Death Note Killer Within producer Aoba Miyazaki discusses gameplay, bringing Kira and L to the social deduction genre, and more (Exclusive)

Death Note Killer Within is a brand-new social deduction game from Bandai Namco, and I recently had a chance to speak with Aoba Miyazaki, producer of the title. What makes this game so interesting, to me, is that frankly, social deduction is the perfect avenue for a Death Note game. The genre wasn’t quite as popular during the heyday of Tsugumi Ohba’s psychological thriller manga, but that isn’t the case in 2024.

There are plenty of great social deduction games being actively played in both the tabletop and digital scenes, making it a good time for this to make its appearance. Death Note Killer Within caters to fans of the genre and manga alike.

We had a chance to speak with Aoba Miyazaki about creating a Death Note social deduction game, what makes their game unique compared to other social deduction titles, and more.

---

Aoba Miyazaki on Death Note Killer Within’s unique features, familiar designs, and more

Q. Social Deduction games have had a resurgence over the last few years, with games like Blood on the Clocktower and Among Us being major hits in the video game/board game space. How did you decide on social deduction as the gameplay genre for Death Note Killer Within?

Aoba Miyazaki: It all started with our interest in DEATH NOTE, a franchise that remains extremely popular with people of all ages, even though more than 15 years have passed since the original manga and anime ended. We wanted to create a game that could appeal to a wide range of people—from current fans to those who once enjoyed DEATH NOTE—so we began development based on the social deduction game genre. This genre is not only widely enjoyable but also brings in the psychological warfare that is characteristic of DEATH NOTE.

Q. One of the interesting things about Death Note is that going into the manga/anime how it’s all going to work out in the end — sort of. How does the story of the IP fit into the actual gameplay of Death Note Killer Within?

Aoba Miyazaki: Due to the nature of the game genre, there are currently no modes that closely follow the story of the IP. However, we’ve included various story-based elements so that fans of the manga and anime can enjoy the game.

For example, in the judgment scenes, we’ve prepared different presentations to excite fans, making them say, "It's a reproduction of that scene!" We’ve also incorporated elements from the manga and anime scenarios, such as cut-ins and preset chat, featuring iconic scenes and allowing fans to use signature lines during key moments.

Q. The Death Note detectives, such as L, are incredibly perceptive, but not all gamers share that level of acumen. Will players who control L receive any kind of buffs or powers to reflect that character's brilliance in Death Note Killer Within?

Aoba Miyazaki: While based on the traditional werewolf game, we focused on a unique structure where the strong (Kira + Kira follower) face off against the strong + weak (L + investigators), rather than the typical strong vs. weak dynamic. Additionally, we gave "L," who is a powerful role on the "citizen" side, various abilities to advance investigations and reasoning while concealing his true identity.

To maintain balance between the two teams, we carefully designed his abilities to reflect his character, allowing him to lead meetings covertly and use "Command Cards" to track down "Kira" and the "Kira follower."

Q. What kind of research into the actual anime did you do prior to development, or were you already a fan of the manga when it was serialized?

Aoba Miyazaki: As mentioned, we revisited the manga and anime in detail to identify elements that would enhance the game for fans. From in-game presentations to the design of customization items, we based our decisions on the original manga and anime to ensure fans would be delighted with the game.

Q. One thing I find interesting about the game is the characters themselves. While some could say they resemble the Among Us characters, I think they look more like chess pieces. Was this done to resemble the back-and-forth-chess battle between Kira and L?

The little finger puppets are such a nice touch for Death Note Killer Within (Image via Bandai Namco)

Aoba Miyazaki: We created a default avatar inspired by the finger puppets used by Near in the anime and manga. In this game, players take on the role of a new Kira or L, and we hope you’ll enjoy the strategic gameplay—using finger puppets on the board to doubt, deceive, and discover each other’s intentions.

Q. Will there be multiple game modes/ways to shake up the actual online battles in Death Note Killer Within?

Aoba Miyazaki: We are constantly discussing various ideas with the development team based on the world view of DEATH NOTE.

---

Death Note Killer Within is now available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows platforms. If you have PlayStation+, it’s even a free game on both platforms, so it’s an amazing time to give it a shot if you’re a fan of social deduction games.