Main Characters

Main characters
Light Yagami (Kira) (夜神 月, Yagami Raito?)
The protagonist of Death Note, Light is an extremely intelligent, popular and athletic, but bored 17-year old student. When he finds the Death Note, dropped in the human world by Ryuk (a shinigami), he decides to use it to kill all criminals and earns the title Kira. His ultimate goal is to cleanse the world of evil to create a utopia and then reign over this new world as its god.
L (エル, Eru?)
L is the world's top-rated detective, tasked with tracking down and arresting Kira. As such, he is Light's arch-enemy. His disheveled appearance masks his great powers of deduction and insight. L has many quirks, such as sitting in an odd manner, snacking on sweets constantly, and holding objects in a peculiar manner. He often takes drastic strategies to confuse and force the hand of his opponents. On several occasions he has willingly disclosed several of his weaknesses to Kira at the risk of his own life in the hopes that he would lure him into a trap.
Misa Amane (弥 海砂, Amane Misa?)
A girl with an immense crush on Kira, Misa is a popular idol in Japan. She is immature and tends to refer to herself in the third person in an attempt to be cute. Misa is completely devoted to Light, and she once said that she loved him at first sight. Light, however, only views her as an asset to his plans because of her Death Note and her Shinigami eyes (that she obtained at the cost of half of her remaining life span, twice). Misa devotes herself to Light because he killed her parents' murderer after several trials had failed to convict him.
Mello (メロ, Mero?, Mihael Keehl)
Mello was an orphan who grew up with Near in Watari's shelter for gifted children. Like Near, 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. Mello wears leather most of the time, unlike Near or L. He also appears to be less secluded in terms of his friends and hobbies, and seems to be fond of biking.
Near (ニア, Nia, Nate River?)
Near was 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. Near also sits in an unusual manner similar to L, but with some slight differences. He offered to join forces with Mello to fight Kira, but Mello turned him down. Near then gained the support of the Government of the United States and formed the Special Provision for Kira (SPK).
Teru Mikami (魅上 照, Mikami Teru?)
Mikami is selected as the fourth Kira by Light, after Light decides that it is too dangerous for the Death Note to be near Misa or himself, since he and Misa are currently under surveillance by Aizawa and Mogi. A prosecuting attorney and adamant supporter of Kira, Mikami shares many of the same ideals, thoughts, and priorities as Kira, and is ecstatic when he discovers that Kira, his God, has chosen him, proving that God is on his side and watching. He is completely devoted and loyal to Kira, believing that divine justice must be brought down upon the people. Little is known about his personal life; he appears to have no hobbies or anything else of the sort. He chants "delete" with each name he writes down in the Death Note due to events in his past when he thought God was "deleting" the evil people in his life. He, like Misa, has made the exchange of half his remaining years for Shinigami eyes.

Shinigami (Death Gods)
Main article: Shinigami (Death Note)
Ryuk (リューク, Ryūku?)
A shinigami who dropped a Death Note into the human world, which Light would pick up. Acting out of pure boredom, Ryuk begins the story of Death Note on a whim. It is stated that Ryuk obtained the second Death Note in the shinigami world from "tricking the old man" for another one. Ryuk is not Light's ally, and in fact declares in their first meeting that someday he (Ryuk) would write Light's name into his own Death Note. Ryuk often refuses to aid Light and instead enjoys watching him struggle for his goals. He acts for his own interests and entertainment, and often fails to tell Light key details about the Death Note. However, Ryuk will aid Light if it serves his own goals, such as providing amusement or obtaining apples, without which he suffers a form of withdrawal symptoms.
Rem (レム, Remu?)
The female shinigami who first gives Misa her Death Note and trades her for the Shinigami eyes. Similar to Ryuk, Rem possesses two Death Notes; however, she purposely gives one of them to Misa Amane. Rem inherited her second Death Note from Gelus, another shinigami who died when he saved Misa's life, and thought it only right to pass it on to Misa. Rem inherits Gelus' love for Misa as well and is prompt to defend Misa even at the cost of her life. Rem shows this when she states that she will kill Light if Misa dies before her time.
Sidoh (シドウ, Shidō?)
The third shinigami seen in the human world, Sidoh is revealed as the original owner of the Death Note Ryuk dropped at the beginning of the series. Initially upon entering the human world, Sidoh relentlessly follows Ryuk, demanding the return of his Death Note. Ryuk eventually admits he has no knowledge of the location of Sidoh's Death Note, said note having been used as a bargaining chip by Light and fallen into Mello's hands. Sidoh eventually locates his Death Note, and, under questioning, reveals to Mello (who subsequently reveals to Near) that some of the rules written in the Death Note are fake. The English versions of the series and the Japanese volumes use the romanization Sidoh while the Japanese Death Note 13: How to Read book uses the romanization Shidoh.

Other Characters

Takeshi -
One of the Yotsuba corporation's employees, he is part of a board who decides which competitors should be killed to benefit the company. They use a third Kira to accomplish this. He is head of the TV Enterprise Department. Other board members: Hatori, Higuchi, Kida, Midou, Namikawa, Shimura, Takahashi [Appearance: ch. 37]

Aber -
A con artist who has worked with L in the past. He has extensive knowledge of psychology, linguistics, and diplomacy. [Appearance: ch.4]

Aizawa -
One of the five police agents who decide to work with L to pursue Kira, along with Yagami Souichirou, Matsuda, Ukita, and Mogi. [Appearance: ch.11]


Coil -
A detective who is said to surpass even L, he is hired by Yotsuba Corporation to find out L's identity.

Danuvue -
In addition to L and Coil, Danuve is one of the three best detectives in the world.

Demegawa -
The director of sleazy television station Sakura TV, he was nonetheless integral in the Kira case. [Appearance: ch.22]

Hatori -
One of the Yotsuba corporation's employees, he is part of a board who decides which competitors should be killed to benefit the company. They use a third Kira to accomplish this. He is head of the Advertising Planning Division. Other board members: 001, Higuchi, Kida, Midou, Namikawa, Shimura, Takahashi [Appearance: ch. 37]

Kida -
One of the Yotsuba corporation's employees, he is part of a board who decides which competitors should be killed to benefit the company. They use a third Kira to accomplish this. He is head of the Lights Planning Department. Other board members: 001, Hatori, Higuchi, Midou, Namikawa, Shimura, Takahashi [Appearance: ch. 37]


Lind L. Taylor -
A criminal on death row who pretends to be L for the purposes of finding out more about "Kira". [Appearance: ch.2]


Midou Shingo -
One of the Yotsuba corporation's employees, he is part of a board who decides which competitors should be killed to benefit the company. They use a third Kira to accomplish this. He is head of financial planning. Other board members: 001, Hatori, Higuchi, Kida, Namikawa, Shimura, Takahashi [Appearance: ch. 37]

Misora Naomi -
Raye Penber's fiancee and, apparently, one of the FBI's brightest female agents until she quit to get married. Despite the fact that she's a strong American woman, she's perfectly docile to her fiance's statement that "it's true you were an outstanding FBI agent...but now you're just my fiancee" when she tries to help him with the Kira case. Argh. Uses the alias Maki Shouko. [Appearance: ch.8]

Mogi -
One of the five police agents who decide to work with L to pursue Kira, along with Yagami Souichirou, Matsuda, Ukita, and Aizawa. [Appearance: ch.11]

Reiji -
One of the Yotsuba corporation's employees, he is part of a board who decides which competitors should be killed to benefit the company. They use a third Kira to accomplish this. He is head of the First Sales Division and graduated from Harvard. Other board members: 001, Hatori, Higuchi, Kida, Midou, Shimura, Takahashi [Appearance: ch. 37]

Nori -
A friend of Amane's. She helps Amane ditch her bodyguard at one point by dressing up as her. [Appearance: ch. 48]

Kurou -
Raito's first victim. He is an unemployed forty-two-year-old man who killed and/or wounded six innocent people in Shinjuku. Raito gives him a heart attack while Otoharada is holding eight infants and daycare workers hostage at a nursery school. [Appearance: ch.1]

Takada -
Takada is supposedly a very smart girl at Touou. She is one of the girls that Raitou dates. [Appearance: ch. 32]

Ukita -
One of the five police agents who decide to work with L to pursue Kira, along with Yagami Souichirou, Matsuda, Aizawa, and Mogi. [Appearance: ch.11]

Watari -
Watari is L's assistant. He is also a physical go-between that L uses to deal with the police or any other parties that have business with him. He is usually dressed in a trench coat and hat so that no one can see what he looks like. [Appearance: ch.2, ch.13]





WORDS AND MEANINGS

Consomme
The flavor of potato chips that Raito eats.

Death Note
A supernatural notebook used by the Gods of Death. If the user writes down the name of a person into the notebook while picturing that person's face in his mind, that person will die. After a name is written, the user has forty seconds to write down the cause of death, and then another six minutes and forty seconds to write the details of the death. If no cause is specified or the cause and/or details are impossible, the victim will die of a heart attack. If a God of Death loses his notebook and a human finds it, the God of Death will have to stay with the human until either the human dies or the notebook is filled up. There are even more complex rules involving Death Notes and their circulation in the human world, which I will not go into here.

The Eye of the Shinigami
Gods of Death have special eyes that tell them instantly upon seeing a human's face what the human's name and life span is. It is possible for certain humans to trade for a Shinigami's eyes, but the price is half of their remaining life span.

Hisau
The favorite idol of Raito's little sister Maya.

Icpo
The International Criminal Police Organization that is based in Lyons, France. It is also called Interpol or OIPC (for the French wording). As the name implies, it is an international police force, and it starts to investigate the murders Raito commits using the Death Note fairly early on in the story.

Kira
The name that is given to the Death Note murderer, derived from the word Killer. Although Raito is the original Kira, the name is applied by the police to other Death Note murderers that appear as well.

L
The name of the world reknowned detective who takes on Kira's case.

Maki Shouku
The fake name that Naomi Misora, Raye Penber's fiancee, initially gives Raito when they meet.

Note Blue
A club in Aoyama that the second Kira uses to indirectly find the first Kira.

Sakura TV
A sleazy television station that helped Kira get in touch with another human in possession of the Death Note.

Shinigami
The Japanese word for God of Death.

Touou University
The University that Raito ends up going to. It is also known as Toudai, which is an abbreviation.

Yotsuba
A Japanese coorporation that gains ties with the user of a Death Note, using it to their advantage by killing off competition

THE TWO DIF THEME SONGS

Arumina
Vocals: Nightmare

Nagareru toki no naka matataku Setsunateki kirameki o
Kono yo no kioku ni kizamu tame Arukitsuzukeru Believer

Dare ni mo mirenai yume o mite
Iranai mono wa subete suteta
Yuzurenai omoi Kono mune ni crap

Mada riaru idearu no hazama ni ite
Gisei no kase ni ashi o torarete mo
Afureru shoudou osaekirenai
Tsuyoku motomeru kokoro ga aru kara

“Itsuwari” “Osore” “Kyoshoku” “Urei”
Samazama na negatibu ni
Torawareru hodo yowaku wa nai
Kodoku mo shiranu trickster

Yozora o tsukisasu biru no mure
Hoshi nado mienai sora miage
“Mayoi wa nai ka” to Jibun ni toikakeru

Kono machijuu afureru mono ni mamire
Utsutsu o nukasu you na koto wa nai
Asu e to tsunagaru michi no hate de
Kono te ni tsukamu mono o mitai kara

Mabuta o toji ishiki no umi ni ukande
Omoiegaku Risou o te ni suru sono toki o

Kagiri aru “sei” o kono yo ni uke
Kare yuku dake wa oroka ni hitoshii
Hoka no dare mo ga mochienai mono
“Jibun jishin” to iu na no kesshou e

Kireigoto o tsukitoosu koto
Itsuka fakuto e kawaru
Katakuna ni shinjitsuzuketai
It’s just my faith. The absolute truth.

Nagareru toki no naka matataku Setsunateki kirameki o
Kono yo no kioku ni kizamu tame Arukitsuzukeru Believer


The WORLD
Vocals: Nightmare

Hirogaru yami no naka Kawashiatta Kakumei no chigiri
crap yue ni mebaeta aku no hana
Kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete o
Dare ni mo jamasaseru wake ni wa ikanai kara

Kajitsu ga tsugeta mirai
Risei o wasureta machi
Kuroku yuganda ima o
Yume, risou ni kaeru

crap? Boku wa kowareta meshia?
Dare mo ga nozonda “owari” o…

Hirogaru yami no naka Kawashiatta Kakumei no chigiri
crap yue ni mebaeta aku no hana
Kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete o
Dare ni mo jamasaseru wake ni wa ikanai
Itsuka boku ga misete ageru Hikarikagayaku sora o

crap? Boku wa kowareta meshia?
Dare mo ga yumemita “rakuen” o…

Hirogaru yami no naka Kawashiatta Kakumei no chigiri
crap yue ni mebaeta aku no hana
Kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete o
Dare ni mo jamasaseru wake ni wa ikanai
Itsuka boku ga misete ageru Hikarikagayaku sekai o


STORY KIDA

Light Yagami is an extremely intelligent young man who resents the crime and corruption in the world. His life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the "Death Note", lying on the ground in the year 2003. The Death Note's instructions claim that if a human's name is written within it that person shall die. Light is initially skeptical of the Death Note's authenticity, believing it is just a prank. However, after experimenting with it and killing two criminals, Light is forced to admit that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the previous owner of the Death Note, a shinigami named Ryuk, Light seeks to become "the God of the new world" by passing his judgment on criminals.

Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention of the International Police Organization and a mysterious detective known only as "L". L quickly learns that the serial killer, dubbed by the public as "Kira" (derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the word "Killer"), is located in Japan. L also concludes that Kira can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a game of psychological cat and mouse between the two begins.