Death Note has seen its fair share of popularity when it comes to the manga and the anime adaptation. We got to see the whole story unfold on both versions, with some minor differences of course. No matter how you look at it, Death Note managed to grab the attention of fans everywhere whether you’ve read the manga or watched the anime series.

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However, we can’t help but notice some vast changes that were made on the source material. We dig deep into the many differences that were made on Death Note from page to screen.

10 The Story’s Ending Was Different

At the end of Death Note, Light Yagami turns up dead after getting exposed as Kira. However, the way he dies is shown differently in both the manga and the anime. In the manga, Light begs Ryuk to kill Near and Matsuda but instead, the Shinigami writes Light’s name instead. Ryuk tells him that he couldn’t wait forever if he’s in prison for him to die so he puts him out of his misery. In the anime, Light tries to use a piece of the death note to write Near’s name but ends up shot by Matsuda. Light runs away from the police after getting exposed, but Ryuk sees that his life was basically over so he writes Light’s name and kills him.

9 Some Of The Rules Of The Death Note Weren't Explained

There were rules on how one could use the death note, but not all of them were present when it came to the anime series. During the manga, some of the rules had a lot more emphasis than what was shown in the manga. One of the rules stated that you couldn’t manipulate a person into killing another person or a whole group of people. Just like a bomb or mass killing, that wasn’t clearly explained in the anime but it was implied that it was a rule for using the powerful notebook. Each volume of the manga provided a rule from the book after the end of every chapter.

8 Light’s Personality Was Somewhat Different In The Manga and Anime

Light came off as a typical straight-A high school student who wanted to change the world after finding the death note. His personality before obtaining this powerful book was very different as it was portrayed in both the manga and anime.

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Light became more of a vindictive person in the anime series where he was full of hatred for his classmates every time he eavesdropped on their conversations. In the manga, he wasn’t as malicious as he kept more to himself as a loner. However, he didn’t hate what life has brought him, just bored with it.

7 L’s Reaction To Light’s True Identity Wasn’t The Same In Both Mediums

Once L was on the verge of death, he figures out that Light is actually Kira even though it was too late for him to expose the truth. When L falls off his chair in the manga, we see him saying to himself that he was right all along about Light being the killer. However, the anime didn’t show his final thoughts and instead, we see L looking blankly at Light, which could imply that he figured it out as Light smirks at him as L died in his arms. With the manga, we figured out what L was thinking when he was about to meet his end, but we never got that reaction when that scene was shown in the anime.

6 The Manga Revealed How L Learned To Fight

We saw a fight brew between Light and L in the Death Note series during their first encounter. We find out how skilled L is as a fighter when he showcased his mastery in the art of Capoeira. Fans got to see first hand that L knew how to effectively use the Afro-Brazilian martial arts style. However, we never figured out how he learned this fighting style in the anime. The manga does reveal this intel in the 13th volume when we find out that FBI agent Naomi Misora actually taught L this martial art after they working on a murder case together.

5 Light Laughed At The Death Note In the Manga

When Light first encounters Ryuk, he was initially frightened by the sight of him. However, it was the reaction to the death note at first glance that caught him off guard. His response was he thought of it as a simple joke in the manga and laughed at the notion of its rules.

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When he picked it up, he thought it was a mere prank once he reads it and tries it out for a spin out of curiosity. In the anime, he scoffs it off as nothing when he picks it up in the first episode. We don’t see him laughing at the mere sight of it even though he also thought of this as a prank.

4 The Manga Explores Light’s Mentality More Than the Anime

When Light starts using the death note, we see how much of his mental state has changed. In the manga, he suffers some physical harm to his body as he develops trouble sleeping and eating. We see him losing some weight since he doesn’t have much of an appetite. We see that the killing of people does mess with his mind in the manga. We don’t see it that much in the anime as it appears that Light still eats when he can but his mentality seems to still be intact for a man trying to cleanse the world of criminals.

3 The Origin Of L’s Name Was Deeply Explored In The Manga

L’s background has been much of a mystery throughout the first half of the series. We only knew him to be one of the most renowned detectives in the world. L used aliases like Eraldo Coil and Deneuve to conceal his identity, which proved to be useful against Light. Both of these names aren’t actually random, as it turns out that these were the names of other detectives that he has known in the field. In the manga, we learn that L had a war against these two men to determine who was the greatest detective. Once the Yotsuba Corporation got a hold of the death note, they contacted Eraldo for his expertise, but in reality, it was L who picked up the case as he used this name to hide his identity. We never got to see this in the anime, but this added more complexity to L’s character.

2 Misa’s Death Wasn’t Shown In the Anime But Ended Up In The Manga

Misa amane in the death note anime

After the death of Light, we got to see how it affected some of the characters, especially with his partner-in-crime Misa Amane. In the anime series, we see Misa standing on the ledge atop a tall building. It was implied that she commits suicide after Light dies.

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In the manga, we do witness Misa actually falling to her death in the epilogue to the series. We saw a definitive end to the anime series, but we never experienced how the ending of his life would affect others around him. Misa seemed to be the only one who was deeply affected by his death.

1 An Epilogue Was Added After The Manga Ended

After the manga came to a close, Death Note was given a one-shot special that acted as an epilogue to the series. Taking place three years after the end of the series, it followed Near as he assumes the position as the new L. A new Kira emerges when another death note is found, using it to kill the elderly to relieve their pain. It seemed like another chase would begin, but Near brushed this new Kira off as a cheap imitation. It wasn’t what we got in the anime as the ending clearly showed that the people are still worshiping Kira after Light’s death.

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