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Light is the protagonist of Death Note and an extremely intelligent, but bored, young man who finds Ryuk's Death Note by sheer chance.
Light constantly tries to evade the suspicion of L while both maintaining his identity as Kira (Japanese pronunciation of Killer), and cleansing the world of crime. The fact that he is a genius also adds to his notion that only he is fit to judge humanity and steer it on a proper moral course. Light is seen as somewhat heartless and sociopathic by those who are aware of what he is doing, as he can willingly kill his victims without batting an eye or do things which would seem evil to most, but he believes that he is doing good and bringing justice for most of the series.
Light, born on February 28, 1986, is a third year high school student (12th Grade) at Daikoku Private Academy (大国学園, Daikoku Gakuen) who also attends supplemental classes at Gamou Prep Academy in the beginning of the story. In Spring 2004 Light becomes a first-year student (freshman) at To-Oh University (東応大学, Tōō Daigaku), becoming one of two freshman representatives; L is the other freshman representative. During a tennis game with L at To-Oh, spectators reveal that Light was the junior high school tennis champion in 1999 and 2000; After his 2000 victory, Light quit tennis as he entered high school.
When L is finally able to corner him, Light puts his master plan in practice. He temporarily gives up his Death Note to Ryuk, erasing his memories about his time as Kira from his mind. Rem, under instruction by Light to give it to someone who would use it selfishly, gives it to Kyosuke Higuchi of the Yotsuba Corporation. Now unaware of the fact that he was the original Kira, Light accepts L's offer to join the investigation team to hunt down Higuchi, known as the third Kira. Light requests the alias Light Asahi to be used for him. When he is finally captured, Light touches his Death Note, thereby regaining his memory of when he was the original Kira. He then proceeds just as planned, masterfully killing Higuchi by using the Death Note paper he put in his watch before he lost his memories; and manipulating Rem, who also dies in the process, to kill both Watari and L.
Light is later nominated by L's investigation team (who are unaware that he is Kira) to act as L, due to the fact that they cannot reveal the death of the real L to the world. Light also takes over the role of L's assistant, Watari. Now able to act as both Kira and L, Light can continue killing criminals while leading the investigation team in circles. His secret identity as L is soon discovered by the Special Provisions for Kira, President Hoope, and Mello's gang. Light joins the Japanese Police Force's Intelligence Department in April 2009, believing that no one can stop his plans. Near and Mello eventually appear before him, trying to accomplish what L could not: to expose Kira's true identity, and bring him to justice.
In the end, the combined efforts of Mello and Near, combined with a large miscalculation and miscommunication on the part of Mikami and Light, force Light to reveal himself as Kira. In the final clash between Near and Light at a warehouse, all is revealed and the Kira case comes to an end after six long years.
In the manga version, after completely losing his head and characteristic cool over the prospect of being arrested, and in complete desperation after his attempts to write Near's name down are thwarted by Matsuda, Light begs Ryuk to help him. Ryuk reminds Light that he is on neither side, and fulfills his earlier promise to write Light's name in his Death Note, thus ending Light's life.
In the anime version, Light manages to flee the warehouse after Mikami commits suicide. Near instructs the team that there is no reason to pursue Light given that there should be no more hidden Death Notes, and Light's wounds would prevent him from getting far. Despite this, Aizawa, Mogi, Ide and Matsuda follow Light but are unable to find him before he dies on the staircase of a nearby warehouse due to cardiac arrest from Ryuk writing his name in his Death Note. As Light slowly closes his eyes, an apparition of L appears before Light, mirroring Light standing over L in episode 25 at L's death.
According to the manga, Light's date of death is January 28, 2010. His height and weight are 179 centimeters (5'10") and 54 kilograms (120 pounds), respectively, which puts him at the same height as L (if L stands up in a proper position). His blood type is A (see Japanese blood type theory of personality). His name is also a play on the theme of good and evil in the series, as Light is his first name, and Yagami is written with the kanji for "night" and "god."
In the film, a few changes were made to Light. At the film's beginning, Light is a first-year university student studying Law, instead of still being a high school genius, as in the beginning of the manga and anime. Light's motives differ; his boredom trait does not exist, and he instead uses the Death Note out of frustration from the perceived failures of the Japanese justice system. Light, prior to his discovery of the Death Note, hacks into the government database and finds that the government secretly acknowledges that many criminals are unable to be prosecuted. Light discovers the Death Note in an alley during a rainy night after encountering Shibuimaru in a club and throwing a law book into the rain in a rage. Light meets Ryuk after killing Shibuimaru. Light has a girlfriend, Shiori Akino, who attends his university. Light kills Shiori at the end of the first movie to gain sympathy from L.
After Rem "kills" L and kills Watari, Light writes his father's name in an attempt to kill him, an attempt that ultimately fails. The endings of both the second movie and the manga are similar. In the second film, after being exposed as Kira, Light asks Ryuk to write the names of the team members in the book during the climax. The police shoot but do not kill Ryuk as he writes in the Death Note. Light laughs until Ryuk shows Light the Death Note, revealing that Light's name was written in the book. Light tries to stop Ryuk, passing through the shinigami. Light dies in his father's arms, begging him to believe that he acted as Kira to put justice, which Soichiro had taught him since his childhood, into practice. He is portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara, best known for his role as Shuya Nanahara of Battle Royale.
L Lawliet, commonly referred to as just L, is rated the world's greatest detective and takes on the Kira investigation in the first arc. He suspects Light initially, and decides to join To-Oh University, the university that Light attends, using the name of Hideki Ryuga for investigative purposes. He requests that the task force refer to him as Ryuzaki for discretion. His disheveled and languid appearance masks his great powers of deduction and insight. He has some quirks such as preferring to crouch rather than sit, eating only sweet foods like desserts and fruits, and holding items very delicately. L stayed in England for five years, and during that time he was the champion in tennis for the England Junior Cup. L also secretly assumes the identities of the world's second and third best detectives, (Eraldo Coil and Deneuve respectively) something only he and the Kira Investigation Team members know.
L always had his suspicions that Light was Kira, but could not accuse him without any concrete evidence. Even when all evidence apparently proved his theory to be incorrect, and even when Light could not remember his deeds as Kira when he renounced his Death Note's ownership and willingly dedicated himself to collaborate on the investigations, L still suspected him. L cannot prove Light's guilt. In Chapter 58, Light tricks Rem into killing L for his own personal gain, making her believe that she must kill him for the sake of Misa's life. L's last sight before death is Light triumphantly smiling over his defeated rival, and in his last moment L confirms to himself that Light is the first Kira.
Although L can not shake the conclusion that Light was the first Kira, Light is the only person L had ever identified or connected with, and he openly stated on one occasion that even though it would hurt his pride to admit that he has been wrong, he hopes that he would be. Despite Kira being L's opponent, at the core, Light and L share many traits, including extraordinary intelligence and strong opinions of what constitutes true justice. Furthermore, L can easily present his conclusions publicly at any time, and with his reputation, is taken seriously. L tends to second-guess everything he is presented with, and is extremely meticulous and analytical.
After L introduces himself as Ryuga, Light does not attempt to kill him since the name is conspicuously fake. Also, he has no way to know at the time whether the person is the real L or a proxy acting under orders. Light also reasons that L would have already introduced himself to Light's father earlier, and thus that if he somehow killed L, he would be easily uncovered as Kira. Light also fears that if he wrote Hideki Ryuga into the Death Note, that the face of the pop singer from which the alias was derived would enter his head, and would be killed by accident, leading L to the obvious conclusion that Light is Kira.
Death Note: How To Read 13 revealed many facts about L. His true birth name is L Lawliet. His date of birth is Halloween of 1979, making him 25 when he dies on November 5, 2004. His height and weight are 179cm/50kg (5'10"/110lbs.), which would have meant he was severely underweight. It is implied that L was a former resident of Wammy's House, one of Watari's orphanages, as well as a safe haven and educational facility specifically for intellectually-gifted children. Therefore, similar to Near and Mello, L's abilities were discovered while living there, and he is most likely an orphan.
In chapter 38 of the manga, L suggests that even though he eats only sweet foods, he remains underweight because the brain uses the most calories of any organ in the body. He also says that if he sits normally, his reasoning ability would drop 40%.
In the anime's finale, an apparition of L appears before the dying Light, who closes his eyes in the same fashion L does in the 25th episode.
As there is no time delay between the first and second films, the second film begins soon before L supposedly dies. L retains many of the same characteristics seen in the original series. At the end of the first film, L eats potato chips in front of Light; Light had used a potato chip sack to hide a cell phone acting as a television from security cameras while L filmed his room.
In the second film, his original "death", caused by Rem writing his name in her Death Note, does not take effect, as L had written his own name in Misa's Death Note earlier. It is his self-sacrifice that allows himself stay alive for a longer duration (as he supposed Kira would kill him on that day), and allows the investigation team to apprehend Light. After Ryuk kills Light, Ryuk offers L the Death Note. L refuses, and Ryuk, saying that L is "no fun," leaves.
Twenty-three days after writing his name in the Death Note, and after burning all the remaining Death Notes and having a conversation with Soichiro, L dies peacefully while eating a chocolate bar, with a picture of Watari lying right beside him. He is portrayed by Ken'ichi Matsuyama, who also voices Jealous in the anime.
Misa Amane (弥 海砂, Amane Misa) / Kira (second)
Misa Amane as she appears in the anime
Voiced by: Aya Hirano (Japanese); Moneca Stori (English)
Misa is a famous model, singer and actress and has an immense crush on Light. She usually refers to herself in the third person by calling herself "Misa-Misa" and tends to be hyperactive. She poses as the second Kira to attract the attention of the first Kira.
She decides to devote her life to Light because he punished the criminal that killed her parents when she was younger; a burglar killed Misa's parents in front of her eyes. Misa, unable to forgive the killer and wanting to kill the burglar herself, saw multiple delays in the killer's trial before Kira killed him. The Shinigami who follows her is Rem. Misa also performs two eye trades, cutting her lifespan in half twice; the first was with Rem, and the second with Ryuk (For more information, see Shinigami Eyes#Misa Amane's lifespan).
Misa sends Sakura TV video tapes "from Kira" to attract the attention of the real Kira. After receiving a reply video from the real Kira, Misa finds Light and tells him that she will support him in any way. Misa tells Light that she had her friends handle the packages containing the Kira Tapes and donned disguises as a method of fooling surveillance.
Misa and Light move into the same household together after L's death. In actuality, Light befriends Misa for the eyes, having her pass judgement on criminals around the world with Ryuk as her personal Shinigami. She also provides assistance to Light when he aids the investigation team in their hunt for Mello. After Near's suspicion of Light being Kira becomes apparent, Light instructs Misa to give up her ownership of the Death Note and pass it on to Mikami. When Misa figures Light starts to build a close relationship with Takada, she fears that Light would leave her for Takada. To prevent this, Misa plans to make a public announcement that she was engaged to Light. Before she could announce it, Near orders her to be kidnapped and put under surveillance. Even after he realizes that nothing would come from interrogating her, he keeps her captive for a while, if only to prevent her from contacting Light while Near prepared his plan to expose Light as Kira once and for all.
According to How to Read 13, Misa falls into despair after learning of Light's death through Matsuda. Misa commits suicide one year later on February 14, 2011. It is also revealed that the cloaked woman who appears at the end of the manga is not Misa, but simply a follower of Kira.
At the anime's finale, Misa's suicide is neither mentioned nor seen. At the final credits, she is seen standing at the edge of a rooftop, with a sad face looking at the horizon.
Misa, born on December 25, 1984 in Kyoto, has a height of 152 centimeters (4 feet and 9 inches) and a mass of 36 kilograms (79 pounds). Misa has a bust size of 76 centimeters, a waist size of 51 centimeters, and a hip size of 75 centimeters. Her blood type is AB.
Misa, portrayed in the film by Erika Toda, is seen filming a dorama called "Misa-Misa's Happy Sweets," where she states that she is baking treats to make her enemies fat. After filming of that section ends, she expresses support for Kira on camera. A supervisor states that the section will be cut due to controversies.
Sakashiro, the assistant director for "Happy Sweets" and Misa's attacker, dies from a heart attack when Jealous writes his name inside of his Death Note. Jealous's Death Note then falls in front of Misa, who immediately picks it up and finds Rem after reading the notebook's rules.
Misa does not commit suicide in either of the films, as her memory from the incident and the Death Note is erased. She still harbors her obsession for Light and bids him a happy birthday from her mini shrine of Light. She feels that a piece of her life is somehow missing. In addition, her appearance is slightly modified in both films: while Misa has blonde hair in the manga and anime, it is brown in the film.
Teru Mikami (魅上 照, Mikami Teru) / Kira (fourth)
Voiced by: Masaya Matsukaze
Teru, in the original manga and anime versions, is chosen as the new Kira by Light. When Light feels it is dangerous for Misa to keep the Death Note any longer, he instructs her to pass the ownership of the Note to Mikami. Little is known about Mikami yet except that he appears to be a supporter of Kira, and that he is a prosecutor. He has also performed an eye trade with Ryuk, earning him the Shinigami Eyes. When Mikami's decisions reveal that he can follow the thoughts and ideals of the first Kira, as L could, Light wonders if Mikami will become much-needed help, or a new threat.
As the story progresses, it is revealed that Mikami has been bullied at school for his sense of righteousness and therefore wishes to punish those he considers to be evil. Because of this, he chose to become a prosecutor and worships Kira as God. He is also extremely bright just like Light, but he seems content to remain a loyal follower in Kira's kingdom, taking the initiative to ask Kira for direction when he does not receive direction, but also making decisions with Kira's ideals on his own.
Compared to Light, Mikami also seems more psychologically unbalanced, muttering to himself "delete, delete, delete..." with fanatical glee, and a gleam in his eyes as he writes down names in the Death Note (in the anime version he jumps and makes slashing movements with his pen as if it were a sword). At other times, he seems merely intense and calm. Mikami goes beyond Light in his ambition, wishing to judge the unproductive and those who have committed crimes in their past, even if they have since reformed, which alarms Light. Light realizes how loyal he is to Kira when Mikami risks exposure by speaking on Sakura TV, publicly announcing that he will do anything Kira commands.
Mikami's devotion to Kira leads to his and Light's deaths. When Takada is kidnapped by Mello, Mikami rushes to get his Death Note to write her name down in it to prevent her from being captured by the investigation team and forced to speak what she knows. Light had already written her name a minute before Mikami could. This action leads Near's team to his note's hiding place, foiling Light's plan to gather all of his antagonists in a same place (including Near) before Mikami for him to dispose of them. When they are finally cornered by Near, in the manga, an enraged Mikami starts to blame Light for putting them into their situation and claiming that Kira is no god, contrary to what he so fervently believed before. Ten days after he is captured and detained, he dies after going insane. Mikami's death leads Matsuda to believe that Near used the Death Note to control Mikami's actions, allowing Near to convict Light.
In the anime version of Death Note, Mikami commits suicide with the fountain pen he used to write on the notebook, allowing Light to flee the warehouse (though it cannot be asserted whether he did so on purpose or out of desperation).
According to How to Read 13, Mikami was born on June 7, 1982 and dies on February 7, 2010. He is 175 centimeters (5 feet and 9 inches) tall and weighs 56 kilograms (123 pounds). His blood type is A.
Kiyomi first appears in Chapter 31 as Light's classmate and girlfriend. She is a popular girl also known as "Miss To-Oh" (English version) /"Miss Todai" (Japanese version) (short for To-Oh University) or "'Refined' Takada" (English version) /"Seiso Takada" (which means something similar to "plays hard to get"}}. Light notes that she is not as shallow as her reputation advertises. She makes a brief appearance by Light's side in Chapter 32, not to reappear in the story until Chapter 85 as an announcer of NHN (parody of NHK) chosen to be Kira's spokesperson to the world. This is not a decision made by Light, but by Mikami, who threatens her as Kira, and knows her as someone educated, intellectual and civilized, and who could send out Kira's words accurately in a calm and straightforward manner.
Light has to figure out how an ex-girlfriend could become an ally, especially since he disappeared from everyone he knew in university, and at one point leaves his mother thinking he ran off to live with Misa. Light believes that she was more intelligent and prouder than Misa. Near, after doing a background research on the NHN announcer, believes that she is merely studious and not intelligent, as Light's judgment that she was intelligent was based solely on her grades. Takada is by then famous for being Kira's spokesperson, and Near looked down on anyone who supported Kira. By Chapter 88, when Light reveals his identity to her as Kira, she states that Light is the only man she has ever respected. That he is Kira only enthralls her more, especially when he asks her to be his queen in the perfect world they only dreamed of when they were in school together. Mello and Matt kidnap Takada; Takada's bodyguards shoot Matt while Mello takes Takada. Mello forces Takada to take her clothes off, and Takada writes Mello's real name in the Death Note. In Chapter 99, Light writes her name into the Death Note as a suicide by fire, after she tells him that she has killed Mello.
According to How to Read 13, Takada was born on July 12, 1985 and dies on January 26, 2010. She is 5'4" and weighs 97 lbs. Her blood type is AB.
In the film, her role is combined with that of Higuchi as the third Kira, and she kills those who stand in her way of a promotion. Also, she never sees Light because she is blindfolded. Otherwise, her fate is more or less the same, with Light killing her after her declaration of devotion although the declaration is to Kira and not Light since she never knows Light was Kira. In addition, despite having short hair in the Death Note anime and manga, Takada's hair is fairly long in the films. She is portrayed by Nana Katase.
Shinigami
Shinigami, or Death Gods, are demon-like characters who live in the Shinigami Realm. To increase their life-span, they write the names of humans in their Death Notes. Because the realm is incredibly dull, this act is usually laughed at and is done in privacy. Shinigami can not be killed by physical methods, such as stabbing or shooting, and must follow a strict set of rules if they want to live without punishment.
Ryuk (リューク, Ryūku)
File:Ryuuk.gifRyuk as he appears in the first chapter of the manga.
Voiced by: Shidō Nakamura (Japanese); Brian Drummond (English)
Ryuk is the Shinigami who drops a Death Note in the human realm, which is then discovered by Light. It is revealed that Ryuk did it out of boredom, as there was little to do in the Shinigami realm. He was also found to have tricked the Shinigami King into receiving a second Death Note that would be used by Light, as well as access to the human realm. Ryuk has a great fondness for apples, and will go through a type of withdrawal if he goes for too long without eating them. He says apples are to Shinigami as cigarettes and liquor are to humans. He seems to enjoy video games as well. He also states that he is shy around girls. For a time, he is Mikami's personal Shinigami. He is also shown to be quite incompetent, not knowing some of the basic rules of the Death Note or even a few rules which Light himself figures out.
In all versions of Death Note, Ryuk kills Light at the end of the storylines.
In the manga, shot by Matsuda after he attempted to write Near's name down on a Death Note scrap, a severely injured Light desperately begs Ryuk to write the names of the investigation team and the SPK members in the Death Note; the desperate SPK members shoot Ryuk, not realizing that gunshots will not kill the shinigami. Ryuk states that he will write Light's name instead. In the 30 seconds before Light's death, Ryuk says it would be too boring to wait for Light to die in prison, then he says that he enjoyed Light's company because he got rid of his boredom. In the end he repeats his statements from the beginning of the story regarding the fact that the Death Note's first human owner will die by the hands of the Shinigami who handed the notebook to them.
In the anime version, Light does not ask for Ryuk's help and manages to escape the warehouse thanks to Mikami's gruesome suicide distracting everyone. His wounds are too severe for him to escape. And so, Ryuk, who is watching him from atop a pole, wrote Light's name in his Death Note, while stating the same rules mentioned in the manga. Light then collapses, dying peacefully, with an apparition of L standing over him.
In the film version, after Light is shot by Matsuda, the man begs Ryuk to write names of L's team members. Light laughs and Misa smiles as Ryuk writes in the Death Note and the panicking SPK members shoot Ryuk; as in the manga, the gunshots do not harm the shinigami. Light's laughter stops when Ryuk reveals that the only name written in the Death Note was Light's name. The desperate Light yells at Ryuk and jumps through him, trying in vain to stop his death. Light dies in Soichiro's arms. Ryuk offers L the Death Note. When L refuses to use it, Ryuk moans about L being "boring" before leaving.
According to How to Read 13, Ryuk is 6 feet tall and his weight is unknown. He likes apples and games and dislikes boredom. Ryuk's love of games is seen in the first omake eight-panel comic series, originally published in Weekly Shonen Jump Volume 4-5 (double issue) in 2005. In the omake, Light, dressed in a Santa Claus suit, asks Ryuk what he wants for Christmas, expecting that Ryuk would ask for Light's soul. Ryuk begs Light for a Game Boy Advance SP. Light asks Ryuk why he celebrates Christmas. Ryuk, defeated, falls to the floor, mumbling about the cold in the human world . On another occasion, Ryuk asks Light if he wants to play Mario Golf (changed to just "video games" in the anime), but receives no answer since Light's bedroom is bugged with cameras .
Voiced by: Kimiko Saitō (Japanese); Colleen Wheeler (English)
Rem is the Shinigami who first gives Misa her Death Note and Shinigami eyes. Similar to Ryuk, Rem possesses two Death Notes; she purposely gives a Death Note to Misa. Rem inherited her second Death Note from Jealous, another Shinigami who died when he saved Misa's life, and thought it only right to pass it on to Misa. Rem inherits Jealous' love for Misa as well and is prompt to defend Misa even at the cost of her life. She shows this when she openly shows her lack of trust for Light stating that if Misa dies before her time, Rem will kill Light. Rem dies after she is tricked by Light into killing L and Watari to protect Misa, and thus as the rules state passing on her remaining life span to Misa. In the second movie, Rem, voiced by Shinnosuke "Peter" Ikehata, declares her love for Misa and her spite for Light moments before her death. While she dies, she burns her note in a blue flame entrusting that it will never belong to Light, but this is not the case in the manga where Light is able to retrieve the notebook.
In the manga and anime, Rem tells Misa that she is actually a female Shinigami. In the second live-action film, this is not mentioned, leaving it ambiguous. She is also given a more masculine voice.
Jealous only appears in a flashback when Rem explains a method to kill a Shinigami. In this flashback, Rem recalls Jealous watching over Misa in the human world. Surprised by his concern, Rem eventually looks over his shoulder and witnesses what should have been Misa's last moments on Earth. In a dark ally, a distraught man mistakes Misa as the woman who broke up with him and attempts to stab her to death. Apparently infatuated with Misa, Jealous uses his Death Note to kill her destined murderer; the man suddenly walks away to commit suicide. Moments later, Jealous himself turns to a pile of sand and rust as consequence for extending a human life. Rem takes his Death Note and gave it to Misa.
Jealous' name is commonly misspelled "Gelus," which is what his name was romanized to until Death Note: How to Read 13 revealed the official spelling as Jealous. The first through fourth printings of Volume 4 of the English-language manga refers to him as Gelus.
In the film, Jealous gives a heart attack to Sakashiro, Misa's attacker. Jealous drops the Death Note onto the ground, and Misa discovers the Death Note.
Shidoh is a Shinigami whose Death Note is stolen by Ryuk. In fact, Ryuk takes his Note and gives it to Light, which becomes Higuchi's note and is finally passed on to Mello's gang (more specifically, Mello's subordinate, Kal Snyder (also known as Jack Neylon)). Shidoh has a great liking for chocolate. Since Shidoh has neglected to kill people and extend his own lifetime, he probably did not notice that his Note is stolen. As the end of his lifetime approaches, Shidoh finds Ryuk and learns that Mello is in possession of his Note. Later, he finds Snyder in the human world. To regain his Note, Shidoh agrees to help Mello's gang against the SPK and Light. After Light regains the Death Note from Mello, he returns the note to Shidoh for him to stop interfering and return to the Shinigami world. Although these events occurred over the course of about one volume in the manga, Shidoh was only in two episodes in the anime version (episode 28 where he was merely introduced in the last few minutes of the episode, and episode 29, which relays most events of Shidoh's regaining of his Death Note).
Shidoh's name is written in English as "Shidoh" in Death Note: How to Read 13, but written "Sidoh" in both the tankōbon character introductions page and within the translated English manga.
Armonia Jastin Beyondllemason / Jastin the Jeweled Skeleton
Voiced by: Hideyuki Umezu
Though only appearing for a brief segment in Volume 8, Armonia provides Shidoh with several scrolls describing the various rules that Shinigami have for interacting with humans. He also informs Shidoh that his Death Note was indeed stolen by Ryuk. Shidoh uses Jastin's information to guide his interactions with Mello in the human world. His nickname is apparently "Jastin the Jeweled Skeleton" as stated in the English manga. This is most likely due to his being encrusted with colorful jewels and his obsession with them; even his eyes are jewels.
Soichiro is Light's father and the leader of the remains of his investigation team under L's command. He is responsible for successfully retrieving tape recordings of the Second Kira from Demegawa. L gives Soichiro a badge with his designated investigation team false name, Shijuro Asahi, as a method to protect Soichiro's identity.
Soichiro was born on July 12, 1955 and is 48 years old in the beginning of the story.
Some time after retrieving the tape recordings, he and the other members of the police investigation make a raid on Mello's hideout to retrieve the Death Note. Under the guise of Kira, Misa sends Soichiro her Death Note and instructs him and his team how to make the raid. He then makes the eye trade with Ryuk, earning him the Shinigami Eyes. When Soichiro finds Mello during the raid, he tells Light that Mello's real name is Mihael Keehl. Before he gets the opportunity to write the name on the Death Note, Jose, one of Mello's presumed dead gang members, shoots him. He is fatally wounded and dies at the hospital, believing that his son is not Kira. Earlier in the story Ryuk stated that those who used a Death Note shall not find peace either in life or in death. Soon after Soichiro's death Ryuk tells that he died peacefully, believing his son is not Kira, because he did not use the Death Note.
As there is no time delay in the films, Soichiro's character has some slight changes. He does not undergo the eye trade or die and apprehends his son by agreeing to L's plan and following the instructions on the fake Death Note, which he wrote in to kill him, stating that he was a nuisance. After reporting the consequences of these events and the coinciding police reports to L, he salutes the mastermind with gratitude, proud to have known and worked beside him. He is the last one to see L alive before the Death Note took effect. One year after the incident on Light's birthday, he visits Light's grave site with the rest of the family and prays that Sayu would keep believing that his son died in his fight against Kira, instead of being Kira himself. He is portrayed by Takeshi Kaga, best known as Chairman Kaga of Iron Chef.
Voiced by: Ryō Naitō (Japanese); Vincent Tong (English)
Matsuda is known as the most outspoken member in the investigation team. He plays a crucial role in the investigation of the Yotsuba Group after sneaking into the company's building without the knowledge of the team. His designated investigation team alias is Taro Matsui. He pretends to be several individuals, such as Light's "cousin" "Taro" (in Volume 4) and Misa's agent (during the Higuchi arc). Misa gives the nickname "Matsu" to Matsuda, and the nickname fits with his real family name and his alias "Matsui."
By following L's instructions, Matsuda gains the trust of the company's board members, fabricates his death (he uses the alias Taro Matsui) so that Yotsuba members can not kill him), and serves as a temporary decoy to lure the suspect into the Sakura television studio during the second Sakura TV incident. Despite his excitable, naïve personality, Matsuda manages to stay alive through quite a few dangerous times. Matsuda sees Soichiro as his mentor.
While it is clear that most of the investigation team views Kira as an evil criminal, Matsuda often wonders if Kira is performing good deeds, especially since more and more people seem to be agreeing with what he does. Matsuda is scared by Mikami's intense loyalty to Kira when he hears Mikami's public announcement on Sakura TV. Matsuda proves to be somewhat supportive and sympathetic towards Kira's followers nonetheless.
When Light is revealed as Kira at Yellowbox Warehouse, Matsuda is the most shocked of the team. He has always liked Light and is outraged to learn that he had been fooled; he is particularly upset, asserting that Light's actions had led to the death of Soichiro. Matsuda succeeds in saving Near's life by shooting Light's hand, causing him to drop the pen that he was writing Near's name with. Matsuda shoots him several more times to stop Light from writing Near's name in his own blood. The enraged Matsuda nearly kills Light with a shot to the head, but he is stopped by the rest of the Japanese investigation team.
As shown in the final chapter, Matsuda suspects that, to help with Light's capture, Near has used the Death Note to control Mikami's actions before killing him, but Ide says that he has no proof and it may be a "wish" on his part, perhaps related to his thinking of Light as a friend.
Matsuda's name is romanized as Touta Matsuda in the English manga.
Sōta Aoyama portrays Matsuda in the film versions.
Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese); John Murphy (English)
One of the most dedicated members of the investigation team. Little else is known of him. He remains mostly silent. This silence is marked when he refuses to answer Near's questions about the Japanese Investigative Team, even when he is clearly affected by the theories that Near was presenting to him. Later on, he is one of the first members who begins to warm to Near's theory that Light is Kira. He is also shown to be an excellent actor, showing an excitement and cheeriness completely opposite of his usual demeanor.
In the first arc, Mogi acts as Misa's manager (as Kanichi Moji) after Matsuda's faked death. Misa gives him the nickname of "Mochi," based on the alias.
In the second arc, Mello demands meeting Mogi in order to investigate about Kira, and tricks Mogi into meeting Near at the SPK headquarters. Mogi is then held hostage by Near until Aizawa arrives to rescue him.
In the second live-action film, Mogi, portrayed by Ikuji Nakamura, is killed by Misa during the Sakura TV incident. His death replaces the death of Ukita, occurring in the manga and anime, in this respect.
Aizawa, with the investigation team alias of Aihara, leaves the investigation team and remains in the police force after L gives the team members the choice to quit, but continues to assist the investigation team when necessary as a member of the police. Upon L's death, Aizawa returns to the investigation team to work under Light. Upon hearing that the 13 days rule (refer to written rules of the Death Note) is false, he begins to suspect that Light is actually Kira, and contacts Near. Aizawa passes certain information to Near that leads him to deduce Kira's real identity (i.e. Light), and Near briefly holds him at the SPK headquarters. Near agrees to release Aizawa and Mogi afterwards. In the finale, he becomes the leader of the investigation team.
Aizawa has a wife and two children; Aizawa's daughters are named Eriko Aizawa (相沢 恵利子, Aizawa Eriko) (younger) and Yumi Aizawa (相沢 由美, Aizawa Yumi) (older).
He is portrayed by Shin Shimizu in the film versions.
Hirokazu Ukita (宇生田 広数, Ukita Hirokazu)
Voiced by: Hidenobu Kiuchi (Japanese); Jeremy From (English)
Hirokazu is the first member of the investigation team to depart from the investigation after the team's first direct contact with L. He is killed by Misa after rushing to the doorstep of the Sakura television studio during the broadcast of alleged Kira tape recordings (in the first Sakura TV incident).
In the live-action film, Mogi is killed by Misa, while Ukita, portrayed in the film by Tatsuhito Okuda, survives.
Hideki Ide (伊出 英基, Ide Hideki)
Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa (Japanese); Brian Dobson (English)
One of the investigators who remains, even though he is likely to be killed by Kira, after Soichiro gives permission for anybody to leave if they were not comfortable in continuing to work on the Kira investigation. Ide does not want to work with L, as he does not trust him, and instead continues to work with the NPA. During the Yotsuba arc, he and Aizawa helps the task force to corner Higuchi on the highway by pursuing him with many police cars. Upon L's death, Ide joins the investigation team to work under Light.
Ide does not exist in the film version.
Sanami (佐波)
Sanami is a film-only character. She, portrayed by Miyuki Komatsu, is the sole female team member. In the second film, she tends to Misa during her captivity and is more critical to the methods used by the investigation team, often citing the cruelty of the methods. In some ways, she replaces Matsuda's sympathy from the manga, sans Kira empathy and is usually the one who restrains the team's female suspects. In other capacities, she replaces Halle Lidner as she restrains Misa.
Watari is L's assistant who provided logistics to the investigation team. His real name, Quillsh Wammy, as well as his original profession as an inventor and founder of an orphanage of gifted children, called The Wammy's House, in Winchester in the United Kingdom, is not revealed to readers until after Watari's death. Watari is also a trained marksman, as demonstrated just before Higuchi's capture. He dies when Rem writes his real name along with L's in the Death Note, due to trickery caused by Light. In the anime and manga Watari deletes all the data following the Kira case before he collapses; alternately in the second movie, he, portrayed by Shunji Fujimura, dies in the elevator next to Misa, moments from escorting her to L and reassessing her guilt of being the Second Kira.
In the beginning of the manga, Watari is shown as a man who simply arranges the meetings with L for his clients. He is also revealed to be the only one in direct contact with L and the only one who has the ability to speak with him.
According to Death Note: How to Read 13, Watari was originally designed to be man with only a single strip of hair. Illustrator Takeshi Obata redesigned him to be an old man.
L's Successors
In the manga and anime, following L's death, two gifted children were assigned to carry on investigation of Kira. Both characters had previously resided in The Wammy's House, an orphanage founded by Watari in the United Kingdom. Each one's methods differ significantly, but their objective is the same: to prove themselves as the true successors to L by doing what their predecessor could not; their goal is to expose and defeat Kira once and for all.
Neither of the characters exist in the film versions; in the film L manages to defeat Kira before dying.
Nate River (ネイト・リバー, Neito Ribā) / Near (ニア, Nia) / "N" / (the third) L
Voiced by: Noriko Hidaka
Near is the more withdrawn character of the duo, sharing a few behavioral similarities with L. He initially shows no emotions towards L's death, saying L is a loser in the game of tracking down Kira. Near later reveals that he and Mello both have great respect for L and want to prove themselves by succeeding him. He is fairly blunt, and often insults people who support Kira or otherwise stand in his way, although usually not to their faces.
Starting with no lead or clue, Near successfully identifies the events unfolding during the capture of Higuchi, and points out the existence of the Death Note to President Hoope on March 5, 2009. With authority from President Hoope, the SPK (Secret Provision for Kira) is established on March 12, 2009 to investigate Kira. The SPK consists of selected agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as Near.
Like L, Aiber ("A"), Wedy ("w") and Watari ("W"), Near sometimes addresses himself by his initial, "N". Near comes into contact with Mello after he escapes from the attack conducted by Light and suspects that Light is Kira. From various information he gained from Mello and Aizawa, Near deduces that the new L, is Kira and finds out Light's real identity as Kira. In response to Mello's help, Near commands one of their mutual contacts to let Mello know exactly what Aizawa said.
Compared to L, Near is somewhat more logical and decisive, as he tends to judge on little evidence and pursues hypothetical hunches. This is demonstrated when he claims that Light is definitely Kira based on little information. Often using the terms winning or losing', he seems to consider the investigation as one of his games. By chapter 91, Near successfully deduces that Mikami possesses the Death Note, and all he needed was evidence. He is also thoroughly convinced that Light is Kira and believes that L failed because he started to doubt that fact. Near's remaining lifespan of 43406 and true name of Nate River are found out by Mikami when Near and Light meet in chapter 101.
Near is often seen playing with toys, solving puzzles, or stacking small objects such as dice or matches, as well as action figures. He also has a collection of Lego figures, one for each suspected Kira and other characters, that he uses to illustrate his theories about the case.
Near's birthday is August 24, 1991. His height is 155 centimeters (5 feet and 1 inch), his mass is 40 kilograms (88 pounds), and his blood type is B.
Mello is Near's rival and they both split ways after L's death due to his problems with being second to Near. Mello decides to find Kira his own way by joining a gang (assumed to be located in Los Angeles, California) and using less conventional methods, including the kidnapping the Director of the Japanese Police, to find Kira before Near. Mello also relies on information leaked from an informant in the SPK. Mello likes chocolate bars, and usually can be seen eating one. The scar on the left side of his face was caused by the explosion he triggered when cornered by the Investigation Team, which Light ordered to attack Mello's gang. His real name is Mihael Keehl.
After Mello escapes from the attack led by Light, he meets Near and gives him information on the rules of the Death Note in exchange for his only photograph left in the world, which, before the exchange, is in Near's hands. Mello tricks Mogi into meeting Near in New York, so in thanks, Near found a round-about way of letting Mello know what Aizawa told Near. With the same information, Mello also comes to the conclusion that Light is Kira.
In one part of the story, Mello spies on Misa while she is in the United States while Matt is spying on the Japanese Police team. During chapter 98, he kidnaps Takada (whom Lidner instructs to get on Mello's bike), rides off and handcuffs her to himself. In the next chapter, he dies when Takada writes his name on a piece of the Death Note, as per Light's instructions.
In the anime version's finale, Near states that "Mello knew this." It is highly possible that he meant Mello knew that Mikami would attempt to kill Takada and therefore sacrificed his life to inform Near the possibility of a fake Death Note.
Mello's birthday is December 13, 1989 and he dies on January 26, 2010. He is 171 centimeters (5 feet and 7 inches) tall, weighs 52 kilograms (115 pounds) and his blood type is A.
Mail Jeevas (マイル・ジーヴァス, Mairu Jīvasu) / Matt (マット, Matto)
Voiced by: Tomohiro Nishimura
Matt is a cohort of Mello's, first appearing in Chapter 83. He does some espionage work for him and is an accomplice in Takada's kidnapping.
He follows orders without question, usually smoking a cigarette as he does. Not much else is known about him, other than he is a former resident of Wammy's orphanage. In Chapter 98, he fires a smoke bomb at Takada's bodyguards as a distraction to allow Mello to kidnap Takada; in the next chapter he meets face to face with Takada's bodyguards. Inside the back of his shirt, he hid a gun which he tried to take out until he is finally shot multiple times by all thirteen of the bodyguards surrounding him. Mello later sees the news of his death broadcast on TV and apologizes to Matt for his death.
Matt's real name is Mail Jeevas (pronounced like "mile" rather than "male"); he likes video games, but dislikes going out, and Matt was behind Mello and Near to succeed L.
His birthday is February 1, 1990, and he dies on January 26, 2010. Matt is 168 centimeters (5 feet and 6 inches) tall, weighs 52 kilograms (115 pounds), and his blood type O.
Supporting characters
SPK members
None of the following characters exist in the film version.
Halle Bullook (ハル・ブロック, Haru Burokku) / Halle Lidner (ハル・リドナー, Haru Ridonā)
Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe
Halle works for Near as part of his investigation team, along with Gevanni and Rester. She is mentioned to be a former CIA agent.
In the manga, Lidner knows Mello and leaks SPK information to Mello; Near is unaware of Lidner's SPK information leaking. When Mello questions her and asks her which side she is on (Near or his), She replies that she is on neither side, and merely helps both of them because they are after Kira. Later on, she calls Mello and tells him about Near's plan (Having Mikami write everyone's name down in the notebook), and he replies "I'm the only one who can do it.". This can be seen as the real push that drove Mello to kidnap Takada and eventually save the lives of both investigation teams.
Mikami views her real name, Halle Bullook, with his Shinigami eyes and proceeds to write her name as well as the other SPK members' names into his Death Note, but she remains alive due to the notebook being a fake.
Stephen Loud / Stephen Gevanni
Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi
Stephen works for Near as part of his investigation team, along with Lidner and Rester, and later plays an important role in stopping Kira. When suspicions arise towards Mikami, Near assigns Gevanni the task of following him, studying his methodic lifestyle, and finding his connections to the Death Note. Before the final showdown with Light at the warehouse, Near has Gevanni steal both the fake and real Death Notes from Mikami, and tampers one of the fake's pages. He also creates another fake, replacing the real one, that is later used as Light's ultimate downfall, and ends up being Near's key to proving Light's identity as Kira.
While looking for the SPK members' real names, Mikami views his real name as Stephen Loud through his Shinigami Eyes.
Anthony Carter / Anthony Rester
Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa
Anthony works for Near as part of his investigation team, along with Gevanni and Lidner.
Mikami views Rester's real name as Anthony Carter through his Shinigami Eyes while looking for the SPK members' real names.
Ellickson Thomas / Ellickson Guardner
Rarii Konaas / John Matckenraw
John Danriibii / Ill Ratt
Other police
Koreyoshi Kitamura (北村 是良, Kitamura Koreyoshi)
Voiced by: Masaru Ikeda
Soichiro's superior. His house is bugged by L in addition to the Yagami house.
Kanichi Takimura (多貴村 管一, Takimura Kan'ichi)
A police chief. Mello kidnaps Takimura for ransom. After Takimura dies, Mello kidnaps Sayu as the new ransom.
Takimura does not exist in the film version.
Mello's group
None of the following characters exist in the film version.
Kal Snyder / Jack Neylon
Voiced by: Takashi Matsuyama
Jack (his real name is Kal Snyder) is a member of Mello's gang, and was the holder of Shidoh's Death Note, when the gang got the note from Soichiro. He was involved in drug trafficking and illegal sales of weapons, and arrested 4 times, but was released due to lack of evidences. When Shidoh descended to the human world to retrieve his Note, Snyder performed the eye trade with him. Light was unaware of Shidoh's existence and the eye trade, thus resulting the failure of an attack on Mello's gang under his planning. Snyder is killed on November 10, 2009 at 11:59 PM, after sending Light the address to Mello's hideout.
Rodd Los - His real name is Dwhite Godon
Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa
Rushuall Bid - His real name is Al Miim.
Glen Humphrey/Ralph Bay
Gurren Hangfreeze - His real name is Rolf Hay.
Zakk Irius
Maurjen Segismundo
Roy - Survived from the Death Note
Skinner - Survived from the Death Note
Jose - Jose kills Soichiro in the anime and manga.
Andrew Miller
Pedro
Bec Wallace
Yotsuba Group
The Yotsuba Group is a group of eight members in the Yotsuba Corporation. They meet weekly to discuss the killing of key individuals from competing companies to maintain dominance in the business industry. It has been found that a third Kira was in the group, possessing a Death Note and later the Shinigami Eyes, both of which originate from Rem.
During L's probe on the group, Hatori is killed by Kira after stating intentions to leave. It is also during this period that Rem reveals the identity of the Yotsuba Kira, Higuchi, to Misa, which eventually leads to his capture and fall at the hands of Light, on October 28, 2004. Most of the members deduce that Higuchi was their Kira before his capture.
The remaining six members later die of heart attacks on April 10, 2005. Rumors of Kira's responsibility in the deaths causes Yotsuba's share prices to drop sharply.
In Director's Cut edition they die by suicide or through accidents.
In the film the role of the Yotsuba group is replaced by Takada.
The group consists of:
Sachiko is Light's mother and Soichiro's wife. She plays a minor role in the storyline, oblivious to Light's ownership and use of the Death Note. Born on October 10, 1962, Sachiko is 41 years old in the beginning of the story and serves as the Yagami household's housewife
When Light is allowed in the investigation team to help L catch Kira, he tells his mother that he had decided to run away to live with Misa.
In the second film's conclusion, Sachiko, portrayed by Michiko Godai, is decorating a cake for her late son's birthday. Along with Sayu, she presumably believes that Light died in pursuit of Kira.
Sayu is Light's younger sister. She also plays a minor role in the main storyline, remaining unaware of Light's possession of the Death Note.
Sayu, born on June 18, 1989, is a 14-year old second-year student (8th grade) at Eishu Junior High School (英集中学校, Eishu Chūgakkō) at the beginning of the story. Sayu asks Light for help with mathematic homework, including quadratic function assignments, and looks up to Light as she sees his intelligence and believes that he will become a quality detective.
She is kidnapped by Mello's gang and taken to the United States, but is later returned to her father when he gives the gang the Death Note. Because of these events, in the manga, she falls into a state of shock and becomes unresponsive to everyone, including her family.
Sayu dies
In the film, Sayu, portrayed by Hikari Mitsushima, is a high school student.
Sayu does not go into a state of shock, and remains ignorant of Light's role as Kira, instead believing that he died in the fight against Kira. Sayu once appears at the Sakura TV festival and causes a small incident when Mogi dies and unknowingly temporarily shocks Misa. The incident results in having Soichiro and Light to pick her up leading to Misa chancing upon Light with her shinigami eyes. At the end of the second movie, Sayu is sent by Sachiko to pick up Soichiro from the train station.
Federal government of the United States
David Hoope (デイビット・ホープ, Deibitto Hōpu)
Voiced by: Aruno Tahara
David is the President of the United States of America in the storyline. Mello's gang uses the Death Note to threaten President Hoope into helping them in various ways, including funding, weapons, and providing information about the SPK. President Hoope turns to L (Light at that point) in hopes of getting information about the Death Note, only to reveal to L that he is subject to Mello's threats. Light manipulates him into providing the same assistance that he offered the SPK with regard to the Kira case, leaving Light on the same competitive level as, or possibly with an advantage over, Near's SPK. President Hoope then commits suicide, which is presumably Kira's work to cover his tracks.
Steeve is an FBI official who works with Near and the SPK.
Raye Penber (レイ・ペンバー, Rei Penbā) / Raye Iwamatsu (レイ・イワマツ, Rei Iwamatsu)
Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa (Japanese); Michael Adamthwaite (English)
Raye is an investigator from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sent to Japan to aid in tracking down Kira early in the story, by investigating certain suspects in the case- namely, Light and his family.
Penber, an American, has a Japanese mother. Light notices his distinct accent in Penber's voice.
Penber, in the beginning of the story, is about to stop investigating Light, since Light appears to be a normal, serious university-bound student that only goes to school and a preparatory academy. While concluding his investigation of Light, who appears to be going on a date, Penber falls into a cleverly-placed trap set by Light as Kira, once Light finds that Raye is following him. Light tricks Raye into showing him his ID by setting up a bus jacking by controlling the actions of Osoreda, and then creates a trick where a sheet of the Death Note, with deaths already specified, is placed under a blank sheet of paper with windows cut out for the names to be written in by Raye. Light writes Raye's name in the Death Note.
After the bus jacking, Penber speaks to his fiancée about the bus jacking. He tells Misora to not involve herself in the investigation, since he is concerned for her well-being and because she went to Japan with Penber to see her parents.
At 3:00 PM on December 27, 2003, while wearing a hood to obscure his identity, Light holds Penber hostage in an underground section of the Shinjuku Station by killing an employee at a shop labeled "Cafeel" with a heart attack; the employee had raped women but escaped a court conviction due to a lack of evidence, therefore Light feels justified in killing him. Light threatens Penber by stating that non-compliance would lead to Raye's death, the deaths of Raye's love, and the death of Raye's family. Light leads Penber through a turnstile in the western entrance at 3:11 P.M.. Penber enters a train on the Yamanote Line at 3:13. Penber obtains the names of the other FBI investigators, and unknowingly writes them on the Death Note page, securing their deaths. Penber receives the FBI file at 3:21 P. M; Penber is the second FBI agent that receives the file. At 4:42 PM, Penber dies from a heart attack three seconds after he exits the train, and his last sight is that of Light's face.
In the anime version, his identification card signature is spelled "Ray Penber".
The only change made to Raye in the film was of his name; he is known as Raye Iwamatsu. His date of death is also changed to December 27, 2006, as L's video recording in the first film shows. In the film, Iwamatsu tells Misora that he suspects Light; this allows for Misora to suspect Light and to find Shiori. Iwamatsu, portrayed by Shigeki Hosokawa, cancels his reservations and leaves the hotel, causing a perplexed Misora to follow him. Iwamatsu boards the train at 10:40 A.M. at Akasakabashi Station and encounters Kira while on the train. Iwamatsu does not see Kira, instead, he talks to him using a walkie-talkie. Light has the man sitting next to Iwamatsu killed and tells Iwamatsu to prop the man's body so that it looks like he is sleeping. Light threatens to kill other passengers if Iwamatsu does not cooperate. Iwamatsu e-mails a person and gets the names of the agents. Iwamatsu notices Ryuk as he briefly looks through a window. He then places the paper and walkie talkie on the train, exits at Shinagawa Park and dies three seconds later; Misora witnesses his death, drops her church documents, and cries "Raye!" repeatedly as she holds Iwamatsu's dead body. Misora collapses and sobs at the end of the scene. Light kills the other FBI agents in Japan and Iwamatsu's supervisor along with Iwamatsu.
Other FBI investigators
Light has all of the FBI agents receive the file containing their identities and promptly kills them on the same day. There are four groups of agents.
Besides Penber, the other FBI investigators in Japan are:
Haley Belle
Frigde Copen
Toors Denote
Ale Funderrem
Freddi Guntair
Nikola Nasberg
Bess Sekllet (misspelled as Skelletd on one occasion in the English version)
Girela Sevenster
Knick Staek
Arire Weekwood
Lian Zapack
In the manga and anime, when Soichiro first hears about the deaths of the FBI agents, one member tells him that at least four of the agents died in Tokyo, two died in Kanagawa Prefecture, one died in Chiba Prefecture, and one died in Saitama Prefecture.
In the film, the deaths of four male agents are depicted on the screen. The film states that at least five agents die in Tokyo, three agents die in Kanagawa, one agent dies in Chiba, and one agent dies in Saitama.
Hitoshi is a publicity hound and director of Sakura TV. He serves as Kira's spokesman before Mikami kills him. Demegawa, born on April 4, 1966, dies on December 28, 2009. Demegawa is 164 cm and has 74 kg. He has the A blood type.
In the film, he is known as Yuji Demegawa and portrayed by Magy. Demegawa has sexual intercourse with Nishiyama, allowing her to become an anchorwoman.
Saeko Nishiyama (西山 冴子, Nishiyama Saeko)
In the second film, Saeko is an anchorwoman for Sakura TV. Nishiyama engages in sexual intercourse with Demegawa, allowing her to secure her post as an anchorwoman. Takada kills her with a freak accident to advance her career. Nishiyama is portrayed by Sakura Uehara.
Criminals killed by Light
Kuro Otoharada (音原田 九郎, Otoharada Kurō)
An unemployed 42-year old man, is the first criminal that Light kills. Kuro's name is announced on television as he holds eight hostages in a nursery school. The English manga uses the romanization Kurou Otoharada.
Lind L. Tailor (リンド・L・テイラー, Rindo Eru Teirā) / (decoy) L
Voiced by: Yukitoshi Tokumoto
Lind is a convicted criminal sentenced to die; this information was kept secret from the public. L places Tailor as a dummy on television. The television states that the broadcast is worldwide and that Tailor's statements are being translated into Japanese by Yoshio Anderson. After Tailor states that he is "L," he reads a declaration stating that Kira is evil. Light, in a rage, kills Tailor with a heart attack. The real L announces that Tailor was a decoy, a criminal on death row, and tells Kira to try to kill him. When L finds that Kira did not kill him, L learns that Kira needs the person's real name and face in order to kill the victim. L announces that the video was aired only in the Kanto area of Japan as a ploy to determine the location of Kira. L, originally planning to air the video in other areas in Japan at different times, stated that it would not be necessary to continue broadcasting Tailor's footage.
In the anime and manga, Tailor has long hair. In the film, Tailor has a short haircut. As in the anime and manga, a Japanese speaker dubs Tailor's English into Japanese as the Tailor recording is broadcast.
Masaaki is a serial arsonist killed by Light as a part of an experiment. Light writes Shirami's name into the Death Note to test its effects. Light writes that Shirami would draw a pentagram inside a circle and then die. At 6:00 PM on December 19, 2003, Shirami cuts his finger, draws a circle and a pentagram in his cell with his blood, and then dies.
Ken Yadanaka (矢田中 剣, Yadanaka Ken)
A criminal killed by Light as a part of an experiment.
Tasayoshi Yoda (世田 多三吉, Yoda Tasayoshi)
A criminal killed by Light as a part of an experiment.
Light writes in his Death Note that Yoda would escape from prison and die in the nearest public toilet. Yoda escapes from prison, reaches a public toilet thirty meters away from the prison, and collapses due to a heart attack at 6:00 PM.
Shiniichiro Yamasaki
Shiniichiro is a criminal killed by Light as a part of an experiment. Light writes in his Death Note that Yamasaki would write "I know that L suspects the Japanese police," and die at 6:00 PM. Because Yamasaki does not know or think that L suspects the Japanese police, Yamasaki does not write the note and dies. Light learns through Yamasaki's death that impossible actions cannot be performed via the Death Note.
Matsuhiro, born on June 6, 1960, committed six incidents of robbery and murder with a knife. He held a parlor and killed one man. He held a convenience store and killed two. He held a karaoke bar and killed three. Nakaokaji, not apprehended, is suspected by the police to be hiding in the Tokyo area.
Light writes in the Death Note that Nakaokaji bleeds to death. He holds a convenience store in Tokyo with a knife, is stabbed in the stomach, and dies at 1:30 PM. When Light reads the newspaper the following day, he sees that the Death Note accurately kills. A store employee had stabbed Nakaokaji to death as security cameras rolled. The picture depicting Nakaokaji's wound graces the newspaper that Light reads.
Kiichiro Osoreda (恐田 奇一郎, Osoreda Kiichirō)
Voiced by: Katsuhisa Hōki
Kiichiro is a drug addict and criminal used by Light to trick Raye into revealing his FBI badge to Light. Osoreda had failed in an attempt to rob a bank, shooting a teller and two customers as he escaped.
Light writes Osoreda's name in the Death Note, dictating his actions. Osoreda boards Bus #124, bound for Spaceland, and holds a gun with six bullets to the head of the driver. Osoreda threatens Light as he unwittingly picks up a piece of the Death Note. Due to this, Ryuk appears solely to Osoreda, frightening the criminal. Osoreda empties his ammunition into Ryuk, who does not die. Osoreda forces Sasaki to stop the bus and then runs into the street. As he sighs in relief with his hands on the ground, a Nissan car hits Osoreda's head, killing him at 11:45 AM. Light coaxes Penber to reveal his identity during this incident.
In the film, Osoreda goes to the Okugawa Bus Stop at 10:12 A.M. and begins the busjacking. Osoreda is hit by a dark green Isuzu Bighorn immediately after exiting the bus, and he dies on March 29, 2006. Light and Shiori take a taxi after Osoreda dies.
Yusuke Hibisawa (日比沢 有介, Hibisawa Yūsuke)
The first criminal seen by the audience in the film. The 31-year old robber is seen fleeing the police. He holds a woman hostage, but develops a heart attack after his name is seen written on the screen.
Katsuya Seta (背多 活矢, Seta Katsuya)
The second person seen killed in the film. Seta, a deputy minister, is accused of making deals with the mafia and illegally trading organs. Seta evades reporters as he leaves a court. Seta has a heart attack and dies.
Takeshi Maruo (丸雄 武詩, Maruo Takeshi)
The third person seen killed in the film. Maruo, the son of a Diet member, had been acquitted from a murder charge. Maruo leaves a court as the family of his victims scream in anger. Maruo's father asks reporters to leave and insists on his son's innocence before the son receives a heart attack.
Yosuke Kaonuma (顔沼 陽介, Kaonuma Yōsuke)
Yosuke is the first criminal killed by Light in the film. After seeing Shibuimaru brag about killing people and finding the Death Note, Light sees a television report stating that Kaonuma killed a high school girl. The news reported that Kaonuma, during his trial, felt no remorse. Light writes Kaonuma's name in the Death Note, killing him through a heart attack. Kaonuma's fate is reported in newspapers the following day.
Voiced by: Naoko Matsui (Japanese); Tabitha St. Germain (English)
Naomi is a former agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation who is engaged to Raye. After Raye's death, she decides to search for his killer.
Misora joins the FBI in September 2001 . She becomes a special agent with a speed unusual for a female employee. Misora captures the perpetrator of the "Los Angeles BB Serial Murder Case" on August 22, 2002. Misora left the FBI in October 2003 and becomes the fiancée of Penber. Misora and Penber plan to marry, move to the United States, and raise a family .
Before Penber's death, he tells Misora in his hotel room that the two went to Japan to meet Misora's parents and that she should not involve herself too much in Penber's investigation; Penber is concerned about Misora's well-being.
She suspects that Kira was the last suspect Raye had followed and believes that Kira can kill people with methods other than heart attacks.
Light finds Misora at the headquarters of the task force asking for a person. Light finds her and starts a conversation. Misora, as her alias, explains the meaning of the kanji in her alias as Light explains the meaning of his kanji. After Light asks for Misora to step outside, Misora tells Light about her suspicions of Kira and the death of Raye. Light arranges to have her commit suicide on January 1, 2004 to prevent her from informing L that Kira can kill in ways other than heart attacks; Light writes on the Death Note while asking Misora for the details of the bus jacking, implying to the woman that he is writing the bus jacking details. Light's first attempt to kill Misora, supposed to be triggered at 1:15 PM, fails as Misora's alias renders the Death Note instructions useless. Light tricks Misora into showing him her Tokyo driver's license by offering her a place in the anti-Kira task force and saying that he wanted identification for her to join the investigation team. After Misora hands Light her driver's license, Light asks her when she was a part of the FBI, making her believe that he is writing down information relevant to her service in the organization. Instead, Light immediately repeats the instructions he previously wrote for Maki and succeeds in killing Misora. Exactly one second before the Death Note takes effect, Light tells Misora that he is Kira, not a long enough time to react, but long enough for her to realize her fate. To test the Death Note, Light tells Misora that his father's telephone is back on (Misora wanted to talk to Light's father), only to hear Misora say "No. I have nothing to say to him." The information about Kira's methods of killing is not uncovered again until Volume 5, and Misora's remains are never found.
Misora, portrayed by Asaka Seto, plays a much greater role in the first film: she is seen tracking Iwamatsu when he takes the train by following Kira's instructions, and is a witness to his death. Nonetheless, she is unable to see Kira's face. Misora finds Shiori, who asks her what happened to the man following Light. Misora states that the man died. Shiori takes Misora to meet Light. Light, while reading Beyond Good and Evil, hears Shiori call his given name and recognizes Misora as the woman crying at Iwamatsu's death. Shiori introduces Misora as Shoko Maki. Misora hands Light a business card containing her alias and proceeds to question him. Light writes instructions for her to be hit while crossing Kinoshita Street by using a scrap of the Death Note, claiming that he is writing down information in case he has to take legal action. Misora leaves after telling Light that the name on her business card is false. Lastly, at 2:15 P.M. on April 15, 2006, Misora kidnaps Shiori and uses her as bait to get Light to the art gallery and prove that he is Kira. Light goes to the museum, meets Shiori and Misora at the Ekusuhso Kenak exhibition, and insists that he is not Kira. Misora tells Light that unless he writes her name in the Death Note and kills her, thus proving that Light is Kira, she will kill Shiori. Soichiro, upon seeing this, sends in the police. Misora is distracted, and, at 2:55, Shiori breaks free from her. Panicking, Misora shoots her gun, killing Shiori. Distraught, she then commits suicide by shooting herself once in the head. It is later revealed that Light had already found out Misora's name through his own investigation by checking the marital registration for Iwamatsu found in a Roman Catholic church; Light knew about the church since Misora dropped church documentation when she found Iwamatsu collapsing of a heart attack at the train station. Light had written both Shiori's and Misora's names in the Death Note after seeing the marital registration.
Thierry Morello / Aiber (アイバー, Aibā) / Eraldo Coil (エラルド・コイル, Erarudo Koiru) / John Wallace / "A"
Voiced by: Takuya Kirimoto
Aiber is a professional con-man and is hired by L for his skills. He is proven helpful in playing the role of Eraldo Coil in the Yotsuba Arc, posing as Matsuda's corpse to help him escape, and in coaching Misa for her interview with the Yotsuba group. At one point he pretends to be a Yotsuba marketing manager named John Wallace. In the manga he dies from liver cancer on April 7, 2005. The anime sequence shows Light writing his real name, Tierry Morrello, in the Death Note, causing Aiber to die of a heart attack in front of his wife and son. Aiber is also known by his initial "A", just like "L" and other people who have great influence in the organization that hunts Kira. Although Aiber is armed with a gun during the capture of Higuchi, it is revealed that he is not fond of weapons, and is a relatively peaceful man. He has a wife and son who are briefly seen in the anime; the manga indicates additional relatives, but they are not mentioned by name or relation to him.
Merrie Kenwood (Mary Kenwood) / Wedy (ウエディ, Uedi)
Voiced by: Miki Nagasawa
Wedy is a professional burglar who was called in by L for her skills, installing bugs in the Yotsuba Group's meeting room to secretly observe the group's weekly meeting. She also provided surveillance on Higuchi who was on his way to kill Matsuda during the second Sakura TV incident. She was presumably killed by Kira, dying in a road accident on January 10, 2005. The anime version shows Light writing her real name, Merrie Kenwood, in the Death Note. In the English manga, her name is Mary Kenwood. Wedy is also known by her initial, "w", like "L" and other people who have great influence in the organization that hunts down Kira, though her initial is lowercase to keep her identity separate from Watari's.
Hideki Ryuga (流河 旱樹, Ryūga Hideki)
Voiced by: Kensuke Nishi
Hideki is a famous male pop idol. He is first shown on TV, with Sayu being impressed with him. Later L uses his name as a pseudonym. He is later seen as the male lead opposite Misa in a movie filmed near Yotsuba headquarters. Ryuga is also featured as the leader of the White Team in Kōhaku Uta Gassen, where Misa fails to show up to begin the show because Near has her kidnapped.
Takuo is the second person that Light kills. Shibuimaru, going by the nickname Shibutaku, rides a motorcycle and travels with a group of bikers. After Light sees him chasing a woman, Light writes his name down with a death by traffic accident. A truck slams into Shibuimaru's motorcycle, killing him. In the manga, Shibuimaru and his group harass the woman. In the anime the men try to sexually assault her. Shibuimaru's death proves to Light that the Death Note is real. In the manga Light feels some guilt since Shibuimaru is not a criminal.
In the film Shibuimaru is a criminal who was never prosecuted for killing five children. Light finds his name in a police database after he hacks onto the NPA server. Light finds Shibuimaru in a lounge, bragging about the fact that he was not prosecuted. When a man asks Shibuimaru how he felt, Shibuimaru brags about his acquittal and laughed at the fact that parents of his victims screamed when they discovered the acquittal. Shibuimaru finds Light looking over his shoulder and threatens the law student with a knife. Shibuimaru backs away and laughs, taunting Light by stating that no-one can prosecute him. A frustrated Light leaves the club and throws a law book into a pile of trash out of frustration. Light then discovers the Death Note. At a later point, Shibuimaru sees Light at a train crossing, gawking at the law student. Light, who had previously killed another criminal, writes Shibuimaru's name into the Death Note. As a train passes between Light and Shibuimaru, the criminal collapses of a heart attack and dies as his friends yell "Takuo!"
Yuri
Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu
Yuri is Light's date to Spaceland. Light asks her to go to Spaceland to create an alibi to explain the events of the bus incident involving Osoreda. After Osoreda dies, Light suggests that the two should go home, but Yuri insists that she still wishes to go to SpaceLand. Light, Yuri, and Ryuk spend a day at SpaceLand. Light has Yuri keep the date a secret, telling her that he wanted her memories of that day, and everything else in her heart to belong to him alone. Light tells Ryuk that Yuri "isn't stupid enough to show off by bragging about our date" (Volume 2, Page 170). Yuri is also seen one more time (in the anime version) being sexually assaulted by a criminal on a train that both Mikami and Gevanni are on. Mikami saves her by taking a picture of the criminal with his cell phone, and sending both his face and name to Takada as he writes the criminal's name on a fake death note to fool Gevanni and Near's team into thinking that his Note is real, when in reality Takada kills Yuri's assaulter.
Yuri is not in the first film, as Shiori is Light's girlfriend in that version.
Kazuhiko Hibima (日々間 数彦, Hibima Kazuhiko)
Kazuhiko is a reporter for Taiyo TV. In Volume 3, while the Kira tapes made by Misa play on Sakura TV, the tapes state that Hibima will die at 6 PM. Hibima is seen slumped on the news desk with two shocked female coworkers. The tape states that Hibima referred to Kira as being "evil," so his punishment is death .
An announcer for the Golden News Channel on NHN TV. In Volume 3, after the "Kira Tapes" are aired on television and the Sakura TV studios are surrounded by police, Tanakabara declares the actions of the police to be right, since the police resist Kira. Tanakabara makes the statements despite the fact that "Kira" (Misa) kills two television anchors while the tapes air on Sakura TV.
Sasaki (佐々木)
Voiced by: Kazumasa Takeo
Sasaki is the bus driver of Bus 124, which is hijacked by Osoreda (under the control of Light's Death Note).
Misora later visits Sasaki asking for details about the person who talked to Raye on the bus. Sasaki states that he does not remember the faces during the bus jacking.
Nori
Nori is Misa's friend. In Volume 6, Misa trades clothing with Nori in order to escape Mogi's grasp so she could spy on Higuchi. Misa tells Nori that she is going on a date, omitting the other details.
Roger Ruvie
Voiced by: Hiroshi Ōtake
Roger Ruvie is a caretaker at Wammy's House. Roger notifies Mello and Near of L's death. This triggers the second half of Death Note. After the Kira case is solved, he takes over as the new Watari.
Isak Ganthane
Isak Ganthane is a Middle Eastern government representative.
Shiori Akino (秋野 詩織, Akino Shiori)
Shiori is a character exclusive to the film version of Death Note. Shiori, portrayed by Yū Kashii, is Light's girlfriend, classmate, and childhood friend in the first film. Shiori dreams of becoming a law enforcement employee and feels some envy stemming Light's good grades.
Shiori disagrees with Kira's methods, stating that she does not like the terror caused by Kira's actions; she believes that the law should trial criminals. Shiori argues with the "pro-Kira" Light, unaware of the fact that Light is Kira. Shiori and Light meet in an art gallery and see a couple kissing. The two try to kiss, but stop when they notice security cameras. In Japan kissing is viewed as an explicit act. Shiori witnesses the Osoreda bus hijacking along with Light; in that scenario Shiori takes the place of a manga and anime character named Yuri. After Osoreda dies, Light and Shiori take a taxi.
After Raye's death, Misora finds Shiori after researching the bus incident. When Shiori asks about the fate of the man following Light, Misora tells Shiori that the man died. Misora has Shiori lead her to Light. Shiori does not believe that Light is Kira, and she believes that Misora is crazy.
Light writes her name and Misora's name in the Death Note. At 2:15 P.M. on April 15, 2006, Misora takes Shiori hostage at the art gallery and calls Light, telling him to come to the gallery. Misora demands that Light identify himself as Kira and threatens to kill Shiori. At 2:55, she breaks free of Misora, and Misora shoots her through the chest and out of the back. Shiori and Light share a kiss; Shiori feels comfort in how she had a kiss in public before dying. Misora then commits suicide, fulfilling the conditions of death as written by Light. Shiori's death allows Light to gain sympathy from L and join the investigation team.
In an interview printed in Weekly Shonen Jump, the creators of the film state that Shiori is in the story to highlight Light's negative aspects.
Ryotaro Sakashiro (坂城 良太郎, Sakashiro Ryōtarō)
In the film, Ryotaro is an assistant director. In the first film, he is seen after the filming of "Misa-Misa's Happy Sweets." After being told that the sequence about Kira will not be recorded, Misa blows on a tissue and throws it in the trash. Sakashiro later reaches into the trash can and puts the used tissue in a plastic bag.
In a sequence at the end of the first film and a sequence in the beginning of the second film,. Sakashiro corners Misa and brandishes a knife, stating that he wishes to die with her and telling her that she will go to heaven with her parents and that her death will not be painful. As Sakashiro prepares to stab the frightened Misa in the back, Jealous discovers the scenario and writes Sakashiro's name in the Death Note, causing Sakashiro to die of a heart attack. Since Jealous saves Misa's life, Jealous dies.
Misa faces a similar unnamed character in the manga and anime, who in the manga is instead a boyfriend she had previously broken up with in the which serves as his motive for attacking her; in the anime, he is simply a stalker.
Linda
Linda was seen in volume 7 of the Death Note manga, chapter 59, during Near's first appearance. She is a female child who was seen at the Wammy House, although it is quite possible that she has moved out or had been adopted during some time of the series' run. Although only seen for one panel, she provides some insight into Near by asking him to play outside some time, meaning that Near probably barely goes outside. She also would appear kind, as the other children with her seem to want to just leave Near alone, instead of asking him to play with them. Linda is also said to be a good artist, and drew a picture of Mello and a picture of Near, which were eventually given to Light.
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