiced a dislike for Queen Victoria's portrayal in the manga.
• His statue of when he was a legendary Grim Reaper is seen in the Grim Reaper Library.
• In the manga, while fighting against Grell, he uses sotoba, inscribed strips of wood found at tombs in Japanese cemeteries.
• He was first seen with sotoba in the extras of Volume 2, four years before he was first seen with them in the manga. In the manga, shortly after Doll's death he is seen tinkering with a locket engraved with the words "13 July 1866, Claudia P."
• In the latest chapter, when the lockets are more visible, he also appears to have another locket with the name "Alex" on it.
• The date of his birth or other information is as of now unknown.
• His Death Scythe was first shown in the anime.
• Like all Grim Reaper, Undertaker is heavily near eye-sighted. However, he does not wear glasses. During the Ship Voyage Arc, Undertaker is seen dressed as Charlie Chaplin.
• Ironically, Charlie Chaplin was born on 16 April 1889, the day before the Campania set sail, 17 April 1889.
• Undertaker is acquainted with the Phantomhive family when Vincent was the head.