Death Note is one of the most well-known, popular, and critically acclaimed anime series out there. The story follows Light Yagami, a genius high school student who comes across a Death Note and decides to use it to cleanse the world of evil and become the "god of the new world." Light has a field day filling up as many pages as possible, leaving a bloody trail on his path to godhood, and even though he is responsible for most of the murders in the story, there's plenty to go around.
Obviously, there's a lot of death in this anime. However, since Kira mostly kills criminals, only certain deaths have made viewers shed a tear or, at the very least, feel sad. There are some tragic endings that also have nothing to do with him, part of the show's theme that everyone is corruptible to some degree.
Update on June 25th, 2023 by Louis Kemner: even many years after the Death Note manga and anime both ended, the story's most shocking and dramatic scenes still hit hard, including all the tragic character deaths. Major and minor Death Note characters alike are often killed off, and while a few clearly had it coming, other character deaths are distinctly sad or even heart-breaking, which greatly raises the stakes of Light Yagami's quest to become the god of a new world order.
17 Gelus
Episode 12: "Love"
Most Shinigami don't bother with human affairs, but Ryuk certainly did, and so did a shinigami named Gelus. It's a sad story, partly because fans already know how bored and lonely the Shinigami are, and also because Gelus seems particularly pathetic. He's small and fragile, resembling a child's toy in a pitiful state of disrepair.
At one point before Death Note's main events, Gelus intervened when a stalker threatens Misa Amane's life and disintegrates as a result. This foreshadows Rem's eventual ending in the same way, although she's prompted by Light, which adds another layer of sadness to this already tragic tale.
16 Light Yagami
Episode 37: "New World"
Even if Death Note fans didn't exactly pity Light Yagami the serial killer by the story's end, they couldn't help but feel sad for everyone else who got hurt by his actions, like his family, poor Matsuda, and the rest of the Task Force. Seeing what becoming Kira has done to Light’s loved ones is devastating in its own right.
Still, fans can’t help but feel sad for Light too. It’s just so pitiful to see him in a state of such distress and desperation. His manic rant and despondent cries for someone to help him show a side of Light that fans weren't used to seeing, and it's just enough to make us feel sad for the person he was before he picked up the Death Note or the person he might have become if he hadn't picked it up at all.
15 Kiyoma Takada
Episode 35: "Malice"
Kiyomi Takada is probably one of the least liked Death Note characters. Takada made her first appearance in the fourteenth episode of the anime. Introduced as Light’s college classmate and, according to her, somewhat neglected girlfriend. Kiyomi Takada would go on to become Kira’s spokesperson at the NHN.
When Kiyomi finds out that Kira is, in fact, Light, she falls even more deeply in love with him. In turn, Light promises to make her the queen of his new world. Of course, Light was only using her. The moment she became more of a liability than an asset, Light wrote her name in the Death Note. Kiyomi killed herself by setting fire to everything around her and herself. While she certainly wasn't a fan favorite, her death was still far too cruel and tragic.
14 Rem
Episode 25: "Silence"
When Rem told Misa the story about Gelus, the Shinigami whose Death Note Misa was using, Death Note fans really should have known it was foreshadowing Rem’s own fate. Gelus died when he wrote someone’s name in the Death Note to extend the life span of a human he had fallen in love with, Misa Amane.
Light used this knowledge and Rem’s love for Misa to blackmail Rem into doing his bidding. By writing the names of Watari and L in her Death Note, Rem extended Misa’s lifespan and in turn caused her own death, just like Gelus did. Fans feel sad for Rem's death because she did truly love Misa, and she did everything till the very end to keep her safe, which makes Rem, a Shinigami, a much better person than most humans in this anime.
13 Watari
Episode 25: "Silence"
L’s most trusted friend, handler, and representative was an elderly gentleman named Quillish Wammy, who often went by Watari. Watari is the founder of the orphanage for gifted children where L, Near, Mello, and others grew up. Watari was essential to L and the Task Force and remained committed to his duties till the very end.
When Rem wrote his name in her Death Note, in order to prevent the Task Force’s plans that would have revealed Misa to be Kira, Watari used the last of his strength to delete all the data from the Task Force headquarters, as L instructed him to do this in case something “strange” happened.
12 Matt
Episode 35: "Malice"
In episode 35, “Malice”, just as the long-running cat and mouse game was racing to its conclusion, Mello’s closest friend and assistant, Matt, unfortunately, raced straight to his death. While assisting Mello in the Takada kidnapping, Matt was cornered by Takada’s bodyguards. He surrendered peacefully, even making light of the situation with sarcasm.
The bodyguards opened fire on poor Matt, who died instantly. After the ceasefire, Matt’s body fell to the ground and one of the bodyguards commented that the only way to pay for crimes against Kira is death. While Matt didn't get much screen time, he is still an immensely popular character due to his interesting character design, sharp style, and sarcastic personality. His senseless and brutal death broke our hearts.
11 Mello
Episode 35: "Malice"
Near and Mello were introduced in the twenty-sixth episode of the anime, titled “Renewal”, as L’s first and second successors respectively. Refusing to work with someone to whom he’s considered ''second," Mello went his separate way and tried to catch Kira with the help of the Mafia and his buddy Matt.
Mello played a crucial role in bringing Kira to justice, but all he got for his trouble was an unceremonious death. After kidnapping Takada, Mello is killed by his hostage when she writes his name on a small piece of the Death Note hidden in her bra. And the worst part is, he came so incredibly close to his goal, only to die so abruptly.
10 Raye Penber
Episode 5: "Tactics"
Raye Penber’s death is undoubtedly one of the most significant deaths in the Death Note anime. This is the moment when Light, for the first time, comes up with a convoluted plan to take out someone he perceives as a threat. This isn’t Light punishing a criminal; it’s Light killing a dozen FBI agents solely out of self-preservation.
After putting on an elaborate con to trick Raye Penber into revealing his real name while convincing the agent that he is not Kira, Light coldheartedly uses Penber to write the names of his FBI colleagues on a piece of the Death Note. Penber then collapses on the floor after suffering a heart attack. The last thing he saw was Light’s face, smugly mocking him without saying a word.
9 Soichiro Yagami
Episode 29: "Father"
Soichiro Yagami’s life and death truly are dark, which isn’t surprising since his son is the world's most successful serial killer. Watching the noble Soichiro Yagami struggle with himself when he starts to suspect that his own flesh and blood could be capable of killing so many people is devastating. Not even death freed Soichiro from those pestering thoughts that have haunted him for years.
In his final moments, Soichiro, with the Shinigami eyes, looked at Light, saw his lifespan, and died satisfied, believing his son was innocent. He did die happy, but it's pretty twisted and heartbreaking that he needed to believe a lie to finally find some peace of mind.
8 Naomi Misora
Episode 7: "Overcast"
Light Yagami spends hours trying to keep Naomi from contacting the police because she has groundbreaking information pertaining to the Kira ivestigation. Namely, she deduced that Kira must be able to kill by means other than a heart attack and that he was the person on the bus during the hijacking to whom her husband showed his ID.
In the single most disturbing episode of Death Note, the narrative entered the brilliant and perverted mind of Light Yagami deeper than ever before. As Light and Naomi walk around the city, Light concocted a plan to get Naomi to reveal her real name to him. Eventually, he convinces her that he's working with L in the Kira Task Force and tells her she too can become a member. Naomi ends up falling for his ruse and the episode ends with her walking towards a hanging rope, implying she took her own life. Her body was never found.
7 Misa Amane
Episode 37: "New World"
Misa's death might be the most tragic in the sense that it brings the story full circle. Misa was the last loose end, and her life had already been shortened twice in exchange for the Shinigami eyes. Misa could have made anything of her life after Kira saved her, but in the anime, Misa was overcome by grief and despair, and decided to end it all.
Watching her casually stroll to her death in the credits while dressed as the maid of Kira is deeply tragic because viewers know where she's going. She's the last person in the series to die, and the picture fades out literally at the moment of her death from suicide.
6 L Lawliet
Episode 25: "Silence"
In the turning-point episode titled “Silence”, L came dangerously close to exposing Misa Amane as Kira. To protect her, Rem killed both Watari and then L by writing their names in the Death Note. L died of a heart attack, collapsing into Light’s arms, allowing him to see Light’s smug smirk, confirming what he knew all along – that Light was, in fact, Kira.
Not only were fans shocked to see the main hero of the story die in the first half of the anime, but they were also completely disheartened by his death. L was a fan-favorite character, a beloved character, someone we rooted for and saw as a symbol of justice and good, and his death rightfully stands as one of the saddest anime deaths ever.
5 Arayoshi Hatori
Episode 19: "Matsuda"
Arayoshi Hatori was one of eight Yotsuba Group businessmen who decided to make a profit from the new Kira's actions, but unlike Higuchi and Ooi, who were deeply committed to the cause, Arayoshi Hatori was having second thoughts. He openly wished to quit, and Higuchi, the real Kira, killed him off-screen.
Even if Hatori was just some guy in a business suit, it was clear that he had a conscience, and Death Note fans can sympathize with his fears and doubts over cooperating with Kira. Secretly, Shingo Mido also felt bad for Hatori, but knew better than to comment on it too much.
4 Hirokazu Ukita
Episode 11: "Assault"
Hirokazu Ukita was part of L Lawliet's initial investigation team, an NPA cop who worked diligently to solve the Kira case at any cost. He was a simple but likable character, so fans were sad to see him go in episode 11, "Assault," in the Death Note anime.
Ukita took charge of the situatio when Sakura TV aired Misa's Kira tape, rushing to the studio to stop the broadcast. He couldn't get in, though, and then Misa Amane killed him with her Death Note, a death that all the NPA officers took pretty hard, most of all Aizawa and Soichiro Yagami.
3 Shingo Mido
Episode 26: "Renewal"
Shingo Mido is a minor Death Note character who joined the Kira Yotsuba group, and like Hatori, he started having second thoughts. Shingo had been pressured to join, and personally, he wanted a way out but couldn't find one.
Later, Shingo visited Namikawa's house and admitted all his doubts. Mercifully, Namikawa was understanding, but sometime after L's death, Kira killed all the Kira Yotsuba members to tie up some loose ends, including the relatively innocent and likable Shingo Mido.
2 Merrie Kenwood/Wedy
Episode 26: "Renewal"
Merrie Kenwood was an expert thief going by the name Wedy, and she built a serious reputation in the criminal underworld. Eventually, L recruited her to put her skills to use, and Wedy gladly broke into Kyosuke Higuchi's residence to plant bugs in all his cars.
Wedy was like a cool action spy, and she was exciting to watch with her slick skills, outfits, and personality as a Natasha Romanoff-lite. It was too bad Kira killed her off after L's death to make sure her skills were never used against Kira again.
1 Thierry Morrello/Aiber
Episode 26: "Renewal"
Thierfy Morrello was a highly charismatic con artist who, like Wedy, became famous in the underworld for his skills until L recruited him. In Death Note's story, Thierry, going by Aiber, posed as the detective Eraldo Coil to supposedly aid the Yotsuba group while actually investigating them.
Aiber did well in L's service, but after L's downfall, Light Yagami had no more use for him. Tragically, this cool, likable character was killed off-screen like Wedy was, all to guarantee that Aiber would never be used against Kira.