The list of events in Death Note in chronological order, taken from the manga's thirteenth volume, How to Read. Note that this list only covers the events of the manga. The dates of the anime are the same, but shift three years later (i.e. beginning in 2006). The live-action film and television series are set in 2006 and 2015, respectively. Spoilers are not marked.
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2003
November
- The Shinigami World: Ryuk steals Sidoh's Death Note, and intentionally loses it. He later tricks the Shinigami King into giving him a new one.
- 28th: Light Yagami finds Sidoh's Death Note. He later confirms its power after unintentionally killing two men. He begins a five-day murder spree.
- 3rd: Light meets Ryuk and announces his plans to become a god in a new world.
- 4th: The International Police Organization hire enigmatic detective L to investigate the increase in criminal fatalities.
- 5th: L uses a television broadcast and a death row inmate to lure out Kira.
- 14th: L sends several FBI agents to Japan to investigate the Japanese police.
- 20th: Light manipulates a criminal to hijack a bus to learn Raye Penber's name.
- 27th: Light manipulates Raye Penber to kill every FBI agent, then himself dies of a heart attack.
- 31st: The Kira Task Force is reduced to Police Chief Soichiro, Aizawa, Mogi, Matsuda, and Ukita, who are all later taken by Watari to meet L.
2004
January
- 1st: Light meets Naomi Misora, former fiancée of Raye Penber. Realizing she is investigating the Kira Case, he kills her in such a way her body can't later be found.
- 8th: L begins to investigate the Kitamura and Yagami families.
- 2nd: The killer of Misa Amane's parents is killed by Kira.
- 12th: A Shinigami, Gelus, protects Misa Amane from a stalker by killing him, at the cost of his own life.
- 20th: Misa Amane meets Rem and receives Gelus' Death Note.
- 5th: Light meets L at To-Oh University.
- 18th: Sakura TV plays tapes they received from the Second Kira on live television. Ukita is killed, and Soichiro recovers the tapes.
- 22nd: Misa finds Kira with her Shinigami eyes.
- 25th: Misa introduces herself and Rem to Light. They begin to work together.
- 28th: Misa is arrested on suspicion of being the Second Kira.
- 31st: Misa gives up ownership of her Death Note, losing her memories.
- 1st: Light reverts Misa's Death Note to Rem, asking her to find a it a new owner. He then buries his own Notebook. Later, he allows himself to be placed under confinement.
- 7th: Light gives up ownership of his Death Note, losing his memories.
- 15th: A third Kira begins operating for the Yotsuba Corporation.
- 23rd: Finally released from confinement, L uses Soichiro to stage a phony execution. Light is later handcuffed to L.
- 2nd: Soichiro, Mogi, and Matsuda are forced to quit the Japanese National Police Agency. Aizawa leaves the Task Force.
- 7th: Professional criminals Aiber and Wedy join the Task Force.
- 8th: Matsuda is caught listening in on a secret meeting between Yotsuba executives he suspects of working with Kira. He later fakes his death to keep from being killed by Kira.
- 15th: Misa agrees to work with the Task Force to infiltrate and investigate Yotsuba.
- 24th: Rem reunites with Misa during an interview and reveals the third Kira to be Kyosuke Higuchi.
- 25th: Misa goes on a drive with Higuchi to record conclusive audio.
- 28th: Higuchi, after an extended frenzy with the police, is caught, and his Death Note is seized. Light later regains all of his memories and kills Higuchi discreetly.
- 4th: Misa retrieves the Death Note Light buried, and begins working as Kira again.
- 5th: Faced with a difficult choice, Rem kills Watari and L (and thus, herself) in order to save Misa. Light takes Rem's Death Note.
- 15th: Light takes over as L. Watari is revealed to be a philanthropist with orphanages worldwide.
- 5th: Roger, a caretaker at one of the orphanages in England, is informed of L's death. He tells two teenagers, Near and Mello, who split off. Mello disappears.
2005
January
- 10th: Light kills Wedy.
- 7th: Light kills Aiber.
- 10th: Light kills the surviving Yotsuba executives
- 1st: Light, acting as L, tells police agencies and the media to withhold information on criminals.
- 15th: Information on criminals starts to leak on the Internet.
2006
2007
2008
2009
March
- 5th: The head of the FBI introduces Near to the President of the United States.
- 12th: A new American division dedicated to catching Kira, the Special Provision for Kira, is created and led by Near, and located in Manhattan.
- 1st: Light officially joins the Japanese Police Agency, under the Intelligence and Information Bureau.
- Kira's killings increase ten-fold.
- 8th: Mello, leading a Los Angeles mafia syndicate, kidnaps the director of the Japanese Police Agency.
- 11th: Light kills the director, forcing the mafia to kidnap Sayu Yagami for leverage.
- 12th: The mafia contacts the Task Force, asking for a trade of the Notebook for Sayu. Near speaks with Light for the first time, revealing he knows Light is not the original L.
- 13th: The Task Force arrives in Los Angeles. Soichiro's flight is hijacked, and he is taken to Sayu's holding place. The trade is made, and the mafia uses the Notebook to kill several members of the SPK. Sidoh arrives in the Human World.
- 15th: The Task Force learns the true nature of Watari's orphanages, and that Near and Mello were meant to be the true heirs to L's legacy.
- 18th: Sidoh reveals himself to the mafia in looking for his Notebook.
- 19th: Light, as L, tells the President of the U.S. his plans to capture Mello's outfit.
- 23rd: Light and Misa are able to get the new owner of Sidoh's Notebook to send them information about the mafia's locale.
- 27th: Light keeps Misa's Death Note on his person, and gives up ownership of his (Sidoh's) Notebook. The President commits suicide.
- 30th: Misa, as Kira, calls Soichiro, offering to help him retrieve the Death Note from Mello.
- 1st: Ryuk delivers the Death Note to the Task Force, revealing himself to them.
- 10th/11th: The Task Force raids the mafia's base, capturing several members, while several others die. They recover the Notebook, but Soichiro is later shot in a standoff with Mello, who escapes. Soichiro dies, and Sidoh returns to the Shinigami world with his Death Note.
- 19th: As Near summarizes L and Kira are one and the same, the Vice President-turned-President of the U.S. formally disbands the SPK, admitting America will no longer fight against Kira. Mello uses SPK member Lidner to go to their headquarters to share information with Near.
- 25th: Sakura TV director Hitoshi Demegawa instigates American Kira supporters to attack SPK headquarters. Every member escapes discreetly.
- 26th: Light chooses Kira worshiper Teru Mikami to act as Kira on his behalf. Misa loses all of her memories of the Death Notes, and her Death Note is given to Mikami.
- 27th: Aizawa meets with the SPK following new suspicion of Light. Mello and his associate Matt begin investigating Misa. Demegawa is killed on live television by Mikami.
- 1st: Kiyomi Takada is chosen as Kira's spokeswoman following Demegawa's death.
- 6th: The Task Force, as well as Mello and Matt, return to Japan. Light begins secret meetings with Takada.
- 7th: Mikami and Light speak with each other for the first time. Kiyomi, their go-between, discovers Light is Kira.
- 12th: The SPK arrives in Japan. Kiyomi begins killing criminals on Kira's behalf.
- 14th: Near reasons Mikami is acting as the newest Kira.
- 21st: Kiyomi and Misa have dinner together. SPK member Gevanni sees Mikami using the Death Note on a train.
- 31st: Mogi and Misa are placed in confinement by the SPK. Gevanni makes contact with Mikami's Death Note.
2010
January
- 21st: Gevanni swaps Mikami's Death Note with a fake.
- 26th: Kiyomi is kidnapped by, then later kills, Mello. At 2:32pm (14:32), Light kills Kiyomi with his scrap of the Death Note. At 2:33pm (14:33), Mikami writes Kiyomi's name in his Death Note, unknowingly revealing the location of the real Notebook to Gevanni.
- 27th: Gevanni is able to replicate an exact copy of Mikami's Death Note.
- 28th: 1:00pm (13:00). The SPK and Task Force members come face-to-face under the guise of a meeting about Kira. Mikami attempts to kill them with his Notebook, unaware his copy is a fake. Light is found out, and attempts to kill Near. He is shot down, and subsequently killed by Ryuk with his Death Note. Kira's killings officially come to an end.
- 7th: Mikami dies in prison.
2011
January
- 28th: The Task Force members, lead by Aizawa, work with Near (adopting the "L" identity) in a sting operation. Kira worshipers pray for their missing god.
- 14th: Misa Amane commits suicide.
2012
2013
- A new Kira appears. Near, as L, openly announces he will not investigate the case. The mysterious new Kira commits suicide.
2014
2015
2016
2017
- Minoru Tanaka finds Ryuk's Death Note after he intentionally drops it from the Shinigami World. The two discuss Light's schemes and Kira's legacy. Minoru revokes ownership of the notebook and asks Ryuk to return in two years.
2018
2019
May
- Ryuk returns and Minoru enacts his plan to sell the Death Note via worldwide auction. World governments compete to purchase the power, and the United States wins. The bid money is distributed amongst thousands of Japanese bank accounts, creating an economic boom. Near, unable to track Ryuk or the disbursement of funds to a single individual, gives up the case. The Shinigami King, incensed by misuse of the notebook, creates a new rule: anyone who buys and sells a Death Note will be killed once the transaction is successful. The U.S. President rejects the book, opting to pretend he has it. Minoru, unaware of the rule, dies upon collecting his money.
