Death Note All-in-One vs Black Edition vs Singles: Which Edition Is Best?
Death Note is only 12 main volumes long, but buying it can still be confusing because the English manga comes in three very different physical formats: the original singles, six Black Editions and one enormous All-in-One Edition.
For most readers, the Black Edition is the best balance between collecting fewer books and still having a comfortable physical reading experience.
Choose the original singles if you prefer smaller books and individual cover artwork. Choose the All-in-One if you specifically want the entire story in one extremely thick volume.
Compare the three Death Note editions
| Edition | Books | Best for | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original singles | 12 | Comfortable reading and original covers | Uses the most separate books |
| Black Edition | 6 | Best all-round collector/read option | Larger and heavier than a single |
| All-in-One | 1 | Whole story in one book | Extremely thick |
Shop the Death Note editions
Death Note Black Edition Vol. 1
Contains original Death Note Volumes 1 and 2 in one larger paperback.
View Black Edition Vol. 1Death Note All-in-One
All 12 main volumes packed into one 2,400-page paperback.
View All-in-One EditionWhat is the Death Note Black Edition?
The Black Edition reorganises the 12-volume Death Note story into six larger paperbacks.
Each Black Edition combines two original volumes, so Black Edition Volume 1 contains Death Note Volumes 1 and 2, Black Edition Volume 2 contains Volumes 3 and 4, and so on until Black Edition Volume 6 completes the story with Volumes 11 and 12.
For somebody buying the entire story physically, that cuts the shelf count in half without turning the manga into one enormous book.
Best balance: the Black Edition is the version we would choose for someone who wants a distinctive shelf set but still intends to actually sit and read the books regularly.
What is the Death Note All-in-One Edition?
The All-in-One Edition does exactly what its name suggests.
All 12 volumes are collected inside one paperback.
VIZ lists it at 2,400 pages, making it dramatically thicker than either a standard volume or one Black Edition.
That makes it a fun and unusual collector item, and it means you can own the complete main Death Note story as a single book.
The trade-off is physical handling. A 2,400-page paperback is naturally less convenient to hold for a long reading session than a normal manga volume.
Are the original Death Note singles still worth buying?
Yes, particularly if reading comfort and the original individual covers matter to you.
The standard version is simply Death Note Volumes 1 through 12 as separate paperbacks.
That means each book is lighter, easier to carry and easier to hold open than either collected format.
You also get the individual cover designs rather than combining two volumes into one Black Edition cover.
Death Note Vol. 1
Start the standard 12-volume paperback collection with Light Yagami's discovery of the Death Note.
View Death Note Vol. 1Explore English manga
Browse Death Note alongside psychological, thriller and supernatural manga available at Ripperholics.
Browse MangaDoes each edition contain the same Death Note story?
For the main manga, yes.
The standard singles, Black Editions and All-in-One Edition are different ways of collecting the same core 12-volume Death Note story.
You do not need to buy one edition and then another to continue the plot.
Choose one format and read it from beginning to end.
Which Death Note edition is easiest to read?
The original singles are the easiest physically.
They are the smallest and lightest format of the three.
The Black Editions are larger but still split the story into six manageable books.
The All-in-One sacrifices some comfort for the novelty and convenience of having everything bound together.
Which Death Note edition is best for collecting?
That depends on what you want your shelf to look like.
Original singles
Choose these if you like having all 12 individual volumes and their separate cover artwork.
Black Edition
Choose these if you want a clean six-book set with a more distinctive collected-edition appearance.
All-in-One
Choose this if the idea of owning the entire series as one absurdly large paperback is part of the appeal.
Death Note editions FAQs
How many Death Note Black Editions are there?
There are six Black Edition volumes, with each one collecting two of the original manga volumes.
Does Death Note All-in-One contain the full manga?
Yes. It contains all 12 volumes of the main Death Note manga in one 2,400-page paperback.
Is the Black Edition different from the normal Death Note story?
No. It is a different physical format of the same main manga story, combining two original volumes into each Black Edition.
Which Death Note edition should a first-time reader buy?
We would choose the Black Edition for the best balance of shelf space, presentation and reading comfort. The standard singles are also excellent if you prefer smaller books.
Is the Death Note All-in-One hard to read?
It is much thicker than a normal manga volume, so it can be less comfortable for long handheld reading sessions. Its appeal is having the whole series in one physical book.
Our pick: Death Note Black Edition
Six books, two original volumes in each, and a more manageable reading experience than the giant All-in-One.
View Black Edition Vol. 1