Death Note has gone through a lot of different incarnations on its way to becoming one of the most successful Japanese entertainment franchises of the modern era.
The new manga installment is being promoted with the premise “The Death Note reappears in a world where Kira no longer exists,” and so instead Shinigami Ryuk will be serving Minoru Tanaka, a boy who for three years running has tested as the most intelligent junior high school student in Japan.
Now Death Note is coming full circle and returning to its original format, with a brand-new manga installment, its first in 12 years. And no, this isn’t a Dragon Ball Super-like situation where they’ve found a new artist to produce a facsimile of the established visual style, as Death Note’s original creators, artist Takeshi Obata and writer Tsugumi Ohba, are once again filling those roles.
New human protagonist takes center stage in supernatural thriller set in a world without Kira.