Case Closed, also known as Detective Conan (Japanese: 名探偵コナン, Hepburn: Meitantei Konan, lit. 'Great Detective Conan'), is a Japanese detective manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday since January 1994; its chapters are collected in 106 tankōbon volumes as of October 2024. Because of legal problems with the name Detective Conan, the English language releases from Funimation and Viz Media were renamed Case Closed. The story follows the high school detective Shinichi Kudo, whose body was transformed into that of an elementary school-age child while investigating a mysterious organization. Generally, he solves a multitude of cases by impersonating his childhood best friend's father and various other characters.
The manga was adapted into an anime television series by Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation and TMS Entertainment, which premiered in January 1996. The anime resulted in animated feature films, original video animations, video games, audio disc releases and live action episodes. Funimation licensed the anime series for North American broadcast in 2003 under the name Case Closed with the characters given Americanized names. The anime premiered on Adult Swim but was discontinued due to low ratings.
In March 2013, Funimation began streaming their licensed episodes of Case Closed; Crunchyroll simulcast them in 2014. Funimation also localized the first six Case Closed films, while Discotek Media localized the Lupin III crossover special, its film sequel, and select films, starting with Case Closed Episode One. Meanwhile, the manga is localized by Viz Media, which used Funimation's changed title and character names. Shogakukan Asia is making its own localized English version of the manga, which used the original title and Japanese names.
The tankōbon volumes of the manga had over 270 million copies in circulation worldwide by January 2023, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 2001, the manga was awarded the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. The anime adaptation has been well received and ranked in the top twenty in Animage's polls between 1996 and 2001. In the Japanese anime television ranking, Case Closed episodes ranked in the top six weekly. Both the manga and the anime have had a positive response from critics for their plot and cases. The manga has been sold in 25 countries, while the anime has been broadcast in 40 countries.
Plot[edit]See also: List of Case Closed characters
Jimmy Kudo (Japanese name: Shinichi Kudo) is a high school detective who sometimes works with police to solve cases.[2] During an investigation, he is ambushed and incapacitated by a member of a crime syndicate known as the Black Organization. In an attempt to murder the young detective, they force-feed him a dangerous experimental drug. However, instead of killing him, it shrinks his body to the size of an elementary school child.[3] Adopting the pseudonym Conan Edogawa and keeping his true identity a secret, Kudo lives with his childhood friend Rachel Moore (Ran Mori) and her father, Richard (Kogoro Mori), who is a private detective. Throughout the series, he tags along on Richard's cases. Nonetheless, after Kudo solves one, he uses Dr. Agasa's hidden tranquilizer to sedate Richard and then uses a voice changer to simulate his voice to reveal the solution.[4] He also enrolls in Teitan Elementary School, where he makes friends with a group of classmates who form their own Junior Detective League (Detective Boys). While he continues to dig deeper into the Black Organization, he frequently interacts with other characters, including his neighbor, Dr. Agasa; Ran's friend Serena Sebastian (Sonoko Suzuki); a fellow teenage detective, Harley Hartwell (Heiji Hattori); assorted police detectives from different regions; and a phantom thief called Kaito Kid.
Kudo later encounters an elementary school transfer student, Anita Hailey (Ai Haibara), who reveals herself to be a former member of the Black Organization under the code name Sherry and the creator of the experimental drug that shrunk him. She too ingested it to evade the pursuit of the organization.[5] She soon joins the Junior Detectives. During a rare encounter with the Black Organization, Conan helps the FBI plant a CIA agent, Kir, inside the Black Organization as a spy.[6]
Production[edit]
Case Closed was conceived in 1994 during the rise of mystery genre manga due to the publishing of the series The Kindaichi Case Files; the first chapter appeared in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday on January 5.[7][8] Aoyama cites the stories of Arsène Lupin, Sherlock Holmes and the samurai films by Akira Kurosawa as influences on his work.[9] When scripting each chapter, he ensures the dialogue remains simple and spends an average of four hours for each new case and twelve for more complicated ones.[10][11] Aoyama's older brother is a scientist who helps him out with the "gimmicks" in the series.[12] Each case spans several chapters (except for a handful of shorter cases that span only one) and is resolved at the end, when characters explain the details of their solutions in simple terms.[13] An online database of all the cases from the manga was launched in 2007.[14][15] In 2007, Aoyama hinted that he had planned an ending but did not intend to end the series yet.[10] Aoyama and his staff decided to computerize their manga creation process in early 2011, although he still draws with a pen and paper.[16][17] The change began with the final page of chapter 760.[17]
Media[edit]Manga[edit]See also: List of Case Closed volumes
Written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama, Case Closed started its serialization in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday on January 5, 1994.[d] Case Closed became one of the longest running manga series, with over 1,000 chapters released in Japan, and the first series with over 1,000 chapters published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday.[20] Shogakukan has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on June 18, 1994.[21] On October 18, 2021, the series reached one hundred volumes;[22] One Piece author, Eiichiro Oda, whose series achieved the same feat a month before, sent congratulations to Aoyama.[23] As of October 18, 2024, 106 volumes have been published.[24]
A recreation of Aoyama's workplace at the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory
Viz Media announced its acquisition of the series for North America on June 1, 2004.[25] Following Funimation's localization, Viz released the series as Case Closed and took their character names to keep consistency between the two media.[26] Viz Media released the first volume in September 2004 and began releasing digital editions in 2013.[27][28] On May 9, 2023, Viz Media launched their Viz Manga digital manga service, with the series' chapters receiving simultaneous English publication in North America as they are released in Japan.[29][30] Gollancz licensed and distributed 15 of Viz Media's volumes in the United Kingdom before ceasing publication of manga. (Viz Media has since re-released them).[31] In 2014 Shogakukan Asia began its own English localization of the series for Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries as Detective Conan.[32] Laura Thornton of CBR.com, citing the common Japanese ownership in both Shogakukan Asia and Viz, described the Singapore version as, compared to the Viz one, "completely identical, word-for-word, even -- save for the names and the Detective Conan logo".[33]
Spin-offs[edit]Main articles: Case Closed: The Culprit Hanzawa, Case Closed: Zero's Tea Time, and Detective Conan: Police Academy Arc
Gosho Aoyama's assistants have written an anthology series of Case Closed which are released irregularly.[34][35]
A spin-off manga series, titled Case Closed: The Culprit Hanzawa, by Mayuko Kanba, began in the July 2017 issue of Shogakukan's Shōnen Sunday S, released on May 25, 2017.[36]
Another spin-off manga series, illustrated by Takahiro Arai with supervision by Aoyama, titled Case Closed: Zero's Tea Time started in issue #24 of Weekly Shōnen Sunday on May 9, 2018. The story centers on the agent Toru Amuro/Rei Furuya.[37] New chapters of the manga are only published when Case Closed is on hiatus.
Another spin-off manga series by Arai, titled Detective Conan: Police Academy Arc – Wild Police Story, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from October 2, 2019, to November 18, 2020. Spanning 13 chapters, it again focuses on Amuro/Furuya during his years in the police academy with his colleagues.[38][39][40]
Anime[edit]See also: List of Case Closed episodes (seasons 1–15), List of Case Closed episodes (seasons 16–30), and List of Case Closed episodes (seasons 31–current)
The anime version of Case Closed is produced by Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation and TMS Entertainment.[41][42] Over 1,150 episodes have aired in Japan since the anime's premiere on January 8, 1996, making it the fifteenth longest anime series to date.[43][44] Initially, Shogakukan collected and released the episodes on VHS video cassettes from June 1996 to October 2006.[45][46] Four hundred and twenty-six episodes were released on VHS until Shogakukan abandoned the format and switched over to DVDs, starting over from the first episode.[47] For the fifteenth anniversary of the anime series, the series was made available for video on demand.[48][49] The series celebrated its 25th anniversary in January 2021, and the "Moonlight Sonata Murder Case" episode (11th episode of the series) was given the remake treatment as the first part of its celebration, which featured the latest staff and production techniques, and classical pianist Aimi Kobayashi performed Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 for the episode. It aired on March 6, 2021.[50][51]
As of 2018, the Detective Conan anime has been broadcast in 40 countries around the world.[52] The Canadian channel YTV picked up the Case Closed series and broadcast 22 episodes between April 7, 2006, and September 2, 2006, before taking it off the air.[53][54][55] Case Closed was later broadcast in North America on NHK's cable network TV Japan.[56] Hanabee Entertainment licensed the series for distribution in Australia.[57]
In 2003, the first 104 episodes, as well as the first six movies were licensed by Funimation for distribution in North America, under the title Case Closed because of legal considerations.[2][58] The Case Closed anime has also been released in other languages such as French, German and Italian.[59][60][61] Case Closed debuted on Cartoon Network as part of their Adult Swim programming block on May 24, 2004;[62] no more than 50 episodes were licensed from Funimation due to low ratings.[63] Funimation made the series available with the launch of the Funimation Channel in November 2005; it was temporary available on Colours TV during its syndication with the Funimation Channel.[64][65] Funimation also released DVDs of their dubbed series beginning August 24, 2004.[66] Initially, the releases were done in single DVDs and future episodes were released in seasonal boxes; 130 episodes have been released in total.[67] The seasonal boxes were later re-released in redesigned boxes called Viridian edition.[68][69] Funimation began streaming Case Closed episodes in March 2013.[70] Finally, in 2018, Funimation lost the rights to the series.[71]
A separate English adaptation of the series was made by Voiceovers Unlimited Pte Ltd. in Singapore.[33] Another one by Animax Asia premiered in the Philippines on January 18, 2006, under the name Detective Conan.[72][73] Because Animax were unable to obtain further TV broadcast rights, their version comprised only 52 episodes.[74] The series continued with reruns until August 7, 2006, when it was removed from the station.[75] Both the Singapore and Philippines versions used Japanese character names.[33] The California-based channel United Television Broadcasting (UTB) aired it with English subtitles from 2011 to 2014, until episode 421.[76][77]
Crunchyroll began simulcasting the series in October 2014, starting with episode 754.[78] In September 2020, Crunchyroll began streaming the first 42 episodes, later adding episodes 42–123 in August 2021 (with any special episodes with an extended runtime that were previously split into multiple parts being presented as they were originally broadcast in Japan).[79][80] In August 2024, Crunchyroll removed the first 123 episodes. In January 2016, 52 episodes of the anime appeared on Netflix, initially under its original title Detective Conan before changing to its English moniker Case Closed. The episodes were listed as "season one", although in reality they are episodes 748 to 799. The episodes were only available in Japanese, but were subtitled. The availability was likely part of Netflix's efforts to expand its anime catalog.[81] In January 2021, Netflix removed the episodes.
It was revealed in February 2023 that TMS Entertainment commissioned a new English dub of Case Closed, with episodes of the anime beginning streaming on Tubi that same month, starting at episode 965.[82][83] This marked the first English dub for the series since 2010.[84] The dub is produced by Florida-based studio Macias Group with a new dub cast (except for the voices of Shinichi, Conan, Ran, Kogoro, and Kaito Kid, whose voice actors were retained from the Bang Zoom! Entertainment home video dubs).[85]
Films[edit]See also: List of Case Closed films
Twenty-seven feature films based on the Case Closed series have been released. They are animated by TMS Entertainment and produced by Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation, Nippon Television, ShoPro, and Toho.[86] The first seven were directed by Kenji Kodama; films 8–14 were directed by Yasuichiro Yamamoto; films 15–21 were directed by Kobun Shizuno; film 22 and 26 were directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa; films 23, 24, and 27 were directed by Chika Nagaoka; and film 25 was directed by Susumu Mitsunaka. The films have been released in April of each year, starting in 1997 with the first film, Case Closed: The Time Bombed Skyscraper.[87] The 27th and latest film, Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram, was released on April 12, 2024. The second film and onwards were the top twenty grossing anime films in Japan.[88][89] The revenue earned from the films funded Toho's other film projects.[90] Each film was adapted into two film comics which were released in the fourth quarter of the same year.[91][92] Funimation released English dubbed versions of the first six films on Region 1 DVDs between October 3, 2006, and February 16, 2010.[93][94] Bang Zoom! Entertainment has released English dubs of Case Closed films through Discotek Media, starting with the Episode One TV special on July 28, 2020.[33]
Original video animations[edit]See also: List of Case Closed TV Specials and OVAs
Two original video animations (OVA) series were produced by TMS Entertainment, Nippon Television, and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation. The OVA series Shōnen Sunday Original Animation are yearly mail order episodes available to subscribers of Weekly Shōnen Sunday.[95] The first Shōnen Sunday Original Animation was available in Weekly Shōnen Sunday's 26th issue in 2000, with eleven OVAs released as of 2011.[96][97] The first nine episodes of the OVA series were later encapsulated into four DVD volumes titled Secret Files and were released between March 24, 2006, and April 9, 2010.[98][99] The second OVA series, entitled Magic File, consists of yearly direct-to-DVD releases. The first Magic File was released on April 11, 2007, and contained four episodes from the anime series.[100] The subsequent Magic File OVAs contained an original plot with background ties related to their respective Case Closed theatrical films, beginning with the twelfth film Detective Conan: Full Score of Fear.[101]
Television special[edit]
A two-hour television special titled Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan was produced by TMS Entertainment, Nippon Television, and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation and aired on March 27, 2009.[102] It was first announced in the 9th issue of Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 2009.[103] The plot follows Kudo as he investigates the death of the Queen of Vespania while Arsène Lupin III from the Lupin III series attempts to steal the Queen's crown. The special earned a household record rating of 19.5 in Japan.[104] VAP released the special on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on July 24, 2009.[105][106] The special is followed by Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Movie which takes place after the television special.
Video games[edit]See also: List of Case Closed video games
Case Closed's expansion into the video games industry followed behind its foray into animation. On December 27, 1996, Detective Conan: Chika Yuuenchi Satsujin Jiken was released for the Game Boy.[107] Since then, 24 games have been released. Currently, the majority of the games have only been released in Japan, though Nobilis has localized Case Closed: The Mirapolis Investigation for the PAL region.[108] All dedicated Detective Conan games released for the Game Boy, Sony's consoles, the WonderSwan, and the Nintendo DS have been developed by Bandai.[107][109][110][111][112] Banpresto developed the Case Closed titles on the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance while Marvelous Entertainment developed Case Closed: The Mirapolis Investigation.[108][113][114]
Audio CDs[edit]Main article: Case Closed discography
Katsuo Ono composed and arranged the music in the Case Closed animation; his works have been released on several CDs.[41][115][116][117] Two image albums, comprising several songs sung by Japanese voice actors of the characters in the animation, were also released.[118][119] Several theme music were performed by pop musicians such as B'z, Zard, and Garnet Crow. The first four theme music were released by Universal Music Group and all releases thereafter were by Being Inc.[120][121]
The Best of Detective Conan and The Best of Detective Conan 2 albums collectively sold over 2.2 million copies, while singles from The Best of Detective Conan 3 collectively sold over 1.6 million copies.[122] On July 25, 2017, the singer Mai Kuraki was awarded a Guinness World Record for singing the most theme songs in a single anime series, having sung 21 songs for Detective Conan, starting with her hit song "Secret of My Heart" (2000).[123]
Live-action drama[edit]See also: List of Detective Conan live action drama episodes
Four live action drama TV specials and a TV series were created by Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation and TMS entertainment based on the series.[124] The first two specials aired in 2006 and 2007 featuring Shun Oguri portraying the teenage Jimmy Kudo and Tomoka Kurokawa as Rachel Moore.[124][125] The third and fourth TV specials aired in 2011 and 2012 featuring Junpei Mizobata as Jimmy and Shioli Kutsuna as Rachel.[126] The cast used for those TV specials were used for the television series which aired between July 7 and September 29, 2011.[127][128]
Other related media[edit]A Detective Conan-themed cafe
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Weekly Shōnen Sunday and Weekly Shōnen Magazine, the two companies collaborated to publish twelve biweekly magazines consisting of chapters from Weekly Shōnen Sunday's Case Closed and Weekly Shōnen Magazine's Kindaichi Case Files.[129] The magazine ran between April 10, 2008, and September 25, 2008.[130][131]
Shogakukan have also produced many books spun off from the series. Fifty volumes of a film comic series were published in Japan between June 1996 and August 2000, covering the first 143 episodes of the anime, though some episodes were skipped.[132][133][134][135] Five additional film comics entitled 5 Juuyou Shorui (5重要書類, lit. 5 Important Documents) were published between July 2001 and January 2002 and covered selected episodes between 162 and 219.[136][137] Thirteen official guide books were published between June 1997 and April 2009.[138][139] Shogakukan has also published novels,[140] digest books,[141] educational books,[142] and puzzle books.[143]
In North America, Score Entertainment published the Case Closed Trading Card Game on June 29, 2005.[144][145] The game entails the use of three customized decks of cards, which players buy and collect. Representing characters, events, and objects in Case Closed, these cards are used by players to fulfill certain conditions to solve a case and win the game.[146] Certain cards are used to foil the progress of the player's opponents.[147][148] An English unofficial guidebook to the series titled The Case Closed Casebook: An Essential Guide was published by DH Publishing Inc. on March 25, 2008.[149] A collaborative themed event by Universal Studios Japan with the series, for the Universal Cool Japan 2018 attractions, ran from January 19 to June 24, 2018.[150] Characters from the series were featured in a crossover event for the survival horror video game Identity V for the game's China server in 2020,[151] and released globally in 2021.[152]
Reception[edit]Popularity[edit]
The series has ranked on the "Book of the Year" list from Media Factory's Da Vinci magazine, where professional book reviewers, bookstore employees, and Da Vinci readers participate; it ranked fifth in 2012;[153] eleventh in 2014;[154] fourth in 2015;[155] sixth in 2016;[156] fifth in 2017;[157] first in 2018;[158] fifth in 2019;[159] sixth in 2020;[160] tenth in 2021;[161] fifth in 2022;[162] eighth in 2023;[163] and thirteenth in 2024.[164] On TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, Case Closed ranked fourth, behind One Piece, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Slam Dunk.[165][166]
The animated adaptation of the series was also popular in Japan, appearing in the top six of Japanese TV Rankings at various times.[167][168] The television series ranked among the top twenty in polls conducted by anime magazine Animage from 1996 to 2001.[169][170][171][172][173][174][175] It also placed better than twenty-third in polls for the Top 100 anime conducted by Japanese television network TV Asahi in 2005–06.[176][177][178] The series received considerable airtime in China; it was the second most broadcast animation there in 2004.[179]
In 2006, the Japanese government used Conan in campaigns to help promote crime awareness among children.[180] Targeting the same audience, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs used Conan and his friends in two pamphlets: one to promote the ministry's mission, the other to introduce the 34th G8 summit held in the country in 2010.[181][182][183][184] Several characters in the series featured in the sixth installment of the Anime, Heroes and Heroines commemorative stamp series issued by Japan Post in 2006.[185] Aoyama and his creations are celebrated in his hometown Hokuei, Tottori; a museum with exhibits of his work is located there, and several bronze statues of Jimmy Kudo, Conan Edogawa, and Rachel Moore are installed in various locations throughout the town.[186][187][188][189][190] It also has other tourist attractions related to Detective Conan, including a Detective Conan themed airport and train station, and it is promoted as Conan Town.[191]
In 2018, Case Closed caught the attention of American late night talk show host Conan O'Brien, who discussed the character Conan Edogawa as well as Conan Town in his talk show Conan,[192] and visited the town in September 2018.[193]
Sales[edit]
By October 2021, the Case Closed manga had over 250 million copies in circulation worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series,[194] having been sold in 25 countries.[52] By January 2023, the manga had over 270 million copies in circulation worldwide.[195][196] In Japan, individual volumes frequently appear on the lists of best-selling manga.[197][198] Case Closed was the nineteenth best selling manga in 2011, with 2,120,091 copies sold.[199] Nikkei Entertainment magazine published a list of top 50 manga creators by sales since January 2010, in its September 2011 issue; Gosho Aoyama, the author of Case Closed was ranked sixteenth, with 3,320,000 copies sold.[200] It was the seventeenth best selling manga in 2012, with 2,430,572 copies sold.[201] In 2013, Case Closed became the 24th best selling manga, with 1,966,206 copies sold.[202] In 2024, alongside Space Brothers, Case Closed won the grand prize of Rakuten Kobo's second E-book Award in the "Long Seller Comic" category.[203]
Licensed merchandise based on Detective Conan are sold in Asia. In Japan, Detective Conan licensed merchandise sold ¥2.89 billion in 2003, ¥17.29 billion during 2005–2008, and ¥9.03 billion during 2010–2012, adding up to at least ¥29.21 billion ($366.08 million) sold in Japan between 2003 and 2012.[204] The first volume of Case Closed appeared thrice in the top ten selling lists, right after its premiere,[205] the same volume has also appeared in the Diamond Comic Distributors's ranking list.[206] Later-published volumes have appeared on The New York Times Manga Best Sellers lists.[207][208][209][210] Case Closed is one of the best-selling manga in Vietnam,[211] with volumes 93–96, surpassing the 1.5 million digital copies each by 2020.[212]
Critical response[edit]
In the United States, Case Closed received praises from Mania.com's Eduardo M. Chavez and IGN's A. E. Sparrow for its stories—telling the mysteries and how they were unfolded by the investigations of Conan and gang. Sparrow called the style of the series a mix of Scooby-Doo and Sherlock Holmes, while Chavez believed the manga had appeal to readers of all ages.[213][214] Melissa Sternenberg from THEM Anime Reviews gave the series 5 out of 5 stars, she praised its animation and plot, and described it as "what puts Detective Conan as my all-time favorite anime is the superb writing. I soak up Detective Conan like a good book, I get so drawn into every episode that everything around me just sinks away and it is just me and the episode. It is engrossing. I can not think of another word for it. Like I said, every episode is fresh, and every mystery that is solved is profound. The kid is a prodigy, and you can not blink while watching an episode of this wonderful series".[215]
ActiveAnime's reviewers commented on complex character design and the "spirit" that the series has, indicating that fans of serialized mystery shows would rather enjoy it. The series is also said to better suit the more matured audience.[216][217] Lori Lancaster of Mania.com described Case Closed as "a clever series that had mysteries at every corner", noting the "bizarre" and "interesting" nature of each case.[218] IGN's Chris Wyatt was positive to the manner the cases were set up, relating them to Agatha Christie's locked-room mysteries. He described the series as "Inspector Gadget meets Law & Order but in an anime style".[219]
In the United States, the dubbed series faced several negative reactions toward its changes to localize the content for international English-speaking audiences, mostly North American. Jeffrey Harris of IGN found it pointless to change the names of the characters, and Anime News Network's Carl Kimlinger said that the changes of certain Japanese cultural references rendered several parts of the mysteries and their investigation illogical.[220][221] The voice-overs proved to be a mixed bag for Carlo Santos, who reviewed the first DVD release of Case Closed for Anime News Network; he said that while the main characters sounded like "real people", the secondary ones "[came] off as caricatures".[222]
Accolades[edit]
The Case Closed manga series was awarded the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2001.[223] It respondents in an online poll for Japanese citizens in their mid-twenties voted Case Closed as one of the top three manga they wanted to continue running in publication.[224][225][226] In France, the series was nominated for the Angoulême Festival Graphic Novel award among the Japanese selection.[227] The series ranked on About.com's top continuing manga series of 2010, under the title "Best Underappreciated Gem: Shonen" category.[228]
Several of the franchise's films were nominated for awards in their home country. The ninth film was nominated for the feature film category at the 5th Annual Tokyo Anime Awards, and the next five films were nominees for the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in their respective years of release.[229][230][231][232][233][234] The anime series won the Anime Grand Prize at the 2024 TVer [ja] Awards, topping the platform's category in total views.[235]
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Death Note (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006, with its chapters collected in 12 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Light Yagami, a genius high school student who discovers a mysterious notebook: the "Death Note", which belonged to the shinigami Ryuk, and grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages. The series centers around Light's subsequent attempts to use the Death Note to carry out a worldwide massacre of individuals whom he deems immoral and to create a crime-free society, using the alias of a god-like vigilante named "Kira", and the subsequent efforts of an elite Japanese police task force, led by enigmatic detective L, to apprehend him.
A 37-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Madhouse and directed by Tetsurō Araki, was broadcast on Nippon Television from October 2006 to June 2007. A light novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was also released in 2006. Additionally, various video games have been published by Konami for the Nintendo DS. The series was adapted into three live-action films released in Japan in June, November 2006, and February 2008, and a television drama in 2015. A miniseries titled Death Note: New Generation and a fourth film were released in 2016. An American film adaptation was released exclusively on Netflix in August 2017, and a series is reportedly in the works. Two one-shot manga sequels, C-Kira and a-Kira, were published in 2008 and 2020, respectively; they were later collected in a single volume titled Death Note: Short Stories, alongside other standalone stories, in 2021. An online social deduction game, Death Note: Killer Within, was released by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Windows via Steam in 2024.
Death Note media, except for video games and soundtracks, is licensed and released in North America by Viz Media. The episodes from the anime first appeared in North America as downloadable from IGN before Viz Media licensed it. The series was aired on YTV's Bionix programming block in Canada and on Adult Swim in the United States with a DVD release following. The live-action films briefly played in certain North American theaters, in 2008, before receiving home video releases. By April 2015, the Death Note manga had over 30 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series.
Plot[edit]Further information: List of Death Note characters
In Tokyo, a disaffected high school student named Light Yagami finds the "Death Note", a mysterious black notebook with rules that can end anyone's life in seconds as long as the writer knows both the target's true name and face. Light uses the notebook to kill high-profile criminals and is visited by Ryuk, a shinigami and the Death Note's original owner. Ryuk, invisible to anyone who has not touched the notebook, reveals that he dropped the notebook into the human world out of boredom and is amused by Light's actions.[5]
Global media suggest that a single mastermind is responsible for the mysterious murders and name them "Kira" (キラ, the Japanese transliteration of the word "killer"). Interpol requests the assistance of the enigmatic detective L to assist in their investigation. L tricks Light into revealing that he is in the Kanto region of Japan by manipulating him to kill a decoy. Light vows to kill L, whom he views as obstructing his plans. L deduces that Kira has inside knowledge of the Japanese police investigation, led by Light's father, Soichiro Yagami. L assigns a team of FBI agents to monitor the families of those connected with the investigation and designates Light as the prime suspect. Light graduates from high school to college. L recruits Light into the Kira Task Force.
Actress-model Misa Amane obtains a second Death Note from a shinigami named Rem and makes a deal for shinigami eyes, which reveal the names of anyone whose face she sees, at the cost of half her remaining lifespan. Seeking to have Light become her boyfriend, Misa uncovers Light's identity as the original Kira. Light uses her love for him to his advantage, intending to use Misa's shinigami eyes to discern L's true name. L deduces that Misa is likely the second Kira and detains her. Rem threatens to kill Light if he does not find a way to save Misa. Light arranges a scheme in which he and Misa temporarily lose their memories of the Death Note, and has Rem pass the Death Note to Kyosuke Higuchi of the Yotsuba Group.
With memories of the Death Note erased, Light joins the investigation and, together with L, deduces Higuchi's identity and arrests him. Light regains his memories and uses the Death Note to kill Higuchi, regaining possession of the book. After restoring Misa's memories, Light instructs her to begin killing as Kira, causing L to cast suspicion on Misa. Rem realizes Light's plan to have Misa sacrifice herself to kill L. After Rem kills L, she disintegrates and Light obtains her Death Note. The task force agrees to have Light operate as the new L. The investigation stalls but crime rates continue to drop.
Four years later, cults worshiping Kira have risen. L's potential successors are introduced: Near and Mello. Mello joins the mafia whilst Near joins forces with the US government. Mello kidnaps Director Takimura, who is killed by Light. Mello kidnaps Light's sister and exchanges her for the Death Note, using it to kill almost all of Near's team. A Shinigami named Sidoh goes to Earth to reclaim his notebook and ends up meeting and helping Mello. Light uses the notebook to find Mello's hideout, but Soichiro is killed in the mission. Mello and Near exchange information and Mello kidnaps Mogi and gives him to Near. Kira's supporters attack Near's group, but they escape. Shuichi Aizawa, one of the task force members, becomes suspicious of Light and meets with Near. As suspicion falls again on Misa, Light passes Misa's Death Note to Teru Mikami, a fervent Kira supporter, and appoints newscaster Kiyomi Takada as Kira's public spokesperson. Near has Mikami followed whilst Aizawa's suspicions are confirmed. Realizing that Takada is connected to Kira, Mello kidnaps her. Takada kills Mello but is killed by Light. Near arranges a meeting between Light and the current Kira Task Force members. Light tries to have Mikami kill Near as well as all the task force members, but Mikami's Death Note fails to work, having been replaced with a decoy. Near proves Light is Kira discovering Mikami had not written down Light's name. Light is wounded in a scuffle and begs Ryuk to write the names of everyone present. Ryuk instead writes down Light's name in his Death Note, as he had promised to do the day they met, and Light dies.
One year later, the world has returned to normal and the Kira Taskforce Members are conflicted over whether they made the right decision. Meanwhile, cults continue to worship Kira.
C-Kira (one-shot sequel)[edit]
Three years later, Near, now functioning as the new L, receives word that a new Kira has appeared. Hearing that the new Kira is randomly killing people, Near concludes that the new Kira is an attention-seeker and denounces the new Kira as "boring" and not worth catching. A shinigami named Midora approaches Ryuk and gives him an apple from the human realm, in a bet to see if a random human could become the new Kira, but Midora loses the bet when the human writes his own name in the Death Note after hearing Near's announcement. Ryuk tells Midora that no human would ever surpass Light as the new Kira.
a-Kira (one-shot sequel)[edit]
Another ten years later, Ryuk returns to Earth and gives the Death Note to Minoru Tanaka, the top-scoring student in Japan, hoping that he will follow in Light Yagami's footsteps. On explaining the rules to Minoru, Ryuk is surprised when he returns the notebook and tells him to return it and his memory of their encounter to him in two years' time. Two years later, on receiving the notebook back from Ryuk, Minoru reveals he has no plans to use it himself but rather he plans to auction it off to the governments of the world, with Ryuk's help sending his offer out as "a-Kira", having waited two years until he was old enough to have a bank account to allow his plan to work. Elsewhere, Near (as L) is revealed to be developing technology meant to track Shinigami, although it is not yet advanced enough to be useful. After selling the Death Note to U.S. President Donald Trump[6][7][8][b] for a sum that would ensure every Japanese citizen under the age of 60 would be financially set for life, Minoru relinquishes his ownership and memory of his plan to Ryuk, assuring his own anonymity, while Trump is left unable to use the Death Note after the King of Death creates a new rule disallowing the Death Note to be sold, and he secretly returns it to Ryuk. Minoru collapses to the ground in the bank after withdrawing his savings. It is revealed that Ryuk wrote his name in the Death Note next to Light's. He longs for a human who will use the notebook for a longer period of time.
Production[edit]Development[edit]
The Death Note concept derived from a rather general concept involving shinigami and "specific rules".[10] Author Tsugumi Ohba wanted to create a suspense series because the genre had some suspense series available to the public. After the publication of the pilot chapter, the series was not expected to receive approval as a serialized comic. Learning that Death Note had received approval and that Takeshi Obata would create the artwork, Ohba said, they "couldn't even believe it".[11] Due to positive reactions, Death Note became a serialized manga series.[12]
"Thumbnails" incorporating dialogue, panel layout and basic drawings were created, reviewed by an editor and sent to Takeshi Obata, the illustrator, with the script finalized and the panel layout "mostly done". Obata then determined the expressions and "camera angles" and created the final artwork. Ohba concentrated on the tempo and the amount of dialogue, making the text as concise as possible. Ohba commented that "reading too much exposition" would be tiring and would negatively affect the atmosphere and "air of suspense". The illustrator had significant artistic licence to interpret basic descriptions, such as "abandoned building",[13] as well as the design of the Death Notes themselves.
When Ohba was deciding on the plot, they visualized the panels while relaxing on their bed, drinking tea, or walking around their house. Often the original draft was too long and needed to be refined to finalize the desired "tempo" and "flow". The writer remarked on their preference for reading the previous "two or four" chapters carefully to ensure consistency in the story.[10]
The typical weekly production schedule consisted of five days of creating and thinking and one day using a pencil to insert dialogue into rough drafts; after this point, the writer faxed any initial drafts to the editor. The illustrator's weekly production schedule involved one day with the thumbnails, layout, and pencils and one day with additional penciling and inking. Obata's assistants usually worked for four days and Obata spent one day to finish the artwork. Obata said that when he took a few extra days to color the pages, this "messed with the schedule". In contrast, the writer took three or four days to create a chapter on some occasions, while on others they took a month. Obata said that his schedule remained consistent except when he had to create color pages.[14]
Ohba and Obata rarely met in person during the creation of the serialized manga; instead, the two met with the editor. 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.[11] The two did not discuss the final chapters with one another and continued talking only with the editor. Ohba said that when they asked the editor if Obata had "said anything" about the story and plot, the editor responded: "No, nothing".[13]
Ohba claims that the series ended more or less in the manner that they intended for it to end; they considered the idea of L defeating Light Yagami with Light dying but instead chose to use the "Yellow Box Warehouse" ending. According to Ohba, the details had been set "from the beginning".[12] The writer wanted an ongoing plot line instead of an episodic series because Death Note was serialized and its focus was intended to be on a cast with a series of events triggered by the Death Note.[15] 13: How to Read states that the humorous aspects of Death Note originated from Ohba's "enjoyment of humorous stories".[16]
When Ohba was asked, during an interview, whether the series was meant to be about enjoying the plot twists and psychological warfare, Ohba responded by saying that this concept was the reason why they were "very happy" to place the story in Weekly Shōnen Jump.[14]
Concepts[edit]The notebooks[edit]
The core plot device of the story is the "Death Note" itself, a black notebook with instructions (known as "Rules of the Death Note") written on the inside. When used correctly, it allows anyone to commit a murder, knowing only the victim's name and face. According to the director of the live-action films, Shusuke Kaneko, "The idea of spirits living in words is an ancient Japanese concept.... In a way, it's a very Japanese story".[17]
Artist Takeshi Obata originally thought of the books as "Something you would automatically think was a Death Note". Deciding that this design would be cumbersome, he instead opted for a more accessible college notebook. Death Notes were originally conceived as changing based on time and location, resembling scrolls in ancient Japan, or the Old Testament in medieval Europe. However, this idea was never used.[18]
Themes[edit]
Writer Tsugumi Ohba had no particular themes in mind for Death Note. When pushed, he suggested: "Humans will all eventually die, so let's give it our all while we're alive".[19] In a 2012 paper, author Jolyon Baraka Thomas characterised Death Note as a psychological thriller released in the wake of the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, saying that it examines the human tendency to express itself through "horrific" cults.[20]
Pilot chapter[edit]
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, was "received well" by editors and attained positive reactions from readers.[12] Ohba described keeping the story of the pilot to one chapter as "very difficult", declaring that it took over a month to begin writing the chapter. He 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.[21]
Obata said that he wanted to draw the story after he heard of a "horror story featuring shinigami".[11] According to Obata, when he first received the rough draft created by Ohba, he "didn't really get it" at first, and he wanted to work on the project due to the presence of shinigami and because the work "was dark".[21] He also said 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 the main character "doesn't really drive the plot", he enjoyed the atmosphere of the story. He stated that he drew the pilot chapter so that it would appeal to himself.[21]
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. They did not meet in person while creating the pilot chapter. Ohba said that the editor told him he did not need to meet with Obata to discuss the pilot; Ohba said "I think it worked out all right".[11]
Anime adaptation[edit]
Tetsurō Araki, the director, said that he wished to convey aspects that "made the series interesting" instead of simply "focusing on morals or the concept of justice". Toshiki Inoue, the series organizer, agreed with Araki and added that, in anime adaptations, there is a lot of importance in highlighting the aspects that are "interesting in the original". He concluded that Light's presence was "the most compelling" aspect; therefore the adaptation chronicles Light's "thoughts and actions as much as possible". Inoue noted that to best incorporate the manga's plot into the anime, he "tweak[ed] the chronology a bit" and incorporated flashbacks that appear after the openings of the episodes; he said this revealed the desired tensions. Araki said that, because in an anime the viewer cannot "turn back pages" in the manner that a manga reader can, the anime staff ensured that the show clarified details. Inoue added that the staff did not want to get involved with every single detail, so the staff selected elements to emphasize. Due to the complexity of the original manga, he described the process as "definitely delicate and a great challenge". Inoue admitted that he placed more instructions and notes in the script than usual. Araki added that because of the importance of otherwise trivial details, this commentary became crucial to the development of the series.[22]
Araki said that when he discovered the Death Note anime project, he "literally begged" to join the production team; when he joined he insisted that Inoue should write the scripts. Inoue added that, because he enjoyed reading the manga, he wished to use his effort.[22]
Media[edit]Manga[edit]See also: List of Death Note chapters
Death Note, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 1, 2003,[23][24] to May 15, 2006.[c][24] The series' 108 chapters were collected into twelve tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, released from April 2, 2004,[27] to July 4, 2006.[28] A one-shot chapter, titled "C-Kira" (Cキラ編, C-Kira-hen) ("Death Note: Special One-Shot"), was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump on February 9, 2008. 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.[29][30] Several Death Note yonkoma (four-panel comics) appeared in Akamaru Jump. The yonkoma was 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 Shōnen Jump Gag Special 2005 included some Death Note yonkoma in a Jump Heroes Super 4-Panel Competition.[21] Shueisha re-released the series in seven bunkoban volumes from March 18 to August 19, 2014.[31][32] On October 4, 2016, all 12 original manga volumes and the February 2008 one-shot were released in a single All-in-One Edition, consisting of 2,400 pages in a single book.[33][34]
In April 2005, Viz Media announced that they had licensed the series for English release in North America.[35] The twelve volumes were released from October 10, 2005, to July 3, 2007.[36][37] The manga was re-released in a six-volume omnibus edition, dubbed "Black Edition".[38][39] The volumes were released from December 28, 2010, to November 1, 2011.[40][41] The All-in-One Edition was released in English on September 6, 2017, resulting in the February 2008 one-shot being released in English for the first time.[42]
In addition, a guidebook for the manga was also released on October 13, 2006. It was named Death Note 13: How to Read and contained data relating to the series, including character profiles of almost every character that is named, creator interviews, behind the scenes info for the series and the pilot chapter that preceded Death Note. It also reprinted all of the yonkoma published in Akamaru Jump and the Weekly Shōnen Jump Gag Special 2005.[43][44] In North America, 13: How to Read was released on February 19, 2008.[45]
In the June 2019 issue of Shueisha's Jump Square it was announced that a new one-shot chapter of Death Note would be published. Part of the complete manuscript debuted at the "30th Work Anniversary Takeshi Obata Exhibition: Never Complete" event which ran in Tokyo from July 13 to August 12, 2019.[46] Titled "Death Note: Special One-Shot", the entire 87-page chapter was published in Jump Square on February 4, 2020, and on Viz Media's website.[47][48] A collected volume titled Death Note: Short Stories (DEATH NOTE短編集, Desu Nōto Tanpenshū), which includes the "C-Kira" one-shot chapter, the "Special One-Shot" (re-titled "a-Kira" (aキラ編, a-Kira-hen), the series' pilot chapter, the "L: The Wammy's House" and "L: One Day" one-shot chapters and the yonkoma, was released on February 4, 2021.[49][50][51] The volume was published in English by Viz Media on May 10, 2022.[52]
Light novels[edit]
A light novel adaptation of the series has been written by Nisio Isin, called Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. The novel was released by Shueisha on August 1, 2006.[53][54] 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. Besides Naomi's character, the novel focuses on how L works and one of the criminals L has to chase down. Insight was given into Watari's orphanage and how the whole system of geniuses such as L, Mello, Beyond Birthday, Matt and Near were put to work. Viz released the novel in English on February 19, 2008.[55] The film L: Change the World was also adapted into a light novel with the same name on December 25, 2007, by "M",[56] While the novel is similar to the film, there are many significant changes to the plot (for example, Near is not a Thai boy, but the same Near that appears in the manga). It also reveals more information about L and his past. Viz released it on October 20, 2009.[57]
Anime[edit]Main article: Death Note (2006 TV series)
The Death Note anime, directed by Tetsurō Araki and animated by Madhouse, began airing on Nippon TV on October 4, 2006, and finished its run on June 27, 2007, totaling 37 episodes.[58] The series aired on the network "every Tuesday at 0:56", which is effectively Wednesday.[59] The series was co-produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, Shueisha, D.N. Dream Partners and VAP.[60] In North America, the series was 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 was seen as "significant because it marked the first time a well known Japanese anime property was made legally available in the United States for domestic audiences to download while the title was still airing on Japanese television".[61] The downloadable episodes contained the original Japanese audio track and English subtitles,[62] and were made available through IGN's Windows-only Direct2Drive service.[63] DVDs of the series have also been released,[62] containing both an English dubbed audio track, produced by Ocean Productions, and the original Japanese audio track with optional English subtitles.[64] Viz announced at Anime Expo 2007 that the first DVD was officially released on November 20, 2007, in both regular and special editions,[65] and also confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con in 2007 that the first 15,000 copies of each DVD contain collectible figures.[66]
Death Note was slated to make its North American television premiere in Canada, as part of YTV's Bionix programming block, on September 7, 2007.[67] However, the show was removed from the schedule at the last minute[68] and the Canadian premiere was pushed back to October 26, 2007, at 10:00 p.m. The series premiered in the U.S. on October 20, 2007, at 12:00 a.m. on Adult Swim[69] and ran until January 10, 2010, when its contract expired.[70] The last episode aired on YTV, July 4, 2008, and would later air on Adult Swim two days later. The show was removed from YTV's schedule on July 5, 2008, with its last airing being a rerun of the final episode at 1:30 a.m. ET. Soon after, Bionix became a 2-hour block on Saturday nights.[71] The show also streamed online free on Adult Swim Video, with a new episode available every Saturday afternoon, on the day of its broadcast premiere.[72] On July 26, 2017, Starz announced that they would be offering episodes of the series for their video on demand service starting on August 1 of that same year.[73]
A two-hour animated Death Note Relight: Visions of a God (DEATH NOTE リライト·幻視する神, Desu Nōto Riraito: Genshisuru kami) TV special aired on Nippon Television in Japan on August 31, 2007, at 8:00 p.m. 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 last story 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 does not give a different point of view from what was originally told. However, it contains updated dialog, as well as a few new scenes.[74]
Nippon TV aired the Death Note: Relight: L's Successors (DEATH NOTE リライト2 Lを継ぐ者, Desu Nōto Riraito 2: L o Tsugu Mono) special on August 22, 2008. Like the first special, this new compilation summarized a part of the 2006–2007 anime television series. Specifically, it recounted the final half of the suspenseful supernatural story, including the investigators Near and Mello's confrontations with the vigilante Kira.[75] This version features more updates than the previous one, most notably omission of the mafia plot.
Soundtracks[edit]Main article: Death Note original soundtracks
Several soundtracks for the series have been released. The music from the anime was composed by Yoshihisa Hirano and Hideki Taniuchi, while the CDs were also published by VAP. The first one was Death Note Original Soundtrack, which was released in Japan on December 21, 2006. It contains music from the series with the first opening and ending themes are sung by the Japanese band Nightmare in the TV size format.[76] Death Note Original Soundtrack II was first released in Japan on March 21, 2007. It features the new opening and closing themes by Maximum the Hormone in the TV size format.[77] The third CD, Death Note Original Soundtrack III was released on June 27, 2007. Tracks 1–21 were composed and arranged by Taniuchi, while tracks 22–28 were composed and arranged by Hirano. The album features one track sung by Aya Hirano, who was also the Japanese voice actress of Misa Amane in the anime series. Also appearing on this soundtrack is the ending theme Coda〜Death Note, which can be heard at the end of the final episode of the anime as the credits are shown.[78]
Several soundtracks have also been released for the live action films. Sound of Death Note is a soundtrack featuring music from the first Death Note film composed and arranged by Kenji Kawai. It was released on June 17, 2006, by VAP.[79] Sound of Death Note the Last name is the soundtrack from the second Death Note film, Death Note the Last name. It was released on November 2, 2006.[80] Death Note Tribute is a tribute album dedicated to the live action film Death Note. Published by BMG Japan on June 21, 2006, Japan, it contains 15 tracks performed by various artists, such as Shikao Suga, M-Flo, Buck-Tick, and Aya Matsuura. The soundtrack came with a cosplay Death Note notebook.[81] Another tribute album is The Songs for Death Note the movie〜the Last name Tribute dedicated to the second film. Published by Sony Music Entertainment Japan on December 20, 2006, it contains 14 tracks performed by various artists, such as Orange Range, Abingdon Boys School, High and Mighty Color, Doping Panda, and Galneryus.[82]
Live-action films[edit]Main articles: Death Note (2006 film), Death Note 2: The Last Name, L: Change the World, Death Note: New Generation, Death Note: Light Up the New World, and Death Note (2017 film)
Death Note was adapted into a series of live-action films in 2006. The first two films were directed by Shusuke Kaneko and the third was directed by Hideo Nakata and produced by Nippon Television, CG production of all three films were done by Digital Frontier and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. The first film, simply titled Death Note, premiered in Japan on June 17, 2006, and topped the Japanese box office for two weeks, pushing The Da Vinci Code into second place.[83] The first film briefly played in certain North American theaters on May 20–21, 2008.[84] The film was broadcast in Canadian theaters for one night only on September 15, 2008. The DVD was released on September 16, 2008, one day after the Canadian showing.[85] The sequel, Death Note 2: The Last Name, premiered in Japan on November 3, 2006.[86] It was featured in U.S. theaters in October 2008.[87]
A spin-off from the films named L: Change the World was released in Japan on February 9, 2008. It is focused on the final 23 days of L's life, as he solves one final case involving a bio-terrorist group.[88] Two dubbed versions of the film were shown in the United States on April 29 and 30, 2009.[89] In August 2016, a three-part miniseries entitled Death Note: New Generation was announced as a part of the Death Note live-action film series and aired in September. It bridges the 10-year gap between the previous films and the then-upcoming 2016 film.[90][91] A fourth Japanese Death Note film was released in 2016[92] and featured a cyber-terrorism setting with the inclusion of six Death Notes brought into the human world.[93] An American adaptation was released on Netflix on August 25, 2017.[94] The film was directed by Adam Wingard and was written by Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides, and Jeremy Slater. It starred Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, Shea Whigham, Paul Nakauchi, Jason Liles, and Willem Dafoe. A sequel film is reportedly in the works.[95]
Live-action series[edit]Main article: Death Note (2015 TV series)
In April 2015, it was announced that a live-action television series based on Death Note manga would begin airing from July 2015 on Nippon TV.[96] Masataka Kubota stars as Light Yagami and Kento Yamazaki as L in the series.[97]
In July 2022, it was announced that the Duffer Brothers recently founded Upside Down Pictures production company would be producing a new live-action series adaptation for Netflix.[98][99] In October 2022, it was announced that Halia Abdel-Meguid was brought on to write and executive produce the series.[100][101]
Video games[edit]
A Death Note video game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo DS, titled Death Note: Kira Game (デスノート キラゲーム, Desu Nōto Kira Gēmu), was released on February 15, 2007.[102] 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 three 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).[103] A sequel to the game, Death Note: Successors to L (デスノート Lを継ぐ者, Desu Nōto Eru o Tsugu Mono), 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.[103]
A third game, L the Prologue to Death Note: Spiraling Trap (L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -螺旋の罠-, L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -Rasen no Wana-), was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on February 7, 2008.[103][104] The player assumes 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.[104] Several characters from Death Note appear in Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars, a fighting game featuring multiple characters from Weekly Shōnen Jump titles. Light, Ryuk, and L appear in Jump Super Stars as support characters. Misa, Near, and Mello are added as support characters in Jump Ultimate Stars as well.[105][106] The 2019 video game Jump Force features Light and Ryuk as non-playable characters, playing a key role in the game's story mode.[107]
An online social deduction game, titled Death Note: Killer Within, was released by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Windows via Steam on November 5, 2024. In the game, up to ten players are split into two teams—Kira and his followers and L and the police investigation team. Kira's team aims to kill all its target with the Death Note and L's team must seize and dispose of the Death Note. Both teams try to uncover the identities of the opposing players. The players are represented by pawns, akin to those used by Near in the original series.[108]
Musical[edit]Main article: Death Note: The Musical
In 2015, a musical adaptation of the manga called Death Note: The Musical ran in both Japan and South Korea. It was originally composed in English by Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and book by Ivan Menchell.[109] An English production was announced in May 2023 to play at the London Palladium for two nights on August 21–22, 2023,[110] directed by Nick Winston starring Joaquin Pedro Valdes as Light, Dean John-Wilson as L and Frances Mayli McCann as Misa.[111] The original Japanese production, produced by Japanese talent agency HoriPro [ja], ran from 6 to April 29, 2015, and stars Kenji Urai and Hayato Kakizawa [ja] double-cast as Light Yagami, and Teppei Koike as L.[112] A Korean production of the same musical ran from June 11 to August 11, 2015, in South Korea, starring musical actor Hong Kwang-ho and JYJ member and musical actor Kim Junsu.[113][114]
Reception[edit]Manga[edit]
By April 2015, the Death Note manga had over 30 million copies in circulation.[115] On ICv2's "Top 10 Shonen Properties Q2 2009", Death Note was the third best-selling manga property in North America.[116] The series ranked second on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2006 and 2007 for male readers.[117] It was nominated for the 38th Seiun Awards in the Best Comic category in 2007.[118] The manga received the Grand Prize of Best Manga and Best Screenplay at the Japan Expo Awards 2007.[119] The series won the 2008 Eagle Award for Favourite Manga as voted by UK fans.[120] According to a survey conducted in 2007 by the Ministry of culture of Japan, occupies the tenth place among the best manga of all time.[121] It also received several nominations such as Best Manga at the 2006 American Anime Awards,[122][123] the 2007 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize,[124] an Official Selection at Angoulême International Comics Festival 2008,[125] and Obata was nominated for Best Penciller/Inker at the 2008 Eisner Awards.[126] In 2007, the first three volumes of Death Note were on the American Library Association's 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top Ten list.[127]
Douglas Wolk of Salon said that a rumor circulated stating that the creators intended to create Death Note to last half as long as its actual run and Ohba and Obata had been persuaded to lengthen the storyline when Death Note's popularity increased, noting that the rumor "makes sense, since about halfway through the series, there's a point that seems like a natural ending". In addition, he said that fans wrote "thousands" of Death Note fan fiction stories and posted them on the internet.[128] In 2006, Japanese fans pointed out the similarities between Death Note and the 1973 one-shot manga The Miraculous Notebook (不思議な手帖) by Shigeru Mizuki. Comipress reported that the only difference between the story and Death Note is that there are no shinigamis.[129]
Anime News Network writer Zac Bertschy called Death Note a "surprisingly gripping and original suspense tale that raises a handful of interesting questions about morality". He noted that the difference between the series and other manga from the same demographic was very big due to the murders the main character commits as well as how he hides his identity of Kira. Although Bertschy mentioned some manga readers will be surprised with the dark themes of Death Note, he praised the series for its "great art, great story, [and] compelling characters".[130] Briana Lawrence from the same website stated that what makes Death Note so interesting is that there is no villain, "instead it had two opposing sides that both believe in the same thing: justice". She felt that once vital characters fading into the background, the ending brings back what the fans loved about the first volume and the supporting cast are "given a chance to shine". She also mentioned that the epilogue made no mention of what happens with Misa Amane and how Near and Mello were still treated like parts of L.[131] Julie Rosato from Mania Entertainment found the story to be very entertaining, having liked Light's development in the story and L's introduction as well as how the latter starts suspecting the former's identity. Additionally, she praised the story as it is "building a climax" with each detail introduced in the first chapter, making the reader look forward to upcoming chapters.[132] Jolyon Baraka Thomas, in a Japanese Journal of Religious Studies article, describes the manga as having a "somber narrative" with a "dark cast". Obata's art is "[rendered] in stark strokes characterized---fittingly---by a complex interplay of light and shadow".[20]
Anime[edit]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "Death Note is an exceptional anime that poses profound questions about justice and murder, all while delivering a supremely satisfying tale of tactical one-upmanship between a detective and killer."[133]
The anime was commended with Tom S. Pepirium of IGN saying that Death Note's "heavy serialized nature" is what "makes the show so engaging and discussion worthy".[134] Pepirium, saying that translating Death Note is "no small task", stated that Stephen Hedley created an English dub with "nothing clunky". He 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".[135] On the NPR show Fresh Air, John Powers said that Death Note is "at least as addictive as a show like Lost".[136] Hyper wrote:
Running over thirty-seven 20 minutes episodes, the anime sticks much closer to the manga so takes a far more languid approach to storytelling, better fleshing out the fantastic characters of Light and his nemesis, L. Light in particular is one of the most layered characters to appear in anime in a long time.[137]
Jacob Hope Chapman from Anime News Network praised Teru Mikami's role as bloody and flashy and even better than that of Near, Mello, and Misa.[138] The Daily Telegraph's Henry St. Leger wrote, "What starts as a moral fable about the corruption of power becomes a slow-burning game of cat-and-mouse as Light is chased down by the world's greatest detective. Some droning voice acting leadens what is otherwise a brilliantly terse noir."[139] Vulture's Maya Phillips wrote, "Beyond its deft twists and turns, Death Note also addresses questions about morality, justice, and capital punishment. All this, plus beautiful animation and well-written dialogue and plot, makes Death Note the cream of the animated crop."[140]
The Death Note anime was one of the series to win Best TV Anime at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair.[141] In 2009, Death Note was listed as the 51st best animated show in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series.[142]
Light novels[edit]
A.E. Sparrow of IGN reviewed the novel Another Note 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 Nisio Isin's work which "adds a few more fun layers" to the Death Note franchise.[143] The novelization of L: Change the World became the second top-selling light novel in Japan during 2008.[144]
Legacy and controversies[edit]
The series release outside Japan has inspired other works, as well as individuals making their own mock "Death Notes", including one that was associated with a real-life murder. According to Wired magazine, Death Note "[turned] Japan's most-popular print medium into an internationally controversial topic that has parents wondering whether they should prohibit their kids from reading manga entirely". Live-action director Shusuke Kaneko commented in response, "If preventing them from seeing this movie is going to make kids better, then why not prevent them from watching all bad news?".[17]
In regards to the 2019 The Twilight Zone episode "The Comedian", Rosie Knight of The Hollywood Reporter stated that Samir's story appears to take a large influence from Death Note.[145] The Simpsons has parodied Death Note in both comic books and animation with the 2008 comic book story "Murder, He Wrote" in The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror #14,[146][147] where Bart receives the notebook from the Ryuk-ified ghost of Krusty the Clown, and the "Death Tome" segment of the 2022 television episode "Treehouse of Horror XXXIII", with Lisa receiving the titular book.[148]
Bans and attempted bans[edit]
Early in 2005, school officials in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning (People's Republic of China), banned Death Note.[149] The immediate cause was that students had been altering notebooks to resemble Death Notes and then writing the names of acquaintances, enemies, and teachers in the books.[150][151] The ban was designed to protect the "physical and mental health"[152] of students from horror material that "misleads innocent children and distorts their mind and spirit".[153] Jonathan Clements has suggested that the Chinese authorities acted partly against "superstition", but also against illegal, pirate publishers of Death Note.[154] The ban has been extended to other Chinese cities including Beijing,[155][156] Shanghai and Lanzhou in Gansu Province.[157] Legally published Chinese-language versions of Death Note are published in Hong Kong.[154] On June 12, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture listed Death Note among 38 anime and manga titles banned in China.[158]
In 2007, the education bureau in Pingtung County, Taiwan asked teachers to pay attention to any negative influence on elementary school students reading the manga.[159] In May 2010, the Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico held a hearing to ban the Death Note manga from their district's schools; it was unanimously voted down.[160] After volumes of Death Note were found at the February 2013 suicide of a 15-year-old girl in Yekaterinburg, Russia, a local parents' group began campaigning to regulate all media based on the series, saying that it had an adverse effect on the minds of children.[161] In March 2014, investigators concluded that the manga did not cause the girl to commit suicide.[162]
Imitations of the series[edit]Typical design of a Death Note
There have been various imitations around the world of the premise of Death Note. At least one instance was linked to a crime - on September 28, 2007, two notes written with Latin characters stating "Watashi wa Kira dess" [sic], a mis-transliteration of "I am Kira" (私はキラです, Watashi wa Kira desu),[163] were found near the partial remains of a Caucasian male in Belgium. The case has been called the "Mangamoord" (Dutch for Manga Murder) in Belgian media.[164] It was not until 2010 that four people were arrested in connection to the murder.[165] A senior at the Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia, United States was suspended in 2007 after being caught possessing a replica "Death Note" notebook with the names of fellow students. The school's principal wrote a letter to the student's parents linking to an unofficial website where visitors can write names and circumstances of death for people they want to die.[166]
In South Carolina in March 2008, school officials seized a "Death Note" notebook from a Hartsville Middle School student. District officials linked the notebook to the anime/manga. The notebook listed seven students' names. The school planned a disciplinary hearing and contacted the seven students' parents.[167] In Gadsden, Alabama in April 2008, two sixth-grade boys were arrested for possession of a "Death Note" that listed names of several staff members and fellow students. According to Etowah County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Lanny Handy, the notebook was discovered the previous afternoon by a staffer. The students were suspended from the county's schools, pending a juvenile court hearing. The students, their parents, and school officials had met with Handy and a junior probation officer.[168] In Gig Harbor, Washington, one middle school student was expelled and three were suspended on May 14, 2008, for having 50 names in their own "Death Note" book, including President George W. Bush.[169]
It was reported in September 2009, that a Year Eight boy in Sydney, Australia, created a "Death Note" that along with names contained a "battle plan" detailing where bombs could be placed inside his school.[170] In December 2009, two students at an elementary school in Oklahoma were disciplined for a "Death Note" with the names and descriptions of deaths of two girls that had angered them.[171] A Michigan middle school student was suspended indefinitely in March 2010 for a "Death Note".[172] In May 2010, a middle school student in Avonworth School District in Pennsylvania was suspended for a "Death Note" with names of fellow students and pop singer Justin Bieber.[160] In February 2015, a fifth-grade student of an elementary school near Pittsburgh was suspended for owning a "Death Note" and writing other students' names in it.[173]