In the 2000s, creators Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba created the legendary shonen manga series Death Note. Unlike the shonen "Big Three,"Death Note is not about the power of friendship, action or adventure. Instead, Death Note is a dark crime thriller with thought-provoking themes and dialogue, which may give it strong appeal to seinen manga fans, such as fans of Naoki Urasawa. An anime adaptation soon followed, boosting Death Note's fame even further.
Even though Death Note's story only spans 12 manga volumes and 37 anime episodes, depending on the version, a lot happens in that time frame, with densely packed episodes and manga chapters to keep the story moving despite its increasing complexity. The overall story of Death Note has a simple premise: a brilliant teenage boy finds a murder notebook from the Shinigami realm, then vows to rid the world of crime with that notebook and build a new world order of justice. What follows is an incredible supernatural crime thriller with a timeline that can be broken down into a few distinct phases.
Light Yagami Becomes Kira and L Accepts the Kira Case
Episode 1 "Rebirth" to Episode 10 "Doubt"
Death Note begins with a Shinigami named Ryuk, who laments at the apathy in the Shinigami realm. To ease his boredom and sate his curiosity, Ryuk does the unthinkable and drops a murder notebook into the human world on purpose. To the shock of all other Shinigami, Ryuk flies through a gateway to the human world to see what happens next, and Ryuk soon gets his answer. The notebook materializes on the campus of an ordinary Japanese high school, and of all people, it's the brooding genius Light Yagami, a third-year student, who spots it. Light retrieves the notebook and takes it home, skeptical of its apparent supernatural power — until he tests it. Light confirms that the rules in the notebook are accurate and the notebook's power is real. Light is initially terrified, especially when Ryuk confronts him, but then Light realizes this must be his destiny.
Like Ryuk, Light feels despair about the world around him, disgusted by rampant crime and people's mistreatment of one another. The Death Note's absolute power corrupts Light's mind after just a few days, tempting him to fight crime with crime of his own. To Ryuk's delight, Light starts using the notebook to kill criminals by the score, which soon attracts Interpol's attention. That includes Light's father, a police officer named Soichiro Yagami. Soichiro follows the letter of the law, and he won't forgive the mysterious killing of criminals, putting him at odds with his son. Thus, Soichiro is quietly excited when the world's greatest detective, the enigmatic person known only as L, declares his intent to bring the perpetrator to justice.
Light and L Begin Their Direct Battle as Feuding Masterminds
A deadly, thrilling game of cat and mouse ensues when L uses a proxy to challenge the mysterious killer, dubbed Kira, on live television. Light falls for the trick and murders L's proxy, confirming Kira's existence and powers, and then Light and L vow to destroy one another. Each believes he is the embodiment of true justice, and each is a stubborn, competitive person who views this battle of wits as a personal fight to see who's right. From there, Light increases his killings as Kira, including more tests to see how else the Death Note can be used. Light even exploits a team of FBI agents who recently arrived in Japan, using agent Raye Penber to kill the other agents. Raye's fiancée, Naomi Misora, goes after Raye's killer until Light murders her as well, making sure no one can ever find her body.
L teams up with Soichiro Yagami and a few other loyal NPA agents to find Kira, but even with their aid, L keeps running into dead ends since Light is L's intellectual equal and has supernatural powers that no one, not even L, can account for. So, L takes a risky step and enrolls at To-Oh University, the college that Light just entered, to investigate Light personally as the prime Kira suspect. L has reason to suspect Light but no solid evidence, so L hopes to get that evidence with his own two eyes, including a close study of Light's personality and behavior. L even explains who he is, putting a confused Light on the defensive. Outwardly, the two of them become friends, with L calling himself Hideki Ryuga, but they both know they're bitter enemies. Partway through Light and L's anime college adventure together, Soichiro Yagami collapses from a heart attack, and then a shady news station receives a bizarre package from "Kira."
The Two Kiras Fight L on Live Televsion
Episode 11 "Assault" to Episode 17 "Execution"
Light and L briefly set aside their battle of wits to visit Soichiro Yagami in the hospital, and tellingly, Soichiro reaffirms his belief that his daughter, Sayu, could never be Kira. Still, he doesn't say the same about his son, Light. L even says that the compassionate Light just might not be Kira after all, but there's no telling if he believed those words. Then, the notorious Sakura TV station broadcasts a message that claims to be from Kira, but Light knows he never sent such a message. L and his police allies watch the broadcast in horror, and one officer, Ukita, dies trying to stop the broadcast at Sakura TV's station. Kira, it seems, can kill people just by seeing them, whereas before, Kira always needed a face and name for a victim. Then, Soichiro Yagami drives an armored vehicle into the Sakura TV station to safely retrieve the Kira tapes, which L analyzes.
Misa Amane Becomes Light's Second-In-Command
Soon, the perpetrator finds and meets Light at his home: a blonde young woman introducing herself as Misa Amane. She and Light converse in the latter's bedroom, where Misa explains that Kira murdered her parents' killer, hence Misa's devotion to the Kira persona. Misa also explains that she has the Shinigami eyes, allowing her to see a person's name just by viewing their face, either in person or through media such as photos and TV. Light agrees to have Misa as his second-in-command as the new Kira, and he outwardly humors Misa's romantic advances while actually viewing her as a disposable tool and little more.
Misa and L share the Kira identity and feud with L and the police with broadcasts on mainstream news channels, all while L correctly suspects that there are two Kiras who are cooperating. Light intends to have Misa or her Shinigami companion, Rem, kill L, and Rem agrees to do the deed. Unfortunately for Light, right before L's intended murder, the police apprehend Misa as the prime suspect of being the second Kira. Misa has no means of escape and claims she would rather die than sell out Kira. Rem demands Light do something to save her, and Light launches his biggest, most daring scheme yet. He hands himself over as the first Kira, to his father's shock, and L puts him into custody. There, Light gives up his Death Note memories, and Misa does the same. Elsewhere, a third Kira rises to power.
Light, L and Misa Investigate the Yotsuba Group's Kira
Episode 18 "Ally" to Episode 26 "Renewal"
Light and Misa both implore L and the police to free them. With their Death Note memories gone, they don't have to act — they genuinely believe in their innocence, and that, combined with the new Kira operating elsewhere, convinces L to give Light and Misa another chance. He puts them through a test where Soichiro threatens to shoot Light to see if Light or Misa will defend themselves with their mysterious Kira powers, but nothing happens. Concluding that Light and Misa were once Kira but have since lost their powers, L allows Light and Misa to be partially freed. He keeps them under careful watch at his new headquarters, a building constructed solely for the Kira task force. L pretends to fall into a frustrated depression to test Light's and Misa's reactions, but the former Kiras don't take the bait.
A few months later, Light investigates the powerful Yotsuba Group, a large corporation with a hand in many industries, and Light determines that Kira is involved somehow. A dejected L agrees to help Light investigate, and elsewhere, Death Note fans see a group of eight men in the Yotsuba Group meet to carry out murders as Kira. It's unclear which of the eight is Kira, but Kira is undoubtedly among them; Kira aims to eliminate the Yotsuba Group's business rivals for the sake of sheer profits. At that point, the young, brash ex-police officer Touta Matsuda investigates the Yotsuba group on an impulse, and he identifies the eight employees involved with Kira. Light and L focus on those eight, even after Kira kills one of those eight, and Misa Amane does her part as well.
L uses Misa, along with two criminals codenamed Aiber and Wedy, to investigate the seven remaining members of the Kira group. Misa even crosses paths with Rem, who lends Misa aid in figuring out who Kira is. With Rem's help, Misa confirms Kyosuke Higuchi to be Kira, though she can't tell L and Light about Rem. So, Misa investigates Higuchi on her own, posing as an innocent fan of his to get him to reveal more. Misa's risky plan works, and Light and L focus entirely on Higuchi to settle the Kira case, using Aiber and Wedy to corner him at last. L sets a brilliant scheme into motion, using Matsuda as a witness on TV to lure Higuchi into looking up Matsuda's real name to try to kill him. Higuchi evades capture a few times and even acquires the Shinigami eyes from Rem, but in the end, Higuchi is cornered on the highway.
Higuchi's Career Ends and Light Sets Up His Final Trap for L
Higuchi's captured notebook is passed to L and Light. Once he touches the notebook, Light regains his memories and recalls that everything involving Higuchi was part of his original plan. With his memories back, Light resumes that plan and uses a hidden piece of notebook paper to kill Higuchi and thus become the Death Note's official owner. From there, L's group tries to research the Death Note and zero in on the original Kira, but Light makes sure L can't make much headway. Finally, not long after L clears Light and Misa as suspects, Light orders Misa to resume operations as Kira, making her a suspect once again. That pressures Rem to personally kill L and L's assistant, the elderly Watari, to protect Misa. In so doing, Rem violates the Shinigami rules about extending human life and thus perishes, tying up that loose end.
With L dead, everyone agrees that Light should become the next L, and Light and Misa ride off into the sunset as victorious Kiras. But their victory is only temporary because at an orphanage in England, two boys are told of L's death, and they want revenge.
Mello Makes the Fight Personal for the New L
Episode 27 "Abduction" to Episode 29 "Father"
Death Noteundergoes a five-year timeskip, with 23-year-old Light Yagami being a police officer like his father while also being L and Kira, giving him many roles at once. The Kira case has since gone cold, with L and Kira being the same person, but Soichiro Yagami has not yet given up hope. Then, Light's comfortable life is upended when Soichiro receives shocking news: Light's younger sister, Sayu, has been kidnapped, and the kidnappers demand the Death Note in return. Light and his NPA allies look into it at once, and they're not alone, either. Elsewhere, a 19-year-old young man calling himself Near is investigating Sayu's kidnapping, and Near has an entire task force of his own called the SPK based in the United States. Near contacts Light and partially explains himself, including the fact that he knows Light is a fake L since Near knows of the original L's death. For now, Light and Near are partial allies.
Soichiro and Light reluctantly agree to the kidnapper's terms, learning that the chief kidnapper calls himself Mello and is located in the American southwest. Soichiro and his allies fly to the U.S. to perform the exchange, and Light tries in vain to intercept the notebook to make sure Mello can't get it. Sayu is safely rescued, and the notebook is launched clear across the continent on a missile, giving Light no chance to capture it for himself. Light and his allies remain in the U.S., working overtime to find Mello and take the notebook back.
Mello, another heir of L's, shares Near's hatred for Kira but is not exactly Near's ally — in fact, they are unfriendly shonen rivals. Then, Ryuk reunites with a Shinigami named Sidoh, who owns the notebook that Mello currently has, and Sidoh agrees to help Light get the notebook back. A daring plan is launched, with Soichiro and the other police storming Mello's den and taking the notebook back by force. Light also has Misa act as Kira and send a notebook to aid the task force. Soichiro even gets the Shinigami eyes and confirms Mello's real name, Mihael Keehl, but Soichiro fails to kill him. Then, Soichiro is fatally shot and dies in a hospital, much to Light's frustration. Meanwhile, Near is highly suspicious of the apparent L-Kira alliance to recapture that notebook and correctly believes that Kira is L, or at least a member of L's team. Thus, Near replaces Mello as Light's chief enemy in this story arc.
Light Fights a Desperate Battle Against a Vengeful Near
Episode 30 "Justice" to Episode 37 "New World"
With Mello no longer a serious threat, the detective Near shifts his focus to finding Kira and pressures L/Light's group to turn Kira over. The police refuse at first, but then they begin to suspect Light as well, to the point Shuichi Aizawa visits Near in person to share some intel, including an account of Light's and Misa's Kira test to escape confinement. A passing comment by Aizawa leads Near to believe that Kira is related to Soichiro Yagami, thus narrowing his list of suspects to Light Yagami.
Near and L battle each other more intensely at this point, using elite agents and assistants to get the job done. For example, Light appoints his female friend Kiyomi Takada to be Kira's spokeswoman on TV, exerting Kira's influence more than ever as the world begins to truly accept Kira. Light also welcomes a cunning lawyer named Teru Mikami to his team, who believes in Kira's vision and volunteers as Kira's agent. On Near's side is an FBI agent named Hal Lidner, a woman who earns herself a position as one of Kiyomi Takada's bodyguards, allowing Hal to investigate Kira more directly. Meanwhile, Misa Amane loses her Death Note memories once again to ensure the police cannot investigate her and learn more about Kira. On a more personal level, Misa becomes deeply distraught when Light seemingly abandons her as a lover to cozy up to Kiyomi Takada. However, there isn't much the jealous Misa can do about it.
Both sides go to Japan to continue their mutual investigations, and they each prepare for their endgame, with Teru Mikami and Kiyomi Takada each getting caught in the middle. First, however, Mello intervenes and captures Kiyomi, only to die when Kiyomi, under Light's command, writes down his name. Then Light kills Kiyomi himself to tie up that loose end. What Light doesn't know is that Teru Mikami is trying to kill Kiyomi for the same reason, using his notebook. That gives Near's agents a much-needed chance to swipe Teru's notebook and swap it with a replica.
Light and Near Have Their Final Confrontation To Conclude the Kira Case
Finally, the two sides face off in a dockside warehouse, with Light and Near each confident in their impending victories. Under Light's orders, Teru tries to kill everyone there except Light and himself, only to fail because he's using the replica notebook. Light and Teru are exposed as Kira agents to the police, and Light has no alibi. Out of desperation, Light tries to kill everyone there himself, only for Matsuda to shoot him with his revolver, injuring him. From there, the timeline diverges slightly between the Death Note manga and anime.
In the anime version, Light flees the warehouse and eventually dies in isolation, and it's hinted that Misa, out of grief, ends her own life as well, having no reason to live without Light around. In Death Note's manga version, Light begs Ryuk for aid in that warehouse, only for Ryuk to write Light's name and finish him off with a heart attack. The Kira case ends with Light's death, and one year later, the world is the same as it was before Kira arrived, erasing Kira's influence and legacy with surprising speed. In an epilogue scene, Matsuda works to help the new L solve a criminal case, with Near being the new L. Elsewhere, a procession of Kira worshipers pays tribute to their fallen "God," with an unnamed young woman praying for Kira. On that grim note, with Kira the person dead but Kira's vision of justice alive and well, the story of Death Note ends.
