Light Yagami more like imagaz!!1 GAHAHAHHAHAHAHH1 zou justz got hacked!
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Raito" redirects here. For the Italian village on the Amalfi Coast, see Raito (village).
This article is about the second "L". For the first "L", see L Lawliet. For the third "L", see Near (Death Note).
Light Yagami
Death Note character
Light Yagami, drawn by Takeshi Obata
First appearance "Boredom" (退屈, Taikutsu) (2004)
Last appearance "Curtain" (幕, Maku) (2006)
Created by Tsugumi Ohba
Takeshi Obata
Portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara (Japanese films)
Kenji Urai (musical)
Hayato Kakizawa (musical)
Masataka Kubota (TV series)
Nat Wolff (American film)
Voiced by Mamoru Miyano (Japanese)
Brad Swaile (English)
In-universe information
Aliases Kira
Light Asahi (朝日月, Asahi Raito)[1]
L (from chapter 60 onward)[2]
Nickname Kira
Species Human
Gender Male
Occupation
Student (formerly)
Police Detective
Vigilante
Weapon Death Note
Family Soichiro Yagami (father)
Sachiko Yagami (mother)
Sayu Yagami (sister)
Misa Amane (fiancée)
Light Yagami (Japanese: 夜神 月, Hepburn: Yagami Raito) is the main protagonist of the manga series Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. He is portrayed as a brilliant but bored genius who finds the Death Note, an otherworldly supernatural notebook that allows the user to kill anyone by knowing their name and face, after it is dropped by the Shinigami Ryuk. Frustrated by the status quo and unfairness of the world, Light uses the Death Note to kill those whom he deems morally unworthy of life, masterminding a worldwide massacre as the vigilante Kira (キラ). Over the course of his efforts to create a world free of crime and evil, wherein he would rule and reign as a godlike figure, Light is pursued by a special task-force, headed by a consulting detective known as L; upon eventually befriending and murdering him, Light takes over as the new L. Despite his intellect and intentions, Light has an overwhelming sense of self-righteous pride, believing that only he can change the world and can never get caught. Eventually he becomes a power-mad spree killer, having taken thousands of lives.
In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Mamoru Miyano in Japanese and by Brad Swaile in the English version. In the live-action film series, he is portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara with Swaile reprising his role as his English dub voice; he is portrayed by both Kenji Urai and Hayato Kakizawa in the musical; in the TV drama, he is portrayed by Masataka Kubota; his counterpart in the American film is portrayed by Nat Wolff. Light's portrayal in the anime was met with praise from critics.
Creation and conception
Tsugumi Ohba, the story writer of Death Note said that his editor suggested the family name "Yagami" for Light, which he did not feel "too concerned" about regarding its meaning (the Kanji for "Yagami" are "night" and "god"). Light's given name is written with the Japanese character for "moon," an example of what is coincidentally called a kira kira name. In the final scene of the manga, after Light's death, a group of Kira worshippers appear under the light of the moon; Ohba describes liking this scene as it created "deeper significance" for Light's name.[3]
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 loses 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.[4]
For color illustrations, Obata assigned specific colors to each main character to help "get the atmosphere right" when designing them. He assigned "a lack of color or clear" to Light.[5]
Films
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.[6]
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 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.[7]
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".[8]
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".[7] Matsuyama also said that Light and L are "extremely" alike in that they have "a very strong sense of justice".[9]
Appearances
In Death Note
Light as he appears in the anime series.
Light Yagami was born on February 28, 1986 (or 1989 in the anime).[10] He is portrayed as a teen genius and a model student with a polite, reserved, and gentleman-like personality, who is well-liked and popular among his peers and teachers and known for being the class topper.[11][12] At the beginning of the story, Light is a student in his last year of high school; he later attends To-Oh University (東応大学, Tōō Daigaku). His father, Soichiro Yagami, is the chief of the National Police Agency, and is the head of the task force hunting for "Kira", the name the public has given to the perpetrator of a string of inexplicable murders around the world. His mother, Sachiko, is a housewife. His younger sister, Sayu, acts as a cheerful, less academic foil of Light himself.
Light initially becomes horrified at the Death Note's abilities after he tests the notebook on two criminals out of curiosity, but he eventually convinces himself that the criminals' resulting deaths were justified, thinking he would bring crime rates down around the world. Light soon becomes driven to lead a personal crusade to rid the world of crime by using the notebook. While his agenda originates with good intentions,[13] Light eventually finds himself killing law enforcement and even innocents in order to elude capture. His ethics are utilitarian, justifying the most extreme acts in service of his cause. He is also driven by a need for victory, which motivates most of his cruelest acts. Combined with the power of the Death Note, his hubris and genius-level intellect convince him that only he can save the world.
Eventually, a small task force of Japanese police officers, including Light's father, under the direction of the eccentric genius detective L begin to close in on Light. Although he suspects Light is Kira, L allows him to collaborate with the police on the case. This begins a game of cat and mouse between the two, with Light trying to learn L's real name so he can kill him, and L trying to get Light to expose himself so that he can arrest him. Because the actions of Misa Amane, a fervent Kira supporter and fellow Death Note owner, nearly implicates Light, he becomes compelled to temporarily relinquish ownership of his notebook and subsequently loses his memories of using the Death Note. It is during this time that Light reverts to his original persona: a caring, level-headed, and empathetic individual unwilling to manipulate others or commit or justify acts of crime, such as murder. After Light regains ownership of his notebook and his memories, he manipulates Misa's Shinigami Rem into killing L. Light then assumes the "L" persona and continues his charade of searching for Kira with the task force while carrying out the killings himself with help from Misa.
Over four years later, Light is able to garner most of the world's support, reaching the point where his followers have begun to worship Kira as a literal deity. However, it is around this time that two of L's protégés, Mello and Near, begin their investigation against Kira. Near heads the SPK (Special Provision for Kira), an American investigation team composed of CIA and FBI agents, while Mello works with the Mafia. Although Mello dies working separately from Near, his actions lead Teru Mikami, a man selected by Light to kill criminals using another Death Note, to make a mistake that results in Light's capture by Near, the SPK, and Japanese police. Seeing that Light has finally lost, he is killed when Ryuk writes his name in his own Death Note, just as the Shinigami had warned when they first met.[14] Light Yagami died on January 28, 2010 (or 2013 in the anime).
In film
Japanese film series
Tatsuya Fujiwara as Light in the Death Note film series.
In the Japanese film series, Light Yagami is portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara, known for his role as Shuya Nanahara in Battle Royale. In the films, he is portrayed as a distinguished, popular and intellectually gifted college student, who has a disregard and frustration of the incapability of the law enforcement system to quell the rampant increase in criminal activities around the world, which drives his motives to use the Death Note, to change the world into a ut