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Light Yagami

Light Yagami (夜神月,Yagami Raito) serves as the central character inDeath Note. After stumbling upon the Death Note, a mysterious notebook with deadly powers, Light chooses to wield it in his mission to eliminate criminals from society. Over time, the public in Japan begins to recognize his string of killings and refers to the unknown perpetrator as “Kira.”

Humans aren’t made perfectly. Everyone lies. Even so… I’ve been careful not to tell lies that hurt others.
— Light Yagami

Appearance

Light Yagami is a tall, young man with light brown hair and brown eyes. In Part I of the series, he is often seen wearing his school uniform—a tan suit paired with a red tie. Outside of school, his style is generally casual, frequently seen in a dress shirt under a jacket or a V-neck sweater over a collared shirt. In Part II, his wardrobe becomes more formal, with Light often opting for suits.

His appearance is notably attractive, with characters like Misa Amane and Kiyomi Takada among those who have expressed admiration for his looks.

Character

Sultan Abdulmejid (left) with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Emperor Napoleon III of France

The constant praise Light received for his achievements may have fueled his boredom and hubris.

Light Yagami is portrayed as a hardworking, talented individual with natural genius. He is highly perceptive, an exceptional problem solver, and skilled at strategizing complex scenarios. Among his peers, Light is well-liked, and his family holds him in high regard. However, his intelligence, academic success, and the constant praise he receives from adults fuel his innate arrogance, which only grows after he takes on the role of Kira. His initial sense of boredom is quelled as he begins using the Death Note, finding purpose in the power it gives him.

Much like his father, Soichiro, Light initially possesses a strong sense of justice. However, after acquiring the Death Note, this sense of justice becomes increasingly twisted. Viewing the world as “rotten,” Light decides to use the Death Note to cleanse society of those he deems evil. His ultimate goal as Kira is to create a new, utopian world, populated by those he sees as honest and kind, with himself as its “God.” Despite understanding the moral implications of murder, Light justifies his actions as the necessary “sacrifice” to create a better world.

Sultan Abdulmejid (left) with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Emperor Napoleon III of France

Despite being corrupted by the Death Note, Light still demonstrates a desire to protect his family.

Even after being corrupted by the Death Note’s power, Light retains a desire to protect his family. His ruthless and cold demeanor as Kira does not completely strip away his love for them, as seen when his sister, Sayu, is kidnapped. Light’s concern for her safety drives him to prevent Soichiro from taking extreme measures, even though doing so increases Mello’s chances of gaining possession of the Death Note.

Light was not always ruthless, however. When he temporarily relinquishes the Death Note and loses his memories of it, he demonstrates compassion and a deep reluctance to manipulate or harm others. His moral compass resurfaces during this period, showing a stark contrast to his Kira persona. Once his memories return, he quickly resumes his cold and utilitarian mindset, committed to his goal until his eventual death.

Sultan Abdulmejid (left) with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Emperor Napoleon III of France

In the anime, Light seems to contemplate his actions just before his death.

Light’s arrogance and ruthless nature are explored differently across various adaptations. In the original manga, anime, and Japanese films, Light remains steadfast and unwavering in his decisions as Kira, rarely expressing doubt or regret about his methods or beliefs. Early in the series, for example, he swiftly decides to eliminate FBI agent Raye Penber, who is tailing him, despite Penber not being a criminal. However, in the final episode of the anime, as he lies critically wounded and defeated by Near, Light briefly reflects on his high school self, seemingly at the moment he first picked up the Death Note. His feelings during this reflection remain ambiguous.

In contrast, certain adaptations, such as the drama and Netflix film, present a more hesitant and less confident version of Light. In these versions, he shows greater hesitation in killing the FBI agents and even contemplates abandoning his mission when feeling cornered. Despite these differences, Light remains consistent across adaptations as an idealist who is willing to go to extreme lengths to realize his vision of justice.

History

Light Yagami was raised in Japan alongside his family, which includes his father, Soichiro Yagami, a key member of the Japanese Task Force tasked with investigating Kira, his mother, Sachiko Yagami, and his younger sister, Sayu Yagami.

At the beginning of the series, Light is in his final year of high school at Daikoku Private Academy. In addition to his regular classes, he attends supplemental lessons at Gamou Prep Academy. As the story progresses, Light graduates and continues his education at To-Oh University (東応大学, Tōō Daigaku).

Plot

Part I

Finding the Death Note
In 2003 (2006 in the anime), Light Yagami, a high school student, stumbles upon a mysterious notebook called theDeath Note. The notebook claims that writing a human’s name in it while picturing their face will result in their death. Initially skeptical, Light s the notebook and soon realizes its power is real.

Light contemplates whether to continue using the notebook and ultimately decides that no one else is capable of bearing the responsibility of improving the world. He meets Ryuk, the Shinigami (death god) who dropped the Death Note into the human world. Ryuk informs Light that when the time comes, it will be Ryuk who writes Light’s name in his own Death Note. Light reveals his goal to rid the world of evil and establish himself as its god.

Light vs. L Begins
Light’s killings quickly attract attention on a massive scale, particularly from law enforcement. The mysterious detective L, tasked with capturing Kira (Light’s alias), makes his first move by airing a worldwide broadcast with a decoy named Lind L. Tailor, hoping to provoke Kira. Enraged, Light kills the decoy, only to realize that the broadcast was aired exclusively in the Kanto region of Japan, revealing Kira’s location to L. This marks the beginning of a high-stakes battle of wits between the two.

The FBI Investigation
L’s investigation deepens, and the Japanese police form a Task Force, led by Light’s father, Soichiro Yagami, to track Kira. Light gains access to his father’s police files and uses this information to stay ahead of the Task Force and confuse L. He kills criminals at carefully planned intervals to deflect suspicion and create distrust within the police ranks.

When Light discovers he is being tailed by FBI agent Raye Penber, he devises a plan to learn Penber’s name and eliminate him, along with other FBI agents sent to Japan. Light’s manipulation and cunning continue to escalate, culminating in Penber’s death.

Naomi Misora’s Investigation
After Raye Penber’s death, his fiancée, Naomi Misora, independently begins investigating Kira. Using an alias, she encounters Light, who eventually gains her trust by using his father’s status within the police. Realizing she could expose him, Light tricks her into revealing her real name and writes it in the Death Note, causing her to die by suicide.

Surveillance and Light’s Manipulation
Suspicious of Light, L installs hidden cameras and bugs in his home. Light, ever vigilant, realizes this and maintains his façade by behaving like a normal teenager. Using his cleverness, he even kills criminals while appearing to study by hiding a small TV and a piece of the Death Note in a bag of potato chips, all while under surveillance.

Meeting L
Light’s academic success continues, and he enrolls at To-Oh University. There, he meets a strange student named “Hideki Ryuga” during the entrance exams. This student, revealed to be L in disguise, immediately sparks suspicion in Light. L openly declares his intent to investigate Light, setting the stage for a tense intellectual rivalry. The two engage in psychological battles, including a tennis match, where both men size each other up and plan their next moves.

The Second Kira
Soon after, a second Kira emerges, broadcasting threatening messages to the public. Light, realizing that this new Kira could jeopardize his plans, joins the Task Force to keep tabs on both L and this copycat. The second Kira, Misa Amane, uses the Shinigami Eyes, which allow her to see the real names and lifespans of people, something Light previously declined in exchange for half his remaining life.

Misa eventually finds Light, and the two form an alliance. Although Light sees Misa as a useful tool, he secretly plans to dispose of her when she is no longer useful. However, Misa’s Shinigami, Rem, threatens to kill Light if any harm comes to her, forcing him to carefully navigate this dangerous new relationship.

The Imprisonment and Light’s Plan
To avoid capture, Light formulates a complex plan, surrendering the Death Note to erase his own memories of being Kira. During this time, a new Kira emerges, leading L to detain Light and Misa. Eventually, Light’s plan succeeds, and he regains his memories, manipulating Rem into killing L and Watari, the Task Force’s key members. This move eliminates his grea rival, and Light assumes L’s identity, taking control of the investigation and securing his position as Kira.

For the next five years, Light’s rule as Kira continues, with his judgment becoming increasingly severe. The world plunges into a dark era under Kira’s control, as many nations begin to support his brutal methods.


Part II

Mello’s Kidnappings
Five years after L’s death, Light continues to act as both Kira and L, tightening his grip on the world. However, a new adversary emerges—Mello, one of L’s successors from Wammy’s House. Mello kidnaps Takimura, the head of the NPA, demanding the Death Note in exchange for his release. Light, now under pressure, kills Takimura to remove the bargaining chip. However, Mello escalates the situation by kidnapping Light’s sister, Sayu.

Desperate to recover Sayu, Light contacts Near, another one of L’s successors, who introduces himself as “N.” Near, who is also investigating Kira, helps orchestrate an exchange to recover Sayu, but the kidnappers obtain the Death Note in the process. Mello uses the Death Note to eliminate Near’s team, further complicating the situation. In an effort to regain the notebook, Light manipulates the Task Force and the U.S. government to raid Mello’s hideout, but the raid fails due to interference from a Shinigami named Sidoh, who is allied with Mello.

The Death of Soichiro Yagami
In an attempt to retrieve the Death Note, Soichiro Yagami, Light’s father, makes the Shinigami Eye deal, sacrificing half of his remaining lifespan. Soichiro leads the Task Force in a raid against Mello’s hideout but is critically injured during the operation. Before dying, Soichiro manages to reveal Mello’s real name to Light. However, believing that his son is not Kira (because he can still see Light’s lifespan), Soichiro dies peacefully, unaware of Light’s true identity.

The Battle with Near
With Mello and Near working together, the pressure on Light intensifies. Near, suspecting that the second L is Kira, contacts Light, subtly declaring his intention to challenge him. Near deduces that one of the rules in the Death Note—the 13-day rule—is fake, a key detail that could expose Light. The Task Force begins to waver in their trust in Light, especially after Near provides evidence that links him to Kira.

Light, in response, passes his Death Note to Teru Mikami, a fervent follower of Kira, and manipulates Kiyomi Takada, a former girlfriend, into acting as his intermediary with Mikami. Mikami begins carrying out Kira’s will, killing criminals and further consolidating Light’s power. Light continues to communicate with Takada through coded messages, instructing her to maintain contact with Mikami to ensure his orders are executed.

The Final Confrontation
Near and Light agree to meet face-to-face in an abandoned warehouse, each believing they have the upper hand. Light is confident that Mikami, using a fake Death Note, will write down Near’s name along with the names of everyone present. However, Near reveals that he swapped the real Death Note with a fake, and that Mikami’s actions had already exposed the truth. The real notebook is produced, and Light’s identity as Kira is revealed.

In a final desperate attempt, Light tries to convince the Task Force and Near of the righteousness of his actions, arguing that his rule as Kira has made the world a better place. However, Near rejects Light’s justifications, labeling him as nothing more than a mass murderer imposing his will on others. The Task Force, once loyal to Light, turns against him.

Light’s Fall
In a final, frantic move, Light attempts to use a hidden piece of the Death Note to kill Near, but he is shot by Matsuda, who is enraged by Light’s betrayal and the harm he caused to Soichiro. Severely wounded, Light tries to write with his own blood but is stopped before he can finish. Mikami, realizing Light’s defeat, commits suicide, further sealing Light’s fate.

Fate
In the manga, Light is left broken and incapacitated, both mentally and physically. He pleads with Ryuk to save him, but Ryuk, indifferent to Light’s fate, writes his name in the Death Note, fulfilling his promise from the very beginning. Light dies in agony, a shadow of the once-confident mastermind he used to be.

In the anime, Light, after being shot, manages to flee the warehouse in a weakened state. As he hides in a nearby building, Ryuk writes his name in the Death Note, bringing a quiet end to his life. In his final moments, Light sees a vision of L, his grea rival, as he dies alone.


In Other Media

  • In the Japanese film adaptations, Light’s story is similar, though some details differ. For example, Light is portrayed as a first-year university student studying law, and his motivations are driven more by frustration with the justice system than boredom. His ending also diverges, with Light being killed by Ryuk in front of his father, Soichiro, who holds him in his arms as Light dies.

  • In the 2017 Netflix film adaptation, Light’s character is heavily altered, with his name changed to Light Turner and his intelligence significantly toned down. This version of Light is depicted as an average high school student with limited ambition. Unlike his manga counterpart, this Light is more hesitant to kill law enforcement and uses the Death Note to impress Mia Sutton, his love interest.

  • In theDeath Notemusical, Light’s character largely follows the original story, with the plot remaining faithful up until L’s death. Light is portrayed by several actors across different productions, including Kenji Urai and Jeremy Jordan, who perform iconic songs like “Where is the Justice?” and “Change the World.”

  • In the video gameJump Force, Light appears as a non-playable character alongside Ryuk. In this crossover game, his Death Note loses its power due to the merging of worlds, but Light remains intent on using other means to shape the world according to his vision.

Conception

The following information is from Death Note 13: How to Read)

Tsugumi Ohba

(Writer)

Takeshi Obata

(Artist)

Overview

Tsugumi Ohba initially envisioned Light Yagami as “a young man who could understand the pain of others” before his fateful encounter with the Death Note. According to Ohba, had Ryuk never become interested in the human world, Light could have become “one of the grea police leaders in the world,” working alongside L to fight criminals. Ohba describes Light’s life as being “ruined” by the Death Note, as it ensnared him in its power and made him its victim in many ways. While Light started with good intentions, Ohba emphasizes his “very conceited” nature, driven by a “warped desire to be godlike.” Despite his love for his family, Light’s ambition to create a better world took a dark turn.

Ohba believes that the question of whether Light’s actions are good or evil is not as significant, but he personally views Light as “a very evil” character. Light’s cold and manipulative behavior toward Misa Amane reflects this darkness. He considers her a “bad person” for her role in killing, yet keeps her alive even after her memories of being Kira are erased a second time, using her as a tool to further his own goals.

The name “Yagami” was suggested by Ohba’s editor, and though Ohba didn’t give much thought to its meaning initially, the kanji characters for “night” (夜) and “god” (神) ended up gaining deeper significance after the final scene of the manga.

Design

Takeshi Obata, the artist forDeath Note, found no difficulty in designing Light based on the character description he was provided, which depicted Light as “a brilliant honors student who’s a little out there.” As the serialization progressed, Obata unconsciously simplified Light’s design, removing unnecessary lines and feeling that he became more adept at drawing him over time. When Light loses his memories in Chapter 35, Obata had to “forget everything” he had learned about the character and revert to the simpler, more innocent version of Light as seen in Chapter 1.

Obata also put significant effort into designing Light’s wardrobe, envisioning him as a “smart and formal” individual. He referenced fashion magazines for inspiration, dressing Light in fitted, formal shirts and avoiding casual clothing like jeans. For the color book covers, Obata intentionally assigned a “lack of color” to Light, reflecting his cold and calculating personality.

When asked about which character he most identified with, Ohba mentioned both Near and “maybe Light,” attributing his academic success to the connection with Light. For Obata, Light was his second favorite human character to draw, though he wasn’t sure if it was because he “liked” Light or because he enjoyed portraying “such an evil character” in a magazine primarily targeted at children.

Light’s surname, “Yagami,” contains the kanji for “night” (夜) and “god” (神), while his given name, “Raito,” is written with the character for “moon” (月).

Trivia

    • Light is depicted in a crucifixion-like pose on the twelfth and final cover of the Death Note manga. This imagery is echoed in the anime’s second ending sequence, and it was also replicated in his Nendoroid figure as part of the Death Note Case File merchandise line.

    • In the anime, characters are sometimes shown with stylized hair colors when the audience hears their inner thoughts. Light’s designated color in these moments is red, symbolizing his growing ruthlessness and thirst for power.

    • In Death Note Relight 1: Visions of a God , an unnamed Shinigami is shown in the Shinigami Realm asking about the whereabouts of Ryuk. Some fans speculate that this Shinigami might be a reincarnation of Light due to visual similarities, though this theory contradicts the series’ established lore, particularly the existence of “Mu,” where humans go after death.

    • Light Yagami is one of several Death Note characters immortalized as Nendoroid figures. His Nendoroid includes accessories like a mini Death Note and a pen, along with three interchangeable faces: a laughing face, an angry face, and a neutral expression.

    • Light’s name, Yagami (夜神), translates to “Night God” in English, reflecting his self-proclaimed god-like ambitions as Kira. His first name, Raito (月), translates to “moon,” offering a contrast to L, whose single initial is often associated with light itself.

    • Light is frequently associated with the symbolic theme of justice throughout the series. However, his version of justice becomes increasingly warped, raising the question of whether he is truly acting for the greater good or merely indulging in his desire for control.

    • According to Death Note 13: How to Read , Light’s iconic character design evolved throughout the series. Initially drawn with complex details, his design was gradually simplified by artist Takeshi Obata to reflect Light’s growing detachment and coldness.

    • Light’s character development from a well-meaning individual to a power-obsessed megalomaniac is considered one of the most compelling aspects of Death Note . His gradual moral decay is showcased through both his actions and subtle changes in his demeanor and appearance as the series progresses.