A manga series written by Ooba Tsugumi and illustrated by Obata Takeshi and published on Weekly Shounen Jump on 2003. An anime adaption produced by Madhouse was aired from 2006 to 2007. There are also live-action adaptions, novels, and sequels.
Yagami Light is a brilliant young man who one day finds a black notebook called a Death Note which can kill anyone whose name is written in it. Light uses it to secretly kill criminals, drawing the attention of Interpol and the enigmatic detective L. This ultimately leads him to a psychological game of cat-and-mouse as Light avoids the authorities while attempting to create a new world in his own vision.
