Death Note franchise

2003-12-0

Yes

Japan

[b]Death Note[/b] (Japanese: デスノート Desu Nōto) is a franchise based on the Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The story follows Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook from a shinigami named Ryuk that grants its user the ability to kill anyone whose name and face he knows. The series centers around Light's subsequent attempts to create and rule a world "cleansed of evil" as a "God" using this found notebook, and the efforts of a detective known as L to stop him. Death Note was first serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006. A television anime adaptation aired in Japan from October 3, 2006, to June 26, 2007. Composed of 37 episodes, the anime was developed by Madhouse and directed by Tetsuro Araki. A light novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was also released in 2006. Additionally, various video games have been published by item:109259[Konami] for the item:109332[Nintendo DS]. The series was adapted into three live-action films released in Japan on June 17, 2006, November 3, 2006, and February 2, 2008, and a television drama in 2015.