Last updated: 1 November 2026
Death Note is a 37-episode psychological thriller by Madhouse (2006) in which top student Light Yagami finds a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it, and the genius detective L hunts him down. People watch it for the tense cat-and-mouse battle of wits between two brilliant minds, played out with almost no physical fighting.
About Death Note
Top student Light Yagami finds a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it. He decides to create a crime-free world, but the genius detective L begins hunting him down. Their cat-and-mouse battle of wits is one of the most famous thrillers in anime.
Death Note is a TV anime from 2006, first released in Fall 2006. It belongs to the Mystery and Thriller genres and is listed as a completed series. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.
Official Trailer
Story Arcs & Episode Guide
The Death Note anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.
| Arc | Episodes | Years | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| The L Arc: Kira vs L, including the Yotsuba investigation | Episodes 1–25 | 2006–2007 | Light becomes Kira, L narrows the hunt to him, and the Yotsuba Group's notebook forces an uneasy alliance. |
| The Mello & Near Arc | Episodes 26–37 | 2007 | L's successors, Near and Mello, take opposite paths to corner Kira in a final trap. |
Why Watch Death Note
- A pure battle of wits: plans, traps and bluffs instead of fistfights
- Light and L are two of anime's most famous rivals
- A tight, complete story told in just 37 episodes
- Dark, stylish direction by Tetsuro Araki at Madhouse
- Constant moral tension: every victory for Kira feels chilling
Who Is It For?
Best for viewers who enjoy crime stories, mind games and morally grey leads. Viz Media rates the anime TV-14 in the US; the themes are dark and psychological, so it suits teens and adults.
Main Characters
View all characters →
Voice Actors
The Japanese voices behind the main characters of Death Note.
- L LawlietGenius detective hunting KiraJapanese voiceKappei Yamaguchi
- RyukShinigami who dropped the Death Note into the human worldJapanese voiceShidou Nakamura
- Light YagamiTop student who becomes the killer known as KiraJapanese voiceMamoru Miyano
- Misa AmaneFamous model and the second KiraJapanese voiceAya Hirano
- NearL's successor leading the SPK investigationJapanese voiceNoriko Hidaka
- MelloL's other successor, working with the mafiaJapanese voiceNozomu Sasaki
- Soichiro YagamiLight's father and chief of the Kira task forceJapanese voiceNaoya Uchida
- WatariL's loyal handler and the founder of Wammy's HouseJapanese voiceKiyoshi Kobayashi
- RemShinigami who gave Misa her Death NoteJapanese voiceKimiko Saitou
Staff & Production
- Original Creator
- Tsugumi Ohba (story) and Takeshi Obata (art)
- Animation Studio
- Madhouse
- Director
- Tetsuro Araki
- Series Composition
- Toshiki Inoue
- Music
- Yoshihisa Hirano and Hideki Taniuchi
Manga & Source Material
Death Note is adapted from the manga by writer Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata, one of the defining series of 2000s Weekly Shonen Jump.
- Written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata
- Serialised in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006
- Collected in 12 volumes, published in English by Viz Media
- The manga had over 30 million copies in circulation by April 2015
- A light novel, Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, followed in 2006
- Later one-shot stories, including a-Kira (2020), were collected in Death Note: Short Stories (2021)
Music
The series uses two opening and two ending themes, switching at episode 20, plus a special instrumental ending for the finale.
Opening Themes
- “The World”by NightmareFirst opening, episodes 1–19
- “What's Up, People?!”by Maximum the HormoneSecond opening, episodes 20–37
Ending Themes
- “Alumina”by NightmareFirst ending, episodes 1–19
- “Zetsubou Billy”by Maximum the HormoneSecond ending, episodes 20–36
- “Coda ~ Death Note”by Yoshihisa HiranoFinal episode ending (episode 37)
Series Timeline
- 2003
Ohba and Obata's manga begins in Weekly Shonen Jump in December.
- 2006
The manga ends in May; the Madhouse anime premieres in October, alongside the first Japanese live-action films.
- 2007
The anime ends after 37 episodes; the Rewrite: Visions of a God recap special airs.
- 2008
The second recap special, Rewrite 2: L's Successors, airs.
- 2020
A new one-shot chapter, a-Kira, returns to the story's world.
Quick Answers
Is Death Note finished?
Yes. Death Note has finished airing, so you can watch the complete story from start to end without waiting for new episodes.
What genre is Death Note?
Death Note is a Mystery and Thriller anime. You can browse more titles like it on our Mystery anime page.
When did Death Note release?
Death Note first released in Fall 2006. It is a TV series.
Watch Order
Here is the release order for Death Note and the series connected to it. Start at step 1 and work your way down.
- 1Death NoteTV series (2006): this series; the complete main story in 37 episodes.
- 2Death Note: Rewrite | Visions of a GodTV special (2007): optional recap of episodes 1–25, retold by Ryuk with a few new scenes.
- 3Death Note: Rewrite 2 | L's SuccessorsTV special (2008): optional recap of episodes 26–37, the Near and Mello half of the story.
Where to Watch
Death Note is officially available to stream on these platforms:
Streaming availability changes often and differs by country. Please check the platform in your region.