Hello Anon and thanks for the question. This will be a bit of a long answer, and please know this is all headcanon. I might be dead wrong about some of this, and this is all just my opinion. Also, I will also be obviously discussing suicide in this answer, so please be forewarned.
Now, most of my thoughts come from the one page in chapter 105 where we learn that all the Shinigami used to be human.
First, we have Grell. I would venture to guess that Grell would have been the one shown cutting her wrist i the images since it looks like the hand has painted nails. This would also explain Grellās fascination with the color red.
Iāve thought a lot about the reasons why and have actually changed my mind quite a few times. There are a lot of possibilities with Grell. Sheās emotional and dramatic – so she might have thought of it as her grand exit from the stage. She could have been a misunderstood and abused outcast who had been terribly shy and meek in her human life, and she just couldnāt stand the pain. The more I examine the character, however, I think the big hint lies in the fact she often equates love and death. I think thereās a good chance Grell died as part of a suicide pact with a lover or even a murder/suicide. She wanted to be with someone forever and took her own life in a vain attempt to do so.
Next is William. Iām not completely sure with method William would have chosen. He would have wanted something that was effective, but heās not the kind to draw attention to himself. I think a gun would be too loud and messy for him, so he would be more likely to have overdosed so he could have simply gone to bed and not woken up. However, I might be backwards on that reasoning and logic.
William strikes me as someone who was never good at expressing his emotions. He did what he had to get done and was reliable, but he was the kind of person that was often overlooked and alone. He would tell himself that he was happy, but he might have been lonely. This is purely my headcanon, but I think he might have been a businessman. Each day was a routine, and he was efficient with his routine, but he was also stuck in a bit of a rut. Thereās a chance that he simply wanted to escape the endless repetition his life, which would be ironic since he was punished with the same sort of existence.
On to Ronald, who is very much a ālive in the momentā kind of guy. I think he was always the party type, although he was also a good worker. When it was time to work, he worked hard. Afterwards, he partied hard, but he wasnāt the kind to think of the future. He didnāt like to plan ahead or think of the past. While he was seen as responsible enough during the day, his nights was filled with alcohol, drugs, and women. At some point, balancing both sides of his life became too much. Something happened to push him over the edge. Maybe his reckless lifestyle finally hurt someone other than himself, and he just couldnāt face it. After all, heās a decent guy overall.
I think itās most likely that Ronald jumped off a building. First off, those shoes in the picture do look like his.
Jumping is sometimes considered an impulsive action since it doesnāt take any planning, which would fit into Ronald not thinking ahead. Itās also interesting to note that Ronald now has to jump down with his lawnmower for it to be effective, which could mirror his death.
Undertaker is a bit of an odd one for me. I have an idea that he might be the original Shinigami and might have never been human. Iāve read a theory that he was the one who collected the souls of the others, which is why he is shown as a solid figure on the cover of 106 while the others are mere skeletons.
I rather like that theory. If he was human, however, then I think it might have had something to do with someone he loved or thought he loved since his actions now seem related to attachments. He might have been a bit like Grell in that regard. Since the drowning figure shown appears to have long hair, that could have been him.
Thereās really very little to go on with Alan and Eric since we only have them in the musical and the single image of the manga. If all the Shinigami are repeating their lives as humans to some degree, maybe thereās a hint there. Alan might have been ill as a human, and took his own life in order to avoid suffering. Heās another one who might have taken an overdose as that would fit his more somber personality. Eric is brash and impulsive. Just like in the musical, his actions might have led to the death or injury of someone he cared for, and he didnāt feel he could live with the guilt or without that person. Since his death was more passive since he simply allowed Sebastian to kill him, perhaps Eric allowed something to run over him – like a train or horse. He purposely put himself in somethingās way so that he could end his life.
Saschaās death seems to the easiest to guess since the hairstyle looks the same as the image with the rope.
Since Sascha claims to be happier now as a Shinigami, itās safe to assume that Saschaās life hadnāt been an easy one. Thereās really no hints as to why beyond that. Sascha is a bit of an observer with the use of a camera, so there could be the feelings of not being able to participate in life. Also, there is a hint of a slightly morbid fascination that had preceded death. Sascha might have heard that those who commit suicide become Shinigami or was just curious what happened after you died.
Thereās almost nothing to go on with Rudgar. He smokes, so perhaps something to do with fire? His personality seems close to Williamās in some ways, so there might be a similarity to their stories.
Finally, thereās the newest Shinigami, Othello. The clue might be right there in his name since the character of Othello kills himself after finding out that his wife, whom he had just killed for betraying him, had been faithful. Like the Shakespearean character, perhaps our Othello had been lied to and done something horrible while believing the lie. After discovering he was tricked, he stabbed himself rather than allowing himself to be arrested.
Thatās just my thoughts of the matter. Iāve read other theories as well, but i hope that answered your question, Anon. Have a lovely day!
Grell SutcliffĀ – Ok, so itās not proof of anything. Just my musings on Grellās suicideā¦. I think Grell DROWNED, like @kittenkrush has suggested. The hair is long enough in the drowning pic to match Grell now (though maybe not at death). But here is my added content: we also have Grell in the OVA in which they put on a production of Hamlet. In Hamlet, Grell plays Ophelia, who goes mad and later drowns. Wikipedia makes this note about Ophelia: āShe talks in riddles and rhymes, and sings some āmadā and bawdy songs about death and a maiden losing her virginity. After bidding everyone a āgood nightā, she exits.ā
This reminds me of Grellās comments about the Campaniaāsmaiden voyage being like a rough āfirst timeāā¦ The flower Ophelia carries around for herself is rue, and Wikipedia makes this important note: āRue is well known for its symbolic meaning of regret, but the herb is also highly poisonous and has powerful abortive properties.[8]ā Abortive properties! Another parallel to Grellās inability to bear children?? When Queen Gertrude announces Opheliaās death (she apparently climbed a willow tree branch, the branch broke, and Ophelia fell into the brook and drowned) she says that Ophelia was āincapable of her own distressā. Itās a sexton at the graveyard who claims it was suicide. Drowning is appropriate for Grell in another way: itās a form of suicide usually chosen by womenā¦.
William T. Spears – Iāll go out on my own limb (sorry, Grell and William) and suggest that William JUMPED off the building. For two reasons:
1. His death scythe is particularly good for reaching far awayā¦ and way up high/down low.
2. His first appearance in the manga has him appearing on top of a tall building. He looks like he could fall off at any moment. Then he jumps off (and lands on Grellās head).
3. As mentioned above in the OP, William is a businessman type. One stereotypical suicide method for businessmen is by gun. However, they are also known to jump from the roof or out a high window of a tall building, sayā¦ where they worked?
Sascha – HANGING: thatās pretty much got to be him with the noose, right? The imagery of these suicides seems to be through his POV, too, so it would make sense to show how he died, at leastā¦.
Rudgar – SHOOTING himself, because it seems to fit. He seems a lot like William, in some ways, I agree. Very business-like. And, as I said when talking about William, businessmen who commit suicide often do so by gunshot to the head.
Othello – Iāve already said a few times I think his death parallels that of Othello from the Shakespearean play. Except I replace the Moorās wife with our Othello having a male lover. I canāt exactly make any canon claims about his sexuality, but it seems most-likely. False evidence was used to convince him of his lover cheating; he strangles (or otherwise kills) his lover. Discovering the truth, he then STABS himself. Iāll add that I think he ends up in reaper forensics because it was false, planted evidence that led to his tragic endā¦ and our Othello wants to discern the truth. Perhaps this one is Othello? Canāt really tell what the hairstyle is like (or the shoes LOL):
Ronald Knox – those shoes on the top of the buildingĀ are very similar to his. Not exactly the same, but similar. @shinigami-mistress, you make a good point about how Ronaldās death scythe is most effective if itās brought down on someoneā¦.Ā
TheĀ āCiel in Wonderlandā OVA casts Ronald as the Dormouse. There is a real dormouse, which is known for its particularly long periods of hibernation. However, the characterization in the story seems to suggest a portmanteau ofĀ ādormā (sleep) +Ā āmouseā, since this aspect is played up so muchā¦ and Lewis Carroll was a master of portmanteauā¦. A nod(ding off) to sleeping pills? Maybe, but probably not.
And then that other bloggerās post about this subject brought up something very interesting – Ronald attacks Sebastian with a pocket knife very similar to the one shown in the suicideĀ āscenesā. Yana-sanĀ shows Ronaldās watch at least three times during the Campania arcā¦ and thatās on his wristā¦. So, SLASHING his wrists/arteries.
Alan Humphries – We are getting into much rougher territory here. I donāt want to say he took pills because he was already ill, or something. And I agree that theĀ āThorns of Deathā is purely due to his experiences as a reaper. I placed his name with a randomĀ ādeath sceneā that I canāt even figure outā¦. Maybe some of them used the same methods. He could be another one to stab himself, for all I know.
Eric Slingby – I put him with the PILLS because, IDKā¦. Somehow he seems the type to me. Really, I got nothing.
Undertaker – His suicide method has to be really old, right? Poison maybe, but not pills. Not a gun. I donāt even think he could have found a building tall enough back then (I think heās super old, like died around 1200ā¦ Ivanhoe). Crying over Vincentās body having been burned to ashes sticks out at me. Maybe Undertaker committed suicide by setting himself on FIRE? Iāll have to see if their is any other basis for thisā¦.
BTW, there are technically ten frames here. Is there a tenth reaper we havenāt met yet?
I thought I had reblogged this once with updates, but Iām not sure right now. Iād like to add some extra info and a slight correction.
First off, thereās more evidence to support Grelle drowning. Yes, there is a famous painting of Ophelia in the Phantomhive manor, but thatās not it. The side chapter āThat Butler, Requestedā depicts Grelle as the little mermaid ā not the Disney version with the happy ending. Andersenās original version which has the little mermaid choose death rather than killing the prince who rejected her. Sheās on a ship when she decides to throw herself overboard. When she hits the water, she turns to seafoam. These spirits called the āDaughters of the Airā tell her she can join them in order to earn a soul and eventually ascend to Heaven. The process is expected to take around 300 years. Doesnāt this sound a bit like reapers working for personal salvation? Along these same lines, the Campania arc has Grelle getting tossed from the ship and into the sea. We see Grelle doing the Dead Manās Float. William has to fish Grelle out of the water with his telescopic pruner death scythe.
I still say pills for Eric make sense to me, but now Iām thinking some other poison might work for Alan. It seems appropriate that they should choose similar methods.
The tenth reaper is Anderson, the glasses-maker the other reapers call Pops. I have no real evidence to support it, but as heās the only reaper shown sporting facial hair, Iām inclined to think he might have slit his throat with an old-school shaving razor. Slightly random note: Anderson seems to be a nod to Hans Christian Andersen, just like William T. Spears is a nod to William Shakespeare.
A slight correction to my previous comment about Undertaker: there were definitely buildings tall enough to jump to oneās death from around 1200. However, I can think of two more reasons why fire makes sense. They are both bit funny. One, he has no eyebrows. This could be to indicate they had once been singed/burnt right off; either they never grew backā¦ or he now shaves them off. Two, cremation wasnāt popular in the Victorian era, and yet we keep seeing Undertaker with an urn. He uses it like a biscuit tin (cookie jar). What at first seems like a mere eccentricity might also be a reference to his own suicide method.
š„ There is beauty in destructionš„ 