 is a supernatural thriller fantasy manga written by Tsugumi Ōba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The work was adapted into an anime series directed by Tetsurō Araki. It is about a Japanese teenage high school student boy named Light Yagami, who finds a supernatural notebook. The notebook, dropped on earth by a bored shinigami named Ryuk, is called a "Death Note". When a person's name is written in the notebook, that person dies. If the cause of death is not specified, they die of a heart attack. Light, aiming to create a crime-free utopia, uses the notebook to kill criminals, anonymously gaining world fame as "Kira" ("��" in Japanese - based on the English word "killer") - some people see him as justice, while others see him as a murderer.