Main characters
Light Yagami/ Kira
Main article: Light
Yagami
The main protagonist in Death Note, Light is an extremely
intelligent, yet bored 17-year old student who is not satisfied with the
current justice system. When he finds the Death Note intentionally dropped in
the human world by the shinigami Ryuk, he decides to use it to kill
criminals. He earns the title Kira, the Japanese pronunciation of the
English word "killer". His ultimate goal is to cleanse the world of
evil and create a world without criminals. He intends to reign over this new
world as its "god". He is finally killed when Ryuk writes his name
into the Death Note after Near proved to everyone that Light himself is Kira.
In the Japanese version of the anime he is voiced by Mamoru
Miyano and in the English version by Brad Swaile.
L Lawliet
Main article: L
(Death Note)
The main antagonist in Death Note, L is the world's
top-rated detective who takes on the task of tracking down and arresting Kira.
He often uses drastic strategies to confuse and force the hand of his
opponents, and his disheveled appearance disguises his brilliance and genius.
He enjoys sugar, and in nearly every scene including him, he is found eating
cake or confectionery and drinking sweetened coffee. L often misleads people
with his behavior as well as his appearance. He sits in an unusual position,
and he always wears the same articles of clothing. He has a habit of chewing on
his thumb and holds things delicately. Watari is the only one who is able to
contact him. He has a few aliases, two being detectives Eraldo Coil and
Denueve. Eraldo Coil is considered the second best detective in the world,
Denueve being third. L has many aliases, though he acquired the ones Eraldo
Coil and Deneuve in a battle between the real detectives. The two were
defeated, and so L claimed their aliases. L always suspected Light was Kira,
but his suspicions were not confirmed until his dying moment in the hands of
Light. The L is not only an alias but also the detective's first name [L
Lawliet].
Misa Amane
Main article: Misa Amane
A woman with an immense crush on Kira, Misa is a popular
Japanese model. She is immature and tends to refer to herself in the third
person in an attempt to be cute. She is completely devoted to Light, saying
that she loved him at first sight, although the feeling is hardly mutual- since
Light merely views her as a rather annoying asset and uses her. She is even
willing to make the Shinigami eye trade for him twice, vastly shortening her
lifespan. In the manga, she kills herself after Light's death, which is also
implied in the anime's finale which shows her standing past the safety rail on
a building. What happens to her after in the film version is uncertain, as the
only remaining characters whose fates are revealed are L and the Yagami family.
Near
Main article: Near (Death Note)
A calm and stoic character that appears in the second half
of the series. He subtly represents an albino-like figure with his silver hair,
and plain white clothes. 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 his hair, and he is constantly shown sitting in an unusual
manner. Also, like L, Near likes to stack objects such as dice, while L likes
to stack sugar cubes. If you compare the two, you can see they bear some
resemblance in appearance as well. 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). In the manga, Near
accepts the fact neither Mello or himself can surpass L, saying that perhaps he
lacked dynamics while Mello lacked composure. Near then gained the support of
the Government of the United States and
formed the Special 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 gives the name
"Near" to a Thai boy who is a mathematical genius; L intends for Near to
succeed him.
Mello
Main article: Mello (Death Note)
Mello, a character present in the anime and manga versions,
was an orphan who grew up with Near and Matt in Wammy's House, Watari's shelter
for "gifted" children. Like Near and Matt, Mello was one of the
candidates to become L's successor. Similar to L's fondness for sweets, he is
often seen eating bars of chocolate. Although Mello is quite intelligent, he
often lets his emotions get the better of him. His goal in life is to surpass
Near. Mello was also killed by minor character Takada Kiyomi as a sacrifice to
help Near's case. The light novel "Death Note Another Note: The Los
Angeles BB Murder Cases" is written out of his view. His real name is Mihael
Keehl.
Shinigami
Main article: Shinigami (Death Note)
Shinigami,
or Gods Of Death, are demon-like beings who live in the Shinigami realm.
Shinigami are functionally immortal, able to extend their lives indefinitely by
writing the names of humans in their Death Notes. By writing the name of a
human whose fated time of death has not yet come, Shinigami have their lifespan
increased by the amount that human would have lived (e.g. a forty-year-old who
would have lived to the age of sixty would yield twenty years). As Ryuk
describes it, life in the Shinigami realm is incredibly dull; Shinigami do
little more than gamble constantly, and using the Death Note more than once in
a while is considered something workaholics do. The main Shinigami featured in
the series are Ryuk, Rem and Sidoh. The only way to kill a Shinigami is
through love for a human (e.g. if a Shinigami kills to save a human they love
[which adds more time to the lifespan of that human], the Shinigami will then
turn to dust and evaporate, as Gelus did to prolong Misa's life).
Supporting characters
Kira Investigation Team
Soichiro Yagami
Soichiro Yagami, designed by Takeshi
Obata to look like a "stereotypical detective."
Soichiro Yagami
(夜神 総一郎
Yagami Sōichirō?) is Light's father and a police officer that initially
leads the Kira investigation team that later joins with L. He is voiced by Naoya
Uchida in the Japanese anime and Chris Britton in the English dub.
When L begins to suspect Light of being Kira, Soichiro is unwilling to believe
his son would be capable of such a thing. After L's death, he is sent to
retrieve the Death Note stolen by Mello by obtaining Shinigami Eyes and
infiltrate Mello's hideout, though Light had planned for Matsuda to fill the
role.
He retrieves the note and learns Mello's real name, but is unable to kill him,
and is instead fatally wounded. Because Light has given up his Death Note,
making his lifespan visible above his head, Soichiro dies believing that Light
is not Kira. In the film, Soichiro, portrayed by Takeshi
Kaga, survives- discovering that Light is Kira and holding him as he dies-
but chooses to hide the knowledge from his family.
Soichiro was envisioned as an "honest police officer
with a strong sense of justice" that the reader "would have to feel
sorry for everything he has to go through." Though Ohba did not want
Soichiro to die, the writer felt that he had to because the character's
continued existence would have interfered with too many of the already set up
plot points. He did not want Light to kill him, so he wrote Soichiro's death as
an accident.
Obata designed Soichiro to look like a "stereotypical detective",
retaining the mustache and glasses found in Ohba's concepts. Over the course of
the series, he changes visibly by losing weight and aging poorly- particularly
during his and Light's confinement.
Both Ohba and Obata found Soichiro to be the most pure character, and Ohba
personally found him to be the third strongest character in the series
"besides Light."
His birthday is July 12, 1955.
Touta Matsuda
Takeshi Obata said that Touta Matsuda, pictured here,
was "hard to predict and thus hard to draw."
Touta Matsuda
(松田 桃太
Matsuda Tōta?) is the youngest member of the Kira investigation team. His
alias is Taro Matsui (松井 太郎
Matsui Tarō?).
Matsuda has the drive to match the other members of the
team, but his lack of experience sometimes hinders the investigation. He is
described as a "typical young man" who is "easy to get along
with" and feels "very excited about trends and gossip;" often listening
in on Light's intimate conversations with Misa and later Takada for the sake of
gossip rather than the investigation. He becomes quite fond of Light, as noted
by Hideki Ide at the series' conclusion. As for Misa, Matsuda often shows that
he is a massive fan of hers, becoming quite upset when his death is faked and
he can no longer work as her 'manager'. It is hinted that Matsuda has an
inferiority complex regarding his detective ability, and many of his coworkers
feel annoyed by his behavior.
Matsuda's "risky moves" sometimes place him in danger, and his
"quick thinking" sometimes aids the investigation, such as his
actions in the Yotsuba case that lead to Higuchi's detainment. Matsuda likes
Light and believes that he is not Kira, but at the end of the series, during
the final showdown between Light and the SPK, Matsuda, enraged and
grief-stricken over Light's apathy in regards to his father's death, critically
wounds Light by shooting him repeatedly.
Matsuda is voiced by Ryō Naitō in the Japanese anime and Vincent
Tong in the English dub. In the film, he is played by Sota Aoyama.
Matsuda stars in a Death Note film version special, aired on Japanese
television, that takes place after Light's death; in it Matsuda has to come to
terms with L's eventual death.
Ohba describes Matsuda as a "very simple guy"
easily used in the story.
Matsuda is very useful as a character because he acts only on his emotions,
which according to Ohba is "probably" why he survives.
Despite working to capture Kira, Matsuda admits that he is not entirely sure
whether or not the death of criminals is such a bad thing, though he does not
let it get in the way of his work; even in the epilogue of the manga he still
struggles with determining whether or not he did the right thing in siding with
Near. This trait was given to him because Ohba felt that any group would have
at least one individual who supports Kira to help balance it.
Obata described Matsuda as "hard to predict and thus hard to draw."
Obata felt that Matsuda's character concept consisted of an "average young
detective", and that because Matsuda's character was not unique and his
actions were not consistent, something Obata sees in himself, he did not like
the character or how it pointed out his "own inconsistency."
Obata described Matsuda as the sole character who "looks younger"
during the Near and Mello arc.
His birthday is December 14, 1978.
Shuichi Aizawa
Shuichi Aizawa
(相沢 周市
Aizawa Shūichi?) is a member of the Kira investigation team that leaves the
team under the guise of needing to support his family because the Japanese
police cut their funding (it is only after he leaves that it is revealed that L
would have supported them had he stayed). Aizawa uses the alias Aihara (相原?) to protect his identity. Aizawa returns after L's death,
where he is one of the first to suspect Light of being Kira (although he
continues to act compassionately towards Light until he is cornered, and goes
mad), and helps contribute to his eventual defeat. He becomes the leader of the
investigation team afterwards. Ohba decided to make Aizawa the chief of the NPA
because he did not want to create a new character in the final chapter, and
because he felt that Aizawa is the best candidate because of his connections to
the police and Near.
His birthday is May 11, 1969. He is voiced by Keiji
Fujiwara in the Japanese anime and Trevor
Devall in the English dub. In the film, he is played by Tatsuhito Okuda.
Kanzo Mogi
Kanzo Mogi
(模木 完造
Mogi Kanzō?) is one of the most dedicated members of the Kira
investigation team, but also one of the most reserved. Mogi rarely speaks, even
when someone presents an opinion he agrees with. Despite this, perhaps even
because of this, he is a particularly good detective. He is shown to be an
excellent actor, becoming an excited and cheery manager for Misa on demand and
in seeming contradiction to his usual demeanor. He appears to be fond of Misa,
as is seen when he worries that Misa's comments about Takada could get her
killed. The feeling is probably mutual, since Misa is happy to have him stay
with her, and nicknames him 'Motchi'. Mogi uses the alias Kanichi Moji (模地 幹一 Moji
Kan'ichi?) to protect his identity. He is voiced by Kazuya
Nakai in the Japanese anime and John Murphy in the English dub. In the
second film (in which he is played by Shin Shimizu), he is killed by
Misa in her first Sakura TV broadcast (in the manga and anime, it is Ukita who
is killed at this point).
Mogi was originally introduced to "fill the cast",
though Ohba later planned to use Mogi for "something really amazing"
and "surprising" since Mogi is a "silent type."
Obata also did not think of Mogi as important, so Mogi's design was not very
clear.
While trying to decide who would become the new NPA chief at the end of the
series, Ohba felt that Mogi would be too close to Near, so Ohba chose Aizawa to
be the new NPA chief.
His birthday is September 13, 1973.
Hideki Ide
Hideki Ide
(伊出 英基
Ide Hideki?), appearing in the anime and manga, is one of the few
police officers who remains with Soichiro during the Kira Investigation. He
initially leaves when he disagrees with L's methods. Ide later returns and
plays a relatively minor role in the Kira investigative team. He helps
coordinate their efforts, and performs actions such as organizing a blockade of
police cars to trap Higuchi. Later, after L's death, he rejoins the
investigation, though he states that he only did so to be with Aizawa. Ide
trusts Light more than any of the other Task Force members, except for Light's
father. He is voiced by Hideo Ishikawa in the Japanese anime and Brian
Dobson in the English dub.
Ohba said that Ide reappeared since Ohba wanted to use Ide
during the Higuchi arrest; according to Ohba having Ide reappear would create
"a nice solidarity scene" and that using more characters would make
the arrest "better."
Obata said that he liked Ide because he could understand the mental process of
Ide leaving and rejoining the team. Obata said that he finds it easier to draw
characters that reveal their motivations for their actions.
Hirokazu Ukita
Hirokazu Ukita
(宇生田 広数
Ukita Hirokazu?) is a member of the Kira investigation team that is led by L.
He is characterized as being "young" and "brave" and he
smokes a lot of cigarettes.
When Misa has Sakura TV (さくらTV?) broadcast a message from her as Kira, Ukita rushes to the
station to stop the broadcast without any prompting by the rest of the team.
Since Misa has the Shinigami Eyes, she kills Ukita as soon as he approaches the
door. He is voiced by Hidenobu Kiuchi in the Japanese anime and Jeremy From in the English dub.
In the film, where he is portrayed by Ikuji Nakamura, he survives
with Mogi
replacing him as Misa's victim.
Ohba killed Ukita because he happened to have Ukita appear
at Sakura TV. Ohba said that he did not choose Matsuda as Matsuda was
"useful" and that he planned to use Mogi for "something
big", so he chose between Aizawa and Ukita.
Obata found Ukita easy to draw because Ukita is an "emotional and
easy-to-understand". He did not know that Ukita was to die, so he was
surprised after learning about it.
His birthday is November 9, 1977.
Watari
Watari
Watari (ワタリ?) is L's assistant, providing logistics to the investigation
team. Before the team is formed, he is the only person who has seen L, and the
only one capable of contacting L directly. Like L, he represents himself with
an Old English "W" on computer screens. He is also a fatherly figure
to L. On the surface he is Quillsh Wammy (キルシュ・ワイミー
Kirushu Waimī?), a famous inventor and founder of Wammy's House, an orphanage for
gifted children in Winchester, England. Watari is well trained in espionage
and marksmanship.
Rem kills Watari, along with L, in order to protect Misa. At the end of the
manga, Roger Ruvie, the manager of Wammy
House, becomes the new Watari for the third L, Near. He is voiced by Kiyoshi
Kobayashi in the Japanese anime and French Tickner in the English dub
(except for the film, in which Ron Halder takes over). In the film, he is played by Shunji
Fujimura, who felt that Watari's presence would "come alive" if
he projected "the mood of this mysterious old gentleman without the air of
livelihood."
Watari's name was originally going to be "Shadow"
in reference to being L's shadow, but the editor disapproved, which lead to the
name "Watari", which references his role as a handler.
The design team decided on Watari's design during the second chapter. Obata did
not put much thought into Watari's disguise because his face did not appear,
but afterwards, the rough drafts had Watari as an elderly man with a single
strip of hair. Obata decided to keep him as an old man because older characters
were more fun to draw than younger ones because of the "weird angles"
that could be created with their wrinkles, while younger characters may be
designed as "attractive, normal, or ugly." Obata likes leather coats,
so he had Watari wear one.[19]
Watari is Obata's third favorite human character because he likes older
characters and that because Watari "seemed to be hiding a lot of
ability" and "had depth."[7]
His birthday is May 1, 1933. Watari was always counted as a father and is often
seen giving L snacks.
Kiyomi Takada
Kiyomi Takada
Kiyomi Takada
(高田 清美
Takada Kiyomi?) first appears for a short period as a reporter; Light
appeared with Takada in public to disguise the fact that he also conversed with
Misa.
Takada is a popular girl also known as "Miss To-Oh", short for To-Oh
University, or "'Refined' Takada". She returns later in the story as
an announcer of NHN chosen by Mikami to be Kira's spokesperson to the world. As
a reporter, she is voiced by Masumi Okamura in the Japanese
version and Heather Doerksen in the English dub. The older
version of the character is voiced by Maaya
Sakamoto, although the voice actress for the English dub did not change.
Takada was created as a character that would go well with a
reporter, which is why she was given her spokesperson identity.
Ohba felt that because of her "normal name" her unplanned death added
unpredictability to the series. Her birthday is July 12, 1985.
In the film, she is played by Nana Katase,
filling the "Higuchi" role in the film. When Rem gives her the Death
Note, Takada kills a rival anchorwoman to become the lead anchor, although she
does continue to kill criminals as instructed by Light via Rem. When she is
arrested, Light kills her in order to regain ownership of the Note, although
his action goes unnoticed by the other investigators. Shusuke
Kaneko, director of the film, said that the film Takada bears importance in
"reminding us the satanic power of the Death Note." Nana Katase, who
read all of the Death Note volumes, describes her scenes, including
those portrayed on video monitors, as "terrifying." Katase says that
she and the film Takada have "a strong sense of justice", but that
Katase personally would not kill anyone based on those ideals.
In the Japanese Rewrite 2 special, Light's meeting
with Takada and Mikami is moved to earlier than it occurred in the anime and
manga, as the mafia plot is omitted. As such, it is instead Takada and Mikami
who kill the SPK.
Kyosuke Higuchi
Kyosuke Higuchi
(火口 卿介
Higuchi Kyōsuke?) is the third "Kira", receiving the Death Note
from Rem, who was instructed to give it to a "greedy",
"forceful", and "selfish" individual who would use the
Death Note to attain a higher status that was out of his reach.
He was the head of Technology Development at the Yotsuba Corporation, and is
part of the Yotsuba Group, eight members of the
Yotsuba Corporation that use the Death Note to kill individuals from competing
companies to dominate the business industry. Due to his brash attitude and
ineptitude, he once suffered demotion, and it was due to this that allowed the
other members to eventually figure out that he is Kira.
When he receives the Death Note, he is instructed by Rem to
carry out routine killings of criminals, then do whatever he pleases with the
Note outside of the killings. He then meets weekly with the rest of the Yotsuba
Group to discuss the killing of key individuals from competing companies to
maintain dominance in the business industry. While they realize that one of
them is Kira, they initially do not know it is Higuchi. During L's probe on the
group, Higuchi kills Hatori after Hatori produced a "careless
outburst."
Rem aids the capture of Higuchi by revealing his identity to Misa. Misa reveals
her admiration of Kira and uses her status as the second Kira to get him to
propose to her and admit to being Kira on tape.
He is then betrayed by his fellow Yotsuba Group members,
which involves Matsuda appearing on Sakura TV to reveal that Higuchi is Kira.
This leads to him acquiring the Shingami Eyes, and he uses them to evade the
police for a short time on his way to Sakura TV. However, he is eventually
thwarted by a masked police blockade set up by L's task force. He attempts to
suicide so he won't get caught, but Watari uses his expert marksmanship to
shoot the gun out of his hand. He then reveals to everyone the existence of
Death Notes. Light touches the Death Note while inspecting it, thereby
regaining his memories of being the real Kira. Light then uses a Death Note
scrap hidden in his watch to kill Higuchi.
He is voiced by Issei Futamata in the Japanese version, and Andrew
Kavadas in the English version.
Ohba selected Higuchi to be Kira for several reasons. Most
of the other members of the Yotsuba group had already been used as "red
herrings" and other roles that ruled them out in Ohba's mind. Higuchi was
chosen through the process of elimination, using his greed as a criterion to
fit the Yotsuba Kira's mold.
Tom S. Pepirium, an editor of IGN website, describes
Higuchi in a review of the Death Note episode "Performance" as
having "more in common with Cobra
Commander than anyone from Death Note, announcing his nefarious
plans to no one in particular. Even throwing in a few evil chuckles for good
measure."
Teru Mikami
The character design of Teru Mikami was modeled on Taro
Kagami from the pilot
Teru Mikami
(魅上 照
Mikami Teru?) is a criminal prosecutor, fanatical supporter of Kira, and
the fourth Kira. Mikami is selected as the new Kira by Light, purely based on
his intuition, when he needs a new Kira proxy to hide his identity.
He has a sense of righteousness that stems from his childhood, though his
perspective was warped over the years and he now believes the evil should be
destroyed.
Mikami wishes to punish those he considers to be evil, (which, to Light's
dismay, includes unproductive people and reformed criminals), and worships Kira
as a God. Mikami mutters the word "delete" (削除
sakujo?) repeatedly to himself while writing in the Death Note,
which Tsugumi Ohba felt made him more interesting.
In the end, Mikami is captured by Near's team at the Yellow Box warehouse.
While Mikami attempts suicide and bleeds to death after stabbing himself in the
stomach with his pen in the anime, he dies in prison after going mad in the
manga. Matsuda believes that Near wrote in the Death Note to manipulate and
restrict Mikami's actions.
Ohba stated that he leaves it up to the readers to decide if his theory is
true.
In the anime, he is voiced by Masaya
Matsukaze in the original Japanese version, and by Kirby
Morrow in the English dub. In the second Death Note rewrite special, Mikami
is the one to kill the SPK (after Light blackmails the US President to leak
information about the SPK, which he in turn forwards to Takada and Mikami),
rather than the mafia, as shown in the manga.
Mikami was introduced into the story to take Misa's role as
Kira. After struggling to create Mikami, Ohba created Mikami's backstory in
order to establish Mikami and Light as "equals" and that Mikami is
"special in some way." Mikami is the only character to receive a
chapter dedicated to his past, and Ohba was reluctant to create the flashback
because he personally does not like creating them.
Though he usually did not add detail about "Kira worshippers", he
decided to pay special attention to Mikami's first appearance. He wanted to
have Mikami be both smart and dangerous, and have a hatred for societal evil,
which he transferred into Mikami's role as a prosecutor. He wanted it to be
clear that Mikami was evil, but, at the same time, he did not want to focus on
the aspects of right and wrong.
Ohba's second favorite human character in the series was Mikami as Ohba
believed that Mikami was the second "strongest" character in the
series "besides Light."
Ohba has no visual preferences and therefore let Obata
create the visual aspects.
Obata based Mikami's design on Taro Kagami, the main character in the pilot
chapter of the series. He was told that Mikami was supposed to be a "stoic
character like Light" while not knowing that Mikami was a prosecutor and a
follower of Kira. As the series progressed, Obata drew Mikami as an
"insane fanatic." Obata said that he gave Mikami glasses since
"glasses are in these days." Obata added that "things
were a little haphazard at this point..." His birthday is June 7, 1982.
Yotsuba Group
The Yotsuba Group is a group of eight characters present in
the anime and manga versions of Death Note; the characters are members
of the Yotsuba Corporation. On Light's instruction, Rem delivers the Death Note
to one of them. They meet weekly to discuss the killing of key individuals from
competing companies to maintain dominance in the business industry. While they
realize that one of them is Kira, they do not know which one. The group that
holds the "Meetings of Death" consists of:
- Kyosuke Higuchi (火口 卿介 Higushi Kyōsuke?) Voiced by: Issei Futamata (Japanese), Andrew Kavadas (English)
- Higuchi is the head Technological Development, and is secretly the Yotsuba Kira. Eventually, he is betrayed by the others, who are assisted by L's task force. This leads to his defeat, and death.
- Shingo Mido (三堂 芯吾 Midō Shingo?) Voiced by: Eiji Hanawa (Japanese), Trevor Devall (English)
- Mido, the Vice President of Corporate Strategy and the Director of Financial Planning, feels reservations regarding the Yotsuba Kira and ponders leaving the other board members. Mido "seems" to have a "sense of appreciation" for Yotsuba. Misa Amane acknowledges that Mido bears a resemblance to Light Yagami.
- Reiji Namikawa (奈南川 零司 Namikawa Reiji?) Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima (Japanese), Ted Cole (English)
- Namikawa is the Vice President of Sales, and the youngest member of the eight. He initially encourages the Yotsuba Kira. After receiving a telephone call from Light he ceases participation and observes the scenario. How to Read describes him as the "most talented" of the board members who has the potential to "make it to the top" without Kira, and that he detests useless subordinates. He has a talent in shogi at the professional 4-dan level.
- Eiichi Takahashi (鷹橋 鋭一 Takahashi Eiichi?) Voiced by: Rintarō Nishi (Japanese), David Orth (English)
- Takahashi is the Vice President of Yotsuba Material Planning Division and Yotsuba Homes. How to Read 13 states that he "never had what it takes to be a true leader" and that he was selected to attend the meetings to "make Higuchi look good." The book adds that other members view Takahashi as "foolish" because he does not "seem to put much thought into his comments."
- Suguru Shimura (紙村 英 Shimura Suguru?) Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yokoo (Japanese), Brian Drummond (English)
- Shimura is the Head of Personnel. How to Read 13 describes him as "paranoid" and always "keep a close eye" on others. Shimura's ability to pay attention to small details allowed him to join the meetings; he noticed subtle changes in "poker-faced" Namikawa's face. How to Read states that he does not like his predicament.
- Masahiko Kida (樹多 正彦 Kida Masahiko?) Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa (Japanese), Martin Sims (English)
- The Vice President of Rights and Planning, Kida controls the finances of the committee and contacts "Eraldo Coil." How to Read 13 describes him as "calm and collected." However he is not able to "deal with surprises", leading him to panic when "Eraldo Coil" asks for more money.
- Takeshi Ooi (尾々井 剛 Ooi Takeshi?) Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada (Japanese), Michael Kopsa (English)
- Ooi is the Vice President of VT Enterprises. He is the eldest and "most influential" member and he "appears" to control the conferences. He individually contacts the members of the committee. How to Read 13 states that Ooi is "seemingly" a "tough guy who doesn't sweat the details."
- Arayoshi Hatori (葉鳥 新義 Hatori Arayoshi?) Voiced by: Yukitoshi Tokumoto (Japanese), Simon Hayama (English)
- The Vice President of Marketing, Hatori is the illegitimate son of the company president and uses this fact to benefit himself. How to Read 13 states that he "appears to be something of a lightweight" and that he cannot handle the pressures of the meetings. After Hatori makes a "careless outburst" the Yotsuba Kira kills him.
Kyosuke Higuchi, the third "Kira", takes the Death
Note.
During L's probe on the group, Higuchi kills Hatori after Hatori produced a
"careless outburst."
Rem aids the capture of Higuchi by revealing her identity to Misa. Misa uses
her status as the second Kira to get him to admit to being Kira on tape.
Higuchi is captured in an elaborate setup concocted by Light and L, and once
Light touches the Death Note, thereby regaining his memories of being the real
Kira, he uses a Death Note scrap to kill Higuchi.
After L dies, Light writes the names of the remaining six, killing them by way
of a heart attack. Rumors of Kira's responsibility in the deaths causes
Yotsuba's share prices to drop sharply. In the director's cut of Death Note
Mido dies by falling from a tall building, Shimura dies by being run over by a
train, and Namikawa dies in a car accident.
Ohba created the characters as "stock
villains intended to make the main characters look good." Ohba said
that he had always planned for Light to regain his status as Kira, so the
specifics of a certain member of the Yotsuba group being Kira would not matter
to the plot; Ohba wanted the readers to guess which of the characters was Kira.
After seeing Obata's designs Ohba selected Higuchi as Kira. Ohba said that he
wanted for Mido to appear to be "the most suspicious" of the Yotsuba
group. Ohba added that he created the profiles of the characters while eating dinner with the
editor. He believes that he did not "put much thought" into the
character profiles. He said that he included a lot of information to serve as red herrings.
Obata said that he felt excited when he learned that he had
to draw eight Kira characters. Obata said that he created the characters
"in the mold of The Seven Samurai" by giving each
Yotsuba board member his own individual appearance. Obata said that he remembers
making Mido and Namikawa look attractive to make the readers believe that they
may be Kira.
Special Provision for Kira
The characters in the Special Provision for Kira, usually
abbreviated "SPK", appear solely in the anime and manga versions. The
SPK is a group of "elite" anti-Kira Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation
members headed by Near. Membership of the group remains small to preserve secrecy
and the group decides to work separately from the Japanese task force.
Many of the SPK are later killed with the Death Note by the mafia due to leaked
information, which is never directly mentioned in the anime (in the Rewrite 2
special aired on Japanese television on August 22, 2008, the mafia are omitted,
with Light instead blackmailing the US President to leak out info about the
SPK, which is transmitted to Takada and Mikami, whom he then has kill the SPK).
Ohba said that, in terms of visual character design, he
wrote descriptions such as "Commander" and "Spy" in rough
drafts. He let Obata create the rest of the details.
Ohba said that he considered having all of the Task Force members die "in
a heroic way."
Obata said that he drew the SPK "without thinking too
much" when the group first appeared in Chapter 60. Obata heard that Mello
sent a spy, so he tried to make a character look "suspicious
looking." Obata said that he had to "work hard" on all of the
characters since he did not know which ones would survive. Obata said that he
believes that his drawing skills relating to "foreign characters" are
poor; he says that he imagines the characters being "from so far away"
and that he forgets how to draw them.
Stephen Gevanni
Stephen Gevanni
(ステファン・ジェバンニ Sutefan
Jebannī?), whose real name is Stephen Loud (ステファン・ラウド Sutefan Raudo?), works for Near as part of his investigation team. Gevanni
is assigned to follow Mikami for much of the case, and it is his meticulous
analysis of Mikami's personal habits which allow him to find Mikami's Death
Note and swap it with a fake.
Gevanni skillfully follows and monitors suspects and has
abilities such as the skill of picking locks.
He is voiced by Hiroki
Takahashi in the Japanese anime with Sam
Vincent providing the English voice.
Ohba described Gevanni as a "good-looking hotshot"
who received an invitation to join Near's team because of his skills. His
birthday is September 1, 1982.
Halle Lidner
Halle Lidner
(ハル・リドナー Haru
Ridonā?), whose real name is Halle Bullook (ハル・ブロック Haru Burokku?), works for Near as part of his investigation team. Halle
is a former CIA agent who leaks information to Mello in order to increase the
chances of Kira being caught. She is voiced by Akeno
Watanabe in the Japanese anime with Lisa
Ann Beley providing the English voice.
Ohba said that Halle, who has a "strong core",
wanted to capture Kira as the Yotsuba Kira killed an acquaintance "close
to her." Her birthday is February 18, 1980.
Anthony Rester
Commander Anthony Rester (アンソニー・レスター
Ansonī Resutā?), real name Anthony Carter (アンソニー・カーター
Ansonī Kātā?), is the second-in-command and the lead crime scene
investigator. Rester follows Near except in emergency situations. Near trusts
Rester and sometimes reveals certain information solely to Rester. How to
Read states that Rester's "quiet personality" and physical
capabilities serve useful functions in the SPK. The book also states that
Rester is "far below" Near in terms of intellectual prowess.
Rester is voiced by Masaki
Aizawa in Japanese with Michael Adamthwaite providing the English
voice. In the last episode of the anime, his name is spelled wrong on the Death Note.
Ohba said that Rester was the captain of a special forces
squad before joining Near's team. His birthday is January 6, 1968.
Minor characters
Yagami Family
Sachiko Yagami
Voiced by:
Ai Satō
(Japanese), Saffron Henderson (English)
Sachiko Yagami
(夜神 幸子
Yagami Sachiko?) is wife of Soichiro Yagami and the mother of Light. Like
her daughter Sayu, she is unaware of Light ever being Kira even after his
death. She is portrayed by Michiko Godai in the live-action films.
Artist Takeshi Obata did not have any real concept behind
the design of Sachiko stating his difficulty in drawing female characters who
played minor roles.
Author Tsugumi Ohba considers both Sachiko and Sayu as the purest characters in
the series stating that he could not "sense any evil or twistedness from
these two at all." The Yagami family is thought to be the most
"pitiful" characters in the book by both creators with Ohba later
adding that he felt sympathy for mother and daughter.
Sayu Yagami
Sayu Yagami
(夜神 粧裕
Yagami Sayu?) is Light's kindhearted younger sister. Like her mother she
never learns of Light's possession of the Death Note or his identity as Kira.
In the manga and anime, Mello's gang kidnaps her in exchange for the Death Note
possessed by the investigation team. Although being returned unharmed, Sayu
falls into a state of shock, eventually becoming unresponsive to the presence
of others. She is voiced by Haruka Kudō in Japanese, and Kelly
Metzger and Kristie Marsden provide her voice in the English
dub. In the live-action films her character is portrayed by actress Hikari
Mitsushima, and since the mafia does not play a role, she is not kidnapped.
Though not having any real concept behind Sayu's design,
artist Takeshi Obata states that he often encounters difficulty in drawing
female characters not central to the storyline.
Author Tsugumi Ohba considers Sayu and her mother as two of the purest
characters in the series, stating that he could not "sense any evil or
twistedness from these two at all." Both creators added that they considered
the Yagami family to be the most pitiful characters in the book; Ohba later
added that he felt sympathy for Sayu and her mother.
Her birthday is June 18, 1989.
Aiber
Aiber (アイバー
Aibā?), whose real name is Thierry Morello (Tierry
Morrello (ティエリ・モレロ Tieri
Morero?) in the Japanese version), appearing in the anime and
manga, is a professional con man in the employ of L. He plays the role of
Eraldo Coil (エラルド・コイル Erarudo
Koiru?), one of L's detective aliases, during the investigation of
the Yotsuba Group. Aiber uses his initial "A", just like L, when
communicating through computers. Aiber speaks many languages and uses many
false identities. "Supposedly" he has a talent for using his
"good looks" to convince women to pass information to him. Aiber
enjoys "life on the edge" and his "biggest thrill" comes
from conning people.
Since he is a professional criminal, he is known solely in the underworld.
After L's death, Light kills him using the Death Note. In
the manga, Aiber dies from liver cancer at a hospital in Paris, France with his
family at his bedside.
In the anime, he dies of a heart attack in front of his wife and son. He is
voiced by Takuya Kirimoto in the Japanese anime, and David Orth
in the English version. He (like Wedy) is referenced to, but does not appear
in, Death Note: Another Note.[citation needed]
Ohba said that he created Aiber and Wedy so he could use
characters with "special abilities" to advance the storyline. He said
that Aiber "did some things."
According to Obata, his editor told him that Aiber was a
"sarcastic, comic relief" character. Obata said that he wishes that
he could have drawn Aiber to be "more comedic." Obata believes that
if he drew Aiber and Wedy to look "a little bit more original", Ohba
could have included the characters in a larger role in Death Note.
Wedy
Weddy (ウエディ
Uedi?), real name Mary Kenwood (Merrie Kenwood (メリー・ケンウッド Merī Ken'uddo?) in the Japanese versions), is a professional burglar in the
employ of L. She installs bugs in the Yotsuba Group's meeting room to secretly
observe the group's weekly meetings. She does the same for Higuchi's car,
allowing the team to watch his desperate attempts to kill Matsuda. Since she is
a professional criminal, she is known solely in the underworld.
Wedy uses her initial in computer communication; to avoid
confusion with Watari ("W"), she deliberately uses the lowercase
form, "w". After L's death, Light kills her using his Death Note;
Mary Kenwood dies in a motorcycle accident
in Colorado.
She is voiced by Miki Nagasawa in the Japanese version and Venus Terzo
in the English version. She (like Aiber) is referenced to, but does not appear
in, Death Note: Another Note.[citation needed]
Ohba said that he created Aiber and Wedy so he could use
characters with "special abilities" to advance the storyline. He said
that he wanted to use Wedy more than Aiber. As an example he explained a
scenario involving Light controlling Wedy, making her place cameras in the
headquarters so Misa could see L's face "... or something."
According to Obata, he drew Wedy as a female model as he did
not know what kind of character she would be. Obata added that Wedy has the
"stereotypical female spy look." Obata believes that if he drew Aiber
and Wedy to look "a little bit more original", Ohba could have
included the characters in a larger role in Death Note.
Criminals and initial victims
- An unemployed 42-year old man, Kurou Otoharada (音原田 九郎 Otoharada Kurō?) is the first criminal that Light kills in the anime and manga versions. Otoharada's name is announced on television as he holds eight hostages in a nursery school. As this incident was reported only on local television, it helped L narrow down Kira's whereabouts.
- Takuo Shibuimaru (渋井丸 拓男 Shibuimaru Takuo?), nicknamed Shibutaku (シブタク?, "Cool Taku"), is the second person that Light kills. Shibuimaru rides a motorcycle and travels with a group of bikers. After Light sees him harassing and chasing a woman (in the anime, he was about to rape the woman), Light writes his name down with a death by traffic accident. A truck slams into Shibuimaru's motorcycle, killing him. It was this death that fully convinces Light that the Death Note does work. In the manga Light feels some guilt since Shibuimaru is not a criminal. Tomohiro Nishimura (Japanese) and Lee Tockar (English) voice him in the anime.
- In the first 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, and later encounters him in a lounge, bragging about the fact that he was not prosecuted. When a man asks Shibuimaru how he felt, he 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 him with a knife, but backs away and laughs, taunting Light by stating that no-one can prosecute him. Later on, Shibuimaru sees Light at a train crossing, gawking at him. Light, having previously killed another criminal, writes Shibuimaru's name into the Death Note, and he collapses of a heart attack as a train passes between them.
- Lind L. Tailor (リンド・L・テイラー Rindo Eru Teirā?) is a convicted criminal waiting on death row; this information was kept secretly away from the public. L places Tailor as his decoy on television. The television states that the broadcast is worldwide and that Tailor's statements are being translated into Japanese. 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 discovers that Kira cannot kill the real L and that Kira is in Kanto. Yukitoshi Tokumoto (Japanese) and John Murphy (English) voice Tailor in the anime. Matt Lagan portrays Tailor in the film.
- Kiichiro Osoreda (恐田 奇一郎 Osoreda Kiichirō?) 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 a bus and holds a gun to the driver's head. 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 the driver to stop the bus and then runs into the street, where an automobile hits Osoreda's head, killing him; the authorities mistakenly believe that Osoreda's vision of Ryuk was a drug-induced hallucination. Katsuhisa Hōki (Japanese) and Brian Dobson (English) voice Osoreda in the anime. Osoreda also appears in the first film.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
agrees to assist L since some people believed that Kira killed some American
criminals. After Kira kills several agents the FBI withdraws its assistance.
Raye Penber
Takeshi Obata said that he encountered difficulty
making Raye Penber look non-Japanese
Raye Penber
(レイ・ペンバー Rei
Penbā?) is an American investigator from the FBI, sent to Japan
with eleven other agents to aid in tracking down Kira early in the story.
Described by How to Read It as a "talented" agent,
Raye is assigned to investigate the Yagami family for any suspicious behavior;
but he eventually stops suspecting Light after he appears to be one of the
victims of a bus-jacking. However, Light staged the event to get Raye's name so
he could kill him. He has a fiancée, retired FBI agent Naomi Misora, whom he
tells not to involve herself in the investigation for her own safety. Light
manages to track him down and use him "as a pawn"
to kill the other eleven members of his team (he unknowingly used a page of
Light's notebook to kill them). Light kills Raye soon after. Before Raye dies,
he sees Light, realizing that he is indeed Kira. Raye is voiced by Hideo
Ishikawa in the Japanese anime and Michael Adamthwaite in the English dub. In the
films, he is known as Raye Iwamatsu (レイ・イワマツ
Rei Iwamatsu?) and he is played by Shigeki
Hosokawa. In the first film he is a counter-terrorism agent headquartered
in Dallas, Texas.
Ohba said that at the beginning he thought of the idea of
the FBI going after Light, and so he created Raye to fill the plot point.
Obata said that as Raye was of mixed American and Japanese
descent, Obata "struggled over his design" and tried to make Penbar
look more non-Japanese. Obata said that he wishes that he could have
"drawn him a bit better."
Hosokawa said that when he portrayed Raye he built Raye's strength, tenderness
and the "feeling of mortification."
Naomi Misora
Naomi Misora is "born from her clothes"
Naomi Misora
(南空 ナオミ
Misora Naomi?) is the fiancée of Raye Penber (also known as Raye Iwamatsu
in the films). Described by How to Read as formerly a "first
rate" FBI agent,
Naomi left the Bureau in October 2003
for the sake of starting a family in the United States.
After the sudden death of her fiancé which she blames Kira for, Naomi,
described by How to Read as having a "remarkable investigative
ability",
decides to take part in the Kira case herself, and theorizes that Kira has
other methods of killing besides heart attack. In her attempts to contact the
Kira investigation team she comes across Light
Yagami. Cautious at first, she uses the false name Shoko Maki (間木 照子 Maki
Shōko?) in order to protect herself until she can reach L.
However, Light manages to manipulate her into revealing her real name to him
resulting in her death by suicide. Her body is never found due to the
specifications made by Light in the Death Note. Naomi is voiced by Naoko
Matsui in the Japanese version of the anime and Tabitha St. Germain in the English dub.
In the live-action films her character, played by Asaka Seto
and voiced by Nicole Oliver in the English dub, plays a larger role
in the story. After witnessing her fiancé die at the hands of Kira, an enraged
Naomi decides to investigate the case herself. Beginning with Light as her
prime suspect she uses Shiori to get to him. Using the alias Shoko Maki to
protect herself and with a strong belief that Light is Kira, she tries to make
him confess that he is. However, her real name is uncovered by Light through
the wedding documents held by the church where she and Raye had planned to
marry. Light writes Naomi's name to have her commit suicide. Light engineers
the suicide to make it appear that Naomi killed herself after a botched
kidnapping to try to make Light confess to being Kira; as part of Light's Death
Note instructions, Naomi shoots Shiori and then commits suicide in desperation.
Naomi also makes a brief appearance in L: Change the WorLd.
For the production and filming of the movie, Seto stated
that she "tried to project that awesome spirit" of Naomi, referring
to the character's tenacity and drive while trying to defeat Kira.
Naomi is one of the central characters in the spinoff novel Death
Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases by author Nisio Isin.
The story is set several years prior to the start of Death Note and focuses on
a series of murder cases investigated by L with Naomi as his operative. The
resulting capture of the murderer helped launch Naomi's reputation within the
FBI.
Conception and development of Naomi
Naomi's character was originally intended to have a larger
role in the storyline which included investigating possible suspects for the
Kira Case and expanded interaction with her fiancé. However, once Raye's
character was killed author Tsugumi Ohba believed that having Naomi search for
Kira was a "natural and interesting development" in the story. Within
the cast of characters at the time Sayu was the only notable female. In adding
Naomi, Ohba could finally have the "cool" female character he had
always wanted. He initially planned for Naomi to have a long involvement in the
story but underestimated the character's deductive abilities. Because she was
able to uncover crucial plot information "faster than... thought",
Ohba decided to end her character early to avoid facing complications with the
story development later on. He described the storyline issue of Naomi as the
greatest difficulty that he created for himself since the beginning of the
series.
According to artist Takeshi Obata, after hearing about the
storyline he looked forward to drawing her character since it would be his
first time designing one like Naomi. Using the color black to convey her
mourning over her fiancé he gave Naomi a leather jacket then designed her face
and hair to match her clothes. Because of this ordering Obata states that Naomi
was essentially "born from her clothes".
Steve Mason
Steve Mason
(Steeve Maison (スティーブ・メイスン Sutību
Meisun?) in the Japanese version), appearing in the anime and
manga, is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He
assists L in investigating the Japanese police and withdraws FBI involvement
after the agents die. At a later point he helps Near create the SPK. Mason dies
due to the Death Note.
Mitsuru Ogata voices him in Japanese, with John Novak
providing his voice in English.
Hitoshi Demegawa
Hitoshi Demegawa
(出目川 仁
Demegawa Hitoshi?) is publicity hound and director of Sakura TV (さくらTV?). He initially appears when Misa Amane sends four
videotapes to Sakura TV in order to gain attention from the real Kira, and
approves of broadcasting the tapes on live TV. However, he is forced to hand
the tapes over to Soichiro, who crashes a police wagon into the studio and
threatens him at gunpoint. He later helps the investigation force to lure out Higuchi
by running a television program.
- In the manga and anime, Demegawa reappears after L's death, serving as Kira's spokesman for a while and even creating new programs in "honor" of Kira. Demegawa also leads the raid on Near's headquarters with Kira's supporters, but like all the other rioters, is distracted by the money that Near throws down. Later, when he takes matters into his own hands and builds a chapel to greet Kira, asking for donations, which would give Kira a bad image, Mikami kills him for being greedy, and he is replaced by Takada. He is voiced by Chafurin in the Japanese anime and Ward Perry in the English dub.
- In the films, he is played by Magy, with Louis Chirillo voicing him in the English dub. He is named Yuji Demegawa (出目川 裕志 Demegawa Yūji?) instead, and does not die.
Yitzak Ghazanin
Yitzak Ghazanin
(Isak Gathane (イサク・ガザン Isaku
Gazan?) in the Japanese version), real name Joe Morton (ジョー・モルトン Jō Moruton?) and appearing in the manga, is the head of a special
forces unit that is stationed in the Middle East. The captain's team raids
Mello's hideout to recover the Death Note. The mafia, aided by Sidoh, kill him
and his team. He does not make an appearance in the anime, as these events are
not included.
Koreyoshi Kitamura
Koreyoshi Kitamura
(北村 是良
Kitamura Koreyoshi?), the NPA deputy director, is Soichiro's superior. He feels
weighted by Yotsuba's pressure. Masaru Ikeda
voices Kitamura. Howard Siegal provides his
voice in English. How to Read 13 states that he "isn't a bad
guy."
Mafia
The Mafia, allying with Mello, increases its influence and
intends to possess the Death Note and gain power; How to Read states
that the organization is "being used by Mello."
In the Death Note Rewrite 2 special, the mafia plot is omitted.
Rod Ross
Rod Ross (Rodd
Los (ロッド・ロス Roddo
Rosu?) in the Japanese version), real name Dwhite Gordon (Dwhite
Godon (ドワイト・ゴードン Dowaito
Gōdon?) in the Japanese version) is the head of the mafia. Ross follows
Mello's orders. His name is easily known, so Light kills him.
Masaki Aizawa voiced Ross in the anime. Brian
Dobson plays Rod Ross in the English Version. His name is also mentioned in
L: Change the WorLd as the leader of an
arms syndicate who deals with the mafia.
When asked by an interviewer who the most "evil"
character in Death Note is, Ohba replied by saying that Ross is the most
evil; Ohba added that Ross is "pretty darn evil" as he is the leader
of the mafia.
Jack Neylon
Jack Neylon
(ジャック・ネイロン Jakku
Neiron?), whose real is name Kal Snydar (Kal Snyder (カル・スナイダー Karu Sunaidā?) in the Japanese version), is a member of Mello's gang. He
is the holder of Sidoh's Death Note after it is given to the gang by the Kira
investigation team. Before Mello joined, he was involved in drug
trafficking and illegal weapons sales; neither charge stuck due to lack of
evidence, despite four separate arrests. After Sidoh tracks down his Death
Note, Jack was forced by Mello and Ross to perform the eye trade with the
Shinigami (in the manga only). Light uses the Death Note to have mail him the
address of Mello's hideout. According to How to Read 13, Jack dislikes
Mello. In the anime, the eye trade and first raid attempt were cut. He is
voiced by Takashi Matsuyama in the Japanese anime
and Ted Cole
in English.
Other mafia members
- The mafia uses Zakk Irius (ザック・イリウス Zakku Iriusu?) (he uses his real name) to converse with the Japanese police at the airport. The organization kills Irius after he guides Soichiro to the correct aircraft. He dies by heart attack when the airplane lands; his gang wrote his name in the Death Note.
- Y462 (real name unknown) is the member who made the trade for the Death Note with Soichiro in exchange for Sayu. He killed Miller as a test, and then Zakk Irius and the plane's captain to eliminate all links to the kidnapping. Ross falsely promised Y462 that if he succeeds with this exchange, then Ross will forget about Y462's past failures. After Y462 placed the Death Note in a missile and took off separately on a helicopter, Ross detonated the aircraft to kill Y462 to eliminate the final link to the kidnapping.
- Glen Humphreys (Gurren Hangfreeze (グレン・ハンフリーズ Guren Hanfurīzu?) in the Japanese version), real name Ralph Bay (ラルフ・ベイ Rarufu Bei?), is a veteran gang member. The Death Note kills him prior to the police raid.
- Rashual Bid (Rushuall Bid (ラシュアル・ビッド Rashuaru Biddo?) in the Japanese version), real name Al Meem (アル・ミーム Aru Mīmu?), is a veteran gang member. When Kira eliminates the gang he dies with most of the members.
- Andrew Miller (アンドリュー・ミラー Andoryū Mirā?) (the family name is also spelled Millar (ミラー Mirā?)) is a member who was used as a test subject as to whether the Death Note was real during the exchange. He was killed because he was stealing drugs from the gang to sell for his own profit, and was described as an "incompetent guy".
- Jose (ホセ Hose?) is not affected by the Death Note instructions that kill the other members, as only his alias was known. He fakes his death and fatally shoots Soichiro, he later dies when the rest of the Japanese Police enter the room and shoot him.
- Roy (ロイ Roi?) and Skyer are not affected by the Death Note instructions that kill the other members. They attempt to retrieve the Death Note; the task force disarms and subdues the two, they later (presumably) die when Mello detonates the entire building.
Matt
Matt (マット
Matto?), whose real name is Mail Jeevas (マイル・ジーヴァス Mairu Jīvasu?), is a cohort of Mello's. A character in the manga and anime
versions, Matt was also a former resident of Wammy's orphanage; Ohba described
him as the "third most talented member" of the house.
Matt is Mello's helper
as Matt performs espionage work and acts as an accomplice in Takada's
kidnapping, which results in his death when he is shot by Takada's bodyguards.
He is voiced by Tomohiro Nishimura in the Japanese anime and by
Drew Nelson in English dub.
According to How to Read, Matt enjoys video games
and is not outgoing. He also seems to be a chain smoker. He uses his last
breath to smoke his cigarette. He is also directly behind Near and Mello in succeeding L.
Ohba said that he created Matt because when Mello started to
act alone Ohba believed that he would find difficulty in advancing the story
unless Mello had a character to interact with. Ohba said that to a reader Matt
may appear to play video games and have no other actions, but he said that
Matt's existence was "important" in the story.
In response to a question inquiring about which characters the creators had the
most difficulty creating, Ohba cited Matt and said "I didn't even know
what kind of person he was!"
Obata said that he did not receive advance notice regarding
Matt, who had the character concept of "a young man who loves gaming and
doesn't really care much about the world." Obata said that he remembered
seeing the thumbnails and asking his editor "Who's this character?!"
The thumbnails gave Matt a bowl haircut and goggles; Obata instead drew
"what I liked." Obata added that he could "create Matt
naturally" as he had a "he probably won't do much" mentality
regarding characters introduced in the Near and Mello arc. His birthday is
February 1, 1990.
Roger Ruvie
Roger Ruvie
(ロジャー・ラヴィー Rojā
Ravī?), appearing in the manga and anime versions, acts as the
manager of Wammy's House when Watari is not present; he is aware of the
statuses of L and Watari. At the end of the manga he becomes the new Watari for
Near. His birthday is April 29, 1939. He cannot stand children, preferring to
be in the company of insects, according to Death Note: How To Read 13. He is
voiced by Hiroshi Ōtake in Japanese and Ron Halder
in English.
Other SPK members
- Ill Ratt (イル・ラット Iru Ratto?), real name Shawn Dunleavy (ショーン・ダンリービー Shōn Danrībī?), is a member of the SPK who is also a spy for Mello. He dies due to the Death Note by shooting himself in the head. In the anime, he is not revealed to be a spy.
- John McEnroe (John Matckenraw (ジョン・マッケンロー Jōn Makkenrō?) in the Japanese version), real name Larry Conners (ラリー・コナーズ Rarī Konāzu?), is a SPK member and FBI officer. When his members were purged his death is assumed. He is voiced in English by Ted Cole
- Ellickson Gardner (Ellickson Guardner (エリクソン・ガードナー Erikuson Gādonā?) in the Japanese version), real name Ellickson Thomas (エリクソン・トーマス Erikuson Tōmasu?), is a SPK member who dies from the Death Note after an SPK leak; he succumbs to a heart attack.
- In addition, more dead members are shown in the Rewrite 2 special, with two named as Adolph Tucker and Kurt McBride.
Ryotaro Sakajo
Ryotaro Sakajo
(坂城 良太郎
Sakajō Ryōtarō?) as a character is present only in the films. He is the assistant director during the filming of Misa
Amane's "Misa-Misa's Happy Sweets" video. He is obsessed with Misa,
collecting a used tissue of hers after she throws it in the trash. In a
sequence bridged between the two films, Sakajo corners Misa and brandishes a
knife, stating that he wishes to die with her. Gelus, a shinigami watching from
the Shinigami realm, kills him to save Misa's life. In doing so, Gelus dies and
Rem, who was watching, finds it only fitting to grant possession of his
notebook to the human that he loved. Since Rem was the first Shinigami to touch
the dead Gelus's noteook, she gained possession of that one.
Sanami
Sanami (佐波?) only appears in the film adaptation of Death Note,
portrayed by Miyuki Komatsu. She is the only female team member
of the Kira investigation team, as opposed to the all-male team in the manga
and anime. In the second film, she tends to Misa during her captivity and is
more critical of the methods used by the investigation team, often calling them
cruel. Her dub voice actress is Janyse Jaud.
Shiori Akino
Shiori Akino
(秋野 詩織
Akino Shiori?) is portrayed by Yuu Kashii.
She is Light's girlfriend, classmate at To-Oh University (東応大学
Tōō Daigaku?),
and childhood friend. Shiori dreams of working in law enforcement and feels
some envy stemming from Light's abilities. Shiori disagrees with Kira's
methods, stating that she does not like the terror they incite; she believes
that the law should judge criminals. Shiori argues with the
"pro-Kira" Light, unaware of the fact that Light is Kira. Kashii
describes Shiori as a "very innocent" and "ordinary" girl
who "believes in justice." Kashii believed that Shiori's way of
thinking is closest to that of audiences of the Death Note film.
Light writes Shiori's name and the name of Naomi Misora in the Death Note,
arranging the scenario to make it look like Naomi killed Shiori in a botched
kidnapping scenario trying to expose Kira.
Shusuke Kaneko, director of the film, said that he
created Shiori after reading the original Death Note manga.
In an interview printed in Weekly Shonen Jump, the creators of the film
stated that Shiori was added to the story to highlight Light's negative
aspects.
Kaneko said that he needed Shiori to "deliver Light's badness to the
audience."
In the production notes Kashii said that she felt excited to
portray Shiori and wondered if the audience could accept her character.
Kitty Sensei of OtakuZone had her opinions of the film portrayal of
Shiori published in The Star, a Malaysian newspaper.
In it Kitty Sensei said that she felt concern about what the addition of Shiori
"would affect our dear, megalomaniac Light. Will he be a softer version of
the Light from the manga?" Kitty Sensei said that after watching the film
she felt that Shiori "only strengthens the portrayal of Light" and
that she "provides one of the gasp-worthy moments of the movie."
Shiori is dubbed by Ashleigh Ball for the English dub of
Death Note.
United States Executive Branch
David Hoope
David Hoope
(デイビット・ホープ Deibitto
Hōpu?) is the President of the United
States of America in the storyline. He assists in the formation of Near's
SPK, and provides information and funding to Mello under threats of the Death
Note. He turns to Light, despite knowing that he is not the real L, who
manipulates him into providing assistance and attacking Mello's hideout. When
the attack fails, President Hoope commits suicide to prevent Mello from writing
his name and making him launch a nuclear strike. How to Read 13 states
"It's believed that Kira disposed of him."
In the second rewrite special, the mafia plot is omitted, with Light instead
blackmailing him to leak information about the SPK. Light in turn forwards this
information to Takada and Mikami, and they kill the SPK.
In the anime, he does not commit suicide as the character
was merged with that of George Sairas. He is voiced by Aruno
Tahara in the Japanese anime. Michael Dobson provides the English voice.
George Sairas
George Sairas
(George Psyeruth (ジョージ・サイラス Jōji
Sairasu?) in the Japanese version) is the Vice President of the United States
in the manga version. When Hoope dies Sairas becomes the President. He
capitulates to Kira and officially announces support for him. In addition,
Sairas leaks secret information about the SPK. How to Read 13 describes
Sairas as "weak-willed" and "clearly lacking as a leader."
Beyond Birthday
Beyond Birthday
(ビヨンド・バースデイ Biyondo
Bāsudei?) or BB, a character exclusive to the Death Note
prequel novel, "Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder
Cases", is a crazed serial murderer bent on surpassing L - not by being
the world's greatest detective, but by being the world's greatest criminal. The
novel, a prequel
to the manga series, takes place in August 2002, over a year before Light
became Kira. The only thing known about his past before going to Wammy's House
is that his father was beaten to death by a thug and his mother died in a train
crash. Like L, Mello, Matt and Near, he lived in Wammy's House and was known as
B, which stood for "Backup." A, the original successor to L,[clarification needed] had killed
himself years earlier due to the pressure of living up to L. Birthday was born
with Shinigami eyes, so he could see when humans would
die, and their names. Using his shinigami eyes, he would intentionally kill
people on their destined day of death.
To fool Naomi Misora, he acted a bit strange during Naomi
and L's investigation, calling himself Rue Ryuzaki (竜崎 ルエ Ryūzaki
Rue?), with "Rue" being an anagram of the Japanese
pronunciation of L (エル
Eru), and Ryuzaki being a nickname L later adopts. He was always in
heavy makeup when with Naomi, so his true appearance is unknown. He killed 3
victims, Backyard Bottomslash, Quarter Queen, and Believe Bridesmaid, while
leaving clues at each murder scene for Naomi Misora to "solve." In
reality, he himself led her to each conclusion she made.
He attempted to commit suicide at the end of the novel, by
setting himself on fire, to look like the final victim. He felt that L would
never be able to solve the case if he, the murderer, were "murdered",
meaning he would have outwitted L. Naomi Misora, however, figured out his plan
at the last moment, saving Beyond Birthday's life while at the same time
putting him under arrest for his murders. At the very end of the novel, the
narrator, Mello, states that Beyond Birthday died of a mysterious heart attack
several years later in prison. According to Death Note How to Read 13,
he was killed by Kira and the Death Note.
Taro Kagami
Taro Kagami
(鏡 太郎
Kagami Tarō?) was the protagonist of the original Death Note
pilot story, which differs greatly from the final series. While walking home
from school one day, 13-year-old Taro Kagami finds the Death Note on the
ground, and thinking it to be an ordinary journal, he writes down the names of
people who had been bullying him. The next day, these bullies are reported
dead, and Ryuk appears to Taro that night. Soon, the police get involved, and
Kagami uses an eraser to revive the dead bullies. As the police interrogate the
bullies, the bullies and the two police officers die; as it turns out, Ryuk's
other note fell into one of Kagami's friends' hands. The police officers and
the bullies are brought back to life again, and Kagami keeps one Death Note
while the other is burned. At the end of the chapter, a 20-year-old Kagami is
seen with Ryuk following him.
This version of the story is significantly more horror-based,
and Death Note 13: How to Read describes the pilot chapter Ryuk as
"really lazy" and "incompetent".
Taro subsequently became the inspiration for the character of Teru Mikami;
Mikami greatly resembles him, down to the flashbacks of him in his youth.
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar