It's hard to talk about the greatest anime ever made without mentioning the masterpiece that is Death Note. A quality piece of entertainment that has stood the test of time to become one of the most iconic shows of all time, Death Note is a masterfully crafted anime that takes the concept of a book that causes death and spins it in the most interesting ways possible. The stories of Light and L are brilliantly told, and the entire experience is quite enthralling to witness.
As is the case with most popular anime, Death Note received an English dub that is widely considered by the fanbase to be a superior way to watch the show, and for good reason. While most dubs fall short of the mark when it comes to communicating the brilliance of its subject matter, Death Note goes against the grain and crafts a sublime experience with its script and voice acting.
However, the English dub is far from perfect, and there are a few hiccups along the way that might sour the experience of anyone who wishes to be as immersed as they can possibly be in this masterpiece. Here's a heads-up of sorts as we go through some of the biggest and weirdest changes between the Japanese and English versions of Death Note.
10 "Our Battle Will Be Concluded, And I Will Begin My Reign From The Summit Of Victory!" — Light Yagami
The problem with most dubs is that they tend to turn dialogue into these flamboyant sayings that sound quotable... and in a bad way. While Death Note thankfully avoids being overly dramatic — for the most part — there are still instances when the dialogue can be a bit too much to handle.
This dialogue itself is a great example, and one must wonder if the dub team was better off being more subtle regarding the delivery of this particular line.
9 "I Have No Idea What's Going On." — L
L is supposed to be one of the smartest people in the entire show, and the fact that Light had to go above and beyond to ensure that this threat was taken out as soon as possible speaks volumes when it comes to L's knowledge.
So, for such a character to admit that he has no idea what's going on seems quite... well, out of character. Perhaps there was a better dialogue that could've been said in its stead.
8 "This Is The First Time In My Life That I've Been Provoked To Hit A Woman." — Light Yagami
Light prefers to not take a violent approach to solve any personal issues, even though he's more than comfortable with ending people's lives to force his warped sense of justice onto everyone.
He also wears the mask of a model student and would never do anything to corrupt this image.
So, for him to even think about hitting a woman is quite out of character. His frustrations could've been expressed using a better line.
7 "Humans Are Truly... Disgusting Creatures!" — Rem
The duality between Rem and Ryuk is quite interesting to witness. The former is an emotional shinigami who develops an unhealthy attachment with Misa Misa, while the latter is emotionally distant and only wishes to play a game with the Death Note to entertain himself.
Her line about humans being disgusting creatures is somewhat incorrect however, given the fact that she fell in love with a human herself.
6 "Humans Are So... Interesting!" — Ryuk
On the other side of the spectrum, we have Ryuk — one of the greatest anime characters of all time. His boredom is what triggered the events of Death Note, making him quite a dangerous specimen indeed.
His line about humans being "interesting" was actually meant to communicate that humans are a lot of fun. Interesting doesn't necessarily mean fun, and maybe the line could've been tweaked to be more faithful to the Japanese counterpart.
5 "What Is It? There Is No Need To Yell In Unison." — L
L sounding out of character can certainly be quite endearing at times, but — more often than not — it ends up being more jarring than intended and takes the immersion away from the viewer's experience.
One need only look at this line to see how pointless these moments can be. If the intention was for L to react comedically to Light and his father's shout, then it could've been delivered in a less formal manner.
4 "I Can't Develop Feelings. That's How Most Idiots Screw Up." — Light Yagami
Light Yagami is a great character. He's a twisted and sadistic individual who gets a god complex of sorts... and apparently, he also has a ridiculous tendency to be a complete edgelord in the anime.
While it's understandable that most Japanese dialogue is quite over-the-top and dramatic, one would think to tone down both these scales when dealing with an English localization.
3 "Yes, That Would Be Dark." — L
One thing that the dub added to the script was English puns. One notable instance is when Misa-Misa says "I could never dream of a world without Light," to which L sarcastically responds with this brilliant quip.
A pun on words that would've have been possible in the Japanese version is a welcome addition to Death Note's dub, adding a bit of character to these individuals without making it seem too out-of-place.
2 "I'll Take A Potato Chip... And Eat It!" — Light Yagami
There was no way one could talk about the dub of Death Note and not mention this absolute gem of a line, which has become the most quotable piece of dialogue in the entire game.
The line by itself is not all that incrimination, but the over-the-top manner in which it's delivered coupled with the amazing animation makes it an absolute joy to behold.
1 The Entire Scene Between Light And Naomi
The scene between Naomi Misara and Light is one of the tensest moments in the entire show and showcases Death Note at its very best. Naomi reveals that she has some incriminating information against Kira, and Light decides to take her out without seeming too suspicious.
What makes this scene unintentionally hilarious is the fact that Light is constantly talking to himself throughout the entire situation, which can be unintentionally hilarious and somewhat grating at times.
Perhaps this entire scene could've used a bit of fine-tuning... even though there's nothing particularly wrong with it per se.