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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deathnotefilmseries.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:''"Hear this. The 'Death Note' changes our destinies in the most natural way."'']]
3->''"I am justice! I am the god of the new world, saving it from evil and ridding it of fear. Those who betray God are the evil ones."''
4-->-- '''Light Yagami''', ''Film/{{Death Note|2006}}''
5
6The film franchise that is based on the ''Manga/DeathNote'' series by Tsugumi Ohba (writer) and Takeshi Obata (illustrator).
7
8The films included in this series are:
9[[index]]
10* ''Film/{{Death Note|2006}}'' (2006)
11* ''[[Film/DeathNoteTheLastName Death Note: The Last Name]]'' (2006)
12* ''Film/LChangeTheWorld'' (2008)[[note]]A LightNovel [[Literature/LChangeTheWorld adaptation]] was also released, containing a heavily altered plot.[[/note]]
13* ''[[Film/DeathNoteLightUpTheNewWorld Death Note: Light Up the New World]]'' (2016)
14[[/index]]
15
16
17A three part MiniSeries ''Series/DeathNoteNewGeneration'' was released to bridge the 10-year gap between the previous films and ''Light Up the New World''.
18
19For the American Netflix movie released in 2017, see ''[[Film/DeathNote2017 Death Note (2017)]]''.
20----
21!!The films contains examples of:
22* AdaptationDistillation: The first two [[LiveActionAdaptation films]] streamlined the series in order to fit the entire story into two movies; in doing so, they jettisoned a fair amount of the excessive plot-and-counterplot (-and-countercounterplot-and-[[IKnowYouKnowIKnow countercountercounterplot]]...) that made the struggle between L and Kira look less like a series of carefully played {{plan}}s and more like a GambitRoulette. They also excised L's heirs, Near and Mello, although the former appears in ''L: Change the [=WorLd=]''.
23* AdaptationalHeroism: Just barely on the part of Light, Misa, and [[spoiler:Kiyomi Takada. Light’s vigilance for eliminating criminals is made clearer by his disillusionment with the justice system after it fails to capture a man who later threatens him directly. Misa, meanwhile, is functionally similar to her manga role, but expresses hesitance and horror when she sees Light writing his father’s name in the Notebook, whereas her original counterpart never expressed concern with the morality of Light’s actions or the wellbeing of others outside of her “boyfriend”. For her part, Takada still takes part in the murders, but, at the very least, acknowledges that her indulgence makes her ''more'' evil than any criminal she’s killed, which ''no'' Kira has done in any adaptation]].
24* AnAesop: In the climax of the second film, Soichiro delivers the ultimate message of the series: an justice systems are imperfect because they are made by imperfect people, but they are a culmination of trying to define such a concept.
25* AffirmativeActionGirl: Sanami for the first two movies.
26* AdaptedOut: Multiple characters from the anime and manga are removed and sometimes replaced with {{Expy}}s in the films. Groups and organizations such as the Yotsuba Group or SPK are notably absent from all films. Individuals like Matt and Mello are omitted, though Mello is mentioned briefly by Near in ''Series/DeathNoteNewGeneration''. Many Shinigami's from the manga and anime are also removed.
27* AdaptationalLateAppearance:
28** Near is not introduced until ''Film/LChangeTheWorld'', which is set long after the end of Kira in ''[[Film/DeathNoteTheLastName Death Note: The Last Name]]''.
29** Teru Mikami finally makes his appearance in the last film, ''[[Film/DeathNoteLightUpTheNewWorld Death Note: Light Up the New World]]'', where he is [[spoiler:immediately killed off by Tsukuru Mishima.]]
30* AdaptationalMundanity: Due to the films being live action and taking place in (for the most part) a more grounded setting, exaggerated aspects from the anime and manga are of course removed or watered down. Most notably, the potato chip scene in ''Film/{{Death Note|2006}}'' is less intense and over the top.
31* AdvertisedExtra:
32** Ryuk is seen in most promotional material and advertising for ''Film/LChangeTheWorld'', most prominently being featured on posters for the film. Despite this however, he only appears in one scene.
33** The new human Death Note user, Sakura Aoi, as well as the Shinigami Bepo, are seen and hyped up in promotional material such as stills or posters for ''[[Film/DeathNoteLightUpTheNewWorld Death Note: Light Up the New World]]''. Ironically enough however, [[spoiler:Sakura is killled off in the film's first act]] whereas Bepo is seen in only one scene.
34* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] with [[spoiler:Shiori]] in ''Death Note'' and [[spoiler:Kiyomi Takada]] in ''Death Note: The Last Name''.
35* AnyoneCanDie: Just like the source material.
36** ''Death Note'': [[spoiler:Lind L. Tailor, Raye Iwamatsu, the other 11 FBI agents, Shiori Akino, Naomi Misora]].
37** ''Death Note: The Last Name'': [[spoiler:Detective Kanzo Mogi, Kiyomi Takada, Rem, Watari, Light Yagami, L Lawliet]].
38** ''Death Note: Light Up the New World'': [[spoiler:Sakura Aoi, Tōto Matsuda, Kuromoto, Uragami, Misa Amane, Yūki Shien, Shō Nanase, Arma, Ryuzaki]].
39* ArcWords: For the first two films, "devil". It's what most characters, like Ryuk, Rem and Misa, calls Light.
40* ColorCodedForYourConvenience:
41** The LiveActionAdaptation features similar color coding: at the end of the first movie, as L and Light face each other in person for the first time, L is standing in a shaft of blue light, while Light is standing in orange.
42** The live-action movies have another, subtle example. In the first film Light for the most part wears casual brown clothing, switching to all black in the sequel as he has fully embraced his Kira persona. He ends up wearing white once he loses his memory, then starts dressing in black again once it's back. Takada also starts wearing all black once she actively starts using the Death Note.
43* {{Deconstruction}}: To both the idea of ''Death Note'' itself and the character Light Yagami. If the medium is the message, then this film series shows how terrifying it would be if people like Light Yagami exist in real life. [[WordOfGod Shusuke Kaneko, the director of first two films,]] admitted that this was intentional since he not only wanted to show how dangerous to undermine the corrupting influence wielding such power, but also explore the Japanese youth's desire to have such. He also compared the use of the Death Note to how users attacked one another on message boards and blogs.
44* {{Expy}}: Due to many characters being removed from the films, many other characters take their place:
45** In ''[[Film/DeathNoteTheLastName Death Note: The Last Name]]'' [[spoiler:Kiyomi Takada]] serves the same role as the Yotsuba Group in the manga / anime.
46** Also in the same film, L replaces Near's role as the one to finally capture and corner Kira. Though Near does appear in ''Film/LChangeTheWorld'' so an {{Expy Coexistence}} is at play.
47** In ''[[Film/DeathNoteLightUpTheNewWorld Death Note: Light Up the New World]]'', Ryuzaki heavily borrows traits from ''[[Literature/AnotherNote Beyond Birthday]]'', though the LABB murders are mentioned to have occurred in the film continuity so another Expy Coexistence is at works
48** Also from the same film, the Shinigami Arma, is essentially a {{Gender Flipped}} version of Sidoh from the original series. Bepo, another shinigami in the film, is also an expy of Armonia from the manga and anime.
49* ForWantOfANail: The films shows how events would have played out if [[spoiler:L defeated Light]].
50* HollywoodHeartAttack: Basically '''everyone''' who has a heart attack due to the Death Note. [[spoiler:Subverted for Watari, as he is seen silently clutching his chest before collapsing]].
51* ItsPersonal: At first, L is invested in the case because he finds it fascinating how Kira can murder remotely. Then he figures out that [[spoiler:Light manipulated Naomi into killing herself and Light's girlfriend]], and all bets are off.
52* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Misa in the live action movies. The fact that the police let her go is particularly bad when you consider that she killed Mogi. Of course, it does make sense, as there's no way they could convict her without revealing the existence of a magic notebook that kills people, which they instead destroy, causing Misa to lose her memories of her crimes anyway. She does kill herself at last in ''[[Film/DeathNoteLightUpTheNewWorld Death Note: Light up the New World]]'', but only after 10 years of fame and fortune have passed for her]].
53* TheWorldIsNotReady: [[spoiler: L burns the two notebooks that once belonged to Ryuk and Rem. He knows that man cannot handle the power, even while knowing a Shinigami could bring a new one every time]].
54* TwistEnding:
55** ''Death Note'': The audience thinks [[spoiler: that Light accidentally got his girlfriend killed in the process of killing Naomi... only for him to reveal to Ryuk that no, he ''intended'' for his girlfriend to die, so that his declaration of vengeance on Kira would be believable and he'd be accepted into the task force]].
56** ''Death Note: The Last Name'': Once again, the audience expects [[spoiler:L to die just like in the manga and anime. Instead, surprise! L is alive (for 23 more days) and Light is utterly screwed, caught by the Investigation Team]].
57----

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