Death Note (Japanese: デスノート Desu Nōto) is a Japanese anime series directed by Tetsurō Araki and animated by Madhouse. It is based on the manga 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.
It began airing in Japan on October 3, 2006, and finished its run on June 26, 2007, totaling 37 twenty-minute episodes. The series was co-produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, Shueisha, D.N. Dream Partners and VAP.