Practical collecting guide
Is Death Note Short Stories in the Complete Box Set?
No. The Death Note Complete Box Set contains volumes 1–12, How to Read and a fold-out; Short Stories is a separate 2022 manga collection.
No. Death Note Short Stories is not included in VIZ’s English Death Note Complete Box Set. The box lists main manga volumes 1–12, Death Note 13: How to Read and a “How to Use It” fold-out. VIZ released Short Stories separately in English in 2022 under its own title and ISBN.
Check the named contents, not the number 13
| Publication or item | In the Complete Box Set? | What it contains or represents | Numbered main-story coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death Note volumes 1–12 | Yes | Numbered manga run | 12 volumes |
| Death Note 13: How to Read | Yes | Encyclopedia, commentary, interviews and bonus manga material | Not a thirteenth main-story volume |
| “How to Use It” fold-out | Yes | Box extra | None |
| Death Note Short Stories | No | Separate collection including C-Kira, a-Kira, the pilot and L vignettes | Outside the 1–12 map |
The Complete Box Set record supplies that exact membership and ISBN 9781421525815. VIZ’s How to Read page identifies the included guide separately as ISBN 9781421518886. The publisher’s Death Note Short Stories page identifies the 226-page paperback as ISBN 9781974730735 and names its collected stories.
What a full-box shelf still lacks
Owning the complete box proves coverage of the twelve numbered main volumes and possession of the two named extras if the package is intact. It does not prove ownership of Short Stories. Adding that separate paperback changes the shelf inventory from thirteen books to fourteen books—twelve numbered volumes, one guide and one short-story collection—but it does not create “Death Note volume 14.” The fold-out is another physical item, not a book or numbered volume.
This distinction prevents a second mistake: Short Stories does not replace a missing numbered book. If a used box lacks volume 8 but includes Short Stories, the main run still has a volume-8 gap. The Death Note edition map can calculate only the verified 1–12 numbered range; companion books remain outside that set arithmetic.
A four-part box check
- Confirm that volumes 1 through 12 are all present.
- Check separately for Death Note 13: How to Read.
- Check for the “How to Use It” fold-out and the box if package completeness matters.
- Record Short Stories separately; do not mark it as volume 13 or 14.
For the broader classification rule, guidebooks and bonus books are not automatically story volumes. To compare the box with the Black Edition or All-in-One format, use the three-format Death Note guide.