Death Note was first serialized in 108 chapters by Shueisha in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006. The series was also published in tankōbon format in Japan starting in May 2004 and ending in October 2006 with a total of twelve volumes. The anime series aired in Japan from October 3, 2006, to June 26, 2007. Composed of 37 episodes, the anime was developed by Madhouse and directed by Tetsuro Araki. A light novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was released in Japan. Additionally, various video games have been published by Konami for Nintendo DS. The series was adapted into live-action films released in Japan on June 17, 2006, November 3, 2006, and February 2, 2008.
Viz Media licensed the Death Note manga in North America and has published all the twelve volumes from the series, a 13th volume which serves as a "reader's guide", as well as the light novels. The episodes from the anime first appeared in North America as downloadable by IGN. Viz later licensed the anime series and it aired on Bionix in Canada and on Cartoon Network in the United States, and was released on DVD in North America. The live-action films briefly played in certain North American theaters since 2008. However, none of the video games have thus far been published in North America or Europe.
Death Note is one of Weekly Shōnen Jump's best-selling manga series of all time, with sales over 26.5 million copies

L Lawliet "Ryuzaki

L Lawliet, exclusively known by the mononym L, is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Death Note. He is a reclusive genius and international private detective, reputed to be the world's greatest, who takes on cases that have stymied national governments and Interpol. He opposes the machinations of Light Yagami, otherwise known as the mass-murderer "Kira". L is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi and Alessandro Juliani, respectively, in the Japanese and English versions of the anime. The character has been praised by several manga and anime reviewers.
L often uses dramatic strategies to confuse his opponents and force their hand. He eats sweet things exclusively, and is usually seen eating fruit or cake, or drinking sweetened coffee or tea. L's behavior is also peculiar: he sits in an unusual position, and always wears the same outfit. He holds things extremely delicately, by corners, and has a habit of biting his thumb. He has at least three aliases, including those of the world's so-called second and third greatest detectives, Eraldo Coil and Deneuve. In the light novel Another Note, it's said that L won these aliases in a "detective war" with the real Coil and Deneuve.

In Death Note

L, who also uses the aliases Hideki Ryuga (流河 旱樹 Ryūga Hideki), Ryuzaki (竜崎 Ryūzaki), Eraldo Coil (エラルド＝コイル Erarudo Koiru?), and Deneuve (ドヌーヴ Donūvu?), the latter two for which he has developed reputations as the second- and third-best detectives in the world, is quite secretive and only communicates with the world through his assistant Watari. He never shows his face to the world, instead representing himself with a capital L in Cloister Black font. His real name, L Lawliet, is only revealed in the guidebook Death Note 13: How to Read. When asked about L's ethnicity, Ohba responded saying "I think of him as a quarter Japanese, a quarter English, a quarter Russian, a quarter French or Italian, like that". After meeting the Kira investigation team, he requests that the task force refer to him as Ryuzaki for discretion. Ohba said that L is the most intelligent character in the entire Death Note series because "the plot requires it".He added that he personally views L as "slightly evil".
L's disheveled and languid appearance masks his great powers of deduction and insight. He tends to second-guess everything he is presented with, and is extremely meticulous and analytical. He has several quirks such as preferring to crouch rather than sit, eating only sweet foods like desserts and fruits, and holding items very delicately. L stayed in England for five years, and during that time he was the champion in tennis for the England Junior Cup, and he is still a good player, suggesting he might still practice. He plays tennis with Light, who used to be a champion himself. In chapter 38 of the manga, L suggests that even though he eats only sweet foods, he remains underweight because the brain uses the most calories of any organ in the body. He also says that if he sits normally, his reasoning ability would drop 40%.Whenever L gives percentages to indicate how much he suspects a person of committing a crime, such as "five percent", in reality he means over 90 percent; Ohba said about L, "The truth is, he's a liar [laughs]".
L suspects early in the investigation that Light Yagami is Kira, but cannot obtain any concrete evidence. In several situations, Light seems to be proven innocent by the circumstances, but L remains skeptical. If Light were Kira, the case would be solved, and L has trouble letting go of this simple and complete solution, finding Light "too perfect" and noting how close his age and intelligence match his exact concept for what Kira must be like. L can easily present his conclusions publicly at any time, and with his reputation, is taken seriously. He also intends to tell Light that he can "take the offensive". After capturing a man who also has a Death Note, Light tricks Rem, the Shinigami owner of a Death Note that she gives to Misa, into killing L for his own personal gain, making her believe that she must kill him for the sake of Misa's life. L's last sight before death is Light triumphantly smiling over him, and in his last moment L confirms to himself that Light is the first Kira. Light then takes over L's identity and uses it to his advantage.However, when one of L's true successors, Near, begins to suspect that Light is Kira, Light remains haunted by the memory of L and feels as though he is still battling against him each time he and Near communicate. In the anime series, when Light himself dies, an apparition of L is shown standing over him, mirroring Light standing over L at his own death.
Death Note 13: How to Read describes L in the Death Note yonkoma as the "holder of the world's greatest mind" and having the "powerful ability to act like a fool". Death Note 13: How to Read adds that in the yonkoma "it's like [L was] born to be mocked".


Light Yagami "Kira"

Light Yagami (夜神 月 Yagami Raito), also known as Kira (キラ?), is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Death Note. He is a bored young genius who finds the Death Note dropped by the Shinigami Ryuk by pure chance.
In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Mamoru Miyano in Japanese, and by Brad Swaile in English; in the live-action film series, he is portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara.

In Death Note

Light was born on February 28, 1986. He is an acknowledged genius, placing first in national exam tables and university entrance exams. He is also athletic and attractive, but seems haunted, with a face that can easily become twisted. At the beginning of the story, Light is a student in his last year of high school; he later attends To-Oh University (東応大学 Tōō Daigaku), a fictional placeholder for the prestigious Tokyo University.
His father, Soichiro, is the leader of the NPA taskforce hunting for Kira. His mother, Sachiko, is a housewife. His younger sister, Sayu, acts as a cheerful, less academic foil.
When Light discovers the Death Note, he begins a crusade against evil, planning to kill criminals and other ne'er-do-wells until only those he approves of are left. While his task is well-intentioned, he is corrupted by power within a week, plotting to rule his utopia as "the god of the new world". His ethics are utilitarian, justifying the most extreme acts in service of his cause. He is also driven by a need for victory, which motivates most of his cruellest acts. Combined with the power of the Death Note, his hubris and his genius-level intelligence convince him that only he can save the world.

Misa Amane 

Misa Amane (弥 海砂 Amane Misa), is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Death Note. Although she fills the traditional role of the love interest, her relationship with mass-murderer Light Yagami is one-sided.

 

In Death Note

Within the Death Note universe, Misa is a famous model, singer, and actress who is infatuated with Light Yagami. He has been shown to slightly consider feeling some type of affection for her when first meeting as she blushes at him when he compliments her on explaining, however he feels that "developing feelings is how most idiots screw up" as he says in his head. She usually refers to herself in the third person by calling herself "Misa-Misa" to be cute, although this is omitted in the English dub of the anime, and she tends to be hyperactive. Despite her hyperactivity, she rarely, if ever, allows her personal feelings about anyone to interfere with Light's plans, showing her unflinching loyalty to him. She, like Light, is corrupted by the power that comes with owning a Death Note. However, unlike Light, she neither wishes to become a god, nor loses her original personality. Despite this however her playfulness hides a deeply twisted and disturbed girl. Because of Light's cruel and manipulative nature, she's just another one of his victims, albeit a very dangerous one.
Douglas Wolk of Salon describes Misa as being drawn in a "Japanese comics' tradition of cute, tiny, airhead girls with big eyes" and being a "lot cannier than she pretends to be". Wolk adds that the reader could "watch her measuring how much quasi-innocent charm to pour on in every situation".
She decides to devote her life to Light because he punished the criminal that killed her parents when she was younger in front of her eyes. Misa, unable to forgive the killer and wanting to kill the burglar herself, saw multiple delays in the killer's trial and the possibility he could get off before Kira killed him. According to Ohba, Light sees Misa as a "bad person" who killed innocent people, so he acts emotionally cold towards her and manipulates her. Light and Misa both act together as Kira for over five years, until Light decides that it is too dangerous for Misa to be Kira with members of the taskforce suspecting him and tells her to give up the notebook. During the series, Misa performs two eye trades, cutting her lifespan in half twice: the first, with Rem; the second, with Ryuk. That is to say that if her original lifespan was to live to be a hundred, after trading for the eyes twice, her lifespan is shortened to twenty-five years.
The Shinigami who follows her is Rem. Not long before Misa's introduction to the series, Misa was attacked by an obsessed stalker. Unknown to her, a Shinigami named Gelus had fallen in love with her, and was watching her during the attack. In order to save her life, Gelus wrote her stalker's name into his notebook, killing him. Consequently, Gelus himself died, since shinigami exist only to take human life, not extend it. Rem, who witnessed the whole event, then took Gelus's notebook which had been left behind and gave it to Misa. The two eventually grew to care for each other.
According to 13: How to Read, Misa loses her memories related to using the Death Note at Light's orders and retains her love for Light. Misa falls into despair after someone "like Matsuda" "probably let it slip" that Light died. Misa's fate is not shown in the manga at all; she was last seen staying at the Teito Hotel. Ohba stated that this was simply because he did not have a situation to fit her in.Misa commits suicide a year after Light dies.
At the anime's finale, Misa appears dressed in Gothic Lolita clothing, standing outside the safety rail on the edge of a skyscraper and looking into the sunset. The official manga guidebook lists her date of death as Valentine's Day, leaving fans to wonder whether or not she really committed suicide.
Misa, born on December 25, 1984, in Kyoto.

Nate River "Near"

Nate River (ネイト・リバー Neito Ribā), universally referred to by the mononym Near (ニア Nia), is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Death Note. Near is the younger of the two successors of L who was investigating the methods and identity of Kira, the in-universe name given to the mysterious serial killer who murdered criminals by means of the eponymous Death Note. He becomes the leader of the SPK (Special Provision for Kira), an organization that looks into the Kira case, and in the end, succeeds in uncovering Kira's identity. He is voiced by Noriko Hidaka in the Japanese version anime, and Cathy Weseluck in the English dubbed version of the anime.

In Death Note

Death Note, Near is the younger of L's two possible successors raised in Wammy's House, Watari's orphanage for gifted children,in Winchester, England. Of the successors, Near is more level-headed, calmly assessing the situation, while the other, Mello, is more emotional and quicker to act. Much like L, Near shows various odd behaviors during his normal life. He is usually seen hunched over rather than sitting. He also constantly plays with various toys, which he uses in his theories, as well as idly twirling or stroking strands of his hair. He shows a great respect for L, basing much of how he solves crime on L's methods, even to the point where he only takes cases that he is interested in rather than trying to pursue justice. The Kira case - as a case L died trying to solve - naturally becomes his first one. Near uses the Wedding text font "N" and "L" to represent himself and the fake L, respectively. In the aftermath, he used Old English MT font "L" like the original L did.
Sometime after L's death, Near works for the United States under the SPK (Special Provision for Kira) team that is established to investigate Kira without the help of the new "L" Light Yagami. After already catching Light offguard by revealing the fact that he knows the original L is dead and unnerving him by reminding him of his former nemesis when they communicate, he soon manages to deduce that Light, posing as L, is actually Kira. After dismissing the outright capture or killing of Light as disrespectful to L's memory, he finds that Teru Mikami is Kira's proxy. Distracted momentarily by Mello, who kidnaps Kira's TV spokesperson Kiyomi Takada before being killed by her using a Death Note fragment, Near is able to switch Mikami's Death Note with a forged one, allowing him to set up a final confrontation that leaves Light exposed. Near admits that neither he nor Mello could have surpassed L alone, but have managed to do so by working inadvertently together. He rejects all of Light's ideals as a god of the new world who kills for the greater good and refers to the Death Note as "the worst murder weapon in all of history". Ryuk kills Light with his own Death Note soon after as a Death Note owner must eventually be killed by the Shinigami possessing them and with Light in prison he reasons he will be unable to satisfy his interest any further. Near then himself takes L's alias, keeping on the surviving members of the SPK as his subordinates with Roger, the head of Wammy's House, acting as the new Watari. In the epilogue of the manga, he is shown eating a bar of chocolate, as he pursues a new case, possibly in memory of Mello.

Mihael Keehl "Mello"

Mihael Keehl (ミハエル・ケール Mihaeru Kēru), universally referred to by the mononym Mello (メロ Mero?), is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Death Note.

In Death Note

Mello (Mihael Keehl) is the older of L's two potential successors raised in Wammy's House, Watari's orphanage for gifted children, in Winchester, England, United Kingdom. When it is decided that Mello should work with the other successor, Near, Mello refuses, citing an inability to work with Near, to whom he is considered second in ability. Near is more intelligent than Mello, but Mello has more ambition than Near. This results in Near thinking things out better than Mello, but sometimes being so uninterested in his surroundings that he verges on inactivity. Meanwhile, Mello has a brazen and driven personality, driving him (unlike Near) to be the first to resume actively hunting Kira; however, Mello lets his emotions cloud his judgment, often leading to rash decisions that impede his progress.
While Mello is certainly a genius and more intelligent than most people, the concept of being only the second most intelligent person at Wammy's House, behind Near, fuels the inferiority complex that defines Mello's character. Mello verges on being amoral in his obsession with being the one to take down Kira and is willing to do "whatever it takes", tactics which include kidnapping and being an accessory to murder. In the manga, after Mello has successfully stolen a Death Note, he even goes so far as to attempt to blackmail the President of the United States via telephone into giving him funds and resources to aid his hunt for Kira, threatening that if his demands are not met he will use the Death Note to force the president to launch the United States' nuclear missiles and start World War III. Arguably, Mello is not even trying to defeat Kira out of a sense of "justice," but because capturing Kira will not only get revenge for L's death but also prove to the world that Mello is indeed the worthy successor to L's status as the world's greatest detective, and not simply runner-up to Near. As Mello describes his goal in his own words, "I will be the new Number One! Similar to L's fondness for sweets, Mello is near-constantly seen eating bars of chocolate, usually by ripping off an entire chunk in his mouth with a dramatic flourish. Also, just like L, Mello thinks and reacts quickly, and uses less conventional methods to solve his cases.
After Mello leaves the orphanage, there is a four-year time jump.
13: How to Read states that Mello has "an excellent mind" and that he "sometimes lets his emotions get in his way". The book cites Mello's "hatred of Near", which created "a flaw in [Mello's] personality". The book states that Mello isn't purely evil, citing his apology for Matt's death and non-intention of killing Soichiro Yagami.Tsugumi Ohba, the writer of Death Note, stated that Mello "works hard for everything". Ohba added that Mello's name "doesn't really stand for anything.
Mello is voiced by Nozomu Sasaki in the Japanese anime, and David Hurwitz in the English version.

MOVIE

L: Change the World

The film is directed by Hideo Nakata, and it stars actor Kenichi Matsuyama as the character "L".Furthermore, child actor Narushi Fukuda stars as Near, while child actress Mayuko Fukuda plays the role of Maki Nikaido, a character who does not appear in the original manga.
The film was first released in Hong Kong on February 7, 2008. It was subsequently released in the Japanese box office on 9 February 2008.Additionally, two different versions of the film were shown in the United States on 29 and 30 April 2009 respectively.

PLOT

In the final 23 days of L's life, he meets one final case involving a bioterrorist group that aims to wipe out much of humanity with a virus. The virus has an infection rate that is one hundred times the infection rate of the Ebola virus. He takes a boy he names Near, the sole survivor of its use in a village in Thailand, and an elementary school student named Maki Nikaido under his wing.
Dr. Nikaido later received a sample of the deadly virus which destroyed that village in Thailand. His assistant, Dr. Kimiko Kujo, reveals herself to be the leader of the organization that created the virus. Dr. Nikaido, who has created an antidote to that virus, refuses to give it her. He destroys the antidote and injects himself with the virus. She later kills him, and she is convinced that his daughter Maki has the antidote formula.
Under the pursuit of Dr. Kimiko Kujo and her assistants, Maki runs and escapes. She eventually found L's headquarters. However, the group manages to track Maki down, forcing L, accompanied by Maki and Near, to run away with a high-tech crepe truck. They also received the help of FBI agent Hideaki Suruga during the escape.
They escape to Nikaido's research partner's lab, because they needed his help to recreate the antidote. Using Near, L manages to acquire the antidote just as the terrorists are about to take an infected Maki to the US to spread the virus. L stops the plane and gives all the infected passengers, including the terrorists (those that survived), the antidote. Maki then tries to kill Kujo for revenge, but L stops her, telling her that killing Kujo would not bring back her father. Kujo and the terrorists are then arrested, while Maki goes to the hospital and wakes up, fully cured, with her stuffed bear next to her and a recording from L telling her to have a good day tomorrow. The film concludes with L leaving Near and giving him Near's "real name".
After the end credits, L is seen back in his room eating a chocolate bar and then leaves momentarily, possibly leading to the events where he dies in Death Note: The Last Name. The film ends with the words "L Lawliet, Rest in Peace" on a black screen.

Watch And Download Anime Death Note Here

 Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page