Summary
Serving as a butler might not sound like the best job to have, but theanimeworld makes it look interesting. Being a butler doesn’t just mean being a simple servant, it could mean being a parental figure,an advisor who has the protagonist’s trust,or a guardian with a deadly set of skills.
These characters prove that they’re not just ordinary butlers and shouldn’t be taken lightly. They take their duties to serve their masters very seriously and aren’t even afraid to put their masters in their place at times. For anyone looking for the perfectanime butler, these are the most iconic and best in the business.
Updated on June 10, 2025, by Sarah Prado:Being a butler is no easy task, especially in the anime world. All of these butlers have their own ways of serving their masters. Whether it’s being a little rough with them to get something important through their heads or being gentle, they know what to do. Either way, their masters know they have someone there by their side to take care of them. Most of them take their jobs very seriously with some even being obsessive over it. There are a few who don’t mind toying with them a bit and others who are just incompetent. Regardless, these are the best andmost iconic anime butlers.
Serving as Roger Smith’s faithful butler, Norman will always make sure there’s a hot meal ready for him no matter the time of day or night. He also serves as a fatherly figure for Roger and Dorothy as well as being an advisor to both of them. Aside from taking care of them and the house, Norman is also pretty handy using firearms and other weapons.
He’s also a great mechanic and usually cares for andmaintains Roger’s car and the Big O.To add to how cool he is, Norman’s normal mode of transportation is a motorcycle with a sidecar.
Not much is known about Saikawa’s life before he became a butler to the Chairwoman. He’s worked for her for a long time and takes his duties very seriously. He does have a dry sense of humor and is a little eccentric, but his demeanor usually makes other characters think he’s serious. Other characters have a hard time understanding him and his personality, but Kotaro is the only one who seems to understand him.
Saikawa is very helpful and isable to adjust to situationsvery quickly. He’s very knowledgeable in a lot of things that are outside of normal butler duties. Almost all of the characters depend on him for help in some way and Saikawa is more than willing to assist them.
This character hasn’t been seen in a while, but this butler played an important role at the beginning of the series. Merry is the butler of Kaya alongside Kuro/Khaladore. Though he doesn’t have any special combat abilities, he was able to survive Kuro’s deadly attack with his Cat Claws. Merry also protects Kara from countless suitors who wish to meet her.
He was the one whodesigned the Going Merry,the Straw Hats Pirates’ first ship. After they helped save Kaya and Syrup Village from Kuro and his band of pirates, he gave them the ship and continued serving Kaya in the village.
These three butlers only appear once, but theymake their moment count.They are the butlers of Yukana, a girl who lives in a wealthy mansion. The three of them try to convince her to go to school but have some trouble doing so. Eventually, they start helping her come up with good excuses as to why she’s not going and come up with some hilarious answers.
Toyogawa keeps telling her to use her fake tooth crown as an excuse which leads to Yukana shouting so loud that it falls out. Maybe these three aren’t the smartest butlers, but they are hilarious and take their duties seriously no matter the situation.
The head butler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick and leader of several servants and other butlers. Sebas doesn’t see humans as inferior, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t despise some. He just wants to help anyone who isn’t able to defend themselves and will stop conflicts if he is able to do so. Overall, Sebas just wants to serve his master as best as he can.
He’s usually stoic, but this doesn’t mean he’s heartless and will go above and beyond to help anyone. However, should anyone oppose his master, Sebas will not hesitate to kill them.
15Soushi Miketsukami (Inu x Boku Secret Service)
A Butler Who Stays By His Master’s Side Even After Losing His Memories
Soushi is a nine-tied fox spirit who serves Ririchiyo as her servant and “Dog.” He is mostly calm and sweet, but he can be a bit possessive of Ririchiyo. Sadly, his childhood was anything but ideal. His family locked him up below the house because they feared his power and this stunted his emotional growth. It was only because of his letters with Ririchiyo that he grew to have feelings and become his own person. He eventually became her servant.
Sadly, Soushi dies protecting her and reincarnated, but doesn’t have the memories of his previous life. Even without his memories, Soushi becomes her servant again and continues to be close to her even after she breaks their contract.
Leader of the Four Devas and Kyuubei’s servant. Ayumu is a man who takes his job so seriously that some might call it obsessive. Normally, he speaks very politely and comes off as very kind, but he has some quirks that make him stand out. He freaks out if the egg yoke breaks and believes it’s not fresh if it does that. Unfortunately for Kyuubei, he also has a slight fetish for Gothic Lolita outfits and tries to dress her in them.
Even though he has these strange quirks, Ayumu is the strongest of the Four Devas and the other three can’t even compete against him. If he flies into a rage, it takes all three of them to hold him down.
Intelligent and reliable, Neil is extremely loyal to Livius and treats him respectfully even though his master is only 12 years old. When he saw that Livius often neglected his health and took rather drastic measures just to sleep, the butler was not afraid to call him out on it. Neil is not afraid to speak his mind because Livius knows that when he does, he is only doing it out of genuine concern.
He is also very observant and Livius keeps him close at all times. He was also in charge ofeducating Nike on how to be a queensince she didn’t know all the protocols of royalty.
12Gilbert Nightray (Pandora Hearts)
A Strange Butler Who Hates Violence But Protective Of His Master
Starting off as Oz’s butler beforethe decade-long timeskip,Gilbert is still faithful to him. Some comment that his devotion is a little strange and obsessive, but he truly wishes for the best for Oz. His loyalty is unwavering and he’s very protective of Oz and other people he cares about. Though he doesn’t like violence, Gilbert lacks empathy and can be selfish.
Though he’s not dumb, others will often have to explain certain situations and other things to him. Most butlers are known for being loyal, but Gilbert’s is on a whole different level.
Poor Hayate has had to work since childhood to make ends meet since his parents are just horrible. After leaving him with outrageously large debt, Hayate becamea butler to Nagi Sanzenin by mistake,but he accepts his new position gracefully. He becomes someone who Nagi actually needs since she’s a high-profile target for kidnappers who are after her family’s fortune.
Luckily, Hayate is experienced in hand-to-hand combat, skilled in using firearms, swordsmanship, and a long list of other skills that make him the perfect butler. The two things that work against him are his rather dense nature when it comes to all the women around him and just overall bad luck.
