Death Note: The Shinigami's Rules, Explained

gamerant.com:

Shinigami create the main story drive in Light Yagami’s adventures in the popular anime Death Note. While the vast majority of rules are mentioned throughout the anime, the many unique aspects and specifics of the rules can be difficult to keep up with. Functionally, they can be broken down into four categories: how to use the Death Note, how ownership of the Death Note works, how Shinigami eyes work, and the rules that govern the Shinigami themselves. This final category is the most difficult to understand simply because the Shinigami themselves are hesitant to reveal too much of their own nature to the individuals with whom they interact.

InDeath Note, Light Yagami, a young genius, comes across a strange notebook that allows him to kill any individual whose name he knows. He uses this power to rid the world of all he deems evil in an effort to create his perfect world and fashion himself as a living god. The notebook belongs to Shinigami, which can be understood as either a god of death or as a grim reaper depending upon the translation. He acquires allies who also deal with Shinigami, and faces intelligent enemies who seek to stop his mad quest.

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The Shinigami haunt the owner of their Death Note, in doing so they must become visible to that human within 39 days of the first use. Interestingly, Shinigami have no obligation to explain how the Note works, though they often do. They also have nothing to do with the deaths caused by the Note. Therefore, if the Shinigami were somehow to die the Note would not lose its power.

The Shinigami, although they are able to see the namesand lifespans of humans, are not allowed to tell the owner of the Note. They