Everyone in Death Note, humans and shinigami but especially the main characters, are subject to Alternative Character Interpretation.
- Light Yagami:
- Is Light a psychopathic, depraved monster with delusions of godhood who kills people indiscriminately for a reason which has been inherently deconstructed? Or is he just a nice guy trying to do the right thing who just got corrupted by the power he wielded and his fear of being found out? Or is he genuinely deserving of becoming God of the new world and the ultimate arbiter of justice? Similarly, with L: is he a brilliant chessmaster with a desire to stop a mass-murderer, a talent for reading human nature like an open book, and a genius that surpasses Light (considering he didn't have a Shinigami and all...)? Or is he just a paranoid neurotic who manipulates and schemes to destroy the heroic Light and ruin the utopia that he is trying to create, and is in fact could be compared to the anti-christ in human form? Apparently either interpretation will get you ripped apart by ''someone'' on the right forum... This Very Wiki generally considers Light a villain and L an Anti-Hero, though exactly how evil or good either of them are is very much open to debate.
- As for Light himself, it is implied that the power of the Death Note corrupts the user, and when Light returns the Death Note to Ryuk, he loses all memories of his killing and actually asks himself whether he'd be capable of killing. So is the Death Note actually responsible for Light's murders as Kira, or was he just a rotten individual all along and the Death Note just made him drunk with power?
- Was Light The Sociopath even before he gets the Death Note? The claim is understandable, considering he seems to take very quickly to murder, is rather cold, and even Near states at the end that only a bad person would use the thing in the first place. On the other hand, he's genuinely committed to justice during the Yotsuba Arc, and the creators themselves have stated that he was corrupted by power because he was too innocent and idealistic, and have said he would have likely gone on to be a legitimate lawyer or detective who would have truly helped people instead of being a serial killer.
- When Light regains his memories upon touching his Death Note, his reaction is to scream extensively until he goes back to being evil without hesitation or internal conflict with his innocent self. Some have theorized that Light's scream is actually his innocent self being horrified to realize he's Kira.
- Another question — Did Light really become the mask of his Kira persona, or was the Kira persona his true self from the start?
- Or is this all just one extreme case of a bored, childish young man with an undiagnosed narcissistic personality disorder?
- His Alas, Poor Villain at the end of the anime. While running away, he saw a younger and more innocent version of himself. So did Light die trying to escape arrest, or was he brainwashed and snapped out of it while running away and thus, tried to find a place to hide to die alone.
- Is this a case of Heel Realization? Perhaps Redemption Equals Death?
- Not to mention when his father died. Was Light's crying genuine? And if so was it because his father failed to do what he wanted him to do, or was Light breaking out of his possible brainwashed state and was horrified to see what he has done, what he'd become, and realized whom he just lost.
- Another interpretation-Light was fully expecting to be punished for using the notebook but then Ryuk comes along and tells him there isn't any punishment and he's not going to kill him as long as he's entertaining. Light adapts accordingly. So when he gives his Motive Rant in the first episode about killing criminals and being God of the New World it wasn't his original goal but Light being a Master Actor was telling Ryuk what he thought he wanted to hear in order to make himself seem more interesting and have the demonic creature spare his life... and then he got Lost in Character.
- Another interpretation is that Light actually does care about his family. While some fans question whether he gave a damn about his father dying, some would argue he does care about them, and is actually a Yandere that wants to make the world a better place for his family. While he discusses the possibility of having to kill his own family if necessary, he never actually does so (outside of The Last Name, when he writes his father's name in the Death Note).
- His reaction in the manga when L theorizes that his sister Sayu could be Kira. Was he pretending to be upset that L was accusing his sister, especially since L was saying this in front of Soichiro after he suffered a non-fatal heart attack, or was Light genuinely upset that L was thinking of investigating Sayu?
- Take L:
- Is he a borderline-sociopathic Knight Templar scarcely any better than Light, an Anti-Hero whose methods are questionable but who is not really evil per se, or is he just an endearingly socially inept genius with a difficult past who has had lifelong problems fitting in? Word of God calls him 'slightly evil', which seems to fit in best with the second interpretation, but even that's probably up for debate. Then you have the much-debated question of whether L and/or Near have some form of autism. You decide.
- On the topic of Word of God's claim that L is "slightly evil", it has been speculated by fans that L prolonged the Kira investigation because he was enjoying his game of cat and mouse with Light. If this were the case, L would have knowingly and intentionally put lives at stake for the sake of entertainment.
- Near and Mello both get it, also. Does Near dislike L? Does he dislike Mello, only wanting to work with him to win in the end, or does Near secretly (or not so secretly) see Mello as a friend and want to finish the case with him. Is Mello Catholic, or is there some other reason he'd wear a rosary? Is Mello an Anti-Hero or Anti-Villain? Is Mello a super-temperamental guy, or is it just that Near tends to mess with him? A fanfic claimed that Mello was faking his insanity to throw Near off. And then there's Matt, who didn't even have that much of a personality, so that subject is pretty open. About the only things consistent are the fact that he's a techie who likes games and he's pretty lazy. Then you get into Misa, Ryuuk, Mikami, even Takada.... Death Note has massive amounts of this sort of thing.
- As for Near, the book Death Note 13: How to Read has revealed that Near is distant from people because he is a very sensitive person. This brings us a great ambiguity of his stone-cold, robotic personality.
- There's also the endless debate over whether or not Matsuda's speculation that Near used the Death Note to restrict Mikami's actions is true, though this theory works less for the anime (which never mentions this theory either) than it does the manga; in the anime, Mikami commits suicide during the final confrontation, while in the manga, he inexplicably dies some time afterwards, which Matsuda considers possible proof that he was written into the Death Note. Word of God also mentions that Near "cheats."
- Related to said theory, what exactly inspired Matsuda to come up with it? Did he honestly believe that it was the only explanation for Mikami conveniently going along with the plan and then dying once everything was over? Did he consider the possibility because he was distrustful of Near? Or, like Ide said, was he looking for some way to absolve Light of his crimes, since he still sympathized with him?
- There's also Misa Amane. Is she just a naive young woman whose traumatic past lead her to idolize the one person in her life whom she perceived as being on the side of justice and righteousness (regardless of whether he actually was), an emotionally disturbed woman-child who is unable to comprehend the notion that human life has any value other than fulfilling her own hedonistic desires, or a nihilistic sociopath who casually declares the act of tricking someone into loving you so much that they would lay down their life for you "a beautiful way to kill?" The series itself can support any interpretation.
- One common Alternative Character Interpretation for any Death Note user is whether or not it's the power over life and death bringing out their darker side, or if just using a Death Note will drive a human absolutely batshit insane. There is a marked difference in Misa, Light, and Mikami's mental stability and personality depending on whether or not they have a Death Note at the moment. As such, Misa can be argued to fit the first interpretation when she's in her right mind, and the second when she's in her "second Kira" persona.
- Mello at the end of the Successor arc. Was his kidnapping plan a last-ditch attempt to one-up Near once he found himself trapped, or did he make a conscious decision to trigger exactly what Near had predicted: Mikami coming out of hiding with the real notebook?
- The shinigamis are questionable in some cases, specifically Rem: Is Rem a good shinigami looking out for a human she fell in love with, or is she still a monster that survives by killing? Also, are any shinigamis evil, in that they were made to kill people therefore are only fulfilling their nature?
- Taro Kagami from the pilot chapter. Throughout the story, he comes across as a genuinely good kid who simply got thrown into horrifying circumstances way beyond his control. The pilot's ending, however, is very open-ended. We know Taro kept the Death Note. It's unclear whether he simply kept it or if he did a Face–Heel Turn and started using it again. Unlike Light, whom Word of God and some of the manga's narration specifically identify as "evil," Taro is someone whose moral alignment is a little more ambiguous.
- Some people also noticed after Ryuk took away his knowledge of the Death Note, but he regained it later, Light acted like he had multiple personality disorder. You can supposedly see it in his eyes: when his eyes are slanted he's Kira and when they're round again he's switched back to Light. Of course, near the end of the series, Kira takes over, and his eyes don't turn round again until the very last episode. Re-watch the scene in the anime when L dies. Light's eyes switch from pointed to wide while he's falling out of the chair, and he suddenly goes insane, grabs L and starts screaming. After Rem dies however, his eyes are pointed again and he's perfectly calm and collected again. Also he does tend to dissociate from his actions as Kira, even when he doesn't need to, for instance, in the manga when he explains to Ryuk: "If I blow it, Kira may have to kill his own family."
- Another element to this theory is the idea that Light regaining his memories of his time as Kira destroyed his mind. He spends the entire Yotsuba arc absolutely convinced that he isn't Kira, or at least was not willingly Kira. When he gets the notebook back, he remembers all the killing he did as Kira and is faced with indisputable proof that he is indeed the Serial Killer that the Task Force has been chasing for the last few months. After this, he unleashes a hellish scream of terror that lasts for over ten seconds before snapping back to his pre-amnesia self. Did the stress of being forced to confront his own identity as Kira send him flying over the edge? And if it did, this might explain why Light acts so erratic during the second half of the series, as the blow this revelation did to him seriously upset his mental balance.
- There's also the question: Did Light really have a "perfect life" or did he have a crappy childhood? [1]
- Another interpretation is Souichiro is Married to the Job and Light is "Well Done, Son" Guy and part of Light's hatred of criminals stems from the fact that they took his father away from him. When Kira gains the attention of the Japanese police he really does run with it because he finally got daddy to notice him.
- Another Mello one. Is he an overly-emotional good guy with an inferiority complex who's tired of being Always Second Best, or is he an evil selfish Axe-Crazy Manipulative Bastard? Or both? Yeah...both.
- Near.
- He openly states that good and evil are purely subjective concepts, and whilst this doesn't necessarily disqualify someone from being Good or Evil, he never shows any inclination towards either, pursuing Kira both because it's what L would do and in order to avenge L. in the manga, it's heavily hinted (or rather speculated by Matsuda) that he kills Mikami with the Death Note in order to get final revenge for L. However, this detail is omitted from the anime, and in general the focus of his character is more on becoming L's successor than avenging him.
- On that last point: while Word of God states that readers are meant to draw their conclusions about whether or not he used the Death Note on Mikami, Obata describes him as "dishonest" and "the more evil" of him and Mello.
- This is complicated further by the fact that Obha has spoken more favourably of him, describing him as "blessed from above" with L's brainpower, so it really is open for interpretation.
- Could it be that Near actually dislikes L, since he does wear his mask in the warehouse scene(and it's noted that he intentionally made the L figure somewhat ugly, unlike Mello's), and coldly says, in response to his death, that those who can't solve the case are simply losers? Or could he actually respect him, judging by the fact that he admitted he couldn't beat Light alone, and tells Light, while he's acting as the second L, that while L made substantial progress on the case, Light has done almost nothing.
- Souichiro Yagami. Word of God states that he is the only character that truly fights for justice. He is quite definitely determined to catch Kira for the sake of justice, but also objects to L's more unorthodox (and less savoury and lawful) methods. However one may question just how "just" threatening an unarmed civilian at gunpoint really is. Not to mention making the trade for Shinigami Eyes and attempting to write Mello's name into the Death Note, only failing to write said name in full because Mello asks him if he's ever killed a person, leading to a moment of hesitance which proves his undoing.
- Raye Penber's Stay in the Kitchen line. Is he a misogynist, or does he just want his future wife to live a normal life as a housewife so she will no longer be in the risky trade as a law enforcement officer? (For what it's worth, in the films the line is out of genuine concern for her well-being.)
- From the live action movies there's Light's girlfriend Shiori Akino. Is she a) genuinely clueless or b) she knows / suspects Light is Kira and is in denial or c) she knows / suspects Light is Kira and is trying to talk him out of it.
- Matsuda's definitely a much better agent than he seems. For one, he's able, under pressure, to Xanatos Speed Chess his way out of a dangerous situation with the Yotsuba group, using an alias he was barely familiar with, all within seconds. Then, he's able to act convincingly drunk, do a handstand on a balcony several stories up, and drop onto a mattress a floor down, all without showing fear or breaking character.
- Furthermore, in the finale, he's under emotional distress, but his hand is still steady enough to shoot a pen out of Kira's hand. Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass, anyone?
- As for Matsuda himself, where is the majority of his anger at Light coming from? Is mad at being betrayed, mad that Light mocked his father, mad that Light mocked Matsuda's mentor, mad that Light almost killed him, mad that he was mad a fool, mad that he defended Light so much, mad that he looked guilty for defending Light, or some combination of all of the above? Furthermore, trying to MURDER Light at all is extremely out of character for him especially since Light was completely incapacitated. The last shot Matsuda made could and should have seen him kicked off the force because he just tried to execute a suspect. Is proximity to the notebook or having handled one driven him partially insane? He certainly was acting a lot like a Kira when he tried to blow Light's brains out.
- Did Ryuk ever actually give a damn about Light, and if so, to what degree? While he clearly doesn't care for him the same way Rem cares for Misa, some of his actions and dialogue could be read as him actually caring about Light beyond a source of entertainment. Was his Villainous Friendship with Light a true friendship, or just a hollow imitation of one to pass the time?
- Was Ryuk being honest when he said he didn't choose Light to get his Death Note? We can (probably) be certain he means it when he says he doesn't care who wins in the L vs. Light conflict, but is it really an accident that a brilliant, disillusioned, probably-kind-of-messed-up-already, utterly bored young man just so happened to be the one to pick up the notebook? And that it just so happened to fall outside of his English class, and that the instructions are written in English? (Ryuk says this is because the most popular language is English, but it's not — it's the second most popular. This could be a research failure, but it'd be perfectly in character for Ryuk to be lying.) In a Japan-only bonus chapter, Ryuk does advise a shinigami to "choose carefully" when deciding who to give a notebook to...
- Drama!Near: In the drama, does he really have a Superpowered Evil Side or Split Personality in the form of Mello, or did he just make up the Mello persona?
- Is Rem's love for Misa platonic or romantic? The anime seems to lean towards the former, but it's ambiguous enough to raise a few eyebrows, while The Musical makes it clear that it's the latter — complete with a Love Epiphany song for Rem.
- Mikami stabbing himself with a pen in the anime. Did he do it to distract the Task Force and SPK so that Light could escape? Or, like in the manga, he was distraught to find out he worshiped a fraud and was Driven to Suicide? A combination of both? Such as still feeling sorry for Light either way, and thinking his suicide could help him in the process?
- L's general social awkwardness. Is he naturally socially awkward, or is it a ruse on some level to drive home his eccentric genius qualities? (Similar to how Word of God states that he'll sometimes pull random statistics out of his ass to seem smarter than he is.) Could he be socially charming if he wanted to be? Or could it be a mixture of both: L could act conventionally charming if he wanted to, but sees no reason to because he already commands respect and attention due to his intellect? Some fans speculate that he has Hollywood Autism, although Word of God denies this, for what it's worth.
- The manga's take on Donald Trump: After being told that a new rule in the Death Note entails killing anybody who buys one, Ryuk spells out how taking the most valuable weapon on the planet and dying would put it in the hands of his immediate successor (and unless his party loses the next election, that would be his vice-president). Was Trump's ultimate refusal a simple act of self-preservation or is the thought of someone out there owning something he could never have a sore spot for him?
- The other option is that Trump really didn't trust the US government with that much power. Given that the real Trump hates D.C. for the "swamp" and "the deep state", he could simply not trust the intelligence agencies or Pence (or the next president) with the Death Note if he wasn't around to enact some hardline policies that he felt couldn't be broken after he left office. Now, granted, it wasn't known at the time, but there's also the fact that the CIA refuses to give up the documents around the JFK assassination despite it being past due for declassification. While there's a real world conspiracy that the CIA was involved with the assassination, Trump would have extra reason not to trust the government with the Death Note if he couldn't get a handle on it during his last few years in office. Any other discussion on what the real Donald Trump would do in this situation should be avoided like the plague.
- Is Teru Mikami's mother truly spineless and unwilling to stand up to injustice, as her son assumes? Or is she simply a loving mother who doesn't want her son to end up getting hurt in a pursuit of justice that ultimately does little good? Is her attitude partly due to caring more for her son than for the victims of bullying, who are strangers to her?
- Minoru Tanaka:
- Did he lead Japan into an economic boom solely for his own gain or did he do it for the benefit of the nation?
- Additionally, how much did he consider the consequences of selling the Death Note to a world leader? As Near notes, it's harder to get away with using the Death Note if the user's identity is public knowledge, and it's possible Minoru considered this when making his auction scheme. In their first meeting, Minoru reasoned that even if he rejected Ryuk's offer, the Shinigami would just find some other anonymous person to give it to. On the other hand, Minoru never considers destroying the notebook and instead risks allowing it to used at all in order to make a quick yen, showing his selfish side.
