Death Note

is a supernatural thriller fantasy manga written by Tsugumi Ōba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The work was adapted into an anime series directed by Tetsurō Araki. It is about a Japanese teenage high school student boy named Light Yagami, who finds a supernatural notebook. The notebook, dropped on earth by a bored shinigami named Ryuk, is called a "Death Note". When a person's name is written in the notebook, that person dies. If the cause of death is not specified, they die of a heart attack. Light, aiming to create a crime-free utopia, uses the notebook to kill criminals, anonymously gaining world fame as "Kira" ("キラ" in Japanese - based on the English word "killer") - some people see him as justice, while others see him as a murderer.

The best detective in the world, an eccentric genius named "L", works with the Japanese police, as well as Light's own father, to find out Kira's identity and catch him. He suspects all along that it's Light, who, as a part of the police department, works alongside L in the investigation. It becomes a contest of wit and intelligence between L and Light, both of whom are very clever. At one point, Light temporarily gives up the Death Note, along his memories of it, as an ally continue writing the names of criminals. This "proves" to the police that he is not Kira. However, he later gets the Death Note back and kills L with it.

After L dies, his successors, two orphans named "Mello" and "Near", take over the Kira investigation. Near is a child prodigy who clearly mirrors L, and Mello is an impulsive, antisocial teen obsessed with one-upping Near. Mello refuses to work with Near and leaves the orphanage, joining the American Mafia; Near forms a task force to catch Kira.  In the end, Near proves that Light is Kira, leading to Light's death.

Besides the manga and anime, Death Note was also made into a light novel, various video games, two animated films, a live-action television drama, a musical, and several live-action films.

## Other websites

- _Death Note_ official website
- Shueisha's _Death Note_ manga official website
- Official anime website
- Madman Entertainment's _Death Note_ website

## Infobox (animanga/header)

- **name**: Death Note
- **ja kanji**: デスノート
- **ja romaji**: Desu Nōto
- **genre**: Mystery fiction, Mystery, Supernatural fiction, supernatural, Thriller (genre), thriller


## Infobox (animanga/print)

- **type**: manga
- **author**: Tsugumi Ohba
- **illustrator**: Takeshi Obata
- **publisher**: Shueisha
- **demographic**: _Shōnen manga, Shōnen_
- **magazine**: Weekly Shōnen Jump
- **first**: December 1, 2003
- **last**: May 15, 2006
- **volumes**: 12
- **volume list**: List of Death Note chapters


## Infobox (animanga/print)

- **type**: novel
- **title**: Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases
- **author**: Nisio Isin
- **publisher**: Shueisha
- **published**: August 1, 2006


## Infobox (animanga/video)

- **type**: tv series
- **director**: Tetsurō Araki
- **producer**: Toshio Nakatani
Manabu Tamura
Masao Maruyama (film producer), Masao Maruyama
- **writer**: Toshiki Inoue
- **music**: Yoshihisa Hirano
Hideki Taniuchi
- **studio**: Madhouse (company), Madhouse
- **network**: Nippon TV
- **first**: October 3, 2006
- **last**: June 26, 2007
- **episodes**: 37
- **episode list**: List of Death Note episodes


## Infobox (animanga/game)

- **title**: Death Note: Kira's Game
- **developer**: Konami
- **publisher**: Konami
- **genre**: Action game, Action
- **platforms**: Nintendo DS


## Infobox (animanga/game)

- **title**: Death Note: Successor to L
- **developer**: Konami
- **publisher**: Konami
- **genre**: Action
- **platforms**: Nintendo DS


## Infobox (animanga/video)

- **type**: tv film
- **title**: Death Note: Relight - Visions of a God
- **director**: Tetsurō Araki
- **producer**: Toshio Nakatani
Manabu Tamura
Masao Maruyama
- **writer**: Toshiki Inoue
- **music**: Yoshihisa Hirano
Hideki Taniuchi
- **studio**: Madhouse
- **network**: Nippon TV
- **released**: August 31, 2007
- **runtime**: 130 minutes


## Infobox (animanga/print)

- **type**: novel
- **title**: Death Note: L - Change the World
- **author**: M
- **publisher**: Shueisha
- **published**: December 25, 2007


## Infobox (animanga/game)

- **title**: L: The Prologue to Death Note - Spiraling Trap
- **developer**: Konami
- **publisher**: Konami
- **genre**: Action
- **platforms**: Nintendo DS


## Infobox (animanga/video)

- **type**: tv film
- **title**: Death Note: Relight 2 - L's Successors
- **director**: Tetsurō Araki
- **producer**: Toshio Nakatani
Manabu Tamura
Masao Maruyama
- **writer**: Toshiki Inoue
- **music**: Yoshihisa Hirano
Hideki Taniuchi
- **studio**: Madhouse
- **network**: Nippon TV
- **released**: August 22, 2008
- **runtime**: 100 minutes


## Infobox (animanga/other)

- **title**: Live-action
- **content**: * Death Note (2006 film), _Death Note_  (2006 film)
* _Death Note 2: The Last Name_ (2006 film)
* _L: Change the World_ (2008 film)
* _Death Note (2015 TV series), Death Note_ (2015 TV drama)
* _Death Note: The Musical_ (2015 musical)
* _Death Note: New Generation_ (2016 miniseries)
* _Death Note: Light Up the New World_ (2016 film)
* _Death Note (2017 film), Death Note_ (2017 film)


## Infobox (animanga/footer)