Death Note came out first as a manga on December 1, 2003, when it began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. The Death Note anime came out later, premiering on October 4, 2006 on Nippon TV.
If you searched when did death note come out, you are likely trying to pin down a single “official” date, but the franchise has multiple valid “firsts” depending on format: manga magazine debut, collected volume release, anime premiere, film premiere, and English-language rollout.
At ComicK, our editorial approach is to anchor release-date answers to the most widely recognized publication and broadcast milestones, then clarify the common points of confusion so you can cite the right date for your purpose.
Below are the 5 powerful facts that eliminate the ambiguity.
When Did Death Note Come Out? The short answer
If you need one line that satisfies most search intent:
- Manga debut (Japan): December 1, 2003
- Anime premiere (Japan): October 4, 2006
Those two dates cover the most common meaning of “come out” for Death Note.
If you need the broader “record straight” version, keep going.
Powerful Fact 1: Death Note debuted as a manga on December 1, 2003, not 2006
The earliest, most defensible answer to when did death note come out is the manga’s serialization start.
Death Note began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump on December 1, 2003, and that start date matters because:
- It marks the first public release of Death Note as a story.
- It is the origin point for every later adaptation: anime, films, and other media.
- It resolves the most common misconception: many people remember the anime era and assume “Death Note came out in 2006.”
Why people see “2004” and get confused
You will sometimes see “2004” attached to the earliest Death Note chapter because manga magazines can use issue numbering and cover dates that do not perfectly match the day it hit shelves. In practice, a “2004” issue label can still be sold in late 2003 depending on the magazine’s publication cycle.
If you are writing or citing formally, the clearest approach is:
- Use December 1, 2003 as the franchise’s debut date (manga serialization start).
- Add a brief note that magazine issue labeling can differ from on-sale timing if you anticipate pushback.
What this means for fans asking “when it started”
If your intent is “When did Death Note begin as a phenomenon?” the most accurate answer is:
- It started in print in late 2003.
That is the true beginning of the Death Note timeline.
Powerful Fact 2: The first collected Death Note volume came out on April 2, 2004
Many people do not read weekly manga magazines. They discover manga via tankobon volumes, the collected bookstore editions.
A key milestone is:
- Death Note Volume 1 (Japan) released on April 2, 2004.
This date is “powerful” because it often matches how readers personally encountered the series:
- Serialization is earliest, but not always the main way audiences consume the work.
- Volume 1 release is when Death Note became easy to buy, collect, and recommend.
When to use April 2, 2004 as your answer
Use the tankobon date if the question implies:
- “When did Death Note come out as a manga volume?”
- “When was Death Note Volume 1 released?”
- “When could you buy Death Note in bookstores in Japan?”
This also matters if you are comparing Death Note’s timeline to other series by volume release, not magazine serialization.
Why the distinction matters in real-world conversations
At ComicK, we see this pattern repeatedly:
- One person says “Death Note came out in 2006” (they mean the anime).
- Another says “No, it came out in 2003” (they mean the manga’s first publication).
- A third says “I remember buying Volume 1 around 2004” (they mean tankobon availability).
All three can be correct in context, but only if you specify the format.
Powerful Fact 3: The Death Note anime came out on October 4, 2006, and ran through June 27, 2007
If your intent is specifically “When did the Death Note anime come out?”, the answer is direct:
- Anime premiere (Japan): October 4, 2006
- Anime finale (Japan): June 27, 2007
- Total episodes: 37
This is the date most viewers mean when they think “Death Note came out,” because the anime drove the series into global mainstream awareness.
Why some lists show a slightly different day
Because the anime aired in a late-night TV slot, some schedules and databases can log dates differently depending on whether they record “night-of programming” or “after-midnight calendar date.” The safest way to “set the record straight” is to give the commonly recognized premiere date and keep the format clear: the anime began in early October 2006.
What “came out” means in anime terms
For anime, “came out” can mean:
- First aired on Japanese TV (the origin date for the anime).
- Released internationally (varies by licensing and region).
- Added to a streaming platform (often much later and not the original release).
This is why a single-year answer often fails real user intent.
Powerful Fact 4: The 2006 live-action film premiered on June 17, 2006, before the anime aired
Many fans are surprised by this:
- The first live-action Death Note film premiered in Japan on June 17, 2006, which is before the TV anime’s October 2006 premiere.
So the adaptation order looks like this:
- Manga begins: Dec 2003
- Volume 1 releases: Apr 2004
- Live-action film premieres: Jun 2006
- Anime premieres: Oct 2006
Why this matters
When fans recall 2006, they often bundle all Death Note media together and assume the anime led everything. In reality:
- The franchise was already established in print for years.
- The live-action film reached theaters before the anime aired.
If your intent is “When did Death Note start being adapted for the screen?” then June 17, 2006 is a meaningful milestone.
Powerful Fact 5: The English rollout started October 10, 2005, and the US TV premiere followed on October 21, 2007
If you are searching from an English-speaking context, you may mean: “When did Death Note come out in English?” That is a separate question from the Japanese debut.
English manga release (North America)
- Death Note Volume 1 (English, North America) released on October 10, 2005.
This is the “came out” date for many English manga readers.
US television premiere (Adult Swim)
- Death Note premiered on Adult Swim on October 21, 2007.
This date is often the “came out” moment for US viewers who discovered Death Note on late-night TV.
Why you see different answers online
Because “came out” can refer to:
- the original Japanese release,
- the first English manga publication,
- the first English-dub broadcast,
- or a later streaming availability.
If you want the most accurate answer, you must match the date to the format and region.
Why the “Death Note came out on X date” question keeps causing arguments
Most disagreements come from one of these issues.
“Come out” is ambiguous across formats
A single franchise can have multiple “birthdays”:
- manga serialization start,
- first volume release,
- anime premiere,
- film premiere,
- English edition release,
- streaming release.
Your best answer depends on what you mean by “come out.”
Magazine dates can conflict with shelf reality
Weekly magazines often have:
- printed issue dates that differ from the day they appear in stores,
- numbering that can make a late-year release look like it belongs to the next year.
That is a major reason people argue “2003 vs 2004” when they are referencing the same early material.
Late-night scheduling can create date inconsistencies
If a premiere airs around midnight, some databases record it differently. The practical fix is to provide the generally accepted premiere date and specify the country and format.
Regional release dates vary dramatically
Even if you restrict the conversation to “anime release,” your answer changes by region, licensing, and distribution method.
Which date should you use? A practical decision guide
If you want to answer when did death note come out in a way that matches intent, choose based on what the reader is really asking.
Use December 1, 2003 if you mean “the franchise debuted”
Best for:
- origin questions,
- “how old is Death Note,”
- timelines that treat Death Note as a manga series.
Use April 2, 2004 if you mean “Volume 1 released”
Best for:
- collectors,
- bookstore availability,
- volume-based comparisons.
Use October 4, 2006 if you mean “the anime came out”
Best for:
- “When did Death Note anime start airing?”
- most mainstream viewing-intent searches.
Use June 17, 2006 if you mean “the first live-action film released”
Best for:
- adaptation history,
- film-first timelines,
- comparisons of screen formats.
Use October 10, 2005 or October 21, 2007 if you mean “it came out in English for me”
Best for:
- English manga readers (Oct 10, 2005),
- US TV audiences (Oct 21, 2007).
A clean Death Note release timeline
2003
- Dec 1, 2003: Manga serialization begins in Japan.
2004
- Apr 2, 2004: Volume 1 releases in Japan.
2005
- Oct 10, 2005: English manga Volume 1 releases in North America.
2006
- Jun 17, 2006: First live-action film premieres in Japan.
- Oct 4, 2006: Anime premieres in Japan.
2007
- Jun 27, 2007: Anime concludes its original Japanese run.
- Oct 21, 2007: Anime premieres on Adult Swim in the US.
FAQ: 10 quick answers about when Death Note came out
1) When did Death Note come out originally?
It debuted as a manga on December 1, 2003 in Japan.
2) When did the Death Note anime come out?
The anime premiered in Japan on October 4, 2006.
3) When did Death Note Volume 1 come out in Japan?
Volume 1 released on April 2, 2004.
4) When did Death Note end?
The manga run ended in 2006, and the anime ended in 2007.
5) When did Death Note come out in English?
The first English manga volume released on October 10, 2005 in North America.
6) When did Death Note come out on Adult Swim?
It premiered on Adult Swim on October 21, 2007.
7) Did the live-action Death Note come out before the anime?
Yes. The first live-action film premiered in June 2006, before the anime’s October 2006 premiere.
8) Why do some sources say Death Note came out in 2004?
Because some people reference volume release dates or magazine issue labeling rather than the serialization start date.
9) What is the best single date to answer “when did Death Note come out”?
For the franchise’s origin: December 1, 2003. For the anime: October 4, 2006.
10) If I only care about the version most people watched, what date should I use?
Use the anime premiere date: October 4, 2006.
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