Quick Verdict
A Black Butler deck where only the twelve face cards carry illustrations — but every card, front, back, and edge, is black. The concept is completely committed, the number cards are plain, and the black printing demands careful handling.
What is this deck?
The Funtom Company playing cards released for the 10th anniversary of Black Butler — a reproduction of the deck first sold in May 2010, remade with current manufacturing and sold only through Square Enix official shops. In the story, the Funtom Company is Ciel’s own company, so the deck is designed as a product his company would sell.
How black is it?
Completely. The faces are silver print on black, the backs carry a black argyle pattern, and even the card edges are black — held in hand, the deck reads as one black block. For Black Butler, that excess of black fits perfectly.
Where are the illustrations?
The four aces are large ornamental suit emblems. Character art appears only on the twelve face cards, each one a different illustration, rendered in monochrome. Cards 2 through 10 are plain pip cards.
 A♠ |  A♣ |  A♦ |  A♥ |
Spades
 J · Sebastian Michaelis |  Q · Elizabeth Midford | K · Ciel Phantomhive |
Clubs
 J · Ronald Knox |  Q · Grell Sutcliff |  K · William T. Spears |
On the spades, Sebastian holds cutlery between his fingers with an easy smile, Elizabeth is ornate despite the monochrome, and Ciel — crown, cape, and scepter — is the most king-like card in the deck. The clubs are a Grim Reaper trio with a clear mood split: Ronald winks playfully, Grell grins wide under a tilted hat, and William stays stern, hand on his glasses. On the diamonds, Soma and Agni carry the fine detail in their ornaments, while Queen Victoria smiles with her eyes closed, a small puppet in hand. On the hearts, Mey-Rin looks flustered with her hands clasped, and Madame Red is all crown, collar, and rose — even the “Red” in her name rendered without color.
Diamonds
 J · Soma Asman Kadar |  Q · Queen Victoria |  K · Agni |
Hearts
 J · Mey-Rin |  Q · Madame Red |  K · Ciel Phantomhive |
 Joker |  Undertaker |
Ciel appears twice: the K of spades faces forward with full dignity, while the K of hearts closes his eyes and lifts his chin — smugger, more playful. The two jokers split the mood as well, the circus ringmaster cheerful on one card and the Undertaker, skull in his arms, ominous on the other.
Any complaints?
The number cards. After the face cards, 2 through 10 are just silver pips on black with nothing to distinguish them. The material cuts both ways, too: the stock is PP rather than paper, though the material alone does not prove durability. What worries me more is the printed surface on black — scratches would stand out, and I hesitate to shuffle it carefree. It feels like a deck to admire and store rather than to play hard. The maker’s own printed cautions agree: the stock is hard enough to cut fingers, and rubbing the surface hard leaves fine scratches.
 2♠ |  3♠ |  4♠ |
 5♠ |  6♠ |  7♠ |
 8♠ |  9♠ |  10♠ |
The concept is satisfying — I just cannot bring myself to shuffle it carelessly.
Facts and How to Check
Product: Black Butler 10th Anniversary Funtom Company Playing Cards (Reproduction Ver.) Maker: Square Enix (official shop limited) Price: ¥2,000 (tax incl.) JAN: 4988601533072 Material: PP (plastic), silver print on black Ages 10+; Made in Japan (package label) Original release May 2010; reproduction released January 23, 2016 Illustrations on J/Q/K only; aces carry suit emblems; card backs and edges black
Tags: Black Butler, Kuroshitsuji, playing cards, Funtom, Square Enix
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