Silence

"Light Yagami is certain that I will do anything to help Misa and save her life. And at this point, the only way for me to save Misa is to write Ryuzaki's real name in my notebook! And if I kill Ryuzaki... It would mean that I deliberately lengthened Misa's life, and I will die as well. Light Yagami has planned everything so that it will work out in his favor!"

- Rem

Silence (沈黙, Chinmoku) is the twenty-fifth episode in the Death Note anime series.

Synopsis
The episode opens with scenes from an orphanage. L, a child from said orphanage, is taken by Watari to Wammy's House – the place where he became who he is. In the present, L comes to Watari's room and stares at him without a word. The episode, and L in particular, have a somber, quiet tone, implying that L possesses the knowledge that he will die soon.

At Task Force headquarters, L continues to ask Rem about Death Notes, but she still reveals as little information as possible in order to avoid implicating Light or Misa. Despite her attempts, L grows suspicious of their behaviors. Misa, at Light's request, begins to use her Death Note to kill criminals while singing a haunting Kira-themed tune and wearing a maid costume. L's suspicion of Misa increases, but Light denies her involvement. L wonders if a piece of the notebook could cause the same effects as the entire notebook, keeping in mind that the fake Death Note rules still maintain Light's and Misa's innocence. Overhearing Light and L's conversation, Rem wonders why Light would put Misa in danger again, and, shocked, realizes that it was part of Light's plan in order to entice Rem to kill L and, in doing so, kill herself.

Later, Light finds L standing in the rain on the roof of headquarters with the latter lamenting how distant he is from other people. The two of them converse and realize how often they, like most people, lie. When they both return indoors to join the rest of the Task Force, L reveals that he is planning on testing the fake 13-day rule by having a condemned criminal write in the Death Note. Before L can go through with the plan, Rem succumbs to her love for Misa and kills Watari, who presses a button that sets off an alarm and wipes the hard drive of the Task Force headquarters. L stares at the image of Watari on his computer screen in awe, but before he can react, his eyes suddenly widen and he falls out of his chair into Light's arms, having had his name written in Rem's notebook as well. L stares up at Light, who grins devilishly. Realizing that he solved the case and his deduction was right all along, L's eyes close and he dies peacefully. The action of saving Misa's life in turn kills Rem, whose body is reduced to a dust-like substance, leaving only her notebook. After secretly snatching away Rem's notebook, Light claims to the Task Force that he will avenge Watari and L by solving the case. With everything standing in his way gone, Light silently declares himself "God of the New World."

Notable Events

 * Rem kills Watari and L, thus ending her own life and extending Misa's lifespan.
 * Light Yagami takes possession of Rem's Death Note, becoming its new owner.

Trivia

 * Light L foot scene EP25.jpg are several anime-exclusive scenes in this episode: the first is a scene showing L coming to the Wammy's House as a child with Watari and a brief scene of dialogue between the two; the second scene depicts Misa performing killings while singing a song dedicated to Kira; the third scene is the aforementioned confrontation between Light and L on the rooftop; and the final added scene is of L rubbing Light's feet before joining up with the rest of the task force (containing a possible biblical reference to Jesus washing the feet of his disciples during the Last Supper). During the last added scene, L implies that he knows of his imminent death by lamenting to Light that the two of them "will be parting ways soon."
 * Anime director Tetsurō Araki has stated that the meaning of the foot rubbing scene was open to interpretation, but also provided a list of possible interpretations such as "the story of a detective hunting a criminal and being defeated" and "the story of a man seeking friendship being betrayed and killed".
 * This and episode 26 are the only episodes not to include an eyecatch featuring one of the Death Note rules.

Episode Guide
Cisza Silence Hiljaisuus