Overview
Death Note is a multimedia franchise represented in Volluble by 9 connected works across 3 media categories. This hub organizes the franchise by release chronology and gives newcomers a clear starting point.
Synopsis
Death Note begins when Light Yagami, a brilliant but bored high school student, finds a supernatural notebook dropped by the shinigami Ryuk. Any human whose name is written in the Death Note dies, under rules Light quickly tests and exploits. Seeing a chance to remake the world, Light begins executing criminals as Kira, attracting global attention and a secret war of deduction with the enigmatic detective L. Their battle becomes a tense game of identity, justice, and manipulation, where every move risks exposure.
The franchise grows beyond that central duel. The anime and recap specials retell and dramatize the original conflict, while later manga stories explore other people who encounter the notebook, including new Kira figures and standalone cases. These tales widen the mythology, revisit the notebook's rules, and ask how different users handle absolute power. Across its versions, Death Note remains a psychological thriller about ideals taken to deadly extremes.
Trailer
Anime, Manga & Related Material
Browse the connected catalog from the earliest release forward, newest first, or alphabetically.
Where Should You Start?
Volluble Recommended Start
Start with Death Note. It gives newcomers a practical first look before committing to the wider franchise.
Source-Material Route
If you prefer the original source, begin with Death Note: Taro Kagami and follow the source-material branch from there.
Core Franchise Path
- MangaDeath Note: Taro Kagami2003 · Manga · 1 chapters
- MangaDeath Note2003 · Manga · 108 chapters
- AnimeDeath Note2006 · Anime · 37 episodes
- MangaDeath Note: C-Kira2007 · Manga · 1 chapters
- SpecialDeath Note: Relight2007 · Special · 2 episodes
- MangaDeath Note: a-Kira2020 · Manga · 1 chapters
- MangaDeath Note Short Stories2021 · Manga · 6 chapters
Volluble Test Drive
Use the recommended starting point above. If its characters, world and pacing click with you, continue into the core path or move to the source material for more detail.
Should You Get Into It?
Try it if you enjoy…
- A large catalog gives you multiple ways into Death Note, from core series to movies and side material.
- The franchise can be explored chronologically or by following only the core continuity.
- Anime-first viewers can sample the recommended start before deciding whether to move into the source material.
It may not suit you if…
- A large franchise can make watch order and continuity choices confusing at first.
- Alternate versions, recuts, movies and side stories may overlap with the core story.
- Completion can require a significant time commitment if you choose to explore every connected work.
Franchise Background
Death Note traces its Volluble catalog back to Death Note: Taro Kagami (2003). The catalog above separates core works, adaptations, alternate versions, movies, specials and other connected material so the release history remains understandable as the franchise grows.
Join the Death Note Community
Discussion groups, polls, reviews and fan activity will plug into this franchise hub through Centropy Community.