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The renowned anime series, Death Note has been revived and is set to be released worldwide on Netflix on August 25. If you’ve never seen the Japanese manga series, then you’re in for a delight—and if you have, then you know all about what’s to come. Does Light die in Death Note? The series has already come to an end, so most people already know what ends up happening—but will the live action version adhere to the same storyline? Will there be a Death Note sequel? Keep on reading to see the Death Note ending explained.

The series follows Light Tagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook where if the owner writes down the name of an individual, they’ll die from an otherwise completely unexplained cause. Light creates an alter ego named Kira who attempts to create and rule a world that’s free of evil, by using the notebook to kill everyone he deems evil. Eventually law enforcement catches wind of this serial killer, and Death Note follows their pursuit of Kira, and Kira’s progress towards creating his ideal world.

Does Light Die in “Death Note?”

The main question people are asking upon the release of Death Note on Netflix is: does Light die in Death Note? To put it simply, yes. Light Yagami ultimately dies because Ryuk, the Shinigami who dropped the Death Note, writes his name in the deadly notebook. Shortly after he writes his name down, Light is shot with a bullet! But why did Ryuk kill Light? Viewers come to learn that Ryuk has promised to set Light free by writing his name down in Death Note. Ryuk knew that Light would never have come to help unless the situation was dire, so he decided to pull the plug. After killing Light, Ryuk returns to the Shinigami realm.

The only reason there’s a question as to whether or not the manga series will maintain its original storyline in the new adaptation, is because director Adam Wingard has decided to take the live-action version in a different direction—and the internet hasn’t taken to kindly to it. According to Polygon, Wingard has said that “the Netflix movie is more about examining the themes of good versus evil, as opposed to directly adapting the source material.” But that’s not what fans had a problem with. Many early reviews knock Wingard’s production, and the execution of his ideas. One of the main complaints that viewers seem to have is that the film is way too rushed, and doesn’t include some integral details and scenes that they would’ve loved to have seen played out in live-action. The Guardian writes that “the runaway plot also means that the characters are left frequently underserved, shifts in motivation and morality happening within the blink of an eye.”

“Death Note” Sequel

Despite the initial negative reviews, Wingard is pushing for Netflix to approve a Death Note sequel before the official worldwide release. However, if the headlines we’ve been seeing about the first movie are any indication, this may be the end of Wingard’s live-action adaption. There’s still a chance that Death Note will be a huge hit when it comes out today, so there is still hope that Netflix could sign on for a sequel! We’ll have to wait and see what it does for director Adam Wingard, and the rest of Death Note fans.