Plot

Brilliant but bored high school student Light Yagami discovers a Shinigami's notebook and plans to use it to create a better world.

Outside the grounds of his high school, Light Yagami discovers a notebook that claims to be able to kill anyone whose name and face is known to its owner. He initially dismisses the so-called "Death Note" as a hoax, but, after testing its powers, he discovers that these claims are indeed real. The original owner, a shinigami named Ryuk, approaches Light and explains that the notebook now belongs to him. Since Light is the new owner, he is the only one who can see and interact with Ryuk. The shinigami also says that when Light's time to die comes, Ryuk will be the one to write down his name in his book. Light decides to use the Death Note's power to rid the world of evil and become the God of a new, peaceful world.—Dharmin Shah

Episode 1: Rebirth Outside the grounds of his high school, Light Yagami discovers a notebook that claims to be able to kill anyone whose name and face is known to its owner. He initially dismisses the so-called "Death Note" as a hoax, but, after testing its powers, he discovers that these claims are indeed real. The original owner, a shinigami named Ryuk, approaches Light and explains that the notebook now belongs to him. Since Light is the new owner, he is the only one who can see and interact with Ryuk. The shinigami also says that when Light's time to die comes, Ryuk will be the one to write down his name in his book. Light decides to use the Death Note's power to rid the world of evil and become the god of a new, peaceful world.

"Rebirth": On the grounds of his high school, Light Yagami discovers a notebook which claims inside of it to be able to kill anyone whose name and face are known to its owner. He initially dismisses the so-called "Death Note" as a hoax, but, after testing its powers, he discovers that these claims are indeed real. The original owner, a shinigami named Ryuk, approaches Light and explains that the notebook now belongs to him. Since Light is the new owner, he is the only one who can see and hear Ryuk. The shinigami also says that when Light's time to die comes, Ryuk will write Light's name in his personal Death Note. Light decides to use the Death Note's power to rid the world of evil and become the god of a new, peaceful world.

In the Shinigami Realm, a Shinigami named Ryuk seems preoccupied with something while the other Shinigami relax and gamble. Meanwhile, Light Yagami, in his high school English class, observes his classmates playing games and whispering, ignoring the lesson. On the way home, various crimes are being reported via public television. Ryuk and Light in their respective worlds think about how rotten the world has become.

The next day in class, Light sees a notebook fall to the ground. He retrieves the notebook after school. At home, he doubtfully goes over the rules written inside the notebook and decides to test it by writing down the name of a criminal involved in a hostage situation on live TV. After 40 seconds, as he is about to turn the TV off, the hostages run out of the building unharmed. The criminal dropped dead of a heart attack, and Light is astonished.

Still not completely convinced it was not a coincidence, Light decides to test the notebook a second time. He decides against killing Sudou, a bully at his school, to avoid killing anyone he actually knows. On his way home from cram school, he sees a motorcycle gang abusing a young woman. Hearing that the leader's name is Takuo Shibuimaru, Light walks into a shop and writes Takuo's name in a number of variations, to make sure he spells his name correctly. To further test the notebook, Light writes in the cause of death to be a traffic accident. 40 seconds later, Takuo is struck by a passing truck. Realizing that he has killed two people, Light is violently sick.

In the Shinigami Realm, the other Shinigami laugh at Ryuk for dropping his Death Note in the human world. Expressionlessly, he sprouts wings and flies through the portal.

Light arrives home from school and gives his mother the results of the National Practice Exam. He waves off any offers a reward for placing first and goes to his room to be alone. Opening up the Death Note, several pages of the notebook are filled with names. Ryuk appears, and Light screams and falls out of his chair in surprise. Ryuk introduces himself as the Shinigami who dropped the notebook. Collecting himself, Light informs Ryuk that he has been waiting for him. Ryuk is impressed with the number of times Light has used the Death Note in just 5 days and supplies Light with more information about the notebook.

Light explains that he has been killing criminals with heart attacks expecting people to begin realizing that someone is passing judgment on them. He has tasked himself with cleansing the world of evil and expects that once people realize someone is watching them and killing evil-doers, everyone else will conform to good. While Ryuk wonders if this will make Light the only evil person left, Light brushes this aside and claims that he is one of Japan's top students who will reign over a New World as God. Ryuk appears satisfied that he has found something so interesting in the Human World.