Best Epic Death Note Fanfics
Death Note fanfics over 100,000 words — the reader-favorite epics that define the fandom. Curated from AO3 and ranked by kudos.
Top 17 Epic Death Note Fanfics
Ranked by AO3 kudos. These are the Death Note epics readers come back to. Save them for offline reading.
Back Again
by Brenna1918
What is Light to do when he wakes up after his life as a Shinigami is over, only to find himself with both his memories and his life back to the way it was before...with the Death Note in his school bag?
Is This The Way It Ends Now?
by Seastar98
L dangled the note in front of him. It had appeared out of nowhere, as had the accompanying CD. It claimed to contain information crucial to their investigation.Was this a trick? Another evolution of Kira's power? Perhaps a different supernatural force trying to help them against Kira?He didn't know
Time Speaks
by aSmallMoon333
In his first life, L died in the arms of his greatest enemy.In his brief second one, he died alone.And in his third, too-long life, L died anticipating finally getting even with the man who'd won their game one too many times.And Light Yagami? If he'd known this is what picking up the Death Note wou
Death Note Redemption
by doughnut_mind_if_I_do
When Light dies, he's reverted back to his seventeen year old self before he came upon the Death Note. Armed with his memories and shame of his past actions, Light vows to never become Kira. However, just because Light refused to become Kira, doesn't mean no one else would take up the mantle.Now Lig
Death Note
by orphan_account
Light picks up the Death Note but refuses to use it. He leaves it where he found it only for it to be taken by another. This sparks a chain of events that make Light the unwitting prime suspect in the Kira killings and make him the obsession of the Real Kira. Light has to prove his innocence all whi
Shining Light
by TwilightMaster15
Bored beyond comprehension, Ryuk decides after seeing what humans do with the Death Note, to experiment with what would happen if a human lived their whole life with access and knowledge of the Death Note. This leads him to find four-month-old Light Yagami, whom he decides to use as his test subject
Primitive Liars
by Nilahxapiel
Light is a being of intellect, not of instinct; however, he may be starting to understand that the two are not mutually exclusive. While he struggles to define himself in an unjust world, a new Kira holds society - along with a couple other valuable things - hostage. (Omegaverse AU. L/Light, Matt/Me
The Seventh Transmigration
by sasuwux
Amelia MontgomeryLight YagamiAzulaSasuke UchihaTomura ShigarakiOsamu DazaiRyomen Sukuna Oh.Oh. A - L - A - S - T - O - R No way… she had lived far too long to believe in coincidences when it came to her. Across her many lives, she had questioned everything, analyzing patterns and possibilities. She
[OLD] Gambling with Borrowed Time
by Not_the_Rat_King
That was the last thing he remembered. Cold steps digging into his back as cooling blood congealed against his skin.And the sound of bells ringing eerily in the distance. Second chances should not be wasted. Please see the updated version, currently accessible from through the series.
In the Shadow of Moonlight
by satans_kitten
Killing L would be such a waste. Light captures the object of his obsession, and resolves to make him love him. “I will shatter your beautiful mind into a thousand pieces and put it back together just the way I like.” Misa helps, driven by revenge. ////// Chinese translation available! See notes.
Impulse Control
by spoonerisms
Simply another Death Note self-insert except the reader is a little smart and moderately mean
Nights
by youremyqueen
L imprisons Light and then Light imprisons L and then L imprisons Light again. Sometimes they have sex, too.
L, do you know...
by caffeineSuspect
L is used to finding the truth in data. Light is using the Death Note to bend the data to his will — and to protect the most dangerous secret on earth.After agreeing to voluntary confinement until L is convinced of his innocence, what begins as a psychological interrogation soon spirals into somethi
Oubliette
by ArgentNoelle
The moment Light writes in the death note he becomes a killer, but he could not become Kira without L. (L/Light, slow burn — Yotsuba Arc with all the mind-games intact)"The thing about getting rid of useless pride is that it is a scaffolding built of years. It takes more than the work of a moment; t
Blue Moon
by 200920750CS
My take on death note, except many of the characters are genderbent versions of themselves. Light Yagami has played the role of the perfect student well, but it's become terribly boring. She uses a magical notebook, the death note, to try and fix the world, while an odd lady detective tries to catch
Stay Tuned
by xxbeyondxbirthdayxx
"Promise me, Mihael, if we get separated, we'll find each other no matter what," I whispered, idly grazing the strings of my guitar. "If I can't find you, then you'll have to become a freaking rockstar and be on every music channel, so there's no way I don't find you, Mail," Mihael replied, and I kn
Ashes & Amber
by deathnotediv4
Mail Jeevas was devoured by curiosity and abandonment; Mihael Keehl was driven by ambition and replacement. Wammy’s House was where it began. Where innocence, youth, and ethics ran free, childish and sweet. Los Angeles taught them how to survive outside their cages, but not how to remain whole as ti
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About This List
This list of 17epic Death Note fanfics spans 4,231,258 total words. Kudos range from 95 on the newest entries to 18,444 on the most established. Most entries are ongoing works, so subscribe on AO3 for update notifications. The most common rating is Explicit (7 of 17 fics).
Recurring tags across this list: Slow Burn · Time Travel · Time Travel Fix-It · Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence · Character Study.
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