Strangers who have just died are sent to a mysterious bar where they must play games that determine their fate.
2 titles · 12 episodes + 1 movie · ~5 hours
Start with the 25-minute Death Billiards, then watch the 12-episode series. The short is optional, but it sets up a moment in Episode 10 that only lands if you have seen it.
The 25-minute short the series grew out of: two men arrive at Decim's bar and play billiards with their fates at stake. It is optional, but it pays off in Episode 10 of the series.
⚠ Not a TV episode. In English it is included as an extra on the Death Parade Blu-ray, in Japanese with English subtitles and no dub.
All 12 episodes. Each game brings in new guests, while the story of Decim and his nameless assistant runs through the whole series to a complete ending.
Death Parade grew out of a single short film, so there are just two things to watch. Death Billiards comes first. It runs 25 minutes and shows one complete game at Decim's bar: two men who do not know they have died play billiards with their fates on the line. You could skip it and follow the series without trouble, since the TV version sets up its own premise from scratch. The reason to watch it first is Episode 10, where a guest turns out to be connected to the old man from the short; seeing Death Billiards beforehand is what gives that episode its weight. Then watch Death Parade's 12 episodes in order. Most episodes bring new guests and a new game, but the story of Decim and his unnamed assistant runs underneath the whole way and resolves in the final episode, so don't jump around.
Death Parade has 1 season and 1 film in the main run — 12 episodes altogether.
| Title | Type | Episodes | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death Billiards | Movie | March 2013 | |
| Death Parade | TV Series | 12 episodes | January 2015 |
2 titles · 12 episodes + 1 movie · ~5 hours
Death Parade is an original anime created by Yuzuru Tachikawa, so there is no source material to continue reading. The series grew out of the 2013 short film Death Billiards, which is included in this watch order.
Start with the 25-minute short film Death Billiards, then watch Episode 1 of the TV series. If you can't find the short, starting with Episode 1 is fine; the series explains its own premise.
Death Billiards (2013), then Death Parade Episodes 1-12 (2015). In story terms the short happens at some point before Episode 10; it isn't pinned down more precisely than that.
No. Death Parade introduces the bar, the games and the rules on its own, so you won't be lost without it. It is worth the 25 minutes, though, because a guest in Episode 10 turns out to be the wife of the old man from the short, and that episode means more if you have seen it.
Yes. Death Billiards is the 2013 Anime Mirai short that the series was developed from. Decim runs the bar in both, and the old man who plays billiards in the short is the husband of Sachiko, the guest in Episode 10 of the series.
In English, Death Billiards is included as an extra on the Death Parade Blu-ray from Funimation. It is presented in Japanese with English subtitles; the short was not dubbed.
Yes, for the TV series. Funimation produced the dub, which began streaming on February 18, 2015 while the show was still airing. The cast includes Alex Organ as Decim, Jamie Marchi as Decim's assistant, Jad Saxton as Nona and Robert McCollum as Ginti. With only one season, the cast never changes. Death Billiards has no English dub.
No. Death Parade is an original anime with no manga to adapt, so the filler label doesn't apply. Most episodes center on a new game and new guests, but each one feeds into the main story about Decim and his assistant.
Death Parade was removed from the main Crunchyroll service in October 2025. In the US it can still be streamed through the Crunchyroll channel on Prime Video, which is a separate subscription, or bought digitally on Apple TV. Availability differs by region.
Yes, it is finished. The 12 episodes aired from January 9 to March 27, 2015, and the final episode wraps up the main story. No second season has been announced.
No. Death Parade is an original anime created, written and directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa at Madhouse, so there is no source material to read after the show.
The 12 episodes take about 5 hours. Adding the 25-minute Death Billiards still comes to about 5 hours.
