Death Note

Death Note is a Japanese manga series about a high school student, Light Yagami, who finds a supernatural notebook that can kill anyone whose name is written in it.

The story follows his attempt to use the notebook to eliminate criminals, and the investigation led by the detective L.

What it is

Death Note follows Light Yagami after he finds a supernatural notebook with lethal power. By writing a person’s name in the notebook, Light can cause that person’s death, which he uses in an effort to reshape the world.

Key details

Light adopts the alias Kira and uses the notebook to kill criminals, aiming for a crime-free world. The series centers on the cat-and-mouse conflict between Light and detective L. Ryuk, a shinigami, owns the original notebook and drops it out of boredom. The manga was written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, and later adapted into an anime TV series.

Ending

In the manga’s ending, Light is ultimately exposed as Kira and dies after Ryuk writes his name in the Death Note. The story closes with the Kira case ending and the world moving on from Light’s rule.