The best characters in Death Note

Nearly two decades after its release in 2006, Death Note has retained its cult status in the minds of anime fans. It is an epic battle of wits and cunning that maintains the tension and high stakes of the story from start to finish.

Spanning 37 episodes, the anime has spawned some of the most iconic and unforgettable characters ever written for the screen. From the sinister yet brilliant Light Yagami to his equally brilliant nemesis L, Death Note is a master class in storytelling, character building and a deep look at the old concept of good vs. evil through its lens. Characters

10 Naomi Misura

Although Naomi Misura's screen time was short, she really shined in her quest to get justice for her fiance. Ex-FBI agent Naomi shows how sharp her mind is, connecting the dots surrounding her fiance's death.

He was justifiably cautious and wise enough to use pseudonyms during his research, but he ended up being scammed. During an intense conversation with Light that spans almost the entire episode, he is wary of Light's charm and charisma and makes the mistake of showing him his ID. It was the end for Naomi, a character that had so much potential.

9 Soichiro Yagami

Light Yagami's father, Soichiro Yagami, is a hardened police officer and the leader of the task force responsible for taking down Kira. A determined individual, Soichiro cares about the lives of his family and the men who serve under him.

Despite having a strong moral compass and an analytical eye, Soichiro's busy work life blinds him to what is happening right under his nose. He was deeply in denial that his son was Kira and until the end, Soichiro was deceived into believing in his heart that Light was innocent.

8 Misa Amane

An idol and an avid follower of Kira, Misa Amina is introduced during Kira's two arcs. After she kills her parents' killer, she becomes obsessed with Kira and presents herself as the second Kira to help her. He has his own shinigami, Rem, who deeply cares for Misa.

Misa is so obsessed and in love with light that she willingly allows herself to be used as a tool in her plans. Having traded half his life for the eyes of a Shinigami, he is instrumental in Light's plan to kill L and continues to help Light even until his fall.

7 Tota Matsuda

Tota Matsuda, a police officer and member of the task force originally led by Soichiro Yagami, first introduces you as optimistic, enthusiastic, and conscientious. He is younger than the rest of his peers and therefore feels inadequate and needs to prove himself to the other titans of the field.

Matsuda becomes more adept as time passes and engages in infiltration missions with Kira III during the defeat. His ultimate loyalty to Soichiro Yagami and his legacy is what makes Light's betrayal in the finale affect him so much, and he shows off his marksmanship skills by quickly disarming Light.

6 Rome

Rem is a Shinigami who grew up after another Shinigami named Gloss sacrificed his life to protect Misa. Although he doesn't care about humans and their plans, Rem helps and protects Misa throughout the story.

Rem's crush on Misa is obvious, so Light takes advantage of it and manipulates Rem into killing L to end him. Shinigami rule by saving and prolonging Misa's life and thus ending her life.

5 Mello

An orphan raised as L's surrogate, Mello – real name Mihael Keehl – is undoubtedly intelligent, but grateful to be constantly compared to his protégé Near. He turned to the mafia and quickly rose through the ranks, determined to deal with Kira himself. Melo is not afraid to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals, including kidnapping Light's sister Sayo.

At first, Melo seemed to be not only fighting Kira, but also in a bitter feud to outdo Nir in Kira's research. Although she was killed in the end, her death was what allowed Neer to obtain the physical evidence and reveal Noor as Kira.

4 near

Natty River, better known by her nickname Near, grew up alongside Melo and the other orphans as a world-class detective on par with L. Close to the leadership of the American task force, the SPK, was created to stop Kira and was at odds with Melo over who would be L's true successor.

Gradually, Near begins to convince members of the Japanese task force that Light is Kira, forcing them to cooperate with Near in his investigation. Thanks to Melo's death, it was Light's breath and SPK's cooperation with the Japanese task force that led to the revelation and Kira's death.

3 Ryuk

One of the most iconic characters in anime is the events of Death Note, which can be said to originate from Shinigami Ryuk. It was out of boredom and his need for entertainment that he left his death note where the light happened to fall upon it. Ryuk doesn't hide the fact that he's only here as a spectator and will kill Light as soon as the fun is over.

Ryuk is obsessed with apples and loves playing video games, and Light sometimes uses this to his advantage to learn more from him. Ultimately, Ryuk sees the human world as a large playground, where its humans serve as enjoyable entertainment for him.

2 light yagami

One of the most intelligent villains depicted in anime, Light Yagami accidentally obtained Ryuk's death notebook. At first, he had good intentions and wrote down the names of the worst criminals in a notebook. Nicknamed Kira by the people, Light is quickly corrupted by the power of the Death Note and considers himself a god.

His reckless activities caught the attention of the world's top detective, L Lawliet. For the rest of the show and until L's death, Light devises schemes to outwit and distract L from Kira's identity. However, the moment L dies, Light begins to slip and become overconfident and over-relying on others like Mikami – something he didn't do before.

1 L Lawliet

The world's top detective and Light's rival, L Lawliet, made himself known when he baited Light on live television. L quickly made inferences about Kira, her personality, occupation, and geographic location. He even hit the nail on the head by believing that Light Yagami was Kira.

He kept Light in his house, and despite Light's schemes to cover his tracks, L never stopped believing for who Light was. There was no doubt that L would have surpassed Light at his own game had the supernatural elements not been working against him. But his legacy lives on forever with Nir and Melo's joint efforts to destroy Kira.