A criminal dies of a heart attack in Tokyo, followed by a deputy director and others, sparking rumors of a vigilante named Kira.

• A criminal holding a girl hostage suddenly dies of a heart attack after police pursuit.
• Other prominent figures, including a deputy director and a congressman, die of heart attacks in public.
• The pattern of criminals dying leads to speculation about a vigilante, who the public dubs 'Kira'.

Light Yagami finds the Death Note and tests its powers, realizing it can kill people whose names he writes while picturing their faces.

• Light, a college student and aspiring lawyer, becomes disillusioned with the legal system and loses faith in the law.
• He finds a Death Note and initially thinks it's a joke until he tests it and confirms its lethal power.
• The Death Note's rules state that the writer must visualize the victim's face, and unspecified deaths result in a heart attack.

Ryuk, a grim reaper, reveals himself to Light, who decides to use the Death Note to create a crime-free world.

• Ryuk, who dropped the Death Note into the human world, appears to Light and explains he did it out of curiosity.
• Light swears to use the Death Note to eradicate crime and build a new world order.

As Kira's killings continue, the police, including Light's father, seek help from the enigmatic detective L.

• Police are baffled by the Kira case with no leads and agree to collaborate with the mysterious detective L.
• L communicates through a laptop and deduces that Kira is in Japan based on the pattern of deaths.

L sets a trap for Kira during a fake worldwide broadcast, confirming Kira is in Japan and vowing to catch him.

• L uses a fake broadcast to trick Kira into revealing his location in Japan.
• Light, unable to kill L without a name or face, refuses Ryuk's offer to trade half his lifespan for the power to see names.

L's investigation reveals Kira's likely a college student, prompting Light to adjust his killing pattern to throw off suspicion.

• L narrows down Kira's identity to a college student based on the timing of deaths.
• Light hacks the police system and learns about L's deductions, which leads him to program deaths throughout the day.

Light evades FBI surveillance by orchestrating a complex plan that results in the death of an FBI agent and several others.

• FBI agent Raye is tricked by Light into revealing the names of agents working on the Kira case, leading to their deaths.
• Light's calculated actions on a bus result in a criminal's death and the acquisition of Raye's identity.

Naomi, seeking justice for her fiance Raye, investigates the bus incident and confronts Light, suspecting his involvement.

• Raye's fiance Naomi, a former FBI agent, begins her own investigation into Kira.
• Naomi confronts Light at college but is outwitted when she admits to giving a fake name.

L and the police monitor Light's room for clues, but Light cleverly avoids detection using a hidden TV and a piece of the Death Note.

• The police bug Light's room, suspecting him of being Kira.
• Light uses a hidden TV and part of the Death Note to kill while under surveillance, proving his 'innocence' to the police.

Light orchestrates a plan that results in the deaths of Naomi and his girlfriend Shiori, clearing his name and gaining sympathy.

• Light's plan leads Naomi to accidentally kill Shiori and then herself, making Light appear innocent.
• Ryuk and L are both disturbed by Light's lack of emotion and cold-hearted strategy.

Light manipulates the situation to join the police investigation, meeting L who is still suspicious of him.

• Light pretends to grieve Shiori's death and expresses a desire to catch her killer, which leads to him joining the investigation.
• Soichiro introduces Light to L, and despite mutual suspicion, they begin working together.