Death Note has grown into a beloved classic over the years, and not even The Simpsons can escape the grip of its influence. The long-running cartoon series will go full anime for one of the episode’s three segments, which is set to feature a parody of the popular title along with special takes on The Babadook and Westworld.
The tribute is part of the show’s next Treehouse of Horror Halloween compilation, and will introduce Lisa Simpson as the recipient of the Death Note, referred to the Death Tome in the episode. Set in a dystopian city mired in pollution, it follows Lisa’s journey to fix the world after she expresses her frustration with the mess, saying, “the human race is 20 cow farts away from total extinction and we deserve it.”
Some screenshots have also been released, offering a good look at anime Homer and Marge, as well as The Simpson‘s recreation of the shinigami Ryuk:
If the art style comes across as familiar, it’s because Korean studio DR Movie — known for its work on various Western and Japanese properties such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, Teen Titans, and Batman: The Animated Series — is in charge of the animation here.
While the crossover concept may seem a little out of the blue, its roots can actually be traced back to fanart drawn in 2008 on Deviantart. The special episode will air on 30 October 2022 via FOX stations, and head to Hulu one day later.
Written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, Death Note is a Japanese manga series that follows the story of Light Yagami, a teen genius who discovers a mysterious notebook: the “Death Note”, which belonged to the shinigami Ryuk, and grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages. It received a 37-episode anime series in 2006, and was later adapted into various works, including three Japanese live-action films, a miniseries, and an American film that to date, remains one of its worst adaptations.