Death Note: Season 1
2006 · 37 episodes · ★ 7.9
What Season 1 of Death Note
Light Yagami is a Japanese student who finds a supernatural notebook called the Death Note. All he has to do is write someone's name while picturing their face to cause their death. Light decides to use this power to eliminate criminals and create a world without evil. Facing him is L, a famous private detective who wants to uncover what lies behind these deaths. The two defend opposing ideas of justice, and the series follows their confrontation while the FBI investigates the killer known as Kira.
Season 1 Episodes
1x01 Rebirth
Brilliant but bored high school student Light Yagami suddenly finds himself holding the power of life and death in his hands—the power of the Death Note. He decides to rid the world of evil—by killing off criminals one by one. When the murders start to pile up, genius detective L is on the case, and an epic battle of wits unfolds.
Directing: Kei Tsunematsu, Tetsuro Araki · Writing: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Tomohiro Nishimura, Takeharu Oonishi, Tetsuo Goto, Ai Satou
1x02 Confrontation
While the world’s criminals continue to drop dead, L meets by computer with representatives from various nations. He requests that a task force be set up in Japan, under the direction of none other than Soichiro Yagami, Light’s father.
Directing: Tomohiko Ito · Writer: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Ai Satou, Haruka Kudou, Ryuji Mizuno
1x03 Dealings
Ryuk, the Shinigami, or god of death, who dropped the Death Note into the human world, warns Light that someone is on his trail. Light is troubled that he can’t find out the identity of his tracker, and Ryuk suggests an amazing deal...
Directing: Hiroyuki Tsuchiya · Writing: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Ai Satou, Haruka Kudou
1x04 Pursuit
Light—now known to the world as Kira—tests the Death Note to understand the scope of its powers by killing off six convicts in various ways—and confirms he can control his victims’ actions before they die.
Directing: Naoyasu Habu · Writer: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Hideo Ishikawa, Ami Koshimizu, Katsuhisa Houki
1x05 Tactics
Soichiro Yagami demands to meet with L in person when he finds out that L has secretly brought FBI agents into Japan. Light, meanwhile, has found a way to get those very FBI agents off the case—permanently...
Directing: Mitsuhiro Yoneda · Writing: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Ai Satou, Haruka Kudou, Hideo Ishikawa
1x06 Unraveling
Light meets a woman at the Police Department with an urgent message for the Kira task force. As son of the chief investigator, Light listens to her story, and is startled to discover she may have information that could lead to his arrest.
Directing: Oyunam · Writing: Yasuko Kobayashi · Starring: Ai Satou, Haruka Kudou, Naoko Matsui
1x07 Overcast
Light uses the Death Note to try to get rid of the woman who could get him captured, and is shocked when it doesn’t work. Realizing she must have given him an alias, he’s only got minutes to find out her real name before she tells her story to the task force.
Directing: Tomohiko Ito · Writing: Shouji Yonemura · Starring: Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Naoko Matsui
1x08 Glare
L insists on setting up bugs and cameras in the homes of Chief Yagami and Deputy Director Kitamura—whom Raye Penber was tracking. But Light is a step ahead as usual—he knows he’s being watched.
Directing: Makoto Bessho · Writing: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Ai Satou, Haruka Kudou, Kensuke Nishi
1x09 Encounter
The murders continue, and L grows suspicious of Light’s too-perfect behavior and decides to investigate him on his own. In order to get closer to Light, L enrolls at the same university and reveals himself to be L.
Directing: Yukio Okazaki · Writing: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Ai Satou, Haruka Kudou
1x10 Doubt
L's suspicion of Light deepens, compelling him to invite Light into the investigation. But then a phone call alerts them that Soichiro Yagami has suffered a heart attack!
Directing: Shinji Nagamura · Writing: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Ai Satou, Chafurin
1x11 Assault
As predicted on the tapes sent to Sakura TV, news anchors and commentators who expressed doubt about Kira die one by one. On further investigation, L concludes that this Kira is not the original—there's a second Kira!
Directing: Naoyasu Habu · Writer: Shouji Yonemura · Starring: Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Ai Satou, Chafurin, Hidenobu Kiuchi
1x12 Love
With a second Kira now on the loose, L asks Light to join the task force and pose as the real Kira in order to catch the copycat. Light agrees, hoping to divert suspicion from himself. To his surprise, this new Kira has a special ability even Light lacks…
Directing: Hiroyuki Tsuchiya · Writing: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Kenichi Matsuyama
1x13 Confession
Light goes to Aoyama to discover the identity of the second Kira before L becomes more suspicious. But Misa Amane, the new Kira, uses her unusual gift to find Light before he finds her.
Directing: Mitsuhiro Yoneda · Writer: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Ai Satou, Haruka Kudou
1x14 Friend
Light and Misa show each other their Death Notes, and Light asks Misa to have her shinigami Rem get rid of L. But Misa asks something of Light in return—to fall in love with her!
Directing: Tomohiko Ito · Writing: Shouji Yonemura · Starring: Ai Satou, Haruka Kudou, Masumi Okamura
1x15 Wager
Evidence turns up that points to Misa Amane as the second Kira. In an effort to spare her, Rem forces Misa to forfeit her ownership of the Death Note.
Directing: Oyunam · Writer: Yasuko Kobayashi · Starring: Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Haruka Kudou, Masumi Okamura
1x16 Decision
Misa is in confinement, though her memories of the Death Note have been completely wiped away. When Light is confined as well, the murders stop and suspicion of Light grows stronger. Then suddenly, the killings resume.
Directing: Makoto Bessho · Writing: Toshiki Inoue
1x17 Execution
After fifty days of confinement the killings continue, and Misa and Light are released. But L has devised a plan to ensure no more murders occur, and has Light's father, Soichiro, take the two for a ride that may be their last.
Directing: Ryosuke Nakamura · Writing: Toshiki Inoue · Starring: Kiyoyuki Yanada, Rintaro Nishi, Masaki Aizawa, Issei Futamata
1x18 Ally
Though L is still suspicious, Light and Misa, their memories of being Kira wiped clean, return to headquarters, where Light notices a strange connection between the recent Kira killings and the Yotsuba Group.
Directing: Shinji Nagamura · Writer: Shouji Yonemura
1x19 Matsuda
Matsuda, the task force member assigned to watch Misa, is eager to distinguish himself, and while on a job with Misa, he decides to do a little snooping on his own at the Yotsuba Group’s Tokyo headquarters.
Directing: Eiko Nishi · Writing: Yasuko Kobayashi
1x20 Makeshift
L's team discovers that the Yotsuba Group meet in secret to discuss the elimination of individuals who are troublesome to their company, and concludes that Kira must be one of the eight executives. Can Light posing as L ferret out the right one?
Directing: Hiroyuki Tsuchiya · Writer: Toshiki Inoue
1x21 Performance
The Task Force uses Misa as a way to get closer to the Yotsuba corporation. But things get complicated when Rem tries to communicate with her.
Directing: Mitsuhiro Yoneda · Writer: Toshiki Inoue
1x22 Guidance
Thanks to Misa, the Task Force now knows the identity of the new Kira and L plans an elaborate scheme to smoke him out of hiding.
Directing: Naoto Hashimoto · Writing: Toshiki Inoue
1x23 Frenzy
L, Light and Misa watch from the investigation team building and wonder who he is talking to. L wonders if Higuchi is talking to a shinigami. Rem convinces Higuchi to go to the station, but she has her own selfish motives for doing so.
Directing: Tomohiko Ito · Writing: Shouji Yonemura
1x24 Revival
While Higuchi is finally captured, Light inadvertently regains his memories as Kira.
Directing: Hisato Shimoda · Writing: Shouji Yonemura
1x25 Silence
Light, his memory recovered, orders Misa to begin killing after Higuchi dies. The Shinigami Rem realizes that everything is going according to Light's plan, and that L will arrest Misa as Kira-unless Rem acts quickly.
Directing: Mitsuyuki Masuhara · Writer: Toshiki Inoue
1x26 Renewal
Light has removed everyone in his way and is closer to achieving his perfect world.
Directing: Tomohiko Ito · Writer: Tomohiko Ito
1x27 Abduction
A new investigator steps forward-Near, a central figure in the SPK, an organization that is trying to catch Kira without relying on L. Near is aware of the existence of the Death Notes and wants to get his hands on one.
Directing: Tomio Yamauchi · Writer: Toshiki Inoue
1x28 Impatience
Light, acting as L, reveals to Near that his sister Sayu has been kidnapped by someone wanting to trade her for the Death Note. Near finds out that the trade will happen in Los Angeles and promises to help, while secretly planning to steal the Death Note and capture Kira.
Directing: Eiko Nishi · Writing: Toshiki Inoue
1x29 Father
Mortified over allowing the Death Note to fall into Mello's hands in order to save his daughter, Soichiro puts himself into harm's way in order to get it back.
Directing: Tomohiko Ito · Writer: Toshiki Inoue
1x30 Justice
Mello busts into SPK headquarters to retrieve a photograph of himself to make sure he won't be killed by Kira. In exchange for Near giving him the picture, Mello drops an important hint about the Death Notes: some of the rules are fake.
Directing: Hideki Ito · Writing: Shouji Yonemura
1x31 Transfer
Near contacts the Japanese task force and determines that Kira is among their members. He asks for insider information, and Aizawa, beginning to doubt Light, responds. Near suspects that the new L is really Light Yagami and that Light is Kira.
Directing: Hisato Shimoda · Writing: Yasuko Kobayashi
1x32 Selection
Star newscaster Kiyomi Takada becomes Kira's spokesperson to the world, after Demegawa is deleted by Mikami, and she just so happens to have been Light's girlfriend in college. Aizawa's suspicions about Light grow.
Directing: Hironori Aoyagi · Writing: Yasuko Kobayashi
1x33 Scorn
Near goes to Japan, allegedly as bait for Kira. Following Light's instructions, Takada asks Mikami to send her five pages of the Death Note. She tells him that he will continue his work in a fake book made to look like the real one.
Directing: Tetsuhito Saito · Writing: Shouji Yonemura
1x34 Vigilance
Aizawa figures out what's going on and tells Near, who already knows about the notes. Near instructs Aizawa to continue watching Light, and then puts in motion a plan to separate Misa from Light.
Directing: Eiko Nishi · Writer: Shouji Yonemura
1x35 Malice
Light and Near agree upon a meeting place for the final confrontation. A key player is kidnapped and the end results are shocking.
Directing: Tomohiko Ito · Writer: Toshiki Inoue
1x36 1.28
The Japanese Task Force and the SPK finally meet at YellowBox Warehouse on January 28th. However, a third party has come to the warehouse as well, on Kira's orders to kill everyone else there.
Directing: Takayuki Hirao · Writing: Toshiki Inoue
1x37 New World Season Finale
Though Mikami has written all the investigators' names in the Death Note, a minute passes and everyone is still alive. Near seizes Mikami's Death Note, and all is at last revealed.
Directing: Tetsuro Araki · Writing: Toshiki Inoue
Season 1 Cast
Mamoru MiyanoLight Yagami (voice)37 episodes
Kappei YamaguchiL (voice)37 episodes
Shidou NakamuraRyuk (voice)37 episodes
Noriko HidakaNear (voice)37 episodes
Nozomu SasakiMello (voice)37 episodes
Kimiko SaitoRem (voice)37 episodes
Naoya UchidaSoichiro Yagami (voice)37 episodes
Ryou NaitouTouta Matsuda (voice)37 episodes
Kazuya NakaiKanzo Mogi (voice)37 episodes
Ai SatouSachiko Yagami (voice)11 episodes
Haruka KudouSayu Yagami (voice)9 episodes
Kiyoshi KobayashiWatari (voice)6 episodes
Naoko MatsuiNaomi Misora (voice)3 episodes
Hideo IshikawaRaye Penber (voice)2 episodes
ChafurinHitoshi Demegawa (voice)2 episodes
Masumi OkamuraKiyomi Takada (voice)2 episodes
Tomohiro NishimuraShibuimaru Takuo (voice)Episode 1
Takeharu OonishiGukku (voice)Episode 1
Tetsuo GotoDeridovely (voice)Episode 1
Katsuhisa HoukiKiichiro Osoreda (voice)Episode 1
Kensuke NishiHideki Ryuuga (voice)Episode 1Where to Watch Season 1 of Death Note
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Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Episodes Does Death Note Season 1 Have?
Season 1 of Death Note has 37 episodes.
When Did Death Note Season 1 Premiere?
Aired October 4, 2006.
Where to Watch Death Note Season 1?
Available with a subscription on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads, Crunchyroll, and Crunchyroll Amazon Channel (availability may vary by country).
What is the best episode of Season 1?
According to the TMDB audience rating, episode 1x25, "Silence", has a 8.9.