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This is a list of fictional characters in the anime and manga series Death Note. The character names are listed in Western order, with the given name before the family name.

In his stories, Tsugumi Ohba, the writer, chose character names that "seemed real but could not exist in the real world" because most of the characters were criminals and victims.

Main characters

Light Yagami

Light Yagami (夜神 月, Yagami Raito) is the protagonist and anti-hero of the series. At the start of the series, he discovers the Death Note and uses it to kill criminals, becoming known to the people of Japan as Kira (キラ, based on the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "killer"). He is voiced by Mamoru Miyano in the Japanese anime and by Brad Swaile in the English dub. In the live-action film, he is played by Tatsuya Fujiwara. He is characterized as an extremely intelligent, but bored young man, who is frustrated by the lack of justice in the world. He is confident of his own intelligence and how smart he is in relation to others. Being a genius, Light feels that only he is fit to judge humanity and steer it on a proper moral course, viewing himself as the "god" of the new world he is creating.

Shortly after gaining the Death Note from its owner, Ryuk, Light sets to work ridding the world of criminals, attracting the attention of the master detective L. Light and L encounter each other a series of battles of wit throughout the first part of the series, though once the second Kira, Misa Amane emerges, L is able to corner them both. After giving up the Death Note briefly to clear their names, he is able to finally have L killed by manipulating Rem into saving Misa's life. With L dead, Light takes up his mantle to keep the world in the dark about L's death, becoming the second L while putting him in the perfect position to continue killing criminals. He comes into conflict with L's true successors, Near and Mello, during this time. After making a mistake in using Mikami Teru as a proxy, Near is finally able to corner Light. Having decided that it's time to end his game, Ryuk kills Light.

Conception and development of Light Yagami

Takeshi Obata, the artist of Death Note, said that he had "no trouble" designing Light as the character description presented to him, "A brilliant honors student who's a little out there," was "clear and detailed." Obata said that as the weekly serialization continued, he simplified the design by unconsciously removing "unnecessary" lines and felt that he became "better" at drawing Light. When Chapter 35 appeared and the editor informed Obata that Light lost his memories, Obata felt that he had to "forget everything he learned" and draw Light in a similar manner as he appeared in Chapter 1. Obata said that he used "a lot of effort" to design Light's wardrobe. According to Obata, he encountered difficulty imagining the clothing of "a brilliant person," so he looked through fashion magazines. Obata envisioned Light as a "smart and formal guy" who wears formal shirts. Most of Light's clothing in Death Note is "fitted" and Obata avoided jeans.

When designing color book covers Obata assigned colors to characters to "get the atmosphere right." Obata assigned clear or "lack of a color" to Light.

L

L (エル, Eru), whose real name is L Lawliet (エル・ローライト, Eru Rōraito), is considered the world's greatest detective. Through clever use of aliases, he is also known as the world's second- and third-greatest detectives, Eraldo Coil and Deneuve, respectively. Though outwardly appearing as disheveled and languid, L is a genius on par with Light. His powers of deduction and insight allow him to draw conclusions from the smallest of clues. He tends to second-guess everything he is presented with, and is extremely meticulous and analytical. He has several quirks such as preferring to crouch rather than sit, loving sweet foods like desserts and fruits, and holding items very delicately. He is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi in the Japanese anime and by Alessandro Juliani in the English dub. In the live-action film, he is played by Ken'ichi Matsuyama.

L, for the most part, is a recluse. He only takes cases out of personal interest, as opposed to upholding a particular sense of justice. He communicates with the world through his assistant, Watari, by way of video conferencing. He never shows his face when communicating with others, instead representing himself with a capital L in Old English 5 Font, and uses voice-alteration software to further disguise his identity. He only first reveals himself to the Kira investigation team, and has them refer to him as Ryuzaki (竜崎, Ryūzaki) for discretion. When he attends Light's college, he takes the name Hideki Ryuga (流河 旱樹, Ryūga Hideki), deliberately using the name of a popular singer to see if Light was Kira.

When it becomes clear that the one known as Kira is responsible for the many heart attacks among the criminal population, L makes it his duty to bring him to justice. He quickly suspects that Light Yagami is Kira, but cannot obtain any concrete evidence. After having Light join his investigation team to analyze him further, he and Light's false persona soon become close friends. Although L cannot shake the conclusion that Light is the first Kira, Light is the only person L had ever identified or connected with, and he openly states on one occasion that even though it would hurt his pride to admit that he has been wrong, he hopes that he would be. Light manages to kill L by manipulating Rem into killing L for him, making her believe that she must kill L for the sake of Misa's life. During his final hours L seems a bit depressed mostly because he, somehow, knew that his death was drawing near. L's last sight before death is Light triumphantly smiling over his defeated rival. In this moment, L confirms to himself that Light is the first Kira.

Conception and development of L

Takeshi Obata, artist of the series, described the thumbnails of L created by Tsugumi Ohba, the writer of the series, as having no "bags" under his eyes and a "plain face with no expression." He felt the design was great and that it could have been used, but after drawing L as an "attractive young man" until L's first full appearance in Chapter 11, Obata's editor told him that he wanted L to have a face "looking cool based on the angle". After Obata asked Ogba if L could be "unattractive" and Ohba decided to leave L's design fully to Obata, Obata added black "bags" under L's eyes. Obata cited Devil Man's Akira Fudou when stating that he believed that black bags "looked cool", and he felt that they acted as a useful tool to attract speculation about L's lifestyle and past. In addition, Obata thought of a "dead eyes" concept involving L having "mostly no eyebrows" and "all-black eyes." Obata believes that having black eyes usually makes a character "goofier," but the bags "sharpen the character's gaze." Obata believes that the design evokes "a feeling of mystery" and that the reader cannot determine L's true thoughts.

During the development of the early manga chapters, Obata feared that L would appear to be "so suspicious that Light would know instantly it was L if they ever met." Obata designed L with a "simple" T-shirt and jeans outfit to convey the idea that L does not put thought into choosing his clothing. When designing color book covers Obata assigned colors to characters to "get the atmosphere right." Obata assigned gold to L. L is given the alias "Ryuzaki" because L is pronounced like R in Japanese.

Misa Amane

Misa Amane (弥 海砂, Amane Misa) is a famous model, singer and actress, who obtains a Death Note, and becomes known as the second Kira. She is voiced by Aya Hirano in the Japanese anime and by Shannon Chan-Kent in the English dub. In the live-action film, she is played by Erika Toda.

Misa Amane obtains her note from Rem, who received it after Jealous, a shinigami who fell in love with Misa, sacrificed himself to change her fate by killing a person that was going to kill Misa. She obtains the Shinigami Eyes from Rem upon meeting her. Upon realizing that the first Kira is Light, she develops an immense crush on him, partially because he "punished" the criminal that killed her parents. Misa is hyperactive and knowingly allows Light to easily manipulate her, claiming she doesn't mind as she loves him so much. She has a habit of referring to herself in the third person by calling herself "Misa-Misa". After the end of the series, it is said in Death Note How To Read 13 that Misa commits suicide after learning of Light's death.

Conception and development of Misa

Tsugumi Ohba, writer of Death Note, decided to create Misa to be the second Kira before the serialization began. He felt that having the story solely consist of males would be "boring" and that he wanted "a cute female." Ohba debated on when to introduce Misa before deciding to introduce her after Naomi dies. Ohba, intending to introduce her with the Shinigami Eyes, described her as having to be "spontaneous and not too bright" and that he determined her personality "from the start." Since Light would never want to trade for the Shinigami Eyes, Ohba wanted another character to use to trade for the eyes, so he decided to use Misa.

Ohba and Takeshi Obata, arist of Death Note, wanted to use the gothic lolita design to convey "gothic imagery of the Shinigami and that world." Ohba said that he is "into that fashion" and that having Misa first appear in unusual clothing would be "more interesting."

Obata, imagining a mix of an "energetic Japanese artist" and a "foreign rock and roll singer," felt "set" when he drew Misa for the first time. Obata said that he felt "apprehension" regarding the length of Misa's hair; personally he wanted her fringes (bangs) to be "straight across" but believed that creating Misa completely within the bounds of the gothic lolita design would be "too much." Ohba also believed that using "hardcore" gothic lolita would be "too much."

Therefore Obata designed her so she looked "a little more natural" and to appear "cute" to people who "weren't into the Gothic Lolita style." When the Near and Mello arc appeared and Misa became a top idol, Obata decided to make her look like "a popular actress." Obata said that he remembered "having a lot of fun" while looking through gothic lolita magazines and drawing Misa.

When designing color book covers Obata assigned colors to characters to "get the atmosphere right." Obata assigned pink and black to Misa.

Obata said that he did not include Misa in the final chapter because he did not "come up with a situation to fit her in."

Near

Near (ニア, Nia), whose real name is Nate River (ネイト・リバー, Neito Ribā), is the younger of L's two successors raised in Watari's orphanage for gifted children and the more level-headed, calmly assessing the situation, while the other, Mello, is more emotional and quick to act. Much like L, Near shows various odd behaviors during his normal life. He is usually seen hunched over than sitting, and he also constantly plays with various toys which he uses in his theories. He shows a great respect for L, basing much of how he solves crime on L's methods, even to the point where he only takes cases that he is interested with rather than trying to pursue justice. Much like L, Near uses the Old English "N" to represent himself. He is voiced by Noriko Hidaka in the Japanese anime.

Sometime after L's death, he works for the United States under the SPK (Secret Provision for Kira) team that is established to investigate Kira. He soon manages to deduce that Light, posing as L, is actually Kira. After finding that Mikami is Light's proxy and Mello kidnaps Takada, Near is able to switch Mikami's Death Note with a fake one, allowing him to set up a final confrontation that leaves Light exposed. Ryuk kills Light soon after. Near claims that neither of he nor Mello could surpass L alone, but together have done so by inadvertently working together. Near soon takes on L's name, and keeps on the surviving members of the SPK as his subordinates.

The given name "Nate" comes from the word "natural" and "River" is to symbolize that Near's talents flow from L. Therefore Near is the natural successor to L.

Mello

Mello (メロ, Mero), whose real name is Mihael Keehl (ミハエル・ケール, Mihaeru Kēru), is the older of L's two successors raised in Watari's orphanage for gifted children. When it is decided that Mello should work with the other successor, Near, Mello refuses, citing an inability to work with Near, to whom he is considered second. Similar to L's fondness for sweets, Mello is often seen eating bars of chocolate. Unlike L or Near, however, Mello is much more outgoing and emotional, to a fault at some points. He is quite intelligent and resourceful, able to set up elaborate plans thanks to his Mafia connections. Mello is voiced by Nozomu Sasaki in the Japanese anime and in the English Dub by David Hurwitz.

Mello decides to find Kira his own way by joining the Mafia. After obtaining one of the Death Notes from the Kira investigation team by kidnapping Sayu Yagami, Light ends up setting up a raid that leaves him badly scarred and his real name in Light's hands. After learning that Light is Kira, he kidnaps Takada, but is soon killed by Takada's hidden pages of the Death Note. This action causes Mikami to expose his own Death Note to kill Takada, eventually leading to Light's defeat.

Soichiro Yagami

Soichiro Yagami (夜神 総一郎, Yagami Sōichirō) is Light's father and a police officer that initially leads the Kira investigation team. He is voiced by Naoya Uchida in the Japanese anime and Chris Britton in the English dub. In the film, he is played by Takeshi Kaga. As work on the Kira case begins, he becomes disappointed with the lack of police cooperation in capturing Kira, eventually joining forces with L to form a special investigative team. When L begins to suspect Light of being Kira, Soichiro is unwilling to believe his son would be capable of such a thing. Though he eventually suffers a stress related heart attack, he insists on remaining helpful to the team, going as far as breaking into the Sakura TV station using a police bus.

In the anime and the manga, after L dies and Light replaces him, he is instrumental in regaining the Death Note which Mello had pressured them into relinquishing by threatening Soichiro's daughter. Using Kira's Death Note, which Misa delivers to him under Light's instruction, Soichiro trades with Ryuk for the Shinigami Eyes. Using the eyes, he is able to learn Mello's real name, though he is fatally wounded by one of Mello's gang members. Because Light has given up his Death Note and therefore his lifespan is visible, Soichiro dies happily believing that Light is not Kira.

In the film, Soichiro survives and discovers that his son is Kira. At the end he hides the knowledge of Light as Kira from his wife and daughter.

Conception and development of Soichiro

Ohba said that he envisioned Soichiro as an "honest police officer with a strong sense of justice." Ohba said that "you would have to feel sorry for everything he has to go through." Ohba added that he felt hesitation against the idea of killing Soichiro even before he decided to kill him. Since Ohba decided that Light could not kill his own father he made Soichiro's death an accident. Ohba said that killed Soichiro because if Soichiro did not die, the 13 day rule would have been uncovered and that the Shinigami eyes plot point would "affect too many plot points." Ohba added that Light planned to use Matsuda for the role and miscalculated, not realizing that his father would make the eye trade. Ohba also said that he could not make himself write in Matsuda's death.

Obata designed Soichiro to look like a "stereotypical detective." Each of Ohba's thumbnail image included a moustache and glasses, so Obata retained the elements. Obata said that Soichiro "changes visibly" as the series continues; Soichiro has a double chin and "good physique" in the beginning and loses weight as the series progresses. Obata said that Soichiro started to "age poorly" in Ohba's thumbnail images.

Shinigami

Shinigami, or Death Gods, are demon-like beings who live in the Shinigami realm. Shinigami are functionally immortal, able to extend their lives indefinitely by writing the names of humans in their Death Notes. By writing the name of a human whose fated time of death has not yet come, Shinigami have their lifespan increased by the amount that human would have lived (e.g. a thirty-year-old who would have lived to the age of sixty would yield thirty years). As Ryuk describes it, life in the Shinigami realm is incredibly dull; Shinigami do little more than gamble constantly, and using the Death Note is considered something workaholics do. The main Shinigami featured in the series are Ryuk and Rem.

Supporting characters

Hirokazu Ukita

Hirokazu Ukita (宇生田 広数, Ukita Hirokazu) is the most emotional of the Kira investigation team that is lead by L. When Misa has Sakura TV broadcast a message from her as Kira, Ukita rushes to the station to stop the broadcast without any prompting by the rest of the team. Since Misa has the Shinigami Eyes, she kills him as soon as he approaches the door. He is voiced by Hidenobu Kiuchi in the Japanese anime and Jeremy From in the English dub. In the film, he is portrayed by Tatsuhito Okuda. Ukita does not die in the film.

Obata said that Ukita is an "emotional and easy-to-understand" character who therefore was "easy to draw." When Obata designed him, he did not know that Ukita would die. Obata felt "really surprised" when he saw Ohba's thumbnails portraying Ukita dead.

Kanzo Mogi

Kanzo Mogi (模木 完造, Mogi Kanzō) is one of the most dedicated members of the Kira investigation team, but also one of the most reserved. Mogi rarely speaks, even when someone presents an opinion he agrees with. He is shown to be an excellent actor, becoming an excited and cheery manager for Misa on demand and in seeming contradiction to his usual demeanor. Ironically he is killed by Misa early on in the second Death Note movie. He is voiced by Kazuya Nakai in the Japanese anime and John Murphy in the English dub. In the film, he is played by Kuji Nakamura.

Obata believes that Mogi's character design became not "very coherent" because Obata had not planned for Mogi to become a main character. Obata said that he did not draw Mogi "as a main character and then he lasts the whole series.

Ohba believes that, if Mogi became the NPA chief by the end of the story, he would "lean toward L's side," with Near as L.

Kiyomi Takada

Kiyomi Takada (高田 清美, Takada Kiyomi) first appears for a short period as Light's classmate and girlfriend to allow him to keep suspicion away from himself and Misa as the two Kiras. She is a popular girl also known as "Miss To-Oh", short for To-Oh University, or "'Refined' Takada". She returns later in the story as an announcer of NHN chosen by Mikami to be Kira's spokesperson to the world. Light eventually romances her in order to covertly deliver messages to Mikami, and have her use pages of the Death Note to judge criminals as part of Light's plan. She is eventually kidnapped by Mello, who she kills, and is then killed by Light. As a college student, she is voiced by Masumi Okamura in the Japanese anime and Heather Doerksen in the English dub. The older version of the character is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto. In the film, she is played by Nana Katase.

Ohba said that he gave Takada a "normal name" because he did not originally plan to kill her. While looking back at the story Ohba felt that Takada's death added unpredictability due to her "normal name."

Obata said that he did not "have much thought" into the design of Takada the university student; Obata says that he is not "very good with female characters." Obata "aged" Takada for the Mello and Near story arc, and he described the process as "difficult." According to Obata, he said that he thought "this doesn't look like her" when he drew designs of Takada. Obata said that he wanted to contrast Takada's wardrobe with Misa's wardrobe and that he believes that he chose to give Takada formal clothing since she had a job as a newscaster.

Shuichi Aizawa

Shuichi Aizawa (相沢 周市, Aizawa Shūichi) is a member of the Kira investigation team that leaves the team under the guise of needing to support his family because the Japanese police cut their funding, though L would have paid for it. He returns after L's death, where he is one of the first to suspect Light of being Kira, and helps contribute to his eventual defeat. He becomes the leader of the investigation team afterwards. He is voiced by Keiji Fujiwara in the Japanese anime and Trevor Devall in the English dub. In the film, he is played by Shin Shimizu.

Aizawa has a wife and child, named Eriko and Yumi. Aizawa and his wife also have a baby.

Obata said that he did not plan to draw Aizawa for an extended period of time, so he "began to worry" when Aizawa continued appearing "more and more." Obata felt that originally his face was not "good for a main character" so he said he decided to "gradually make him more presentable. " and increase the volume of his hair. Obata believes that Aizawa was "easy to draw" and that it is easy for him to draw people who "act consistently." Obata said that he drew Aizawa while believing that "it would be nice if there were lots of people like him in Japan." Obata redesigned Aizawa to "look older" and "really make it feel like four years had passed since L's death."

Towards the end of Death Note, Ohba decided to make Aizawa the chief of the NPA because he did not want to create a new character in the final chapter. Ohba felt that Aizawa is the best person to be the NPA head because Aizawa held connections to and knew the police and Near.

Teru Mikami

Teru Mikami (魅上 照, Mikami Teru) is selected as the new Kira by Light when he feels that it is dangerous for Misa to keep the Death Note any longer. Mikami is a criminal prosecutor and an avid supporter of Kira. He has an uncanny insight into Kira's way of thinking, making him a useful proxy for Light. As a child, Mikami was bullied at school for his sense of righteousness. He wishes to punish those he considers to be evil, and worships Kira as God because of Light's judgements. Though, unlike Light, he judges the unproductive and those who have committed crimes in their past, even if they have since reformed, which alarms Light. Mikami also appears to be psychologically unbalanced, muttering "delete" repeatedly to himself while writing in the Death Note. In the anime, he is voiced by Masaya Matsukaze.

Obata said that he based Mikami's design on Taro Kagami, the main character in the pilot chapter of Death Note while he was told that Mikami was supposed to be a "stoic character like Light" while not knowing that Mikami was a prosecutor and a follower of Kira. As the series progressed, Obata drew Mikami as an "insane fanatic." Obata said that he gave Mikami glasses since "glasses are in these days." Obata added that "things were a little haphazard at this point..."

Tota Matsuda

Tota Matsuda (松田 桃太, Matsuda Tōta, romanized as "Touta Matsuda" in the English manga) is the youngest and most outspoken member of the Kira investigation team. He takes the alias Taro Matsui (松井 太郎, Matsui Tarō) while working with L, and also becomes Misa Amane's manager once she and Light join. Despite working to capture Kira, which he knows must be done, Matsuda admits that a part of him recognizes the good Kira is doing, even if he knows it's the wrong way to go about it. As such, he is somewhat supportive and sympathetic towards Kira's followers, though he doesn't let it get in the way of his work. Despite his excitable, naïve personality, Matsuda manages to stay alive through quite a few dangerous times. He is voiced by Ryō Naitō in the Japanese anime and Vincent Tong in the English dub. In the film, he is played by Sota Aoyama.

Obata described Matsuda as "hard to predict and thus hard to draw." Obata said that Matsuda's character concept consisted of an "average young detective" and that Matsuda's character had "nothing unique about his features and his actions weren't consistent, so I didn't like him. " Obata added that he was a "Matsuda-type" person and therefore did not like seeing "my own inconsistency" in Matsuda. Obata described Matsuda as the sole character who "looks younger" during the Near and Mello arc.

Watari

Watari (ワタリ) is L's assistant, providing logistics to the investigation team. Before the team is formed, he is the only person who has seen L, and the only one capable of contacting L directly. Like L, he represents himself with an Old English "W" on computer screens. On the surface he is Quillsh Wammy (キルシュ・ワイミー, Kirushu Waimī), a famous inventor and founder of Wammy's House, an orphanage for gifted children in Winchester. Watari is well trained in espionage and marksmanship. He is voiced by Kiyoshi Kobayashi in the Japanese anime and French Tickner in the English dub. In the film, he is played by Shunji Fujimura.

When drawing the images of Watari in disguise, Obata did not put much thought into the design since Watari's face did not appear. In his rough drafts Ohba originally designed Watari as an elderly man with a single strip of hair. Obata wanted to keep Watari as an elderly man and designed him as one in Chapter 13. Obata believes that elderly characters are more fun to draw than young characters since he could create "weird angles" with their wrinkles, while younger characters may be designed as "attractive, normal, or ugly." Obata likes leather coats, so he had Watari wear one.

Yotsuba Group

The Yotsuba Group is a group of eight members in the Yotsuba Corporation. On Light's instruction, Rem delivers the Death Note to one of them. They meet weekly to discuss the killing of key individuals from competing companies to maintain dominance in the business industry. While they realize that one of them is Kira, they do not know which one. The group consists of:

• Kyosuke Higuchi (火口 卿介, Higuchi Kyōsuke) Voiced by: Issei Futamata (Japanese); Andrew Kavadas (English)
• Shingo Mido (三堂 芯吾, Midō Shingo) Voiced by: Eiji Hanawa
• Reiji Namikawa (奈南川 零司, Namikawa Reiji) Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima (Japanese); Ted Cole (English)
• Eiichi Takahashi (鷹橋 鋭一, Takahashi Eiichi) Voiced by: Rintarō Nishi (Japanese); David Orth (English)
• Suguru Shimura (紙村 英, Shimura Suguru) Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yokoo (Japanese); Brian Drummond (English)
• Masahiko Kida (樹多 正彦, Kida Masahiko) Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa (Japanese); Martin Sims (English)
• Takeshi Ooi (尾々井 剛, Ooi Takeshi) Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada (Japanese); Michael Kopsa (English)
• Arayoshi Hatori (葉鳥 新義, Hatori Arayoshi) Voiced by: Yukitoshi Tokumoto (Japanese); Simon Hayama (English)

The Death Note ends up in the hands of Kyosuke Higuchi, who is the third "Kira." During L's probe on the group, Hatori is killed by Higuchi after stating intentions to leave. Rem aids in the capture of Higuchi by revealing his identity to Misa. Misa uses her status as the second Kira to get him to admit to being Kira on tape. Higuchi is captured in an elaborate setup concocted by Light and L, and once Light touches the Death Note, thereby regaining his memories of being the real Kira, he uses a Death Note scrap to kill Higuchi. The remaining six members eventually die of heart attacks. Rumors of Kira's responsibility in the deaths causes Yotsuba's share prices to drop sharply.

Obata said that he felt excited when he learned that he had to draw eight Kira characters. Obata said that he created the characters "in the mold of The Seven Samurai" by giving each Higuchi board member his own individual appearance. Obata said that he remembers making Mido and Namikawa look attractive to make the readers believe that they may be Kira.

Minor characters

Aiber

Aiber (アイバー, Aibā), whose real name is Thierry Morello, is a professional con-man in the employ of L. He plays the role of Eraldo Coil (エラルド・コイル, Erarudo Koiru), one of L's detective aliases, during the investigation of the Yotsuba Group. Aiber uses his initial "A", just like L, when communicating through computers. After L's death, in the manga he is killed by Light with stomach cancer. In the anime Aiber dies in front of his family. He is voiced by Takuya Kirimoto in the Japanese anime, and David Orth in the English version.

According to Obata, his editor told him that Aiber was a "sarcastic, comic relief" character. Obata said that he wishes that he could have drawn Aiber to be "more comedic." Obata believes that if he drew Aiber and Wedy to look "a little bit more original," Ohba could have included the characters in a larger role in Death Note.

David Hoope

David Hoope (デイビット・ホープ, Deibitto Hōpu) is the President of the United States of America in the storyline. He assists in the formation of Near's SPK, and provides information and funding to Mello under threats of the Death Note. He turns to Light, believing that he is the real L, who manipulates him into providing assistance and attacking Mello's hideout. When the attack fails, President Hoope commits suicide to prevent Mello from writing his name and making him launch a nuclear strike. In the anime, he does not commit suicide as the character was merged with that of George Sairas. He is voiced by Aruno Tahara in the Japanese anime.

Halle Bullook

Halle Lidner (ハル・リドナー, Haru Ridonā), whose real name is Halle Bullook (ハル・ブロック, Haru Burokku), works for Near as part of his investigation team,. She is a former CIA agent, and leaks information to Mello in order to increase the chances of Kira being caught. She is voiced by Akeno Watanabe in the Japanese anime.

Hideki Ide

Hideki Ide (伊出 英基, Ide Hideki) plays a relatively minor role in the Kira investigative team. He helps coordinate their efforts, and preforms actions such as organizing a blockade of police cars to trap Higuchi. He is voiced by Hideo Ishikawa in the Japanese anime and Brian Dobson in the English dub.

Obata said that he liked Ide because he could understand the mental process of Ide leaving and rejoining the team. Obata said that he finds it easier to draw characters that reveal their motivations for their actions.

Hitoshi Demegawa

Hitoshi Demegawa (出目川 仁, Demegawa Hitoshi), named Yuji Demegawa (出目川 裕志, Demagawa Yūji) in the films, is publicity hound and director of Sakura TV. He serves as Kira's spokesman before Mikami kills him for being greedy. He is voiced by Chafūrin in the Japanese anime and Ward Perry in the English dub. In the films, he is played by Magy.

Jack Neylon

Jack Neylon, whose real is name Kal Snyder, is a member of Mello's gang. He is the holder of Sidoh's Death Note after it is given to the gang by the Kira investigation team. Before Mello joined, he was involved in drug trafficking and illegal weapons sales; neither charge stuck due to lack of evidence, despite four separate arrests. After Sidoh tracks down his Death Note, Jack performs the eye trade with him. Light uses the Death Note to have mail him the address of Mello's hideout. He is voiced by Takashi Matsuyama in the Japanese anime.

Matt

Matt (マット, Matto), whose real name is Mail Jeevas (マイル・ジーヴァス, Mairu Jīvasu), is a cohort of Mello's. He is also a former resident of Wammy's orphanage. He does some espionage work for Mello and is an accomplice in Takada's kidnapping, which results in his death. He is voiced by Tomohiro Nishimura in the Japanese anime.

Naomi Misora

Naomi Misora (南空 ナオミ, Misora Naomi) is a former FBI agent and Raye Penber's fiancée. She left the FBI in October 2003, planning to marry Raye, move to the United States, and raise a family. After Raye's death, she decides to search for his killer. She attempts to contact the Kira investigation team, but Light manages to manipulate her, allowing Light to learn her name and kill her. She is voiced by Naoko Matsui in the Japanese anime and Tabitha St. Germain in the English dub. She takes a slightly larger role in the films, where she is played by Asaka Seto.

Ohba said that he originally created Naomi as a character that interacts with Raye. Once Raye died Ohba believed that having Naomi hunt Kira was a "natural and interesting development. In addition, the Sayu was the only other female character at the time and Ohba wanted a "cool" female character. Ohba wanted for Naomi to appear in the story longer because he felt that she was "cool." Ohba said that Naomi uncovered crucial information "faster than I thought" and Ohba decided that she had to die at that point or else "I would be in trouble." Ohba described the Naomi storyline issue as the greatest difficulty that he created for himself since the beginning of the series.

According to Obata, after hearing about the plot he looked forward to drawing "this kind of character" (referring to Naomi) and became "invested in her" since she is "a type I've never drawn before." Obata used black as her design color to show mourning for Raye's death. Obata gave her a black leather jacket and designed her face and hair to "fit the clothes." Therefore Obata said that Naomi is "born from her clothes."

Raye Penber

Raye Penber (レイ・ペンバー, Rei Penbā) is an investigator from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sent to Japan with twelve other agents to aid in tracking down Kira early in the story. He is assigned to investigate the Yagami family for any suspicious behavior. He has a fiancée, Misora, whom he tells not involve herself in the investigation for her own safety. Light manages to track him down and use him to kill the other members of his team. Light kills Raye soon after. He is voiced by Hideo Ishikawa in the Japanese anime and Michael Adamthwaite in the English dub. In the films, he known as Raye Iwamatsu (レイ・イワマツ, Rei Iwamatsu) and he is played by Shigeki Hosokawa. In the films is a counter-terrorism agent headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Ohba said that at the beginning he thought of the idea of the FBI going after Light, and so he created Raye to fill the plot point.

Obata said that as Raye was of mixed American and Japanese descent, Obata "struggled over his design" and tried to make Penber look more non-Japanese. Obata said that he wishes that he could have "drawn him a bit better."

Ryotaro Sakajo

Ryotaro Sakajo (坂城 良太郎, Sakajō Ryōtarō) is a character present only in the films. He is the assistant director during the filming of Misa Amane's "Misa-Misa's Happy Sweets" video. He is obsessed with Misa, collecting a used tissue of hers after she throws it in the trash. In a sequence bridged between the two films, Sakajo corners Misa and brandishes a knife, stating that he wishes to die with her. Jealous, watching from the Shinigami realm, kills him to save Misa's life. In doing so, Jealous dies and his Death Note drops near Misa.

Sachiko Yagami

Sachiko Yagami (夜神 幸子, Yagami Sachiko) is Light's mother and Soichiro's wife. She is oblivious to Light's ownership and use of the Death Note. Ai Satō voices her in the Japanese anime and Saffron Henderson voices her in the English dub. In the films, Michiko Godai portrays her.

Obata said that he had no real concept behind the design of Sachiko; he said that he encountered difficulty in drawing female characters who were not the main characters.

Ohba did not include Sachiko in the final chapter of the manga. He said the outcome would likely be that someone would tell her that Light and Soichiro died in order to stop Kira. The Task Force members would never let the world know the truth about the Death Note case.

Sanami

Sanami (佐波) only appears in the film adaptation of Death Note, portrayed by Miyuki Komatsu. She is the only female team member of the Kira investigation team, as opposed to the all-male team in the manga and anime. In the second film, she tends to Misa during her captivity and is more critical of the methods used by the investigation team, often calling them cruel.

Sayu Yagami

Sayu Yagami (夜神 粧裕, Yagami Sayu) is Light's younger sister. Like her mother, she never learns of Light's possession of the Death Note. Mello's gang kidnaps her in an attempt to extort the Death Note from her father, which proves successful. Though she is returned unharmed, she falls into a state of shock and becomes unresponsive to everyone. Haruka Kudō voices her in the Japanese anime and Kelly Metzger voices her in the English dub. In the films, Hikari Mitsushima portrays her.

Obata said that he had no real concept behind the design of Sayu; he said that he encountered difficulty in drawing female characters who were not the main characters.

Ohba did not include Sayu in the final chapter of the manga. He said the outcome would likely be that someone would tell her that Light and Soichiro died in order to stop Kira. The Task Force members would never let the world know the truth about the Death Note case.

Shiori Akino

Shiori Akino (秋野 詩織, Akino Shiori) is a film-exclusive character, portrayed by Yū Kashii. She is Light's girlfriend, classmate, and childhood friend. Shiori dreams of working in law enforcement and feels some envy stemming from Light's good grades. Shiori disagrees with Kira's methods, stating that she does not like the terror they incite; she believes that the law should judge criminals. Shiori argues with the "pro-Kira" Light, unaware of the fact that Light is Kira. In an interview printed in Weekly Shonen Jump, the creators of the film stated that Shiori was added to the story to highlight Light's negative aspects.

Stephen Gevanni

Stephen Gevanni, whose real name is Stephen Loud, works for Near as part of his investigation team. He is assigned to follow Mikami for much of the case, and it is his meticulous analysis of Mikami's personal habits which allow him to find Mikami's Death Note and swap it with a fake. He is voiced by Hiroki Takahashi in the Japanese anime.

Wedy

Wedy (ウエディ, Uedi), real name Merrie Kenwood in the Japanese versions and Mary Kenwood in the English manga, is a professional burglar in the employ of L. She installs bugs in the Yotsuba Group's meeting room to secretly observe the group's weekly meetings. She does the same for Higuchi's car, allowing the team to watch his desperate attempts to kill Matsuda. After L's death, she is killed by Light, dying in a motorcycle accident. Wedy also uses her initial in computer communication; to avoid confusion with Watari ("W"), she deliberately uses the lowercase form, "w". She is voiced by Miki Nagasawa in the Japanese version and Venus Terzo in the English version.

According to Obata, he drew Wedy as a female model as he did not know what kind of character she would be. Obata added that Wedy has the "stereotypical female spy look." Obata believes that if he drew Aiber and Wedy to look "a little bit more original," Ohba could have included the characters in a larger role in Death Note.

References

1. ^ "How to Think." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 59.
2. "Takeshi Obata Production Note: Characters." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 126.
3. ^ Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 117.
4. ^ "Takeshi Obata Production Note: Characters." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 127.
5. ^ "How to Think." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 62.
6. ^ "Takeshi Obata Production Note: Characters." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 127.
7. ^ "The 13 Truths About Chapter 108." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 200.
8. "How to Think." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 75.
9. ^ "How to Think." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 63.
10. ^ "Takeshi Obata Production Note: Characters." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 129.
11. ^ "Takeshi Obata Production Note: Characters." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 130.
12. ^ "The 13 Truths About Chapter 108." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 197.
13. ^ "Takeshi Obata Production Note: Characters." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 133.
14. ^ "Takeshi Obata Production Note: Characters." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 131.
15. Volume 6, Issue 3. Shonen Jump (English). March 2006. VIZ Media. 324.
16. ^ "Takeshi Obata Production Note: Characters." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 132.
17. ^ Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 19.
18. Death Note manga; Volume 2, Page 150
19. Death Note manga; Volume 2, Page 13
20. http://raws.kefi.org/random/dn01movie.jpg

v t e Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
Media	Manga and anime Manga chapters Anime episodes Live-action films Death Note (2006) Death Note 2: The Last Name L: Change the World New Generation Light Up the New World Death Note (2017) Video games Jump Super Stars Jump Ultimate Stars Jump Force Other media Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases The Musical Death Note (live-action TV series)
Characters	Light Yagami L Ryuk Misa Amane Mello Kiyomi Takada
Related	"Treehouse of Horror XXXIII"
Category

• Articles to be merged from January 2008
• Lists of anime and manga characters