Sebastian, the Compassionate Demon?
[Long post warning: sorry, I got carried away, but it’s been a while and I needed to speak…]
I always had this sneaking suspicion that ideas from Seasons 1 and 2 would start making their way into the manga proper. Lately it seems as though we’re venturing into Season 2 territory. (I can’t remember if Yana had any input on the plot of Season 2 or not, but I think she may have?) We’ve already had an instance of Ciel ordering Sebastian away (Green Witch) and rings have been prominent in both the manga and Season 2. Currently I think we’re headed towards a Hannah situation.
One very important point of Season 2 was showing how demons could learn compassion and love, as the result of a human soul’s influence. Hanna Annafellows consumed the soul of the child Luka and, if memory serves, she learned to love as a result. I think her character design even changed to reflect this, as did her personality.
Well, I’m starting to think Sebastian is going to pull a Hannah on us at some point.
Now in the efforts of full disclosure, Sebastian’s growth as a character is one of the aspects of this manga I feel closest too. That being said, I didn’t pull this out of thin air and this isn’t complete wishful thinking, but it is of course influenced by my hopes and dreams for this manga. XD
What is Known About Demons
Part of our problem with our understanding of demons in the Kuroverse is that we only have Sebastian as an example. Other information has come from Ciel and William’s rantings. We know they are beastly creatures who consume humans souls and who are incapable of human emotions (as was stated in the Blue Cult arc.) We know they are capable of manipulating humans to accomplish a goal. Apparently three years is a long time to go without a meal, because William remarks that Sebastian is starving during their encounter in the Circus arc.
Despite his supposed hunger, Sebastian seems to be in no rush to effect Ciel’s revenge and thus consume his soul as payment. This issue has never been addressed directly in the manga, so we don’t know the cause of this.
Since we have precious little to go on, we’re all pretty much in the dark when it comes to understanding Sebastian’s inner workings. We can assume from Will’s information that demons are quite nasty creatures: luring their prey with lies, stealing souls, manipulating the innocent. Sometimes the word “beast” comes up to describe demons in the Kuroverse, and Sebastian fits that bill: sharp teeth, long nails, and cruel and cold enough to brand a ten-year-old child’s eye without a moment’s hesitation. This was Sebastian’s original nature—but that does not necessarily mean it is his current nature. That would require growth.
If Sebastian is capable of change, is there any evidence of this? Has he perhaps grown a tiny bit beyond his simple, animalistic nature? We don’t know if demons are capable of growth or not, but we actually have seen Sebastian change, albeit slightly, throughout his three years with Ciel. To wit:
He changed how he treated Ciel when Soma and Agni (RIP) admonished him during the Circus arc. Back then, he didn’t mind teasing Ciel, withholding information, and being downright nasty to his master. (Remember how he let him stay tied up during the Kidnapping Arc?) He’s changed to the point where as soon as Ciel is in trouble, he goes running to his side. He even disobeyed Ciel’s orders and put him to bed in the Circus arc, which was in Ciel’s best interests. He’s shown that he is capable of more than blindly following an order.
When Ciel said he could go wild and act like a beast during the Green Witch arc, Sebastiain remarked to himself that he enjoyed the game of playing butler more. This shows that he has altered his behavior from his natural state. A minor change, but a change nonetheless.
He was ready for a quick meal when he first met Ciel, then changed his tune when he was impressed by Ciel’s willingness to destroy himself. This shows that he is capable of delaying gratification, though to be fair, he believes the meal will be more delicious as a result of Ciel’s development.
All of these changes are in stark contrast to Sebastian’s beastly origins. He has shown he likes the finer things in life: being a buter for a well-to-do child and all the trappings that come with that. I would like to think he would act differently if acting beastly were still his primary motivation. It seems has he grown beyond that, however.
Sebastian’s Emotional Landscape
I’ve always been a bit mystified by the idea that Sebastian is an emotionless character. I think he’s one of the most expressive characters in the entire manga (that shocked face of his…always gets me.)
There have been plenty of times when Sebastian has shown emotion and expression. He is not a disinterested observer of humanity (that title goes to Will,) but instead has become thoroughly involved in the lives of those humans around him. Think of his differing reactions to humans such as: Tanaka, Frances, Ciel, Lizzy, the Servants, Sullivan, and so on. All of them elicit different responses from him. Of course, this could all be mere acting, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
Let’s take his reactions towards others off the table and just look at quieter moments that might belie his inner thoughts:
In the Campania flashback, he has a forlorn expression as he turns away after watching Ciel address his parents. Ciel could not see his expression here, and therefore would not benefit from Sebastian’s acting.He tucks Finny in during the Murder arc. A small moment, but why bother with something like that?He seems genuinely impressed with Agni as an exemplary model of humanity. Why would a demon be impressed by sterling goodness? (Shouldn’t he instead be impressed by evil?)To me he looks a bit regretful at the end of Chapter 128 when Ciel asks if he is lying to him.He always treats Tanaka with the utmost respect. It is in keeping with his station, but I do believe he respects Tanaka as a person.Sebastian’s expression during the Green Witch arc when Tanaka prevents him from reaching out to Ciel looks quite heartbroken. From where I’m sitting, I see someone who is so upset by the fact that they are helpless to change a situation. He also has been by Ciel’s side for three years, and now he’s been rejected. (Yes, he did snap Ciel out of it rather harshly, but it had to be done.)Sebastian goes through great pains to prepare Ciel for a world which containins things “more evil” than a demon, as he says in the Campania flashback. Sebastian is a teacher at the School of Hard Knocks, apparently.
He shows concern for Ciel on many occasions, but my all-time favorite is when he regrets he cannot make Ciel a cup of tea to warm him up while he’s in the midst of battling Bizarre Dolls out in the middle of the ocean. (He also gave Ciel his coat in the Jack the Ripper arc, too.)There is also one panel, very early in the manga, where Sebastian looks on at a sleeping Ciel and muses to himself that this life isn’t so bad. This moment is juxtaposed against a cat’s paw—the creature that gives Sebastian the most joy in the world. If taking care of Ciel is as enjoyable as petting a cat’s paw, then doesn’t this show that Sebastian enjoys his time as Ciel’s butler almost more than anything else? It also shows he’s capable of enjoying the company of humans.Campania and the efforts that Sebastian goes to to protect Ciel’s life. I don’t know about you, but no matter how hungry I get, I’m not going to get myself impaled through the gut for a meal, even if it were at a 4-star restaurant. Because if you’re dead, you can’t eat, you know? Not only that, but Sebastian seemed genuinely taken by Ciel’s praise at the very end.
His reaction to Ciel’s order to burn the mansion in the Circus Arc is what really sealed the deal for me. He is thoroughly shocked at his master’s behavior and the nature of the order, and he even hesitates to carry it out—when has he ever hesitated to carry out a direct order before? I think he was taken aback by how shocking the situation was.
It’s outside of canon, but there is that dialogue from the seiyuu event that shows Sebastian making a birthday cake for Ciel long after he has passed away.
Take a snack break and enjoy this little collage of the above moments:
It hasn’t been touched on in the manga, but it’s a common idea that demons were once fallen angels. Keeping that in mind, it seems as though Sebastian is drawn to purity in a very earnest way. (I don’t mean in the sense of him wanting to corrupt anyone.)
Outside their interactions in the current arc, Sebastian has been nothing but kind and respectful to Lizzy. Of course this goes along with maintaining Ciel’s social status quo, but it’s something to keep in mind. In addition to Lizzy, the other human whom has been elevated to friend status is Agni, a truly pure and noble soul. It could also be said that Agni’s love and devotion to Soma was almost childlike.
And there is that little moment in the Circus arc when he stoops to pick up a doll at the site of the abandoned workhouse.
(@dorkshadows I think it was you who pointed that out to us all.) :)
Sebastian also covered Ciel’s…eye…when Bard showed him a naughty magazine, he covered his eyes again to keep him from seeing the mutilated corpse left by Jack the Ripper, and covered Ciel’s ears during Madame Red’s joke. If demons enjoy corrupting their prey, why is Sebastian taking such pains to protect Ciel’s innocence?
And, to reiterate: he hesitated at Ciel’s order to burn the Kelvin mansion, and even had a quiet expression on his face as he started the fire.
What this might all come down to is either Sebastian’s origins as a former angel, or perhaps the influence of a child’s soul. I’m not saying he doesn’t have a nasty streak (he sure does love punishing the guilty, that’s for sure…) or that he’s somehow becoming good, but I believe Sebastian values purity and innocence, when one would think a demon would be more attracted to the sinister aspects of human nature.
There are many good arguments against Sebastian’s capability for growth and emotion. Here’s what I can think of:
1. Sebastian is merely acting to keep up appearances and fit in with society
I completely understand this. No point in having a demon butler by your side if he can’t pass for a human, right? The thing is: Sebastian doesn’t seem all that concerned with fitting in. He does stupid things all the time in front of people, like donning a unicorn suit, saying his nose is better than a human’s, getting stabbed with a bunch of knives at a party, and even coming back from the dead. If he wants to avoid drawing attention to the fact that he isn’t human, he’s doing a really terrible job of it.
On top of this, why act when no one can see him? We’ve seen a few times where he’s shown emotion when no one is watching. Why show a sad expression when Ciel’s face is turned?
2. He’s luring Ciel in with his demonly ways
Ciel already knows he’s a demon, so there isn’t much point in this. I guess he could use his acting to get Ciel to let his guard down, but how would this benefit Sebastian? He’s already getting his soul. I think Ciel is a strong character and he’s fully aware of his own (and Sebastian’s) actions. I think he views Sebastian as a means to his end, as he has no trouble using Sebastian for his purposes. While Sebastian may have influenced him and schooled him in the School of Hard Knocks, I think Ciel was out for revenge from the very start (he ordered Sebastain to kill everyone in the hall.) It was more his being captured and imprisoned that hardened Ciel more than Sebastian’s influence, and if anything, Sebastian helped him to become a refined and proper Earl. Ciel knows what he wants and he’s going to get it; Sebastian is just along for the ride. (There is also the fact that Vincent was a bit shady himself, and Ciel is part of that lineage.) And let’s not forget that Sebastian raised Ciel to be prepared for the challenges he is going to face, which actually has Ciel’s best interests at heart, not Sebastian’s.
3. Demons aren’t capable of growth
And people aren’t capable of coming back from the dead, but we’ve seen that, haven’t we? This manga is all about subverting our expectations, and it’s been done brilliantly in the past with such things as the identity of Jack the Ripper, the Bizarre Dolls, and Lizzy’s reveal. Didn’t we all think there were werewolves at one point, too? There’s no reason why we can’t be surprised again.
4. But Yana and/or Editor K said demons don’t have emotions
If I were George Lucas in 1977 and I had access to Twitter, I’d be tweeting up a storm about how Darth Vader is DEFINITELY not Luke’s father.
5. But Sebastian is cultivating Ciel’s soul…
I know, this is the most damning evidence, and I’ve spent a long time trying to process this panel. I am in no way qualified to make any solid pronouncements about Japanese grammar, so take this with a huge grain of salt, but from my rough understanding, it seems the English translation left out a bit of a nuance.
In the original, Sebastian uses せっかく, which means taking great pains to do something. This feels different than going through the “trouble” of something, which to me, sounds more like a hassle. The English translation goes with “cultivate,” but 育てる means to raise, rear, bring up—in fact, the 育 kanji is used in the word for “foster parent.” He’s taken great pains to raise Ciel. The second panel he says something like he doesn’t want (it) snatched away from him, and the sentence ends with たまらない, an expression that means unbearable. Take of that what you will, but to me it sounds different and more nuanced than the simple act of cultivating a soul and having it stolen because he’d be missing his dinner. (Dictionary links here, so you all can see for yourselves: http://maggiesensei.com/2015/04/29/how-to-use-%E3%81%9B%E3%81%A3%E3%81%8B%E3%81%8F-sekkaku/ , http://tangorin.com/general/sodate , http://tangorin.com/general/%E5%A0%AA%E3%82%89 , https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100304112810AA4ALDB , http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=tetamaranai, ) I probably have a lot of these nuances wrong, but I tried. XD
Assorted Evidence for Sebastian Becoming Hannah
A part of the 2CT is that Sebastian already consumed one of the twin’s souls. As akumadeenglish pointed out here, this is what the “price to cross the river” is believed to be. A demon consuming the soul of one brother while the other lives echoes Season 2 quite strongly, and I feel like we’re headed closer and closer to Sebastian pulling a Hannah on us. The pieces are all falling into place.
There is also this very interesting find by @white-queen-lacus: in the Weston arc, Sebastian is reading a Latin poem about love transcending the bounds of death. It could almost fit with Hannah’s situation: a soul living beyond its natural end, to reach forth its love to its target. Yana likes to sneak little Easter Eggs in this manga, so wouldn’t that be quite the clue? Perhaps this all speaks to Sebastian learning human compassion after having consumed the soul of a child. (That post is here–go read it!)
What all of this means is that I think Sebastian consumed the soul of the real Ciel like Hannah consumed Luca’s soul. As a result, a dim understanding of human emotion was awakened within Sebastian, which kindled the possibility for change.
He still lacks self-awareness, because a child’s emotions are raw and undeveloped, but nevertheless, the die is cast. This is why Sebastian seems capable of a very nascent form of compassion, expressed as tiny hints that he is something more than just a savage beast. His potential for change is still embryonic and fragile, and is dependent on the wishes and whims of his master. It is Ciel who will determine what Sebastian will become in the end, because Sebastian must abide by his wishes, even if that means reverting back to savagery. (And we’ve already seen hints of this, tragically.)
Sebastian has also let us in on the fact that he enjoys his life with Ciel, along with all the refined details of a butler lifestyle. And perhaps the fact that he hasn’t brought Ciel to his revenge is a testament not only to Ciel’s unique soul, but also to Sebastian’s enjoyment of his life with Ciel. Why would he be in a rush to finish up something he finds so enjoyable?
Sebastian reminded us at the end of the Circus arc that what defines humans is the desire to keep going beyond the hills and far away—to break free of their nature—to improve, to evolve, to change. Even though humans may never succeed in transcending their nature, at least they keep trying. Sebastian thinks that he, a demon, is incapable of this, but someday a flicker of realization might rise within him, a moment of clarity, no matter how fleeting; a tiny act, no matter how small, where he understands that somehow, despite his nature, he became something more.
And in that moment, that first dawning of Sebastian’s self-awareness, we, the reader, will be aware it of it before he ever could be: that he is becoming more than what he once was, and that perhaps he, too, is capable of reaching over the hills and far away…
If you have read this far, I applaud you and thank you for your time. XD But I do hope you take this all into consideration. Send counterarguments, comments, and anything else if you wish.
