Ask any anime fan what their favorite anime is, and chances are they'll reply with Death Note. Created by Tsugumi Ohba, the hit manga was adapted into an anime series that quickly became massively popular and successful. The series received critical acclaim and is especially praised for its gripping storyline, engaging premise, and likable lead characters.
While a series about a notebook that can kill people is obviously going to be dark and violent, Death Note has many funny and light-hearted scenes, which it manages to balance perfectly with its dark and sober moments. So, here are 5 times the series made fans chuckle, and 5 times it made them uncomfortable.
Funny - A World Without Light
Light and Misa clear their names of being Kira after they forfeit their memories of the notebook, thus proving their innocence to L. Misa demands that she and Light go on dates, but the only way they can do so is with L in the room.
L tries to convince Misa to work with the Task Force since Light would be in danger if she doesn't, and she says "I would never dream about living in a world without Light!". L quietly replies, "Yes, that would be dark.". It's such a simple line, but so hilarious.
Dark - Rem Kills L and Watari
In the episode, "Silence" (considered by many to be when Death Note ended for them, and the highest-rated Death Note episode), Light manipulates Rem into writing the real names of both L and Watari, thus killing them, which is exactly what she does.
L dies while in Light, his enemy's arms, all while Light is smirking at him. It's a truly dark moment, as for the first time, Kira is about to reign unchecked without any true opposition. Not only that, but he also kills all the criminals he had taken help from, such as Aiber and Wedy.
Funny - The Potato Chip Scene
The now-famous potato chip scene was probably intended to be very serious and dark, but it comes off as so ridiculous and funny that it's hard to imagine it being dark. Light is killing criminals while under surveillance, and he's hidden a small TV in a potato chip bag. While monologing, he says, "I'll take a potato chip... AND EAT IT!"
The line by itself is so hilarious but even funnier is Ryuk in the background contorting his body due to an apple deprivation. The tone in which he says that line and the over-the-top animation, too, is extremely comical.
Dark - Light Kills Naomi Misora
Naomi Misora was Raye Penber's fiance and was hunting for Kira after he killed Raye. She meets Light and he finds out that Noami has figured out the truth - Kira can kill in ways other than heart attacks. He writes her name in the notebook but realizes she was using a false name when she doesn't die.
Racing against the clock, he cleverly tricks her into giving him her real name. He writes her name, and 40 seconds later, he reveals to her that he's Kira. According to what Light wrote in the notebook, she was to kill herself in a way her body won't be found. She walks off to do so, and Light remarks how close he had come to losing it all.
Funny - L Steals Misa's Phone
After Misa reveals herself to L as Light's girlfriend at To-Oh University, a small crowd gathers to see the famous Misa-Misa. Misa yells that someone touched her butt, and everybody looks at Ryuzaki, who has his hand out.
Ryuzaki indignantly yells how this is an outrage, and he will catch the culprit while marching around, and there's something quite funny about the world-famous L stomping around. Turns out, it was L; he was stealing Misa's phone. Genius.
Dark - Light Gets His Memories Back
After the Task Force manages to capture and apprehend Higuchi, Light picks up the Death Note, and his memories of the notebook and him being Kira return, but to transfer ownership back to him, he must kill Higuchi.
Using a secret scrap of the notebook, he writes Higuchi's name and transfers ownership back to himself, and menacingly looks toward L, stating he is next. After missing him for a few episodes, fans see that the true Kira is back.
Funny - Light and Misa's Date
Light and Misa's date was something out of a different anime, having so much goofiness and funny lines, from Light and L's fight where they go hurtling across the entire room to Misa striking a classic anime pose with the peace sign and wink.
Even funnier was when Misa takes L and Light's hands, and they spin in a circle. All while rainbow colors flash across the screen and easy-going music plays. Misa even says, "Let's all be friends!", and L says "Yay!".
Dark - Takada Dies
Kiyomi Takada was Light's high school girlfriend who he had chosen to be Kira's spokesperson. Light had given her a piece of the notebook for emergencies, to kill the person who takes her hostage, since he had a suspicion Mello would do it.
Takada manages to kill Mello and calls Light, who tells her he's coming to rescue her, but Light writes her name in his own piece of the Death Note, brutally murdering her in a fire she herself set. He had been playing Takada like a pawn, and ironically enough, her death paved the way for Near to figure out how to beat Kira.
Funny - "Shut up, Matsuda"
The well-meaning Matsuda is a good person, but rather stupid, and careless. The funniest joke in the entire series is perhaps every time someone tells Matsuda to be quiet, with his broken-hearted reactions.
Iconic moments include Matsuda telling L about Misa-Misa being featured in Eighteen Magazine, and Aizawa telling Matsuda to "shut up about all this Misa-Misa crap" in a typical over-the-top anime sequence. Chief Yagami himself is surprised at Aizawa's outburst and gives a rather hilarious expression of surprise.
Dark - Light's Final Moments
The darkest moment of the series comes at the very end when Near exposes Light and he talks about how "he was the only one who could have done it, and gotten so far". He tries killing Near but gets shot by Matsuda, whose usual cheeriness is gone, and he almost kills Light but manages to restrain himself.
Light manages to run out, but he ends up dying alone and in pain, with Ryuk himself killing him, saying he wouldn't want things to get boring. The credits show Misa at the edge of the roof of a building, presumably about to commit suicide.