Tsugumi Ohba

Very little is known about Tsugumi Ohba. The profile found in each volume of Death Note states that he was born in Tokyo, that he likes to collect tea cups and that, like his character L, develops his manga plots sitting on the chair holding his knees.

Ohba guarded his identity so closely, that even his name isn’t the real one. However, due to a series of hints left in his works, many fans believe that behind his pen-name lies Hiroshi Gamō, a well-known screenwriter. Gamō, born 17 August 1962 in Tokyo, published many works in Weekly Shonen Jump, the most famous of which is Tottemo! Luckyman. Probably Gamō decided not to use his real name because Death Note is very different from his previous works, such as the aforementioned Tottemo! Luckyman, a story about a boy who becomes a superhero with the task to protect the Earth from aliens.

Takeshi Obata

Takeshi Obata was born February 11, 1969 in Niigata.

Obata is appreciated by the writers he works with because he actively collaborates with them. Some of his works include Arabian Majin Bokentan Lamp Lamp with Susumu Sendo, Ayatsuri Sakon with Sharakumaro and, probably the most famous of all, Hikaru No Go with Yumi Hotta. Obata worked on Hikaru No Go from 1998 till 2003, then he began his collaboration with Ohba on Death Note. Obata also teamed up with Ohba for another manga, Bakuman, which is still ongoing.

Aside from his work, Obata mentored many illustrators such as Nobuhiro Watsuki, well-known for Rurouni Kenshin and Busou Renkin, Yusuke Murata of Eyeshield 21 and Kentaro Yabuki of Black Cat.

Plot

Light Yagami is a brilliant student whose life is dramatically changed the day he picks up a strange notebook lying on the ground of his school yard. The notebook, called Death Note, seems to be able to kill people, provided that the person who uses it knows both the victim’s face and name. Initially Light is very sceptical, but he discovers soon enough that everything is true.

Shortly after having began to write a lot of name on the Death Note, he meets Ryuk, a bored death god, who intentionally dropped his spare notebook in the human world looking forward to have some fun. Light confesses he was bored as well and that he wants to use the Death Note to punish criminals until he will be able to create a new world, on which he will rule as God.

One after the other, all the criminals reported by the media begin to die due to heart attacks. The number of Kira’s victims, so Light has been dubbed by the public, sharply rises and that draws the attention of the International Police Organization. The police, clueless as to how someone could cause so many heart attacks, requires the help of L, a mysterious detective. Feeling threatened by L, Light sets out to challenge him giving the start to an intriguing intellectual battle between two great minds.