Death Note (manga)

Death Note (デスノート Desu Nōto) is a Japanese manga series created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata. The series centers around a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone by writing the victim's name and picturing his face. The plot follows his attempt to create and lead a world cleansed of evil using the book, and the complex conflict between himself and those assailing him that results.

Death Note was first serialized by Shueisha in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump from the first issue in December 2003 to May 2006, with 108 chapters in total. The series has been published in its entirety in twelve tankōbon volumes in Japan and in North America. The series has been adapted into a pair of live-action films released in Japan on June 17, 2006, and November 3, 2006, and an anime series which aired in Japan from October 3, 2006, to June 26, 2007. Also, a novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was released in Japan on August 1, 2006.

Development and creation of the Death Note serialized manga
Ohba said that he decided to create a suspense series because he did not feel that he could have created a "normal fight-style" series and that the genre had few suspense series. Ohba said that he did not derive the Death Note concept from any single source. He said that one day he thought of a concept involving Shinigami and "specific rules."

After publication of the pilot chapter Ohba said that he did not expect for the series to be approved as a serialized comic as he thought it did not "fit with Jump." Ohba said that when he learned Death Note received approval and that Obata would create the artwork he couldn't even believe it.

Due to positive reactions to the series Death Note became a serialized manga series.

Ohba created "thumbnails," consisting of dialog, panel layout, and basic drawings, to be sent to Obata; the editor reviewed the thumbnails and sent them to Obata with the script set in stone and the panel layout "mostly done." Obata determined the expressions and "camera angles" and created the final artwork. According to Ohba he concentrated on the "tempo" and the amount of dialog; he added that he had difficulty in keeping the text from being too long. Ohba said that he tried to make the story concise and did not want too much text as he believed that "reading too much exposition" would be "tiring" and that it would negatively affect the atmosphere and "air of suspense". Ohba set the basic characteristics of his characters while he allowed for Obata to influence the actual character designs. According to Ohba he did not derive the actual plot idea from one particular source. Regarding the backgrounds and props Ohba said that he put descriptions such as "abandoned building" and let Obata wield most of the creative power regarding the backgrounds and props.

Ohba said that when he decided on the plot he internally visualized the panels while "rolling around in bed," drinking tea, or walking around his house; Ohba said that he needed to feel relaxed while visualizing the panels. After that he drew the panels on white paper in a "very simple manner." The writer added that on many occasions the draft consisted of too many pages and he had to write drafts two or three times to find the desired "tempo" and "flow" for the chapter. Ohba added that he liked to read the previous two or four chapters very carefully to ensure consistency in the story.

Ohba said that his general weekly schedule consisted of five days to create and think about the creation and then use one day pencil and insert dialog into the rough drafts; according to Ohba, after this point he faxed the drafts to the editor. Obata also described his weekly schedule. He said that he usually took one day with the thumbnails, layout, and pencils and one day with additional penciling and inking. His assistants usually worked for four days and Obata used one day to add "final touches." Obata said that sometimes he took an extra day or two to color pages and that this "messed with the schedule." Ohba said that on some occasions he took three or four days to create a chapter while on other occasions he took a month to create a chapter. 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—they met with their editor, instead. 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 they continued to talk 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 said that the series ended more or less in the manner that he intended for it to end; Ohba considered the idea of L defeating Light Yagami with Light dying; he instead chose to use the "Yellow Box warehouse" ending. According to Ohba he had the details set from the beginning. Ohba wanted an ongoing plot line instead of an episodic series because Death Note was serialized and that Ohba wanted a series focused on a cast with a series of events triggered by the Death Note. Ohba used the Internet for research and did not go on any research trips.

How to Read 13 states that the humorous aspects of Death Note originated from Ohba's enjoyment of humorous stories.

General creative process
For each chapter the creative process began with Ohba and moved to Obata; both authors took advice from the editor.

Ohba began each segment by creating a rough draft; he said that his main weakness was including too much information in each panel. Once each draft "goes through a few rounds" and the elements "are decided on" Ohba split the panels and "solidified" dialog, monologues, and everything else. Ohba included "specific art" in thumbnails if he believed it was needed. Obata took the thumbnails and edited "camera angles" and expressions exhibited by characters. Obata used the thumbnails as models for his final panels. When Obata decided on the content he began drawing. At this point in many cases Obata determined designs of newly-introduced characters and items. After that the editor takes the pages and lettering, special effects, and other type are inserted into the pages; at that point the final drafts are finished.

Collected volumes
Ohba described writing comments for the collected volumes as the task he liked "the least" and he said that he often wrote comments "really quickly" before the time that the comments were due. He even apologized for this. Obata said that he prefers not to write any comments since he is so bad at doing that and that he uses as much effort as possible in his comments. Obata said that he sees his comments for Volume 2 and Volume 12 as "pretty good."

Development and creation of the pilot chapter
The Death Note process began when Ohba brought thumbnails for two concept ideas to Shueisha; Ohba said that the Death Note pilot, one of the concepts, became "received well" by editors and attained "positive" reactions by readers.

Ohba described keeping the story of the pilot to one chapter as "very difficult" and he said that he remembered taking "more than a month" to begin writing the chapter. Ohba 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 really 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 that he wanted to work on the work due to the presence of Shinigami and that the work "was dark." He also said that 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 that the main character doesn't really drive the plot he enjoyed the atmosphere of the story. Obata stated that he drew the pilot chapter "in a way that would appeal to me."

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. Ohba and Obata did not meet in person while creating the pilot chapter. Ohba said that the editor told him that Ohba did not need to meet with Obata to discuss the pilot; Ohba said "I think it worked out alright."

Intent with the series
Ohba said that he did not have a theme that he wished to express throughout the series. Ohba said that if he had to choose one, he would select "Humans will all eventually die and never come back to life, so let's give it our all while we're alive." He said that he did not intend for Death Note to push an ideology or make a statement about good and evil. Ohba said that Near's statement in Volume 12 about deciding right and wrong is closest to his own personal belief. Ohba said that he understands how debate can form from the story; He also said that since the answers to the questions raised become "ideological" and that he believes this development would be "dangerous" and not "interesting in a manga". Ohba decided not to include this aspect in Death Note.

As a response to the interview question "So the series is meant to be all about enjoying the plot twists and psychological warfare?" Ohba responded by saying that the statement is the reason why he was "very happy" to place the story in Weekly Shonen Jump. He said that, because Death Note is aimed at "the young" the reader can "push back ideology" and focus on "pure entertainment." Ohba said that if he aimed the series at an older audience he would expect "more debate over the issues" and therefore he believed that the story would have had to develop in that direction. How to Read 13 states that debate about good and evil "sometimes" appears in the series and that the "answer" to the debate is left for the reader to decide.

Ohba responded to the question "If you had to say what the most important thing in Death Note is, what would it be?" by answering "The human whose name is written in this note shall die." while Obata responded by answering "Impossible to say."

Plot
Light Yagami is an extremely intelligent young man who resents the crime and corruption in the world. His life undergoes a drastic change in the year 2003, when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the "Death Note", lying on the ground. The Death Note's instructions claim that if a human's name is written within it, that person shall die. Light is initially skeptical of the notebook's authenticity, but after experimenting with it, Light realizes that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the previous owner of the Death Note, a Shinigami named Ryuk, Light seeks to become "the God of the New World" by passing his judgment on those he deems to be evil or who get in his way.

Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention of the International Police Organization and a mysterious detective known only as "L". L quickly learns that the serial killer, dubbed by the public as Kira, is located in Japan. L also concludes that Kira can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a game of psychological "cat and mouse" between the two begins.

Main characters
Light Yagami
 * The protagonist of Death Note, Light is an extremely intelligent but bored 17-year old student. When he finds the Death Note, dropped in the human world by Ryuk (a shinigami), he decides to use it to kill all criminals and earns the title Kira. His ultimate goal is to cleanse the world of evil to create a utopia and then reign over this new world as its god.

L
 * L is the world's top-rated detective, tasked with tracking down and arresting Kira. As such, he is Light's arch-enemy. His disheveled appearance masks his great powers of deduction and insight. L has many quirks, such as sitting in an odd manner, snacking on sweets constantly, and holding objects in a peculiar manner. He often takes drastic strategies to confuse and force the hand of his opponents. On several occasions he has willingly disclosed several of his weaknesses to Kira at the risk of his own life in the hopes that he would lure him into a trap.

Misa Amane
 * A girl with an immense crush on Kira, Misa is a popular idol in Japan. She is immature and tends to refer to herself in the third person in an attempt to be cute. Misa is completely devoted to Light, and she once said that she loved him at first sight. Light, however, only views her as an asset to his plans because of her Death Note and her Shinigami eyes (that she obtained at the cost of half of her remaining life span, twice). Misa devotes herself to Light because he killed her parents' murderer after several trials had failed to convict him.

Mello
 * Mello was an orphan who grew up with Near in Watari's shelter for gifted children. Like Near, Mello was one of the candidates to become L's successor. Similar to L's fondness for sweets, he is often seen eating bars of chocolate. Although Mello is quite intelligent, he often lets his emotions get the better of him. Mello wears leather most of the time, unlike Near or L. He also appears to be less secluded in terms of his friends and hobbies, and seems to be fond of biking.

Near
 * Near was a primary candidate to become L's successor and calls himself N during the course of his investigations. He shares a number of similarities with L. Much like how L plays with things such as sugar cubes and forks, Near is frequently shown playing with toys or his hair. Near also sits in an unusual manner similar to L, but with some slight differences. He offered to join forces with Mello to fight Kira, but Mello turned him down. Near then gained the support of the Government of the United States and formed the Secret Provision for Kira.

Mikami Teru
 * Mikami is selected as the fourth Kira by Light, after Light decides that it is too dangerous for the Death Note to be near Misa or himself, since he and Misa are currently under surveillance by Aizawa and Mogi. A prosecuting attorney and adamant supporter of Kira, Mikami shares many of the same ideals, thoughts, and priorities as Kira, and is ecstatic when he discovers that Kira, his God, has chosen him, proving that God is on his side and watching. He is completely devoted and loyal to Kira, believing that divine justice must be brought down upon the people. Little is known about his personal life; he appears to have no hobbies or anything else of the sort. He chants "delete" with each name he writes down in the Death Note due to events in his past when he thought God was "deleting" the evil people in his life. He, like Misa, has made the exchange of half his remaining years for Shinigami eyes.

Shinigami
Ryuk
 * A shinigami who dropped a Death Note into the human world, which Light would pick up. Acting out of pure boredom, Ryuk begins the story of Death Note on a whim. It is stated that Ryuk obtained the second Death Note in the shinigami world from tricking the Shinigami King for another one. Ryuk is not Light's ally, and in fact declares in their first meeting that someday he (Ryuk) would write Light's name into his own Death Note. Ryuk often refuses to aid Light and instead enjoys watching him struggle for his goals. He acts for his own interests and entertainment, and often fails to tell Light key details about the Death Note. However, Ryuk will aid Light if it serves his own goals, such as providing amusement or obtaining apples, without which he suffers a form of withdrawal symptoms.

Rem
 * The female shinigami who first gives Misa her Death Note and trades her for the Shinigami eyes. Similar to Ryuk, Rem possesses two Death Notes; however, she purposely gives one of them to Misa Amane. Rem inherited her second Death Note from Jealous, another shinigami who died when he saved Misa's life, and thought it only right to pass it on to Misa. Rem eventually inherits Jealous' love for Misa as well and is prompt to defend Misa even at the cost of her life. Rem shows this when she states that she will kill Light if Misa dies before her time.

Sidoh
 * The third shinigami seen in the human world, Sidoh is revealed as the original owner of the Death Note Ryuk dropped at the beginning of the series. Initially upon entering the human world, Sidoh relentlessly follows Ryuk, demanding the return of his Death Note. Ryuk eventually admits he has no knowledge of the location of Sidoh's Death Note, said note having been used as a bargaining chip by Light and fallen into Mello's hands. Sidoh eventually locates his Death Note, and, under questioning, reveals to Mello (who subsequently reveals to Near) that some of the rules written in the Death Note are fake. The English versions of the series and the Japanese volumes use the romanization Sidoh while the Japanese How to Read 13 book uses the romanization Shidoh.

The Death Note and its function
A Shinigami's Death Note is a notebook with the power to kill the human whose name is written on it. All Death Notes follow a specific set of rules.

Written rules Death Notes all have rules written on the Note's first page. The rules were written in English because this was the most popular human language. The basic rules are as follows:
 * The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
 * This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject's face in their mind. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
 * If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the subject's name, it will happen.
 * If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack.
 * After writing the cause of death, the details of the death must be written within the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

In addition to these basic rules, each volume of the manga has a page containing new rules or possible uses for the Death Note. In the anime series, each eyecatch (usually two per episode) contains a different rule written in both English and Japanese, similar to how they were revealed in the Japanese manga. These rules often serve to clarify the more esoteric uses of the Death Note that the characters discover on their own. Official Death Notes contain over 40 pages of how to use it, consisting of both those written in the Notes and those shown in as eyecatches.

Conception and design of the Death Notes
Obata said that Ohba did not give him suggestions regarding how to design the Death Notes, so Obata possessed free reign. Obata said that he originally thought of the books as "Bible-like" or something you would automatically think was a Death Note. Obata added that he felt that this design would seem difficult to use so he opted for an "easy to use" college notebook. Obata said that at a later point he thought of a concept that Death Notes could look different depending on the human era, such as having Death Notes in ancient Japan looking like scrolls and Death Notes in medieval Europe looking like The Old Testament.

Ohba said that he "randomly" selected numbers for used for various conditions; he said that in some conditions he wished to use the number four since the word "four" in Japanese sounds like the word for "death."

Media
Death Note began as a manga series which was later adapted to become a set of live-action films, an anime based on the manga, and a light novel. Three games have also been released at present for the Nintendo DS in Japan, the first being a Mafia-inspired social game and the second being a board game with traps.

Pilot manga
The original Death Note pilot manga published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2003 #36 included a rule stating that if the owner of the death note uses the Death Eraser to erase names in the Death Note, the victims come back to life if they have not been cremated. How to Read 13 describes the pilot chapter as "more horror-based" and stated that it differed a lot from the Death Note series.

The original Death Note pilot manga chapter stated that "names have been changed to protect the innocent," meaning that the real names of many of the characters are not stated. The chapter starred Taro Kagami, a 13-year old boy and student at XX Middle School. Taro finds a Death Note; not knowing the English word for "death" but knowing the English word for "note," he assumes the book is a blank diary and takes it to replace a diary he previously lost. He then writes in the book complaining about students bullying him. He later meets Ryuk, and erases the names of the students to revive them. The students and two policemen die as the police question the students. Taro finds that another boy, Miura, killed them and is killing criminals around the world. Taro prevents Miura from writing Taro's name in the book. The two erase the names of victims and confess their crimes. To prove the note is real, Taro allows for Miura to write Taro's name in the book and to die momentarily. Once Taro is revived, the police let them go and burn the book held by Miura. Seven years later, Taro and Ryuk read a magazine speculating about a rumor about a "Death Note".

How to Read 13 includes a reprint of this story.

Manga
The Death Note manga series was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump published by Shueisha in December 2003. The series has since ended in Japan with a total of 108 chapters. Later, the individual chapters were collected into twelve separate tankōbon. Later, a thirteenth volume titled Death Note - How to Read 13 was released, helping to elucidate some mysteries left at the end of the manga, such as the destiny of some of the characters. Death Note was eventually licensed for North American publication by Viz Media, and the first English-language volume was released on October 4, 2005. The manga has since been published in several different languages including English, German, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish. Viz has released all twelve volumes of Death Note in English, as well as the How To Read 13 supplement.

To date, Death Note has sold around twenty million copies in Japan and was nominated for Best Manga at the 2006 American Anime Awards.

In February 2008, a one-shot special was released. 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.

Novel
A novel adaption of the series has been written by Nisio Isin, called Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. 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. Insight was given into Watari's orphanage (named "Wammy's House") and how the whole system of geniuses such as L, Mello, and Near were put to work. Viz released the novel in English on February 19, 2008, however many retailers began selling the books as early as February 7, 2008.

Live-action films
Death Note was also adapted into a two part live-action movie released in 2006. The two motion pictures were directed by Shūsuke Kaneko, produced by Nippon Television and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Japan.

The first movie, simply titled Death Note, focused on episodes 1-9.

The second movie is titled Death Note the Last Name, which picks up where the first movie ends, leading up to episode 25 and ending the story there.

A third movie premiered in February 2008, titled L: Change the World. It is a spin-off focusing on L. Focuses on the last 23 days of L's life-span to solve the case that threaten the world.

Anime
The Death Note anime, directed by Tetsurō Araki and animated by Madhouse, began airing in Japan on October 3, 2006, and finished its run on June 26, 2007, totaling 37 twenty-minute episodes. Contrary to the movies, the anime series closely follows the original storyline of the first seven volumes of the manga (L's arc) then rushes significantly through N's arc by accentuating many action scenes and skipping monologues or long discussions between characters described in the final 5 volumes of the manga series. There are also a few changes on the character designs, adapted by Masaru Kitao, and the order of facts, as well as a few additional scenes not featured in the original manga. It is also set in the year 2007, instead of starting at the year 2003. The series aired on the Nippon Television network "every Tuesday at 24:56". The series was co-produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, Shueisha, D.N. Dream Partners and VAP.

In North America, the series has been 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 is seen as significant because it marks the first time a well known Japanese anime property will be made legally available to domestic audiences for download to own while the title still airs on Japanese television. The downloadable episodes contain the original Japanese audio track and English subtitles, and is available through IGN's Microsoft Windows-only Direct2Drive service. DVDs of the series are also being released, containing both an English dubbed audio track, produced by The Ocean Group, 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 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 on YTV's Bionix programming block on September 7, 2007. However, the show was removed from the schedule at the last minute. The Canadian premiere was pushed back to October 26, 2007, at 10:00 p.m., when it finally premiered. Death Note premiered in the U.S. on October 20, 2007, at 11:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. The show also streams online for free on Adult Swim Video, with a new episode uploaded every Saturday afternoon, on the day of its broadcast premiere. Death Note has also been aired by the anime television network Animax across its respective networks worldwide, including Hong Kong and Taiwan.

A three-hour animated Death Note Rewrite: The Visualizing God TV special aired on Nippon Television in Japan on August 31, 2007, at 8:03 PM. 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 Mello/Near 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 doesn't give a different point of view than what was originally told. However, it contains updated dialog, as well as a few new scenes, including an alternate ending.

DVDs
The following volumes have been released in Japan.

The figures are only included in the first edition of each DVD.


 * Death Note Volume 1 - Episodes 1-3 - Includes Ryuk Figure
 * Death Note Volume 2 - Episodes 4-6 - Includes Light Yagami Figure
 * Death Note Volume 3 - Episodes 7-9 - Includes L Figure
 * Death Note Volume 4 - Episodes 10-12 - Includes Jealous Figure
 * Death Note Volume 5 - Episodes 13-15 - Includes Misa Amane Figure
 * Death Note Volume 6 - Episodes 16-18 - Includes Rem Figure
 * Death Note Volume 7 - Episodes 19-21 - Includes Soichiro Yagami Figure
 * Death Note Volume 8 - Episodes 22-24 - Includes Sidoh Figure
 * Death Note Volume 9 - Episodes 25-27 - Includes Near Figure
 * Death Note Volume 10 - Episodes 28-30 - Includes Mello Figure
 * Death Note Volume 11 - Episodes 31-33 - Includes Teru Mikami Figure
 * Death Note Volume 12 - Episodes 34-35 - Includes Kiyomi Takada Figure
 * Death Note Volume 13 - Episodes 36-37 - Includes King of Death Figure

The following volumes have been released in North America.


 * Death Note Volume 1 - Episodes 1-4 - Includes Ryuk Figure (Other versions include a 2008 calendar or volume 1 of the manga.)
 * Death Note Volume 2 - Episodes 5-8 - Includes Light Yagami Figure
 * Death Note Volume 3 - Episodes 9-12 - Includes L Figure
 * Death Note Volume 4 - Episodes 13-16 - Includes Gelus Figure
 * Death Note Volume 5 - Episodes 17-20 - Includes Misa Figure

Opening themes
uyexKF8YjDQ The first and second openings for the Death Note anime.
 * "the WORLD" by Nightmare (episodes 1 - 19)
 * "What's up, people?!" by Maximum the Hormone (episodes 20 - 37)

Ending themes

 * "Alumina" by Nightmare (episodes 1 - 19, TV Special "Death Note:R From Vision of God")
 * "Zetsubō Billy" by Maximum the Hormone (episodes 20 - 36)
 * "Coda ~ Death Note" by Yoshihisa Hirano (episode 37)

Insert songs

 * "Alumina" by Nightmare (episodes 12 & 19)
 * "Misa no Uta" by Aya Hirano (episode 25)
 * "Zetsubō Billy" by Maximum the Hormone (TV Special "Death Note:R From Vision of God")

Video games
A Death Note video game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo DS, entitled "Death Note Kira's Game" was released on February 15, 2007. Kira Game is a strategy game 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 3 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). The gameplay is very similar to that of the common party game Mafia.

A sequel to the game, "Death Note L o Tsugumono" (literally "Death Note: Successor to L"), 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, "L the Prologue to Death Note -Rasen no Wana-" (literally "L the Prologue to Death Note: Spiraling Trap", was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on February 7, 2008. The player will assume 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 and Jump Ultimate Stars, a fighting game featuring a plethora of characters from Weekly Shonen Jump titles. Light, Ryuk and L appear in Jump Super Stars as support characters. In Jump Ultimate Stars Misa, Near, and Mello are added as support characters as well.

Soundtracks
There have been several soundtracks released for this series, such as the ones for the movie adaptations and also for the anime adaptation.

Yonkoma
Several Death Note yonkoma (four-panel comics) appeared in Akamaru Jump. 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 Shonen Jump Gag Special 2005 included some Death Note yonkoma in a Jump Heroes Super 4-Panel Competition. How to Read 13 reprinted all of the yonkoma serialized in Akamaru Jump and the Weekly Shonen Jump Gag Special 2005.

People's Republic of China
Some schools in Shenyang, People's Republic of China have banned the manga after some of their students started to tease friends and teachers by altering a notebook to resemble a Death Note and writing their names in them. The newspaper Shenyang Night Report called Death Note "poison, creating wicked hearts". One major Chinese newspaper felt that the ban is an overreaction and is inappropriate.

Beijing also has a ban on "horror stories" around schools to protect the "physical and mental health" of students, which includes local adaptations of Death Note. China itself is likewise trying to weed out pirated copies of the books and television series, as well other Japanese horror magazines, where no legal publication house prints it. Wang Song of the National Anti-piracy and Anti-pornography Working Committee has said that the series "misleads innocent children and distorts their mind and spirit".

Belgium
On September 28, 2007, two notes stating "Watashi wa Kira dess" (a more phonetic spelling of 私はキラです or "Watashi wa Kira desu," meaning "I am Kira" in Japanese) were found near the unidentified remains of a Caucasian male. Nothing was found on or near the victim besides these two notes. Belgian police are investigating the matter further.

United States
A senior at the Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia, was suspended after being caught possessing a replica Death Note notebook with the names of fellow students.

In South Carolina in 2008, school officials seized a Death Note notebook from a Hartsville Middle School student. District officials link the notebook to the anime/manga. The notebook listed seven students' names. The school plans a disciplinary hearing and have contacted the seven students parents. The principal, Chris Roger, sent letters to all the students parents saying "Regardless of the origin of the book, we take the situation very seriously. The safety of our school family is always our top priority. We treat situations like this the same as if a student called in a bomb threat or brought a weapon to school. While there may not be any serious intent to do anyone harm, we cannot and will not take that chance with our students. We will take all steps necessary to ensure our students' well-being."

In Gadsden, Alabama, two 12-year-old sixth grade boys were arrested for possessions of Death Notes. It listed names of several staff members and fellow students. According to Etowah County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Lanny Handy, the notebook was found the previous afternoon by a staffer. The students were suspended from the county's schools. The students, their parents, and school officials had met with Handy and a junior probation officer.

Reception to the series
Shūsuke Kaneko, director of the film versions of the series, said that the comic series "barely touches" pain felt by the Death Note's victims, so he decided to use a different focus with the film series.

Tatsuya Fujiwara, the actor who portrayed Light in the film series, compared the theme of Death Note to the theme of Crime and Punishment and viewed Death Note as a "very eccentric story" that "depicts very permanent theme."

Tom S. Pepirium of IGN said 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," said that Stephen Hedley created a dub with "nothing clunky." Pepirium 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." Play magazine named Death Note as the best anime of 2007 in their "2007 Anime Year in Review" feature.

Douglas Wolk of Salon Magazine said that a rumor circulated stating that the creators intended to create Death Note to last half as long as its actual run; according to Wolk the rumor stated that Ohba and Obata had been persuaded to lengthen the storyline when Death Note's popularity increased. In addition he said that fans wrote "thousands" of Death Note fan fiction stories and posted them on the Internet.

Ohba and Obata's reactions to the reception
Ohba said that since Obata drew the artwork he would take the blame if the series did not sell well, so he wanted the series to sell well. Ohba said the aspect of writing Death Note that "shocked" him was that the series generated more popularity than he anticipated. Obata said that he also felt shocked and elated by the success of the series. Obata added that the editor believed that it would have a "so-so" reception because "people have varied tastes." Ohba said that the editor chose not to add advertising notices like "Now on sale, super popular!!" to chapter cover pages because the editor believed that the words "super popular" did not fit with the "feel" of Death Note. Ohba said that "I guess Death Note was meant to be solemnly popular."

Ohba said that he believes that Death Note appeals to readers because of Obata's "realistic art" and because the story is a sort "not usually seen in Jump." Obata responded to the same question by saying that Death Note "didn't seem like a typical Jump manga—although it actually was, really." The two also said that they felt "very happy" while seeing Death Note adapted to video games, films, anime, novels, and other mediums.

Ohba said that he did not have a lot of awareness about the debate surrounding Death Note. He says that he remembered seeing a magazine article about the series and that the article was "too difficult for me to understand [laughs]." Ohba added that the creators did not intend for Death Note to be "such a noble piece of work." Obata added that "some people may have been taking the series a little too seriously." Obata recalled a television critic discussing the series and said that the broadcast was "so complicated I didn't understand [laughs]." The two reiterated that the "deep philosophical themes" such as debates about whether Light is good or evil, "life and death," and the "merits of our Internet society" differed from the intention to entertain.

Many users on the internet discussed future plot twists. Ohba said that he heard that this occurred but he had "no time" to see it. In addition he did not want the discussion to affect him and that he chose not to view the discussions. Ohba and Obata said that they felt glad that internet users discussed Death Note.

Reception to Death Note: Another Note
A.E. Sparrow of IGN reviewed the novel 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 the Nisio Isin's work that "adds a few more fun layers" to the Death Note franchise.