Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- Ep. 9 “His Butler, Crossing Paths” begins the final segment of this entire arc, and it’s a bit of a doozy. All because we’re now getting into the action and blood-soaked parts of this arc. If you’re an action junkie, you will be most pleased with the hunt going on in this episode for the Emerald Witch, and our heroes are not the hunters.

Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- Ep. 9 “His Butler, Crossing Paths”: Details in Brief

Much blood will be spilled in this episode.

Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- Ep. 9 “His Butler, Crossing Paths” is the ninth episode (you can read my reviews of Ep. 1, Ep. 2, Ep. 3, Ep. 4, Ep. 5, Ep. 6, Ep. 7, and Ep. 8 here) of the new season of the dark comedy and darker fantasy/supernatural anime adaptation of Black Butler. This latest season comes directly after the Public School Arc.

Said anime is the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name by Yana Toboso (Rust Blaster, Disney Twisted-Wonderland). CloverWorks (Spy x Family, Bocchi the Rock!, The Elusive Samurai) is the animation studio behind the anime. Crunchyroll is the company licensing the anime for its global release. Kenjirou Okada is the director, with Hiroyuki Yoshino as the writer.

Synopsis

Alas, pride isn’t what Sieglinde has a lot of in this episode.

Alas, Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- is still an ongoing anime series. In fact, Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- Ep. 9 “His Butler, Crossing Paths” only just made its airing and streaming (aka. simulcast) debut on June 14, 2025. Thus, here’s the official synopsis from Crunchyroll to give you an idea of what’s going on without too much in the way of spoilers below:

“The villagers madly pursue Sullivan, resulting in a fierce battle between them and the Phantomhive servants.”

Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- Ep. 9 “His Butler, Crossing Paths”: The Good

Finny is getting his day in this episode.

As you might guess, the story of Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- Ep. 9 “His Butler, Crossing Paths” is the best part about it, and a lot of that has to do with the action. Specifically, the gunplay and bloody chaos in this episode. It’s been a while since so many guns have made an appearance in Black Butler, and in such a wide variety, too. We have Baldroy using an unknown revolver against German Empire soldiers firing Borchardt C-93 pistols right back at him and Snake. Oh, and we have Mey-Rin sniping German troops with what looks like a Mosin-Nagant too…and using only the iron sights to boot. Gun enthusiasts will get just why this is such an achievement here, and thus, this will be the episode for all fans of late 19th-century and early 20th-century firearms.

But the gunplay isn’t the only good thing about this episode. It’s all the drama surrounding the gunplay and why it happens. Ciel and the others have basically just uncovered a secret military conspiracy in Germany, and now they have to get out alive with their target in tow. How they will do so is a bit up in the air at the moment, but at least they get some help. That help only gets to them in the last minute, but at least it’s better than nothing. It’s that kind of skin-of-the-teeth type combat situation that makes the whole episode exciting to watch, with the gunplay enhancing all that.

Oh, and with CloverWorks’s signature animation quality doing their work to enhance this episode as well. Their animation team has once again produced a very good-looking episode to enhance all the action. It’s even more noticeable because the environs are so dark that it’s hard to notice small details…but they are there, and it’s all the more rewarding to see them in such high quality. This includes things like bullet casings flying from weapons after firing or racking the bolt. Even just on animation quality alone, this is one of the best anime of this season.

Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- Ep. 9 “His Butler, Crossing Paths”: The Bad

The Phantomhive staff members in general get their day actually.

Honestly, Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc- Ep. 9 “His Butler, Crossing Paths” has more than enough action to satisfy any action junkie. Seriously, there’s blood and gunplay galore in this episode. You’re going to enjoy it if you enjoyed the likes of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Kaiju No. 8, DDDD, DAN DA DAN, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II, Zenshu, Blue Box, Solo Leveling, and/or even some episodes of Apocalypse Hotel. It may not be shonen-style action, but you will definitely get a fun and energetic time out of this.

What did you think of this episode of Black Butler -Emerald Witch Arc? Tell us what you think of this episode in the comments section below.