News
Black Butler Marks 20 Years With Anniversary Site, Film, and Exhibition Plans
Yana Toboso’s Black Butler reached 20 years of Monthly G Fantasy serialization on September 18, 2026. Square Enix marked the date with a dedicated anniversary site, a long commemorative video, a special magazine issue, and the first public word that a large retrospective exhibition is coming.
The manga started in September 2006. Two decades later Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis are still in print, with the story now inside the Blue Revenge arc.
Black Butler 20th Anniversary – What’s Confirmed
The official hub is live at sqex.to/k20th. Toboso posted a short note there comparing 20 years to the time it takes a child to become an adult, and saying the length of the road with Sebastian and Ciel only hit after the calendar turned.
The 20th Anniversary PV is on YouTube. It is not a new episode teaser. It walks the whole trail: manga arcs, the anime seasons, the musicals, and the live-action film.
Monthly G Fantasy’s October 2026 issue, sold September 18 in Japan, is the official anniversary number. Toboso drew a new cover. The issue includes a sticker sheet and a history feature. Chapter 229 runs in that book.
Volume 36 arrives September 26. It opens the Blue Revenge Brighton chapter in earnest. Sebastian and Ciel go undercover in a new resort hotel and run into a floor of strange guests.
A 20th anniversary exhibition is confirmed. Square Enix says it will cover the series’ history and Toboso’s process. No city, venue, or dates yet. Those land later.
Animate is running a four-wave comic fair. Wave one is September 18 through October 31 at Animate stores and the online shop: buy one eligible volume, get one replica mini shikishi from a nine-print set. Wave two is December 14, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Wave three is March 1 to May 5, 2027. Wave four is listed only as sometime in 2027. Gratte cafe collabs start with wave two.
What is not in this package: a Blue Cult anime announcement. The Emerald Witch TV season already exists. The next manga arc on screen has not been dated.
What This Means for Fans
Twenty years is rare for a shonen-adjacent gothic series that also became a musical machine. The anniversary push is print-first: a volume, a magazine, a shop fair, then a museum show. That matches how the franchise still lives — monthly chapters, not a new TV season every year.
The Brighton hotel story is the actual gift for readers. Anniversary merch rotates out. The manga is the thing that keeps moving.
What’s Next
September 26: Volume 36.
Through October 31: Animate fair wave one.
Later: exhibition dates, fair waves two through four, and whatever else Square Enix adds to the special site.
No new anime title is attached to the 20th campaign.
FAQ
When did Black Butler start?
Serialization began in Monthly G Fantasy in September 2006. The official 20th anniversary date used by Square Enix is September 18, 2026.
Where is the official 20th anniversary site?
When does Black Butler Volume 36 come out?
September 26, 2026. It starts the Blue Revenge Brighton chapter.
Is there a Black Butler 20th anniversary exhibition?
Yes. Dates and venue have not been announced.
Is a new Black Butler anime part of the anniversary?
Not in this announcement. The commemorative video looks back at existing anime, stage, and film. A Blue Cult adaptation has not been dated.