15 Best Death Note Quotes

Summary

• The idea that humans strive for righteousness despite imperfections, which is reflected in the laws they create, is something Death Note builds its narrative on.
• Light saw himself as a hero cleansing the world, but in reality, he was an arrogant mass murderer.
• Teamwork and humility are essential even for the most talented individuals, like L, and Light’s self-obsession was one significant factor that led to his downfall.

The psychological thriller anime Death Note has become one of the most infamous series ever, and for good reason. Nearly two decades after the anime first aired, Death Note remains a beloved classic in the anime community. The show is also often recommended as a suitable starter anime for newcomers, due to its bingeable nature, intriguing characters, and horrifically captivating mystery that keeps viewers enthralled until the very final moment.

The story of Death Note offers more than just mere entertainment, laughs, catchy and popular music, and action sequences. The series can be surprisingly deep. The plot is quite dark, telling the story of an ordinary student who finds an instrument of death and begins mass murdering millions in an effort to wipe out every criminal. Everyone in Death Note has a different opinion on Light’s actions and the Kira situation, either strongly supporting or opposing his tyrannical scheme. These ten memorable quotes provide commentary on issues of right vs. wrong and offer a host of different viewpoints on each character’s individual morals and convictions.

15 “Imagine That You Were Going to Kill Someone. What Do You Think Would Be the Most Difficult Part? Three, Two, One…Time’s Up! The Correct Answer: Killing Someone.”

Mello

An incentive to read the companion works alongside Death Note, such as Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. Mello’s perspective is snappy and full of rich observations to enjoy. This particular Death Note quote reflects how the status quo for typical humans shifts drastically in the face of a notebook that spells near-instant death for anybody written within. It talks about the normal resilience of humanity, the capability to hold grudges when an attempt fails, and how it’s all invalidated in a way he sees as fundamentally unfair in chapter 5 of this light novel.

Mello is an interesting Death Note character, idolizing L, with his agenda being more about succeeding L than stopping Kira, as another strong example of the series’ main characters being fueled by their ego. Mello has a lopsided relationship with Near, being raised in the Wammy’s House while consistently seen as the inferior L successor prospect. Yet, in moments like these, his observations are keen and strong reminders of the sort of power the series deals with, making it all the more impressive that he’s instrumental in taking down its most infamous user.

14 “Laws Aren’t Perfect, Because Humans Who Created Laws Aren’t Perfect. It’s Impossible To Be Perfect. However, The Laws are Evidence of the Human Struggle to Be Righteous.”

Soichiro Yagami

Ironically, Light Yagami’s father felt very differently from his son, evident by this quote. Before his death at his son’s hands, Soichiro worked on the Kira case in collaboration with the Task Force, hoping to catch the dangerous villain and put him behind bars. He obviously felt very passionately that Kira’s actions were wrong and despicable, never realizing his own son was the culprit.

His quote is quite profound, recognizing that humans are not perfect, so the law will not be either. However, regardless of this imperfection, the fact that humans continue to strive towards a harmonious society by creating socially acceptable rules of conduct reveals that, at their core, humans generally try to be good people. This is a generous and optimistic view of humanity that is certainly inspiring, but unfortunately for him, Soichiro’s own son seems to hold an opposing view, providing a curious juxtaposition.

13 “This World Is Rotten, And Those Who Are Making It Rot Deserve to Die. Someone Has To Do It, So Why Not Me?”

Light Yagami

This is one of the quotes that best summarizes the essence of Light Yagami’s character and his worldview. Upon taking a look at a broken world filled with crime, Light’s conclusion was that someone should rid the world of evildoers altogether to prevent any further crimes from being committed. After finding the Death Note journal, he realized he could be the one to make this dream come true.

Light’s plan contained a lot of holes, but he saw this societal problem as a simple fix, leading to a dangerous mindset that became his own undoing. An average human teenager is obviously not qualified to be the arbiter of right and wrong and punish people with death. As the series progressed, Light developed a god complex and became egotistical, just like many of the criminals he fought so passionately against. This quote becomes ironic when considering Light’s own downfall into arrogance and evil.

12 “Whatever the Reason May Be, Murder is Always Wrong.”

L Lawliet

In Death Note, detective L Lawliet, who was in charge of the Kira investigation, became Light Yagami’s biggest enemy. He is also a foil to Light, offering an entirely different perspective on the value of human life than the cold-blooded killer. L rightfully viewed “Kira’s” actions as unforgivable, working tirelessly for many long nights to catch the killer and bring them to justice.

This quote declares L’s widely accepted belief that killing another human being should never be accepted in any circumstance, making Kira the world’s worst criminal. This is hilariously ironic, since Light’s goal as Kira was to wipe out the world’s criminals, but he was technically one himself by his own definition. L did not just make statements like this one without the behavior to back them up, and he worked harder than anyone else did on the Kira case, even tragically losing his own life in pursuit of the killer.

11 “Only I Could Do It. Who Else Could Have Done It?! And Come This Far?! Would They Have Kept Going?! The Only One… Who Can Create a New World… is Me.”

Light Yagami

As Light’s reign as Kira progressed, he gradually became more and more invested in his heartless mission, willing to kill criminals at all costs. Whether he harmed an innocent person or negatively affected himself, Light refused to give up. At the time of this remark, he had killed his own father, detective L Lawliet, and countless other undeserving people who unfortunately became caught in the crossfire of his evil actions.

This quote reveals how twisted Light’s perception of the situation really was. Most people looked at him and saw a mass murderer who inspired immense fear and dread, but Light truly believed himself to be a valiant hero. He viewed himself as “god of the new world” and genuinely felt his killings were pushing the world closer to perfection. Through this moment, fans catch a glimpse of how far Light has fallen from the intelligent and caring person he was at the beginning of the series. By the end of Death Note, he fully embraced the identity of Kira, leaving behind his old, happy life to adopt the persona of a merciless tyrant and lost everything in the process.

10 “No Matter How Gifted You Are, You Alone Cannot Change the World.”

L Lawliet

Teamwork is a crucial quality that appears time and time again throughout many anime series. Learning to lean on others is not just important in anime, but in life itself, because isolating oneself and acting independently all the time is sure to lead to burnout and loneliness. Even though L Lawliet is a very solitary person, he recognizes the necessity of working alongside others to solve a difficult mission like the Kira case.

Rather than cracking the mystery on his own, like the detective often did in the past, he formed an entire Task Force full of individuals he felt were best suited for the challenge of catching Kira. L is definitely an experienced detective with advanced skills, but he realized that other people possess different talents than him and could offer valuable insight regarding the investigation. Even though L is widely regarded as the best detective in the world, this quote shows that he is still never too proud to ask for help, an admirable quality that makes him even more endearing as a character.

9 “Once You Actually Start Looking Around, It Makes You Wonder if You’d Be Doing Society a Favor by Getting Rid of All These People.”

Light Yagami

Uttered in the first episode, viewers can see in real-time the slope at which Light encounters his descent into antihero status. It’s a stark example of an anime spelling out consequentialist beliefs, implicitly confirming Light’s response to the Trolley Problem with his twisted personal ethics. After witnessing the power of the Death Note by killing a criminal as their name and face are broadcast on television, Light ponders the responsibility such a power would bear.

The darkness of Light’s ideology shows him quickly fashioning himself as a judge, jury, and executioner for humanity in this Death Note quote, regardless of how his active participation in murder incriminates him. But it’s hard to see flaws in his logic when he’s presented examples of heinous incidents surrounding him, such as stopping a biker’s assault on a woman by conjuring up a traffic accident in his book. This dangerous arrogance follows Light, even to the bitter end.

8 “Humans are Interesting.”

Ryuk

When Light Yagami found his Death Note journal, the shinigami Ryuk appeared since he was the book’s owner in his realm. However, it was later revealed that Ryuk let the notebook fall into a human’s possession for one absolutely astonishing reason: boredom. Ryuk had nothing better to do in the shinigami realm, so he decided he would wreak some havoc on earth to entertain himself.

The shinigami certainly got more than he bargained for by indirectly creating the biggest mass murderer in history. Ryuk stayed present in Light’s life until the very end, because he was bound by Death Note rules, but also because he found Light’s murderous rampage and the predicaments he got himself into very amusing. He describes humanity as “interesting” countless times throughout Death Note, revealing the morbid curiosity he feels regarding the way humans act and his fascination with Light’s cruel choices as Kira.

7 “What Do You Think of That, L?! This is My Perfect Victory! That’s Right! I Win!”

Light Yagami

One of Death Note’s most heartbreaking and surprising scenes was when Light killed L, manipulating Misa and her shinigami, Rem, to help him murder the unsuspecting detective. Light viewed L as his largest threat, so once he eliminated the intelligent investigator, he felt unstoppable. This disgusting speech was delivered at L’s grave, as Light mocked the man for losing against him.

Light did not succeed in the end, so he spoke too soon during this scene. However, at this moment, he felt fully confident in his chances of building a new and criminal-free world without getting caught, and he could not fathom anyone else discovering his true identity as Kira. Thankfully, Near and the Task Force brought Light to justice soon enough after this display of disrespect at L’s final resting place, but this quote definitely reveals Light’s gigantic ego, which became the very thing that destroyed him in the end.

6 “I Think I Wanted You to Be Kira.”

L Lawliet

Light and L’s connection in Death Note is as fascinating as it is tense, with the two being fiercely intelligent yet representing two perfectly opposed points of view. For much of the series, Light can conceal his identity as Kira, with Misa even going so far as to erase his and her memories as Light winds up in close-quarters custody with the ace detective. It’s in these moments that L laments about his former suspicions, with the irony being that he was right.

In an exchange where L is chained to Light while they sit together, L talks about his observations of Kira, including theorizing about how the killer transfers abilities. He talks about the futility of pursuing them. In this Death Note quote, one might barely feel sympathetic for L, even as an antagonist. However, as this exchange devolves into a fistfight, L concedes that he wouldn’t be satisfied unless Light turned out to be Kira, as confirming his deductions seems almost more important to his ego than stopping Kira.

5 “The Way to Kill a Shinigami is to Make Them Fall in Love With a Human.”

Rem

Rem, who became Misa’s shinigami when she took ownership of a Death Note journal, delivered one of the most profound and beautiful speeches in the entire series. She revealed a shocking fact: Misa had a secret admirer and protector who was a shinigami. This shinigami, Gelus, loved Misa desperately and once he discovered a stalker attempting to hurt the girl, he killed the criminal using his Death Note, which saved Misa’s life.

Gelus tragically died because of his helpful act, because if a shinigami interferes with human affairs by preventing the death of someone else, they will die instead. The brave and dedicated shinigami was willing to die for a girl who would never know of his sacrifice, which is one of the most gorgeously touching displays of love in Death Note. This remark also hinted at Rem’s unfortunate fate, as she also broke Death Note rules for Misa’s sake, causing her to pass away just like Gelus did.

4 “Kira is Childish And Hates to Lose. I Am Also Childish And Hate to Lose.”

Spoken by L Lawliet

L Lawliet is an experienced detective who is renowned throughout the world for his criminal-catching skills, but he was definitely willing to humbly admit his own shortcomings. In this somewhat hilarious statement, the investigator reveals a surprising link between himself and the Kira murderer: they are both childishly determined to win at any cost. Unfortunately, L and Light did not yet realize that this very persistence to win would cost both of them their lives.

Light and L contrast well, but undoubtedly share a few similarities too, such as this “childish” perseverance. The pair worked closely on the Kira investigation together and somewhat became “friends,” although Light was deceiving L about his true identity and L strongly suspected Light’s guiltiness, always watching his every move like a hawk. The two may have shared this steadfast and determined nature that L calls childish, but their core motivations were very different and set them apart, categorizing one as an anti-hero who tried his best to achieve justice and one as a villain with a god complex.

3 “You’ve Eased My Boredom for Quite a Long Time, Haven’t You?”

Ryuk

A foreboding shinigami with immense power over the human world already makes for an interesting character, but Ryuk’s execution in Death Note is the stuff of legend. He’s exceedingly dangerous, yet he’s bored with the shinigami world, allowing the Death Note to be found so he can be entertained. That Light entertains him as long as he does is something Ryuk is grateful for.

It’s interesting to step back and observe Ryuk’s character leading to and at the conclusion of Death Note, with multiple quotes and moments attributed to his sense of ennui. He has a fondness for video games, snacking on apples, and vicarious thrills by watching how Light handles the power of this deadly artifact. But boredom is never permanently cured, and once Ryuk recognizes this, his cruel and strangely law-abiding nature kick in, no matter how seemingly close he gets to the humans with whom he interacts.

2 “But You Have Yielded to the Power of This Notebook And Shinigami And Have Confused Yourself With a God… You’re Just a Crazy Mass Murderer. Nothing More, and Nothing Less.”

Near

Near’s final speech to Light is one of the most iconic and infamous scenes in the entire series.In Light’s last minutes, he continued to argue with Near and the Task Force, desperate to justify his decisions and prove why he felt his Kira plan was the only true solution to the world’s problem of criminals running rampant. However, Near did not hesitate to snap back at Light, telling him that he was not a hero at all.

A true heroic person would never have trampled over innocent people and would not possess the haughtiness and conceit that Light did. Until his final moment, Light refused to back down from his stance, claiming that he was doing the right thing even when it became evident that his actions were incredibly disgusting and harmful to people who never deserved punishment and were simply unlucky enough to cross Light’s path. Near’s words shed light on the true nature of the series’ main character, painting him as a terrible murderer, not the god Light sees himself as.

1 “I’ll Take a Potato Chip…and EAT IT!”

Light Yagami

The power of memes can elevate an already interesting moment in any series and push it into the stratosphere, crossing over into social circles where even those unaware of Death Note can name this quote. In context, it’s still rather silly, but it’s an early demonstration of Light’s confidence even under the watchful eye of L. This moment is Light brazenly showing the world that, while any other character would panic under similar levels of surveillance, his wily gifts and motivation to carry on his form of justice allow him to survive and operate in plain view.

Essentially, Ryuk has spotted each of the cameras in Light’s room, as he is among the suspects of being Kira, and in response to this, Light shakes the suspicion off himself under the guise of pretending to study. While sitting at his desk with a bag of potato chips, he projects a simple image of the brilliant student he is, but secretly has a portable TV with the news playing in the bag, along with concealed pages of the Death Note. As if writing ambidextrously isn’t impressive enough, the chip symbolizes defiance in Death Note.