What would you do if you had the ability to kill anyone by writing their name in a notebook? Light Yagami, the protagonist of the anime sensation “Death Note,” aims to use Death Note to create a utopian world free of injustice. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as the old proverb goes. Eventually, Light transforms into a mysterious killer known as “Kira,” who will stop at nothing to keep his bloody rule. Anyone who dares to question Kira is subjected to a supernatural death — but then L, a genius detective with a sweet tooth, enters the fray. This battle of the wills pits death gods, high school students, models, and police officers against each other.
The story of Light Yagami’s demise is the heart of “Death Note,” but the show wouldn’t be complete without the varied cast of characters that inhabits it. Some are victims of Light’s wrath, while others fight to put an end to his oppression. Some even have front-row seats to the carnage, such as Ryuk, the Shinigami who gave Light the Death Note in the first place. Is there a clear-cut favorite among the bunch? “Death Note” fans ranked these characters from worst to best.
1. Hitoshi Demegawa
Hitoshi Demegawa’s only Concern Is the Number of Viewers He Has. His Selfish, Greedy, and Short-Sighted Character Would Be a Terrible Boss to Work For, but He’s Hilarious to Watch. It Makes Demegawa Giggle with Anticipation when Misa Amane the Second Kira Sends Extortion Tapes to Sakura Tv, Knowing Full Well that They Will Bring in Big Ratings for Sakura. as Soon as Yagami Arrives, Demegawa Refuses to Hand Over the Tapes, No Matter how Many Lives Are on The Line. He only Gives Them up After Soichiro Threatens Him with His Gun and Threatens to Kill Him.
His Desire to Get High Ratings Eventually Gets the Better of Him. the Program Is Titled “Kira’s Kingdom,” and He Becomes the Official Spokesman of Kira. Nevertheless, Many of Demegawa’s Demands Run Counter to Kira’s Philosophy, only Feeding His Ego (and His Bank Account). Demegawa’s Name Is Written in The Death Note as A Penalty for Disobeying “god.” an On-Air Broadcast of His Death Occurs. Demegawa, Despite Being a Satirical Character, Effectively Reminds Viewers of The Terrible Fate that Awaits Those Who only Care About Fame and Fortune in Kira’s World.
2. Kiyomi Takada
Although Kiyomi Takada Appears to Be Confined to The Second Half of The “death Note” Story, She Actually Makes an Appearance Fairly Early in The Story. Do You Not Remember? She Was a Classmate of Lights During Their Time in College. They Were Even Seen Together for A Brief Period of Time.
For All of Her Flaws, Kiyomi Truly Believes She Is Light’s One and Only Love. Light, of course, only Uses Her as A Facade. Kira’s Voice Is Given to Kiyomi After the Death of Hitoshi Demegawa, Who Had Been Light’s Love Interest Prior to The Time-Skip. Because of Her Enviable Combination of Intellect and Beauty, Kiyomi Is an Excellent Candidate. Kiyomi Also Appears to Be More Compatible with Light than Misa Amane, Who Is Far Too Childlike. Episode 33, “scorn,” Pits the Two Women Against Each Other Because the Writers Are Well Aware of This and Take Advantage. as A Result, Light Gets Rid of Kiyomi as Soon as She Becomes a Problem. Fans Will Never Forget Her as A Tragic Symbol of His Brutal Rise to Power.
3. Naomi Misora
Although Naomi Misora Has only A Small Amount of Screen Time, She Still Has a Major Impact on The Show.. in Fact, She Nearly Solves the Death Note Murder Mystery. Because of A Random Encounter, Light Is Able to Stop Her Before She Goes to The Cops and Reveals His Identity.
Naomi Was Engaged to Fbi Agent Raye Penber, Who Had Been Tracking Light Yagami Before He Was Killed in A Plane Crash. After Losing Raye, Naomi Decides to Investigate the Mystery She Left Behind. Naomi Deduces that The Killer of Raye Penber Was Present when Light Staged a Bus Jacking in Order to Acquire Raye’s Name. as A Result, She Is Nearly Able to Tell the Police how Kira Kills His Victims. in The End, Light Is Able to Manipulate Naomi’s Emotions and Make Her Reveal Her True Identity. the Moment He Gets Her Name, He Forces Her to Walk to Her Death. Even Though She Is yet Another Victim of Kira’s Reign, Her Brilliance and Love Make Her a Memorable Character.
4. Mello
It Appears that Mello Is Nothing More than L.’s Chocolate-Addicted Cousin. Mello, on The Other Hand, Is a Man Who Is Willing to Risk His Own Life for The Sake of Others.
Mello, Like Near, Was Raised in Wammy’s House, a Special Orphanage for Gifted Children, Like Near. While Both Near and Mello Possess a High Level of Intellect, Their Outlooks Could Not Be Further Apart. Near, Like L., Is Calm, Collected, and A Little Childish. Mello, on The Other Hand, Is Arrogant and Self-Centered. Rather than An Attempt at Revenge, Mello Will Use This as An Opportunity to Show Near Who’s Really the Better Man by Claiming to Be L’s Legitimate Heir.
While Some of Mello’s Actions Are Heartless, Such as Kidnapping Sayu Yagami and Using the Death Note to Kill Members of The Spk (aka the Special Provision for Kira), He Does Not Lack Empathy. Matt’s Death at The Hands of The Police Is Especially Painful for Him. Mello Also Sacrifices Himself so That Near Can Have the Evidence He Needs to Defeat Light Once and For All. Aside from Being Rude, This Guy Doesn’t Seem to Have Any Redeeming Qualities, Either.
5. Close
Near Was Also Groomed to Be L’s Heir Apparent, Much Like Mello Had Been. Even Though Mello Is No Pushover, Near Truly Embodies Everything that Made His Predecessor Great—so Much So, in fact, that He Shows Signs of Being Able to Surpass L Some Day.
Like L, Near Converses from A Crouching Position, Giving the Impression of Being Distant. Near, on The Other Hand, Prefers to Play with Toys, Whereas Mello Has a Sweet Tooth Inherited from His Mother. the Kira Murder Investigation Has Near’s Childish Love of All Things Plastic and Playful, Including Darts, Puzzles, and Even Hand Puppet Doppelgangers of Suspects. in Keeping with This Strategy, Near Treats the Kira Investigation as A Game.
Close Can Appear Emotionless, but The Impish Smile that Crosses His Face when His Suspicions Are Confirmed Shows that Near Has Some Genuine Joy in Him. Near’s Victory Over the Older, Tired Light Feels Like a Social Commentary: The Older Generation Inevitably Succumbs to The Newer One, Given the Age Difference. Right Before the End of The “death Note” Story, This Adds an Intriguing New Layer of Complexity.
6. Teru Mikami,
Although Teru Mikami Is only Introduced at The End of The Anime, He Has a Huge Impact on The Story and The Characters Around Him. Mikami Shares Light’s Desire for Justice, but His Outlook on Life Is Even More Dangerously Black and White. to Mikami, There Is only Good and Evil — and Evil Must Be Wiped Out.
During Episode 32, “selection,” a Flashback Shows Mikami as A Young Boy Standing up To Bullies at School. in The End, His Desire to Play the Hero as A Kid Backfires on Him Because the Bullies at His Middle School Aren’t Holding Anything Back. Michi Even Loses Faith in His Mother, Who Berates Him for Constantly Risking His Life. in A Freak Accident, Mikami’s Mother and Tormentors Are Killed, and He Devotes His Life to A New “god,” Who Kills the “wicked” in The World. to Be the “hand of Kira,” Mikami Must Have This Worldview. as A Result, Mikami’s Approach to Using the Death Note Appears to Be More Theological and Self-Indulgent than That of Light. Even Though His Demise Is Inevitable, the Journey He Takes to Get There Is a Thrilling One Nonetheless.
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7. Watari
A Father Figure and Right-Hand Man to The Detective, Watari Serves a Dual Purpose in The Life of L. Watari Is Credited with Training Some of The World’s Greatest Detectives as The Founder of Wammy’s House, an Orphanage that Trains Gifted Children. in Addition, He’s Always There to Help L with The Kira Investigation. Sometimes This Means Providing Him with The Tools He Needs, While at Other Times It Means Providing Him with An Enormous Supply of Sweets to Satisfy His Hunger. Whatever It Is, Watari Is Working on It.
Watari May Appear to Be an Elderly Gentleman, but He Is a Dangerous Adversary. in Episode 23, “frenzy,” Watari, Perched Atop a Helicopter, Uses His Insane Sniping Skills to Disarm Kyosuke Higuchi Before He Can Commit Suicide. when Rem Writes Watari’s Name in Her Notebook, He Uses the Last of His Strength to Delete All of His Records, Just as L Had Requested. Watari’s Orphanage Also Provided Mello and Near with The Training They Needed to Defeat Light. Think About It: Watari Is the Real Hero of “death Note.”
8. Give You
Touta Matsuda Serves as A Comic Relief Character for The Majority of “death Note. Matsuda, the Newest Member of The Task Force, Is Also the Most Careless and Naive. Despite His Good Intentions, He Often Irritates Everyone Around Him. Matsuda Takes Matters Into His Own Hands When He Feels He Isn’t Doing Enough on The Task Force and Infiltrates Yotsuba Corporation for Their Connection to The Death Note. when His Cover Is Blown, He’ll Need Everyone’s Help to Get out Of This Situation.
Soichiro Yagami Still Shows Matsuda Respect Despite His Mistakes. Matsuda Admires Soichiro for Being the Kind of Brave Cop He Aspires to Become. Matsuda Finally Matures After Learning that Light Is Actually Kira. when Light Betrays Him and Kills His Father, He Snaps at Light. in The Middle of Writing on A Piece of Death Note Paper Hidden in His Watch, Matsuda Shoots Him Multiple Times. He Nearly Kills Him out Of Rage, but His Partners Restrain Him. While Growing up Can Be Difficult, It’s Even More so When You’ve Seen the World in Its Truest State. in Matsuda’s Experience, This Is a Fact.
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9. Remy
Rem Is a Fascinating Character in “Death Note.” However, This Isn’t Because She’s a Shinigami Like Ryuk, but Rather Because of Her Unwavering Devotion to Misa Amane’s Cause. Sadly, This Devotion Costs Her Her Life.
Rem Is in Charge of Delivering the Death Note to Misa, Who Transforms Into the Second Kira in The Hopes of Attracting the Original Kira. as A Result of Rem’s Strong Desire to Keep Misa Safe from Harm, She Is Enraged by Light Yagami, Who Treats Her Like a Disposable Tool. Rem, on The Other Hand, Can’t Compete with Misa’s Devotion to Light. After Realizing Light Has Forced Rem Into an Unwinnable Situation Where She Must Sacrifice Her Very Existence in Order to Save Misa, the Caring Shinigami Still Goes Through with It Because the Happiness and Safety of Misa Mean More to Her than Rem. a Shinigami Must Never Fall in Love with A Human, and This Tragic Sacrifice Is a Powerful Illustration of This.
10. Miss Amane
Cute, Bubbly, and Adorable when It Comes to The Cruel and Ugly World of “death Note,” Misa Amane Stands out Like a Sore Thumb, but She Is Every Bit as Cunning and Vicious as Kira. She’s Also One of The Luckiest and Unluckiest Women in The Entire World. Her Life Is Saved by A Shinigami Admirer Who Gives His Life for Her. Later, Rem, a Shinigami, Saves Her Life by Merely Wishing to See Misa’s Happiness. the Acquittal of Her Parents’ Suspected Murderer Changes Misa’s Life in An Irreversible Way, However. After Kira Takes Care of The Killer, Misa Develops an Unhealthy Admiration, Which Eventually Turns Into Love when She Discovers that Kira Is a Light Being.
In the Same Way that Dc Comics’ Joker and Harley Quinn Have a One-Sided Relationship, so Does Light and Misa’s. He Even Gets Her to Sacrifice Herself a Second Time for The Shinigami Eyes so He Can Learn the Real Name of L. After All, Misa Has Done for Him, He Is Willing to Give Her up And Give Kiyomi Takada the Title of “goddess of The New World” Despite All She Has Done for Him. Misa’s Tragic Tale, Is a Powerful Reminder to Never Put Your Happiness in The Hands of Another Person, Especially if That Person Is Light Yagami.
11. Shuichi Aizawa
To Begin With, Shuichi Aizawa Is Just Another Background Cop Looking Into Kira’s Disappearance. in Time, Aizawa Develops Into a Fully-Formed Character in His Own Right. He Begins This Process when His Dedication to The Investigation Interferes with His Larger Career and Damages the Ties He Shares with His Family. This Puts Aizawa at Odds with L, Who Employs Unconventional Methods. Eventually, Aizawa Is Forced to Leave the Task Force.
It Is Revealed that Aizawa Continues L’s Work by Secretly Investigating Light After He Is Once Again Suspected of Being Kira. Additionally, Aizawa Is the One Who Gives Near Access to Critical Information About the Early Stages of The Kira Case Investigation and Is the One Who Witnesses Light and Kiyomi Secretly Communicating with Each Other During Their “dates.” Aizawa Isn’t as Flashy as Some of The Other Task Force Members, but He Deserves Credit for His Work on The Kira Case. Near Wouldn’t Have Been Able to Convict Light without Them.
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12. Soichiro Yagami
Soichiro Yagami, Light Yagami’s Father, Is the Only Character in Death Note Who Truly Cares About Creating a Just World. to Soichiro, Kira Is Not Just a Crime, but His Life’s Mission. Inconveniently for Soichiro, Kira Lives Right Next Door.
Soichiro Frequently Risks His Life in The Kira Case, Driving Straight Towards the Sakura Tv Building to Seize the Second Kira’s Tapes Even as Misa Uses Her Shinigami Eyes to Kill Anyone Who Interferes with Her Broadcast. when Light Is Imprisoned and Monitored by L Because He Is Suspected of Being Kira, He Also Puts Himself in Danger. the Kidnapping of His Daughter, Sayu Yagami, Is Perhaps the Greatest Tragedy He Suffers. She Is in The State of Shock After the Terrible Incident. Soichiro, No Matter How Much He Suffers, Will Never Compromise His Principles. Because He Refuses to Use the Death Note, He Is Able to Die Believing that Light Is Not Kira. Even Though This Is a Lie, It’s Hard Not to Be Grateful that He Died Peacefully.
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13. Three.
There Would Be No “death Note” without Ryuk. Ryuk, Fed up With the Monotony of The Shinigami Realm, Abandons His Death Note in The Human Realm. for Ryuk, the Death Note Lands in The Hands of A Person Who Is Just as Fed up With His Own World as He Is.
There Is a Lot to Be Said About the Relationship Between Ryuk and Light. It’s Interesting to Note that Despite Their Close Working Relationship Throughout the Show, neither Of These Characters Considers the Other to Be a Friend. Ryuk Is Merely a Bystander to Light’s Actions, Content to Witness the Horrors that Result from This Human’s Use of His Death Note. Seeing that Light’s Plan to Rule the World as The New God Has Failed, Ryuk Writes His Name in His Death Note Coldly so That He Doesn’t Have to Waste Time Waiting for Light to Die in Jail. Ryuk Is Both a Terrifying and Amusing Character, and It’s Hard Not to Like Him. when He Doesn’t Have Any Apples, He Breaks out Into a Hysterical Dance. Shinigami, Like Humans, Are Made up Of Countless Individuals.
14. L
L Is One of The Strangest Characters in The “death Note” Manga. I Find His Demeanor Strange. What an Awful Way to Stand. He Eats Sweets in Bizarre and Entertaining Ways Because He Has an Almost Unimaginable Fondness for Them. Though His Intelligence Is Unrivaled. in Spite of The Fact that He Fails to Bring Down Light, He Remains Kira’s Greatest Adversary.
Light and L’s Cat-And-Mouse Game Is a Big Part of What Makes “death Note” Enjoyable. They’re Two Intellectuals with Very Different Views on Justice — Two Sides of The Same Coin, Essentially. Their Rare Moments of Synergy Make You Wonder If, in Another Lifetime, L and Light Could Have Formed a Close Relationship. Notably, Although L Fights for What Is Right, His Methods Tend To the Unethical. Like Light’s Dubious Methods of Establishing a Just World.
15. Light Yagami
When You Watch “death Note,” You Want to See Light Wriggle His Way out Of Situations that Seem Impossible and Are Completely Deadly. that Being the Case, You’re Eagerly Anticipating the Moment when He Finally Gets His Comeuppance. Because He’s so Amusing to Despise, He’s One of The Greatest Anime Villains Ever Created. Light Yagami Begins as A Bored High School Student Who Discovers the Terrifying Power of The Death Note. Soon, He’s Firmly Committed to Using It to Create a Better World, One that He Can Rule with Absolute Authority. This Initial Desire to Eliminate Crime Is Commendable, to Be Sure. in Contrast, as The Series Progresses, Light’s Atrocious Behavior Reveals a Darker Side of His Character. He only Cares About Becoming a God, Not About Creating an Innocent World. Despite His Best Efforts, Light’s Mask Eventually Comes Off, Revealing the Dark Side of Him that He’s Been Trying to Hide All Along.. Everyone Eventually Learns that Light Is Willing to Kill Anyone Who Stands in His Way, Even His Own Family. when The Time Comes for His Name to Be Written in The Death Note, He Reflects on The “boring” Life He Gave up All Those Years Ago. Despite the fact that He’s a Bad Guy Through and Through, It’s Hard Not to Be Moved by The Tragic Death of Light Yagami.