Summary

• "The Taro Kagami Story" predates Death Note, featuring a middle schooler protagonist named Taro.
• Taro is kind, remorseful, and seeks redemption, unlike Light who is unfeeling and power-hungry.
• Death Note took a darker turn by switching from Taro to Light as the protagonist.

At this point in time, it seems nearly impossible for the critically acclaimed and amazing series Death Note to ever receive a second season, after the anime ended in June 2007. However, for those eagerly seeking out more content related to the beloved franchise, there is a little known manga set in the same universe. Shockingly, this manga chapter could've drastically changed the plot and main character of Death Note, creating a new series entirely.

This intriguing chapter, published in Weekly Shonen Jump, actually preceded the story that went on to become the well-known Death Note series, introducing readers to a similar storyline, but with a completely different and much younger main character.

The protagonist in this iteration of the popular manga is named Taro Kagami and is not a high school student, he is a middle schooler who is thirteen. Editors and readers alike really enjoyed Tsugumi Ohba's initial creation, but had some feedback that eventually helped the writer create the groundbreaking Death Note manga that was also released in Shonen Jump magazine.

An Intriguing Story That Features A Younger Protagonist Preceded Death Note

This manga was titled "The Taro Kagami Story" and follows a middle school student

When Taro Kagami discovered a Death Note journal, he was not aware of the object's capabilities or extreme power and viewed it as just an ordinary journal. He began writing frequently in the book, utilizing it as a simple diary to express his inner thoughts. He was the victim of bullying from two classmates and discussed these experiences in his journal entries, unaware of the consequences that would occur due to writing their names in this book. After the two classmates did indeed pass away, he began looking into the details of the mysterious notebook he had been using.

Due to his unfamiliarity with the English language, Taro did not realize the journal had "death" inscribed on the front, but once he understood his mistake, he felt deep and devastating remorse for the lives he had unintentionally ended due to his mistaken actions. However, shinigami Ryuk appeared and explained a "Death Eraser" ability he could use to revive the boys by erasing their names from the journal, which Taro quickly did. Ryuk's words proved true, and the boys came back to life, but suddenly even more deaths started to occur right when Taro thought he had solved the mystery.

Taro's Story Includes Many Similarities With Death Note, But Significant Differences Too

This story also features a "Death Eraser" ability not present in Death Note

​​​​​​Taro quickly realized that his Death Note was not the only notebook circulating through the world and found out that a fellow classmate, Miura, had also laid hands on one of the books. Miura killed the bullies again, as well as police officers, and he even almost killed Taro himself, in an effort to hide his murderous choices from others. However, Taro halted Miura's plans and put a stop to his cruel killings, leading both boys to confess everything to the police. The details of the case were hidden and Miura's book was burned, but Taro held onto his as a secret memory.

The compelling story could have certainly morphed into an interesting anime series, but Ohba made significant changes to this initial spark of an idea before generating the manga known as Death Note. "The Taro Kagami Story" is somewhat similar but contains immense differences when the two are compared. Most strikingly, the protagonist Taro is very different from Light Yagami, Death Note's protagonist, in both age and ideals. While Taro felt soul-crushing guilt when he realized his behavior had caused people to die, Light's response was much more cold and methodical, and he barely even considered discontinuing his use of the notebook.

Light And Taro's Personalities And Ideals Are Opposites

Taro is a kind person with respectable morals who made a mistake

One of the most prominent distinctions between Light and Taro is their reaction to discovering the Death Note's true purpose. Taro reacted with immediate horror and attempts to remedy his error, while Light plotted ways to work the situation in his favor and establish himself as "god of the new world" he intended on creating. Taro stopped killing instantly, while Light's murders only grew in number, as he developed sneaky techniques in order not to get caught. These astonishingly dissimilar protagonists each give their story a different feel, leading Death Note to have a much more grim tone than its predecessor.

Surprisingly, Death Note was originally designed to appeal to younger audiences, with the original plot involving middle schooler Taro, but Light's introduction as the protagonist of the series instead dramatically shifted the demographic the series would target. "The Taro Kagami Story" ended in a more heartwarming way, as Taro righted his wrongs, accepted blame, and felt sorrow and contrition for what happened, vowing never to use the Death Note again. However, Light made Death Note a much gorier and devastating franchise, as he ruthlessly murdered anyone he had to in order to achieve his own notions of godhood and power.

Death Note Turned Out Much More Dark And Gruesome Compared To Its Original Concept

Both series do showcase murders, but Death Note takes it up a notch and contains a horrifically heartless protagonist

There are few anime protagonists as bone-chillingly evil as Light Yagami. He relentlessly hurt others, even family and friends, with no guilt, all in pursuit of his dream to become a god. Although Ohba's original concept for Death Note was indeed fascinating and well-written, switching out Taro for Light took the series in a much darker and more terrifying direction. However, this change also ensured that the franchise would be more appealing to older audiences who could handle the increased number of deaths, emotionally devastating situations, losses of major characters, and overall more mature nature of the final version of Death Note.