Death Note Is on Netflix, Hulu and Prime: All 37 Episodes, One Season

*This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links.

“I am... justice!”

Write a name, and that person dies. A genius high school student named Light Yagami obtains this supernatural notebook and sets out to judge criminals and become “the god of a new world.” Released in 2006, Death Note created the most unusual protagonist in Weekly Shōnen Jump history and sparked a global phenomenon. The battle of wits between Light and the world’s greatest detective, L, stands as a monument to intellectual combat in anime history. But this series has clear flaws too. The overwhelming brilliance of the L arc versus the decline of the second half. In this article, we review what makes Death Note great, and where it stumbles.

📺 Where to Watch Death Note (October 2026)

Service	Status	Notes
Netflix	Streaming	All 37 episodes
Hulu	Streaming	Included with the base plan
Amazon Prime Video	Streaming	Included with Prime
Tubi	Streaming	Free with ads; Pluto TV plus The Roku Channel list it too
Crunchyroll	Add-on	Listed as the Crunchyroll channel inside Prime Video
Apple TV	Rent / Buy	Purchase only

Death Note is one of the easiest anime to find in the US: Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video all include it in the subscription you may already have, and Tubi, Pluto TV and The Roku Channel stream it free with ads. Crunchyroll is the odd one out: the standalone service does not appear to list it, while the Crunchyroll channel inside Prime Video does, and Prime already includes the show without that channel. Checked October 2.

🔢 How Many Episodes Is Death Note, and What Genre Is It?

Death Note is 37 episodes in a single season, about 24 minutes each, so the whole series takes a little under 15 hours. Streaming services file it as Season 1, and there is no Season 2: the 2006 anime adapts the manga from start to finish. Genre-wise it is listed as mystery plus supernatural sci-fi, and in practice it is a psychological thriller in which the detective story is told from the killer’s side.

Those 37 episodes do not split evenly, and knowing that up front changes how I would plan them. Episodes 1 to 25 are the Light against L arc, and they move at a pace I would happily binge in a weekend. The last 12 switch to Near and Mello, and the temperature drops, which is the weakness I get into further down. My advice is to treat episode 25 as a natural rest stop. Watch the first block in one rush, sleep on it, and then come back for the rest.

The genre question matters more than it seems, because the label sets the wrong expectation. In Japan this ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump, the magazine of fight-and-win heroes, and there is barely a punch thrown in all 37 episodes. If you come in expecting an action anime, the first few episodes will feel slow. Come in expecting a cat-and-mouse thriller, closer to a Columbo episode watched from the murderer’s chair, and the famous potato chip scene lands exactly as intended.

🎬 Trailer

📌 This Series in 3 Lines

📖 Story (No Spoilers)

Light Yagami is a brilliant high school student bored with everyday life. One day, he picks up a black notebook that fell in the schoolyard. On the cover: “DEATH NOTE.” The rule written inside: “The human whose name is written in this note shall die.” Half-skeptical, Light writes a criminal’s name, and confirms the notebook’s power is real.

Light begins executing criminals one after another, becoming known as “Kira.” His goal: to create a crime-free “new world” and become its god. But a world-renowned detective known only as “L” begins hunting Kira’s true identity. The battle of wits between two geniuses begins.

✨ What Makes Death Note Captivating

Mind Games That Stay One Step Ahead

Death Note’s greatest strength is its intellectual battles that constantly subvert viewer expectations. “He’ll think this if I do that. But deliberately...”. The back-and-forth between Light and L delivers an almost addictive thrill.

The tension in the L arc (episodes 1–25) is extraordinary. How Light uses the notebook to kill criminals. How L uses deduction to corner him. Every episode delivers a “wait, they went THAT far?” moment. The scene where Light hides a mini TV inside a potato chip bag to evade surveillance? That’s the perfect blend of wild creativity and meticulous planning.

Tetsuro Araki’s “Majestic and Beautiful” Direction

Director Tetsuro Araki, who later helmed Attack on Titan, shines here. The climactic episodes are rendered with an almost religious solemnity, like Renaissance paintings. The downfall of a man who tried to become god, depicted with sacred stillness. Masterful work.

At the same time, amid the serious mind games, we get scenes like “eating potato chips with intense dramatic flair”, so over-the-top they become unintentionally hilarious. This balance of tension and release keeps all 37 episodes engaging.

Compare Episode 1 to the Finale: A Chronicle of Transformation

In episode 1, Light is a pure-hearted honor student. Bored with daily life, yes, but his eyes are clear. By the finale, he has the face of a demon.

This series meticulously documents how one genius becomes possessed by the illusion of “absolute justice,” how means and ends become inverted, and how he transforms into a mass murderer under a twisted ideology. The most unusual protagonist downfall in Shōnen Jump history. That’s Death Note.

🎭 Memorable Scenes and Lines

“I am... justice!”

Light screams this when cornered. In that moment, it’s exposed that “god of a new world” was nothing but self-justification. The beginning of the collapse. A spine-chilling scene.

The rain-soaked confrontation between Light and L is also unforgettable. Both know the other’s identity, yet neither can speak the truth. They were each other’s one-of-a-kind existence, yet enemies. That bittersweet tension stays with you.

And L’s final moment. We won’t spoil it, but it marks the series’ turning point, a shocking scene etched into every viewer’s memory.

💭 Feelings After Viewing

After watching, a strange emptiness lingers. “What would I have done if I’d found that notebook?”, a forbidden question that won’t leave your mind. Many viewers empathize with Light and are horrified to realize they did. That’s both the terror and the appeal of this series.

Even 20 years later, you’ll hear “I love Death Note” and “I thought I could be Light” from fans everywhere. A work that lets you process emotions you might have had. That’s Death Note.

😅 Points to Consider

The Decline After L’s Exit

There’s a clear quality gap between the L arc (episodes 1–25) and the Near/Mello arc that follows. Compared to the electric tension with L, the battles with his successors feel underwhelming. Near and Mello aren’t differentiated enough from L to stand on their own.

There are also “plans” with glaring holes and developments that strain credibility. Having experienced the L arc’s precision, the second half’s rough edges become painfully obvious.

Shallow Exploration of “What Is Justice?”

“A notebook that lets you kill anyone you choose” is a fascinating foundation for philosophical inquiry. “If killing criminals is wrong, what about the death penalty?” “What does it mean for humans to judge humans?”. The series had potential to explore these themes.

But ultimately, the story lands on “whoever wins is justice.” The consequences of the world Light created, the pros and cons of his actions, remain underexplored. A rich premise that stayed within shōnen manga boundaries.

No Character Growth

From start to finish, Light believes “I am justice.” From start to finish, L believes “Kira is evil.” There’s almost no depiction of their values clashing and evolving. This works as a battle of wits, but as human drama, it feels lacking.

The endless layers of “he’ll think this, so I’ll do that, but actually...” can also feel tedious to some viewers.

🎬 3 Must-Watch Series If You Loved Death Note

Monster

A psychological thriller based on Naoki Urasawa’s manga. A surgeon saves a boy’s life, only to watch him grow into a “monster”, then hunts him down. An intellectual pursuit constantly asking “What is evil?” is essential viewing for Death Note fans. At 74 episodes it’s a commitment, but once you start, you can’t stop.

Streaming: Netflix

Joker (2019)

A kind man is crushed by society and descends into “evil.” A “dark hero origin story” approaching from the opposite direction of Light. Joaquin Phoenix’s possessed performance radiates madness on par with Mamoru Miyano’s Light. Academy Award winner for Best Actor.

Streaming: Netflix | Amazon Prime Video (Purchase/Rental) | Max (HBO Max)

Breaking Bad

A terminally ill chemistry teacher starts cooking meth to provide for his family, and transforms into drug lord “Heisenberg.” A good man’s descent into becoming an “emperor of evil” mirrors Light’s transformation most closely among dark hero narratives. Widely considered one of the greatest TV series ever made.

Streaming: Netflix

📝 Summary

Death Note is an extraordinary work depicting the most unusual protagonist downfall in Shōnen Jump history. The Light vs. L battle of wits stands as a monument to intellectual combat in anime. Director Tetsuro Araki’s majestic visuals and Mamoru Miyano’s possessed vocal performance make this series one of a kind.

That said, the decline after L’s exit, the shallow exploration of justice, and the lack of character growth are undeniable weaknesses. A series where brilliance and flaws coexist, genuinely difficult to evaluate. But the forbidden question (“What would I do if I found the notebook?”) hasn’t faded in 20 years. It leaves quiet claw marks on every viewer’s heart.

A note from Japan: Death Note ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump, Japan’s biggest manga magazine, whose readers are trained to expect the hero to grow stronger and win. Watching a Jump protagonist rot from the inside out was genuinely disorienting for Japanese readers at the time, and that shock explains a lot about how the first half is remembered here. Twenty years of imitators have since copied the trick, so the original can look ordinary now. It was not.

The potato chip scene alone keeps Death Note at number one in our best mystery anime, second half and all.

We file this one under INTJ. Personality typing is a blunt instrument for fiction, but it is a useful shorthand for who a story is built to satisfy, and it is how this site sorts its recommendations. If you want the reverse lookup, our MBTI anime quiz takes all sixteen types and points each one at something from Japan.

⭐ Title Highlights

Category	Rating
Story (L Arc)	★★★★★
Story (Near/Mello Arc)	★★★☆☆
Characters	★★★★☆
Direction & Visuals	★★★★★
Music	★★★★☆
Thematic Depth	★★★☆☆

Thank you for reading to the end. Usagi-Tei will keep writing reviews that celebrate what works and admit what doesn’t.