Watching Death Note is something that every anime fan needs to do at least once. The series is riveting and shocking—with intense rivalry between Light (voiced by Brad Swaile) and L (voiced by Alessandro Juliani). Their chemistry is incredible. To be clear, I’m talking about the animated version—I haven’t heard great things about the Netflix live-action adaptation.
Death Note effortlessly blends genres and takes the viewer down a very dark path. The series is about a teen, named Light, who finds a mysterious notebook that allows him to kill anyone—so long as he knows their name and their face. From Light’s loosened grip on reality to what a fantastic character Ryuk (Willem Dafoe) is to its heavy examination of justice, this anime is one of the best. There’s some unevenness amongst individual episodes (especially in its second half!), but for this ranking, I’ll be ranking the ten best episodes of the series. Here they are—from quite good to heartbreakingly great.
10. Pursuit (Episode 4)
Light’s craftiness is evident early on in the series. It doesn’t take him long to take advantage of the notebook or Ryuk’s knowledge of it. He considers himself to be superior to others—with a very narrow idea of good and evil. This episode highlights Light’s intelligence, as he has the smarts to set up a situation that exposes who’s been following him. And it makes the episode pulse-pounding. Having such a great episode happen so early, when so many other shows are still finding their footing, is an indication of how fantastic this show is. And it only gets better from here.
9. Overcast (Episode 7)
Naomi (Nicole Oliver)’s death shows that Light thrives off the power of the Death Note. Her death wasn’t as necessary—it just happened to be easier to keep Naomi off his back and prevent her from sharing information. The way he manipulates her into sharing her name is so sinister. This is an episode that takes a turn for the character (and the audience’s perception of him). You could argue that Light’s intentions to get rid of vile people in the world is justified. But killing Ray Penbar (Michael Adamthwaite), and then Naomi, was purely out of self-interest.
8. Encounter (Episode 9)
This meeting between L and Light is so tense and perfectly weird. Already, L is very suspicious of him, not entirely falling for the act Light is putting on—making the toe to toe banter they have, so much fun to watch. The episode is notable, as it marks them befriending each other, but not for the right reasons.
Furthermore, this episode cements the fact that Light is gaining more and more confidence by killing those who oppose him. At this point, it’s not even just about the so-called criminals in the world. Anyone who gets in his way has got to go, and the corruption is palpable. It’s not a perfect episode, but, then again, who doesn’t love seeing Light get flustered. That definitely gives it some extra points.
7. Assault (Episode 11)
The reveal that there’s a second Kira is an exciting (and also nerve-wracking) revelation. Light (known as Kira to the public) is becoming a celebrity of sorts. He’s being praised for the killings and has found an extreme fan in Misa (Shannon Chan Kent). Who is obsessed with Kira and is desperate to meet him. But the main difference between Misa and Light, as death note holders, is that Misa has the Shinigami eyes. And she’s a bit more delusional than he is. Overall, the episode serves as a lovely introduction to Misa and Rem (Colleen Wheeler).
6. Execution (Episode 17)
An absolutely bonkers and genius plan is concocted to determine Misa and Light’s potential innocence. It’s twisted but it shows that if Light’s father, Soichiro (Chris Britton) had been serious about killing Light, as it could’ve avoided a lot of chaos moving forward. There’s so much bias that causes Soichiro to not see anything clearly. Even if Light and Misa weren’t confirmed as Kira, or the second Kira, he should’ve been smarter. Though it just highlights the emotional stakes of the whole investigation. Light gets away with so much and his dad believes him to be a good boy, essentially.
5. Frenzy (Episode 23)
What’s Death Note without a little chaos, right? When a more reckless person named Higuchi (Andrew Kavadas) obtains a notebook, Light becomes rightfully concerned. More importantly, when Higuchi makes the shinigami eye deal (which sacrifices half your life span), L believes that Higuchi is the Kira he’s been hunting, and it takes the heat off Light’s back. He’s forced to kill the guy later anyways, but, for a moment, it seemed like Light was being more like L than his persona, Kira. All good things come to end though.
4. Wager (Episode 15)
Just when Light thinks he’s pulling one over on L, he’s proven wrong. Their rivalry is the most important part of the first half of the series. Their scenes are filled with so much suspense and they are truly playing a game of cat and mouse. Only this time, L gets so suspicious of Misa that he has her brought in. Leading Rem to force Misa to relinquish ownership of the Death Note. As well as threaten Light to ensure Misa’s survival. All of the suspense throughout the episode is perfect And it’s so entertaining to watch L play mental games with Light.
3. New World (Episode 37)
Light failing for the final time, being exposed as Kira by Near, and being gunned down by Matsuda (Vincent Tong) is perfect. After everything that Light orchestrated, he finally got what was coming to him. Ryuk does keep his promise from the beginning of the series and writes Light’s name in the Death Note—which kills him by way of cardiac arrest, and he sees L’s figure as he passes away. It’s karmic and Light’s maniacal breakdown proves that his state of mind was so fractured. He wanted to be a god and would get rid of anyone to achieve that. Only to realize last minute that if he hadn’t obtained the notebook, he would’ve had a normal life. The most tragic scene in the episode is Misa’s extreme grief (over a man who never loved her and used her) and how she ends her life (off-screen).
2. Father (Episode 29)
Mostly everything is going as Light wants and needs it to. He’s now in his 20s and has joined the NPA (National Police Agency) of Japan. The investigative team can see Ryuk and he’s no longer a prime suspect…at least not to them. But Mello (David Hurwitz) and Near ( Michael Strusievici), who are Light’s successors, become a problem for Light. Especially Mello, who is more reckless and less calculated than Near. And he has zero problems with being a little shit (I love his character. He’s such a brat). After Light’s father obtains the Shinigami eyes and storms Mello’s facility, he gets shot before he writes the name down. Light made sure to briefly relinquish ownership of his own Death Note (and borrowed Misa’s), which made it so his father could see his lifespan. His father died believing a lie and if that’s not tragic, I don’t know what is.
1. Silence (Episode 25)
With L getting closer to confirming the truth about his suspicions, the time has come for him to go. Which absolutely sucks because his character added so much to the series. The last scenes between Light and L are heartbreaking because of what’s inevitable. Their connection lingers, but at the end of the day, Light’s out for himself. Ultimately, it leads to Rem’s death because she loves Misa enough to die for her. Killing L and Watari (French Tickner) in the process. The last thing that L ever saw was Light smiling at him. Confirming that he was right all along. It’s really rough to watch. But makes for a truly fantastic episode that deserves to be at the top of the list.
(featured image: Viz Media)
