Despite the fact that Death Note merchandise is easy to obtain, either through Amazon or at anime conventions, people all over the world, especially young schoolchildren, have “used” their own Death Notes to write the names of fellow classmates, bullies, teachers, and even their own parents, in the fantasy that it will bring them death.
There have been a few occasions where youngsters, teenagers, and even, in one terrifying example from Russia and Belgium, actual killers, have tried to radically mimic Light Yagami’s fictional dark power.
Anyone unfamiliar with Death Note, an anime series, is in for a treat to an amazing anime show. High schooler Light Yagami is the protagonist of this narrative. He comes into possession of a mysterious notebook that gives its owner the capacity to kill anyone whose name and face he knows.
The plot of the series revolves around Light’s attempts to use the notebook to build and rule an evil-free world in his role as “God,” and a detective named L’s attempts to foil those plans.
17+ Real-World Events Faced in MainStream Media Because Of Death Note Anime
Some fans of the show have even gone so far as to create their own “death notes” in which they name their classmates. When they were discovered, they were promptly taken to a juvenile prison center or a mental institution (Yes, This Really Happened across the world)
Various Anime lovers got obsessed with the fictional death notebook and its rules.
Shocking Death Note Incidents Around the Globe
- In March 2008, a “Death Note” notebook was confiscated from a Hartsville Middle School student in South Carolina. The anime/manga was a connection made by district officials who found the notebook. Seven students’ names were written in the notepad. The seven pupils’ parents were informed of a disciplinary hearing being scheduled by the school.
- Two sixth-graders in Gadsden, Alabama were busted in April 2008 for having a “Death Note” with the names of various teachers and pupils on it. Sergeant Lanny Handy of the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office claims that a worker stumbled across the notepad the previous afternoon. The county’s schools have suspended the pupils pending the outcome of their case in juvenile court.
- Handy and a junior probation officer had met with the youngsters, their parents, and school administrators. On May 14, 2008, one Gig Harbor Middle School student was expelled and three others were punished for having 50 names in their own “Death Note” book. Among those names was President George W. Bush.
- After being caught with a fake “Death Note” notebook containing the names of other students, a senior at Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia, United States was suspended. The principal also sent a letter home with the student’s parents, in which he or she included a link to a fan-made Death Note website where users can submit the names and details of the deaths of those they wish to see brought about.
| S.no | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | China | 2007 |
| 2. | Belgium | 2007 |
| 3. | Virginia | 2007 |
| 4. | South Carolina | 2008 |
| 5. | Alabama | 2008 |
| 6. | Russia | 2013 |
| 7. | Arizona | 2014 |
| 8. | Collierville | 2014 |
| 9. | Kentucky | 2015 |
| 10. | Connecticut | 2015 |
| 11. | New Hampshire | 2015 |
| 12. | Ohio | 2016 |
| 13. | Tennessee | 2017 |
| 14. | Japan | 2017 |
| 15. | United States | 2019 |
| 16. | Rockingham | 2022 |
| 17. | Trussville | 2022 |
Because of these growing alarming causes all over the world, there are still many incidents that haven’t been reported or solved, and some nations have even banned the Death Note anime series.
According to the office’s statistics, Chinese authorities have seized 11K+ horror publications across the country, including 5K+ copies of Death Note and 1K+ CDs and DVDs.
Chinese authorities have been cracking down on “illegal scary publications” like Death Note. According to the national office’s circular, many elementary school pupils have read “Death Note” stories, a type of horror story that the government has ordered off the market.
Chinese Students Writing names in Death note in Shenzhen (2007)
An in-depth article about the existence of “Death Notebook” in Shenzhen was published in a Chinese newspaper on March 20th, 2007. The story spread rapidly, appearing in numerous publications within just a few days. Over 187 “Death Notes” were confiscated from Shenzhen toy and school supply businesses by the Cultural Market Administrative enforcement agency after the story was released.
Shenzhen, China’s toy and school supply stores stocked a “Death Note” notepad for months, inspired by the one featured in the hit manga series. The notebook quickly rose to prominence as a must-have for Chinese students. But as the new fad gained prominence, worried parents and educators began to speak up about the potential dangers of Death Note’s influence on young people.
Belgium Manga Murder Case (2007)
In 2007, an occurrence in Belgium was termed the “Manga Murder,” and whereas the previous items on this list largely included panic over what could happen, this time around the authorities actually had a reason to act.
Two pedestrians discovered a mutilated body in a park. The letter next to the body read, “I am Kira,” a clear reference to Light’s alias in Death Note. It wasn’t until 2010 that four persons were arrested in connection with the case in Belgium.
Two of them admitted to it in the end and are currently serving 20-year sentences as they confessed they were fans of the show.
Source: Expatica, AnimeNewsNetwork, Fandom
Teen From Virginia Suspended for Death List (2007)
A senior at Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia was suspended this week for allegedly possessing a list of the names of his fellow students in a book titled “Death Note.”
A girl at the public high school was quoted by NBC12, the NBC affiliate in central Virginia, as saying that she is acquainted with the suspended senior but was not included on the list.
One of the suspended kid’s acquaintances indicated that neither she nor any of the other students on the list are afraid of the suspended student.
Source: AnimeNewsNetwork, AnimeUKnew
South Carolina Student Suspended Over Death List (2008)
According to a report published by a news website, a student was expelled from Hartsville Middle School after a school official discovered and confiscated a “Death Note” notebook the previous week.
Hartsville, South Carolina, school administrators made the connection between the notebook and the Death Note anime series shown on the Adult Swim network in the United States.
According to reports, the student’s notebook had the names of seven additional classmates. The parents of the seven pupils named in the notebook have been alerted, and the school plans to hold a disciplinary hearing for the student responsible for it.
Source: AnimeNewsNetwork
Teenage Kid Arrested For Terrorist Threats in Alabama (2008)
In 2008, two sixth graders were detained after the discovery of a shared Death Note that contained the names of teachers and students. The authorities viewed the contents of the notebook as “terrorist threats.” The boys said that they were inspired to make this “joke” by the popular anime series Death Note.
During the school day on Wednesday, employees found the notepad. It was given to the school’s principal, who then gave it to the police.
According to Sergeant Lanny Handy of the Etowah County Sheriff’s Department, who oversees school resource officers, the notebook had names and contact information for teachers, administrators, and students.
Sheriff Todd Entrekin emphasized the seriousness with which such threats are viewed by law enforcement. We take any threats seriously, regardless of the age of the students, especially in view of the recent events in Georgia and elsewhere in the country.
Russian Teenager Suicide Case (2013)
A Russian teen committed suicide by jumping off the 13th story of her apartment building in 2013.
The teen’s “I don’t want to live longer” suicide note was discovered by her parents on top of her collection of Russian translations of Death Note comics.
Source: JapanToday
Teenagers in Arizona in Depression & Suicidal (2014)
Whether the notebook was produced by hand or purchased specifically for cosplay purposes is unknown. However, the cover was labeled “Death Note,” and according to at least one of its rules, whoever’s names were recorded within its pages would perish.
The teen had written the names of more than a dozen classmates from Anthem Elementary School inside the sheets. Concern about the boy’s depression had already been expressed by his loved ones. In early February of 2014, he had missed the first half of the week of school to help him relax.
After returning to class, he texted a fellow student a suicidal threat, which alerted his teachers. When the school investigated his belongings, they found the Death Note and notified the authorities. Students’ parents at Anthem Elementary were notified via robocall that a potential danger existed on school grounds. The principal personally contacted those whose names appeared on the list.
The young man never showed any signs of wanting to hurt the other kids physically. Apparently, he had high hopes for his Death Note. He is currently receiving therapy, following which the school will decide.
Source: CBLDF
Scared Parents & Students in Collierville (2014)
In 2014, a student’s “kill list” was found by a classmate at Tennessee’s Sycamore Elementary School. It was right after the owner had completed their third suspension.
The ten-year-old tore out a page from a regular notebook, labelled it “Death Note,” and then scrawled the names of his classmates on the page. Then he distributed it to the rest of his fifth grade group.
It wasn’t quite a notebook, but it did say “Death Note” on the cover. Plus, seriously, we were talking about a primary school.
Sycamore Elementary in Collierville needs to reassure its frightened children and parents.
A worried mom shared her tale on social media. She hopes that if enough people see it, it will pressure the school system to take action.
“This is so incredibly annoying that it’s ridiculous. As a parent, I don’t think I need to explain how sick it has made us. It’s been two weeks since I’ve had a good night’s sleep “
Said a mother at Sycamore Elementary.
Source: ActionNews5, WREG
Kentucky Case Where Students Are Writing Names (2015)
In January 2015, a parent discovered a Death Note at their son’s Shelby County’s East Middle School in Kentucky that included the names of several pupils and one teacher.
According to Allan, the school sent the student a disciplinary message through text message and voicemail after discovering the notebook.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office was alerted, and the school “followed the student code,” he said, declining to elaborate on the kid’s identify or the nature of the disciplinary action imposed. Allan deferred the subject of whether or not criminal charges had been brought to the police. He confirmed that the student’s enrollment in the Shelby County Schools system had not been revoked.
Source: WDRB
Troubled Kid From Connecticut (2015)
A 7th grader in Connecticut has been suspended and is the subject of a police investigation after it was discovered that he had written the names of his classmates in a “death note” booklet based on the popular manga and anime.
Although the youngster is suspended till the end of the school year and there is no indication that he actually had plans to kill anyone, some parents feel that the school did not warn them quickly enough and should now be taking extra efforts to assure security.
Source: NBCconnecticut, WTNH
Teenage Girl Suspended from School in New Hampshire (2015)
Death Note written by a 15-year-old girl details the murders of 17 of her classmates and the exact dates and ways in which they occurred. The students were understandably terrified, but the administration here made reasonable decisions.
Superintendent Mark Conrad informed a local news site, “We did not uncover any evidence that the kid had planned to hurt classmates or that there was any planning beyond merely placing the students’ names on the list.”
Source: WMUR, Seventeen, Facebook Post, DailyDot
Student in Ohio Suspended For Merchandise of Book (2016)
The anime-obsessed student was handed a three-day suspension from Lakewood Middle School in Hebron, Licking County, Ohio, for showing up with a fake Death Note.
Some of her pals’ names were listed within. This wasn’t an instance where the victim just avoided confronting the bully. It was amusing to try to frighten her pals.
The Newark Advocate says that on March 14 police were called to Lakewood Middle School in Hebron, Ohio, after a pamphlet titled “Death List” was found in a classroom. The teenager who constructed the notebook allegedly informed authorities that it was inspired by the Death Note anime.
As stated in a statement released by Lakewood School District Superintendent Mary Kay Andrews, the student was celebrating “Fandom Day” by dressing as a character from the anime and using the booklet as part of her costume.
Student was suspended for three days; no charges have been made despite Andrews’s assertion that there is no proof she intended to harm any of her classmates. We also informed the parents of the pupils who were included in the brochure.
Boy Wrote Daughters Name In Book in Tennessee (2017)
Grahamwood Elementary School mother Michelle Killough said her daughter, then 10, had been put on a “death list” by a fourth-grade student at the school in Memphis, Tennessee. While doing homework, Killough came across the Death Note anime and saw parallels to what happened to her daughter.
The boy, according to Killough, was suspended but was back in class on Monday. If the mother is to be believed, the boy has persisted in his harassment of the 10-year-old girl. Killough claimed she pondered keeping her daughter home because she was worried about her safety, but that she was warned, “Keep her out and you’ll be penalised with truancy.”
The Shelby County School District claimed the student “poses no imminent threat” and that he had been punished for “making threatening comments.”
Source: ActionNews5, AnimeNewsNetwork
Japanese Teacher Horrific Threat To Students (2017)
One elementary school educator apparently believed it would be funny to frighten his class with a note announcing his own impending death. Naturally, people are not happy about it.
The school claims that a man instructor in his thirties displayed a screenshot of Kira’s Death Note on a tablet computer. Between November and December of 2016, the teacher displayed the photo and threatened to include the names of unruly students. The event was reported by four pupils in grades four and six, the school stated.
I’m going to write your name in the ‘Death Note,'” he vowed to four students as he displayed the Death Note manga on his tablet computer.
A meeting was arranged to brief parents on what had occurred, and the educator involved expressed her regrets. The principal of the school complained to the media that the way the instructor had warned the students was “unsuitable.”
Source: ComicBook, SoraNews24, Kotaku
Death Threat To Other Students of Lowcountry School (2019)
The Sheriff’s report states that it all began when an elementary school teacher in Broad River County confiscated a notebook with the words “Death Note” written on the front.
Two additional pupils’ names were found within, along with ominous warnings like “if your name is in this book you will die in 30 seconds or 30 minutes.”
This reminds me a lot of the Death Note film on Netflix. The mother of the student was alerted, and a complete complaint was submitted to the school and the police.
The parents of the two students whose names appear in the notebook take the matter seriously and have asked the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the possibility of criminal charges.
A bond has been submitted to transfer this matter to family court. Due to student privacy regulations, the school district was unable to inform me of the student’s disciplinary status.
Source: Counton2
Student writing Death List inspired by Movie in Rockingham (2022)
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that they looked into the incident and determined it did not “raise to the level of a criminal,” thus it was up to the school to deal with it.
The list featured “inappropriate items,” according to school administrators. According to reports, the “Death Note” Netflix movie provided the inspiration for the student’s project.
No injuries were reported, and no weapons were discovered or used.
Student Horrific Event in Trussville (2022)
Trussville, Alabama parents are demanding reform after learning more about the school district’s response to a horrific ‘death notebook’ discovered in a student’s hands about a year ago. Take a look at the video up top to find out more information.
While the student was first charged with a felony for possessing the notebook, which had a list of 30 students’ names, the charges were later dropped due to the vague language of Alabama’s law on terroristic threats. The student is no longer under investigation at this time.
Emotions can drive people sometimes. What if you were having a bad day and started randomly jotting down names in your Death Note? You have a bad romantic relationship with your boyfriend or girlfriend, or you are being tormented at school. Just Wondering, if you ever counter a real Death note, what would you do?
