8.4/107,042 votes#1 - Rebirth
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 10/4/2006
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.
Director: Kei Tsunematsu, Tetsuro Araki
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.9/107,278 votes#2 - Confrontation
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 10/11/2006
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.
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.4/105,674 votes#3 - Dealings
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/18/2006
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...
Director: Hiroyuki Tsuchiya
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.7/105,806 votes#4 - Pursuit
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/25/2006
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.
Director: Naoyasu Habu
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.5/105,473 votes#5 - Tactics
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 11/1/2006
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...
Director: Mitsuhiro Yoneda
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.2/105,251 votes#6 - Unraveling
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/8/2006
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.
Director: Oyunam
Writer: Yasuko Kobayashi
9.1/106,932 votes#7 - Overcast
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/15/2006
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.
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Writer: Shouji Yonemura
8.4/105,092 votes#8 - Glare
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/22/2006
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.
Director: Makoto Bessho
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.5/105,155 votes#9 - Encounter
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/29/2006
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.
Director: Yukio Okazaki
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.1/104,944 votes#10 - Doubt
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 12/6/2006
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!
Director: Shinji Nagamura
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.7/105,054 votes#11 - Assault
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 12/13/2006
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!
Director: Naoyasu Habu
Writer: Shouji Yonemura
8.2/104,812 votes#12 - Love
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 12/27/2006
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…
Director: Hiroyuki Tsuchiya
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.3/104,749 votes#13 - Confession
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 1/10/2007
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.
Director: Mitsuhiro Yoneda
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.2/104,690 votes#14 - Friend
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 1/17/2007
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!
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Writer: Shouji Yonemura
8.9/105,214 votes#15 - Wager
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 1/24/2007
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.
Director: Oyunam
Writer: Yasuko Kobayashi
8.3/104,640 votes#16 - Decision
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 1/31/2007
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.
Director: Makoto Bessho
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.0/104,651 votes#17 - Execution
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 2/7/2007
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.
Director: Ryosuke Nakamura
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
7.3/104,534 votes#18 - Ally
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 2/14/2007
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.
Director: Shinji Nagamura
Writer: Shouji Yonemura
7.6/104,487 votes#19 - Matsuda
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 2/21/2007
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.
Director: Eiko Nishi
Writer: Yasuko Kobayashi
7.3/104,434 votes#20 - Makeshift
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 2/28/2007
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?
Director: Hiroyuki Tsuchiya
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
7.7/104,389 votes#21 - Performance
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 3/7/2007
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.
Director: Mitsuhiro Yoneda
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.1/104,441 votes#22 - Guidance
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 3/14/2007
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.
Director: Naoto Hashimoto
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
8.8/104,989 votes#23 - Frenzy
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 3/21/2007
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.
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Writer: Shouji Yonemura
9.3/106,971 votes#24 - Revival
Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 3/28/2007
While Higuchi is finally captured, Light inadvertently regains his memories as Kira.
Director: Hisato Shimoda
Writer: Shouji Yonemura
9.6/109,745 votes#25 - Silence
Season 1 Episode 25 - Aired 4/4/2007
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.
Director: Mitsuyuki Masuhara
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
The Best Episodes of Death Note Season 1
Every episode of Death Note Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Death Note Season 1!
Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects—and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note,...
Genres:AnimationMysterySci-Fi & Fantasy
Network:Nippon TV
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Rebirth" is the best rated episode of "Death Note" season 1. It scored 8.4/10 based on 7042 votes. Directed by Kei Tsunematsu, Tetsuro Araki and written by Toshiki Inoue, it aired on 10/4/2006. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "Confrontation".