Enjoyed Death Note? Here are more anime like Death Note for you. Check it out!
Death Note has been one of the most famous anime that’s trending right now. Anime enthusiasts can’t get enough of the series as it contains a thrilling and unique story plot that makes you want to watch the show on repeat.
The storyline of Death Note features a high school student named Light Yagami, who discovers a black notebook. The book possesses a special power that when a name of a person is written they would be dead in no time.
Light uses this book to eliminate all criminals and who he deems to be unworthy of life. The book was intentionally dropped by a Shinigami called Ryuk, who’s a death god. He did this out of boredom and to his surprise he was impressed by Light’s actions.
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If you’re looking for anime similar to Death Note, then here’s a list of anime that have similar story plots and thrilling events to keep you entertained.
Anime like Death Note -- Quick Summary
| Anime like Death Note | Genre | Editor’s Rating |
| Psycho Pass | Action, Psychological Thriller | 8.5/10 |
| Code Geass | Action, Adventure | 9/10 |
| Ergo Proxy | Action, Adventure, Psychological Thriller, Sci-Fi | 8/10 |
| Monster | Mystery, Psychological Thriller | 8.5/10 |
| Hunter x Hunter | Action, Adventure, Fantasy | 9.5/10 |
| Demon Slayer | Adventure, Dark Fantasy | 9/10 |
Anime Like Death Note
Psycho Pass
This anime series was initially released in 2012 and has a total of 22 short episodes. The storyline introduces Japan in the 22nd century and futuristic features can be seen everywhere around the city.
In the tech-savvy land, a biomechatronic computer is used to scan the intellect and mentalities of Japanese citizens. This is done via a cymatic scan and is essentially called Psycho Pass.
This scanning system would help officials learn about the minds of citizens and if they have any tendencies to commit crimes. When a targeted person’s potential to commit a crime passes the threshold, they are detained and investigated or sometimes killed by Crime Investigation Department officers.
Police officers known as Inspectors are responsible for examining crime scenes and they are assisted by Enforcers who are ex-criminals. They follow the orders of Inspectors and analyze criminals.
In this story, the protagonist is a woman called Akane Tsunemori who’s an Enforcer. She works with Shinya Kougami, a veteran Enforcer. She’s an honest woman who believes justice should be served rightfully. However, she doubts the credibility of the system and how it can determine the complex minds of humans.
I love this anime because of the similar themes to my favourite anime, Death Note. I loved watching the anime because of how engaging it was. I was hooked till the very last minute.
Ratings:
- Plotline: 8.5/10
- Character development: 8/10
- Graphics: 9/10
Monster
Moster is one of the anime like Death Note with dark themes. This anime is my personal favorite because of its plotline and how it keeps you hooked throughout the anime. It’s about a doctor named Tenma who saves the life of a young boy but then regrets his decision when the boy becomes a ruthless killer.
The anime follows Tenma as he tracks down the boy, known as Johan, in order to bring him to justice. Along the way, Tenma discovers that Johan has connections to some of the most powerful and dangerous people in the world.
The anime discovers the reality of human nature and has psychological-thriller themes with many layers in its story. I’ve also read the manga of this anime which is what encouraged me to watch the anime.
Ratings:
- Plotline: 9/10
- Character development: 8.5/10
- Graphics: 9/10
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a 2009 anime series that tells the story of Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers who attempt to use alchemy to bring their mother back to life.
There are certainly similarities between Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Death Note, as both anime deal with the characters having to grapple with the weight of their actions and how far they're willing to go to achieve their goals.
This sets them on a journey throughout the country in search of the philosopher's stone, which they believe will allow them to achieve their goal. Along the way, they meet many friends and foes and learn that their own understanding of alchemy is far from perfect.
The series was incredibly popular when it aired and remains one of the most highly-regarded anime of all time. If you're looking for an action-packed adventure with complex characters and a fascinating plotline, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is definitely worth watching.
What I enjoyed the most about Fullmetal is the character development of Edward and Alphonse. I also really loved the graphics and how they kept me captivated throughout.
Ratings:
- Plotline: 9/10
- Character development: 9/10
- Graphics: 9.5/10
Code Geass
This anime features the protagonist, Lelouch vi Britannia who’s an exiled prince from Britannia.
He is faced with tragedy after tragedy when his mother, Marianne vi Britannia dies and his sister, Nunnally vi Britannia loses her eyesight after witnessing the death of their mother.
Meanwhile, Lelouch’s father, Charles Zi Britannia, the emperor of Britannia is carefree about the tragedic events. Lelouch is disappointed at his father’s behavior and promises to destroy the kingdom of Britannia one day.
However, the Britannian empire invades Japan and conquers it with the Knightmare forces which are giant robots. Japan was renamed Area 11 and the citizens were called 11s.
At this time Lelouch was studying in high school and skips school regularly to play chess with his friends. He suddenly stumbles upon terrorists who are wanted by the Britannian military officials for stealing a military secret.
Sadly, Lelouch’s friend Suzaku is one of the terrorists who stole the secret and is shot for the crime.
Lelouch unexpectedly meets an immortal witch who offers Lelouch a power called Geass. This makes him obey orders given to him by anyone and hence provide him the entry ticket into Britannia’s air force.
He conspires against the Britannian forces and forms a rebel group to overtake them.
The similarity between this anime and Death Note is the fight against injustice. Code Geass is an entertaining show and has a lot of depth and meaning in its story.
Ergo Proxy
This anime series was released in February 2006 and showcases a post-apocalyptic world where humans and androids called AutoReiv live together peacefully.
However, events take a turn when the androids become self-aware after getting infected by a virus called Cogito. This leads the androids to slaughter humans ruthlessly and gain control of the city of Romdo.
The government being alerted after the catastrophic events conduct secret experiments in creating humanoids called Proxy. Proxy beings are immortal and are deemed to be the only chance for human survival.
The protagonist of this show is a woman called Rayer. She sets out to investigate the murders with the help of her android partner. On her journey, she comes across powerful humanoids and also learns about the dark secrets of the dystopian city where babies are born in artificial wombs.
This is an ideal anime series for those who are fans of both sci-fi and psychological thriller genres. To find out if humanity will survive in this apocalyptic world watch Ergo Proxy and I guarantee you will be impressed.
Monster
The story revolves around the protagonist called Dr. Kenzo Tenma, who’s a Japanese brain surgeon working in a hospital in Dusseldorf, West Germany. Tenma is an ordinary man who respects all patients irrespective of their social class.
However, the hospital he works in is biased towards political and influential people and treats them first before other patients. Tenma who doesn’t approve of this behavior treats fraternal twins Johan and Anna instead of the mayor who came in later.
To Tenmo’s rotten luck the mayor dies and Tenmo loses his job. Strangely, the director of the hospital and the other doctors who opposed Tenmo die mysteriously and the twin children go missing as well. The police suspect Tenma but they don’t find any evidence to charge him.
After several years Tenma works as a chief doctor in a hospital and he saves the life of a criminal named Adolf Junkers. He mumbles about a monster and when Tenmo leaves him to get his clock, Junkers kills the guard and escapes.
When Tenmo runs looking for Junkers he stops at a half-constructed building and finds a strange man holding a gun at Junkers.
The man is revealed to be Johan who was once saved by Tenmo. After pleading not to kill Junkers, Johan shoots him and runs away. Tenmo is again suspected by the police.
However, Tenmo manages to slip out and goes looking for Anna, who grew up in a foster home. When they meet Tenmo tries to save her from Johan but unfortunately, Anna’s foster parents are murdered by Johan.
When Tenmo sets out to find out Johan’s ruthless behavior he comes across an orphanage where children are psychologically reprogrammed to become trained soldiers who can fight tirelessly.
This anime has graphic and explicit content that’d be ideal for psychological thriller fans.
Hunter x Hunter
This anime depicts the life of a young boy called Gon Freecss. He lost his father as a kid, who was a hunter and disappeared into the woods. Believing that his father is dead he grows up into a young man.
He finds out from another hunter called Hunter Kite that his father is still alive as a professional hunter who seeks hidden treasures and other valuable antiques.
Gon is very determined about looking for his father and hence decides to become a professional hunter. He movies out from his birthplace and enters the Hunters Examination.
The Hunters Examination is known to have a very low success rate and hence Gon is faced with several challenges in this exam.
During his years in training to be a hunter, he befriends three other participants who go by the names of Kurapika, Leorio, and Killua. Together they team up and tackle all the obstacles along the way.
Will Gon become a professional hunter and find his father? To find out watch Hunter x Hunter. The concept of this anime is quite interesting and fun to watch.
Demon Slayer
The protagonist of this anime is a young boy called Tanjiro Kamado. He’s the sole breadwinner of his family after his father’s death. When he arrives home after selling coals in the village he finds out that his family was brutally massacred by demons.
Fortunately, the only survivor was his sister Nezuko Kamado. However, she was attacked by a demon and became a half-demon who still has human emotions.
There are higher officials called the Demon Slayers whose job is to kill the demons by beheading them with a specially crafted sword. The Demon Slayers are humans and have been fighting an ongoing war with the demons.
When a Demon Slayer finds out Tanjiro’s sister was affected by a demon, he tries to kill her. Tanjiro being a brave boy defends his sister and pledges to become a demon slayer to avenge the death of his family and to cure his sister.
This anime is fabulous and portrays the heroic ambitions of Tanjiro to fight against evil forces.
Anime Like Death Note: FAQs
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