Shinigami Realm

The Shinigami Realm is a barren, dry, and desolate land that is similar to Purgatory. The realm includes different landscapes and does not have human-like buildings. Shinigami tend to congregate in areas with bone and/or stone structures. There are also several areas with chains, most noticeably the Shinigami King's cave, where there are hundreds of chains with hooks on the end. There is at least one mountain or cave structure where Ryuk is living, which is shown in the one-shot special of the anime. This structure could also possibly be where the Shinigami King resides.

The realm also includes deserts with various holes. The holes, which are shaped like concentric orbs, are littered about the surface. The artifacts have openings which let them see anywhere in the human world from a birds-eye view. These strange objects are what allow Shinigami to take human lives without traveling to Earth. The year that the holes were created is not known.

The world that Shinigami reside in exists above the human world. For example, Ryuk has to travel underground in order to reach the entrance to the realm of humans underneath. Also, when Ryuk is first seen after leaving the Shinigami Realm, he is flying downward from a higher altitude than the skyscrapers.