Anime like Death Note has become a popular choice for fans of the genre, and it’s easy to see why.
Death Note, a psychological thriller anime series, has captivated audiences with its unique premise, complex characters, and intricate plot.
The series follows the story of Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook that grants him the power to kill anyone whose name he writes.
As he embarks on a mission to rid the world of criminals and create a utopia, he becomes embroiled in a cat-and-mouse game with a genius detective known only as L.
Death Note has set the standard for anime with its intense themes, gripping storytelling, and well-developed characters.
As such, fans of the series are constantly on the lookout for other anime that can deliver a similar experience.
1. Terror In Resonance
The events of mini anime like Death Note and Terror In Resonance take place in a world with a distinctly different history.
After a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant in Japan, the entire world is in shambles.
After a period of half a year, a video is uploaded on the internet in which two young men calling themselves Sphinx make a cryptic challenge to the authorities of Tokyo, demanding that they solve the puzzle or else they will cause mayhem in the city.
It has come to our attention that the two young lads, ages nine and twelve, were participants in a covert experiment conducted by Rising Peace Academy to produce human weapons.
2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
The concept of alchemy serves as the central organizing principle for action-packed anime like Death Note Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
The narrative focuses on two brothers, Edward and Alphonse, who experience a devastating setback during their mission to resurrect their mother after she has passed away.
Once the neighbors helped them out of a life-threatening situation, they became licensed alchemists.
While the brothers continue their search for a cure for themselves, they set out on a quest to discover the Philosopher’s Stone, which legend has it may allow an alchemist to break the rules of alchemy and grant perpetual life to the user.
On the other hand, we learn some unsettling truths concerning the stone and its surroundings. This is an excellent example of a similar kind of anime to Death Note.
3. The Promised Neverland
The Promised Neverland is an evil fable about getting along with one another.
The youngsters taken in at the Grace Field House orphanage are brought together to form one large family throughout the narrative.
They are free to do whatever they wish with their time, except they are not allowed to leave the school anytime.
Most of the children’s free time is spent running around and playing in the fields.
Isabella, the children’s foster mother, is in charge of monitoring and ensuring that all of the children are developing normally by doing tests daily.
But, when three of the oldest siblings learn that individuals adopt a child every few months but never hear from the child again, they develop a skeptical disposition toward the adoptive parents.
The show’s first season was very well received; however, the ratings for the second season could be better.
In the second season, I had a hurried feel, skipping over a significant portion of the tale.
4. Psycho-Pass
Anime like Death Note and Psycho-Pass are about law and order in a futuristic dystopian society, which takes place in the present day.
Because of the changes that have taken place around the globe, persons are now being assessed as criminals even before they have committed a crime based on their criminal intent.
Only successful individuals on the exam, known as the psycho-pass, can participate in regular life.
Akane Tsunemori, a young woman with a strong sense of right and wrong, is this tale’s protagonist.
She comes to the conclusion that the methodology utilized to evaluate the level of danger posed by a citizen may need to be revised.
As a result, she makes it her mission to ensure that justice is served everywhere in the world.
Because this show does not draw the border between good and evil, you might compare it to the anime Death Note.
5. Shiki
On this list of anime like Death Note, Shiki stands out as one of the most compelling psychological thrillers.
The events take place in a sleepy little town known as Sotoba, where practically everyone is acquainted with one another.
A young girl with big dreams is the first victim of an unidentified illness, followed by several other deaths in similar circumstances.
Toshio Ozaki, the town’s physician, has a sneaking suspicion that something more evil is going on than just an illness.
Ozaki leads a group of young people to investigate the situation, uncovering a terrifying fact about a new family that has moved into the area.
6. Kakegurui
If you prefer watching anime like Death Note involving sophisticated mind games, you must watch Kakegurui on Netflix.
The Hyakkaou Private Academy, a prestigious private school catering to kids from affluent backgrounds, serves as the setting for this series.
The kids are prepared for the real world by receiving instruction from the school about the significance of money, its power, and its ability to influence people.
In addition to the typical classes, such as history and physics, taught during the day, the school transforms into a betting parlor in the evening.
The protagonist of this tale is an attractive and naive transfer student who decides to enroll at this prestigious educational institution.
She plays not for the sake of winning but rather for the excitement of gambling, which adds some new cards to the game and furthers the narrative overall.
One of the few anime similar to Death Note that focuses on psychological games is Kakegurui, which also happens to be one of the shows I enjoy the most from this selection.
There is still yet to be a confirmed start date for the third season, but we hope it will be renewed soon.
7. Tokyo Ghoul
There is still yet to be a confirmed start date for the third season, but we hope it will be renewed soon.
The television horror series Tokyo Ghoul is centered on ghouls that feed on human flesh.
The novel’s protagonist is Ken Kaneki, an introverted student at a college who chooses to disregard the reports that ghouls that look like humans are roaming the world.
When the stunning Rize, who goes by Rize, asks him for a date, he emerges from his solitary.
Rize’s attack on him and the subsequent revelation that she is a ghoul brings home to him the fact that Rize harbors nefarious intentions.
Rize loses her life, but Kaneki is spared thanks to an organ transplant from Rize’s body into his own.
It causes horrible changes to his body, but he decides to maintain his humanity despite those changes and protect himself from both other ghouls and government operatives that hunt them.
In the first two seasons, a lot of events occur, and then in the third season, Tokyo Ghoul: re, the tale skips ahead two years and introduces us to a Kaneki who has no memory of the events that came before.
The show’s first few seasons were critically acclaimed, but the subsequent re-runs have failed to win over many viewers.
But if you want to know how this story ends, you should watch the whole thing.
8. Detective Conan
One of the anime like Death Note that has been running the longest is Detective Conan, also referred to as Case Closed.
Shinichi Kudo, who is famous for his detective talents and who has solved a lot of difficult riddles, is the protagonist of this suspenseful mystery thriller.
But, as he is investigating two suspicious individuals, he witnesses a crime and is then forcibly administered an experimental medicine, which causes him to regress to age seven.
Shinichi assumes a new identity and takes on the name Conan Edogawa to assist his childhood friend and her father, a private investigator, in solving cases behind the scenes.
9. Code Geass
The events of Code Geass occur in an alternate timeline in which the Holy Empire of Britannia rapidly becomes a powerful military nation.
One day, a Britannian student named Lelouch Lamperouge finds himself smack dab in the center of a conflict between a rebel group called Area 11 and the Britannian military.
He is rescued by a strange woman named C.C. She bestows Geass, the ability of outdated obedience, upon Lelouch, which enables him to flee the situation.
After accepting the full extent of his newly acquired abilities, Lelouch decides to exact vengeance on the Holy Britannian Empire for its oppressive rule.
The plot centers on a series of mecha battles between the various factions.
The story of Code Geass has been converted into several comics and light novels, as well as a film trilogy, a standalone film titled Lelouch of the Re;surrection, and a new television anime series titled Code Geass: Z of the Recapture, which is now in the process of being produced.
10. Death Parade
The series Death Parade, a popular anime like Death Note, provides us with a notion that is among the most enigmatic we have ever seen in the medium of anime.
After a person passes away, their souls go to a realm called the afterlife, which is shown in this anime series.
We keep tabs on a watering hole known as Quindecim, helmed by a bartender named Decim—those who all passed away at the same time frequently frequent one particular bar.
The hosts then compete in a series of matches, and the bartender decides which soul will have the opportunity for reincarnation and which soul will be lost forever in the void.
The psychological suspense film Death Parade is comparable to the Japanese film Death Note.
While you are viewing this series, keep an eye out for a cameo appearance from a very important person.
11. Kaiji
Mind games, death threats, and nonstop action are just some things you can expect to find at Kaiji.
The anime’s main character, Death Note, is a drunken gambler named Kaiji Itou, who has a history of committing crimes throughout his life.
Following the failure of a business transaction, he discovers that he is responsible for a significant debt, which drives him to participate in illegal gambling on board a cruise ship.
The series’ remaining episodes focus on the cunning methods Kaiji uses to rescue himself from perilous predicaments.
Kaiji is a franchise that includes an anime series, several manga volumes, and live-action movies.
If you thought L and Kira’s mental sparring in Death Note was entertaining, you’re going to absolutely adore Kaiji.
12. Monster
Monster is a captivating criminal story in Germany and centers on a Japanese doctor who lives there.
An accomplished neurosurgeon, Dr. Kenzou Tenma is rapidly advancing up the ranks of the medical institution where he works.
Yet, after a few unexplained deaths, everything shifts into a different gear.
Johan Liebert, a serial killer who had been Tenma’s patient in the past, reappears in his life, which causes the narrative to become more complicated.
Along with Death Note, Monster is considered one of the most outstanding anime series to have aired in the past 10 years, and its manga adaptation has garnered a similar amount of adoration from fans.
13. The Future Diary/ Mirai Nikki
The Future Diary is a psychological thriller anime like Death Note, featuring several smart plot aspects.
The story’s main character is a reticent young guy named Yukiteru Amano, who attends middle school.
He routinely records everything in his life in a digital diary. When Yukiteru realizes that his digital diary predicts events in the distant future, the plot takes an unexpected and wild turn.
Soon after, Deus Ex Machina, the God of Time and Space, makes his presence known to Yukitero and explains that he has been selected to take part as one of the 12 competitors in a survival game.
Each player has a future diary, and the one who makes it through the ordeal unscathed will be Deus’s successor.
A brief live-action drama of eleven episodes was also produced from the Future Diary manga comics.
14. Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex
This well-known franchise includes Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex as one of its installments.
The narrative of this anime like Death Note, takes place in a world of the future, in which people can augment their bodies with artificial limbs, and technology has significantly improved.
Public Security Section 9 is the name of the elite law enforcement unit that is the focus of this series, which consists of two seasons.
They are in charge of protecting the country from potential dangers such as terrorism and cybercrime.
Throughout the series, the crew is hunting for a deadly hacker and corporate terrorist whose activities create several philosophical concerns due to their conduct.
The franchise includes several books, as well as movies and television series.
15. Steins; Gate
Steins; Gate is one of the best anime like Death Note since it has fascinating characters and an exciting storyline.
The eccentric scientist Rintarou Okabe, who, along with his companions, established a research facility, serves as the protagonist of this story.
He will need more time to successfully achieve his objective of developing mind-boggling technologies.
Up until the point where Okabe finds out one day that he has accidentally invented the time machine that can send messages into the past, that is—as a result, altering the present.
Okabe, the protagonist of this anime television series, finds himself in a never-ending battle to protect the people he cares about while attempting to maintain his sanity.
The series is an element of a more expansive brand known as Science Adventure, which also includes several other forms of science fiction media, such as animated films and graphic novels.
16. Parasyte: The Maxim
The Maxim is a narrative about an alien invasion with a horror component Parasyte.
The events of the novel’s first part occur after a race of parasitic extraterrestrials have attacked Earth and attached themselves to mankind.
Shinichi Izumi, a high school student with a parasite in his right hand, is the protagonist of this story.
Because the Parasyte had no control over his brain and could not move, they were compelled to live together in an uncomfortable relationship.
The adventures they go on while trying to protect themselves from other parasites are chronicled in the series.
17. Ergo Proxy
The events of the post-apocalyptic television series Ergo Proxy take place on Earth thousands of years after a catastrophic event has rendered the planet livable.
Humans have constructed Android robots to assist them with the day-to-day duties required to survive in difficult environments.
Things move from bad to worse as a virus that gives the robots self-awareness spreads through the population.
While Re-l Mayer and her robot companion Iggy work to figure out what’s going on, we follow along with their investigation.
18. One Outs
Baseball and betting are central to anime like Death Note and One Outs, a psychological take on the sports anime genre similar to Death Note.
The protagonist of this tale is Toua Tokuchi, a baseball phenom who also possesses a high level of intelligence in the gambling world.
Toua, despite the great talent, looks at the game as nothing more than a way to make money quickly.
Hiromichi Kojima, who had previously dispatched Tokuchi, now approaches him with an invitation to join his group.
After joining the team and having a contentious conversation about his pay, Tokuchi suggests a unique contract that would pay him 5 million yen for each out he pitches but would increase to 50 million if allowed a run.
Because each game has the potential to either increase or decrease Tokuchi’s financial balance, each episode gets increasingly exciting.
19. No Game, No Life
The miniseries known as No Game, No Life, a great anime like Death Note, is set in a fantastical society dominated by video games.
The unfolding events occur in Disboard, which Tet rules, the One True God.
It occupies sixteen sentient species, with humans being the only ones with no affinity to magic.
After the entrance of two people from the outside, their tragic fate appears to take a turn for the worse.
Sora and Shiro are step-siblings who use the moniker Blank online and have achieved victory in most online competitions on Earth.
Tet challenges them to a chess game and only admits them to his domain if they are victorious.
The remaining episodes of the television series focus on the characters’ exploits in Disboard and their efforts to find a new higher god to worship.
20. Darker Than Black
Supernatural anime like Death Note and Darker Than Black take place ten years after the appearance of Heaven’s Gate in South America and Hell’s Gate in Japan. The events of the series take place in Japan.
The gates defy all known physical principles, and their existence remains a mystery to even the most knowledgeable experts.
The abrupt appearance of the gate resulted in the emergence of contractors, individuals who were granted access to superhuman abilities in exchange for their humanity.
The protagonists of this story are a group of independent contractors led by agent Hei, who is tasked with discovering the truth about these gates.
21. Hell Girl/ Jigoku Shoujo
If you appreciate anime like Death Note, you should add Hell Girl to your watchlist because it is a dark fantasy television series constructed around the straightforward idea of the consequences of seeking retribution.
The story revolves around a website that launches at noon. Anyone with a grudge against another person can type in their adversary’s name, and the devil girl will send their souls to the underworld.
On the other hand, the rule states that the person who writes the name will likewise spend eternity in hell when they die.
In addition to the manga comics, there is a film, numerous animated seasons, a live-action series, and one movie that are all part of the franchise.
22. Blast of Tempest
The events of the fantasy thriller anime television series Blast of Tempest are centered around the passing of a young woman.
The story revolves around Yoshino Takigawa, a young man sneaking around with Aika, the sister of his best buddy Mahiro.
Mahiro makes a vow after her unexplained passing that she will track down those who are to blame and teach them a lesson.
Mahiro seeks assistance from a witch, exiled to an island in the middle of the ocean.
Now, it is up to Yoshino and Mahiro to defend the world from the wicked brother of the witch, all while becoming closer to the truth behind Aika’s unexplained passing.
23. Erased
The plot of the mystery thriller known as Erased revolves around the idea of trying to recreate the present.
The plot of anime like Death Note resembles that of some of the best films in the science fiction genre, such as Source Code and Deja Vu.
The story focuses on Satoru Fujinuma, a young man sent back in time to the moments just before a potentially fatal event.
He names this ability “Revival,” and he uses it to save the lives of those who have done nothing wrong.
However, things take a turn for the worst when he is sent eighteen years into the past after his mother is killed.
He had concluded that the death must be linked somehow to the tragic event that occurred when he was a child and claimed the lives of three of his classmates.
Witnessing how Satoru solves the puzzle and protects the people he cares about is exciting.
24. Paranoia Agent
Another anime like Death Note is Paranoia Agent. It depicts the story of a serial murderer whose activities have caused both children and adults to develop irrational fears.
The plot kicks off with an assault on the well-known character designer Tsukiko Sagi, who is normally reserved but is responsible for the creation of a well-known figure.
Lil’ Slugger is the name given to the assailant, who appears to be a middle-aged man who is roller skating and carrying a golden baseball bat.
Two detectives, Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa, decide to look into a string of identical assaults in which the victims do not remember the assailant’s face and launch an investigation into the Case.
25. Platinum End
Anime Like Death Note Atory of this popular anime like Death Note and Platinum End centers on Mirai Kakehashi, a teenage orphan who is a high school student and is mistreated regularly by his relatives who took him in after his parents died.
When Mirai is on the verge of taking his own life, he sees a lady with wings who identifies as his guardian angel and gives hmeim the name Nasse.
Mirai has two invaluable powers due to her interaction with the angel. Later, she reveals a game in which 13 players with comparable powers compete against each other for the chance to become the next god once 999 days have passed.
If you haven’t already noticed, the people that made Death Note are also responsible for Golden End.
Yes, the anime series was adapted from a manga of the same name published in 2015 and written by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.
