Which Death Note is the strongest?

In the Death Note manga and anime series, there are several Death Notes that make their appearance throughout the story. Each Death Note functions in the same way – allowing the human owner to kill anyone simply by writing their name while picturing their face – but some Death Notes stand out as being more powerful or having unique abilities compared to a standard Death Note.

Table of Contents

What is a Death Note?

A Death Note is a supernatural notebook used by Shinigami (Gods of Death) in the Death Note universe. The rules of the Death Note are simple:

The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person’s face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person’s name, it will happen.

If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.
After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

These basic rules apply to every Death Note that appears in the series. However, some Death Notes have additional powers that make them more formidable.

Ryuk’s Death Note

This is the Death Note that the story revolves around. It is dropped into the human world by the Shinigami Ryuk and picked up by Light Yagami, who uses it in his quest to cleanse the world of evil and become the god of a new world order. Some key points about Ryuk’s Death Note:

Owned originally by the Shinigami Ryuk.
Dropped into the human world deliberately as part of Ryuk’s amusement.

First picked up and used by Light Yagami.
Changed ownership several times throughout the story.
No special abilities beyond the standard Death Note rules.

As the Death Note that drives the main plot, Ryuk’s notebook is likely the most infamous within the series. However, its lack of any unique powers limits its strength compared to other Death Notes that appear later on.

Sidoh’s Death Note

This Death Note originally belonged to the Shinigami Sidoh. Some key facts:

Originally owned by the Shinigami Sidoh.

Also dropped into the human world, but Sidoh came looking for it.
Briefly passed between several human owners.
Eventually obtained by the mafia organization Mello.

Special ability: Can kill people by just writing their name in the notebook, without requiring a face.

The unique ability to kill using just a name makes Sidoh’s Death Note more powerful than a standard one. This gives it an advantage in strength.

Gelus’s Death Note

This Death Note originally belonged to the Shinigami Gelus, who sacrificed himself to save Misa Amane. Some key points:

Originally belonged to Gelus.
Obtained by Misa Amane when Gelus died saving her.
Caused Misa to become the Second Kira.

Special ability: The human owner gains the Shinigami Eyes immediately upon obtaining the notebook. This allows them to see any person’s name and lifespan just by looking at their face.

The automatic Shinigami Eyes give Gelus’s notebook a boost in power. This Death Note essentially gives two abilities in one, making it one of the most potent notebooks in the series.

Rem’s Death Note

This Death Note originally belonged to the Shinigami Rem. Its key attributes include:

Originally owned by Rem.
Given to the human Misa Amane for safekeeping.
Used briefly by Light when he gave up ownership of Ryuk’s Death Note.

No special abilities, but ultimately leads to Rem’s sacrifice and L’s death.

Despite lacking any clear extra powers, Rem’s Death Note ends up heavily influencing the story. The emotional attachment Rem forms to Misa is what ultimately compels her to kill L and Watari before dying herself. In this regard, Rem’s notebook clearly holds power.

The 8 Death Notes of the Yotsuba Group

The mega-corporation Yotsuba manages to obtain not one, but eight Death Notes from Shinigami. They use these notebooks for corporate gain. Some key points on these eight notebooks:

Originally owned by various Shinigami.
Obtained through a deal between the Shinigami King and Yotsuba.
Used to benefit Yotsuba financially by killing competitors.

No individual special abilities, but their number increases their overall power.

Having eight Death Notes at their disposal gives the Yotsuba Group significant destructive capacity. More notebooks means more deaths can be dealt out.

The Shinigami King’s Death Note

This is the Death Note possessed by the Shinigami King himself. Not much is known about it, but it is sure to have great power as it belongs to the ruler of all Shinigami. Some key points:

Owned by the Shinigami King.
Details unknown, but likely has special abilities befitting the Shinigami King.
The King used it to make the Shinigami Eyes deal that gave Rem a second notebook.

Also used it to temporarily turn Ryuk to dust as punishment for killing L.

The Shinigami King’s Death Note remains shrouded in mystery, but is undoubtedly potent given the King’s status. One can also theorize it has incredible abilities based on the brief glimpses we see of its powers.

Comparing the Strengths

When ranking all the Death Notes that appear by strength and potency, this is how they likely stand:

Rank	Death Note	Key Points
1	Shinigami King’s Death Note	Owned by the King himself. Likely has hidden powers.
2	Gelus’s Death Note	Grants Shinigami Eyes automatically.
3	Sidoh’s Death Note	Can kill with just a name.
4	Yotsuba Group’s 8 Death Notes	Sheer number gives high killing capacity.
5	Rem’s Death Note	Led to Rem killing L and Watari.
6	Ryuk’s Death Note	Standard rules. Started the whole story.

The Shinigami King’s notebook tops the list due to the fearsome powers it likely contains. Gelus’s and Sidoh’s notebooks come next for their extra abilities. The rest are more standard Death Notes, with Rem’s and Ryuk’s having the most plot impact.

Conclusion

In the Death Note series, while all Death Notes share the same core rules, some stand out for having additional powers or influencing the story more significantly. The Shinigami King’s notebook appears to be the strongest, followed by Gelus’s and Sidoh’s. But every Death Note has the capacity to massively change the world when used by a human. This makes them all objects of immense supernatural power within the Death Note universe.