Death Note
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Death Note'' (stylized in
all caps In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...
) is a Japanese
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written by
Tsugumi Ohba is the pen name of a Japanese manga writer, best known for authoring the ''Death Note'' manga series with illustrator Takeshi Obata from 2003 to 2006, which has 30 million collected volumes in circulation. The duo's second series, '' Bakuman. ...
and illustrated by
Takeshi Obata is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He first gained international attention for '' Hikaru no Go'' (1998–2003) with Yumi Hotta, but is better known for '' Death Note'' (2003–2006) ...
. It was serialized in
Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' from December 2003 to May 2006, with its 108 chapters collected in 12 ''
tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes. The story follows
Light Yagami is the main protagonist of the manga series ''Death Note'', created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. He is portrayed as a brilliant but bored genius who finds the Death Note, an otherworldly supernatural notebook that allows the user to kill ...
, a teen genius who discovers a mysterious notebook: the "Death Note", which belonged to the ''
shinigami () are kami (spirits) that invite humans toward death, according to Japanese religion and culture. have been described as monsters, helpers, and creatures of darkness. are used for tales and religions in Japanese culture. Japanese religion I ...
'' Ryuk, and grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages. The series centers around Light's subsequent attempts to use the Death Note to carry out a worldwide massacre of individuals whom he deems immoral and to create a crime-free society, using the alias of a god-like vigilante named "Kira", and the subsequent efforts of an elite Japanese police task force, led by enigmatic detective L, to apprehend him. A 37-episode
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series adaptation, produced by Madhouse and directed by
Tetsurō Araki is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director. He goes by the alias when working as an episode director and key animator. His most notable direction titles include '' Death Note'' and the first three seasons of '' Attack on Titan''. ...
, was broadcast on
Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...
from October 2006 to June 2007. A
light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
based on the series, written by
Nisio Isin , stylized as NISIOISIN to emphasize the palindrome, is a pseudonymous Japanese novelist, manga author, and screenplay writer. Nisio debuted in 2002 with the novel ''The Beheading Cycle'' (the first in his '' Zaregoto'' series), which earned hi ...
, was also released in 2006. Additionally, various video games have been published by
Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
for the
Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
. The series was adapted into three
live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...
films released in Japan in June 2006, November 2006, and February 2008, and a television drama in 2015. A miniseries titled '' Death Note: New Generation'' and a fourth film were released in 2016. An American film adaptation was released exclusively on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
in August 2017 and a sequel is reportedly in the works. ''Death Note'' media, except for video games and soundtracks, is licensed and released in North America by
Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
. The episodes from the anime first appeared in North America as downloadable from
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
before Viz Media licensed it. The series was aired on YTV's Bionix anime block in Canada and on
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as
dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
in the United States with a DVD release following. The live-action films briefly played in certain North American theaters, in 2008, before receiving home video releases. As of April 2015, the ''Death Note'' manga had over 30 million copies in circulation.


Plot

In
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, a disaffected high school student named
Light Yagami is the main protagonist of the manga series ''Death Note'', created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. He is portrayed as a brilliant but bored genius who finds the Death Note, an otherworldly supernatural notebook that allows the user to kill ...
finds the "Death Note", a mysterious black notebook that can kill anyone as long as the user knows both the target's name and face. Initially terrified of its god-like power, Light considers the possibilities of the Death Note's abilities and kills high-profile Japanese criminals, then targets international criminals. Five days after discovering the notebook, Light is visited by Ryuk, a "
shinigami () are kami (spirits) that invite humans toward death, according to Japanese religion and culture. have been described as monsters, helpers, and creatures of darkness. are used for tales and religions in Japanese culture. Japanese religion I ...
" and the Death Note's previous owner. Ryuk, invisible to anyone who has not touched the notebook, reveals that he dropped the notebook into the human world out of boredom and is amused by Light's actions. As criminals around the world die from inexplicable accidents and heart attacks, the global media suggest that a single mastermind is responsible for the mysterious murders and name him . Hoping to apprehend Kira,
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
requests the assistance of an enigmatic consulting detective, known as L, to assist their investigation. Deducing that Kira is based in Japan, L tricks Light into revealing that he is in the Kanto region of Japan by manipulating him to kill a decoy. Furious, Light vows to kill L, whom he views as obstructing his plans. L deduces that Kira has inside knowledge of the Japanese police investigation, being led by Light's father, Soichiro Yagami. Under the suspicion that "Kira" could have family ties with members of the "Kira" investigation, L assigns a team of FBI agents to monitor the families of those connected with the investigation and L learns enough to designate Light as the prime suspect. Around this time, Light graduates from high school to college. L recruits Light into the Kira Task Force, with each trying to get the other to reveal crucial information. Actress-model
Misa Amane is a fictional character in the manga series '' Death Note'', created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. A famous model, Misa seeks out Kira (Light Yagami) as she supports his cause to "cleanse the world of evil". Using her own Death Note, a not ...
, having obtained a second Death Note from a ''shinigami'' named Rem, makes a deal with Rem for ''shinigami'' eyes, which reveal the names of anyone whose face she sees, at the cost of half her lifespan. Seeking to have Light become her boyfriend, Misa uncovers Light's identity as the original Kira, but Light has another motive: he intends to use Misa's ''shinigami'' eyes to discern L's true name. L deduces that Misa is likely the second Kira and detains her. Rem threatens to kill Light if he does not find a way to save Misa. Light arranges a scheme in which he and Misa temporarily lose their memories of the Death Note, and has Rem pass the Death Note to a less morally driven individual, Kyosuke Higuchi of the Yotsuba Group. With memories of the Death Note erased, Light joins the investigation and, together with L, deduce Higuchi's identity and arrest him. Light regains his memories and uses the Death Note to kill Higuchi, regaining possession of the book. After restoring Misa's memories, Light instructs her to begin killing as Kira, causing L to cast suspicion on Misa. With Light insinuating the investigation would lead to Misa's capture and execution, Rem realizes Light's plan all along was to have her sacrifice herself to kill L, as a ''shinigami'' may not kill others to prevent a human's death. After Rem kills L, she disintegrates and Light obtains her Death Note. The task force does not announce L's death and agrees to have Light operate as the new L. With Light working as both L and Kira, the investigation stalls but crime rates continue to drop as he no longer has a threat of capture. Four years later, cults that worship Kira have risen. Two young men, raised as potential successors to L, are revealed:
Near NEAR or Near may refer to: People * Thomas J. Near, US evolutionary ichthyologist * Near, a developer who created the higan emulator Science, mathematics, technology, biology, and medicine * National Emergency Alarm Repeater (NEAR), a form ...
and Mello. Aware that L is dead, they consider Light, the current L, as a prime suspect. Mello, with Mafia assistance, kidnaps Light's sister, resulting in his father's death during a rescue mission. As suspicion falls again on Misa, Light passes Misa's Death Note to a fervent supporter of Kira,
Teru Mikami The manga series ''Death Note'' features an extensive cast of fictional characters designed by Takeshi Obata with their storylines created by Tsugumi Ohba."How to Think." ''Death Note: How to Read 13''. VIZ Media. 59. The story follows the nov ...
. He also appoints newscaster Kiyomi Takada as Kira's public spokesperson. Realizing that Takada is connected to Kira, Mello kidnaps her. Takada kills Mello but is killed by Light. Near deduces Mikami's connection to Kira and arranges a meeting between Light and the current Kira Task Force members. Light tries to have Mikami kill Near as well as all the task force members, but Mikami's Death Note fails to work, having been replaced with a decoy. Perusing the names Mikami had written down, only Light's is missing, which proves Light is Kira. Light is grievously wounded in a scuffle and begs Ryuk to write the names of everyone present. Ryuk instead writes down Light's name in his Death Note, as he had promised to do the day they met, and Light dies. Three years later, Near, now functioning as the new L, receives word that a new Kira has appeared. Hearing that the new Kira is randomly killing people, Near concludes that the new Kira is an attention-seeker and denounces the new Kira as "boring" and not worth catching. A ''shinigami'' named Midora approaches Ryuk and gives him an apple from the human realm, in a bet to see if a random human could become the new Kira, but Midora loses the bet when the human writes his own name in the Death Note after hearing Near's announcement. Ryuk tells Midora that no human would ever surpass Light as the new Kira.


Production


Development

The ''Death Note'' concept derived from a rather general concept involving
Shinigami () are kami (spirits) that invite humans toward death, according to Japanese religion and culture. have been described as monsters, helpers, and creatures of darkness. are used for tales and religions in Japanese culture. Japanese religion I ...
and "specific rules". Author
Tsugumi Ohba is the pen name of a Japanese manga writer, best known for authoring the ''Death Note'' manga series with illustrator Takeshi Obata from 2003 to 2006, which has 30 million collected volumes in circulation. The duo's second series, '' Bakuman. ...
wanted to create a suspense series because the genre had few suspense series available to the public. After publication of the pilot chapter, the series was not expected to receive approval as a serialized comic. Learning that ''Death Note'' had in fact received approval and that Takeshi Obata would create the artwork, Ohba said, he "couldn't even believe it". Due to positive reactions, ''Death Note'' became a serialized manga series. "Thumbnails" incorporating dialogue, panel layout and basic drawings were created, reviewed by an editor and sent to
Takeshi Obata is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He first gained international attention for '' Hikaru no Go'' (1998–2003) with Yumi Hotta, but is better known for '' Death Note'' (2003–2006) ...
, the illustrator, with the script finalized and the panel layout "mostly done". Obata then determined the expressions and "camera angles" and created the final artwork. Ohba concentrated on the tempo and the amount of dialogue, making the text as concise as possible. Ohba commented that "reading too much exposition" would be tiring and would negatively affect the atmosphere and "air of suspense". The illustrator had significant artistic licence to interpret basic descriptions, such as "abandoned building", as well as the design of the Death Notes themselves. When Ohba was deciding on the plot, he said, he visualized the panels while relaxing on his bed, drinking tea, or walking around his house. Often the original draft was too long and needed to be refined in order to finalize the desired "tempo" and "flow". The writer remarked on his preference for reading the previous "two or four" chapters carefully to ensure consistency in the story. The typical weekly production schedule consisted of five days of creating and thinking and one day using a pencil to insert dialogue into rough drafts; after this point, the writer faxed any initial drafts to the editor. The illustrator's weekly production schedule involved one day with the thumbnails, layout, and pencils and one day with additional penciling and inking. Obata's assistants usually worked for four days and Obata spent one day to finish the artwork. Obata said that when he took a few extra days to color the pages, this "messed with the schedule". In contrast, the writer took three or four days to create a chapter on some occasions, while on others he took a month. Obata said that his schedule remained consistent except when he had to create color pages. Ohba and Obata rarely met in person during the creation of the serialized manga; instead, the two met with the editor. The first time they met in person was at an editorial party in January 2004. Obata said that, despite the intrigue, he did not ask his editor about Ohba's plot developments as he anticipated the new thumbnails every week. The two did not discuss the final chapters with one another and continued talking only with the editor. Ohba said that when he asked the editor if Obata had "said anything" about the story and plot, the editor responded: "No, nothing". Ohba claims that the series ended more or less in the manner that he intended for it to end; he considered the idea of L defeating Light Yagami with Light dying, but instead chose to use the "Yellow Box Warehouse" ending. According to Ohba, the details had been set "from the beginning". The writer wanted an ongoing plot line instead of an episodic series because ''Death Note'' was serialized and its focus was intended to be on a cast with a series of events triggered by the Death Note. ''13: How to Read'' states that the humorous aspects of ''Death Note'' originated from Ohba's "enjoyment of humorous stories". When Ohba was asked, during an interview, whether the series was meant to be about enjoying the plot twists and psychological warfare, Ohba responded by saying that this concept was the reason why he was "very happy" to place the story in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''.


Concepts


The notebooks

The core
plot device A plot device or plot mechanism is any narrative technique, technique in a narrative used to move the Plot (narrative), plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing ...
of the story is the "Death Note" itself, a black notebook with instructions (known as "Rules of the Death Note") written on the inside. When used correctly, it allows anyone to commit a murder, knowing only the victim's name and face. According to the director of the live-action films,
Shusuke Kaneko is a Japanese filmmaker. Life and career Shūsuke Kaneko was born in Tokyo on June 8, 1955. According to the biography on his official website Kaneko was interested in science fiction, particularly Godzilla and Gamera films, from a young age. ...
, "The idea of spirits living in words is an ancient Japanese concept.... In a way, it's a very Japanese story". Artist
Takeshi Obata is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He first gained international attention for '' Hikaru no Go'' (1998–2003) with Yumi Hotta, but is better known for '' Death Note'' (2003–2006) ...
originally thought of the books as "Something you would automatically think was a Death Note". Deciding that this design would be cumbersome, he instead opted for a more accessible college notebook. Death Notes were originally conceived as changing based on time and location, resembling scrolls in ancient Japan, or the
Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
in medieval Europe. However, this idea was never used.


Themes

Writer
Tsugumi Ohba is the pen name of a Japanese manga writer, best known for authoring the ''Death Note'' manga series with illustrator Takeshi Obata from 2003 to 2006, which has 30 million collected volumes in circulation. The duo's second series, '' Bakuman. ...
had no particular themes in mind for ''Death Note''. When pushed, he suggested: "Humans will all eventually die and never come back to life, so let's give it our all while we're alive". He went on to say that "no human has the right to pass judgment on another's actions. No one should play God". He said that
Near NEAR or Near may refer to: People * Thomas J. Near, US evolutionary ichthyologist * Near, a developer who created the higan emulator Science, mathematics, technology, biology, and medicine * National Emergency Alarm Repeater (NEAR), a form ...
's climactic speech about good and evil was rooted in his own beliefs. In a 2012 paper, author Jolyon Baraka Thomas characterised ''Death Note'' as a psychological thriller released in the wake of the 1995
Tokyo subway sarin attack The was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated on 20 March 1995, in Tokyo, Japan, by members of the cult movement Aum Shinrikyo. In five coordinated attacks, the perpetrators released sarin on three lines of the Tokyo Metro (then ''Teito Rapi ...
, saying that it examines the human tendency to express itself through "horrific" cults.


Pilot chapter

The ''Death Note'' process began when Ohba brought thumbnails for two concept ideas to
Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
; Ohba said that the ''Death Note'' pilot, one of the concepts, was "received well" by editors and attained positive reactions by readers. Ohba described keeping the story of the pilot to one chapter as "very difficult", declaring that it took over a month to begin writing the chapter. He added that the story had to revive the killed characters with the Death Eraser and that he "didn't really care" for that plot device. Obata said that he wanted to draw the story after he heard of a "horror story featuring ''shinigami''". According to Obata, when he first received the rough draft created by Ohba, he "didn't really get it" at first, and he wanted to work on the project due to the presence of ''shinigami'' and because the work "was dark". He also said he wondered about the progression of the plot as he read the thumbnails, and if ''Jump'' readers would enjoy reading the comic. Obata said that while there is little action and the main character "doesn't really drive the plot", he enjoyed the atmosphere of the story. He stated that he drew the pilot chapter so that it would appeal to himself. Ohba brought the rough draft of the pilot chapter to the editorial department. Obata came into the picture at a later point to create the artwork. They did not meet in person while creating the pilot chapter. Ohba said that the editor told him he did not need to meet with Obata to discuss the pilot; Ohba said "I think it worked out all right".


Anime adaptation

Tetsurō Araki is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director. He goes by the alias when working as an episode director and key animator. His most notable direction titles include '' Death Note'' and the first three seasons of '' Attack on Titan''. ...
, the director, said that he wished to convey aspects that "made the series interesting" instead of simply "focusing on morals or the concept of justice". Toshiki Inoue, the series organizer, agreed with Araki and added that, in anime adaptations, there is a lot of importance in highlighting the aspects that are "interesting in the original". He concluded that Light's presence was "the most compelling" aspect; therefore the adaptation chronicles Light's "thoughts and actions as much as possible". Inoue noted that to best incorporate the manga's plot into the anime, he "tweak dthe chronology a bit" and incorporated flashbacks that appear after the openings of the episodes; he said this revealed the desired tensions. Araki said that, because in an anime the viewer cannot "turn back pages" in the manner that a manga reader can, the anime staff ensured that the show clarified details. Inoue added that the staff did not want to get involved with every single detail, so the staff selected elements to emphasize. Due to the complexity of the original manga, he described the process as "definitely delicate and a great challenge". Inoue admitted that he placed more instructions and notes in the script than usual. Araki added that because of the importance of otherwise trivial details, this commentary became crucial to the development of the series. Araki said that when he discovered the ''Death Note'' anime project, he "literally begged" to join the production team; when he joined he insisted that Inoue should write the scripts. Inoue added that, because he enjoyed reading the manga, he wished to use his effort.


Media


Manga

''Death Note'', written by
Tsugumi Ohba is the pen name of a Japanese manga writer, best known for authoring the ''Death Note'' manga series with illustrator Takeshi Obata from 2003 to 2006, which has 30 million collected volumes in circulation. The duo's second series, '' Bakuman. ...
and illustrated by
Takeshi Obata is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He first gained international attention for '' Hikaru no Go'' (1998–2003) with Yumi Hotta, but is better known for '' Death Note'' (2003–2006) ...
, was serialized in
Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' from December 1, 2003, to May 15, 2006. The series' 108 chapters were collected into twelve ''
tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes by Shueisha, released from April 2, 2004, to July 4, 2006. A one-shot chapter, titled , was published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' on February 9, 2008. Set two years after the manga's epilogue, it sees the introduction of a new Kira and the reactions of the main characters in response to the copycat's appearance. Several ''Death Note''
yonkoma , a comic strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom. They also sometimes run right-to-left horizontally or use a hybrid 2×2 style, depending on the layout requirements of ...
(four-panel comics) appeared in ''
Akamaru Jump Akamaru may refer to: *Akamaru (Naruto), Kiba Inuzuka's dog in the ''Naruto'' series *Akamaru Island Akamaru is the third largest island in the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia. It is a small, rocky island with an area of approximately . The ...
''. The yonkoma were written to be humorous. The ''Akamaru Jump'' issues that printed the comics include 2004 Spring, 2004 Summer, 2005 Winter, and 2005 Spring. In addition ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' Gag Special 2005 included some ''Death Note'' yonkoma in a ''Jump'' Heroes Super 4-Panel Competition. Shueisha re-released the series in seven '' bunkoban'' volumes from March 18 to August 19, 2014. On October 4, 2016, all 12 original manga volumes and the February 2008 one-shot were released in a single ''All-in-One Edition'', consisting of 2,400 pages in a single book. In April 2005,
Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
announced that they had licensed the series for English release in North America. The twelve volumes were released from October 10, 2005 to July 3, 2007. The manga was re-released in a six-volume omnibus edition, dubbed "Black Edition". The volumes were released from December 28, 2010 to November 1, 2011. The ''All-in-One Edition'' was released in English on September 6, 2017, resulting in the February 2008 one-shot being released in English for the first time. In addition, a guidebook for the manga was also released on October 13, 2006. It was named ''Death Note 13: How to Read'' and contained data relating to the series, including character profiles of almost every character that is named, creator interviews, behind the scenes info for the series and the pilot chapter that preceded ''Death Note''. It also reprinted all of the yonkoma serialized in ''Akamaru Jump'' and the ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' Gag Special 2005. Its first edition could be purchased with a ''Death Note''-themed diorama which includes five
finger puppet A finger puppet is a type of puppet that is controlled by one or more fingers that occupy the interior of the puppet. Finger puppets are generally very simple, consisting of a sheath that the person wearing the puppet (the puppeteer) inserts eith ...
s inspired by Near's toys. The five finger puppets are Kira, L, Misa, Mello, and Near. In North America, ''13: How to Read'' was released on February 19, 2008. In the June 2019 issue of Shueisha's ''
Jump Square , also written as , is a Japanese monthly '' shōnen'' manga magazine. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for ''Monthly Shōnen Jump'', another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of t ...
'' it was announced that a new one-shot chapter of ''Death Note'' would be published. Part of the complete manuscript debuted at the "30th Work Anniversary Takeshi Obata Exhibition: Never Complete" event which ran in Tokyo from July 13 to August 12, 2019. Titled "Death Note: Special One-Shot", the entire 87-page chapter was published in the March issue of ''Jump Square'' on February 4, 2020 and on Viz's website. A collected volume titled , which includes the February 2008 one-shot chapter, the "Special One-Shot" (re-titled , the series' pilot chapter and the "L: The Wammy's House"/"L: One Day" one-shot chapters and more, was released on February 4, 2021.


Light novels

A
light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
adaptation of the series has been written by
Nisio Isin , stylized as NISIOISIN to emphasize the palindrome, is a pseudonymous Japanese novelist, manga author, and screenplay writer. Nisio debuted in 2002 with the novel ''The Beheading Cycle'' (the first in his '' Zaregoto'' series), which earned hi ...
, called '' Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases''. The novel was released by Shueisha on August 1, 2006. It serves as a prequel to the manga series, with Mello narrating the story of L's first encounter with Naomi Misora during the Los Angeles "BB Serial Murder Case" mentioned in volume 2 of the manga. Beside Naomi's character, the novel focuses on how L works and one of the criminals L has to chase down. Insight was given into Watari's orphanage and how the whole system of geniuses such as L, Mello, Beyond Birthday, Matt and Near were put to work. Viz released the novel in English on February 19, 2008. The film '' L: Change the World'' was also adapted into a light novel with the same name on December 25, 2007, by "M", While the novel is similar to the film, there are many significant changes to the plot (for example, Near is not a Thai boy, but the same Near that appears in the manga). It also reveals more information about L and his past. Viz released it on October 20, 2009.


Anime

The ''Death Note'' anime, directed by
Tetsurō Araki is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director. He goes by the alias when working as an episode director and key animator. His most notable direction titles include '' Death Note'' and the first three seasons of '' Attack on Titan''. ...
and animated by Madhouse, began airing on
Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...
on October 4, 2006, and finished its run on June 27, 2007, totaling 37 episodes. The series aired on the network "every Tuesday at 0:56", which is effectively Wednesday. The series was co-produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television,
Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
, D.N. Dream Partners and VAP. In North America, the series was licensed by Viz for residents in the United States to use "Download-to-Own" and "Download-to-Rent" services while it was still airing in Japan. This move was seen as "significant because it marked the first time a well known Japanese anime property was made legally available in the United States for domestic audiences to download while the title was still airing on Japanese television". The downloadable episodes contained the original Japanese audio track and English subtitles, and were made available through
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's
Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
-only Direct2Drive service. DVDs of the series have also been released, containing both an English dubbed audio track, produced by
Ocean Productions Ocean Productions, Inc., is a Canadian media production and voice acting company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that is part of the Ocean Group of businesses. Ocean Group is involved in intellectual property acquisition and development, ...
, and the original Japanese audio track with optional English subtitles. Viz announced at Anime Expo 2007 that the first DVD was officially released on November 20, 2007, in both regular and special editions, and also confirmed at
Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...
2007 that the first 15,000 copies of each DVD contains collectible figures. ''Death Note'' was slated to make its North American television premiere in Canada, as part of YTV's Bionix block, on September 7, 2007. However, the show was removed from the schedule at the last minute and the Canadian premiere was pushed back to October 26, 2007, at 10:00 p.m. The series premiered in the U.S. on October 20, 2007, at 12:00 a.m. on
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as
dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
and ran until January 10, 2010, when its contract expired. The last episode aired on YTV, July 4, 2008, and would later air on Adult Swim two days later. The show was removed from YTV's schedule on July 5, 2008, with its last airing being a rerun of the final episode at 1:30 a.m. ET. Soon after, Bionix became a 2-hour block on Saturday nights. The show also streamed online free on Adult Swim Video, with a new episode available every Saturday afternoon, on the day of its broadcast premiere. On July 26, 2017,
Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...
announced that they would be offering episodes of the series for their Video on Demand service starting August 1, 2017. A two-hour animated TV special aired on Nippon Television in Japan on August 31, 2007, at 8:00 p.m. It is a recap which takes place after the series end, where a ''shinigami'' approaches Ryuk in the ''shinigami'' realm in order to learn more about the human world. Instead, Ryuk tells him of all the events leading up to the last story arc, about Light Yagami and his rival L. Originally, this special was advertised as a retelling told from Ryuk's point of view, but it does not give a different point of view from what was originally told. However, it contains updated dialog, as well as a few new scenes. The Japanese broadcaster NTV aired the special on August 22, 2008. Like the first special, this new compilation summarized a part of the 2006–2007 anime television series. Specifically, it recounted the final half of the suspenseful supernatural story, including the investigators Near and Mello's confrontations with the vigilante Kira. This version features more updates than the previous one, most notably omission of the mafia plot.


Soundtracks

Several soundtracks for the series have been released. The music from the anime was composed by
Yoshihisa Hirano is a Japanese composer and arranger. He is best known for composing the scores for anime series, such as '' Death Note'', '' Hunter × Hunter (2011)'', and ''Edens Zero''. He has also made the orchestration for video games, mostly in the F ...
and
Hideki Taniuchi is a Japanese composer and arranger from Hokkaido. He is best known for composing music for the ''Death Note,'' '' Real Drive,'' '' Akagi'' and '' Kaiji'' anime TV series. He also composed music used in the anime ''Aoi Bungaku'' and the "Heian Arc ...
, while the CDs were also published by VAP. The first one was ''Death Note Original Soundtrack'', which was released in Japan on December 21, 2006. It contains music from the series with the first opening and ending themes are sung by the Japanese band
Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...
in the TV size format. ''Death Note Original Soundtrack II'' was first released in Japan on March 21, 2007. It features the new opening and closing themes by
Maximum the Hormone is a Japanese heavy metal band from Hachiōji, Tokyo. Their lineup has consisted of vocalist Daisuke-han, drummer Nao, guitarist Maximum the Ryo-kun, and bassist Ue-chan since 1999. Each member alternates singing lead vocals, often within ...
in the TV size format. The third CD, ''Death Note Original Soundtrack III'' was released on June 27, 2007. The tracks 1–21 were composed and arranged by Taniuchi, while the tracks 22–28 were composed and arranged by Hirano. The album features one track sung by
Aya Hirano is a Japanese actress and singer associated with the voice acting agency Grick. Beginning in the entertainment industry as a child actor in television commercials, she appeared in her first voice acting role in the anime television series ''An ...
, who was also the Japanese voice actress of
Misa Amane is a fictional character in the manga series '' Death Note'', created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. A famous model, Misa seeks out Kira (Light Yagami) as she supports his cause to "cleanse the world of evil". Using her own Death Note, a not ...
in the anime series. Also appearing on this soundtrack is the ending theme ''Coda〜Death Note'', which can be heard at the end of the final episode of the anime as the credits are shown. Several soundtracks have also been released for the live action films. ''Sound of Death Note'' is a soundtrack featuring music from the first ''Death Note'' film composed and arranged by
Kenji Kawai is a Japanese music composer and arranger. Known as one of the biggest names in the soundtrack world, he has worked on a wide range of mixed media productions, including anime, TV shows, films and video games. Among his credits are Toei's Kam ...
. It was released on June 17, 2006, by VAP. ''Sound of Death Note the Last name'' is the soundtrack from the second ''Death Note'' film, ''Death Note the Last name''. It was released on November 2, 2006. ''Death Note Tribute'' is a tribute album dedicated to the
live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...
film ''Death Note''. Published by
BMG Japan Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) was a division of a German media company Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Sony Corporation of America on 1 October 2008. Although it was established in 1987, the music co ...
on June 21, 2006, Japan, it contains 15 tracks performed by various artists, such as
Shikao Suga is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter from Tokyo known for writing the theme songs for several anime, movies and commercial ads. His name in kanji is . He uses katakana as his professional name. Prior to career Suga went to Kosei Gakue ...
,
M-Flo is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists fo ...
, Buck-Tick, and
Aya Matsuura is a Japanese actress and pop singer, from Himeji, Hyogo, Japan. Career 2000–2009: Hello! Project Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth Morning Musume & Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become a part o ...
. The soundtrack came with a
cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, ...
Death Note notebook. Another tribute album is ''The Songs for Death Note the movie〜the Last name Tribute'' dedicated to the second film. Published by
Sony Music Entertainment Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...
on December 20, 2006, it contains 14 tracks performed by various artists, such as
Orange Range are a 5-member Japanese rock band, based in Okinawa, Japan. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003. The band left gr8! records in 2010 to start their own label, S ...
, Abingdon Boys School,
High and Mighty Color High and Mighty Color (stylized as HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR) was a Japanese rock band active from 2003 to 2010. They had two vocalists; a male and a female. History Formation and Anti-Nobunaga The band started in Okinawa when Sassy and Meg left a ...
,
Doping Panda Doping Panda was a Japanese rock group. They are part of Sony Music Japan's gr8 records! division, which includes bands such as Orange Range, Uverworld and Boom Boom Satellites. They released their first album "Performation" in 2001, and a sec ...
, and
Galneryus is a Japanese power metal band, formed in Osaka in 2001 by guitarist Syu and vocalist Yama-B.Artist.cdjou ...
.


Live-action films

''Death Note'' was adapted into a series of live action films in 2006. The first two films were directed by
Shusuke Kaneko is a Japanese filmmaker. Life and career Shūsuke Kaneko was born in Tokyo on June 8, 1955. According to the biography on his official website Kaneko was interested in science fiction, particularly Godzilla and Gamera films, from a young age. ...
and the third was directed by
Hideo Nakata is a Japanese filmmaker. Life and career Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as ''Ring'' (1998), ''Ring 2'' (1999) and ''Dark Water'' (2002). Several of these we ...
and produced by
Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...
, CG production of all three films were done by
Digital Frontier , also called as is a motion picture production company in Japan with a distinguished large scale CG production department. The company is equipped with motion capture studio called "OPAKIS" in Odaiba, Tokyo. The company started producing CG wo ...
and distributed by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
Pictures Japan. The first film, simply titled '' Death Note'', premiered in Japan on June 17, 2006, and topped the Japanese
box office A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicke ...
for two weeks, pushing ''
The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Lang ...
'' into second place. The first film briefly played in certain North American theaters on May 20–21, 2008. The film was broadcast in Canadian theaters for one night only on September 15, 2008. The DVD was released on September 16, 2008, one day after the Canadian showing. The sequel, '' Death Note 2: The Last Name'', premiered in Japan on November 3, 2006. It was featured in U.S. theaters in October 2008. A spin-off from the films named '' L: Change the World'' was released in Japan on February 9, 2008. It is focused on the final 23 days of L's life, as he solves one final case involving a bio-terrorist group. Two dubbed versions of the film were shown in the United States on April 29 and 30, 2009. In August 2016, a three-part miniseries entitled '' Death Note: New Generation'' was announced as a part of the ''Death Note'' live-action film series and aired in September. It bridges the 10-year gap between the previous films and the then-upcoming 2016 film. A fourth Japanese ''Death Note'' film was released in 2016 and featured a cyber-terrorism setting with the inclusion of six Death Notes brought into the human world. An American adaptation was released on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
on August 25, 2017. The film was directed by
Adam Wingard Adam Wingard ( ; born December 3, 1982) is an American filmmaker. He has served as a director, producer, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer, actor, and composer on numerous projects. Following an early career as a member of the mumblecore ...
and was written by Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides, and
Jeremy Slater Jeremy Slater is an American writer and producer of film and television, known for his work on films such as ''Fantastic Four'' and ''Death Note'', and on television series such as ''The Umbrella Academy'' and ''The Exorcist'', which Slater crea ...
. It starred
Nat Wolff Nathaniel Marvin Wolff (born December 17, 1994) is an American actor and musician. He gained recognition for composing the music for ''The Naked Brothers Band (TV series), The Naked Brothers Band'' (2007–2009), a Nickelodeon television serie ...
, Lakeith Stanfield,
Margaret Qualley Sarah Margaret Qualley (born October 23, 1994) is an American actress and model. A daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, she trained as a ballerina in her youth. She made her acting debut with a minor role in the 2013 drama film ''Palo Alto'', a ...
,
Shea Whigham Franklin Shea Whigham Jr. (born January 5, 1969) is an American actor best known for portraying Elias "Eli" Thompson in the drama series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He also appeared in the first season of ''True Detective'' and the third season of ' ...
,
Paul Nakauchi Paul Nakauchi is an American actor known for voicing Hanzo Shimada in ''Overwatch'' (2016) and Shadowsan in ''Carmen Sandiego'' (2019). Career In the 1990s, he guest starred in ''Knots Landing'', ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (in the episode " ...
, Jason Liles, and
Willem Dafoe Willem James Dafoe (; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Willem Dafoe, various accolades, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, in addition to receiving nominations for ...
. It was rated by many negatively after its release, and ranked low on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
. A sequel film is reportedly in the works.


Live-action series

In April 2015, it was announced that a live action television series based on ''Death Note'' manga would begin airing from July 2015 on NTV.
Masataka Kubota is a Japanese actor. Filmography Films * ''Boku no Hatsukoi o Kimi ni Sasagu'' (2009) * ''Kyōretsu! Mōretsu!! Kodai Shōjo Doguchan Matsuri Special Movie Edition'' (2010), Makoto Sugihara * ''Gachiban Series'' (2010–2014), Yūto Kuronaga * ...
stars as Light Yagami and
Kento Yamazaki is a Japanese actor and model. He is best known for his roles in the films ''L DK'' (2014), '' Heroine Shikkaku'' (2015), '' Orange'' (2015), and '' Kingdom'' (2019), as well as the TV shows ''Death Note'' (2015), '' Kiss That Kills'' (2018), ' ...
as L in the series. In July 2022, it was announced that
the Duffer Brothers Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (born February 15, 1984), often credited as the Duffer Brothers, are American film and television writers, directors, and producers. They are best known as the creators, directors and executive producers of the hit Ne ...
are producing a new live-action series adaptation for Netflix. In October 2022, it was announced that Halia Abdel-Meguid would write and executive produce the series.


Video games

A ''Death Note''
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed and published by
Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
for the
Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
, titled , was released on February 15, 2007. ''Kira Game'' is a
strategy game A strategy game or strategic game is a game (e.g. a board game) in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous, decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome. Almost all strategy games require internal decisi ...
where the player takes on the role of Kira or L. These are just titles, as any character can be Kira or L. The player will attempt to deduce who their enemy is (Kira will try to uncover L's identity and vice versa). This will play out in three phases: investigation, where the player will discuss the case and clues with other characters; voting, where each member of the investigation team casts a vote on who they suspect is L or Kira based on the player's performance in the previous phase; L/Kira, where the player can either focus their investigation on one member to see if they are Kira (L part), or force a member off of the team (Kira part). A sequel to the game, , was released in Japan on July 12, 2007. The storyline is based on the second part of the manga, featuring characters such as Mello and Near. A third game, , was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on February 7, 2008. The player assumes the role of a rookie FBI agent who awakens in a strange hotel and attempts to escape with the help of L, who provides assistance via an in-game PDA. The story is set before the Kira investigation in the original series. Several characters from ''Death Note'' appear in ''
Jump Super Stars ''Jump Super Stars'' is a 2D crossover fighting game for the Nintendo DS, based on ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' characters. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005, in Japan and accompanied th ...
'' and ''
Jump Ultimate Stars Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...
'', a
fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
featuring multiple characters from ''Shōnen Jump'' titles. Light, Ryuk, and L appear in ''Jump Super Stars'' as support characters. Misa, Near, and Mello are added as support characters in ''Jump Ultimate Stars'' as well. The 2019 video game ''
Jump Force ''Jump Force'' is a Japanese crossover fighting game developed by Spike Chunsoft and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment featuring characters from various manga series featured in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' anthology in celebration o ...
'' features Light and Ryuk as non-playable characters, playing a key role in the game's story mode.


Musical

In 2015, a
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
adaptation of the manga called ''Death Note: The Musical'' ran in both Japan and South Korea. It was originally composed in English by Broadway composer
Frank Wildhorn Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the #1 International hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for Whitne ...
, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and book by Ivan Menchell, though no English-language production has been announced . The original Japanese production, produced by Japanese talent agency , ran from April 6, 2015, to April 29, 2015, and stars
Kenji Urai is a Japanese actor and singer. Career Urai debuted as an actor in 2000 in Kamen Rider Kuuga television series. In 2001 he played Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon Musicals and started his career in theatre. In 2004 he portrayed Rudolf ...
and double-cast as Light Yagami, and
Teppei Koike is Japanese actor and singer associated with Burning Productions. After appearing in the television drama ''Tentai Kansoku'' in 2002, Koike began appearing in several other films and dramas, notably as Atsushi Otani in '' Love Com''. At the sa ...
as L. A Korean production of the same musical ran from June 11 to August 11, 2015, in South Korea, starring musical actor
Hong Kwang-ho Hong Kwang-ho is a South Korean actor mainly known for his works in musical theater. Hong is best known worldwide for his portrayal of Thuy in the 2014 West End theatre, West End revival of the musical ''Miss Saigon''. Life and career Hong wa ...
and
JYJ JYJ (formerly known as Junsu/Jejung/Yuchun in Japan) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 by Kim Junsu, Kim Jae-joong, and Park Yoo-chun, the three former members of TVXQ. Their group name is taken from the initial letters of each member's n ...
member and musical actor Kim Junsu.


Reception


Manga

As of April 2015, the ''Death Note'' manga had over 30 million copies in circulation. On
ICv2 ''ICv2'' is an online trade magazine that covers geek culture for retailers. ''ICv2s main areas of focus are comic books, anime, gaming, and show business products. The site offers news, reviews, analysis, and sales information for retailers an ...
's "Top 10 Shonen Properties Q2 2009", ''Death Note'' was the third best-selling manga property in North America. The series ranked No. 2 on
Takarajimasha is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books. History The company was founded on September 22, ...
's ''
Kono Manga ga Sugoi! is an annual reference mook series published by Takarajimasha since 2005 featuring yearly rankings and reviews of manga. The rankings are compiled by surveying people in the manga and publishing industry. The series is part of Takarajimasha's ...
'' list of best manga of 2006 and 2007 for male readers. It was nominated for the
Seiun Award The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Nihon SF Taikai, Japan Science Fict ...
in the Best Comic category in 2007. The manga received the Grand Prize of Best Manga and Best Screenplay at the Japan Expo Awards 2007. The series won the 2008 Eagle Award for Favourite Manga as voted by UK fans. According to a survey conducted in 2007 by the Ministry of culture of Japan, occupies the 10th place among the best manga of all time. It also received several nominations such as Best Manga at the 2006 American Anime Awards, the 2007 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, an Official Selection at
Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (french: Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lu ...
2008, and Obata was nominated for Best Penciller/Inker at the 2008
Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
s. In 2007, the first three volumes of ''Death Note'' were on the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
's 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top Ten list. Douglas Wolk of ''
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...
'' said that a rumor circulated stating that the creators intended to create ''Death Note'' to last half as long as its actual run and Ohba and Obata had been persuaded to lengthen the storyline when ''Death Note''s popularity increased, noting that the rumor "makes sense, since about halfway through the series, there's a point that seems like a natural ending". In addition, he said that fans wrote "thousands" of ''Death Note''
fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction (also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF) is fictional writing written in an amateur capacity by fans, unauthorized by, but based on an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settin ...
stories and posted them on the internet. In 2006, Japanese fans pointed out the similarities between ''Death Note'' and the 1973
one-shot manga In comics, a one-shot is a work composed of a single standalone issue or chapter, contrasting a limited series or ongoing series, which are composed of multiple issues or chapters.Albert, Aaron"One Shot Definition" About Entertainment. Retrieved ...
by
Shigeru Mizuki was a Japanese manga artist and historian, best known for his manga series ''GeGeGe no Kitarō''. Born in a hospital in Osaka and raised in the city of Sakaiminato, Tottori, he later moved to Chōfu, Tokyo where he remained until his death. ...
. Comipress reported that the only difference between the story and ''Death Note'' is that there are no ''shinigamis''.
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
(ANN) writer Zac Bertschy called ''Death Note'' a "surprisingly gripping and original suspense tale that raises a handful of interesting questions about morality". He noted that the difference between the series and other manga from the same demographic was very big due to the murders the main character commits as well as how he hides his identity of Kira. Although Bertschy mentioned some ''shōnen'' manga readers will be surprised with the dark themes of ''Death Note'', he praised the series for its "great art, great story, ndcompelling characters". Julie Rosato from Mania Entertainment found the story to be very entertaining, having liked Light's development in the story and L's introduction as well as how the latter starts suspecting the former's identity. Additionally, she praised the story as it is "building a climax" with each detail introduced in the first chapter, making the reader look forward to upcoming chapters. Briana Lawrence from ANN stated that what makes ''Death Note'' so interesting is that there is no villain, "instead it had two opposing sides that both believe in the same thing: justice". She felt that while the series' second half was not as good, with Light seeming less intelligent and once vital characters fading into the background, the ending brings back what the fans loved about the first volume and the supporting cast are "given a chance to shine". However, she did not like how the epilogue made no mention of what happens with
Misa Amane is a fictional character in the manga series '' Death Note'', created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. A famous model, Misa seeks out Kira (Light Yagami) as she supports his cause to "cleanse the world of evil". Using her own Death Note, a not ...
and how Near and Mello were still treated like parts of L. Jolyon Baraka Thomas, in a ''
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies The ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'' is a biannual open access journal of research on religion in Japan. It was established in 1960 as ''Contemporary Religions in Japan'' by the International Institute for the Study of Religions in Tokyo ...
'' article, describes the manga as having a "somber narrative" with a "dark cast". Obata's art is " enderedin stark strokes characterized---fittingly---by a complex interplay of light and shadow".


Anime

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the show holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "''Death Note'' is an exceptional anime that poses profound questions about justice and murder, all while delivering a supremely satisfying tale of tactical one-upmanship between a detective and killer." The ''Death Note'' anime was one of the series to win Best TV Anime at the 2007
Tokyo International Anime Fair The Tokyo International Anime Fair also known as was one of the largest anime trade fairs in the world, held annually in Tokyo, Japan. The first event was held in 2002 as "Tokyo International Anime Fair 21". The event was held at Tokyo Big Sigh ...
. The anime was commended with Tom S. Pepirium of
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
saying that ''Death Note''s "heavy serialized nature" is what "makes the show so engaging and discussion worthy". Pepirium, saying that translating ''Death Note'' is "no small task", stated that Stephen Hedley created an English dub with "nothing clunky". He added that Karl Willems, director of the dub, assembled a "stunning voice cast of professionals" with a "solid tone minus some of the cheesy yelling and screaming of other dubs". On the
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
show ''
Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 6 ...
'', John Powers said that ''Death Note'' is "at least as addictive as a show like ''
Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
''". It was also listed as the 51st best animated show in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series. '' Hyper'' wrote: Jacob Hope Chapman from ANN praised Teru Mikami's role as bloody and flashy as ever better than that of Near, Mello, and Misa.


Light novels

A.E. Sparrow of ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' reviewed the novel ''Another Note'' and gave it a 9.5 out of 10. Sparrow said that the author understood "what made these characters click so well" and "captures everything that made the manga the compelling read that it is". Sparrow said that fans of ''Death Note'' who read ''Another Note'' will "find a welcome home" in Nisio Isin's work which "adds a few more fun layers" to the ''Death Note'' franchise. The novelization of ''L: Change the World'' became the second top-selling light novel in Japan during 2008.


Legacy and controversies

The series release outside Japan was met with a wave of
copycat crime A copycat crime is a criminal act that is modelled after or inspired by a previous crime. It notably occurs after exposure to media content depicted said crimes, and/or a live criminal model. Copycat effect The copycat effect is the alleged tende ...
s. According to ''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'' magazine, ''Death Note'' " urnedJapan's most-popular print medium into an internationally controversial topic that has parents wondering whether they should prohibit their kids from reading manga entirely". Live-action director
Shusuke Kaneko is a Japanese filmmaker. Life and career Shūsuke Kaneko was born in Tokyo on June 8, 1955. According to the biography on his official website Kaneko was interested in science fiction, particularly Godzilla and Gamera films, from a young age. ...
commented in response, "If preventing them from seeing this movie is going to make kids better, then why not prevent them from watching all bad news?" In regards to the 2019 ''The Twilight Zone'' episode " The Comedian", Rosie Knight of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' stated that "Samir's story appears to take a large influence from ... ''Death Note''." ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' has parodied ''Death Note'' in both comic books and animation with the 2008 comic book story "Murder, He Wrote" in ''The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror'' #14, where
Bart Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
receives the notebook from the Ryuk-ified ghost of
Krusty the Clown Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky (; ) better known by his stage name Krusty the Clown (sometimes spelled as Krusty the Klown), is a recurring character on the List of animated television series, animated television series ''The Si ...
, and the "Death Tome" segment of the 2022 television episode " Treehouse of Horror XXXIII", with
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
receiving the titular book.


Bans and attempted bans

Early in 2005, school officials in
Shenyang Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a major China, Chinese sub-provincial city and the List of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Lia ...
, the capital of
Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...
(People's Republic of China), banned ''Death Note''. The immediate cause was that students had been altering notebooks to resemble Death Notes and then writing the names of acquaintances, enemies, and teachers in the books. The ban was designed to protect the "physical and mental health" of students from horror material that "misleads innocent children and distorts their mind and spirit".
Jonathan Clements Jonathan Michael Clements (born 9 July 1971) is a British author and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Koxinga and Qin Shi Huang, as well as monthly opinion columns for ''Neo'' magazine. He is also the co-auth ...
has suggested that the Chinese authorities acted partly against "superstition", but also against illegal, pirate publishers of ''Death Note''. The ban has been extended to other Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and
Lanzhou Lanzhou (, ; ) is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. H ...
in
Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...
Province. Legally published Chinese-language versions of ''Death Note'' are published in Hong Kong. On June 12, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture listed ''Death Note'' among 38 anime and manga titles banned in China. In 2007, the education bureau in
Pingtung County Pingtung County is a county located in southern Taiwan. It has a warm tropical monsoon climate and is known for its agriculture and tourism. Kenting National Park, Taiwan's oldest national park, is located in the county. The county seat is Pin ...
, Taiwan asked teachers to pay attention to any negative influence on elementary school students reading the manga. In May 2010, the
Albuquerque Public Schools Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) is a school district based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1891, APS is the largest of 89 public school districts in the state of New Mexico. In 2010 it had a total of 143 schools with some 95,000 students, ...
in
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
held a hearing to ban the ''Death Note'' manga from their district's schools; it was unanimously voted down. After volumes of ''Death Note'' were found at the February 2013 suicide of a 15-year-old girl in
Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...
, Russia, a local parents' group began campaigning to regulate all media based on the series, saying that it had an adverse effect on the minds of children. In March 2014, investigators concluded that the manga did not cause the girl to commit suicide.


Imitations of the series

There have been various imitations around the world of the premise of ''Death Note''. At least one instance was linked to a crime - on September 28, 2007, two notes written with
Latin characters The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern Ital ...
stating , were found near the partial remains of a
Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...
male in Belgium. The case has been called the " Mangamoord" (Dutch for ''Manga Murder'') in Belgian media. It was not until 2010 that four people were arrested in connection to the murder. A senior at the Franklin Military Academy in
Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...
, United States was suspended in 2007 after being caught possessing a replica "Death Note" notebook with the names of fellow students. The school's principal wrote a letter to the student's parents linking to an unofficial website where visitors can write names and circumstances of death for people they want to die. In
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
in March 2008, school officials seized a "Death Note" notebook from a Hartsville Middle School student. District officials linked the notebook to the anime/manga. The notebook listed seven students' names. The school planned a disciplinary hearing and contacted the seven students' parents. In
Gadsden, Alabama Gadsden is a city in and the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about northeast of Birmingham and southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan ...
in April 2008, two sixth-grade boys were arrested for possession of a "Death Note" that listed names of several staff members and fellow students. According to Etowah County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Lanny Handy, the notebook was discovered the previous afternoon by a staffer. The students were suspended from the county's schools, pending a
juvenile court A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...
hearing. The students, their parents, and school officials had met with Handy and a junior probation officer. In
Gig Harbor, Washington Gig Harbor is the name of both a bay on Puget Sound and a city on its shore in Pierce County, Washington,. The population was 12,029 at the 2020 census. Gig Harbor is one of several cities and towns that claim to be "the gateway to the Olymp ...
, one middle school student was expelled and three were suspended on May 14, 2008, for having 50 names in their own "Death Note" book, including President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. It was reported in September 2009, that a
Year Eight Year 8 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is the eighth or ninth year of compulsory education. It is known as Seventh grade in the United States and Canada, and First ...
boy in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia, created a "Death Note" that along with names contained a "battle plan" detailing where bombs could be placed inside his school. In December 2009, two students at an elementary school in
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
were disciplined for a "Death Note" with the names and descriptions of deaths of two girls that had angered them. A
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
middle school student was suspended indefinitely in March 2010 for a "Death Note". In May 2010, a middle school student in
Avonworth School District The Avonworth School District is a small, suburban, public school district located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Avonworth School District encompasses approximately 11 square miles. The district serves the Boroughs of Ben Avon, Ben Avon ...
in Pennsylvania was suspended for a "Death Note" with names of fellow students and pop singer
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
. In February 2015, a fifth-grade student of an elementary school near
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
was suspended for owning a "Death Note" and writing other students' names in it.


See also

* '' Now: Zero'' — A short story by
J. G. Ballard James Graham Ballard (15 November 193019 April 2009) was an English novelist, short story writer, satirist, and essayist known for provocative works of fiction which explored the relations between human psychology, technology, sex, and mass med ...
with a similar premise to ''Death Note''.


Notes


References


External links

*
Viz Media's ''Death Note'' website

Madman Entertainment's ''Death Note'' website
* {{Authority control Death Note 2003 manga 2006 anime television series debuts 2007 Japanese novels 2007 anime films 2008 anime films 2020 manga Animated television series about teenagers Anime and manga controversies Censored television series Comics about death Crime in anime and manga Fictional rivalries Films directed by Tetsurō Araki Films with screenplays by Toshiki Inoue Madhouse (company) Madman Entertainment anime Madman Entertainment manga Manga adapted into films Mystery anime and manga Nippon TV original programming Occult detective anime and manga Psychological thriller anime and manga Shinigami in anime and manga Shōnen manga Shueisha manga Supernatural thriller anime and manga Television censorship in China Viz Media anime Viz Media manga Works banned in China Works banned in Russia