Death Note (2006) Parents Guide: Is the series OK for kids?

Name: Death Note
Rating: 8.6

Age Rating, Sex, Violence & Language

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, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But will Light succeed in his noble goal, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?

TV-14 • 2006 • 1 season

8.6

2K+

Average rating by Bontent members

Age

14+

Death Note is a Madhouse anime adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's manga, streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix. It follows Light Yagami — a bored genius high school student who discovers the Death Note, a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it — as he begins using it to kill criminals worldwide, becoming the vigilante god-figure "Kira," and the cat-and-mouse struggle between him and the brilliant… Sign up for the full guide

Cast

Mamoru Miyano

Shido Nakamura

Aya Hirano

Kappei Yamaguchi

Kimiko Saito

Naoya Uchida

Ryou Naitou

Keiji Fujiwara

Kazuya Nakai

Noriko Hidaka

Nozomu Sasaki

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Is Death Note appropriate for kids?

Content severity in Death Note Sign up for season-by-season breakdown

Substances Moderate 4/10

Language None 0/10

Sex/Nudity Moderate 4/10

Violence/Gore Intense 10/10

Mature Themes Intense 10/10

Sex and nudity in Death Note

Minimal. Misa's revealing outfits and Light's manipulation of her romantic feelings are the show's most notable sexual content — neither is explicit. Not a meaningful content concern across the series.

Violence and gore in Death Note

Moderate. For a series about serial killing, Death Note is remarkably restrained in its depiction of violence — deaths occur by heart attack (almost always off-screen), and the show's horror is psychological rather than graphic. The climax involves more direct violence. The show's content concern is almost entirely thematic rather than visual. Appropriate from age 14+ on this dimension.

Language in Death Note

Minimal. The show's tone is primarily cerebral and intense rather than coarse. Within TV-14 parameters throughout. Not a content concern.

Mature themes in Death Note

Death Note is one of the finest psychological thrillers in anime history and one of the medium's most sustained explorations of moral philosophy through genre storytelling. Its central premise is a perfect ethical trap: a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it, discovered by Light Yagami — a brilliant, bored, deeply arrogant high school student who immediately decides to use it to purge the world of criminals and create a utopia. The show never endorses Light's project but it never…

Bontent Member Reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Death Note appropriate for kids?

Bontent's parent guide suggests Death Note is best for ages 14+. It's rated TV-14. Death Note is a Madhouse anime adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's manga, streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix. It follows Light Yagami — a bored genius high school student who discovers the Death Note, a…

What age rating does Death Note have?

Death Note is rated TV-14. Bontent's independent parent guide recommends it for ages 14+.

What is Death Note about?

How many seasons does Death Note have?

Death Note has 1 season covered in this parent guide. Sign up to see a season-by-season breakdown.

Is there sex or nudity in Death Note?

Our reviewers didn't note meaningful sexual content across Death Note.

How violent is Death Note?

Violence isn't a standout concern across Death Note per our reviewers.

Is the language in Death Note appropriate for kids?

Strong language isn't flagged across Death Note.

Are drugs, alcohol, or smoking shown in Death Note?