Misa Amane
 Misa Amane, Light's fiance | |
| Debut | Manga: Chapter 25 Anime: Episode 2 |
| Birthday | December 25, 1984 (manga) December 25, 1987 (anime) |
| Deathdate | February 14, 2011 (age: 26) (manga only) N/A (film and anime only) |
| Also known as | Misa Misa The Second Kira |
| Sign | Capricorn |
| Age | 19 pre-timeskip, 24 post-timeskip |
| Relations | Light Yagami (fiance, deceased) Parents (deceased) Older sister |
| Seiyū | Aya Hirano |
| Voice actor | Shannon Chan-Kent |
| Actor | Erika Toda |
| Knowledge | 3/10 |
| Conceptualization Power | 4/10 |
| Will to act | 10/10 |
| Motivation | 6/10 |
| Social Skills | 10/10 |
Misa Amane (弥 海砂, Amane Misa) was an up-and-coming model who supported Kira, and later became the second Kira. After gaining a Death Note, she seeks out Kira in order to thank him for killing the man who murdered her family, and to offer him her help. Having made the trade for the Shinigami Eyes, Misa learns that the identity of Kira is Light Yagami. After a meeting with Light, she decides to dedicate her life to helping Light however she can, and becomes determined to use her Eyes to uncover L's real name.
Contents[show] |
Appearance
Edit
Added by MarleneZ.
Added by MarleneZ.CharacterEdit
Misa is outgoing, being both a model and an actress. She often appears hyperactive. Misa usually refers to herself in the third person by calling herself "Misa Misa". She kills innocent people as the second Kira in order to attract the attention of the first Kira. Realizing that Kira lives in Tokyo, Misa moves there in order to meet him. She lives in a small apartment which is fully decorated in gothic style, showing her rather eccentric nature. It is from this location that Misa devises to start using her Death Note and enacts her plan to send the videos to Sakura TV. Her motivations were not revealed until she actually visited Light's house and explained her tragic past. After meeting Light, she starts helping him by trying to figure out L's real name. PlotEdit
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 a child. 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. Misa did not gain her Death Note through these events however, they were simply a coincidence. Shortly after beginning her modeling career, Misa was attacked by an obsessed stalker, who tried to stab her. A Shinigami named Gelus, who had fallen in love with her at some unknown time, was watching this and saved Misa's life by writing her attacker's name into his Death Note. Unfortunately, since Shinigami are not meant to empathize with humans, Gelus himself died. Another Shinigami, Rem, witnessed this and decided that the notebook left behind should belong to Misa, and delivered it to her, thinking that Gelus wanted Misa to have it, but this turned out to be the wrong decision. Misa also performed the eye trade twice, cutting her lifespan in half two separate times: the first trade with Rem to find Kira, and the second with Ryuk in the hopes of gaining Light's affections, though the Gelus' and Rem's sacrifices expanded her lifespan an unknown amount. 
Added by MarleneZ.
Added by MrkrulesIn the last episode of the anime, she is seen on the edge of a skyscraper. We can assume Misa does, in fact, die. In the last chapter of the manga, a year after Light's death, she is one of the few characters not seen. In the Death Note Oneshot, she is not seen or mentioned, either.
Misa Amane in the filmsEdit
Misa, portrayed in the film by Erika Toda, is seen filming a drama called "Misa-Misa's Happy Sweets," where she states that she is baking treats to make her enemies fat. After filming of that section ends, she expresses support for Kira on camera. A supervisor states that the section will be cut due to controversies. During the program, Ryuk also begins to laugh upon seeing Misa, probably foreshadowing that he knew she was about to die soon. 
Added by Near LawlietIn the film, Misa sent her envelopes from Kita-ku, Osaka. Misa had a younger brother who was killed by Yoichi Tamura, who also killed her parents. Misa became very depressed after the death of her family, and despite the fact that her family's murderer was punished, she remained unhappy until she met Light.
In the film, her memories of the Death Note are still intact when Light dies, and she witnesses the final showdown between Light and L. Misa cries in anguish as she can do nothing but watch as Ryuuk kills Light. It is not known what happened to Misa immediately afterwards, but she was not prosecuted and her memories of the Death Note eventually vanished when both Death Notes were burned.
Misa does not commit suicide in the film. Instead, she is seen wishing Light a happy birthday from a shrine she has dedicated to him. She feels that a part of her life is somehow missing, or that she has forgotten something important. However, she just doesn't remember what it is.
Actress's portrayal of MisaEdit
Erika Toda said that, prior to filming, she felt "a lot of pressure" due to the character's popularity with audiences. She said the pressure vanished when filming began. Kitty Sensei of The Star theorized that Toda did not have "the time to think much about how fans would react," citing film shoots that Kitty Sensei described as "physically and mentally exhausting" such as the straight jacket scene. Toda said that undoing the straight jacket took a lot of time, and at times she waited in the jacket between takes. Toda also said that on one occasion, she wore a blindfold for an hour during filming. ReceptionEdit
Tom S. Pepirium, an editor of IGN website, describes Misa in a review of the Death Note anime episode "Performance" as being the "show's weakest and most annoying character." Pepirium cites "the tone in which she is written." He feels that her motivation and Kira obsession are "in league with Death Note's dark sensibilities." He says that when Misa "spouts" her "deep and fully realized" affection for Kira in "her whacky, excited, poodle-like way" the information "loses all impact." The reviewer uses "girly sophomoric pink fluff" and "Jar Jar" (a reference to Jar Jar Binks) as figurative descriptors for Misa. He also had compared Misa to Dot from Animaniacs. Pepirium said that he wished that Misa spent more time in a "somewhat serious state" instead of a "silly lovesick, big-eyed anime characterization." Many fans of the series, however, have more mixed feelings on the character. Reception of the film version characterEdit
Erika Toda said that she views Misa as "complicated and fascinating." Toda added that she does not comprehend why a person would willingly use a Death Note; Toda said that she admired the fact that Misa "does everything she sets out to do" and that the actions of Light and Misa are "criminal." Christy Lee S.W. of The Star said that Toda's portrayal of Misa in the second film "may seem rather annoying for being overly bubbly and cute at first" and that the character "grows" on the viewer "after a while." Lee said that at the end of the film she saw Misa as "quite endearing. It's scary, really."
Light Yagami
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Light Yagami | |
|---|---|
| Death Note character | |
 Light Yagami or Kira as he appears in the manga (Chapter 1 : Boredom) | |
| First appearance | Death Note: Volume 1: Chapter 1: Boredom |
| Created by | Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata |
| Voiced by | Mamoru Miyano (Japanese) Brad Swaile (English) Tatsuya Fujiwara (Live Action) |
| Profile | |
| Aliases | Kira L-Kira 2nd L Light Asahi[1] |
| Notable relatives | Soichiro Yagami (father) Sachiko Yagami (mother) Sayu Yagami (sister) |
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Conception and development
Tsugumi Ohba, the story writer of Death Note, said that his editor suggested the family name "Yagami" for Light. Ohba said that he did not feel "too concerned" about the meaning of the name (the kanji are "night" and "god"); he said that after he created the final scene in the manga he "liked" that the final scene created "deeper significance" in the name, of Kira worshippers worshipping him at night under the light of the moon.[2]Takeshi Obata, the artist of Death Note, said that he had "no trouble" designing Light as the character description presented to him, "A brilliant honors student who's a little out there," was "clear and detailed." As the weekly serialization continued, Obata simplified the design by subconsciously removing "unnecessary" lines and felt that he became "better" at drawing Light. When Chapter 35 appeared and the editor informed Obata that Light lost his memories, Obata had to draw Light in a similar manner as he appeared in Chapter 1; Obata said "It was like I had to forget everything I had learned." Obata said that he used "a lot of effort" to design Light's wardrobe. According to Obata, he encountered difficulty imagining the clothing of "a brilliant person," so he looked through fashion magazines. Obata envisioned Light as a "smart and formal guy" who wears formal shirts. Most of Light's clothing in Death Note is "fitted" and Obata avoided jeans.[3]
When designing color book covers Obata assigned colors to characters to "get the atmosphere right." Obata assigned clear or "lack of a color" to Light.[4]
[edit] Conception and development in the film version
Shusuke Kaneko, director of the film, intended for Light to appear sympathetic at the beginning of the film; when Light first gains the Death Note Kaneko "was careful" to have Light react in a manner "as you and I would." Kaneko changed the story involving Light gaining his first notebook as he felt that the audience "would have a hard time sympathizing" with Light if the scene remained the same as it was in the manga. Kaneko added that as he portrayed Light as "being enthralled" as he "becomes more cruel" to make the audience members feel that they could "do the terrible things he does" even if the members do not sympathize with Light.[5]Tatsuya Fujiwara said that he felt difficulty portraying Light in the film series because of the lack of "action" and because Light has no signature mannerisms and therefore has his feelings displayed by his face; Fujiwara added that he struggled conveying Light's "incredible amount of intelligence" and that the performance would appear "very empty or simplistic" if Light received an improper portrayal. Fujiwara explained that he wanted Light to cry in a particular scene even though Kaneko told Fujiwara "Light doesn’t cry" since Fujiwara believed that the scene would feel "more honest"; Kaneko used the take.[6]
Kaneko designed Light's room to reflect the character's personality by making it clean and neat and filling it with legal, criminal history, foreign, and academic books. The original version of Light's room included a stereo; Kaneko replaced it with a vacuum cleaner to reflect Light's "clean-freak self."[7]
Kenichi Matsuyama, the actor who portrayed L, said that he and Fujiwara became "so immersed" in their character portrayals that they did not talk to one another while on the set; when filming ceased they conversed and "went out for a drink or two."[6]
[edit] Character
Through use of the Death Note, Light quickly begins to develop a cruel and malevolent nature. He becomes completely devoid of love, compassion and mercy. He views himself as the only rightful savior of mankind and that all his actions are justified no matter how inhuman they are. He is shown even to sacrifice his own family to obtain his goals.
Light constantly tries to evade the suspicion of L while both maintaining his identity as "Kira"—the name derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "killer" (キラー kirā)—and cleansing the world of crime. The fact that he is a genius also adds to his notion that only he is fit to judge humanity and steer it on a proper moral course. James Brusuelas of Animation World Magazine describes Light's quest to rid humanity of its criminals as "altruistic".[11] Travis Fickett of IGN describes Light as a "sociopath."[12] Tom S. Pepirium of IGN describes Light as "brilliant, but disturbed."[13]
Toshiki Inoue, the series organizer for the Death Note anime, describes Light as a "child whose wish happens to come true."[14]
Light, born on February 28, 1986[15], is a third year high school student (12th Grade) at Daikoku Private Academy (大国学園 Daikoku Gakuen) [16] who also attends supplemental classes at Gamou Prep Academy [17] in the beginning of the story. Light has a father, Soichiro Yagami, who is a member of the investigation team opposing Kira. In addition, Light has a mother, Sachiko Yagami, and a younger sister, Sayu Yagami.
In Spring 2004 Light becomes a first-year student (freshman) at To-Oh University (東応大学 Tōō Daigaku),[18] becoming one of two freshman representatives after getting 100% in every test; L is the other freshman representative.[19] During a tennis game with L at To-Oh, spectators reveal that Light was the junior high school tennis champion in 1999 and 2000; After his 2000 victory, Light quit tennis as he entered high school.[20]
According to Ohba, Light sees Misa Amane, who he uses as an accomplice, as a "bad person" who killed people, so he acts emotionally cold towards her and manipulates her, although he pretends to love her, and even says he will marry her. He is only stopped from killing her by Rem threatening to kill him if she dies early or if she kills him trying to kill her, even though she knows that will cause her death.[8]
When L is finally able to corner him, Light puts his master plan in practice. He temporarily gives up his Death Note to Ryuk, erasing his memories about his time as Kira from his mind, after asking to be put into custody by L to prove he is not Kira. Rem, under instruction by Light to give it to someone who would use it selfishly, gives it to Kyosuke Higuchi of the Yotsuba Corporation. Now unaware of the fact that he was the original Kira, Light accepts L's offer to join the investigation team to hunt down Higuchi, known as the third Kira, although he is handcuffed to L throughout the entire case. Light requests the alias Light Asahi (朝日 月 Asahi Raito) to be used for him. Light proves very useful in helping to track down Higuichi, realising the new Kira is connected to Yotsuba. When Higuchi is finally captured, Light touches his Death Note, thereby regaining his memory of when he was the original Kira. He then proceeds to killing Higuchi by using the Death Note paper he put in his watch before he lost his memories; and manipulating Rem, who also dies in the process as Shinigami cannot purposefully extend a human's life, to kill both Watari and L to save Misa, who has made the eye trade with Ryuk.
Light is later nominated by L's investigation team (who are unaware that he is Kira) to act as L, because they cannot reveal the death of the real L to the world. Light also takes over the role of L's assistant, Watari. Now able to act as both Kira and L, Light can continue killing criminals while leading the investigation team in circles.[9] His secret identity as L is soon discovered by the Special Provisions for Kira, President David Hoope, and Mello's gang. Light joins the Japanese Police Force's Intelligence Department in April 2009, believing that no one can stop his plans. Near and Mello eventually appear before him, trying to accomplish what L could not: to expose Kira's true identity, and bring him to justice. At this point, according to Death Note 13: How to Read, Light becomes "overtaken with evil" and possessing "arrogance that came with Kira's power"; Light loses sight of his former self.[9]
Wolk describes Light's ideal world, a "totalitarian" place "ruled by a propagandistic TV channel and an arbitrary secret executioner." Wolk said that Ohba sometimes suggests that the world is "in some ways a better, happier world than ours."[10]
In the end, the combined efforts of Mello and Near, combined with a large miscalculation and miscommunication on the part of Mikami and Light, force Light to reveal himself as Kira. In the final clash between Near and Light at a warehouse, all is revealed and the Kira case comes to an end after six long years.
In the manga version, after completely losing his head and characteristic cool over the prospect of being arrested, and in complete desperation after his attempts to write Near's name down are thwarted by Touta Matsuda (who had previously believed in Light most ardently of everyone involved in the Kira case), Light begs Ryuk to help him. Ryuk reminds Light that he is on neither side, and fulfills his earlier promise to write Light's name in his Death Note so he can return to the Shinigami realm, thus ending Light's life with Light being told he is going to go to Mu (Nothingness).
In the anime version, Light manages to flee the warehouse after Mikami commits suicide. Near instructs the team that there is no reason to pursue Light given that there should be no more hidden Death Notes, and Light's wounds would prevent him from getting far. Despite this, Shuichi Aizawa, Kanzo Mogi, Hideki Ide and Matsuda follow Light but are unable to find him before he dies on the staircase of a nearby warehouse due to cardiac arrest from Ryuk writing his name in his Death Note. As Light slowly closes his eyes, an apparition of L appears before Light, mirroring Light standing over L in episode 25 at L's death.
According to the manga, Light's date of death is January 28, 2010.[15] However, the anime infers that he dies in 2013, due to Kiyomi Takada dying five days before him on January 23.
In Death Note 13: How to Read Ohba said that Light was "a young man who could understand the pain of others" when he first encountered the Death Note. Ohba said that if Ryuk never developed an interest in the human world, Light would have become "one of the greatest police leaders in the world" who, with L, worked against criminals.[21] Ohba added that he believed that debating whether Light's actions were good or evil is not "very important." Ohba says that he personally sees Light as a "diabolical" character.[22] Obata said that Light was his second favorite human character and that he was not sure whether that was because he "liked" Light or because he drew "such a diabolical character" in a magazine for children.[23]
When asked about which character was most similar to himself, Ohba indicated Near and "maybe Light." Regarding Light, Ohba cited "because I did well in school."[24]
[edit] Character in the film version
As in the manga, Light relinquishes ownership of the Death Note in order to prove his innocence. He gives the notebook to Kiyomi Takada. After Takada is caught, Light kills her to recover the Death Note. L states that he will test the 13-Day Rule. Rem, knowing that this will reveal Misa's identity as the 2nd Kira, writes both L's and Watari's names in the Death Note. Light then proceeds to write his father's name in the book, manipulating his father to return the confiscated Death Note.
Light confronts his father, but Soichiro does not die. The investigation team members, including L, reveal themselves. Having already written his own name in the Death Note, thus negating Rem's actions, L tells Light that he had just written in a fake note.
Light tries to write on a hidden piece of Death Note, but Matsuda shoots him. Light tells Ryuk to write the team's names, promising to show him many interesting things, and begins to laugh. He stops, however, when Ryuk shows him that he had written just one name: Light's. Light tries to stop Ryuk, but merely passes right through him. As Light begins to succumb to the effects of the Death Note, Ryuk takes this opportunity to reveal to him that humans that have used the Death Note are barred from entering either Heaven or Hell, instead spending eternity in nothingness. Light dies in his father's arms, begging him to believe that he acted as Kira to put the justice, which Soichiro had taught him since his childhood, into practice. The film concludes one year later, on Light's birthday. Sayu fetches Soichiro and says that Kira helped reduce crime rates, however, she says that she does not support Kira as Light was killed by Kira (which is what Soichiro told her). Light is portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara, known for his role as Shuya Nanahara of Battle Royale.
Kenichi Matsuyama, the actor who played L in the film series, said that Light and L are "extremely" alike in that they have "a very strong sense of justice".[25]
[edit] Yonkoma
Death Note 13: How to Read describes Light in the Death Note yonkoma as "the chosen brainiac with a knack for funny comments". Death Note 13: How to Read adds that he is the "butt of jokes" due to his "serious demeanor".[26][edit] Reception
Tom S. Pepirium of IGN said that he felt surprised when he learned that some viewers, while watching the series, wanted Light to emerge as the victor of the storyline; Pepirium added that his wife said that she was "kinda rooting for Light". Pepirium compared wanting Light to win to "cheering for Kevin Spacey at the end of Seven".[27] Pepirium added that Brad Swaile, Light's English-language voice actor, "nails" the "difficult" task of making Light "both likable and hated".[28] Jason Charpentier of The Anchor stated that Light's attributes and his role as a main character form "part of what makes Death Note interesting".[29] Light was also listed 18th in IGN's Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time with writer Chris Mackenzie praising how Light is "mesmerizing".[30]Tetsuro Araki, the director of the anime, said that he felt an urge to support and cheer for Light. Araki added that Light would have used and killed him if he was one of Light's friends, but the director still believed that Light is "that interesting" and therefore he would have felt an attraction towards Light.[14]
Pauline Wong of OtakuZone had her opinions of the film portrayal of Light Yagami published in The Star, a Malaysian newspaper. In it Wong says that the "very bishie-status-worthy" Fujiwara portrayed Light with "aplomb and near-perfection, right down to the evil little smile". Kitty Sensei, quoted in the same Malaysian article, says that the portrayal of Light in the film is "very faithful to the manga's".[31]
Tatsuya Fujiwara, the actor who portrayed Light in the films, said that he "could understand" Light's intentions to create a new world even though "Murder is a horrible thing".[6] Matsuyama describes L and Light as having "such unique characters that they’re impossible to understand".[6] Erika Toda, the actress who portrayed Misa Amane in the films, described Light's and Misa's actions as "criminal".[32]
[edit] See also
L (Death Note)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| L (Death Note) | |
|---|---|
| Death Note character | |
 L Lawliet or L as he appears in the manga | |
| First appearance | Death Note Chapter 1: Boredom |
| Created by | Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata |
| Voiced by | Kappei Yamaguchi[1] Alessandro Juliani (English)[2] Kenichi Matsuyama (Live action) |
| Profile | |
| Aliases | L Hideki Ryuga Ryuzaki Eraldo Coil Deneuve |
| Notable relatives | Quillish Wammy (handler) |
The character of L is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi in the anime, and portrayed by Kenichi Matsuyama in the live-action films Death Note, Death Note: The Last Name and L: Change the World. He is dubbed by Alessandro Juliani across the English-language media. Since his introduction in the series, L's character has been praised by several manga and anime reviewers.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Creation and conception
Tsugumi Ohba, the writer of the series, created L to represent justice, as a "super detective" who stands in Light's way. Since Ohba believed the story would not hold much interest if L were significantly older than Light, the character was created as a young adult. For L's name, he wanted to use a single letter with a lot of significance; he considered "I" and "J", but eventually chose "L" after careful consideration.[4] The alias of "Ryuzaki" was given to him because of a previous murderer L had captured, who went by the name of "Rue Ryuzaki." Ohba said that he left everything about L's character design to Takeshi Obata, artist of the series. Obata asked Ohba if L could be "unattractive". Afterwards Ohba included ideas in his thumbnails, including L's manner of sitting, "he's English", and "he's listless". Ohba added details regarding L's mannerisms and his interests in sweets. Ohba credits Obata for the character designs.[5] Obata commented that L's thumbnails by Ohba had no bags under his eyes, and that he had a "plain face with no expression" which was very useful. Obata drew L as an "attractive young man" until chapter 11, when the character appeared in person. After chapter 11 he decided to contrast his appearance with Light's appearance; Obata and Ohba shared this idea.[6]Obata said that, during the development of the early manga chapters, he feared that L would appear "so suspicious that Light would know instantly it was L if they ever met". When Obata's editor told him that he wanted L to have a face "looking cool based on the angle", Obata added black bags under L's eyes. Obata cited Devilman's Akira Fudou when stating that he believed that black bags were appealing. In addition, Obata thought of a "dead eyes" concept, which involved L having "all-black eyes" and "mostly no eyebrows". Obata believes that black eyes usually makes a character goofier, but the bags "sharpen the character's gaze". Obata believes that the design evokes "a feeling of mystery" and that the reader cannot determine L's true thoughts. Obata also said that the bags under L's eyes were useful for inspiring speculation about his lifestyle and background. The outfit Obata designed for L was a "simple" white, long-sleeved shirt and jeans, to convey that L does not put thought into choosing his clothing. In Death Note 13: How to Read, Ohba presented an initial rough draft of L and said that, with a "cool expression" and without the bags under his eyes, L looked like a different person.[6]
Obata stated that the peculiar traits exhibited by L are best revealed "gradually". Obata added that if he drew L eating "mountains of sweets" before revealing his face, he would not have "much credibility as a super detective" and people would ask if he was "crazy".[7] Both Ohba and Obata chose L as their favorite character from the series, with the former noting him as the "strongest" character in the series besides Light, and the latter due to "appearance, personality, everything". Obata said that he could never have created a character like L and that he enjoyed drawing him.[8] Obata added that because of this, L was not "real" to him and that he liked that aspect of the character.[9]
L's fighting style has been described as similar to capoeira. However, Obata has denied considering this when drawing L's fights, saying that he was thinking of the most effective way to kick someone whilst handcuffed. He added that if the style resembles capoeira, then this "adds another element to it" and "that makes me happy".[6] When designing color book covers Obata assigned colors to characters to "get the atmosphere right"; gold was assigned to L.[10]
[edit] Film adaptation
Shūsuke Kaneko, director of the films, regarded L's role as the most difficult to cast; as the shooting approached, many "big name" actors had other projects. Kaneko cast Kenichi Matsuyama, "very much a newcomer". Kaneko added that Matsuyama clinched the part when he said that he would "live as L". [11]Matsuyama had trouble portraying L and worried about his performance. He reasoned that L rarely interacted with others, and so portrayed him as if he did not "quite understand other people on an emotional level". Describing himself as "not very flexible physically", Matsuyama had trouble emulating L's postures.[12] He also ate sweets like those that L would eat, and considered the details of L's signature gestures.[13] Matsuyama said that he and Tatsuya Fujiwara, the actor portraying Light, became "so immersed" in their character portrayals that they did not speak to one another while on the set; when filming ceased they conversed and "went out for a drink or two".[12]
[edit] Appearances
[edit] In 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, and he is still a good player, suggesting he might still practice. He plays tennis with Light, who used to be a champion himself. In chapter 38 of the manga, L suggests that even though he eats only sweet foods, he remains underweight because the brain uses the most calories of any organ in the body. He also says that if he sits normally, his reasoning ability would drop 40%.[18] Whenever L gives percentages to indicate how much he suspects a person of committing a crime, such as "five percent", in reality he means over 90 percent; Ohba said about L, "The truth is, he's a liar [laughs]".[15]
L suspects early in the investigation that Light Yagami is Kira, but cannot obtain any concrete evidence. In several situations, Light seems to be proven innocent by the circumstances, but L remains skeptical. If Light were Kira, the case would be solved, and L has trouble letting go of this simple and complete solution, finding Light "too perfect" and noting how close his age and intelligence match his exact concept for what Kira must be like. L can easily present his conclusions publicly at any time, and with his reputation, is taken seriously. He also intends to tell Light that he can "take the offensive".[15] After capturing a man who also has a Death Note, Light tricks Rem, the Shinigami owner of a Death Note that she gives to Misa, into killing L for his own personal gain, making her believe that she must kill him for the sake of Misa's life. L's last sight before death is Light triumphantly smiling over him, and in his last moment L confirms to himself that Light is the first Kira. Light then takes over L's identity and uses it to his advantage.[19] However, when one of L's true successors, Near, begins to suspect that Light is Kira, Light remains haunted by the memory of L and feels as though he is still battling against him each time he and Near communicate. In the anime series, when Light himself dies, an image of L, possibly L's spirit, is shown standing over him, mirroring Light standing over L at his own death.
Death Note 13: How to Read describes L in the Death Note yonkoma as the "holder of the world's greatest mind" and having the "powerful ability to act like a fool". Death Note 13: How to Read adds that in the yonkoma "it's like [L was] born to be mocked".[20]
[edit] In the film series
In L: Change the WorLd, which takes place in the 23 days that L has left before he dies, L decides to solve one last case. He is in charge of a case in stopping a deadly virus from spreading across the world. He meets the daughter of a doctor who was striving to find an antidote and a boy who was the sole survivor of a village destroyed by the virus; after solving the case, he brings the boy to Wammy's Orphanage and names him Near. Because L wrote his own name in the Death Note specifying his manner of death, he is not harmed by the virus, and he uses this to his advantage.[22]
L stars in a Death Note film version special, aired on Japanese television, that takes place after Light's death; in it Touta Matsuda has to come to terms with L's eventual death.[23]
Hideo Nakata, the director of L: Change the WorLd, told The Daily Yomiuri that he wanted to exhibit L's "human side" that was not exhibited in the Death Note series.[24]
[edit] In Death Note: Another Note
In the novel Death Note: Another Note The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases Naomi Misora helps L solve a murder case. She was recruited for the case by L because she was on leave from the FBI. During the investigations she works with a detective calling himself Rue Ryuzaki, who acts very much like L and shared many characteristics like crouching to sit and consuming sweets. In the end of the book the reader learns that Beyond Birthday, a detective calling himself B, who was another candidate to replace L before Near and Mello, was not only the killer but also Rue Ryuzaki in disguise under heavy makeup. He was trying to make a case L could not solve to prove his superiority to L. In the book the only certified reference to L was the phone conversations Naomi had with him to discuss the case. In the very end of the book as Naomi was going back to work she sees a man similar to Rue, who the reader is led to believe is L. This man attempts to give Naomi a hug which she counters in self-defense and sends him tumbling down a flight of stairs. She then catches up to him and asks him his name, to which he replies, "Ryuzaki".[25][edit] Reception
Kitty Sensei of OtakuZone had her opinions of the portrayal of L in the first film published in The Star, a Malaysian newspaper. In it Kitty Sensei said that Matsuyama's portrayal of L is "outstanding". She said that he accurately depicted L's characteristics "from the way he squats to the way he grasps objects".[35] Peperium described L's voice in the English dubbed version as "low monotone, while inspired by the original Japanese actor, sounds like a man deep in thought, a master detective on the hunt".[36] Christy Lee S.W. of The Star said that Matsuyama's portrayal of L in the second film is "the most intriguing" and that the characteristics, including the looks, expressions, and movements makes Matsuyama as L "a joy to watch".[37]
Matsuyama described L and Light as having "such unique characters that they’re impossible to understand" and that "the inside of L’s head remains a mystery" to him.[12] Matsuyama said that L and Light are "extremely" alike in that they have "very strong sense of justice".[38] Popular reception to Matsuyama's portrayal of L led to the creation of the spinoff L: Change the WorLd.[11]
During January from 2007, Oricon made a poll in which they asked Japanese fans from manga and anime which characters from any series they would most like to see in spinoff series. The overall winner from the poll was L, who also ranked first in the women's poll and second in the men's poll.[39] In the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Awards (SPJA) from 2008 Alessandro Juliani was the winner in the category "Best Voice Actor (English)" for his work as L.[40] Kappei Yamaguchi was the winner in the category "Best Voice Actor (Japanese)" from the 2009 SPJA Industry Awards for his work as L. L also won in the category "Best Male Character".[41] In the NEO Awards 2007 from Neo, L won in the category "Best Manga Character".[42] He was also 12th in IGN's Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time with writer Chris Mackenzie praising how different he is from Light Yagami while also noted that the series became less entertaining after his death.[43] Mania's article "10 Greatest Anime Detectives" ranked L as the fourth best detective from anime series.[44]