Light Yagami

Personal Data
Real Name: Yagami Light (Raito)
Also Known As: Kira
Birthdate: Feb. 28, 1986?? (Age 17, 23)
Deathdate: Jan. 28, 2010?? (Age 23)
Height: 179cm (5’9’‘)
Weight: 54kg (119 pounds)
Blood Type: A
Likes: Justice
Dislikes: Evil??
Lifespan: 9 3 31 2 6 3 9
Occupation: Student, Police Force
Death Note: Yes
Anime Seiyuu: Miyano Mamoru
Movie Actor: Fujiwara Tatsuya

HTR13 Description (VIZ)

Basic Data The Haughty Murderer Who Tries to Become God A young man who tries to make the world a better place by using the Death Note. Combining his innate intelligence with the power of a Shinigami, he secretly tries to take over the world as Kira, the god of the new World.

The Character
Raito is a very serious character. Like his foes, Raito has a very high I.Q. and an amazing ability to think things through. He never acts rashly, and in general he has a knack for seeing through people. The thing is, Raito barely shows his emotions to anyone and masks himself very well. As for friends, he doesn’t really have any, and whenever he is close to someone it is in order to use them. Perhaps he does really belong with Ryuuk as Raito seems very bored with the world, and as Kira he attempts to rule it. He is a very ambitious guy!

History
Raito finds the Death Note outside on the floor of his school. Finding it, he takes it home and reads it, not believing a word. One day, when he’s bored he tries it out for fun, and amazingly enough it works! From that day on, Raito sought to cleanse the world of evil, and rule over an almost perfect world, or at least a world where Kira, he himself was God.

Some Interesting Commentary : The Makings of a Murderer
Raito is an ultimate character of human psyche. Many articles or journals on killers state that after the first murder, the second or third come easily for a killer. In Raito’s case this is also true; looking back on Death Note chapter one, a scared Raito ducks under his bed, trying to make a decision on what to do. But after he makes the decision, that is, to cleanse the world, he quickly transforms into another person, killing over 390 people in chapter one alone. This transformation in Raito probably sets him apart from all characters in all of Death Note, making him one of the most in-depth characters.

Killers who never get caught almost always hide themselves within society and think ahead of the game, as Raito does. Ohba himself, I strongly believe, tries to show a real killer’s transformation through Raito’s use of the Death Note first from an innocent boy, then to one who kills only the “bad people” (the murderers, rapists etc.), and finally into a mass-murderer who is willing to KILL anyone who gets in his way (including his family, and those who did not commit a crime at all- like L). Numerous studies on serial murderers state that the usual objective of a killer is one of two things: 1) Power 2) Sex. Obviously, #2 is not the case of Raito, but he is incredibly power-hungry. Perhaps his sense of justice made sense in the beginning, but as the series progresses and Raito kills off the innocent as well as the bad, one sees that what Raito does is not purely for his sense of Justice- it is for himself. So many times, he states that he will rule over a world where crime will not exist. Looking more closely into this statement, we notice the most important word of all “he will rule”. Raito wants sole supremacy—everyone around him is just a mere pawn in his game, and if he desires justice so dearly, why does he kill off those trying to seek justice as well?

Along with Raito’s personal transformations, his appearance even undergoes a change. Raito, once good-willed and smiling, slowly changes his old character to mask what he truly is. In many cultures, there are sayings that a person can hide herself to a certain extent, and this is especially true with Raito. The boy he used to be is a mere mask to hide his true self. His “love” for Misa is a mere tool to accomplish his needs, and his pretend “friendship” with his foes clearly shows the success of his mask. However, just looking at the art we see a definite change. As an Indian saying goes, what a person is will always show on his face. A person’s face is always the first thing society looks at as well, the thing which truly distinguishes one human from another. Raito’s face is calm, reserved half the time, but looking into his eyes, one can sense something that gets stronger as the chapters go on. What it is, no one can really say, but it IS there. It was all the more evident when Raito forfeits the Death Note later on, and his face is as innocent looking as the first chapter. The fire in his eyes gives away his true intentions, or makes us question what he is thinking in that mind.

One other very interesting thing about Raito is how he always wants to get close to his foes, make them trust him, and then kill them. Digging through Criminal Justice records on various sites and texts, I found a prevalent pattern among mass murderers and serial killers—they almost always want to be invited into their victim’s house. They want that PLEASURE of power over their victims. Raito’s power hunger shows itself once again.

Ryuuk says a couple times, that the holder of the Death Note always meets a dreadful end. Raito is clearly heading towards this. Raito has lost his soul; he is so engrossed in his perfect world that he doesn’t see how he himself is dragging it down. He can’t notice that the very murderers that he is killing are what he himself has become. In truth, Ryuuk watches Raito with interest, but Ryuuk himself isn’t Raito’s friend. Raito is alone in the world, alone with only one ambition. One should only hope to wonder what would happen if that ambition was crushed, or he realized his wrongs — something that is the breakdown of every human being.

What we truly are looking at with Raito is the makings of a true and heartless murderer.