Light Yagami (夜神月, Yagami Raito) is the main protagonist
of the series Death Note. After discovering the Death Note he decides to use it to rid
the world of criminals. His killings are eventually labled by people of
Japan as the work of "Kira."
Light has brown hair and brown eyes. He tends to dress very neatly,
and is usually seen wearing his school uniform or a suit. He is
considered to be quite handsome, a trait noted by Misa Amane and Kiyomi
Takada, among the others.
Light is characterized as an extremely knowledgeable and intelligent,
yet bored young man, confident in his own sense of logic and how
creative he is in regards to others.
He is frustrated by the lack of justice in the world and how
boring and monotonous it is. Believing the world to be "rotten," he uses
his Death Note as a means by which he can
enact his will to purge the world of all evil. His goal is to rid the
entire world of evil until it is full of people who he has judged to be
honest, kind, and hardworking, after which, he will become the "god" of
the new world.
Through use of the Death Note, Light quickly begins to develop a
cruel and malevolent nature. He becomes completely devoid of love,
compassion and mercy. He views himself as the only rightful savior of
mankind and that all his actions are justified, no matter how inhuman
they might be. He is shown even to sacrifice his own family to obtain
his goals.
Throughout the series, Light is constantly trying to evade the
suspicion of L and other detectives while
both maintaining his identity as "Kira"—the name derived from the
Japanese pronunciation of the English word "killer" (キラー, Kirā?)—and
cleansing the world of crime. The fact that he is knowledgeable also
adds to his notion that only he is fit to judge humanity and steer it on
a proper moral course.
Light grew up in Japan with his family, which consists of his father,
Soichiro Yagami, who is a member of the Japanese Task Force (an investigation
team opposing Kira), his mother, Sachiko Yagami, and his younger sister, Sayu
Yagami.
Light is a third year high school student (12th Grade) at Daikoku
Private Academy and also attends supplemental classes at Gamou Prep
Academy in the beginning of the story. He later attends college at To-Oh
University (東応大学, Tōō Daigaku).
In the year 2003 (2006 in the anime), Light Yagami discovers a
mysterious notebook on the ground at his school.
Written on the cover are the words "Death Note". The Death Note's Light discovers the Death Note.
instructions state that if a
human's name is written within it, that person shall die. Light is
initially skeptical of the notebook's authenticity, but after
experimenting with it, Light realizes that the Death Note is real.
After putting much thought into whether or not he should continue using
the notebook, he ascertains that no one else will be able to bear the
burden of improving the world. After meeting the previous owner of the
Death Note, a Shinigami named Ryuk, who
informs that he will be the one to write Light's name down in his own
notebook, Light declares that he will become "god of the new world".
Light's killings reach a monumental scale, attracting the attention of
the master detective L. The first conflict between
Light and L happens over the television, beginning with the broadcast
of Lind L. Tailor. L places Tailor as a decoy on television
in order to trick Light. The network states that the broadcast is
worldwide and that Tailor's statements (made in English) are being
translated into Japanese by Yoshio Anderson. After Tailor says that he
is "L," he reads a
declaration stating that Kira
is evil. Light, in a rage, begins yelling at the image of Tailor on his
TV, and kills him with a heart attack. Light thinks the ordeal is over,
until the broadcast of Tailor is suddenly cut, and L's signature letter
'L' appears. Using a voice synthesizer, the real L announces that Lind
L. Tailor was a decoy and a criminal on death row. He explains that
Tailor's information was never made available to the public, so there
was no way Kira could have killed him until now. L boldly taunts Kira,
asking him to try to kill him, as Light stares at the TV angrily
unamused. After several seconds, L learns that Kira needs the person's
real name and
face to kill the victim,
otherwise Kira would have already killed him. 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. L says that he is now
speaking directly to Kira and tells Kira that he will find him. Ryuk
finds the scene before him to be quite entertaining. As Light watches
the broadcast, he also declares that he will find L and he will
eliminate him. The two announce their intentions, and both declare that
they are "justice".
Soon after, now working with the Japanese police, L begins to lead a Task Force alongside Light's own father,
Soichiro, in order to expose and capture Kira.
As Light walks home from school, Ryuk tells him that he is neither on
his side or L’s side. However, Ryuk feels like he should tell Light that
during the last couple of days there has been a man following him.
Light is surprised, but feels that the investigator doesn't know that
Light is Kira. Still, Light is determined to find out the man's name
without looking too suspicious.
Ryuk tells Light the purpose of the Death Note. A Shinigami gets
extra life from killing humans with a Death Note, which is why a
Shinigami can live for many years and cannot be killed in any other way.
However, Shinigami are apathetic when it comes to the human world, and
they sometimes forget to write down names for centuries. Then, Ryuk
explains to Light that the Shinigami have eyes that allow them to see
any human’s real name and life span over their head. In addition, a
Shinigami can make a deal with the owner of the Death Note to receive
the “Shinigami Eyes” in exchange for half of that
human’s lifespan. Ryuk mentions that he can see Light’s lifespan, but
isn’t going to tell him how many years he has left because he is neither
on his or L’s side. Ryuk offers to make a deal with Light for the
“Shinigami Eyes.” Light refuses the deal, stating that he needs to live
in order to rule over his utopian world. He asks Ryuk if there is
anything else that he should know about the Death Note, and Ryuk says
probably not.
Suddenly, Light has an idea about how to find out the FBI agent’s
name. He decides to use his stock criminals in order to find out how
specific the details of death need to be.
Light and Yuri on a date.
Light
boards a bus with his date, Yuri and
Light's follower takes a seat behind the couple. Soon after, a man
boards the bus. The man pulls out a gun and points it to the driver,
taking the bus hostage. The bus driver is forced to call Space Land (the
amusement park the bus is headed to) and report the situation. The bus
driver explains that he is being held at gunpoint before the busjacker
takes the phone. The busjacker says that the driver is telling the truth
and to bring the financial reports of Space Land to the bus stop that
is before the stop prior to reaching Space Land; if they call the cops
or do not comply, he will kill everyone on the bus. Light shows Yuri a
note telling her that she should not worry, and that he will attack the
busjackers hand that’s holding the gun. Light's follower sees the note
and tells Light not to do that, and that he will handle the situation.
Light begins writing on a piece of paper, and Light's follower tells him
that he doesn’t have to write notes, because the busjacker can’t hear
their voice over the Light and Penber on the bus.
sound
of the bus. Light crumbles the paper and puts it in his pocket, then
tells his follower that he can tell from his accent that he isn't
Japanese. The man says that he is Japanese American, and Light replies
by asking him if he can prove that he isn't the busjackers partner. Yuri
reacts in disbelief and Light explains to her that a tactic criminals
use is to have one criminal act while the other hides and waits in
secret, appearing as a bystander. Light asks again if he is the
busjackers partner. The man, thinking that Light is not Kira or he would
have killed the criminal by now, decides that he has no choice; he
takes out an FBI badge and shows it to Light, revealing that his name is
Raye Penber. Light says that he believes him, but that he
doesn't know why the FBI is there in Japan. Light asks Penber if he has a
gun, to which he responds yes. Light replies that he will leave the
situation to him.
Light puts his hand into his pocket, then takes it back out, causing
his piece of paper to fall onto the floor. The busjacker watches as
Light tries to pick it up, and yells at Light to not move. The busjacker
picks up the paper and thinks that they are passing notes. Penber
recognizes the paper as the one that Light showed to Yuri and becomes
worried. Penber puts his hand into his jacket, seemingly to reach his
gun. However, the busjacker laughs and throws the paper back at Light,
believing it to be a note inviting someone to Space Land. The busjacker
tells everyone to not make any sudden movements or else, then turns
around and suddenly begins screaming in panic, asking what that “thing”
is at the far back of the bus. He begins asking it when he appeared, and
Ryuk
replies by asking if he is talking to him. Ryuk asks the busjacker if he
can see him, and the busjacker, appearing scared tells Ryuk to not move
and that he will shoot him. Penber says that the busjacker is
hallucinating, and warns everyone on the bus to get down. Ryuk, finally
understanding Light's plan, notes that Light intended for the busjacker
to pick up a piece of the Death Note. The busjacker begins shooting at
Ryuk, and Ryuk says that bullets can not kill a Shinigami. As the
busjacker continues to shoot, Ryuk notes that he told this to Light, and
thinks it clever that Light had constructed this situation to reveal
the name of the man that has been following him. Penber sees that the
busjacker has used up all of his bullets, and prepares to act. However,
the busjacker flees the bus and onto the road where he is immediately
hit by a car.
Light begins exiting the bus, and finds Penber waiting for him.
As Light exits, Penber tells Light that he is on a secret mission. Light
says that he understands and will not tell anyone that they met, not
even his father. Penber smiles before telling Light that he
is leaving because things could get complicated if he is here when the
police come.
Back at Light’s house, Ryuk asks him if he’s going to write
Penber’s name down in the Death Note. Light tells him that it would look
too suspicious if he does so immediately after they met. In addition,
he wants Penber to show him the names and faces of every FBI agent sent
to investigate the NPA.
Light holds Penber hostage.
On
December 27, 2003 Light goes to an underground section of the Shinjuku
Station. Ryuk asks Light what he plans to do, and Light says that he's
going to show him the results of the experiments he's done over the last
six days. Light reveals that he has been experimenting with the Death
Note and has found several new ways to kill. Light figured out that he
can write the date and cause of death in the Death Note without a name,
and the Death Note will work when the name is added later. At 3:00 PM ,
while wearing a hood to obscure his identity, Light holds Penber hostage
in an underground section of the Shinjuku Station. Light appears behind
Penber (unaware that it is Light) and tells him that he is Kira, then
instructs him to not turn around. Light says that he will prove his
identity by killing Yonegoro
Nusumi, an employee at a shop labeled “Cafeel” with a heart attack.
The shop employee dies, and Light explains to Penber that Nusumi had
raped women but escaped a court conviction due to a lack of evidence.
Light says then says that he is purifying the world. Light says that he
believes L has already told Penber that he can't kill without a name and
face, and Light says that he can kill anyone in this station. Light
asks Penber if he needs to prove his identity, and Penber responds that
he believes the man is Kira. Light says that there must be someone more
important there that would make a great hostage, and Penber asks if he
means "her". Light tells Penber that he is correct, and explains that he
has done a background check on his family. Light threatens Penber by
stating that non-compliance would lead to his death, the death of his
love, and the deaths of his family. Light asks if he's carrying a
laptop, and if he has a file containing the names of all of the FBI
agents. Penber says that he doesn't have a file like that, and Light Light follows Penber and gives orders with a
transmiter.
hands
him an envelope. He tells Penber to hold onto the envelope, take out
the transmitter and put the earphones in. Over transmitter, Light leads
Penber through a turnstile in the western entrance at 3:11 PM. He tells
him not to look around when he gets on the train, and to remember that
he is it Kira's mercy. He says to sit near a window and to waite for a
seat to open if there are none available. Penber enters a train on the
Yamanote Line at 3:13. Penber takes a seat on the train and Light tells
him to answer a question, and not to lie, as if he does he will kill his
fiancee. Light asks how many FBI agents there are, and Penber says that
he thinks the are four groups, totaling twelve. Light says to call an
agent that is ranked lower than him, and ask for the names and faces of
all agents sent to Japan. Light states he needs to be able to hear the
conversation. Penber uses his cell phone and calls an agent, and then
asks him for the name and faces of the agents. The agent asks Penber why
he doesn't ask his commander, and Light tells Penber to say that the
connection between their computers is bad, and it would be better to use
someone elses computer. Penber receives the FBI file at 3:21 PM, and
Penber is the second FBI agent that receives it. Light tells penber to
take the contents out of the folder he gave him, and Penber takes out
four The envelopes containing pages of the Death Note.
envelopes
with ten rectangular spaces cut out of the left side of each one. Light
says to write down the names of the agents into the blocks on the
folders. As Penber writes, Light tells him not to get off of the train
when he's done, and that if he follows his instructions his fiance and
family will not be killed. As Penber finishes, Light says to put the
transmitter and envelope back into the folder and sit quietly for thirty
minutes, then place the envelope above on the rack and leave the train
when no one will notice. At 4:42 PM, Penber dies from a heart attack
three seconds after he exits the train, and his last sight is of Light’s
face. Penber appears shocked as he looks at Light's face and says
"Light Yagami." Light watches as Penber dies, and says "Farewell, Raye
Penber."
Light takes the files home and takes the pages of the Death Note out
of their envelopes, revealing the times and causes of death for each
agent. Each agent will receive the file and die at a different time.
Light's father holds a family meeting in their kitchen, three
days before the New Year, and announces to Light, Sachiko and Sayu that
he is working on the Kira case. Soichiro says that twelve FBI
investigators were killed, and Light asks if they were killed by Kira.
Soichiro says that it appears that way, and says that the Kira case is
dangerous. He says that many officers have left the investigation and he
could think of no reason to make them stay. Worried, Sachiko suggests
that Soichiro quit the investigation, and Sayu also says that he should
quit and that she doesn't want him to die. Soichiro tells them that he
will not give up or back away from crime. Light tells his father that he
thinks what he's doing is admirable, and says that he supports him. As
Light walks from the kitchen, he tells his father that if anything
happens to him he will personally put an end to Kira. Light shuts the
door leading to the downstairs area of the house, and begins to climb
the stairs leading to the second story. Ryuk tells Light that his acting
is good, as well as his method of killing the FBI investigators.
Light's
next threat comes from an unexpected person: Raye Penbers fianceé.
After the sudden death of Raye, Naomi Misora decides to take part in the
Kira case herself. Having been told by Raye that he showed his FBI
badge to someone during a bus jacking, Naomi deduces that Kira must have
been on the bus. In her attempts to contact the Task
Force she comes across Light Yagami. Light uses his father's status
to his advantage, telling Naomi that he is Chief Yagami's son,
and slowly begins to win her trust. Cautious at first, she uses the
false name Shoko Maki in order to protect herself until
she can reach L. Naomi learns that Light is Kira.
Light
finally gets Naomi to reveal her name by saying that he is a member of
the Task Force and is actually working with L. Taking advantage of
Naomi's emotional state, Light gives the possibility that she could join
the Task Force and help catch her fiancé's murderer. Light says that he
will need to see a form of identification before she can join, and
Naomi shows him her drivers license. Using a piece of the Death Note,
Light writes down Naomi's name, resulting in her death by suicide. Her
body is never found due to the specifications made by Light in the Death
Note.
On April 22nd in a broadcast on Sakura TV, "Kira" states that if
criminal reports stop Kira will kill police officers and reporters, and
then demands that the life of someone in charge of the Kira
investigation be handed over--the Director's or L's. "Kira" says to
choose one and reveal them in four days and that, because Kira knows the
Directors face, there are no special requirements; however if they
should choose L, he must appear on Sakura TV's 6 o'clock news and give a
ten minute speech. "Kira" says that Kira will decide if the person on
the news is L, and if Kira decides that he isn't, Kira will take the
lives of several police officers as compensation. "Kira" says to please
not lie as Kira does not wish to kill those without sin, and to think
carefully over the next four days.
Light Yagami watches the broadcast and laughs, amused, as Ryuk
watches with a grin on his face. Light asks Ryuk if this is the work of
another Shinigami, and Ryuk says that it likely is. Light responds
positively to the idea that the owner of the Death Note is supportive of
his ideals, then says that he is the only one who know that this new
Kira is fake. Light decides that he needs to find a way to use this new
Kira to his advantage, then says that the new Kira likely has the
Shinigami Eyes based on how he killed the police officers, and is
therefor more powerful. Light decides that he can use the new Kira to
prove his own innocence and get rid of L at the same time, and then
states that the new Kira's actions have also been damaging Kira's
reputation and if he gets caught by the police it could be troubling for
Light. Light says that the best course of action for him to take is to
find a way to get on the Task Force so that he can keep an eye on L and
the new Kira, and that it should be simple because L did not reject to
him joining the Task Force earlier. Light states that if the new Kira
ever messes up, he can just kill him and take the new Kira's notebook
before L does, although it would be favorable if the new Kira just
killed L in four days. Light decides to find a way to contact the new
Kira without revealing his identity in order to take control of him.
A few days later, L decides that he wants Light to help the Task
Force. L has Soichiro call Light and tell him to come immediately if he
agrees to join them. Light arrives at the hotel and appears surprised at
the small size of the Task Force, and L tells Light that there are a
few outsiders who know what happens within the investigation and only
one can contact L directly. Light thinks to himself that if everyone in
the Task Force dies but one, the killer is revealed. Therefor, he must
find out who the outsider with the information is. Light is told to look
over the papers of the investigation and then watch the tape, and to
not take notes or remove anything. As Light watches the tapes he begins
thinking that he wants to throw up, and wonders if it's because he is
the real Kira. After watching the tapes Light says that there may be
someone else with Kira's abilities, citing the difference in criminals
killed, as well as the fact that some were killed immediately after
revealing their faces.
L
reveals that he came to the same conclusion, and Light asks if L was
testing him. L denies that he was, and tells Light that he was the only
one who thought there could be a another Kira, and needed Light to think
of the same idea without his opinion. Light realizes that L would have
told him his plan regardless of what he told L, and that L set things up
so that if he didn't say there was another Kira he would look
suspicious, and if he did, he would help prove L's theory to the Task
Force. L asks Light to help their case by pretending to be Kira, and
tells Light that only he is able to play this role and tells him to
begin writing a draft for the speech. When Light is through he asks L if
his draft is good, and L says that it is, but if he doesn't remove the
part about it being okay to kill L, he'll die. Light laughs and says
that he was kidding, and that it's fine to remove it, and L gives the
draft Aizawa to take care of. Later, the tape is created and sent to
various TV stations.The Second Kira responds with videos which contain
indirect, and some rather direct, comments about Death Notes, Shinigami
and how they can meet. Light goes to Aoyama to find the Second Kira, but
is unable to meet him. However, due to having Shinigami Eyes the Second
Kira is able to identify Light as Kira due to being unable to see
Light's life span.
After
finding out his address, the Second Kira arrives at Light's house,
telling his mother and sister
that she has his notebook. Light invites Misa
to his room and asks Misa to explain her actions. Misa says that she
wanted to meet Kira because her parents were murdered in front of her,
and Kira killed the man who did it. Misa asks to be his girlfriend and
partner in crime, admitting that she wouldn't even mind if he simply
uses her. Light agrees, intending to kill her after she outlives her
usefulness. However, Misa's Shinigami, Rem promises to kill him if he
ever harms Misa.
Misa's
reckless actions put both Light and Misa in danger, thus allowing L to
finally corner Kira. Deciding to manipulate Rem, Light
puts his master plan into action. He temporarily gives up his Death Note
to Ryuk, erasing his memories about his time as Kira.
Rem, under instruction by Light to find someone who would use the
notebook for selfish means, finds 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,
who has taken up the mantle of Kira. During the investigation of
Yotsuba, Light works under the alias "Light Asahi". When Higuchi is
finally captured, Light touches his Death Note, regaining his memories
of being the original Kira. He then kills Higuchi by using the Death
Note paper hidden in his watch to effectively become the owner of the
notebook again.
Later, he is able to put Misa in danger again by having her act as
Kira in his stead, prompting Rem to kill both Watari,
L's closest partner, and L himself in order to save Misa. Shortly after
L's death, Light is nominated by the Task Force (who are unaware that he is
Kira) to act as L, deciding not to publicly reveal L's death. Light
subsequently fills in the role of Watari as well. Now able to act as
both Kira and L, Light continues his killing of criminals, all the while
turning the Kira Investigation into a cold case.
At the age of 23, Light joins the Japanese Police Force's
Intelligence Department in order to have better access to police
information.
Near
and Mello,
the "true successors of L" eventually appear before him, trying to
accomplish what L could not: exposing Kira's true identity and bringing
him to justice. Near joins the Special Provision for Kira (or
the SPK) for help in his endeavor, and Mello decides to use the Mafia for
his investigation. Because of Mello's unscrupulous, criminal methods,
Near sides with Light, not knowing that the latter is Kira. Mello is
able to at one point take the notebook away from Light, but the combined
efforts of Light and Near allow Light to regain the notebook at the
cost of his own father's life (which Light would later explain to have
been a necessary sacrifice).
Once Near realizes that Light was responsible for the lack of progress
in the case as the new L, he begins to suspect that Light may in fact be
Kira. With a prosecutor named Teru
Mikami acting as a new proxy, Light formulates a plan to eliminate
not only Near but the surviving members of the task force. Near,
likewise, forms his own plan to finally expose Light as Kira. However,
Mello intervenes and manages to cause Mikami to make a mistake,
derailing Light's plans.
Light, Mikami, the SPK and the Task Force all eventually meet at
the Yellow Box warehouse, where Near uses Mikami to expose Light as
Kira. After confessing and attempting to justify his actions to the
people tasked with capturing him, Light tries to kill Near with the
notebook clipping hidden in his watch, only to be shot by Touta Matsuda, a member of the task force.
In the manga version, Light is left incapacitated both physically and
mentally. Light yells for Mikami to write down the names of everyone
present, but Mikami responds by asking how he is supposed to kill them
with a fake notebook. This brings Mikami to the realization that Light
is not "God". Light becomes increasingly distraught and begins asking
for help from Misa, only to be told by Aizawa that she isn't here. He
then asks for Takada and is told that she is dead. In complete
desperation, Light begs Ryuk to help him by killing everyone in the room, yet
Ryuk reminds Light that he is on neither side. Ryuk fulfills his promise
from the beginning: he writes "Light Yagami" in his Death Note, and Light futilely asks Ryuk
to reverse the process. He begins to panic, repeating in his head "I
don't want to die", before the notebook finally takes effect thus
killing him.
In
the anime version, Mikami commits suicide, creating a diversion for
both the task force and the SPK. Although weakened, Light catches a
second wind and manages to flee the warehouse. Near tells Shuichi Aizawa, Kanzo
Mogi, Hideki Ide and Matsuda that there is no reason to
pursue Light given that there should be no more hidden Death Note
pieces and Light's wounds would prevent him from getting far. Aizawa
refuses to heed Near's orders and has his team follow Light. Meanwhile,
Ryuk writes Light's name down when the latter finds another warehouse to
hide in. As Light silently dies, an illusion of L appears before Light,
mirroring a scene following L's defeat at Light's hands in episode 25 .
At the end of Death Note Relight 2: L's
Successors Aizawa and Matsuda are revealed to have found the
warehouse Light has fled to; their expressions of shock imply that they
have seen Light's body.
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 can't be
prosecuted. Light discovers the Death Note in an alley during a rainy
night after encountering Takuo 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,
using Naomi Misora, whom he also kills.
After Rem
"kills" L and 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 into practice. Justice, which Soichiro Yagami had
taught Light since his childhood. The film concludes one year later, on
Light's birthday. Sayu fetches Soichiro and says that Kira helped
reduce crime rates. However, she says that she does not support Kira as
Light was killed by Kira (which is what Soichiro told her). Light is
portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara, known for his role as Shuya Nanahara of
Battle Royale.
Shusuke Kaneko, director of the film, intended for Light to appear
sympathetic at the beginning of the film; when Light first gains the
Death Note Kaneko "was careful" to have Light react in a manner "as you
and I would." Kaneko changed the story involving Light gaining his first
notebook as he felt that the audience "would have a hard time
sympathizing" with Light if the scene remained the same as it was in the
manga. Kaneko added that as he portrayed Light as "being enthralled" as
he "becomes more cruel" to make the audience members feel that they
could "do the terrible things he does" even if the members do not
sympathize with Light.
Kaneko designed Light's room to reflect the character's
personality by making it clean and neat and filling it with legal,
criminal history, foreign, and academic books. The original version of
Light's room included a stereo; Kaneko replaced it with a vacuum cleaner
to reflect Light's "clean-freak self."
Tatsuya Fujiwara said that he felt difficulty portraying Light in
the film series because of the lack of "action" and because Light has
no signature mannerisms and therefore has his feelings displayed by his
face; Fujiwara added that he struggled conveying Light's "incredible
amount of intelligence" and that the performance would appear "very
empty or simplistic" if Light received an improper portrayal. Fujiwara
explained that he wanted Light to cry in a particular scene even though
Kaneko told Fujiwara "Light doesn’t cry" since Fujiwara believed that
the scene would feel "more honest"; Kaneko used the take. Fujiwara said
that he "could understand" Light's intentions to create a new world even
though "murder is a horrible thing."
Ohba said that Light was "a young man who could understand the pain
of others" when he first encountered the Death Note. Ohba said that if
Ryuk never developed an interest in the human world, Light would have
become "one of the greatest police leaders in the world" who, with L,
worked against criminals. Ohba described Light's life as "ruined" once
he obtained the Death Note, and that Light became a victim of the Death
Note "in many ways". Ohba described Light as bearing good faith
intentions and having a "very conceited" nature. Ohba also describes
Light as having a "warped" "desire to be godlike," bearing love for his
family, and intending to transform the world into "a better place". Ohba
added that he believed that debating whether Light's actions were good
or evil is not "very important." Ohba says that he personally sees Light
as a "diabolical" character.
According to Ohba, Light sees Misa
Amane, who he uses as an accomplice, as a "bad person" who killed
people, so he acts emotionally cold towards her and manipulates her.
Despite this, he keeps her alive even after her memories of being Kira
have been removed for the second (and final) time.
Ohba said that his editor suggested the family name "Yagami" for
Light. Ohba said that he did not feel "too concerned" about the meaning
of the name (the kanji are "night" and "god"); he said that after he
created the final scene in the manga he "liked" that the final scene
created "deeper significance" in the name.
Obata 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." As the weekly serialization
continued, Obata 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.
Adult Light in the manga. He was typically
assigned a "lack of color" by Obata.
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.
When asked about which character was most similar to himself,
Ohba indicated Near and "maybe Light." Regarding Light, Ohba cited
"because I did well in school." Obata said that Light was his second
favorite human character and that he was not sure whether that was
because he "liked" Light or because he drew "such a diabolical
character" in a magazine for children.
Tetsuro Araki, the director of the anime, said that he felt an urge
to support and cheer for Light. Araki added that Light would have used
and killed him if he was one of Light's friends, but the director still
believed that Light is "that interesting" and therefore he would
have felt an attraction towards Light.
In the anime, Light is wounded by five non-fatal gunshots by
Matsuda, but he is shot only three times in the manga. This is ironic
because Light was able to recover in time to escape in the anime whereas
in the manga, despite his injuries being less severe, was too weak to
so much as even stand.
Light
is portrayed in a peculiar, crucifix-like position on the twelfth and
final manga cover. This position is mimicked by Light during the second
ending sequence in the anime and again when he is portrayed as a secret
Nendoroid figure for the Death Note Case File merchandise line.
Light can possibly read german due to the reason he can be seen
reading Nietzsche Jenseits von Gut und Böse (Nietzsche, Beyond Good and
Evil) in the live action movie.
In all versions of the series ( Anime, Manga, and Movies) Light
dies in different locations in each of them.
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