Takeshi Obata manga in English: every series and where to start

Takeshi Obata in English at a glance

Takeshi Obata has 6 series with English volumes. 5 of them are complete in English. Only one series still has a gap. All six are finished in Japan. The volume counts below are as of October 2026.

The series are listed with the most popular first.

Death Note

Light Yagami tops his class at a high school in Tokyo. One day during a lesson he watches a black notebook drop into the school yard. That is the setup of Death Note. It is a supernatural mystery and a psychological thriller. Detective and police work are part of its themes. Its lead is an anti-hero.

Obata did the art. Tsugumi Ooba is the other name on the credits.

Japan has 13 volumes. English has 12 of them. That leaves the English run one volume short. No next English volume is listed yet.

All You Need Is Kill

This one is military science fiction with a time loop at its core. Alien invaders called Mimics are tearing through the armies of humanity. Survival is a big theme. There is mecha action and romance in the mix too.

Obata has a wider credit here than on the rest of this list. His role reads story and art. Hiroshi Sakurazaka shares the credits.

All You Need Is Kill runs 2 volumes in Japan. Both are out in English. The series is complete in English.

Bakuman。

The team behind Death Note made a manga about making manga. That is Bakuman。. Moritaka Mashiro is a middle schooler. He can really draw. He just has no plans for it.

Expect comedy and romance alongside the drama. The themes are drawing, writing and work. It is also a meta story about the manga business itself.

Obata handled the art. Tsugumi Ooba is credited with him again. All 20 volumes are out in English. The series is complete.

Platinum End

Platinum End is a supernatural drama with mystery and psychological genres. Its themes are gods, angels and survival in an urban setting. Romance is listed among its genres as well.

This is another Tsugumi Ooba and Takeshi Obata pairing. Obata drew it. The series has 14 volumes in Japan. English has all 14. It is complete in English.

Hikaru no Go

Board games and ghosts meet in Hikaru no Go. The game is Go. It is listed as a sports series with supernatural and psychological sides. Coming of age is one of its themes. There is comedy too.

Yumi Hotta is the other author. Obata provided the art.

It is the longest series on this list at 23 volumes. Every one of them is out in English. The series is complete in English.

Death Note Short Stories

Death Note Short Stories is a single volume. It is a supernatural psychological drama. Its themes are detective work, police, crime and gods.

The credits match the main series. Tsugumi Ooba and Takeshi Obata made it. Obata did the art.

Japan has 1 volume. English has 1 volume. It is complete in English.

Where to start

A short series that is complete in English is the easiest way in. Two of the six fit that best.

• Death Note Short Stories is 1 volume and complete in English.
• All You Need Is Kill is 2 volumes and complete in English. It is also the one series here where Obata is credited for story and art.

For a longer read that is still complete there are three more options.

• Platinum End runs 14 volumes.
• Bakuman。 runs 20 volumes.
• Hikaru no Go runs 23 volumes.

Death Note is the most popular of the six. It has 12 of its 13 volumes in English. It is the only one not yet complete in English.