Soma Asman Kadar

GENDER Male AGE 17 PREVIOUS AFFILIATION Scarlet Fox OCCUPATION Prince of Bengal PREVIOUS OCCUPATION Student at Weston College BASE OF OPERATIONS Phantomhive townhouse, London Weston College (former) RELATIVES Raja of Bengal (father) Unnamed mother 25 older siblings

Prince Soma Asman Kadar (ソーマ・アスマン・カダール, Sōma Asuman Kadāru), frequently shortened to Soma, is the prince of Bengal and the 26th child to the Raja of Bengal.

Appearance

Soma is a young man of Indian descent with gold eyes and wavy, shoulder-length plum hair, with a part of it clipped in a ponytail. Soma often wears a long, densely embroidered sherwani, plain, tight-fitting churidars, and white slippers. He also sports large gold earrings, a decorative gold bindi, a scarf knotted at his hips, and an off-white shawl originally held in place by a gold-plated ruby brooch set, which he has given away.

Personality

Soma is an affable, cheerful individual who thoroughly enjoys and actively seeks out the company of others, particularly Ciel Phantomhive,[5] whom he considers his friend, and in exception to Sebastian Michaelis, whom he is afraid of.[6] Initially, Soma was self-absorbed, childish, and naïve; he was quick to blame others for his problems, and, while he is perceptive enough to take note of the emotional states of others, he was unwilling to confront the issue head-on and instead allowed it to fester, such as when he noticed Agni's agitation but did not reach out to him.[7] After the incident with Mina, Soma matures and is resolved to improve himself and be of assistance to others.[8] Soma is generous of spirit and in giving to those in need. He and Agni distribute curry buns every week to the poor.[4] Soma cares deeply for Agni and views him as the one person who has never left his side, even when he is not physically beside him. Additionally, Soma is a skilled fighter; he is trained in Kalaripayattu and Silambam.

History

As one of at least twenty-six children, Soma was very lonely; his mother was more concerned about getting the attention of his father, who was not interested in Soma due to being one of the youngest of his children.[11] He was entrusted to his servant Mina's care, and he was with her for a long time. She was cheerful, spent time with him, and acted like an older sister. When he was under the impression that Mina was taken to England, Soma resolved in going there as well to retrieve her.[12] Sometime before he left India, Soma had heard about the strength of Arshad. He intervened when Arshad was to be executed and appointed him as his sparring partner. His attendants told him that he was not allowed to do as such, as Arshad was supposed to be killed for his crimes. To exempt him from his accountability, Soma cut Arshad's hair and renamed him "Agni" to mark the beginning of his new life.

Plot

Indian Butler Arc Soma and Agni first encounter Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis, and Lau when the latter group is being attacked by Indians in East End. He concludes that they are British noblemen, and he says that he will side with the people of his country. He then subsequently commands his butler, Agni, to attack them. However, when the Indians fail to present a sound reason for fighting, he reprimands them by saying that provoking fights without reason is childish and orders Agni to side with the British instead. After Agni defeats the Indians, Soma tells Ciel that he is currently in the middle of a busy search and leaves with his butler.[14] Later that evening, Soma and Agni arrive at Ciel's London townhouse and justify their stay by calling themselves Ciel's benefactors because they have saved him at East End.[15] Baldroy, Mey-Rin, and Finnian are impressed and flock around him. Ciel then demands that Soma and Agni leave, but they refuse.[16] At breakfast, Soma explains that they are in England searching for his maidservant named Mina. Subsequently, they pray to the statue of Kali the Goddess. Soma prompts Ciel to help him locate her, but Sebastian states that Ciel has a scheduled day of lessons and work. Soma and Agni then intervene in Ciel's studies at every available opportunity until the annoyed Ciel challenges Soma to a duel at fencing hour.[17][18][19] In the midst of the match, Agni steps in to protect Soma, and he inadvertently injures Ciel's arm in the process, which causes Soma to be the victor of their duel.[20] Soma and Ciel decide to have their butlers face off, to determine the winner, only to discover that the two are evenly matched.

At dinner, Ciel undervalues Soma's endeavors to retrieve a mere servant, and Soma desperately argues that Mina is extremely important to him; without her, he is lonely in his palace back in India.[23] Afterward, to make up for his behavior earlier, Ciel offers to play cards with Soma, but Soma turns him down, declaring that he must search for Mina. He then leaves the townhouse with Agni.[24] When they return to the townhouse, Agni secretly leaves once again, and Soma admits to Ciel, Sebastian, and Lau that he has noticed Agni's occasional mysterious departures. They follow him to Harold West Jeb's house and sneak into his property. Sebastian induces the guard dogs to withdraw, and Lau renders the guard personnel asleep with a special technique that he claims is Chinese, much to Soma's and Ciel's surprise.[25] Inside the building, they spy on Agni and Harold. When Agni mentions Mina's name, Soma bursts into the room and asks for information. Agni is forced to attack Soma upon Harold's orders, and Sebastian has to save Soma in disguise.

The four of them leave Agni and Harold behind, and they return to Ciel's townhouse. Distressed, Soma destroys Ciel's tea set, and he loudly wonders why Agni betrayed him and demands to know why everyone around him vanishes. He then flees to his room. Later on, Sebastian pulls Soma out of his hiding place, calling him a rude and spoiled brat for destroying other people's possessions, and he denounces him as completely helpless without Agni. He states that his social status, servants, and wealth all come from his parents and that Soma has earned nothing on his own. He reminds Soma that he lacked the courage to investigate Agni by himself.[27] Ciel then arrives and shares that his ambition in life is to make those that enslaved him, killed his family, and burned his house taste the same humiliation and powerlessness that he felt. Ciel says that he would rather stand on his own feet than mope and that he wants to die without regrets, convincing Soma to take charge of his own life.[28] Soma comments that, compared to Ciel, he knows nothing of the world and that he has never tried to understand people. He asks for Ciel's help to uncover the reason why Agni and Mina left him, and when Ciel agrees, Soma is elated. He thanks him, and hides behind him while apologizing to Sebastian as well. Soon after, Soma, Ciel, Sebastian, and Lau deduce that Harold plans to enter the curry contest, with Agni as his chef, in order to win a Royal Warrant.

Ciel decides to join the competition for his Funtom Corporation, and Soma asserts that Agni is renowned for his curry-making abilities so he will be a difficult opponent. Soma then takes the job of a taste-tester for Sebastian, in order to assist in selecting a competition-worthy curry. After many failed attempts, Sebastian is, at last, able to produce an excellent curry, and they enter the curry competition.[30][31] At the competition, Soma points out that Sebastian is making the curry in imperfect conditions and that he is overheating the curry. He is convinced that the Funtom Corporation will lose, but when the curry bun is presented, it turns out to be a clever tactic on Sebastian's part. Sebastian wins the competition, and Harold is greatly upset. Mina runs to him, and Soma approaches her, delighted to have finally found her. She, however, insults him and reveals that she had purposely left him because he was a selfish brat. He apologizes for not understanding her feelings beforehand. He then goes to Agni, acknowledging everything he has done for him, and he asks if they can remain together, which the latter gratefully accepts.

Soma gives Ciel his gratitude for winning although Ciel claims that he won for himself. Soma says that if he had never encountered Ciel, he would have stayed ignorant; therefore, he now aims to learn many things so that he can become a great man. Later, while observing the setting sun, he clings onto Ciel and cries loudly for Mina.[34] They return to the townhouse, and Ciel soon has guests from the Scotland Yard. Agni tries to turn himself in, which causes Ciel a lot of grief, and Soma reprimands and forbids Agni for doing so. Ciel decides to let Soma manage his London townhouse, and he will pay him in return. Soma is eager and pleased, as it will be something he has earned by himself, and he is excited to demonstrate his capability.

Circus Arc

Ciel and Sebastian briefly stay at the Phantomhive townhouse in order to get closer to investigate the Noah's Ark Circus, much to Soma's enjoyment. After attending the circus for some time, they temporarily return to the townhouse. Soma realizes that Ciel is sick, and he refuses to let Ciel leave; he exhausts himself in order to get Ciel back to normal health as soon as possible.[36] Later, Soma and Agni try to convince Sebastian that he should fawn over and be nice to Ciel while he is ill since Ciel does not have any parents; Sebastian takes this advice to heart.[37] That night, Ciel manages to get out of the manor and past Soma by smiling sweetly and thanking him for his help. Soma then understands that he has been deceived, and he calls out after Ciel, saying that he will remember that for when he returns.[38] Later, when Ciel and Sebastian go back to Phantomhive Manor without informing Soma and Agni, they follow them to the manor. There, they meet Elizabeth Midford; Soma learns that she is Ciel's fiancée and considers her as his little sister. Subsequently, Soma reveals to her that Ciel has recently been ill, prompting her to question why Ciel never tells her anything

Phantomhive Manor Murders Arc

Soma informs Ciel that he and Agni intend to stay at Phantomhive Manor through the holidays, and Ciel tells him not to invent holidays. Soma is determined to beat Ciel at chess that day, but Ciel says he is too busy, and Ciel advises him to practice more, which Soma and Agni leave to do.[40] Later, at the Phantomhive townhouse, Agni walks in Soma's bedroom and sees Soma listlessly staring out the window at the rain. Soma voices his concern for Ciel, and Agni reassures him that Sebastian will look after Ciel.[41] On one occasion, Soma and Agni have just returned to the townhouse after shopping for groceries. They encounter Snake, whom Soma mistakenly thinks is a friend of Ciel, and he sends Snake on a horse carriage to the Phantomhive Manor.[42] Some time afterward, Soma and Agni go to Sebastian's funeral, where Soma and Elizabeth hug Ciel, and they tell him they will be with him forever. After Sebastian reveals that he is still alive and is subsequently dug back up, Soma cries tears of joy.

Luxury Liner Arc

Soma and Agni have decided to celebrate the Easter holiday at Phantomhive Manor. When Elizabeth explains that they are supposed to wear new clothes and hats on Easter Day, Soma comments that he did not know, hence, he is dressed in his regular clothes. This prompts Nina Hopkins to dress up Soma, Agni, Ciel, and Edward Midford.[44] Subsequently, they all prepare to compete in an Easter Egg Hunt for Elizabeth's special egg. Sebastian adds some egg tapping-inspired rules: everyone will be divided into teams of two; a partner will carry a raw egg in a ladle during the Egg Hunt; one can freely exchange the egg through the use of ladles; a team is disqualified if, for whatever reason, the raw egg breaks. They are then arranged into teams, and Soma is partnered with Agni.[45] Soma and Agni target Ciel and Sebastian. While Agni battles Sebastian, Soma rushes to break Ciel's egg. Ciel suddenly starts coughing, much to the surprise of Soma, Agni, and Sebastian. Soma is greatly concerned for him; Ciel, then, takes advantage of his lowered defenses to break his egg. Though their team is disqualified, both Soma and Agni hug Ciel out of relief that he is not actually ill.[46] After the hunt, Soma and Agni join the rest of the participants at a feast set outdoors.