He works with his female assistant, Maki Tagetsu, and is combating a series of paranormal events; ordinary people are being possessed and turned into demons.

Taima eventually travels to the United States to discover the origins of the demonic powers but find another needle wielder, Kyogo Ayakashi.

[1][2] After Scholar's bankruptcy,[citation needed] the series was republished by Sony Magazines under Birz Comics imprint in July 1999.

[15] A sequel series, Masatsu Note Taimashin Mashin Taidō-hen (魔殺ノート退魔針　魔針胎動篇), was published by Gentosha between 2001 and 2004 into six volumes.

[27] However, they found the second set of volumes to be more effective and cited the refreshing shift in the manga's main character as a positive.