Death Note, a masterpiece of an anime that redefines the word “Thriller.”
With its great protagonist v/s antagonist dynamic, mindblowing twists, an interesting concept, and godly pacing, Death Note can even make an anime hater turn into a weeb with its greatness.
These are things that everyone who watched Death Note is aware of.
But did you know just like Death Note, there was supposed to be Death Eraser that could be used to revive the people killed by Death Note.
Just like this, there are several surprising facts about Death Note anime that even hardcore fans aren’t aware of and are really entertaining to know.
So, I decided to make a list of 44 Surprising facts about Death Note so that people can know more about their favorite series.
Make sure to check all of them.
1-10 Darkest Death Note Facts
1. Death Note is written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata
2. But despite being a duo, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata did not meet in person while working on the pilot chapter, they communicated through their editor instead.
It was not until the editorial part in 2004 these two guys met in person.
After that, they went to collaborating on projects for years to come.
3. Takeshi Obata, the illustrator of Death Note got his first big exposure after winning the prestigious Tezuka Award in 1985 for his one-shot 500 Kōnen no Shinwa, and he was 16 years old when he won it.
4. The pilot of Death Note was a completely different story than what we saw in the manga/manga.
In the pilot manga, a young boy named Taro Kagami accidentally comes across the Death Note and unintentionally uses it to kill the bullies that harassed him at the school.
But after seeing them actually dead, he feels devastated.
Feeling pity for him, Ryuk gives him an impressive tool that you have never seen or heard in the original manga or anime, and we have mentioned it in the fact below. So please Keep Reading to know about it.
5. Just like Death Note, there was a Death Eraser in the Death Note pilot manga. This tool could be used to revive those who were killed by the Death Note just by erasing their names.
This tool could’ve been so handy, if the user changed his mind about what he had done or as an option for a second chance.
But, For better or worse, this element was dismissed in the further publishing of the manga and did not appear in the anime.
6. In the pilot chapter, Ryuk drops 2 Death Notes. One to the main character Taro Kagami and another to his classmate.
7. If you have watched the show, You may be wondering did Did L really consider Light as a friend?
And the answer is….
No, L never considered Light a friend. The author (Ohba) said in an interview when asked about this topic, “No. When he told Light that Light was his first friend, it was a lie. L could never have a friend, as he found humans to be a very cunning species.
8. Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata did not meet in person while working on the pilot chapter, they communicated through their editor instead.
It was not until the editorial part in 2004 these two guys met in person.
After that, they went to collaborating on projects for years to come.
9. Remember the character who almost caught Light way ahead, Naomi Misora, former FBI agent.
According to Death Note: How to Read 13, though Naomi Misora was intended to have a much larger role in the story, Ohba felt that she was simply too good at her detective work. She could have interfered with the dynamic between the protagonist and the antagonist. Though Tsugumi Ohba loved the character, he had to kill her for the sake of the manga.
10. If we watch closely, Light uses a Windows PC, whereas we can see L using a Mac.
This might be the silliest Death Note fact in this our list. But, in a way, this shows us how the characters of L and Light are completely different from each other.
11-20 Darkest Death Note Facts
11. Ryuk has one of the most iconic and creepy character design that one cannot forget after seeing it once. Moreover, it suits his character perfectly well.
But originally, Ohba wanted to give Ryuk a human-like design, so that it’s a lot easier to draw. But, he decided to drop the idea considering Ryuk’s human-like appearance might take away the attention from Light.
TBH he looks hotter than Light Yagami in these designs.
12. Generally, it’s hard for dark-themed animes like Death Note to get a cameo on other shows. Despite that In “Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid” a shot of L, Light, Soichiro, and Misa from Death Note is briefly shown.
13. Moreover, Kyoto Animation (The studio that developed that season of FMP) was originally going to animate the anime adaptation of Death Note, before being turned down in favor of Studio Madhouse.
14. A 2007 survey done by the ministry of Japan named Death Note the 10th greatest manga of all time.
15. According to Tsugumi Ohba, the writer of Death Note, the most intelligent character in the Death Note series is L. Why? Because “the plot requires it.” A simple yet very good reason from Tsugumi Ohba.
16. If you somehow lose your Death Note or have it stolen, You will lose its ownership unless you retrieve it within 490 days.
17. Near and Mello were originally supposed to be L’s children. But given L’s personality, the author couldn’t imagine him having children. So, this idea was later scrapped.
18. Obata was left to come with the design of Near and Mello with all the instruction from Ohba being that they should look a little like L.
19. The end designs for Mello and Near were switched.
This means the end design for Near became the final design for Mello and vice-versa.
20. According to Ohba, If Light Yagami never found the Death Note, then he could’ve become one of the greatest policemen in the world.
And worked alongside L to solve the crimes.
How can a Death Note fan not be sad after knowing this 😭
21-30 Darkest Death Note Facts
21. Originally Ohba wanted Death Note to look like a Bible-like design, something that you would automatically think of as a Death Note. But this idea was scrapped and made Death Note look like any ordinary book.
22. Moreover, Ohba wanted Death Note to change its design based on time and location. For instance, Death Note in ancient Japan would be a scroll.
When you think of this idea, the Death Notes in ancient India would be rocks, and to write someone’s name you should put inscriptions on the stones. Damn, now I want to see this version animated.
23. After Death Note, Ohba and Obata reunited again to work on the series Bakuman and Platinum End.
24. A Death Note will never run out of pages.
25. The creator of Death Note is a mystery himself like his character L.
Tsugumi Ohba keeps his real identity a secret and writes under a pen name. The truth of his real name, birthday, or any personal information has been undisclosed since he began his career back in 2003 with Death Note. Other characteristics shared with L include his habit of bringing his knees to his chest in a chair while thinking of manga plots.
26. If your name is misspelled 4 times, or 2 people wrote your name in the book, then you cannot be killed by Death Note.
27. Ryuk wrote the instruction of Death Note in English cause he thought it was the most popular language in the human realm.
28. Near actually planned to take the Death Note for himself if Kira was apprehended.
29. Hideki Ryuga, Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, and Deneuve are the names used by L to avoid his name in the Death Note.
30. Only 6 Death Notes are allowed to exist in the human realm.
This means that we can get plenty of content, but the authors are not interested in giving us more 😢
30-45 Darkest Death Note Facts
31. There is a character that looks exactly like Light in another anime, Death Parade.
Since the setting of Death Parade is a libido between hell and heaven, There is a chance of him being Light.
32. According to the creator, L’s nationality is 1/4 Japanese, 1/4 British, 1/4 Russian, and 1/4 Russian or French.
33. Although we didn’t get to see it in anime or manga, L can speak six languages. He is fluent in Japanese, Chinese, Russian, French, English, and German.
34. Even after his death, Kira’s worshippers continued to worship him.
So yeah, Light achieved his goal of being a god to those people.
35. As of June 2009, the Chinese ministry of culture blacklisted Death Note, Attack On Titan, and 36 others from being distributed in the country.
Read More: 55 Shocking Attack On Titan Facts that you must know
36.Despite all the bans and controversies, Death Note manga has managed to sell over 30 million copies.
37. L’s full name is L Lawliet.
38. A person can shorten his/her own life using Death Note.
39. Tetsurō Araki, the director of Death Note “literally begged” to join the production team.
His other most popular works include Attack on Titan and Highschool of the dead.
40. Tetsurō Araki said that if he would been have been one of Light’s friends then he would have surely used and killed him.
41. But even after knowing that, Tetsuro Araki admits that he felt an urge to support and cheer for Light.
Now that’s the charisma of Light Yagami.
42. If you haven’t enough of Death Note, then you might consider reading a 1973 manga named The Miraculous book.
Just like Death Note, In this manga, a middle-aged worker comes across the notebook that kills anyone whose name is written on pages.
43. Near’s real name is Nate River, and Mello’s real name is Mihael Keehl.
44. Death Note will not affect those under 780 days old and humans over the age of 124.
That’s it for today mates, Hope you enjoyed it.
If you have then check out our other anime post that you may be interested in.
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