Top 10 Anime Similar To Death Note

After finishing Death Note, the only real struggle you face is finding something similar to watch.

Because despite all the fantastic psychological thrillers available, hardly any satisfy the standards Death Note sets. And even if they do, they don't have the brilliant tropes and certain ticks that attracted you to Death Note in the first place.

There is, however, a select number of shows that cater to all of these needs. While these shows aren't exactly a replica of Death Note (minus the ones at the top of this list), they are the best recommendations you'll find based on what aspects of Death Note you enjoyed.

So without further ado, here are the top 10 anime like Death Note!

10. Jigoku Shojo (Hell Girl)

• Total No. Of Seasons: 3
• Release Year: 2005
• Watch It On: Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll

A vast majority of humanity is unaware of Hell's Correspondence. This website only presents itself to people with a deadly grudge, allowing them to send a single person from their life straight to hell. Of course, the price of damning someone's soul is steep, and Ai Enma (the Hell Girl in charge) won't rest until you pay.

Though Hell Girl isn't as brilliant as Death Note, the show follows similar themes and does a phenomenal job portraying human cruelty. One of the central ideas behind the anime is the question: "how much can a person suffer until they damn themselves?"

If you loved Death Note's moral dilemma and crooked justice, this series should be right up your alley.

9. Terror In Resonance

• Total No. Of Seasons: 1
• Release Year: 2014
• Watch It On: Hulu, Crunchyroll, Apple TV, Netflix

Six months after a terrorist attack, the Japanese police force receives their first clue — a viral video of two teenage boys challenging the police to a deadly game of riddles, and threatening to wreak havoc on Tokyo.

If Light's mind-games and politics were your favorite part of Death Note, Terror In Resonance would serve you something very similar.

Unfortunately, not everyone is a fan of the anime's storytelling, so we let each individual decide their opinion.

But at any rate, Terror In Resonance comes with a guarantee of high-quality music and animation, so it shouldn't be too hard to get into.

8. Future Diary

• Total No. Of Seasons: 1
• Release Year: 2011
• Watch It On: Funimation, Hulu

Here's another supernatural diary, except this one comes with elaborate instructions about the future. Yukiteru Amano, one of the 12 holders of similarly powerful diaries, is tasked with hunting and killing the other 11 diary-holders. The last one standing in this blood bath will become the God of Time and Space, and Amano is willing to stop at nothing.

Both Future Diary and Death Note have a lot in common: magical notebooks that grant you immense power, make you kill, and promise you Godhood. A bored but genius protagonist placed in the middle of chaos and a manipulative God that enjoys human suffering. It's not hard to see why fans of Death Note would enjoy this show.

But before you decide to give it a go, remember that Future Diary deals with rape and child abuse and might be upsetting for some audience.

It's also, sadly, not on-par with Death Note (hardly anything is), but it is a decent substitute for withdrawal symptoms.

7. Paranoia Agent

• Total No. Of Seasons: 1
• Release Year: 2004
• Watch It On: Funimation, Amazon Prime

An elementary school student has been brutally assaulting strangers with a golden baseball bat. Though there's no apparent connection between the victims, detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa are shocked to learn that the victims' lives have significantly improved following the attacks.

While Death Note and Paranoia Agent work with very different premises, they offer you the same psychological thrill. In the latter's case, what starts as a detective chase soon unfolds into the most bizarre, mind-blowing story. Soon enough, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and you're suffering a crippling sense of anticipation.

What else could you ask for?

6. Death Parade

• Total No. Of Seasons: 1
• Release Year: 2015
• Watch It On: Hulu, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Amazon Prime

When you die, you enter a bar. The bartender there invites you to play a game: If you win, you get to reincarnate back on Earth, and if you lose, you're thrown into a void to fade out of existence slowly. You cannot refuse to play.

This show may seem like an unusual recommendation for a Death Note fan, but how different would you say is the idea of a game that forces each participant to reveal their inner, most ugly self? Death Parade is an excellent exploration of morality and justice — neither can be classified into black-or-white, and both require a great deal of intellectual curiosity.

Death Parade is the perfect show to tackle next for fans who enjoyed Death Note's high-stakes games and a deeper understanding of humanity.

5. Erased

• Total No. Of Seasons: 1
• Release Year: 2016
• Watch It On: Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu

When he is wrongfully accused of murdering his mother, Satoru Fujinuma is transported 18 years in the past to prevent the events leading up to her death. Fujinuma soon realizes that his classmate's kidnapping is the crucial event that triggered the chain-reaction and took it upon himself to uncover the truth.

It's not that Death Note and Erased have a lot in common (they don't), but they're both highly praised shows that lean towards the darker, exciting aspects of a story. Erased is only 12 episodes long, and it still manages to pack an intense dose of mystery and anticipation. If Death Note left you craving a thriller, Erased should be on top of your watchlist.

4. Serial Experiments Lain

• Total No. Of Seasons: 1
• Release Year: 1998
• Watch It On: Funimation

Lain Iwakura receives a cryptic email from her classmate Chisa, who committed suicide a few days ago. Despite her technophobia, Lain opens the email and is transported into the virtual world of The Wired. In the series of twisted events that follow, Lain finds herself alone and struggling to make sense of reality.

If you enjoyed the way Death Note demanded that you use your intellect, Serial Experiments Lain would do you justice. The show bends reality and the virtual world so jarringly it haunts you for days after you've finished it. It touches deeply on the psychological and philosophical themes we explore in Death Note, but it does so without mercy to the viewer.

3. Monster

• Total No. Of Seasons: 74 Episodes
• Release Year: 2004
• Watch It On: Amazon Prime, Netflix

When asked to abandon a young patient to operate on a politically powerful client, Kenzou Tenma stands his ground and saves the young boy's life. Years later, this decision comes back to haunt him, as the boy he operated on takes the form of a monster.

If you imagine a version of Death Note without the supernatural element, Monster should be your pick. Though the premise differs, each anime is committed to exploring morality in its rawest form. There's not a lot of hands-on action, but the cat-vs-mouse chase, solid characters, and philosophical paradoxes are perfect for the taste of a Death Note fan.

2. Psycho-Pass

• Total No. Of Seasons: 3
• Release Year: 2012
• Watch It On: Funimation, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Netflix, Tubi TV

The year is 2113, and humanity has developed brain scans that determine a person's affinity towards crime. The Psycho-Pass is a report on every person's potential threat and criminal intent, and inspectors have the authority to kill or harm any person with the slightest ill-will. Akane Tsunemori, a young woman, dedicated to upholding justice, slowly learns of the inherent flaws within the system and grapples with the question of what justice truly is.

Psycho-Pass is another fantastic recommendation for Death Note fans. Both anime feature rivalry between intelligent characters, with the villain trying to make a better world through twisted means, and have a dark (but occasionally humorous) atmosphere.

Psycho-Pass is told through the police's lens, but with the MC's view of the justice system changing, the show quickly shifts gears to give you a 180° idea of the societal dilemma.

1. Code Geass

• Total No. Of Seasons: 2
• Release Year: 2006
• Watch It On: Funimation, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, Netflix

Lelouch vi Britannia, an exiled prince harboring great hatred for his father's empire, comes across the power of Geass: the ability to command anyone into obeying his absolute wish. With this newfound power, Lelouch sets out to play the role of God and enact revenge upon the world's greatest empire.

Code Geass and Death Note are the only two anime that perfectly complement each other. Both anime have genius MCs that come across a godlike power, a self-righteous protagonist who slowly descends into the role of the villain, and feature God-tier mind-games and strategic battles.

What's even better is that Code Geass manages to accomplish what Death Note failed to: give its audience the most satisfying and mind-blowing ending ever. Also, unlike Death Note, Code Geass incorporates some of the best action sequences in mecha history.

If you're a fan of Death Note and want to watch something similar, you cannot — and we can't stress this enough — go wrong with Code Geass. Stick with the first five episodes, and it's guaranteed that it will be the best anime you'll ever watch.