Part I

Part I is the first part of the Death Note anime and manga series. This part primarily focuses on a mind battle between Kira, who is 17-year old Light Yagami, and L, an eccentric detective seeking to catch Kira.

During interviews, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata refer to this part as the "L arc". Many fans also use this name.

Chapters 1-22
Light Yagami is a bored student, like Ryuk, a Shinigami, who is bored of the monotonous world of the Shinigami Realm, and drops his Death Note. Light picks it up, and decides to make a safe utopia as well as becoming god of this new world, declaring that after Ryuk arrives, and adopts the name "Kira".

The killings catch the attention of the ICPO and L, who challenges Light, using Lind L. Tailor as bait to reveal Kira's location, bent on discovering his identity. Light, accepting this challenge, began to kill criminals in one-hour increments, breaking the cooperation between L and the police (one of the members of the police including his father).

L sends FBI agents to Japan to investigate the families of the officers, with Light managing to kill all of them. Since the one who was investigating Soichiro and Katimura's family exhibited the strangest behavior, L placed cameras and wiretaps in their houses, although 64 of them are in Light's room alone. Light managed to use this to his advantage to avoid suspicion, but L still suspects Light.

L enrolls in To-Oh University to catch Light off guard, declaring he's L, making Light completely unable to kill him at this time. L also asks Light to join the investigation team, helping both Light and L, bringing them closer to each other.

Chapters 23-33 (Second Kira arc)
Sakura TV receives tapes from the Second Kira.

Characters
The following is a list of characters featured in this part. Characters who are mentioned are italicized.


 * Light Yagami
 * L
 * Misa Amane
 * Ryuk
 * Rem
 * Gelus
 * King of Death
 * Soichiro Yagami
 * Naomi Misora
 * Kiyomi Takada
 * Watari
 * Touta Matsuda
 * Sayu Yagami
 * Sachiko Yagami
 * Kyosuke Higuchi
 * Raye Penber
 * Shuichi Aizawa
 * Lind L. Tailor
 * Yuri
 * Calikarcha
 * Gook
 * Deridovely
 * Zellogi
 * Wedy
 * Aiber
 * Hirokazu Ukita
 * Hideki Ryuga
 * Reiji Namikawa
 * Hideki Ide
 * Hitoshi Demegawa
 * Misa Amane's stalker
 * Arayoshi Hatori
 * Kiichiro Osoreda
 * Yumi Aizawa
 * Takuo Shibuimaru
 * Shingo Mido
 * Kurou Otoharada
 * Emi
 * Eiichi Takahashi
 * Eriko Aizawa
 * Koreyoshi Kitamura
 * Yamamoto
 * Yoshio Anderson
 * Masahiko Kida
 * Masaaki Shirami
 * Takeshi Ooi
 * Suguru Shimura
 * Ryo
 * Shiho
 * Ginzo Kaneboshi
 * Kyoko
 * Yukito Shiraba
 * Sudou
 * Nori
 * English teacher
 * Film director
 * Tasayoshi Yoda
 * Yasunaga
 * Sasaki
 * Yonegoro Nusumi
 * Unnamed woman
 * Yoshi
 * Light Yagami's friend
 * Misa Amane's friend
 * Matsushiro Nakaokaji
 * Imai
 * Ken Yadanaka
 * Near
 * Mello
 * Roger Ruvie

Chapters
The following is a list of chapters/volumes featuring this part.


 * Volume 1
 * 1) Boredom
 * 2) L
 * 3) Family
 * 4) Current
 * 5) Eyeballs
 * 6) Manipulation
 * 7) Target

Woman Slots Confluence One God Countdown Temptation Phone Call Handstand 
 * Volume 2

Trash Gaze Humiliation First Move Duplicity Misfortune Hard Run Shield Fool 
 * Volume 3

Reversal Love Judgement Weapon Bomb Easy Gamble Removal Imprisonment 
 * Volume 4

Whiteout Father and Son Eight Strike Separation Allies Matsuda Heaven Black 
 * Volume 5

Successor Crazy Ill-Suited Impertinence Give-and-Take Potted Plant Yotsuba Misunderstanding Split-Second 
 * Volume 6

Scream Inside Creation Embrace Two Choices Feelings Within Zero 
 * Volume 7

Episodes
The following is a list of episodes featuring this part.


 * 1) Rebirth
 * 2) Confrontation
 * 3) Dealings
 * 4) Pursuit
 * 5) Tactics
 * 6) Unraveling
 * 7) Overcast
 * 8) Glare
 * 9) Encounter
 * 10) Doubt
 * 11) Assault
 * 12) Love
 * 13) Confessions
 * 14) Friend
 * 15) Wager
 * 16) Decision
 * 17) Execution
 * 18) Ally
 * 19) Matsuda
 * 20) Makeshift
 * 21) Performance
 * 22) Guidance
 * 23) Frenzy
 * 24) Revival
 * 25) Silence
 * 26) Renewal