Death Note Characters

A brilliant, bored 17-year-old who believes himself capable of creating a better world. His discovery of the Death Note accelerates his pre-existing arrogance into full messianism. The series is a portrait of how intelligence and certainty in one's own righteousness can become indistinguishable from villainy.

The world's greatest detective, known by a single letter, with no public identity. Eccentric and sugar-obsessed, L's unorthodox methods and willingness to break rules to pursue truth make him a perfect mirror for Light. He is the first person Light cannot easily outwit.

The Shinigami who dropped the Death Note in the human world out of boredom. Ryuk follows Light with gleeful detachment, enjoying the show but loyal to no one. His final action in the series is its most coldly logical moment.

A second Kira and idol singer who sacrifices half her remaining lifespan twice in exchange for the Shinigami Eyes. Devoted to Light to a degree that is both touching and tragic.

L's successor, a child prodigy who plays with toys while solving crimes. Cold and calculating in the way L was eccentric, Near represents the rational resolution of the series' central conflict.