The official cover art for the upcoming March issue of the shōnen manga magazine Jump Square -- due for release in Japan on Feb. 4 -- has been revealed. This issue will be home to a brand-new, Death Note manga chapter from Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.
The 87-page one-shot rejoins the Shinigami (god of death) known as Ryuk, whose Death Note has fallen to Earth once again. The main protagonist of this new story in the Death Note mythos is Minoru Tanaka, an incredibly intelligent junior high school student considered one of the smartest in all of Japan.
The Jump Square cover sees Ryuk looming large in the background. The character we can assume to be Minoru is seen in front of Ryuk, sitting on a giant red apple -- the Shinigami's food of choice. We can also assume that in addition to 12 years passing in real life since the end of the original manga, roughly the same amount of time has passed in-universe -- as Minoru is holding a smartphone. Curiously, while he somewhat resembles Light Yagami in terms of demeanor, his clothing style appears to be modeled after that of L.
Written by Ohba and illustrated by Obata, the original Death Note manga was first published in December 2003, running for 12 volumes before concluding in May 2006. It has since been adapted into a popular anime series, multiple live-action movies, not to mention other tie-ins. The new one-shot coming this February marks the first addition to the manga in 12 years, following the Death Note One-Shot Special released in February 2008.
The original tale follows Light Yagami, a brilliant but misanthropic high school student who happens upon a Death Note -- that is, a notebook that causes the death of whoever has their name written in it -- which was dropped to Earth by Ryuk. Light initially uses the notebook to punish criminals, coming to be known as "Kira." However, Light soon develops a God complex, resulting in a disastrous chain of events. Light's foil is L, an eccentric investigator dedicated to bringing Kira to justice.
The new Death Note one-shot arrives in Japan on Feb. 4 in the March 2020 issue of Jump Square. No information regarding an English translation is available at this time.
(via Natalie)