Is Death Note manga finished? Explained

Death Note manga serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump, written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. Its unique concept of a high school student finding a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone by writing their name captured readers' imaginations.

For nearly two decades, the cat-and-mouse thriller has remained a cornerstone of modern pop culture, its influence visible across countless “dark strategy” series that followed. However, despite its popularity, the creators had a clear ending in mind from the start.

It was first published in 2003 and ran for 108 chapters total across 12 volumes.

The Death Note manga series is completed. The finale appeared in chapter 108, which was published in Volume 12. This last volume was released on July 2, 2006, in Japan, marking the end of the manga's initial serialization run.

The Death Note manga is completed

Expand Tweet

After 108 chapters, the main story of Light Yagami and his discovery of the lethal Death Note was finished by the creators. They managed to provide a definitive conclusion to the cat-and-mouse game between Light and his detective adversaries (including L and his successors), wrapping up all the main plotlines.

According to writer Tsugumi Ohba, yes, they always intended to finish this manga with a specific ending in mind once it began being serialized. Ohba is known to have carefully planned the story’s structure to ensure it remained focused and concluded as intended.

So while fans may have wanted more adventures with Light and L, the creators stuck to their vision and capped off the manga after over two years of chapters.

Is there more manga after Volume 12?

Expand Tweet

After the main Death Note manga ended, Ohba and Obata released supplementary stories set in the same world. For example, one-shot chapters like the 2008 "C-Kira story" and the 2020 "a-Kira story" (officially "Death Note: Special One-Shot") pick up years later, with the latter set over a decade after the original series' end.

There is also the live-action miniseries Death Note: New Generation that followed a copycat killer and served as a prequel to the film Death Note: Light Up the New World.

And Ohba and Obata have a shortform manga titled Death Note One-Shot Special that appeared in Jump SQ magazine, introducing new Death Note rules and characters.

So while the core manga is finished, the creators still revisit that world from time to time or approve new side stories or spinoffs. This shows that there are still stories and concepts they want to explore related to the Death Note itself.

Will there be an anime continuation or sequel?

Expand Tweet

For now, there have not been any official announcements about a new Death Note manga getting adapted into a new anime series or movies.

The closest live-action film continuation is Death Note: Light Up the New World, which was more of a spiritual successor with new characters rather than a direct sequel. Of course, if new Death Note manga gets produced, fans would surely hope to see it get animated as well.

But it may depend on various factors and ultimately is not the original manga creators' decision. In any case, with strong fan demand and companies seeing profit potential, more Death Note anime content becoming available in the future can't be ruled out, even if the core manga concluded years ago.

Conclusion

Expand Tweet

To wrap up, yes, the Death Note manga's main storyline is finished as the creators intended after 108 chapters across 12 volumes. While Ohba and Obata have produced supplementary Death Note stories over the years, the fate of Light Yagami, L, and the Death Note itself was definitively wrapped up in 2006.

An anime continuation has not been announced, but with the franchise's enduring popularity, the potential still exists for new adaptations. Animated or live-action versions may yet emerge, building on the dark themes Ohba introduced with the deadly notebook.

While the manga has ended, its dark supernatural world still lives on and may continue to spawn new stories and adaptations for years to come across various media for both dedicated fans and newcomers alike.