Edition contents & overlap
Death Note: How Many Volumes? 12, and the Box Set vs Black Edition
Published 9 September 2026 · Source dates are listed with each edition
Death Note has 12 volumes. VIZ sells them as singles, a Complete Box Set with the How to Read guide, 6 Black Edition books, or one All-in-One book.
Mapped coverage: Main-story volumes 1–12 in the Complete Box Set. The guidebook is an extra, not story volume 13.
Creator: Tsugumi Ohba (story), Takeshi Obata (art) Publisher: VIZ Media
Short answer
Death Note volume count and set options
Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata has 12 volumes in VIZ’s English edition (VIZ volume list). The Complete Box Set (ISBN 978-1-4215-2581-5, released October 7, 2008) includes volumes 1–12, Death Note 13: How to Read and a “How to Use It” fold-out (VIZ); the guide is not a 13th story volume. VIZ also lists a six-book Black Edition (VIZ) and an All-in-One edition that puts the twelve volumes in a single book (VIZ blog).
| Edition | Books | Story covered | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single volumes | 12 | Volumes 1–12 | Standard paperbacks |
| Complete Box Set | 1 box | Volumes 1–12 | Plus How to Read guide and fold-out |
| Black Edition | 6 | Volumes 1–12 (book 1 is 1–2, book 6 is 11–12) | Compared in the Black Edition guide |
| All-in-One | 1 | Volumes 1–12 | Twelve volumes in one book |
Documented contents
What each edition covers
Numbering: Death Note English single-volume numbering. It describes mapped story units only; separately documented extras remain separate.
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| Edition | Covered volume | Format | Language / market | ISBN-13 | Extras | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death Note Complete Box SetView on Amazon US ↗ | 1–12 | Paperback box set | English / US | 9781421525815 | Death Note 13: How to Read, How to Use It fold-out | Publisher source for Death Note Complete Box Set Checked 2026-09-09 |
Each record retains its own source-check date. A missing ISBN is reported as not verified; unknown extras are never inferred.
Mapped coverage
1–12 · 12 mapped story units across 1 documented editions. This is the range in this map, not a claim that the series is complete.
Your shelf
Calculate overlap and new coverage
Select the numbered units and editions you already own, then choose candidate editions to compare. The result uses only this series' numbering system.
Marks every mapped story unit up to your choice. For gaps, select individual volumes below.
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Select a unit or edition to calculate coverage.
The Death Note Complete Box Set contains manga volumes 1–12, Death Note 13: How to Read, and a How to Use It fold-out. Its numbered story coverage is 1–12. The guidebook is listed as an extra, so selecting it does not create a thirteenth story unit.
What the box adds to an existing shelf
If you own story volumes 1–8, the set repeats eight volumes and adds 9–12. That is four new story volumes. The separately documented guide and fold-out may matter to you, but they do not change the overlap result.
If you own all twelve, the target is already covered. The calculator therefore does not treat the box as a necessary continuation purchase. Choosing another format or collecting its extras is a separate decision, not a way to fill a nonexistent story gap.
Identify the edition before comparing
This map describes the regular-paperback box set identified by its ISBN, not every Death Note collected edition. Do not mark a Black Edition book number as an ordinary single without checking its contents, and do not treat similar cover colors as evidence of identical packaging.
VIZ’s product record supplies the membership list. For the reasoning behind the story/guide distinction, read why an extra numbered book may not extend a story. We do not assess binding, translation or physical reading comfort.
The box also predates a separately published companion. Read whether Death Note Short Stories is included in the Complete Box Set before treating every Death Note manga book as part of this 1–12 package.
For a side-by-side of the Black Edition, box set and All-in-One, read the Black Edition vs box set guide. Death Note’s creators also made Bakuman.