The Death Note franchise is famed for its intense battle of wits between Light Yagami the antihero and the super-detective L, with many thought-provoking themes explored along the way. The original manga did an outstanding job with all this, while the Death Note anime changed or omitted material that hurt the narrative, including Light's final downfall in that dockside warehouse.

Both versions of Death Note end with Light/Kira's final defeat, with Ryuk the shinigami personally writing down Light's name to finish him off, but the anime's version is missing some key components that make Light's defeat so tragic to behold. Put simply, the Death Note anime took it easy on Light, lessening the impact of Kira's agonizing downfall. While the Death Note anime's final scene did add some new narrative elements to Light Yagami's eventual downfall, most fans may agree that the manga's original ending is the best,...