Anime Like Death Note

In The Future Diary, Yukiteru Amano is a quiet middle school student who records every aspect of his daily life in a digital diary on his phone. Feeling like an outsider at school, he frequently converses with his imaginary friends: Deus Ex Machina, the god of time and space, and Mur Mur, Deus' assistant. One day, Yukiteru notices his phone beginning to predict future events. Initially dismissing it as a coincidence, he soon realizes the predictions are accurate. As he starts utilizing this power, he discovers that his classmate Yuno Gasai possesses a similar device. Together, they manage to evade a mysterious pursuer and return home. There, Deus Ex Machina reveals that they, along with ten others, are now participants in a deadly game where the winner will become Deus Ex Machina's successor. With no other option, Yukiteru and Yuno must rely on their Future Diaries to survive and win the brutal competition.

Ganta Igarashi begins an ordinary day preparing for a school excursion to Deadman Wonderland, an amusement park where incarcerated performers stage perilous shows for spectators. However, his routine is shattered when a figure cloaked in red brutally massacres his entire class. Wrongfully accused and sentenced to death, Ganta is incarcerated within the very facility he was meant to tour. Thrust into a harsh environment populated by vicious inmates and bizarre supernatural abilities, Ganta is forced to wear a lethal collar that only deactivates when he succeeds in the prison's deadly competitions. To endure this treacherous setting where trust is scarce, he must constantly gamble with his life while hunting down the enigmatic "Red Man" to clear his name.

In Serial Experiments Lain, fourteen-year-old Lain Iwakura is an introverted girl who struggles with social interaction until she unexpectedly receives an email from Chisa Yomoda, a classmate who has already died. Despite having little experience with technology, Lain opens the message and is drawn into the Wired, a digital network akin to the Internet. This event transforms her life as she confronts mysterious puzzles. Figures known as the Men in Black begin appearing around her, questioning her with intimate details about her life that even she does not fully grasp. As the boundaries between the physical world and cyberspace grow indistinct, Lain becomes entangled in increasingly surreal scenarios that challenge the nature of identity, consciousness, and reality. Directed by Chiaki J. Konaka, the creator behind Texhnolyze, this psychological and avant-garde mystery follows Lain's critical choices, which impact both the real world and the Wired. Only through Lain can the full significance of these interconnected realities be understood as one realm fades and another emerges.

Following the suicide of her close friend Koito Nagase, Ai Ooto feels adrift and desperately seeks meaning. When a mysterious voice guides her to a Wonder Egg, she cracks it open to find herself in a bizarre dream realm. There, Ai begins aiding individuals trapped in their personal struggles, believing that rescuing them might somehow lead to saving her friend. This perilous yet mesmerizing journey forces Ai to confront not only the shadows haunting others but also her own inner darkness. As she delves deeper into the enigmatic world of Wonder Egg Priority, Ai uncovers buried traumas, lingering regrets, and concealed fears. Gradually, she comes to understand the internal battles that torment people and works to liberate them from their most profound terrors.

Following the loss of his parents, Shinpei Ajiro was raised by the Kofune family, growing up with their daughters Mio and Ushio. Although he eventually moved to Tokyo for his education, he returns home after Ushio tragically drowns while attempting to save a child. During her funeral, a close friend reveals strange marks on Ushio's neck, suggesting her death may not have been an accident. Convinced that Ushio was murdered, Shinpei begins investigating recent events, only to uncover more disturbing incidents involving people vanishing and unexplained phenomena. These occurrences prompt Mio to recall a local legend regarding "Shadows," entities believed to herald death when encountered. Resolved to face the dark forces plaguing Hitogashima Island, Shinpei struggles against his predetermined fate to fulfill Ushio's final wish: ensuring Mio's safety.

In the secluded village of Sotoba, where every resident is familiar with one another, tranquility is shattered by an inexplicable tragedy: the death of Megumi Shimizu, a spirited young girl. As the oppressive summer heat intensifies and further mysterious fatalities occur, Dr. Toshio Ozaki grows convinced that a sinister force lies behind the incidents. Toshio teams up with the introverted teenager Natsuno Yuuki and the Tanaka siblings, Kaori and Akira, who were close friends of Megumi, to probe the bizarre deaths afflicting the town. Their joint investigation eventually reveals a terrifying secret tied to the family that has recently moved into the Kanemasa mansion.

In Musashino City, panic spreads following a string of assaults by a mysterious figure named Shounen Bat. This attacker zips around on rollerblades, striking victims with a gleaming gold baseball bat. The initial target is Tsukiko Sagi, a famous but withdrawn character designer, who finds herself falsely accused of masterminding the incidents. Her sole ally is Maromi, a talking pink plush toy who staunchly defends Tsukiko's innocence, even as the toy itself becomes a target. Detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa are tasked with uncovering the identity of Shounen Bat. As the victim count rises, media coverage fuels public terror while disturbing rumors circulate, tightening the grip of paranoia on both children and adults. Can Ikari and Maniwa unravel the mystery of Shounen Bat before the escalating dread consumes them too?

After his family died in an explosion, Mirai Kakehashi lived a miserable life full of suffering and despair under the care of his indifferent relatives. At his lowest point, about to jump off a cliff to his death, he unexpectedly falls into a trance and meets Nasse, a celestial guardian angel. Nasse gives him two incredible powers and urges him to keep living. Empowered with these new abilities, Mirai finally experiences the freedom he had been missing. Soon, he is pulled into a deadly competition against eleven other participants, where the ultimate prize is becoming the next God. Driven by his desire to hold onto his newfound chance for happiness, Mirai is determined to do whatever it takes to keep this opportunity.

The adage warns that seeking revenge requires digging two graves, a truth especially relevant to users of the Hell Correspondence website. This mysterious site activates at midnight, inviting those who type in the name of someone they despise to meet with Ai Enma, the Hell Girl. Ai informs them that while the targeted soul will be condemned to hell, the requester will also face the same fate upon their death. While some find the price too steep, others, weighed down by their suffering, consider their afterlife's fate insignificant compared to their current torment. Regardless, Ai Enma remains ever-ready to assist those yearning for vengeance, faithfully fulfilling her role in escorting souls to the depths of hell.

Yuno Gasai is a first-year high school student leading an ordinary life. She gets along well with her parents and has a small group of friends. Yet she cannot shake the feeling that someone essential is absent from her life—someone so important that it seems she has lived a different existence, desperately trying to stay with them. After a class trip to the beach, Yuno returns home. In the middle of the night, she begins receiving strange messages from a voice that only she can hear. The voice tells her about the person she longs to meet and insists she must find him. Soon, she finds herself in a mysterious realm, with her sole goal being to reunite with the person she cannot recall. Though obstacles block her path, Yuno will stop at nothing to meet her beloved once more.

In feudal Japan, a mysterious and lethal occultist known as the "Medicine Seller" travels the land hunting malevolent spirits called "mononoke." When he finds one, he cannot simply destroy it; he must first uncover its Form, its Truth, and its Reason to properly wield the powerful Exorcism Sword. This requires careful psychological analysis and meticulous investigation—dangerous steps that force him to confront and understand the mononoke before he can eliminate it. On his journey, the Medicine Seller arrives at an old inn where a pregnant woman named Shino has booked a room to rest. The innkeeper reluctantly gives her the last available space. But Shino soon realizes her new quarters are haunted by a deadly group of mononoke known as the Zashiki Warashi. Guided by his hunter's instincts, the Medicine Seller begins an investigation to uncover the Form, the Truth, and the Reason behind these spirits before they take more lives.

Once you make a decision, does the universe conspire to make it happen? Is destiny a matter of chance, a matter of choice, or the complex outcome of thousands of warring strands of fate? All twins Kanba and Shoma know is that when their terminally ill sister Himari collapses at the aquarium, her death is somehow temporarily reversed by the penguin hat she had asked for. It is a provisional resurrection, however, and it comes at a price: to keep Himari alive they need to find the mysterious Penguin Drum. In order to do that, they must first find the links to a complex interlocking chain of riddles that has wrapped around their entire existence, and unravel the knots that tie them to a mystifying diary and a baffling string of strangers and semi-acquaintances who all have their own secrets, agendas, and "survival strategies." And in order for Himari to live, someone else's chosen destiny will have to change. It is a story of love, fate, life, death... and Penguins!

In Shibuya, a series of murders known as the "New Generation Madness" are generating growing local buzz due to their notoriety. Nonetheless, these "New Gen" killings barely impact Takumi Nishijou, a high school otaku prone to delusions and a persistent sense of being watched by unseen eyes. Apathetic toward the outside world, Takumi spends his time on online games and anime. His routine is abruptly disrupted when he receives a graphic image of a man impaled on a wall from a user named Shogun. After recovering his composure at an internet café, Takumi unexpectedly encounters the very crime scene from the image, along with a blood-splattered pink-haired girl calling out to him. As Takumi struggles with the boundaries of reality, he finds himself increasingly entangled in the "New Gen" murders, believing the perpetrator is targeting him.

In the year 5053, French nobles Viscount Albert de Morcerf and Baron Franz d'Epinay attend the Carnival festivities in the lunar colony of Luna. While Franz is satisfied with the revelry, Albert craves a more profound purpose in his life. His search for meaning shifts dramatically when he captures the attention of the mysterious and charismatic Count of Monte Cristo, a self-made aristocrat, during an opera performance. As the story progresses, Albert develops a friendship with the Count and introduces him to the elite circles of French society. However, the Count's true motives go beyond simple companionship; he is orchestrating a long-awaited vengeance against those who wronged him in the past. "Gankutsuou" explores the intertwined fates of Albert and the Count, and the heavy cost of seeking justice through revenge.

Amano Yukiteru, a second-year middle school student, has trouble making friends. He sees himself as a bystander and habitually records everything he observes in his cell phone diary. Tormented by solitude, Yukiteru begins to imagine a companion named Deus Ex Machina, supposedly the Lord of Time and Space. Witnessing Yukiteru's pitiable state, Deus grants him a new ability: his diary will now record events that will happen in the near future. Yukiteru is then forced to take part in a game in which the winner will become Deus's successor. This short OVA was bundled with the limited edition of the eleventh volume of the manga.

In Japan, the government operates a secret unit called the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division (SDCD), which works to protect the public from hidden threats. The team handles these dangers quietly, avoiding any public awareness. Their efforts are put at risk when a member betrays them. Kagura Tsuchimiya, who lost her mother years ago, finds a new home with the Isayama family and develops a deep, sisterly bond with their daughter, Yomi. As they grow older, both join the SDCD as skilled exorcists. Despite their early closeness, the growing demands of their sacred duty and unresolved family problems create a divide between them. One fully commits to her path as an exorcist, while the other falls into darkness, heading toward a journey with no hope of return.

At Shinyo Academy, rumors quietly circulate among the female students about a mysterious supernatural entity called Boogiepop—a shinigami believed to eliminate people at the peak of their beauty before their appeal fades. In truth, few know that Boogiepop is actually the alternate persona of high school student Touka Miyashita, awakening after long periods of dormancy to defend the world from its enemies. A recent wave of inexplicable disappearances, dismissed by the school as mere runaways, has caused Boogiepop to reemerge. Yet a sinister force lurks somewhere on campus, waiting for the right moment to unleash its power. Through Boogiepop wa Warawanai, the deep connections between individuals and their perception of time are delicately examined, alongside the intricate bonds, emotions, memories, and pasts of its characters.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni is the third installment in 07th Expansion's highly popular "When They Cry" series. The story takes place on Rokkenjima, an island owned by the immensely wealthy Ushiromiya family. As customary each year, the entire family gathers on the island for a conference to discuss each person's financial situation. Because the family head is in poor health, this year's meeting also involves the topic of his inheritance and how it will be distributed. However, the family is unaware that the distribution of wealth is the least of Ushiromiya Kinzo's concerns for this year's conference. After being told by his longtime friend and physician that his end is approaching, Kinzo desperately wants to meet his life's true love one last time: the Golden Witch, Beatrice. Having immersed himself in black magic during his later years, Kinzo instigates a ceremony to revive his beloved upon his family's arrival on Rokkenjima. Soon after, a violent typhoon traps the family on the island, and a string of mysterious murders commence, forcing the eighteen people on the island to fight for their lives in a deadly struggle between fantasy and reality.

In Death Note: Relight, a curious Shinigami listens as Ryuk recounts the story of Light Yagami, an exceptionally intelligent teenager who left a lasting impression on him during his time in the human realm. One day at school, Light comes across Ryuk's discarded Death Note and soon learns its deadly power: anyone whose name is written in the notebook dies, provided the writer knows their face. Disgusted by the corruption in society, Light sees the notebook as a tool to eliminate criminals and build a perfect world. As a series of unexplained criminal deaths unfolds, law enforcement begins investigating these suspicious fatalities. They turn to L, a renowned detective, to identify the person responsible. As each day passes and the death toll rises, Light and L engage in a tense battle of wits and strategy, a confrontation that could determine the fate of humanity.

Whether under the sun or cloaked in darkness, unspeakable horrors lurk in the shadows, poised to strike. These terrors cannot be dodged or overcome—only endured. Stay alert, or you may become their next victim. Step into a collection of bone-chilling tales that will leave you trembling: a cursed jade statue that impales its victims; a nightmare that haunts across generations; a spectral figure at a foggy crossroads offering doomed directions; and a slug growing inside a young girl's mouth. Proceed with caution, for the supernatural dreads within the Junji Ito Collection are too harrowing for the faint of heart.

After yet another failed job interview—her nineteenth, it seems—Juri Yukawa has all but given up on escaping the cramped household she shares with her working mother Nobuko, her NEET brother Tsubasa, her recently fired father Takafumi, and her single sister Sanae. The only real hope for the family to raise a successful adult rests on her young nephew Makoto. Just as their already tense situation hits a breaking point, Makoto and Tsubasa are snatched by a mysterious group demanding a ransom. With only thirty minutes to scrape together five million yen and deliver it to the kidnappers, Juri's grandfather reveals a dangerous secret to her and Takafumi. By offering blood to a mystical stone, the three gain entry to "Stasis"—a dimension where time stands still for everyone except the stone's users. When they reach their destination, the rescue mission goes wrong as they stumble upon others who can also move freely through Stasis. In the ensuing confusion, a colossal being called the Herald appears, its purpose and identity as enigmatic as the timeless world it inhabits.

On a fateful Sunday, the countdown to humanity's destruction begins as the Septentriones, alien invaders from beyond Earth, arrive with the goal of wiping out all life. Hibiki Kuze and his friends are pulled into this conflict, forming pacts with demons that turn them into "Devil Summoners" to fight back. These newfound abilities catch the attention of JP's, a secret organization led by Yamato Houtsuin. After being recruited, Hibiki and his allies join forces with other ordinary people who have become Devil Summoners, building bonds through their battles. Each day, another Septentrione appears, causing chaos across Japan. As the number of casualties grows, the young summoners are forced to defeat these enemies before nightfall, no matter what sacrifices are needed.

Ai Enma and her companions continue their grim duty, offering a means of vengeance to those wronged, but at a steep cost—both the victim who summons Hell and the target are condemned to eternal damnation. While they carry on with their unending work, a mysterious young girl named Kikuri observes them from the shadows. During her missions, Ai encounters Takuma Kurebayashi, a boy known as the "Devil's Child" because of the tragic incidents that follow him. His feared reputation leads the villagers to blame him for sending people to hell. As the situation spirals into violence, Ai must step in to halt the senseless cruelty, a move that puts her own existence at risk.

The town of Suiten is situated in a secluded area of Kyushu. Despite its small and modest appearance, Suiten is far from an ideal vacation destination—unless one is looking to escape from the "Unseen World." Three boys named Taro, Makoto, and Masayuki, each burdened by traumatic pasts, learn to allow their souls to traverse between two parallel worlds. However, the Unseen World is not merely a mirror of the real Apparent World. It is a domain where ghosts reside, and recent developments are enabling the spirits of the deceased to cross into the Apparent World, leading to unpredictable outcomes. Follow Taro, Makoto, and Masayuki as they travel between these two realms, working to uncover a deep mystery. This anime was created as the 20th anniversary project for Production I.G.