Death Note
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Death Note

Alternative Titles

Japanese: DEATH NOTE
English: Death Note
More titles

Information

Type: Manga
Volumes: 12
Chapters: 108
Status: Finished
Published: Dec 1, 2003 to May 15, 2006
Genres: Supernatural Supernatural, Suspense Suspense
Theme: Psychological Psychological
Demographic: Shounen Shounen
Serialization: Shounen Jump (Weekly)
Authors: Obata, Takeshi (Art), Ohba, Tsugumi (Story)

Statistics

Score: 8.691 (scored by 233124233,124 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #642
2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #14
Members: 407,044
Favorites: 32,230

Resources

Reviews

Filtered Results: 88 / 106
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Preliminary Spoiler
Aug 9, 2007
Alright, first let me say that, the manga is infinitely better than the anime. INFINITELY. But, with that being said, I believe the manga should have ended at chapter 58/59. After that, it's just a crapload of "yeah-right" and "ooookay" and "bullshit". Seriously, I hated the second half of the story. However, the first half was so ridiculously good, that I just couldn't give the manga a bad score.

With that being said, on to the details.

Story
Brilliant. I can't think of anything else that has even come close to something like this. Entertaining, smart, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. You'll want to ...
Jul 28, 2013
Q: What happens when an unstoppable Mary Sue meets an immovable Mary Sue?
A: Death Note.

The protagonist, and his adversary, are both genius pretty boys (with the odd names of Light and L) who have an incredible amount of achievements and skill for their young age. Light somehow predicts things that he could not possibly have the foresight to predict, because, you know, probability is a thing. Don’t worry though, it’s not like you know that he’ll always win, because L possesses this exact same unexplained and ludicrous ability to predict the future; he just does so without a cheesy “Just as planned!” catchphrase ...
Sep 30, 2007
Death note is a perfect manga of suspence and thriller. The story line is rich and tasteful and characters really standout from other manga and anime by the fact that they are so different. while reading Death note it will make you think and guess until the end. This manga is has dark themes because the main character basically goes on a killing spree for 6 years to create the perfect world and outsmart this foes.

About the story. The main character is Light Yagami who is a bored Highschool student, he soon finds a Death note which has the power to kill people by writing ...
Oct 10, 2008
There are a limited number of manga series that can be considered worldwide hits. Rather surprisingly, considering the amount of dialogue and seriousness of a story that the author had doubted would be accepted as a Shounen (young boy) Jump title even in Japan, Death Note became one of those titles. When a story about someone in our world finding a killing tool Death Gods use (and killing anyone they view as evil with to create a better world) becomes so successful it's a little special - it isn't every day that a story where words and not fists are used as weapons becomes this ...
Oct 21, 2014
I don't even know where to begin with this masterpiece... I guess I'll start by proclaiming Death Note as my favorite story ever. Almost everything about Death Note is perfect. The plot is enjoyable, creative, and deep. The characters are well-developed, interesting, and symbolic. The art is fantastic, fitting, and realistic. My enjoyment and fascination aspect for this manga is beyond description. If you haven't read this manga, or watched the anime (which by the way is a great adaptation of the manga) then I suggest you drop whatever you're doing right now, and go read/watch Death Note as soon as possible. I can promise ...
Apr 8, 2017
Mixed Feelings
Each era of anime is marked by its own trends, its own conventions, its own shows that dominate the conversation and shape public perception of the medium among fans and non-fans alike. For the 2000's, Death Note was one of the biggest, and a good argument could be made that it WAS the biggest. It achieved a seemingly omnipresent level of saturation, you could not go to a forum on any given nerd hobby without people filled with avatars and signatures from the series, and its famous lines are parroted even now. Its anime adaptation was immensely popular and reached a level of pop cultural ...
Jan 13, 2008
Light Yagami is the perfect student, probably the smartest you'll ever see. He picks up a Death Note on his way home from school and his life is changed forever. He goes on a killing spree by ridding the world of all evil (or what he deems evil, rather). A detective named L Lawliet decided that this was too much, and stepped in to end Light's killing spree. They fight a long battle of wits!

The second arc comes along, a wannabe named Near and a chocoholic named Mello become the new protagonists (well actually Mello is more of an anti-hero). ...
Sep 14, 2011
This was the first manga I ever read fully and it remains my all-time favourite. It deserves all its popularity and hype, and you will not be dissapointed if you read it! Honestly, I decided to start this one day and it was very hard to stop. Very very hard. I think I read this all in a day the first time I read it.

First things first, the story is incredible. The characters work so well together and the story takes a lot of risks but all of them work really well. The time jumps are great and mean the story doesn't sit around doing ...
Dec 21, 2007
I cannot help but love this manga. I first read it in Shonen Jump magazine a long time ago. I still have it here somewhere. Since that first chapter I went crazy and had to know what happens.

It draws you in fast, because of the many twists and the amazing minds and strategies the two main characters use against each other. Its like a literal battle of the gods or good and evil.

Its also very deep, you get to know these characters and things happen that you wont expect.

I can't say much without spoiling it. But if you enjoyed the anime check out the manga. ...
Sep 11, 2009
Preliminary (16/108 chp)
Created in 2004 by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata, Death Note originated as a manga that received critical acclaim a month after its release. The anime, released in 2006, was given great praise immediately after it‘s TV distribution. Having heard of its fan base and popularity, I decided to purchase a few volumes of the manga and rent a few episodes of the anime, careful to not have big expectations.

What I got was simply a riveting masterpiece that I have no shame in calling this the greatest manga/anime series in the world. Regardless of whether you love or hate comics or animated ...
Jan 25, 2014
Alright, first review I’ve done on this site, so apologies if it isn’t exactly the best thing. The reason why I decided on Death Note was for the simple reason of…it was because of this site that I got into it, and Death Note opened me up to series where fighting isn’t really relevant, so I felt it would be fitting for my first review on here to be about one of my “Life Changing” manga/anime. Let’s just get into this though. Oh yeah, I’m putting spoilers in this review, nothing major (I think anyway), but you have been warned.

Story: 9/10
What is the whole premise ...
Jul 9, 2014
Death Note is a must read. I would challenge even those who say they don't like manga to pick up this series- I am convinced that anyone will be hooked by the plot, characters, and overall themes in this manga.

The storyline of Death Note is essentially a murder mystery- however, this mystery is told from the perspective of the murderer, Light Yagami. While this alone is enough to catch the reader's attention, the author continues to provide well thought out characters and plot twists to the very end.

The art, characters, and plot of this series are all very good, and often more complex than ...
Dec 31, 2008
At first I didn't want to read Death Note because people were telling me not to. They said it was boring and all the main character did was kill people by writing their name in his note book. If you know people like this, don't listen to them. I picked up volumes one through three in my school library, read them, decided to keep reading and now I'm a fan of the series.

The story is good, it's not the greatest thing ever. It includes a lot of talk and content that makes you think, if you're not into this then maybe you should pass it ...
Apr 26, 2012
Extremely addictive. Make sure you have all 12 volumes ready for the reading before you start! I literally could not put this down.

A caveat that I saw the live action movies before I read the manga. (I believe the first movie is covered entirely in the first 3 volumes.) The story is quite different in those two mediums. I liked how they did the fiancee thing better in the movie, but there are also a lot of things I liked more in the manga... basically way more elaborate. The thinking behind this manga is just genius. ...
May 22, 2015
Story: First off, I should say that Death Note is extremely wordy. It honestly would've been better off as a light novel from the start. If the author could plot all that is in Death Note, I don't think he would've had a problem describing character emotions and setting the tone for the atmosphere. That being said, this is definitely not a manga that a young, not-as-knowledgeable person should pick up and read. Not for explicit content, but for fear that their little brains would leak out through their ears after trying to read and guess what will happen next in the plot. Plus, y'know, ...
Sep 20, 2012
Probably the best psychological thriller there is. Not many mangakas i'v read put as much thought into their manga as the authors of this have. Work like this is the reason I prefer japenese comics over american comics.That said the Plot is not consistent. The plot becomes somewhat predictable and disappointing after a certain important event (it really is important) but that taken into consideration it still is top on my list of favourites
Jun 5, 2014
Some Spoilers Ensue:

Perfect ending to a flawless series. I love the anime and the manga is just as good. The show followed almost exactly, minus the last chapter which was an interesting take on Near's thinking. The theory in the end could even have kept going and I would have loved to hear more. However, I enjoyed it all the same. I thought without L the series would lose steam, but Light's character is so dominant and evil. I enjoyed Mello and Mikami as well. Near was not my favorite, but I like the idea that the two heirs equal one L. The overall satisfaction ...
Dec 18, 2009
I don't think I'm being original when saying Death Note is one of the few original stories to have ever come out of Japan. However, that I would say this, along with the rest of the world, only goes to prove that the world agrees with this opinion; declaring Death Note to be both brilliant and original. Though what is most curious is Death Note's strong theme of justice that has been portrayed in a way that will make you question yourself and your own sense of justice as your head and heart are torn between the ideals of the severe Kira and the ...
Dec 17, 2010
When I began to read Death Note, I was thrilled. The plot and idea pulled me in, it was interesting, and I just loved it. The (occasional) slow pace wasn't that bad then.

At some point, though, the pace of the story started to bug me a little. With both our detectives, L and Near, as well as Light, they kept going over the same things, talking big, planning bigger... I don't know why, but that became the most annoying aspect of the whole story: it began to drag its feet when it could have already moved on.

There was a slight change of pace when the ...
Dec 21, 2016
I really love Light Yagami as a character. It's so refreshing to read about a protagonist that is confident, assured and downright selfish rather than the usual beta MC people pleaser we see these days. Light doesn't do anything for his friends, his family, to save the world or to become a great warrior. He's purely fuelled by his own ego to outsmart his opponents and have the power to kill others when he pleases (that's the real reason he uses the Death Note, the peaceful world is just a pretext.)

Most of the other characters were great too, even if the main antagonists were a ...