Death Note (デスノート)
計画通り
Keikaku dōri.
“Just as planned.”
— Light Yagami
Answer both practice questions correctly to complete this line.
Not yetThe scene
Light's quiet inner celebration when yet another scheme clicks into place. The line became a worldwide meme — fans even joke about the fansub note that once explained 'keikaku means plan'. A villain's victory lap, delivered in four syllables.
Word by word
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 計画 | keikaku | a plan, a scheme |
| 通り | dōri | 'as per / according to' — when attached to a noun it is pronounced どおり (dōri) |
Grammar notes
Noun + 通り = 'as planned / as ~'
通り attaches to nouns to mean 'in accordance with': 予定通り (as scheduled), 思った通り (just as I thought), 説明通り (as explained). One of the handiest patterns in Japanese — and Light's whole personality in one suffix.
Fragments carry full weight
The 'full' thought is 計画通りに進んでいる ('things are proceeding as planned'), but Japanese drops the obvious part. Internal monologue especially loves fragments like this.
Can you say this in real life?
計画通り is a fragment, not a sentence, and saying it out loud makes you sound like a scheming villain — which is precisely why friends quote it when a plan works. Fine as a joke; in a business meeting, say 予定通り進んでいます if you want to sound like a professional instead of a mastermind.
Practice
Q1. What does 「計画通り」 mean?
Q2. 「予定＿＿進んでいます」 (things are proceeding as scheduled)
Read & Watch Death Note
The best way to enjoy this line in the wild is to meet it in the original work. Official places to read and watch Death Note will be listed here.
Manga
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Streaming
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DVD & Blu-ray
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