Shinigami

In the series manga and anime series Death Note, Shinigami (死神, Shinigami? literally "death god") are a race of extra-dimensional beings who survive by killing humans to extend their own lives. Shinigami in this series are not responsible for every death that occurs; people will eventually die regardless of whether or not the Shinigami pay attention to them, but a Shinigami can end their lives sooner than intended for their own benefit.

Shinigami

All Shinigami must possess at least one Death Note, a necessity to extend their lives. Should they manage to come across a second, it can be loaned to a human. The Shinigami must accompany the human until they die or the Death Note is willingly given back or reach its expiration date; should the human give the notebook to another human, the same would apply to the new owner. Shinigami can explain the purpose of the Death Note to the human, but this is done at their discretion. They can also offer Shinigami Eyes to the human at the cost of half the human's remaining lifespan; however, while a human with the Eyes can also see the name and lifespan of most humans, they cannot see the lifespan of any Death Note owner, themselves included. Likewise, Shinigami cannot see lifespans of other Shinigami. In addition, Shinigami are forbidden from telling the Death Note owner their remaining lifespan, both because it would cause confusion and because a human aware of their fate might react unpredictably (in a negative way).

Shinigami

While in the human world, Shinigami are invisible to everyone except the owner of their Death Note and anyone else who has touched it. Other unrelated Death Note users can only see their specific Shinigami. The ending of both the anime and manga state that all humans, regardless of their actions in life, go to Mu ("Nothingness") when they die, despite the misleadings earlier in the series that only humans who have used the Death Note meet this fate.

Shinigami

Shinigami

Mello Death Note

Mello (Mero), real name Mihael Keehl (Mihaeru Kēru), is Near's rival. He is the older of L's two successors raised at Wammy's House—Watari's orphanage for gifted children—in Winchester, England. When it is decided that Mello should work with Near to capture Kira, he refuses citing an inability to work with somebody he is considered "second" to. He leaves the orphanage soon after, stating "I'll find my own way," and eventually seeks help from the Mafia. Mello has sometimes been known to use less conventional methods to achieve his goals, including kidnapping the Director of the Japanese Police. He also relied on information leaked from an informant (Ill Ratt) from the SPK in order to write most of the member's names in Sidoh's Death Note. Later, he also relies on Halle Lidner for intelligence about the connection between Kiyomi Takada and Light Yagami.

Mello Death Note

Mello Death Note

Similar to L's fondness for sweets, Mello is often seen eating bars of chocolate. How to Read 13 states that Mello has "an excellent mind" and that he "sometimes lets his emotions get in his way." The book cites his hatred of Near, which created a flaw in his personality. His birthday is December 13, 1989 (1992 in the anime) and he dies on January 26, 2010 (2013 in the anime). He is 171 centimeters tall (5' 7"), weighs 52 kilograms (115 pounds) and his blood type is A. He can usually be seen wearing black clothes and a crucifix which was altered to a red stick-shaped charm for the anime adaptation (erasing any evidence of Catholicism in Mello's personality).

Mello Death Note

Mello Death Note

L Death Note

L Lawliet (Eru Rōraito), commonly referred to by his alias "L" (Eru), is a fictional character in the manga, anime and film series Death Note. L is considered the world's greatest detective, whose identity remains unknown before the story takes place because he has never revealed himself to the public. L takes on the Kira investigation in the first arc. The character of L is portrayed by Ken'ichi Matsuyama in Death Note, Death Note: The Last Name and L: Change the WorLd.

L Death Note

L Death Note

L, who also uses the aliases Hideki Ryuga (Ryūga Hideki), Ryuzaki (Ryūzaki), Eraldo Coil (Erarudo Koiru), and Deneuve (Donūvu), the latter two for which he has developed reputations as the second- and third-best detectives in the world, is quite secretive and only communicates with the world through his assistant Watari. He never shows his face to the world, instead representing himself with a capital L in Cloister Black font. After meeting the Kira investigation team, he requests that the task force refer to him as Ryuzaki for discretion. The Kira investigation team never learns his true name. Ohba said that L is the smartest character in the manga because "the plot requires it." Ohba also said that he personally views L as "slightly evil"; for instance, in chapter 109, Near discloses the fact that L claimed to pursue cases out of personal interest with no great sense of justice.

L Death Note

When asked about L's nationality, Ohba responded saying "I think of him as a quarter Japanese, a quarter English, a quarter Russian and... maybe a quarter French or Italian? Something like that."

Tom S. Peperium of IGN described L's voice in the English anime version as "low monotone, while inspired by the original Japanese actor, sounds like a man deep in thought, a master detective on the hunt."

L Death Note

L's disheveled and languid appearance masks his great powers of deduction and insight. He tends to second-guess everything he is presented with, and is extremely meticulous and analytical. He has several quirks such as preferring to crouch rather than sit, 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).

L Death Note

L Death Note

Misa Amane Death Note

Misa Amane (Amane Misa) is a famous model, singer and actress and has an immense crush on Light Yagami. She usually refers to herself in the third person by calling herself "Misa-Misa" and tends to be hyperactive. She kills as the second Kira in order to attract the attention of the first Kira.

She decides to devote her life to Light due to the fact that Kira punished the criminal that killed her parents in front of her very own eyes as an adolescent. 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 two seperate times: the first trade with Rem, and the second with Ryuk.

According to How to Read 13, Her memory from the incident and the Death Note is erased, yet she still retains her love for Light. Misa falls into despair after learning of Light's death through someone "like Matsuda." Misa commits suicide one year later on February 14, 2011 (ironically, Valentine's Day). 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.

Misa, born on December 25, 1984 in Kyoto, has a height of 152 centimeters (approx. 5 feet) and a mass of 36 kilograms (79 pounds). Misa has a bust size of 100 centimeters (40 inches), a waist size of 51 centimeters (20 inches), and a hip size of 75 centimeters (30 inches). Her blood type is AB. Misa tends to wear crucifix jewelry, though the crucifixes were changed to 'fleur de lis' symbols in the anime adaptations (most notably on the Misa finger puppet). Despite this, Misa is depicted with a crucifix in the first anime opening and her model sheet image in the liner notes of the third anime soundtrack. She also has a crucifix on the collector's figure included with volume 5 of the DVD sets. While her eyes are predominantly brown in the manga, they alternate between brown and blue in the anime (green on the figure).

In the finale of the anime, Misa's suicide is neither mentioned or seen. At the final credits, she is seen standing at the edge of a rooftop, with a sad face looking at the horizon.

Misa Amane Death Note

Misa Amane Death Note

Near Death Note

A calm and stoic character that appears in the second half of the series. In the anime and manga versions, Near is a primary candidate to become L's successor and calls himself N during the course of his investigations. He shares a number of similarities with L. Much like how L plays with things such as sugar cubes and forks, Near is frequently shown playing with toys or hair, and he is constantly shown sitting in an unusual manner.

Near Death Note

Near Death Note

After L's death, he was asked to join forces with Mello, who refused (it is explained that Near lacks the emotional insight to beat L, while Mello is too emotional and impulsive). Near then gained the support of the Government of the United States and formed the Secret Provision for Kira (SPK). In the 'extra' manga story, set after the end of the series, Near states that, while he respects Light's drive for justice, he can never find his 'Kira' actions excusable. His real name is Nate River. :In the film L: Change the World L grants the name "Near" to a Thai boy who is a mathematical genius; L intends for Near to succeed him.

Near Death Note

Near Death Note

Light Yagami

Light Yagami (Yagami Raito) is the protagonist and anti-hero of Death Note. At the start of the series, he discovers the Death Note and uses it to kill criminals, becoming known to the people of Japan as Kira (based on the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "killer").

Light Yagami

He is characterized as an extremely intelligent, but bored young man, who is frustrated by the lack of justice in the world. He is confident of his own intelligence and how smart he is in relation to others. Being a genius, Light feels that only he is fit to judge humanity and steer it on a proper moral course, viewing himself as the "god" of the new world he is creating.

Light Yagami

He is voiced by Mamoru Miyano in the Japanese anime and by Brad Swaile in the English dub. In the live-action film, he is played by Tatsuya Fujiwara.

Light Yagami

Light Yagami