Death Note is still one of the most popular anime and manga franchises, having continued to inspire movies, books and other spinoffs throughout the years. Much like Attack on Titan, Death Note was able to attract fans who might normally not have paid attention to anime or manga.
Death Note is a twisting psychological thriller about Light Yagami, a young genius who finds a supernatural notebook that grants him the ability to kill anyone whose name is written within its pages. Adopting the alias Kira, he launches a crusade to rid the world of those he deems immoral, and is quickly drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse with Interpol and the enigmatic detective known as L.
The anime and manga end on similar notes, but each gives the story's conclusion a different emphasis. Here's how they end, and how they're both similar and different.
How the Death Note Manga Ended
Written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, the Death Note manga ended in 2006 in Japan (2007 in the United States) with its final two volumes, Curtain and Finis. The finale begins with Light Yagami, aka Kira, cornered by gifted genius Near as his crimes are admitted to the group that's been pursuing him. Kira's plan had initially been to use the Death Note and rid the world of evildoers, but once he became drunk on its power, his body count increased while his regard for human life did the opposite. This drew the attention of L, who deduces that Kira must be operating within Japan. Forming the Japanese Task Force, L and remnants of the National Police Agency members assigned to the case begin the hunt for the killer, interviewing and detaining anyone who harbors sympathies for him or suspicions of being him.
In the manga's climax, Light discovers the Shinigami Ryuk, who gave him the Death Note, is nearby, and he begs the death spirit to help him out of his predicament. Ryuk grants his request, and writes a name in the notebook: Light's. Ryuk reminds Light that he promised to eventually write his name in the book, and that he has no interest in waiting for a trial or prison time for Light to die and return the Death Note. Light freaks out, not wanting to die but destined to do so, because Ryuk relays that a nothingness far different from any heaven or hell awaits him.
The final chapter shows how the world has moved on a year after Light's death, with big changes occurring to both the National Police Agency and Wammy's House, the orphanage where L was raised. The facility's original goal was teaching particularly gifted children has now shifted to train a successor to the deceased L. Shuichi Aizawa and Touta Matsuda, two formerly feuding members of the National Police Agency, recall how the events leading to Light's death played out, and question whether they did all they could while wondering if everything was as coincidental as it seemed. Elsewhere, history begins to repeat itself with Near, another gifted orphan from Wammy's House, taking on the role of the new L. At the same time, a mysterious ceremony takes place in which a group of thousands parts at the arrival of a strange hooded woman, the new Kira.
How the Death Note Anime Ended
The anime ended with its 37th episode, Season 2's "New World," which truncated the manga's finale, and changed certain elements in its execution. It begins with the characters questioning the lack of deaths after names were written in the supposed Death Note, revealing the reality of pages being replaced. That leads to the exposing of Light Yagami as Kira, who flails between attempts to elude authorities.
Matsuda shoots Light as he tries to escape, although the latter buys himself time with the suicide of Teru Mikami, a devoted follower of Kira's. Shuichi Aizawa goes against Near's orders and follows the injured Light, who reflects on his original deal with Ryuk. The death spirit then tells him he'd rather not wait for him to die naturally in order to reclaim the Death Note, and instead writes Kira's name in the notebook. The event is treated with far less fanfare than in the manga; it's a much more sullen affair. The rest of the episode shows what happens to the remaining characters, including the remaining "Kiras," and the suicide of Misa, a girl who had been obsessed with Kira. This isn't as extensive as the future events shown in the manga's ending, but it does make the conclusion more personal.
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