| 1 | [[center: [-[[Characters/DeathNote Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DeathNoteMainCharacters Main Characters]] ('''Light Yagami''') | [[Characters/DeathNoteTaskForce Task Force]] | [[Characters/DeathNoteShinigami Shinigami]] | [[Characters/DeathNoteSideCharacters Side Characters]] | [[Characters/DeathNoteNovelPilotAndMovies Novel, Pilot, and Movies]] | [[Characters/DeathNote2017 Death Note 2017]]]]-] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | !!Light Yagami / "Kira" / The First Kira (夜神 月, ''Yagami Raito'') |
| 4 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lightyagamiimage.jpg]] |
| 5 | [[caption-width-right:350:''[[CharacterCatchphrase "Just as]] [[AllAccordingToPlan planned."]]'']] |
| 6 | !!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MamoruMiyano (JP), Creator/BradSwaile (EN), Creator/SergioZamora (Spain), Manuel Campuzano (Latin America), José Leonardo (BR), Creator/AlexisTomassian (FR) |
| 7 | !!!'''Played by:''' Tatsuya Fujiwara (films), Masataka Kubota (TV drama), Kenji Urai/Hayato Kakizawa (musical, 2015, 2017), Ryouta Murai/Shouma Kai (musical, 2020) |
| 8 | |
| 9 | ->''"[[VillainHasAPoint This world is rotten,]] and those who are making it [[SerialKillerKiller rot deserve to die.]] Someone has to do it, so why not me? Even if it means sacrificing my own mind and soul, it's worth it. Because the world can't go on like this."'' |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Character subpage for Light. '''Warning! Unmarked spoilers ahead!''' |
| 12 | |
| 13 | TheProtagonist of the series, but [[VillainProtagonist not the hero]]. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Light is a genius student who has [[FatalFlaw one major flaw]]... namely, [[AGodAmI one hell of a God complex]]. He has a hatred of the criminal element of the world, but for most of his life took a "what can you do" approach. Then, he finds the Death Note dropped by the {{Shinigami}} (Death God) Ryuk and his world is turned upside down. He begins using the notebook to kill criminals, believing that in doing so, he could scare the world into becoming more law-abiding. At first the authorities are powerless to stop Light's spree of vigilante justice, and with no clue about his hidden identity the public nicknames him ''Kira'', a Japanese pronunciation of the English word "killer". |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Light finds an equal and opposite in L, the elusive international detective hired to find and prove the identity of the person behind the mysterious string of murders. As the two of them try and outwit the other in an escalating game of cat and mouse, everyone else gets swept up in the ensuing chaos. |
| 18 | ----- |
| 19 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 20 | |
| 21 | [[folder:Tropes #-D]] |
| 22 | * NinetiesAntiHero: Subverted. Light is a ruthless [[VigilanteMan vigilante]] who wants to change the world by using the title notebook to kill criminals, which many Nineties Anti Heroes like to do. Unfortunately, Light is far from being actually heroic -- his first two kills in the anime were the closest he actually got to being heroic with the book until his decision to become Kira led to him JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope and becoming a KnightTemplar VillainProtagonist, as the police opposition to his actions and [[BerserkButton people calling his actions evil]] was an affront to his overweening {{Pride}}. |
| 23 | * AcademicAlphaBitch: Male example, especially after he found the notebook. He is one of the best students in the country, is very popular among his peers and teachers and is very success-oriented. He is also a ControlFreak with a GodComplex and a HairTriggerTemper. |
| 24 | * AcademicAthlete: Light is not only the best student at his school but also the best athlete. |
| 25 | * TheAce: Subverted. On the surface, Light is handsome, athletic, and a genius, with [[ChickMagnet incredible skill at getting women]]. However, for someone who started out as TheAce, Light is very childish, ''completely'' lacks emotional intelligence, and unlike L he seems to have no idea how society at large works. |
| 26 | * AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: As if the narcissistic traits he already displays weren't enough, his God complex only gets fed more and more as the series goes on with each and every one of his many successes. Eventually, his ego gets so overinflated that he ends up making uncharacteristic mistakes that bring about his downfall. |
| 27 | * AdaptationalHeroism: |
| 28 | ** Although not necessarily heroism, the anime changes his ending a bit, most notably him showing [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone some level of regret over his actions]]. He also doesn't desperately try to get Ryuk to kill the SPK members after he gets shot. |
| 29 | ** In the manga, his second victim is harassing a lady but hasn't done anything to her yet, and even Light feels he went too far in killing him. In the anime the criminal is an attempted rapist and the framing of the shot makes it look as though Light [[PetTheDog is genuinely trying to help the victim.]] |
| 30 | ** Some of his more cruel acts are toned down a bit as well; for example in the manga he gives Aiber liver cancer, causing him to die a slow, agonizing death surrounded by his family in the hospital while in the anime he gives a quicker death by alcohol poisoning. |
| 31 | ** The films actually manage to make both this and AdaptationalVillainy apply to him. In the films, his ProtagonistJourneyToVillain involves the law being held on a BrokenPedestal, whereas the anime/manga version is a perfectionist. On the same coin, in the films, he ends up JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope much sooner than he did in the anime and manga, to the extent that he tried to kill his own father to prevent the Death Note from being analyzed. |
| 32 | ** In the TV drama, he deeply cares about his family (even if he has a strained relationship with his father), actually returns Misa's feelings and is able to save people using the Death Note (getting rid of JerkJock Souta and saving his father from his mother's murderer). |
| 33 | ** The version of him in [[Film/DeathNote2017 the American Netflix movie]] is by far his most sympathetic counterpart. While he still kills people, he makes sure to only target criminals. He never takes the initiative in killing the FBI agents who are tailing him, [[spoiler:his partner Mia does so behind his back]], and he is outraged when Mia voices her desire to kill his father for publicly declaring Kira the enemy. At one point, he is a little apprehensive about using a Kira fansite to find more people to kill since there is a chance that someone might want a person dead for a petty reason such as sleeping with their boyfriend/girlfriend. Even when he writes Watari's name in the Death Note in an effort to get L's real name, he intends to [[spoiler:destroy the page with Watari's name on it, which would have prevented the effects of the notebook from taking effect. However, since Mia stashed the page in a calculus book, he is unable to save him in time.]] |
| 34 | * AdaptationalIntelligence: In ''VideoGame/JumpForce'', Light is surprisingly smarter, calm, collected, and fully capable of orchestrating successful plans. He is still as arrogant as ever, but he also lacks the more [[{{jerkass}} obnoxious]] and [[PsychopathicManchild childish]] traits the canon version of him was best known for. In fact, this incarnation ''is brilliant enough to qualify as a [[invoked]] MagnificentBastard''. |
| 35 | * AdaptationalSympathy: Downplayed. Light's killing of law enforcement is made somewhat more understandable in the live-action films, as he'd grown disillusioned with the legal system and he viewed their pursuit of Kira as a refusal to admit they'd got it wrong. In the manga and anime he kills them solely because they were bothering him. |
| 36 | * AdaptationalVillainy: The films actually manage to make this and AdaptationalHeroism apply to him. In the films, he ends up JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope much sooner than he did in the anime and manga, to the extent that he tried to kill his own father to prevent the Death Note from being analyzed. On the same coin, in the films, his ProtagonistJourneyToVillain involves the law being held on a BrokenPedestal, whereas the anime/manga version is a perfectionist who couldn't deal with the fact that he accidentally killed someone (thus, he reasons that it was okay since the dude was an asshole, and that it's okay to kill criminals). |
| 37 | * AgeLift: Every adaptation of the series initially starts off in ThePresentDay, and thus, in the films, manga, and anime, Light is a child of TheEighties. In the TV drama, airing in 2015, his birth year is shifted to as late as 1995. |
| 38 | * AllForNothing: |
| 39 | ** He sets out to be [[SerialKillerKiller Kira]] in order to, [[MotiveDecay at least at first]], create a better, more just world. By the end, after several years, all he accomplishes is getting [[HoistByHisOwnPetard himself]] and [[NiceJobBreakingItHero his father]] killed, and virtually everyone else in his personal life either [[KilledOffForReal dead]] or [[BreakTheCutie broken.]] |
| 40 | ** In the [[Manga/DeathNoteSpecialChapter Special Chapter]], however, we learned that things have worked in some way, since wars have been eradicated, crime has been effectively controlled, and law enforcement technology is extremely effective. |
| 41 | * AintTooProudToBeg: In the manga ending, after being shot, Light asks Ryuk to write the names of his last enemies into his Death Note. Instead, Ryuk writes Light's own name into the book and shows it to him. |
| 42 | * AlasPoorVillain: |
| 43 | ** In the anime, when he is finally defeated. The way he calls out to Takada and Misa, asking what he should do now that he's lost and going to die, is pretty heartwrenching. The anime even flashes back briefly to when Light was just an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent to drive the point home. Lastly, as Light sees himself before he got the Death Note while running away, he starts sobbing, clearly feeling regret in the end. |
| 44 | ** Played with in the manga. He dies [[HumiliationConga pathetically]], without [[AssholeVictim any kind of sympathy.]] To drive the point home, Aizawa asks Matsuda why he's still feeling pity for Light. Nevertheless, it doesn't stop a bunch of supporters mourning over his death. |
| 45 | ** In the film series, he dies an agonizing death in his father's arms, claiming that all he ever wanted was the justice that he taught him. |
| 46 | ** In the drama, Light refuses to give up, even when he's in a burning building. All he could think about was that he wanted to make the world a better place. Unlike the deaths listed above, he dies a much more agonizing death. He burns to death. |
| 47 | * AllegoricalCharacter: He is a walking societal critique of Japan's Lost Generation, children who grew up during the late nineties and early 2000s to find that despite all their hard work, they find themselves in a world with few job opportunities and other cruel hardships, with some ending up joining in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_subway_sarin_attack Aum Shinrikyo terrorist attack]]. |
| 48 | * AloofBigBrother: Downplayed as he isn't very distant from his sister, but he definitely keeps to himself a lot more considering what he's been doing throughout the series. |
| 49 | * AlternateCharacterReading: Light's name is very unusual and this is {{Lampshaded}} [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude by several characters]]. It is read as Light but spelled with the kanji ''[[GenderBlenderName tsuki]]'' or moon making it a MeaningfulName since the kanji has [[FourIsDeath four strokes]] and LightIsNotGood. Also a bilingual pun on "moonlight". Light or Raito is also a bilingual pun on ''Right'' or Righteous and ''Write'' as in writing. |
| 50 | * AmateurSleuth: [[{{Backstory}} Before picking up the Death Note.]] |
| 51 | * AmbiguousStartOfDarkness: Whether or not Light was a good person before he picked up the Death Note is unclear. While it could be that he numbed himself to death and convinced himself what he was doing was alright, he showed some sociopathic traits beforehand. For his part, Near is convinced that Light was ''always'' messed up in the head, arguing that he wouldn't have used the Death Note like he did if that wasn't the case. An in-depth examination of the character makes all of this even more confusing considering that we know very little about his interaction with his peers and his personal life before picking up the notebook. It is vaguely implied that he was adored by his peers and was a model student; however, when his memory is extinguished, we notice that he has an incredible lack of emotional intelligence and a HairTriggerTemper, even without the influence of the notebook. However, considering that he was dedicated to stopping Kira after losing his memories he could possibly have traits of a SociopathicHero. |
| 52 | * AmnesiacDissonance: Averted; he gives up his memories of being Kira, then his mind-wiped self tries to [[ClearMyName clear his name]] by joining a task force devoted to capturing Kira. Although he still keeps his intelligence and ''says'' that his thought patterns are similar to Kira's, his personality changes to that of a decent person rather than the self-righteous, prideful WellIntentionedExtremist[=/=]KnightTemplar he was before that would be willing to use the Death Note (the most jarring is the difference in how he treats Misa: while he was perfectly happy to seduce and manipulate her when they first met, memory-less Light vigorously opposes L's efforts to do the same). Even if he doesn't sympathize with Kira because he wants to clear his name, the personality change was the series' only notable headache. But when he gets his memories back, there's no dissonance -- just a PsychoticSmirk. Everything that happened went "[[AllAccordingToPlan Exactly as planned]]." |
| 53 | * AmnesiacsAreInnocent: A deliberately InvokedTrope during Light's MemoryGambit. Yotsuba Light is warm, open, kind and a NiceGuy because he doesn't remember he is Kira. |
| 54 | * AndShowItToYou: On the receiving end in the manga ending, but in a not-immediately-fatal way. After being shot and left to bleed to death, Light pleads with Ryuk to write the names of his enemies into the Death Note so he could get away. Instead, Ryuk says that he's finally gotten [[BlueAndOrangeMorality bored of Light and doesn't want to stay in a prison with him]], so he writes down Light's name and shows it to him as a final kick in the teeth to him. |
| 55 | * AntagonisticOffspring: Light is a mass murderer, and his father Soichiro is the police chief trying to stop him. However, Soichiro wants to believe his son is innocent. |
| 56 | * AntagonistInMourning: While he's initially ecstatic over beating L, to the point of dancing on his grave while gloating over beating him, when he has to deal with L's successors Near and Mello, Light contemptuously regards them as inferior to L, and is actually enraged when he finally meets Near and finds him wearing a mask of L's face. |
| 57 | * AntiHero: |
| 58 | ** The TV drama puts him here during the first few episodes as an UnscrupulousHero, as he uses the Death Note to protect others at that time. |
| 59 | * AntiRoleModel: In strict contrast to most Shonen protagonists, Light is pretty much written as an example of how '''not''' to act. His rapid descent into insane villainy is the predominant thrust of the plot's message of HeWhoFightsMonsters and his BlackAndWhiteInsanity, narcissism, superiority complex and lack of self-awareness are all used to demonstrate traits the authors seem to dislike. |
| 60 | * AntiVillain: Subverted in most media except the TV Drama, where he genuinely cares for his family, as well as Misa and Teru. Initially, he's a WellIntentionedExtremist but his excessive narcissism and sadism, as well as his increasingly [[DisproportionateRetribution insane and petty standards for murder]] quickly take him '''far''' away from here. Although he [[KnightTemplar genuinely believes he's in the right]], he's quick to kill off anyone who questions him or tries to track him down, deciding that those actions make them just as guilty as criminals for going against him. |
| 61 | * AppealToForce: He takes full advantage of the Death Note to kill criminals and those who would interfere with his plans, working as an anonymous God and [[PersonOfMassDestruction walking deterrent]]. Within six years, all wars stop and the global crime rate drops by 70% because everyone's scared of being killed by Kira. |
| 62 | * AppropriatedAppellation: "Kira", the {{Engrish}} pronunciation of "killer," [[BilingualBonus also means]] "sparkling," "shining," or "[[AtrociousAlias glitter]]" in Japanese. Additionally, Kira is also a Russian name by origin and is the feminine version of Cyrus. Cyrus comes from the Greek Κυρος (Kyros) which is the Greek version of the Persian name Kürush which may mean "far-sighted" or "young" — this, in and of itself, may refer to Light's grand, far-reaching dreams and his own youth and inexperience. Where it gets more interesting, however is that the name is also sometimes associated with the Greek κυριος (kyrios), meaning "lord". Indeed, the Greek word Kyrios means "lord, Lord, and Master" and in religious usage designates God, appearing 740 times in the New Testament referring to Jesus. Consider, though, that one of the songs in the Death Note soundtrack is titled "Kyrie" which is a transliteration of Greek κύριε (kyrie) and a vocative case of κύριος (kyrios). An interesting connection, even if it wasn't done intentionally. |
| 63 | * ArchEnemy: To L from the very beginning when he mocked Light's ideology, thus earning him this title. |
| 64 | * AssholeVictim: |
| 65 | ** Downplayed in the manga. After everything he's done throughout the story, it's hard to feel bad for his extensive HumiliationConga and undignified death, but the loss of the person that he ''could'' have been is still treated as a tragedy. |
| 66 | ** Averted in the anime. In the end, he shows some regret over his actions before he dies. See AlasPoorVillain. |
| 67 | * AwesomenessByAnalysis: This is his forte; quite a lot of his scenes involve a running inner dialogue where the audience hears him analyzing the scene around him, taking stock of his circumstances and options, and planning his next move. And of course, after his genius plans come to fruition, he has to go over them in detail so that the audience has a chance to figure out what exactly just happened. |
| 68 | * AwesomeMcCoolname: "Light" is written with the kanji for "moon", part of the reason why Misa finds his name so awesome. |
| 69 | * BadassArmFold: Light has done this pose on occasion when chatting [[TheRival with L.]] |
| 70 | * BadassBookworm: He's the top-ranked student in the country and his room is filled with books -- though he's only interested in [[ArtifactOfDeath one book in particular]]. |
| 71 | * BadassInANiceSuit: He always looks professional, you've got to give him that. |
| 72 | * BadBoss: Light rules his circle of supporters, namely Misa, Ryuk, Takada, and Mikami, with an iron fist. And although he's always polite, accommodating, and courteous to the Japanese Anti-Kira Task Force, there's really no other way to plot their deaths. However... in retrospect, Ryuk was free to do whatever the hell he pleased... and that includes penciling in Light's own name into the Death Note. Misa quite possibly gets the shortest end of the stick. She devoted herself to serving him, gave up half her lifespan for him ''twice'', and endured brutal torture to protect him, and Light ''still'' sees her as nothing but a pawn to be manipulated and then disposed of. Justified in that Light is extremely security-conscious, and his success rests largely on the people in his command, both as Kira and the second L, not screwing up. Due to this, he kills or tries to kill almost everyone who helps him throughout the series. |
| 73 | * BarredFromTheAfterlife: Light was said by Ryuk to be preemptively banned from entering Heaven or even Hell from the moment he finished scribbling the first name in his Death Note. Of course, it turns out there is no Heaven or Hell in the first place, so go figure. |
| 74 | * BastardlySpeech: |
| 75 | ** Gives one after L's death. |
| 76 | ** Following his father's death, when Matsuda is questioning whether capturing Kira is right or wrong, Light says that history will favor the victor; Kira will be seen as a criminal if he's caught, and will be seen as justice if he prevails. While this is meant to come across as a suggestion that the investigation team will be vindicated if they are successful, it also represents Light's belief that the world will soon come to accept him. |
| 77 | * BatmanGambit: He's a master at manipulation. His entire period of amnesia and what followed is a clear example. |
| 78 | * BatmanGrabsAGun: Light never intended to have Ryuk fight his battles for him out of pride. Once Near backs him into a corner, he foregoes that last remaining principle and begs Ryuk to kill his enemies. Taking this as confirmation that Light had officially run out of ploys, Ryuk decides to put him out of his misery |
| 79 | * BeautyEqualsGoodness: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. In many ways, he seems to be perfect, both physically and intellectually. However, it's that same perfection that leads him to the summit of villainy and narcissism. |
| 80 | * BeautyIsBad: Undoubtedly. He's a handsome and charming VillainProtagonist facing the unsocial and somewhat wild-looking HeroAntagonist L. Interestingly, though, whenever Light is being particularly evil, his face tends to twist into asymmetrical grins and other bizarre expressions that utterly break his boyish handsomeness. |
| 81 | * BeautyIsNeverTarnished: When both Light and his father were imprisoned for weeks on end during L's attempt to prove he is not Kira, he never begins to look any worse for it. While Soichiro grows a beard and his hair rapidly turns grey, Light remains cleanly shaven and his hair becomes only slightly disheveled, as any true {{Bishonen}} would. In the live-action film, he grows some slight stubble. |
| 82 | * BecomingTheMask: A much darker variation of the trope. In the beginning, Light makes a conscious distinction between the student prodigy and the mass-murdering Kira personas. By the end, however, Light's self-righteous god complex has spiraled so out of control, the two are indistinguishable. |
| 83 | * BerserkButton: If there is one thing guaranteed to piss him off, it's suggesting that what he is doing as Kira is wrong or evil. When Lind L. Tailor outright ''states'' this during the second episode, Light writes his name ''extra-large'' in the Death Note. |
| 84 | * BigBad: Of the whole story. While he is the [[VillainProtagonist protagonist]] of the series, his use of the Death Note quickly turns him into a power-hungry maniac whose murders become the all-encompassing threat to L and the Japanese Task Force and the hunt for him proves the challenge of the work. |
| 85 | * BigBadFriend: To L and Matsuda. L, who suspected Light as Kira from the very beginning, says he would be disappointed if Light turned out to be Kira because Light's the best friend he's ever had (though the writer states that L is probably lying), whereas Matsuda, who idolizes Light and likes him, has a complete breakdown when he finds out during the finale, shooting Light five times while [[BerserkerTears screaming and crying]]. It's especially heartbreaking because the audience has known from the beginning that Light is indeed Kira. |
| 86 | * BigBadSlippage: His entire character arc in the storyline is this, especially after his Kira persona takes complete control of him. |
| 87 | * BigBrotherInstinct: [[KnightTemplarBigBrother Initially, (in fact, in the manga, this is part of his initial justification]] [[MotiveDecay for using the Death Note)]] [[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget but ends up being one of the many things forgotten by the Dark Side]]. Poor, poor Sayu. |
| 88 | * BigManOnCampus: He is very popular and has lots of friends. This is shown more in the manga than in the anime. |
| 89 | * BigSleep: In the anime, at least. When he is killed by Ryuk in front of the police in the manga, he DiesWideOpen. |
| 90 | * BilingualBonus: In the 1st live-action movie, he was reading [[http://www.amazon.de/Jenseits-von-Gut-B%C3%B6se-Streitschrift/dp/3458324623 this German book]]. |
| 91 | * BitchInSheepsClothing: He acts polite, understanding, and caring towards the people around him, but in reality, he's a ManipulativeBastard with [[AGodAmI a God complex]]. And boy, when that façade drops, can he get ''nasty''. |
| 92 | * BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Falls into this more and more as the series progresses. {{Justified|Trope}}: People matching the diagnostic criteria for [[{{Narcissist}} narcissistic personality disorder]] use black-and-white thinking, called splitting, as a central defense mechanism; they separate mental concepts into good versus evil, say, as an attempt to stabilize the sense of self in order to preserve self-esteem. Throughout the series, Light certainly does show clear indications of perceiving himself as purely upright or admirable and others who do not conform to his will or values as purely wicked or contemptible. |
| 93 | * BloodbathVillainOrigin: He begins his first week as Kira by killing so many people that Ryuk, a god of death, is surprised. |
| 94 | * BornLucky: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. While Light's SuperIntelligence and being TheSocialExpert does make him an effective [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]], along with his status as an AcademicAthlete and the son of a Police Chief giving him a shield to prevent anyone from strongly suspecting him, sans [[ProperlyParanoid L]], one could make an argument that a lot of his {{Batman Gambit}}s worked out as they did mainly due to good luck. Case in point, his gambit to learn Raye Penber's true identity through a bus jacking could've gone wrong in a ''number'' of ways and it's mostly because of Raye's own incompetence that made Light's gambit work. Furthermore, Light's own {{Fatal Flaw}}s regarding his prideful and childish personality gives him obvious blindspots to how people, and by extension, the world, ''works'', which doesn't help how his string of successes after the 5-year TimeSkip worsen his flaws to the point he can't even '''fathom''' the idea that he can lose and it finally cultivated in him being OutGambitted by Near. |
| 95 | * BrainyBrunette: A brown-haired EvilGenius. |
| 96 | * BreakTheHaughty: This happens a bit every time he gets OutGambitted by his opponents, although he's fairly good at bouncing back. And, of course, his death counts as a truly epic example. |
| 97 | * BrilliantButLazy: In the first volume of the manga it seems people ''think'' he's this -- Light's teacher throws chalk in his face for spacing out in class. {{Justified|Trope}} in that he's worried that he just killed someone. Also, normal high-school subjects probably aren't that interesting to a super-genius who already knows the subject material. |
| 98 | * BrokenAce: There are hints in the series that Light wasn't entirely stable even before finding the Death Note; being so effortlessly perfect while surrounded by a world that he considered "rotten" while having little ability to fix it left him bored and seemingly depressed. And of course, as the series progresses he uses his near-inhuman charm to cover up his true nature. |
| 99 | * BrokenPedestal: In the live-action films, he holds the law itself as such; he begins acting as Kira out of disgust and frustration that the Japanese legal system is constantly abused by those [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections with connections]]. |
| 100 | * BrutalHonesty: Although it's a contrast to his usual approach to those around him, Light uses this tactic with Misa, most notably when he is just getting to know her and is sounding her out for motivation, understanding of the situation, and so forth. |
| 101 | * ButNotTooChallenging: While Light does enjoy a "battle of wits" against L, and later Near after the 5-year timeskip, he'll ''never'' accept losing as a possibility. His refusal to accept loss is justified given that "losing" in his case means that he can kiss whatever goals he has as Kira, his social life, and his freedom goodbye behind bars, assuming that he doesn't get killed beforehand or get the death penalty, it also shows his raging God complex, narcissism, and refusal to admit to any fault. This attitude is what really separates him from L, as by his own admission, he also doesn't like to lose, [[AtLeastIAdmitIt but the latter's very self-aware of his flaws]]. |
| 102 | * ByronicHero: A villainous one. Physically attractive, cunning and intelligent, arrogant with a [[AGodAmI major God complex]], prone to quiet brooding when things don't go his way, very passionate about his ideals, and absolutely convinced that what he is doing is right. He could also be a deconstruction of one: While people in and out of the series think he's misunderstood, he is genuinely evil and dangerous. Of course, the "misunderstood" conception changes at the end, at least in-universe. |
| 103 | * TheCaligula: Kira makes for a dangerously ruthless ruler. The God of the New World does not like it when people question the way he does things. Dissenters are likely to find their names in a certain little black book. |
| 104 | * CallingCard: "L, do you know..." |
| 105 | * CallingParentsByTheirName: At the end of the series, Light addresses his late father by his full name while declaring that in a world so rotten, idealists like Soichiro who fight for justice and died trying to stop Kira will always be made out to be fools unless Light can continue to rule. |
| 106 | -->'''Matsuda:''' What was it all for then? What about your dad? What the hell did he die for?!\ |
| 107 | '''Light:''' My dad? You mean Soichiro Yagami? That's right, Matsuda! In this world, all those earnest people like him who fight for justice... they always lose! You want a world where people like that are made to be fools?! |
| 108 | * CantTakeCriticism: |
| 109 | ** His biggest flaw (springing directly from his overwhelming {{Pride}}). Suggesting or outright stating that what he is doing as Kira is wrong or evil is a very good way to end up dead. He also walks out on a family meeting where [[ObliviousGuiltSlinging his father is calling Kira nothing but a murderer]] and later he looks visibly upset when [[spoiler:the Kira Task Force begins to (rightly) doubt his innocence again]]. In fact, when Lind L. Tailor insults him on national television, calling what he's doing evil, Light's [[BerserkButton immediate response]] is to use the Death Note [[DisproportionateRetribution to kill him on the spot]], writing his name ''extra big'' in there! |
| 110 | ** Played with as well, when Light decides to "support" his father's decision to pursue Kira despite the imminent danger this puts him in. |
| 111 | --->'''Light:''' If anything happens to you... I will personally put an end to Kira. |
| 112 | ** And once again, when L introduces himself to Light. Light claims to have nothing but respect and admiration for someone who'd try so hard to hunt Kira down. |
| 113 | * CharacterCatchphrase: Say it with me everybody... |
| 114 | ** "I am the [[AGodAmI GOD of the NEW WORLD!]]" |
| 115 | ** "[[AllAccordingToPlan Just as planned]]." |
| 116 | ** "I am JUSTICE!" (this one is [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike shared with L.]]) |
| 117 | ** [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial "I'm not Kira."]] |
| 118 | * TheCharmer: When all else fails he switches to this tactic of [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation]] in order to get someone's name or to save himself. |
| 119 | * TheChessmaster: He manipulates and uses pretty much everyone he comes into contact with. He also has a keen mind for strategy and planning which even rivals to the likes of L. |
| 120 | * ChickMagnet: Let's count all of the names that pop up in the manga: [[TheGhost Emi and Shiho]] (whom he mentions to Ryuk), [[UnwittingPawn Yuri]] (Spaceland Girl) and [[TheGhost Mayu]] (whom Misa cites as competition), Kiyomi Takada (who begins her role in the story as the girl who asked him out in college) and of course [[LoveMartyr Misa Amane]] herself. During college, he had about five or six girlfriends. Plus [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Shiori]], his girlfriend from the films. |
| 121 | * TheChosenOne: {{Subverted}}. When Ryuk appears, Light asks him why he gave Light the Death Note. Ryuk laughs in his face and tells him he dropped the notebook so ''anyone'' could find it. It's the reason the instructions are written in English, the most popular language in the world. |
| 122 | * ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Light betrays, has betrayed, or plans on betraying effectively everyone who was ever close in any way to him. |
| 123 | * ClaspYourHandsIfYouDeceive: He's done this on occasion. |
| 124 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He has shades of this, notably when he is agitated enough or talks about his fantasies [[EvilIsHammy in an extremely passionate way]]. |
| 125 | * ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The official color seems to be red. Also wears a lot of [[ObviouslyEvil black]] and [[LightIsNotGood white]]. His more casual attire is an inversion of L's wardrobe, wearing a black shirt with beige pants. |
| 126 | * ComplexityAddiction: Something of a defining trait, as established early after he figures out that he needs to hide the Death Note. |
| 127 | * CompositeCharacter: In [[Series/DeathNote the live-action series]], [[spoiler:he is burned alive like Takada was in the manga and anime]]. |
| 128 | * TheConscience: Memoryless Light is ironically this for L. |
| 129 | * ConsummateLiar: L asks Light if he seriously considers himself to be the polar opposite of this while the audience understands that Light is actually this: |
| 130 | -->'''L:''' Tell me, Light. From the moment you were born, can you honestly say you've never lied? |
| 131 | * ControlFreak: When it comes down to it, Light's murders as Kira start to become about him controlling every detail of the world, with everyone's actions being coordinated by fear of his wrath. |
| 132 | * TheCorruptible: He starts out as this, though he doesn't manage to hold out through ''the first episode''. Granted, the episode took place over two weeks... but still, he was overwhelmed by the power of the Death Note almost instantaneously. This is implied to be the byproduct of a nasty combination of [[ItAmusedMe boredom]], [[IntelligenceEqualsIsolation solitude]], and [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife purposelessness]]. |
| 133 | * ConvenientlySeated: Light gets the symbolic window seat, and it also gives him a great view to the yard where the Death Note gets dropped. |
| 134 | * CosmicPlaything: He found the Death Note completely at random (if Ryuk is to be believed, though the specific individual to find it seems a bit '''too''' perfect) and is heavily hinted to have been doomed from the beginning. |
| 135 | * CouldntFindAPen: |
| 136 | ** He writes Higuchi's name in his own blood, justified as he had to write it secretly on the Death Note page hidden in his watch. |
| 137 | ** After Matsuda shoots his pen out of his hand when he tries to write Near's name down, Light attempts to finish writing the name using his own blood. Matsuda doesn't let him. |
| 138 | * CradlingYourKill: His rival, L, dies in his arms in "Silence". Of course, he does it with a SlasherSmile. |
| 139 | * CramSchool: He attends one despite being WAY too smart to need it. |
| 140 | * CrazyPrepared: Played with. When he starts acting as Kira, he rigs his desk to burst into flame if anyone tries to find the Death Note, has three different ways to tell if someone has been in his room -- even ''before'' gaining the notebook -- and is shown spending hours going over his past actions and future plans, as well as what's been reported in the news. He looks for mistakes and possible holes and memorizes what has been reported, so L can't trip him up. Later, due to his raging god complex and his sense of complete superiority, he starts to view himself as invincible and stops being so well-prepared. It doesn't end well for him. |
| 141 | * CrazySane: [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Light can't cope with the knowledge that he has killed two people.]] In order to justify his first (accidental) murders of criminals he has to convince himself that they needed to be killed. [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope But then why stop there?]] So in order to make things right by his own moral code he has to kill more because it's the responsible thing to do, that he'll use this power for "good" -- no matter the price. [[InsaneTrollLogic He convinces himself that the real crime would be NOT to use the Death Note to change the world.]] The God complex swiftly follows, no doubt accelerated by the need to look interesting to Ryuk and L's very public challenging of him. All of this happens with alarming speed, and it explains why Light during the MemoryGambit has such a different personality and is horrified by the possibility that he could be Kira. Without the memory of having killed and what effect it had on his mind (as well as witnessing the impact such a person could have on society), he's a completely different person. |
| 142 | * CrucifiedHeroShot: |
| 143 | ** The cover art of Volume 12 of the manga. |
| 144 | ** Also during the second ending theme song's animation, although if you blink you'll miss it. |
| 145 | * CryLaughing: PlayedForDrama. It's only exclusive to the Italian dub, but it has Light appear as though he is crying from being exposed as Kira by the Task Force and the SPK members until he breaks out LaughingMad in his defeat. |
| 146 | * CursedWithAwesome: [[PlayingWithATrope Though]] ''[[PlayingWithATrope he]]'' [[PlayingWithATrope doesn't think of it as a curse.]] |
| 147 | * CuteAndPsycho: An attractive {{Bishonen}} who's also a serial killer with a huge ego. |
| 148 | * CutenessProximity: In the manga Light seems to have this reaction around ''Ryuk'' who Light refers to as "cute". |
| 149 | -->'''Light:''' Ryuk, you're so silly! |
| 150 | * DarkIsEvil: His surname spells "Yami"--the Japanese word for "darkness"--if you take out the middle syllable, and he is a {{narcissist}}ic SerialKiller with [[AGodAmI self-delusions of being a god]]. |
| 151 | * DarkMessiah: Of course he is. The worst part is afterwards where despite all the vile evil he has done, Light is worshiped by the world as the Messiah, even going as far as to declare their support for him, with only a handful of people knowing his true nature. |
| 152 | * TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget: While he starts out killing criminals with the idea of it bringing about justice, he starts to slip once the authorities get on his case, as he begins to kill the people investigating him whenever they get to close to the truth simply for trying to stop him; in order words, killing perfectly innocent people simply because they are trying to do their jobs. It gets worse after the TimeSkip, where he has fully bought into the idea of being the God of his own new world, and he toys with the idea of also beginning to target people just for being "unproductive". |
| 153 | * DarkerAndEdgier: |
| 154 | ** When compared to Taro Kagami, the Death Note user from the pilot chapter. Though even he decided to keep ''his'' Death Note... |
| 155 | ** Ye gods, Light in the live-action movies! It makes his anime counterpart seem downright ''cuddly'' in comparison. |
| 156 | * DeathGlare: Don't screw up his plans. Just... don't. |
| 157 | * DeathOfPersonality: Played with, as in his case the death of personality was self-initiated and the result of being driven mad by excessive power. The end of the manga shows that there is absolutely nothing left of the human he once was, though the anime implies a minuscule part still exists. Light still identifies with his old name, but very early on, he starts to describe Light Yagami, son of Soichiro, as a persona, while he identifies as Kira, God of the New World. |
| 158 | * DeclarationOfProtection: |
| 159 | ** Rem forces him, under direct threat of death, to adopt this mindset towards Misa in regards to his plans during the events that lead up to the Yotsuba arc. |
| 160 | ** As a more genuine example, this is initially Light's attitude towards his little sister, Sayu. However, he considers murdering her at one point, and lets her live only because he opts to gamble with her life -- and their father's life -- in order to find and kill Mello and get the second Death Note back. |
| 161 | * DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: |
| 162 | ** Of the {{shonen}} hero: a young, justice-loving ChasteHero (a narcissistic KnightTemplar with delusions of godhood) who discovers magical powers (a notebook that can be used to instantly murder anybody) and gains a Spirit Buddy (an amoral embodiment of death), makes a WorthyOpponent rival (a detective trying to apprehend him for his crimes) and picks up a persistent GenkiGirl love interest (a vapid pop idol who's fanatically obsessed with him and, despite barely knowing him, is instantly willing to kill for, die for and marry him). |
| 163 | ** He very quickly ends up being one of the VigilanteMan archetypes, showing just how narcissistic and self-serving one would have to be to delude themselves into thinking that breaking the law and killing people, criminals or not, is both moral and beneficial for society. While he sets out to only kill criminals initially, a combination of [[CantTakeCriticism wounded pride]] and self-preservation drives him to start murdering innocents and police officers who take exception to his methods and try to bring him to justice, showing how inevitably close these sort of people are to JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope. |
| 164 | * DeepCoverAgent: [[HeelFaceMindScrew He acts]] [[MemoryGambit as his own]] ManchurianAgent. |
| 165 | * DeskJockey: We rarely see him leave his desk during either the Yotsuba arc or the second arc, his "investigation" with Kiyomi Takada aside. He inherits this from L. |
| 166 | * DesecratingTheDead: In the compilation special, he dances on L's grave while bragging about having beaten him. |
| 167 | -->'''Light:''' What do you think of ''that'', L?! This is my ''perfect victory!'' That's right! '''I ''WIN!!!''''' |
| 168 | * DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: His state of being as the story begins. He despises the state of the world, finds no challenge or meaning in anything, has no hobbies, views his highest ambitions as a matter of the course of time, and yet ''always does everything perfectly'', like laughing at jokes that aren't funny told by people he may even loathe because good, clean-cut students socialize, and studying for exams he could pass in his sleep. He shows symptoms of a clinically depressed possible psychopath, with reputation-defense and control issues to beat the band. And his egomaniac tendencies begin to dominate his personality after he finds his purpose in conquering the world by fear and murder once he gets his hands on the Death Note. |
| 169 | * DespotismJustifiesTheMeans: Over time, his plans start to become more about becoming a god and less about making the world a better place. However, post-time-skip he once again begins to prominently talk about his "utopia", and thinks that eventually everyone will accept him as the ultimate arbiter of justice. |
| 170 | * {{Determinator}}: "Childish and hates to lose." Light as Kira is (from his perspective) on a [[KnightTemplar holy crusade against Evil]]. He's never going to quit his mission for the sake of his friends, family, or "true love." Sorry Misa. |
| 171 | * DevilInPlainSight: For the audience, and, later, Aizawa, Mogi and Ide. |
| 172 | * DevotedToYou: Misa is hopelessly obsessed with him and will do ''anything'' for him. She'd rather die than live any kind of life without him. [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide She does.]]]] |
| 173 | * DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Light's machinations cause Rem to kill L and Watari to save Misa's life. Because deliberately lengthening a human's life is a big no-no for Gods of Death, it ensures that Rem will die as well. |
| 174 | * DidYouJustScamCthulhu: Light manipulates Rem, a god of death, into killing L and Watari in order to save Misa. |
| 175 | * DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: An interesting variation; while the manga, anime, live-action film series and musical all end in Ryuk writing Light's name into the Death Note, ''how'' he goes out are otherwise very different to one another: |
| 176 | ** The manga has him begging Ryuk not to write his name into the Death Note, to no avail, resulting in his UndignifiedDeath. |
| 177 | ** The anime has him die peacefully in a warehouse while Ryuk muses about their time together, noting (no pun intended) "It's been fun." |
| 178 | ** The live-action film ends similarly to the manga, but not only does Light fail to kill L this time around, [[DiedInYourArmsTonight he also dies in Sochiro's arms]] (whom the latter was SparedByTheAdaptation). |
| 179 | ** The musical has him killed off just after L dies because Ryuk thinks VictoryIsBoring. Again, he begs for his life, to no avail. |
| 180 | ** The drama series has him burn to death in a warehouse, trying to reach another Death Note. |
| 181 | * DiesWideOpen: In the manga, after a bad bout of AintTooProudToBeg and InelegantBlubbering. It contrasts neatly with L's death, who closed his eyes upon death and managed to look quite peaceful despite losing a battle of wits that would have determined the fate of humanity. |
| 182 | * DirtyCoward: Arguably, his inability to confront his own hypocrisy is what engineers his turn into Kira. Played straight in the manga and downplayed in the anime. In the manga when faced with his own death, he frantically begs Ryuk to save him and at the end, he dies screaming and crying for his life. In the anime, when he is faced with his own mortality, he is also absolutely terrified and starts to beg for someone to save him, eventually crawling away while the others debate on if he is too pathetic to chase after, but ultimately accepts his fate and embraces death at the end (when he doesn't have a choice). |
| 183 | * DisposableWoman: Invoker of this trope, towards his family, Misa, Rem, Takada, and everyone else he dated ("used"). He outright kills Takada (who he outright forgot existed until she became useful again), forces Rem into suicide by risking Misa's life, contemplates killing his sister, ignores that one of his plans for securing the note could potentially kill his family, and isn't even around to console his mother when his plan gets his father killed. |
| 184 | * DisproportionateRetribution: His forte. |
| 185 | ** Basically the entire reason his battle against L goes as far as it does is because the latter's stand-in insulted him. |
| 186 | ** He sentences ''a purse-snatcher'' to death. |
| 187 | ** He considers eventually killing people for ''laziness''. [[PragmaticVillainy "Eventually" being the operative word]]; when his acolyte Teru Mikami openly declares slackers fair game, Light thinks he's gone too far. |
| 188 | ** The utterly heinous "crime" of getting in his way (See Lind L. Tailor). |
| 189 | ** Though he disapproved of Mikami targeting minor and reformed criminals, Light didn't hesitate to dispose of people like Wedy and Aiber, who were no longer threats to anyone but remained potential loose ends to him. |
| 190 | * DissonantSerenity: He can remain perfectly calm and go about his daily routine while knowing full well that people are dying by his hand. The anime even shows a sequence, early on, that places scenes of criminals dying, sometimes violently, in between scenes of Light walking to school, playing a game at gym, and opening a bag of chips at lunch. |
| 191 | * DoesntLikeGuns: He refuses to accept a handgun for self-defense in the middle of a car chase. He has some less-than-pleasant experiences with guns throughout the series. |
| 192 | * DoNotAdjustYourSet: He and Misa set several of these up throughout the course of the series, sometimes on national TV, sometimes on private laptops. |
| 193 | * DomesticAbuse: Light takes his anger out on, controls, demeans, deceives, and initially plans to kill Misa. For various reasons, he doesn't go with it, and eventually chooses to erase her memories instead. He's not much better to any of his other paramours, putting Yuri in harm's way and leaving Kiyomi to die as soon as she'd fulfilled her purpose. And then there's Shiori from the live-action series. |
| 194 | * DontTellMama: "You ''told'' my father that I'm a suspect?!" |
| 195 | * DoomedProtagonist: Kind of a given when you've picked up an ArtifactOfDeath; there's also more {{Foreshadowing}} when Ryuk informs Light that humans who come into contact with Shinigami have nothing but misfortune. Light assures him [[{{Pride}} "I'll show you the break in that pattern."]] The "How to Read" caption on that picture says "Light suffered a pathetic end. This line reveals his arrogance." |
| 196 | * DoomMagnet: Complete with LampshadeHanging. |
| 197 | * DoubleConsciousness: "Don't panic. I have to act like Soichiro Yagami's son Light would act." Also made obvious with the fracturing image symbolism in the second opening credits. Also {{Lampshaded}} by L when he asks Light how, [[AmateurSleuth as a detective]], he would go about trapping Kira: |
| 198 | -->'''L:''' Absolutely amazing. The thing is I've asked countless investigators that same question and it took them minutes to even come up with an answer. But you, Light. [[OpenMouthInsertFoot You immediately thought of a scenario where Kira was talking directly to the investigators.]] I'm impressed. You'll make a ''fine'' detective someday. |
| 199 | * DramaPreservingHandicap: Light refuses the Shinigami Eyes because he wanted to rule as God of the New World for a very long time, but if he had done it, it would have taken out a lot of tension and stakes between Light and L and needed to learn L's true name to kill him. As the climax revealed, he's just plain-old scared of death. |
| 200 | * DramaticIrony: His very character ''thrives'' on this. Very few knew the true depths of his crude, childish greed and excessive {{Pride}}. Following the TimeSkip, while he's seen throughout the world as a MessianicArchetype set to bring the world's salvation, every single good thing he's done is simply for the sake of PR and he sees the whole of the world as merely a means to reach greater heights. This makes him [[SatanicArchetype no different than Satan Himself.]] |
| 201 | * DracoInLeatherPants: He gets this treatment both in-story and out. [[invoked]] |
| 202 | * TheDreaded: By the second half of the series, Kira has become such a terrifying entity that merely the presence of Kira has changed the world on a global scale. Wars have stopped and crime rates have dropped significantly, simply out of the fear of being murdered by a judge outside of the legal system. When Near corners Light at the end of the series, he even notes that he's not the judge of good and evil, and that [[TheExtremistWasRight Kira may have changed the world for the better with fear]]. |
| 203 | * DrunkWithPower: While it's clear that Light always was a bit of a troubled man, had he not picked up the Death Note he would have most likely gone on to live a good clean life simply due to the hold society has on him. After getting the Death Note and being forced to deal with the fact that he unwittingly ''murdered'' two people so easily, his darker ambitions take over and drive him towards his God complex, which were enabled and exacerbated by his growing popularity. |
| 204 | * DullEyesOfUnhappiness: Seen in episode 1 before finding his "purpose". Also in episode 26 when [[AntagonistInMourning trying to adjust to a world without L in it.]] |
| 205 | * TheDutifulSon: Probably the most horrible deconstruction of this. Light is more or less what is considered to be the perfect Japanese son, and the majority of his god complex seems to be linked to the praise he receives for it. |
| 206 | * DyingAlone: |
| 207 | ** Although in the anime, there is an appearance from what appears to be L's ghost. This may or may not be a DyingDream. |
| 208 | ** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in the manga and [[DiedInYourArmsTonight film]]. |
| 209 | * DyingAsYourself: Possibly at the end of the anime. Now that he's finally undone, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone the weight of everything he's done seems to finally hit him...]] a little too late. |
| 210 | [[/folder]] |
| 211 | |
| 212 | [[folder:Tropes E-K]] |
| 213 | * EngineeredHeroics: Well, he's perfectly happy [[SoProudOfYou soaking up lots of praise from the Task Force]] for working to stop Kira... while being Kira. |
| 214 | * EtTuBrute: When the task force begins to turn against him in Season 2, [[DullEyesOfUnhappiness it's clear]] ''he'' sees it as a betrayal. Also the end of the series, "Matsuda, I thought you understood!" The manga finishes it up with Mikami screaming "YOU'RE NOT GOD!!" |
| 215 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: |
| 216 | ** Downplayed in that [[spoiler:Light sheds away his initial care for his family after his descent in morality. When his father died, he was just frustrated that he failed to deliver Mello's real name but otherwise never mourned him. When his sister was kidnapped by Mello, he seriously considered killing her with the Death Note and only relented because it would frame him as Kira. On top of that, he threatened his girlfriend Misa to kill her and had his other girlfriend Takada burn herself to death. That being said, he never ''wants'' to kill any of his family, and likely would've let them live had he been in control of everything.]] |
| 217 | ** Averted in the film ''The Last Name'', in which he [[spoiler:writes his father's name into the Death Note in order to stop it being analyzed. It doesn't work - and what's worse, Soichiro gets to watch while he does it. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even Misa was horrified at that and broke down in tears]]. Just when we thought it couldn't get worse, it did: Light ultimately dies in his father's arms, [[FreudianExcuse begging him to believe that he acted as Kira to put justice into effect]].]] |
| 218 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: |
| 219 | ** Light looks quite shocked when Misa offers to kill her friend who helped her distribute the Kira tapes. |
| 220 | ** It's also possible that he felt pain when his father died and Light would never intentionally kill his own father. |
| 221 | ** In general Light is disgusted by ''any'' crime ([[MoralMyopia unless of course he's the one doing it; in which case it's perfectly justified]]). |
| 222 | ** In the TV drama, he wasn't feeling comfortable with killing Raye Penber (or so he thought was his name) because he had a fiancée. It took Ryuk's goading to write his name down. |
| 223 | ** Genuinely thought Teru went too far when he ex-criminals who already served their time. Even Light knew that's pointless and counterproductive. He also believed Teru announcing he'll kill people simply for being lazy was a step too far. The latter bit is eventually subverted though; Light later admits that he is indeed toying with the thought of also targeting "unproductive" people at some point, and his main problem with Teru doing it was he made the move "too soon". |
| 224 | ** While Light starts off the series with many standards (such as targeting the worst criminals at first and slowly getting rid of the rest through more humane means than a heart attack), over the course of the series Light [[SubvertedTrope subverts them]] to the point where even his few genuine standards come across as more [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical]] than redeeming. By the end of the series, Light is little more than just a crazy serial killer as Near says. |
| 225 | * EvenTheGuysWantHim: |
| 226 | ** In the first episode of Death Note, a surprising number of men seem to be checking out Light. At each crossing he stops at, someone is giving him a sideways glance. And then there's his slightly too agog teacher when he listens to Light translate some lines to Japanese. |
| 227 | ** Let's see, you've got like every background character in episode 1, [[MonsterRoommate Ryuk]] follows him around everywhere, [[SpannerInTheWorks Raye Penber the Stalker]], [[AntiHero L]] and his weird obsession and surveillance cameras, [[NiceGuy Matsuda]] and [[TheDragon Mikami]] the fanboys, and [[CreepyChild Near]] with his creepy smiles and he keeps calling and hanging up... [[{{Pun}} Kira is a wanted man.]] |
| 228 | * EvilAllAlong: Although he kept up the act of being a friend, or at least a decent co-worker, to L, Matsuda, and the rest of the task force, he is the mass murderer they've all been searching for. And although he would rather not kill off the task force, preferring instead to manipulate and deceive them, he will not hesitate to get rid of them if he feels that he needs to. |
| 229 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: When Sochiro tries to negotiate with Mello, despite the fact that Mello had kidnapped and [[BreakTheCutie traumatized]] Sayu, Light is flabbergasted and confused as to why he won't just write his name in the Death Note and be done with it. |
| 230 | * EvilGenius: Unquestionably genius, and unquestionably evil. |
| 231 | * EvilGloating: He practically dances on L's grave while bragging about his victory over the GreatDetective. Also, when he writes Naomi Misora's name in the Death Note, he openly admits to her that he's Kira just to see the look on her face before she dies. This winds up backfiring when he finally meets Near face to face and puts his endgame into action, only to realize he was outwitted with him being told straight up that by declaring "I win," he pretty much implicated himself. Even then, he openly gloats to the police about his God complex, merely as a matter of pride to show how confident he was that he had successfully tied up all remaining loose ends. |
| 232 | * EvilIsAngular: If you pay attention, you may notice that his physical design becomes more angular as the show progresses. For example, his eyes become more squinty and his face becomes a little less rounded than when he was innocent. |
| 233 | * EvilHero: [[VillainWithGoodPublicity He has good publicity]] and has influenced hundreds of people [[DarkMessiah who sincerely believe in his justice]]. Unfortunately, he is also a {{narcissist}}ic {{sociopath}} with a HairTriggerTemper who would be more than willing to kill innocents, FBI agents, lovers and even ''relatives''. |
| 234 | * EvilIsHammy: He is such a ham that he'll "take a potato chip... and EAT IT!" |
| 235 | * EvilIsNotAToy: Ryuk dropped a Death Note close by for Light to pick up, basically giving him a chance to kill people by the stroke of a pen. And for the majority of the series, Ryuk more appears like a HarmlessVillain, looking creepy but ultimately spending his time watching Light's antics, eating apples or [[VillainsOutShopping playing Mario Golf]]. It isn't until the end, when Light has been exposed as Kira and has "become boring" that Ryuk proves that he's still a {{Shinigami}} and writes Light's name into his own Death Note, [[CallBack just as Ryuk told him he eventually would]]. |
| 236 | * EvilIsNotWellLit: His bedroom always seems to be dark, save for the light from his computer and television; as you can imagine, he has several eerie FaceFramedInShadow moments. |
| 237 | * EvilIsPetty: For all his loftier [[AGodAmI ambitions]], Light often indulges in unnecessarily cruel and petty acts either because someone criticized him or just because he can. |
| 238 | ** Most notably, he kills Lind L. Taylor on national television simply because he was pissed at Taylor [[BerserkButton for telling him]] [[CantTakeCriticism that what he was doing was evil]]. |
| 239 | ** Then there's his murder of Naomi Misora, in which he tells her that he's Kira the moment before the Death Note takes effect, just to see the look of horror on her face as she realizes what's about to happen, and taunts her with offers to get her in touch with the Task Force, knowing that she can't do anything about it. Unlike all of his other victims, Light did all of that for no other reason [[ForTheEvulz than to be cruel]]. |
| 240 | * EvilLaugh: [[GigglingVillain He's got some evil chuckles spread out throughout the series]] and [[LaughingMad the one in]] the GrandFinale is [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C65oaIHsdYM legendary]]. |
| 241 | ** [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qd7fHOCcGnE English version.]] |
| 242 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVq8ygJ_Ysc&ab_channel=xZeLaRtHx Italian version.]] |
| 243 | ** Not to mention the one he comes out with after L bests him for the second time, at his university entrance ceremony. |
| 244 | * EvilMakesYouUgly: A {{Bishonen}} whose facial expressions become noticeably twisted whenever he's angry or excited. This certainly gets worse over time. His features do coarsen a bit the older and nastier he becomes. |
| 245 | * EvilOverlooker: A few times, such as during the opening and closing themes, symbolically and literally overseeing his New World. |
| 246 | * EvilPlan: MotiveDecay changes it from the well-intentioned 'eliminate crime' to the insane 'become god of a new world'. |
| 247 | * EvilRedhead: Light's hair is stylistically colored blood-red when he's feeling particularly vile, along with his [[RedEyesTakeWarning eyes]], but even when that's not the case, his hair is closer to auburn than brown and the reddest in the cast. |
| 248 | * ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy: As part of his MemoryGambit, Light makes sure that L reads the rules of the Death Note so that his own fake rules, in the context of the other real rules, come across as legitimate. |
| 249 | * ExpressiveHair: Whenever he freaks out, his normally tidily combed hair becomes wild and messy. |
| 250 | * {{Expy}}: Much like L being an {{Expy}} of ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'', Light Yagami shares a lot in common with Professor James Moriarty from Creator/SirArthurConanDoyle's classic novels. Similar to Moriarty, Light possesses a [[EvilGenius genius-level intellect]], having discarded the idea of being an ordinary civilian to embark on a campaign and plan outside the bounds of the law, solely to establish himself as the greatest adversary his [[ArchEnemy arch-nemesis]] (L to Light; Holmes to Moriarty) has ever faced. Ultimately, Light, just like Moriarty, also undertakes this campaign and wave of murders largely because [[ForTheEvulz he's bored and seeks to inflate his ego]]. |
| 251 | * EyesOutOfSight: Whenever he needs to keep up appearances every time someone is critical of Kira, an example being that his father calls Kira evil at the dinner table, he'll hide his eyes behind his bangs, TheTell that he doesn't want anyone to see his eyes. |
| 252 | * TheExtremistWasRight: During his MotiveRant, Light says that wars have stopped and crime has dropped 70% because of Kira's presence. He succeeded in scaring the shit out of most of the world as an anonymous "God" and [[PersonOfMassDestruction walking deterrent.]] Downplayed in that he's still clearly insane. |
| 253 | * FaceDeathWithDespair: Light, who has spent the entire series killing people without so much as batting an eye, is entirely undignified when it's his turn to go out at the very end, reduced to abject terror and begging for his life when Ryuk puts Light's name into his own Death Note, as he told Light he would do at the very beginning of the series. The knowledge that his fate would be no different from the legions of criminals and dissenters he'd personally executed clearly did a number on his psyche. |
| 254 | * FaceDeathWithDignity: Anime version only. After his plans are foiled and he escapes into a nearby warehouse, he spends his last moments looking content before Ryuk writes his name into the Death Note and [[BigSleep he drifts off after silently succumbing to a heart attack.]] A far cry from [[AintTooProudToBeg how he spent his final moments in the manga.]] |
| 255 | * FaceHeelTurn: Before he picked up [[ArtifactofDoom the Death Note]] and became [[SerialKiller Kira himself]], he used to be so [[NiceGuy nice, caring, good, and angelic]] to everyone around him, including his family. |
| 256 | * FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: He's pretty good-looking for an evil mastermind. |
| 257 | * FallenHero: Light used to be an idealistic AmateurSleuth who helped his father and the police solve difficult cases. [[StartOfDarkness Then he picked up the Death Note.]] |
| 258 | * FalseFriend: |
| 259 | ** A mutual example with L. Their supposed friendship is completely insincere on both sides. |
| 260 | ** His relationship with Matsuda is probably closer than any of the other detectives since he believes that Matsuda is a BlackShirt who believes in [[AGodAmI Kira's justice]]. [[CurbStompBattle He was wrong]]. And of course, Light didn't hesitate to have Matsuda killed along with the other detectives. |
| 261 | * FamilyValuesVillain: Light doesn't approve of any crime. He is also a firm believer in the credo "respect the police ''and'' pressure them into murdering your enemies." |
| 262 | * FangsAreEvil: By the end of the first ''Relight'' special (everything after the funeral scene) Light seems to be sporting ''fangs'' in addition to perpetually glowing red eyes. |
| 263 | * FatalFlaw: His overwhelming {{Pride}}. He also has three other flaws which stem from his pride: |
| 264 | ** His massive [[AGodAmI God complex]], which leads him to underestimate his opponents and blinds him to the point where he refuses to even ''consider'' the possibility that he could ever lose. |
| 265 | ** [[CantTakeCriticism His refusal to accept criticism]]. Even as early as the second episode Light's ego starts hurting him when he kills Lind L. Tailor out of spite for calling him a criminal and what he is doing evil, instantly narrowing L's search from worldwide to a region in Japan. |
| 266 | ** And finally, his propensity for EvilGloating when he's about to kill an enemy because he ''has'' to make sure they know he beat them. He got away with telling Naomi that he was Kira right before the Death Note kicked in and compelled her to walk off and kill herself. He got away with sneering down at L as he died in Light's arms. But when he smugly told Near "I win" just before Mikami's (fake) Death Note conclusively ''failed'' to kill all his enemies, he threw away any possible chance of salvaging the situation for himself, sealing his fate. |
| 267 | * FateWorseThanDeath: In the manga, Near expresses what kind of fate he has planned for Light: imprisoned for the rest of his life in a room without sound or sight as he is made aware of the world going back to normal. Ryuk [[MercyKill decides to skip this process for him.]] |
| 268 | * FauxAffablyEvil: He puts up a cool, polite, and friendly act, but in reality, he looks down on everyone around him. A particular example is when he's just written Naomi Misora's name in the Death Note. The moment she realizes that he is Kira and the Death Note takes effect, he asks her what the matter is and casually turns his phone back on, telling Naomi she can speak to his father now. |
| 269 | * FluffyTamer: "You shinigami are so cute!" ([[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chickenzombies8_7202.jpg Parodied in this doujinshi.]]) |
| 270 | * {{Foil}}: While no one in the series is TheAce to be a proper GoodCounterpart, he certainly shares some traits with some characters: |
| 271 | ** To L: Both are extremely intelligent young men who can play others like a fiddle, but while Light uses his smarts to commit acts of tyranny and oppression he believes are for the greater good, L uses his genius to prevent them and/or catch the criminal(s) responsible. Furthermore, both L and Light have a whole reciprocal shadow ''thing'' going. Light is the social one, who not only understands but really ''cares'' about proper socialization and not being indecorous but as Kira, he's also the one who's the most prolific serial killer in history. L is antisocial and willfully unsocialized, and he doesn't really care about a little thing like illegal detainment, mock executions, and torture, but he's the one trying to enforce the fact that ''you don't go around killing people'' and he means it. Enough to be unwilling to test the Death Note. They're certainly both liars. The primary difference between L and Light -- two childish geniuses who hide behind their claims of justice -- is that L has emotional intelligence and is capable of accepting and coping with his own and the world's flaws, something that Light absolutely ''refuses'' to do. |
| 272 | --->'''L:''' "Kira is childish and he hates losing... I am also childish and I hate to lose. That's how I know." |
| 273 | ** To Near: Like Near, he's incredibly smart, cunning, smug, and arrogant. The big difference is that while Light has social skills and is perfectly capable of socializing, Near [[NoSocialSkills absolutely lacks social skills]]. |
| 274 | ** To Mello. Like Mello, he's incredibly stubborn, [[HairTriggerTemper short-tempered]], arrogant, [[PsychopathicManchild childish]], refuses to listen to others, is extremely passionate, very intelligent, good-looking, and is not afraid of performing unethical acts to carry out his plans. The big difference is that while Light pretends to be on the side of the law, Mello is on the side of TheMafia and uses it as a resource. Where Mello has a rebellious appearance, Light is always impeccably dressed. Just think of Mello as a more rebellious version of Light. |
| 275 | ** To Minoru Tanaka: The fact that [[spoiler:both are killed by Ryuk]] certainly cements this status. In terms of sheer intellect, Minoru lacks TheAce aspects of Light, being unable to translate his intelligence into his academics while Light excels at everything he puts his mind to. However, in many ways, the entire purpose of his character seems to be an answer to everything Light aspired to be throughout the course of the series: careful, meticulous, cunning, successful, and altruistic. Ironically, in his short period, he achieved what Light could never achieve: [[spoiler:defeat Near and being praised by thousands of people in his country]]. Another purpose of his character seems to be an answer to all the praise that Light has received from fans for more than ten years and to everything his [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype archetype]] represents, letting Minoru himself carry out much more cunning and altruistic plans for his country. All these attributes show that, by the end of the day, Minoru is a far better person than Light, which is cruelly ironic considering that Minoru [[spoiler:did not seek to be praised and ended up being much more praised and loved than Light himself. One wonders what Light himself would think if he saw that another Kira managed to be much more loved than he ever tried to be. Especially a Kira whose motivation was to just get rich over instilling any justice.]] |
| 276 | * FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Sayu and Light, though subverted once Light becomes Kira. |
| 277 | * ForTheEvulz: It's subtle, but it's still there. Indeed, there are very few justifiable reasons for Light to do what he does throughout the course of the story. There are no personal or particularly tragic events that, at the very least, justify his malice and his quest for power, beyond his disdain for the state of the world and his desire to shape it in his own way and to his own form. His malice, sadism, and malignant narcissism are not the result of [[FreudianExcuse Freudian Excuses]]. From the outset, we learned that he comes from a very functional family that always cared for him, and he never had anything resembling real problems. He was always a child who was given everything and never had to suffer ''anything''. Instead, he seeks an excuse for thousands and millions of people to praise him and submit to his whims. The fact that everything he did, he did because [[ItAmusedMe he was bored]] and to inflate his ego doesn't help. |
| 278 | ** His murder of Naomi Misora, being just cruel for cruelty's sake. He tells her that he's Kira the moment before the Death Note takes effect, just to see [[OhCrap the look of horror on her face]] as she realizes what's about to happen, and [[EvilGloating taunts her]] with offers to get her in touch with the Task Force, knowing that she can't do anything about it. |
| 279 | * FourTemperamentEnsemble: Choleric. As an individual, Light is decisive, commanding, action-oriented, and a born leader. He also possesses a HairTriggerTemper, which is common in some choleric individuals. |
| 280 | * FreakOut: |
| 281 | ** Suffers one of the most famous in all of anime upon finally being caught red-handed. |
| 282 | ** He has several smaller ones whenever it looks like his plans might fail. |
| 283 | * FreudianExcuse: |
| 284 | ** Averted in the anime and manga. Light's home life is devoid of any drama and his good looks and genius intellect ensure that he won't have to struggle too much in life. |
| 285 | ** In the live-action movie, Light overheard a thug bragging about how the legal system was so flimsy he could get away with murder. Said thug noticed light eavesdropping and threatened to stab him then and there. Light's misanthropy then kicked into overdrive. |
| 286 | ** In the TV drama, his mother dies when he is young, and due to his father's absence he is forced to act as [[PromotionToParent Sayu's parental figure]]. |
| 287 | * FriendlessBackground: Though he's very popular, [[IntelligenceEqualsIsolation Light doesn't seem to be particularly close to]] ''[[EatingLunchAlone anyone]]''. This varies somewhat from the manga to the anime. In the manga, Light is seen casually joking while walking home with friends, while in the anime, Light is shown pointedly declining an invitation to hang out and eat lunch alone. He had many friends though, and he was able to get a large group together when going out looking for the Second Kira. |
| 288 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: He was just a brilliant, yet disaffected, OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent before he found the Death Note. With it, he became a notorious mass murderer whose mere presence has stopped wars and vastly dropped the global crime rate within six years. |
| 289 | * GadgetWatches: Light hides a piece of his Death Note inside his watch, meaning he can kill anyone at any time as long as he's not being watched carefully. |
| 290 | * GambitRoulette: A number of his plans rely more on luck and coincidence than genuine planning; so much so that this trope was once called the Yagami Gambit. The most famous of his plans being, of course, the MemoryGambit. |
| 291 | * GenuineImposter: Light is secretly [[SerialKiller Kira]], and is [[HiredToHuntYourself working with the anti-Kira task force]]. When a ''[[CopycatKiller second]]'' Kira shows up, L asks Light (who he suspects of being the first Kira) to pretend to be Kira and send a message to the second Kira. |
| 292 | * GentlemanAndAScholar: Light is considered one of the most prodigious students in Japan and has no problems in socializing. That said, as soon as we know him more thoroughly, the "gentleman" factor is nothing more than a facade; in fact he is a childish opportunist with a HairTriggerTemper and a misogynist whose treatment towards Misa is absolutely despicable. Not to mention his VillainousBreakdown at the end of the story... |
| 293 | * GigglingVillain: He does this a lot, especially in his inner monologues. And when he does, your guts will squirm. |
| 294 | * GloryHound: While he believes he's doing humanity a favor by eliminating criminals, actually he's just a {{narcissist}} who sees himself as "perfect" and wants to be praised. |
| 295 | * GlowingEyesOfDoom: Such pretty [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]]. |
| 296 | * GoKartingWithBowser: He and L do this throughout the first arc. |
| 297 | * AGodAmI: The trope's page image. Eventually, he declares himself to be God, at least in his own mind. By the final few chapters, Light has become so convinced of his own superiority to everyone else that he can't even comprehend the idea that he might fail. Even after he's caught, he outright declares himself God to the police. |
| 298 | * GodhoodSeeker: After picking up the Death Note, Light sets out to become the God of the New World. As he hits his stride, he starts [[AGodAmI legitimately believing he is one]]. |
| 299 | * GodzillaThreshold: In the manga and live-action films, he hits it during the final confrontation after being shot by Matsuda. Having run out of plans and been exposed as Kira, Light begs Ryuk to help him by writing the names of Near and the task force in his Death Note. Instead, Ryuk writes Light's own name in the Death Note, outright saying that since Light was desperate enough to turn to him for help instead of having a backup plan, it was all over for him (not to mention that Ryuk would have died himself had he actually saved Light, so even if Light had continued in his schemes Ryuk wouldn't have been around to witness them, which was his whole reason for dropping the Death Note in the first place). |
| 300 | * GoodEyesEvilEyes: Before he jumps off the deep end and when he gives up his memories and becomes truly innocent, his eyes are [[WideEyedIdealist wide]]. When he is acting as Kira, contemplating and executing murder plots and plans for godhood, his eyes are noticeably narrower. |
| 301 | * GreaterScopeVillain: In the ''[[Manga/DeathNoteSpecialChapter Death Note Special Chapter]]''. With Ryuk occupying the title of BigBad and Light becoming a [[VillainousLegacy posthumous villain]], Light's influence is still prominent in the universe of the series. In fact, his mere existence is the reason why humanity has changed considerably, why Japanese detectives are terrified of the Shinigami, and why Kira's name is so relevant to humanity in general. Ultimately, Light is who triggers the events of the ''Special Chapter'' and is ultimately responsible for Ryuk's interest in humanity. |
| 302 | * GutFeeling: Among other situations, if Light hadn't felt this about Naomi Misora, the story would have had a very different ending. |
| 303 | * HairTriggerTemper: He is ''very'' aggressive with things related to his ego. In fact, messing with his ego is probably the most dangerous thing you can do. |
| 304 | * HannibalLecture: Light delivers one, MotiveRant style after he's cornered and exposed as Kira. Near responds with a KirkSummation. |
| 305 | * HarmfulToMinors: [[EvilIsNotAToy Death Note: Keep Out of Reach of Anyone.]] |
| 306 | %% Hate Sink: Light has been deemed not an example per https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15476140760A75581300&page=111#2767 |
| 307 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: Light fakes being this with both L and Matsuda whenever he benefits from it. It's mutual with L, but Matsuda genuinely believes them to be best friends. |
| 308 | * HeWhoFightsMonsters: It arguably takes only one chapter for him to become a monster (i.e. killing Lind L. Taylor), and he keeps on going from there. As the crusader against criminals, Light becomes the worst of them all. Ryuk even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades it]], remarking that Light will most likely eventually be the only evil person left in the world once his plan succeeds. |
| 309 | * HeelFaceBrainwashing: Which he pulls on ''himself'' via supernatural notebook. |
| 310 | * HeelFaceTurn: He gets rid of his memories and becomes far nicer. It doesn't last, though. |
| 311 | * HelplessGoodSide: [[NiceGuy Yotsuba!Light]] is a TechnicalPacifist who believes he's not even ''capable'' of killing and [[DoesntLikeGuns won't even accept a handgun]] [[TheFettered for self-defense.]] |
| 312 | * HeManWomanHater: Hates women, believing them to be an annoyance or a distraction, and minimizing their intelligence and cares. And, while Misa is often considered annoying, her planning and foresight, including in finding him, give her signs of being a GeniusDitz. Plus, he believes this even after meeting Takada, his mother, sister, who have shown him nothing but appreciation, and the female Rem, who he had to manipulate because she was too intelligent not to. |
| 313 | * TheHeroDies: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. He's the villainous main protagonist of the series, which ends upon his death. |
| 314 | * HighSchoolSweethearts: He's college sweethearts with Kiyomi. |
| 315 | * HiredToHuntYourself: Exaggerated when he becomes the new L. It's one thing to string along a group of detectives for ''years'' while pretending to chase the mass murderer you secretly are. It's another thing to get a paycheck for it. |
| 316 | * HisOwnWorstEnemy: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. While Ryuk did indirectly put Light onto the path of becoming a SerialKiller, it's also Light's own DetrimentalDetermination, growing arrogance and madness, and his refusal to believe he's not infallible that ultimately lead him to his humiliating defeat and his death. |
| 317 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: After spending the entire series killing people by writing down their names in his Death Note, Light himself goes out when his own name is written down in a Death Note by Ryuk, as Ryuk had warned him that he would at the very beginning. In addition, Light dies with the same kind of heart attack that he'd killed countless people with. |
| 318 | * HolierThanThou: He thinks himself morally superior to everyone else around him and that alone gives him the right to decide who deserves to live or die. Near isn't having it after exposing him as Kira and calls Light a murderer, pointing out that this attitude makes him worse than someone who would kill for money and power. |
| 319 | * HollywoodHacking: How he is shown getting information from various sources over the course of the series. |
| 320 | * HolyHalo: On the manga cover art. Also gets HolyBacklight in the first episode when he first declares he's going to become the God of the New World. |
| 321 | * HorrorStruck: There's a brief but powerful image at the very beginning of the manga when Light is coming to grips with the power of the Death Note. He's shown huddled in bed, wrapped in a blanket, with this stricken ''look'' on his face. |
| 322 | * HowDoIShotWeb: Light, being [[TheChessmaster Light]], proceeds more intelligently than most. |
| 323 | * HowTheMightyHaveFallen: The ending leaves Light broken both physically and mentally, with all his sycophants either dead or not having a clue who he is. The anime scene with him running sobbing from the warehouse to be killed by a heart attack a few minutes later is the ''nice'' version of his death, and within a few years, the world's gone back to normal. In the original manga, he's killed while writhing in agony and whining that he doesn't want to die. |
| 324 | * HumanoidAbomination: If he really does end up becoming the Unnamed Shinigami, though he's approaching becoming a non-supernatural version before his death. |
| 325 | * HumiliationConga: Most explicit in the manga: Light is outwitted by Near and given a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech thorough verbal beatdown.]] After nearly killing Near in a desperate move, he's shot up and nearly killed by Matsuda, a man he has only ever looked down upon as something of a pet. Begging Mikami to come to his aid, Mikami instead angrily screams Light is no god and has completely ruined his life. Now drowning in a pool of blood and facing arrest, Light [[DirtyCoward begs Ryuk]] to write the names of his enemies down. When Ryuk instead writes Light's name down, surmising his life is already finished, [[PsychopathicManchild Light goes out screaming and cursing he doesn't want to die]]. |
| 326 | * TheHunterBecomesTheHunted: Kira is a vigilante who hunts criminals, and then he quickly becomes the target for a nationwide hunt. |
| 327 | * {{Hypocrite}}: |
| 328 | ** He considers ''all'' killings to be crimes, even if he carries them out himself or they're done on his orders...though he still thinks he shouldn't be punished for killing people himself. Especially since his victims include plenty of innocent people, killed to tie up loose ends, because they were trying to stop him, or in one case when they used the Death Note to kill people for profit - even though he gave it to them and expected them to do exactly that. |
| 329 | ** When Misa is introduced, she's killing innocent newscasters and police officers for simply speaking out against Kira; Light is anything but pleased with her for doing so, but he himself did much the same by killing FBI agents. Misa even lampshades it, defending herself and retorting, "Isn't that what ''you'' did?" |
| 330 | ** He also killed Naomi (''an innocent woman'') in an unnecessarily cruel manner and was more than willing to kill ''his own sister'' when she becomes a liability and only relents because of the scrutiny it will draw. And he is supposed to be a man of "justice". |
| 331 | ** He has no qualms against killing thousands of people, criminal or otherwise, for the sake of his plans, but at the end of the manga, when he's been outed as Kira and faced with his own death, [[DirtyCoward he absolutely freaks out]] and [[VillainsWantMercy begs for at least someone to save him.]] |
| 332 | ** He chastises Mikami for killing reformed criminals, even though he had previously killed the Yotsuba group who had intended to redeem themselves. |
| 333 | ** One of his most glaring examples comes from [[WordOfGod the official databook,]] which states that Light views both Mikami and Takada as murderous criminals (which, given his [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity nature]], implies he planned on killing both of them from the start). Completely ignoring the fact that they're both committing murders under his orders. This also demonstrates Light's horrifying lack of self-awareness. |
| 334 | * HypocriteHasAPoint: |
| 335 | ** L and Near call Light out for using the Death Note to execute criminals while declaring that [[TautologicalTemplar his methods are justice]]. However, even if Light's intentions were [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist less than pure]] (or at least [[MotiveDecay became as such over time]]), he still points out that his campaign as Kira led to [[TheExtremistWasRight a drastic decrease in crime and ended wars]]. |
| 336 | ** In the live-action films, he correctly points out that many criminals [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections use their connections to escape justice]], yet he does the same by using his connections with the police to hide his identity as Kira. |
| 337 | * IAmTheNoun: "I am Justice!" |
| 338 | * IDidWhatIHadToDo: When he's outed as Kira near the end of the series, Light attempts to justify his actions with this, claiming that the world had to be fixed and that no one else would have the guts to keep going as long as he did. Neither the SPK nor the Japanese task force buy it, and Near [[ShutUpHannibal categorically dismisses Light's justifications]], claiming that he is just another petty SerialKiller. This just pushes Light even further into his VillainousBreakdown. |
| 339 | * IHaveManyNames: Light Yagami, Kira (the Saviour, the Messenger from Hell, etc.), Light Asahi, "Mr. A an office worker", L (number two), God. |
| 340 | * ImHavingSoulPains: [[DontTouchItYouIdiot "Ryuuzaki, let me see it!"]] |
| 341 | * IgnoreTheFanservice: In one scene in the second arc, Light walks into a room containing both Misa Amane dressed in lacy knee-highs, a corset, and very little else and a computer with information on it. Guess which one he immediately focuses on and which one he completely ignores? |
| 342 | ** In an earlier scene Misa comes into a room with the entire task force in it wearing a skimpy nightdress. Matsuda, Ide, Mogi, and Aizawa are clearly affected by it, but Light doesn't even look at her. |
| 343 | ** When Light first ''meets'' Misa, she is dressed in black lace, a very short skirt, and a tight black corset. His reaction? "Everything she does is ridiculous." |
| 344 | * IgnoredEpiphany: At the very beginning. He is completely overcome when he realizes that the Death Note does indeed work and that he's just murdered two people -- dry heaving, shaking, even a hint of tears. Then he starts thinking that this is exactly the opportunity he's been waiting for, that killing people off via the notebook is the perfect means to force the world towards [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans his vision for it]]. Over the course of the next few days, he proceeds to kill so many people that Ryuk, a ''god of death'', is [[EvenEvilHasStandards surprised]]. |
| 345 | -->'''Light''': I killed two men. Those were human lives, it won't be overlooked! Besides, who am I to pass judgement on others? ...No. No, wait. Maybe I'm wrong. This is exactly what I've been thinking about lately. This world is rotting, and those who are making it rot deserve to die! |
| 346 | * ImprobableAge: He's only 17 at the start of the series yet manages to be an even match for the world's greatest detective. |
| 347 | * ImplausibleDeniability: At the end of the series, after irrefutable evidence to his being Kira was presented, his first answer was the insistence that he was framed and it was all a setup, to which Aizawa told him to give it up. Understandably, given that this evidence consisted of Light shouting "I win!", and his name being the only one of the people besides Mikami's not being in the notebook. Justified; as the RealLife section notes on the trope's page, clinical psychopaths have a tendency to never admit guilt even when faced with undeniable proof of their actions. |
| 348 | * InTouchWithHisFeminineSide: He's often very well-dressed and at one point [[RealMenWearPink he wears a pink shirt]] when hanging with Matsuda in Aoyama when [[NotADate he's trying to meet the second Kira]] ([[SamusIsAGirl who he and the investigators assumed was male]]). When hiding pieces of the notebook Ryuk remarks on Light's [[TextileWorkIsFeminine sewing skills.]] He wears a pink butterfly belt-buckle in the first anime opening, and at one point in the manga he wears a corset in order to hide the Death Note (while in the anime [[TrouserSpace he just shoves it down his pants)]]. |
| 349 | %%* IncriminatingIndifference: Although he tries to avert this. |
| 350 | * IndirectSerialKiller: In the second half of the series, he mainly has Mikami, Misa, and Takada do his killing for him since Near is watching him. |
| 351 | * InferioritySuperiorityComplex: [[BrokenAce Light seems to be living his life under the assumption that he has to be]] ''[[BrokenAce perfect]]''. Perfect student, perfect son... and then he kills two people by accident just to satisfy his curiosity and his boredom. That ruins everything. [[GoMadFromTheRevelation It makes him a murderer, evil.]] The only way to become "perfect" again is [[ZerothLawRebellion to become Justice]], to become God. In his own words "If Kira is caught, then Kira is evil. [[WrittenByTheWinners If he wins and rules the world Kira is justice.]]" [[BreakTheHaughty He gets caught.]] Also as per the trope at times he comes off as desperate to prove himself - especially in his interactions with L, where he seems to get overly-excited even when he gets simple answers right. And "feeling better about themselves by putting others down"... does the ''whole world'' count? |
| 352 | * TheInsomniac: Though he's easily overshadowed by L in this department, Light often pulls all-nighters to keep his plans running smoothly. |
| 353 | * InsufferableGenius: It's mostly well-hidden, but Light is not only well aware of his brilliance but considers himself to be superior to most people because of it. We mostly only hear about in internal monologue, but every now and then, it slips through the cracks and is shown briefly to the other characters, too. It gets more prominent just before Light dies. |
| 354 | * {{Irony}}: |
| 355 | ** He largely favored Mikami over Misa and Takada. Mikami's screw-up at the end of the series leads directly to Light's ultimate downfall. |
| 356 | * ItGetsEasier: Early in the manga, Light is shown wrapped up in a blanket, wide-eyed and trembling, wondering if he has the guts to go through with his plan, after killing just two people. Days later, he's proudly showing off his ''pages'' of written names to Ryuk. |
| 357 | * ItsAllAboutMe: This is why he's ultimately a [[VillainProtagonist villain]]. Even [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans if you agree with him that criminals should be exterminated]], as far as he's concerned, even Kira supporters are just tools to be manipulated and discarded if they end up [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outliving their usefulness]]. Especially since before long, he seems just as focused on stroking his own ego as he does on building his "utopia". |
| 358 | * ItsProbablyNothing: Light's reaction during the Yotsuba arc when thinking about how the ideals of the original Kira are disturbingly close to his own. |
| 359 | * IveComeTooFar: He says this nearly word-for-word at one point. |
| 360 | * JekyllAndHyde: When he gives up the notebook and his Kira memories he goes from being a [[{{Jerkass}} complete jerk]] to being the [[NiceGuy nicest guy]] you could ever know. Then, of course, he regains his memories and goes back to being evil again but the change is so extreme that some fans consider Light and Kira to be two different entities. |
| 361 | * {{Jerkass}}: While he's ''very'' good at hiding it, Light is nevertheless a narcissistic bastard who treats most of his followers/subordinates like tools. |
| 362 | * JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: In general, whenever Light shows a softer side or does a "good" deed, it's nothing more than a cover-up for his own selfish purposes or murder plots. He even goes so far as to think to himself he's willing to kill his own sister or father if it will assist him in his plans. |
| 363 | * JumpedAtTheCall: Once Light finds the Death Note, it doesn't take him long to use it to start changing the world. |
| 364 | * JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: He begins using the Death Note to rid society of criminals, but soon his black list expands to include anyone who stands in his way for any reason, starting with the FBI. Along the way, he coolly manipulates the feelings of both people and shinigami. Repeatedly stating that he plans to become the god of the new world he is trying to create doesn't help matters, either. |
| 365 | * JustAKid: In the live-action movie, it's outright stated that his dad doesn't want him working on cases yet for this reason. |
| 366 | * KarmaHoudiniWarranty: After having killed his rival L and getting away with the murder of innocent people, [[KarmicDeath he finally meets his fate]] in the final episode. |
| 367 | * KarmicDeath: [[DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation What Light's deaths in the original manga and subsequent adaptations have in common]] is that, after spending the whole series to kill others with the Death Note, he too winds up dying by the Death Note when Ryuk writes ''his'' name in. It's especially apparent in the original manga where [[AintTooProudToBeg he, the exact same person who previously wrote names in the Death Note without even batting an eye at his victim's fate at times, begs Ryuk to save him and cries out he doesn't want to die.]] |
| 368 | * KarmicTransformation: The first ''Relight'' special hints that after he dies, he becomes a Shinigami. |
| 369 | * KickTheDog: Once he picks up the Death Note, he starts doing this at least 3 times out of 4. Some noteworthy examples include him [[spoiler:cruelly taunting Naomi Misora as she dies, having Kiyomi Takada set herself on fire after she called him tearfully begging for help, and murdering Lind L. Tailor [[DisproportionateRetribution simply because he insulted him]] and [[CantTakeCriticism told him what he's doing was evil]] (and that was just before finding out that Lind L. Tailor was actually a death row inmate acting as the real L's stand-in.)]] |
| 370 | * KickTheMoralityPet: He was more than willing to kill his own sister when she becomes a liability and only relents because of the scrutiny it will draw. |
| 371 | * KillHimAlready: His reaction when [[spoiler:Soichiro hesitates to write Mello's name in the Death Note]]: |
| 372 | -->'''Light:''' What are you doing, hurry up and write his name down!... Now's the time to kill him! Kill him right now!! |
| 373 | * TheKillerBecomesTheKilled: At the end of the story. |
| 374 | * KinslayingIsASpecialKindOfEvil: The fact that early on when Light tells Ryuk that if he's not careful, "Kira will end up killing his entire family", should tell you what levels of depravity he had reached. |
| 375 | ** In fact, when Sayu is kidnapped by Mello, Light contemplates killing Sayu, his own sister, to protect his secret, only relenting because of the scrutiny it would draw. While he doesn't directly kill his father, he still has no regrets over being responsible for his death at Mello's hands, and later [[SpeakIllOfTheDead dismisses him]] as an idealistic fool. |
| 376 | ** In the live-action movies, Light ''does'' try to kill Soichiro in order to prevent the Death Note from being analyzed; even [[SycophanticServant Misa]] is [[EvenEvilHasStandards shocked to tears]]. |
| 377 | * KnightTemplar: He claims to be a WellIntentionedExtremist but all he's doing is forcing the world to submit under his reign as an omnipotent dictator. He shows this early on when he immediately kills Lind L. Tailor just for [[DisproportionateRetribution questioning what he's doing]]. |
| 378 | * KnightTemplarBigBrother: He really does love his little sister, Sayu, and is quite protective of her. When L and he are profiling Kira, and L suggests that Sayu is the one who best fits the profile, Light briefly loses it. |
| 379 | * KubrickStare: He does this quite a few times. |
| 380 | [[/folder]] |
| 381 | |
| 382 | [[folder:Tropes L-R]] |
| 383 | * LackOfEmpathy: |
| 384 | ** After picking up the Death Note, Light casts away his empathy for anyone but himself; to him, everyone else is either a pawn to be manipulated and then rid of, enemies, people to kill to instigate plots to mess with the authorities, or some combination of the three. |
| 385 | ** Downplayed as even without the Death Note's influence and the eventual maliciousness he developed after repeated use, as seen with the amnesic persona after giving up ownership for the first time, Light is shown to have an incredible lack of emotional intelligence though he still cares for his family and stop crime. |
| 386 | * LargeHam: "I will be the ''god'' of the ''new world''!!!" |
| 387 | ** [[MundaneMadeAwesome "I'll take a potato chip... and eat it!!!"]] |
| 388 | * LeanAndMean: His official stats are 5'10", 119 lbs, making him quite thin. |
| 389 | * LegendaryInTheSequel: Zigzagged. Light Yagami's Kira, years after the main events, is referred to in teachings as an evil mass-murdering terrorist, but at the same time, others still revere him as a god. |
| 390 | * {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIiOSrYclc8 Kuroi Light]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3LeZNlI0Xg Light's Theme]]. |
| 391 | * LighterAndSofter: |
| 392 | ** In the television drama, the pre-Kira Light is much more extroverted and friendly (as opposed to his reserved and somewhat brooding anime/manga counterpart), is so disgusted with himself over the first murders that he nearly commits suicide over them, spreads out the subsequent deaths at a much slower pace, and genuinely cares enough about Misa to deliberately target the man who killed her family. |
| 393 | ** Played straight in the [[Film/DeathNote2017 American Netflix movie]]. |
| 394 | * LightIsNotGood: [[MeaningfulName Literally]]. He wears lots of white, his name is Light, but he's a psychopath and without question the single most prolific murderer in human history. |
| 395 | * ALighterShadeOfBlack: As lampshaded by Rem, while Light is certainly no saint, he's still better than Kyosuke Higuchi. Not that it excuses any of his depravity. This ends up getting subverted when Light eventually becomes far worse than Higuchi ever was. |
| 396 | * LimpAndLivid: After getting shot by Matsuda in the finale. |
| 397 | %%* LivingEmotionalCrutch: To Misa. |
| 398 | * LivingWithTheVillain: Soichiro, Sayu, and Sachiko all live with Light in the first season (which makes for some ''really'' awkward family discussions). |
| 399 | * LonelyAtTheTop: Sure, lots of people worship him from a distance. But he either screws over or emotionally distances himself from pretty much everyone he knows. |
| 400 | * LoveIsAWeakness: Light believes this. In the manga when Light meets Misa, who is madly infatuated with him, he thinks "I can't develop feelings for her. That's how idiots get caught." |
| 401 | * MadeOfIron: Rather impressively, especially for such a thin guy, Light both stood up ''and'' managed to run for quite a distance after being shot 5 times. Not that it saved him from the grip of the Death Note shortly thereafter, though. Ryuk even stated he didn't want to wait a long time till Light died in prison, deeming it a MercyKill. |
| 402 | * MagneticHero: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] as Magnetic Villain Protagonist: His cult of personality is so strong that he gets three other people ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg four if we count Higuchi]]) to commit mass murder on his behalf. He gains Rem's loyalty as well even though she hates him ([[BlackAndGrayMorality because his motives are]] [[PureIsNotGood more pure than Higuchi's]]). |
| 403 | * TheManBehindTheMan: In manipulating both Misa and Higuchi; Mikami and Takada both count, too. He is the original Kira, functioning through a series of proxies and decoys throughout the series. |
| 404 | * {{Mangst}}: He does feel emotional pain for his sister's kidnapping and his father's death. And maybe even for betraying his "good friend" L, it's just very subtle and well-hidden. |
| 405 | * ManipulativeBastard: Whoo boy. Deceit and manipulation pretty much define all of Light's relationships. He even manipulates ''himself'' through a carefully planned MemoryGambit. The crowning moment of his manipulations is when he manages to get Rem to kill L in order to save Misa's life, thereby ending her life as well. |
| 406 | * MaskOfSanity: The TropeCodifier, no less. Light ''seems'' to be a calm, stable [[TheAce ace]], but in reality, possibly even before the series started, he has some serious mental problems. |
| 407 | * MasterActor: [[AllThereInTheManual According to the guidebook]], his acting skills are 10/10. |
| 408 | * MemoryGambit: He allays suspicion by exploiting the rule that anyone who relinquishes the ownership of a Death Note also loses all memory of owning it unless that person later touches the same Death Note later, [[GambitRoulette even counting on his amnesiac self to genuinely join the side of good]] in tracking down the new owner of the Death Note. This leads to the popular phrase "JustAsPlanned," '''eight episodes''' after putting his plan in motion. |
| 409 | * MeaningfulName: Done ironically seeing as LightIsNotGood. Also Yagami (夜神) means "Night god" or "Dark god", so his name is "[[OxymoronicBeing Light Dark God]]". But the important thing is the ''[[AGodAmI god]]'' part. |
| 410 | ** It also ties into his SatanicArchetype. Say, what does Lucifer mean again? |
| 411 | ** The kanji for "Light" translates to "moon". Just like the moon, Light sees himself as a bright and shining beacon surrounded by darkness with only specks of light that pale in comparison to his majesty. Of course, when the moon appears during the day it's nowhere near as brilliant, just like how Light is far from ideal when you scrutinise his behaviour. |
| 412 | * TheMentallyDisturbed: If you think Light can keep his grasp on his sanity once he gets a hold of the Death Note, you haven't been watching the series ''nearly'' as close enough as you should. |
| 413 | * MirrorCharacter: L and Light are ostensibly on opposite sides of the plot, each trying to catch and stop the other, but...honestly, they're more alike than either are willing to admit. L, the detective, is selfish, childish, hates losing, is willing to resort to illegal, unethical means to pursue victory, and sacrifices criminals to do it, and Light is... selfish, childish, hates losing, is willing to resort to illegal, unethical means to pursue victory, and sacrifices criminals to do it. L's name "Lawliet" is even pronounced "low light" in Japanese. |
| 414 | * MirrorScare: The [[SlasherSmile sinister]] [[TomatoInTheMirror Kira]] [[GlowingEyesOfDoom reflection]] at the end of ''Relight'' in the Taskforce HQ's HallOfMirrors. |
| 415 | * MisanthropeSupreme: An interesting variation of this trope. As a {{narcissist}}ic perfectionist who believes he is superior and a better person than all humans, he believes that the world must be perfect and in his image and likeness, completely unable to realize that all humans have flaws. |
| 416 | * MistakenForMasturbating: Light deliberately [[InvokedTrope invokes this trope]] [[InfractionDistraction to conceal the fact he's killing people]] with a magical notebook. |
| 417 | * MockingTheMourner: Light Yagami tries to justify his heinous actions by saying that in such a CrapsackWorld, a world without Kira, idealists like his father Soichiro Yagami will continue to look like fools. This prompts his erstwhile comrade Matsuda, an ardent pupil of Soichiro and until this moment Light's biggest fan, to shoot him five times, nearly killing him. |
| 418 | * MoleInCharge: During the TimeSkip, he is in charge of the task force investigating his murder spree. |
| 419 | * MoralMyopia: |
| 420 | ** He claims that L is evil because he used another human being as a scapegoat in Episode 2... despite the fact that the man in question was on death row and scheduled for execution the next day, as well as the fact that ''Light himself'' was the one who killed him, as well as countless others. |
| 421 | ** He objects to Misa killing innocent newscasters and police officers for just speaking out against Kira, but he himself did more or less the same thing when he killed FBI agents. When Misa defends herself and retorts, "Isn't that what ''you'' did?", Light just gives her a withering DeathGlare, seemingly [[CantTakeCriticism angrier]] that she [[WhatTheHellHero called him on it]] than the fact that she killed people. |
| 422 | ** In general, Light is a perfect example of this trope, at least in the beginning, as he endeavors to kill all the criminals and bad people on the planet but sees nothing wrong with killing thousands upon thousands of people because he's a [[VillainProtagonist good guy]]. When Ryuk mentions at one point that Light will be the only evil person left on the planet should he succeed, [[ObliviouslyEvil Light has no clue what he means]]. |
| 423 | ** The amount Light objects to the morality of an act, apart from the part in which he loses his memories of the Death Note and is not acting as Kira, tends to depend on how much it affects his plans. Even his disapproval of Mikami killing people he didn't think necessarily deserved to die ''yet'' is largely based on how it makes Kira look. |
| 424 | ** Towards the end of the manga, Light chews out Mikami for killing reformed criminals who've already served their sentence. Of course, this never stops Light from killing people who've never committed a crime in their lives [[DisproportionateRetribution just because]] [[CantTakeCriticism they bad mouthed him.]] |
| 425 | * MoralSociopathy: He has a moral code based upon perfectionism. He gets perfect grades in school? That's good. He's athletic, intelligent and charismatic? That's good. He just ''murdered a man'' using an ArtifactOfDoom? That's... it's... It is good. It ''has'' to be good. '''''He''''' has to be good. He has to be ''perfect'', and if the only way to ensure that he is perfect is to [[AGodAmI establish himself as God]] by forcing his brand of justice upon the world, in the process murdering everyone who is imperfect and bad according to him, [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope then so be it]]. When one of his followers starts killing people for the "crime" of being unproductive to society, Light's reaction is that it is wrong. Why? Because there are are still criminals to take care of; it's still ''too early'' to kill off people just for being unproductive. |
| 426 | * MotiveDecay: Invoked throughout the series. His megalomania causes him to completely lose sight of his original goal ([[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans to improve the world by removing its criminal element]]) and degrade into using the Death Note to [[AGodAmI become "The God of the New World" and destroy his enemies]], as well as clean up any undesirables; by the final chapters, he's starting to seriously entertain the idea of killing people simply for being "unproductive". He also turns from a ManipulativeBastard who carefully plans everything out into a SmugSnake who is so sure of his own success that the very concept of his own failure seems to confuse him. Many a character points out that Light is just another SerialKiller by the end, but Light's so blinded by his pride that it takes his impending death for him to catch on. This is more apparent in the live-action films, where his WellIntentionedExtremist side is played up in the beginning, only for him to attempt to kill his own father, the person who inspired him to seek justice. |
| 427 | * MundaneMadeAwesome: He's not the title page character for this trope for nothing. The potato chip scene is an epic example of this. |
| 428 | ** Light and Misa [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx6-AJ6QsEM share an epic hug]] in the anime, including views from several different angles, creepy music, and a ''shaft of light.'' |
| 429 | * MurderIsTheBestSolution: This is the impetus for why Light uses the notebook in the first place. If someone becomes a nuisance [[InternalMonologue he first thinks]] something along the lines of, "I have to kill him!" Admittedly, [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer it's the only hammer the man has]], but he treats everyone from mass murderers to interfering politicians like nails. |
| 430 | * MurderMakesYouCrazy: He's an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent until he writes the first name. After that, he develops delusions of grandeur and wants to cleanse the world of evil (leaving himself as the only evil person, as Ryuk points out). In the manga, the reader first sees how Light has already killed numerous targets before flashing back to his first kill for maximum shock value and to show how far he has already fallen in such a short time. |
| 431 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Implied in the anime. In the manga, Light remained a remorseless monster [[AssholeVictim to the bitter end]], but the anime goes for a more sympathetic approach by having Light lament his past self for having ever picked up the notebook that ruined his life, and hinting that he regrets his actions to some degree. He is also initially horrified upon testing the Death Note, though this soon fades [[AGodAmI when he decides to become a god.]] |
| 432 | * MysteriousPast: Despite being the BigBad and the main protagonist of the series, there is little known about Light Yagami's life before the [[ArtifactOfDoom Death Note]]. We don't even know what his personality was from a more complex perspective, his childhood, his general relationship with his peers, or at least what motivated him to be so self-centered beyond the praises he received on a daily basis. While Mikami has a backstory that largely explains [[FreudianExcuse why he's like this]], Light doesn't, though it's strongly implied to [[WellDoneSonGuy be a result of severe daddy issues.]] |
| 433 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: |
| 434 | ** ''Night god'', anyone? Also, his first name is a name that real parents in Japan would never give to their child because the character for moon is written with [[FourIsDeath four strokes]], [[PropheticNames meaning his adult life would be dominated by death.]] |
| 435 | ** Also his GoToAlias "Asahi" means "morning sun" or "morning star". Light Morningstar. [[LouisCypher Think about that for a moment.]] |
| 436 | * {{Narcissist}}: Quite possibly one of the most accurate depictions of a malignant narcissist in modern anime. The creators confirm that Light sees himself above most other people; he's a popular, handsome genius, and he knows it. Once he gains power over life and death, it takes him less than a week to develop a [[AGodAmI raging God complex]]. |
| 437 | * NecessarilyEvil: Starts out this way, determined to sacrifice himself for the greater good. However, [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil less than a week later]] he's {{squee}}ing over his [[AGodAmI promotion to Godhood]]. It doesn't keep him from occasionally toying with the concept of himself as selfless and self-sacrificing though, and in his climactic MotiveRant, he claims that his ascent to Godhood and becoming Kira was a purely selfless and altruistic act on his part. |
| 438 | * NeverHurtAnInnocent: He ''thinks'' of himself as this; his stated intention is to kill all the criminals in the world to make it safe for innocents. But he's really bad at that in practice. As soon as he hears that L plans to stop him, he shifts right into "all who oppose me must ''die''" mode. |
| 439 | ** He manages it alright during the Yotsuba Arc, where it's shown (as if we weren't already aware) that his morals when he doesn't own a Death Note are an almost direct lift from his father -- which brings them both into conflict with L. |
| 440 | * NeverMyFault: Light refuses to admit guilt or take responsibility for anything he does. As far as he's concerned, everything he does as Kira is [[NecessarilyEvil necessary]] to [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans make a better world]], [[TautologicalTemplar he himself is justice]], and [[WithUsOrAgainstUs anyone who opposes him is evil]] for going against him and has it coming. His StartOfDarkness is even rooted in this; Light accidentally killed two people with the Death Note, and decided to [[AGodAmI declare himself God]] rather than simply admit he made a mistake. This is what separates him from L; while Light ''refuses'' to accept or cope with his own and the world's flaws, L is fully capable of doing both. |
| 441 | * NiceGuy: Downplayed prior to getting the Death Note and when he loses his memories. He's [[MysteriousPast assumedly]] a good person, but the feelings of BlackAndWhiteInsanity and narcissism that would be advanced when he gets the Death Note are still clearly present. |
| 442 | * NightmareFace: [[https://imgur.com/a/RvaksDf He makes the mother of all these]] in the manga when it appears Ryuk has written the names of his enemies down. |
| 443 | * NightmareFetishist: Light has referred to Shinigami as "cute," finds all that Ryuk will tell him about Shinigami quite fascinating, makes ''jokes'' about how being a shinigami might be interesting, and his fascination with the Death Note is a little... eerie. |
| 444 | * NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction: If Light didn't effortlessly coast through life on his perfect grades, athletics, intelligence, or good looks, he probably would not have been bored or dissatisfied enough to fall so quickly and wholeheartedly for the [[AGodAmI power]] and [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans purpose]] the Death Note offered. |
| 445 | * NoLoveForTheWicked: He uses love and sexuality as a cover for his schemes, dating as many as four women at a time to deflect suspicion, and has romantic trysts with Takada after becoming the second L in order to manipulate her into doing his bidding, and the writer confirms that Light is probably incapable of love. He also, while using a PornStash as a cover story while being watched, finds the porn to be incredibly boring. The disconnect to something people usually find humanizing and only using it to further his evilness further alienates him from the audience. |
| 446 | * NonActionBigBad: This is his game plan. When his ego starts to balloon out too far, he forgets this was how he saved himself time and time again. Inevitably, Light steps out into the open... and makes the worst mistakes of his life. |
| 447 | * NonActionGuy: Well, he only writes people's names in the Death Note, and has never directly harmed anyone with other weapons. |
| 448 | * NoodleIncident: ''Film/DeathNoteLightUpTheNewWorld'' reveals that he had a child in the film continuity. Who the child's mother was, and their whereabouts in the movie, is never addressed, even in the novelization. |
| 449 | * NoPlaceForMeThere: Played with. Ryuk asks Light if he believes in this philosophy. When Light rejects this in favor of becoming [[AGodAmI the god of his new world]], it's the audience's first hint he isn't just a WellIntentionedExtremist. On the other hand, ''[[AllThereInTheManual How To Read]]'' reveals that he ''does'' think there's no place for Takada or Mikami, who have used the Death Note on his orders. |
| 450 | * NoSenseOfHumor: Other than making a [[CannotConveySarcasm "joke"]] about wanting to trade away half of his life for shinigami wings, he [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor lacks any sort of sense of humor]]. |
| 451 | * NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught: "If Kira is caught, then Kira is evil. [[WrittenByTheWinners If he wins and rules the world, Kira is justice.]]" |
| 452 | * NotSoDifferentRemark: Frequently lampshaded. Both he and L are genius [[TheChessmaster Chessmasters]] [[TheManBehindTheCurtain that holds vast power by remaining anonymous]] -- L solves criminal cases behind his computer screen, Light judges humanity from the comfort of his bedroom. They're two sides of the same coin: [[VisionaryVillain Light has great ideals and no integrity.]] [[HonorBeforeReason L has great integrity and no ideals.]] |
| 453 | * NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Even before his JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, Light is fascinated with becoming the god of the new world he plans to create. As time goes on, it becomes clear his actual plan is for [[TakeOverTheWorld a global totalitarian regime where he is treated as the sole authority]]. It's not helped that he also readily kills or tries to off anyone who [[CantTakeCriticism questions him]] or tries to stop his plans on the grounds that [[TautologicalTemplar he's justice and thus anyone who opposes him is evil for going against him]]. When he's outed at the very end of the series, Near states outright that Light is nothing more than a crazy SerialKiller and his rationalizations and justifications for his crimes are just self-serving nonsense. |
| 454 | * NothingCanStopUsNow: The second-to-last episode ends with Light boasting "Looks like I win," and by that revealing himself as Kira, while thinking the SPK members are going to be killed by Mikami's Death Note. However, when Near and the other SPK members ''don't'' die, it becomes clear that Light has finally been OutGambitted. |
| 455 | * NothingUpMySleeve: He has a small piece of the Death Note concealed in his wristwatch, [[spoiler: and desperately tries to use this to kill Near in the finale.]] |
| 456 | * ObfuscatingStupidity: "What's that, Rem? I don't understand... could you explain to me the rules of ownership again?" |
| 457 | * ObliviouslyEvil: He consistently views himself as a DarkMessiah WellIntentionedExtremist whose actions are [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans justified]] and [[NecessarilyEvil necessary]]. When Ryuk remarks that he'll be the only evil person in the world left should his plans succeed, Light is perplexed and states outright that he has no idea what Ryuk is talking about. He's also a good example of how this trope does not '''remotely''' excuse a character by its mere existence, as his complete inability to recognize himself becoming increasingly sadistic and crossing [[MoralEventHorizon moral event horizons]] left and right arguably makes him worse than if he simply murdered people for money or power, as Near points out during his KirkSummation. |
| 458 | * ObviouslyEvil: He seems to get creepy red eyes a lot, at least in the anime. |
| 459 | * OddNameOut: Light is the only Yagami not to have a name that starts with "S" (Sochiro, Sachiko, Sayu). |
| 460 | * OfferedTheCrown: L unexpectedly offers Light his title as the "Great Detective L" should he die. Light ([[MemoryGambit who no longer remembers that he is Kira and at the moment genuinely likes L]]) refuses [[LiteralMetaphor for as comrades chained together by a common destiny]] [[TogetherInDeath they would die together anyway,]] but then he realizes it was just [[SecretTestOfCharacter another test.]] |
| 461 | * OmniscientMoralityLicense: When he kills a criminal as Kira, he's ''never'' wrong about his victim. Ever. |
| 462 | * OpenMouthInsertFoot: Done in epic fashion when L asks Light how [[AmateurSleuth as a detective]], he would go about trapping Kira, Light's secret SerialKiller alter-ego. Once Light has given L his answer, L "praises" him by pointing out that while it usually takes professional investigators several minutes to even come up with an answer to that question, Light immediately responds with an answer that a serial killer talking directly to the investigators would give. |
| 463 | * OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Both the anime and the manga introduce Light at school; he notices the Death Note fall because he's staring out the window, bored. |
| 464 | ** Not quite ordinary since he's {{The Ace}} at the start. |
| 465 | ** [[SubvertedTrope Even less ordinary]] considering it's made clear that he was likely already mentally unwell, which is the reason he so quickly takes to using the Death Note, and uses it for an incredibly unrealistic utopia instead of throwing it out or using it for personal gain. |
| 466 | * OutGambitted: By Near at the end thanks to [[SpannerInTheWorks Mikami's]] screw up. |
| 467 | * OutOfCharacterMoment: An off-screen example, from ''[[Film/DeathNoteLightUpTheNewWorld Light Up the New World]]''. Knowing his views regarding women, it's quite surprising to learn that he had a child, especially since the mother's identity is never hinted at. |
| 468 | * OutsideContextProblem: While it's easy to forget due to L seeming to be mostly superior to Light during their battle of wits, in reality, L was almost certainly doomed from the moment he first revealed his face to Light; the world's greatest detective or not, L had no real defenses against the supernatural and reality warping powers of the Death Note. If anything, the fact that he survived for so many months against ''three'' Kiras ''and'' came very close to catching all of them is a massive testament to his genius. |
| 469 | * PaperThinDisguise: Light [[InTheHood wears a hoodie]] and beanie when manipulating Raye Penber, which renders him unrecognizable to both Raye and the investigators who view the surveillance cameras. |
| 470 | ** Though Raye never sees him until it's too late, and the chances are he doesn't recognize Light's voice because he's already under the effects of the Death Note. |
| 471 | ** And L does note that Kira likely examined the subway beforehand and made use of the blindspots of the cameras. |
| 472 | * PayEvilUntoEvil: Under Kira, nearly ''any'' crime is punishable by death. In his defense, [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer it's not like he can do anything else]]. |
| 473 | * PeacefulInDeath: Surprisingly, despite everything Light did throughout the series, the anime adaptation allows him to die in a relatively peaceful manner; He collapses on a staircase from his gunshot wound, and Ryuk, rather than risking Light’s arrest and eventual death in prison, chooses to write Light's name in the Death Note right then. However, Light's death is not immediate, as he is alive long enough to be greeted by an apparition of Ryuzaki in a heavenly twilight, seemingly offering him some form of comfort and suggesting that they will be TogetherInDeath. As well, unlike the Manga adaptation, in which Light dies in horror and agony from a rather brutal heart attack, Light appears to be in no pain, only weary, and dies quietly. |
| 474 | * PerfectionIsImpossible: |
| 475 | ** His inability to accept this fact is pretty much the root cause of everything that happens in the series, [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain from his descent into villainy,]] [[NiceJobBreakingItHero to the lives he destroys.]] If he just simply acknowledged at the start that killing was wrong, that [[TheAce he of all people]] made [[HumansAreFlawed an honest to goodness mistake]] (granted, killing someone, even if they're an AssholeVictim, is a hell of a mistake to make) and went through with getting rid of the Death Note as he initially considered, the ''entire story'' would never have come to pass. |
| 476 | ** In the live-action films, Light's initial motives for killing was because the legal system was abused by those with connections. Soichiro acknowledges that imperfect people will create imperfect laws, but calls out Light for thinking serial killing will lead to perfect justice. |
| 477 | * ThePerfectionist: The crux of his beliefs and moral code runs around his perfectionism, taken to extremes and applied to the entire world. |
| 478 | * PersonOfMassDestruction: He kills hundreds if not thousands, of people[[note]]If [[WebVideo/GameTheory [=MatPat's=]]] calculations are correct, he kills about ''242,000 people'' himself[[/note]]. |
| 479 | * PetTheDog: |
| 480 | ** He often helped Sayu with her homework, but this was partially done to throw suspicion off him. |
| 481 | ** His possibly genuine love for his family might count. This changes later when he contemplates killing his sister, and only stopped (at least according to him) to prevent suspicion. He never seemed interested in hurting his mother, however. |
| 482 | ** When he kills the attempted rapist in Episode 1 of the anime, the framing of the shot makes it seem that he genuinely did so to help the victim, not just to confirm that the Death Note was real. |
| 483 | ** When his memory is erased and he's helping with the investigation, he notes that Kira never killed anybody who had already served their sentences, displayed genuine remorse, or had seemingly justifiable reasons for their crimes. |
| 484 | ** In the manga, he objects to Mikami's intent to kill reformed criminals, saying that those who have turned their lives around don't deserve punishment. |
| 485 | ** In the Anime-Only foot washing scene, he notices L's hair is still dripping wet from the time they spent talking in the rain storm and helps dry him off. It's a small gesture that did nothing to throw Ryuzaki off his scent as a Kira suspect, giving the impression that he did it simply because he could. |
| 486 | * PlayingWithPuppets: [[HowDoIShotWeb When testing the extent to which he can control victims with the Death Note.]] |
| 487 | * PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes: Light may be a cold and manipulative mass murderer with a huge god complex, but he's still almost always [[FauxAffablyEvil polite and well-mannered]]. By contrast, L, the detective trying to stop him and bring him to justice, is usually very blunt and has little regard for others' feelings. |
| 488 | * ThePowerOfActing: [[AllThereInTheManual According to the guidebook]], his acting skills are 10/10. |
| 489 | * PragmaticVillainy: When Mikami begins targeting lazy individuals who don't contribute directly to society, Light disapproves, but not out of any moral grounds. Rather, he believes it's too soon for them to do so; once all the criminals are dead and Kira is regarded as God, Light fully intends to prune out other "undesirable" elements from "his" world. After all, showing lenience towards those who repent would help sell his image as a god that should be worshipped. |
| 490 | * PrecisionFStrike: His language, for the most part, consists a lot of "damn", "hell" and "bastard". However, a few times in the series (or at least the original Japanese), he has uttered the word "fuck" once or twice, especially in the finale. |
| 491 | * PretenderDiss: He looks down on L's successors, Near and Mello, contemptuously regarding them as inferior to L and unworthy of the mantle. He's especially enraged to see Near wearing a mask of L's face. |
| 492 | * {{Pride}}: His defining characteristic, and his FatalFlaw: |
| 493 | ** Light shows an utter lack of ability to rise above any insults and slights against his ego. While he certainly has the capacity to be patient and wait for the right moment to strike, he cannot simply let go of his grudges and almost pathologically feels that he needs to avenge himself against anyone who dares to challenge him, and while he is usually smooth and calm, bruising his ego is a surefire to get his temper to flare up and get the better of him. It is how L reveals that Kira is indeed real and living in Japan in the first place; when L's stand-in during a press conference directly accuses Kira of being evil, Light becomes furious and kills him, thereby tipping his hand to L. |
| 494 | ** Much of the reason the story progresses the way it does comes from the fact that Light wants his feats to be famous and recognized, despite his schemes hinging on absolutely nobody being able to connect his plans to him. Hence, he uses a CallingCard (the Death Note's default heart attack) to immediately create the impression that something is behind the deaths--had he not done this, and instead tried to MakeItLookLikeAnAccident, he may never have been caught. |
| 495 | ** As the story progresses, Light quickly loses sight of his original goal as he begins to buy into his own hype of being an important godlike figure whom the world needs. |
| 496 | * PrinciplesZealot: Falls under this trope during the Yotsuba arc. The entire Kira campaign falls under this as well. |
| 497 | * PromotionToParent: In the TV drama he is forced to take up this role after Sachiko's death, especially since his father is rarely home. |
| 498 | * ProperlyParanoid: After all, they ''are'' all out to get him. |
| 499 | * PropheticNames: Light Yagami = [[OxymoronicBeing Light Dark]] [[AGodAmI God]]. |
| 500 | * ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: The series chronicles Light's life as he goes from a [[WellIntentionedExtremist relatively well-intentioned person who seeks to change the world for the better]] to a manipulative, sadistic lunatic who kills to fuel his [[AGodAmI raging god complex]]. |
| 501 | * PsychopathicManchild: He qualifies as Type C (flirting with [[CuteAndPsycho D]]). When L details the psychology of Kira to the police, one of them suggests that they could stop him by no longer publishing the names of convicts in the news, as he clearly was getting the names of his victims from the media. L states that won't work because Kira will then simply start killing people he ''thinks'' are guilty and will further blame the police for any innocent people he kills, specifically identifying his childlike personality as the reason for this. Sure enough, Light does display lots of childlike evil throughout the series, such as killing the fake L for insulting him on national television and his need to gloat to L and Near when he thinks he's beaten them. His VillainousBreakdown at the end takes the form of a blatant childish fit. |
| 502 | * PsychoticSmirk: He's very fond of giving these when things go according to plan. |
| 503 | * RealMenHateSugar: When L offers to share his cake. "Er... no thanks." In the manga during the second arc, Takada remarks that Light takes his coffee black but will take one sugar cube in his tea. |
| 504 | * RealMenWearPink: Light does wear a pink shirt when hanging with Matsuda in Aoyama. Also, fear the God of the New World's mad [[TextileWorkIsFeminine sewing skills!]] Light also wears a pink butterfly belt-buckle in the anime opening, and a corset in the manga in order to hide the Death Note. |
| 505 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: After he gains the Death Note, the anime makes a point of catching his eyes so that they have a red cast to them -- despite Light outright rejecting the Shinigami Eye deal. This is made even more obvious when he is contemplating something particularly nasty, and the anime colors his eyes, metaphorically, bright red. |
| 506 | * RegularlyScheduledEvil: Early in the series it is explained that Light had set aside specific time slots in which to kill criminals, in order to provide himself with a healthy balance of sleep, homework, and death. |
| 507 | * ReligionOfEvil: His cult worships him, a ruthless mass murderer, as a god. |
| 508 | * RepressiveButEfficient: At the end of the series, it's revealed that Light's actions as Kira have put an end to all wars and dropped the global crime rate by 70% within six years, because everyone's terrified of being killed by him. Near, despite making it clear that he views Light as nothing but a crazed SerialKiller, admits he's not the ultimate judge of good and evil and that Light may very well have [[TheExtremistWasRight changed the world for the better with fear]]. |
| 509 | ** This is again mentioned in the ''[[Manga/DeathNoteSpecialChapter Death Note Special Chapter]]''. According to Minoru, Light eradicated wars and drastically reduced crime, so in a way, his morally questionable methods worked in a certain way despite ending up being the infamous monster he's historically known for. |
| 510 | * RousseauWasRight: Light believes this during the Yotsuba arc when he loses his memories of the Death Note and being Kira, which causes him to revert to the state he was before finding the Death Note (though we aren't given any insight into his thoughts at that point). He whole-heartedly argued that the members of the Yotsuba group other than the 3rd Kira shouldn't be prosecuted since no doubt Kira was coercing them into cooperating. In other words, they aren't evil -- circumstances pushed them into being evil and once the evil is removed, i.e. arrested, they will live good lives. Doesn't stop him from killing them all after his memory returns though. |
| 511 | * RulesLawyer: Light uses the rules of the Death Note in ways even Ryuk had never thought of before. |
| 512 | ** He has a hard time coping with the Near-and-Mello situation because Near and Mello aren't particularly inclined to play by the rules. |
| 513 | [[/folder]] |
| 514 | |
| 515 | [[folder:Tropes S-Z]] |
| 516 | * {{Sadist}}: As he gets in the habit of killing, he starts to ''really'' enjoy it and often smiles and laughs as he slaughters people by the score. He also appears to get off on being a ManipulativeBastard, and can't resist the urge to [[EvilGloating gloat]] to his enemies that he's literally signed their death warrant, or take cruel pleasure in [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness discarding and betraying his own allies, even girlfriends]]. Some of his kills are needlessly nasty as well (e.g. said girlfriend was forced by the Death Note to ''set herself on fire''), and on several occasions, he takes a moment to watch his victims die; for example, when he writes Naomi Misora's name in the Death Note, he reveals himself as Kira to her just because he wanted to see the look on her face. |
| 517 | * SamaritanSyndrome: An evil, (if not the evilest) version. Because Light found the Death Note, he HAS to commit to his mission no matter what. His obsessiveness towards it comes off as a mixture of narcissism and guilt. |
| 518 | * SanityHasAdvantages: While Light Yagami is an intelligent young man, his god complex, arrogance, narcissism, and his SanitySlippage cause him to make increasingly detrimental mistakes that would eventually lead to his undoing. Killing Lind L. Tailor just [[CantTakeCriticism because he called his methods evil]] allowed L to confirm Kira's existence and narrow down his location, his bad habit of EvilGloating ends up exposing him as Kira, and his arrogance leads him to underestimate his opponents to the point he won't consider the possibility of losing at all, making him more careless and leaving him completely unprepared when he's finally OutGambitted. |
| 519 | * SanitySlippage: He gets crazier with every passing episode barring the time he loses memory of the Death Note. |
| 520 | * SatanicArchetype: Light has a very Luciferian element to his character. As Christian tradition describes it, Lucifer represents a FallenAngel, an example of beauty, talent, and intelligence, but his own fatal flaws caused him to lose heaven, eventually giving himself up to evil. All this context is related to Light: an attractive, intelligent, talented young man who was born in the light (he was raised by GoodParents, after all), but blinded by his [[SmugSnake arrogance]], {{pride}}, [[ItsAllAboutMe selfishness]], and thirst for power, he ended up being a threat to humanity. There's also the fact that "Lucifer" means "'''Light'''bringer". |
| 521 | * SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Savvy Guy to Misa's Energetic Girl, and although Light's family and co-workers seem to think that there's NoAccountingForTaste, a few people do comment on their unlikely relationship. |
| 522 | * TheScapegoat: Light has a pathological need for scapegoats so he can maintain his delusions of moral superiority. Compare his original persona pre-Death Note where he's lethargic and even somewhat depressed with his drama-free existence. Once Light gives himself Death Note-amnesia, he displays far more determination and a level of moral fibre that would make it implausible that he'd ever think of using the Death Note, largely because the existence of Kira gave him someone to stand against and convince himself that he was the hero. |
| 523 | * ScareEmStraight: This is essentially what he's trying to pull on the entire world. As it turns out, with a supernatural, godlike entity willing to kill you if you commit a crime, people are much less likely to commit crimes. The rate drops accordingly. |
| 524 | * ScheherezadeGambit: Light knows that Ryuk is only here because he's bored and he can kill him at any time. Ryuk wants to be entertained and if he gets too bored, he'll just kill Light and go home. Light constantly reminds Ryuk how entertaining he can be. It works for six years. |
| 525 | * SchmuckBait: |
| 526 | ** In general, L gets on Light's trail early on because Light can't help but respond every time L goads him into a challenge of some form, no matter how minor the competition. Light ''knows'' that L has profiled Kira as hyper-competitive and every challenge is obvious bait to profile him, but because he's so... [[ShapedLikeItself hyper-competitive]], he can't help himself. |
| 527 | ** He falls for one of L's easier mental traps in episode 8; after L bugs the Yagami household with dozens of cameras and plays a fake message intending to rile up Kira, Light muses how stupidly obvious and cheap of a ploy it is to try and get a reaction out of him. However, despite recognizing this, he basically ''falls for it anyway'' because he can't resist taunting L by loudly pointing out how obvious it is, thus ultimately giving L the reaction he wanted and making himself more suspicious. |
| 528 | * TheScourgeOfGod: Light's mission statement, though he will also kill anyone who comes after him i.e. defies Kira's will. |
| 529 | * TheScream: |
| 530 | ** Lets out a huge one when he gets his memories back. |
| 531 | ** He does this again in the manga when being ousted as Kira by Near before devolving into his iconic EvilLaugh. |
| 532 | * ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Light knows that his father's position is what is protecting him from being seriously considered a suspect by the normal police. Once Soichiro is gone, it doesn't take long for Near and Mello to suss him out, corner him, and take him down. |
| 533 | * ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: When he becomes fully aware of Ryuk and the Death Note again and remembers that he asked Ryuk to put a couple of fake rules on the Death Note (which L must then assume to be real), he goes into a little mental rant about how he is basically a god because he can change the rules like that. It's no longer clear how fully he recognizes that he ''didn't'' change the rules. |
| 534 | * SealedEvilInACan: [[HelplessGoodSide Yotsuba!Light]] is a variation on this with the twist that [[MemoryGambit Kira!Light did it to himself.]] |
| 535 | * SelectiveObliviousness: Light is in denial about quite a few things: |
| 536 | -->'''Ryuk''': But if you did that, you'd be the only bad person left.\ |
| 537 | '''Light''': Huh? I have ''no idea'' what you're talking about, Ryuk. |
| 538 | %%* SelfRestraint: |
| 539 | %%% "X of this trope" is not proper context. |
| 540 | * SerialKiller: By the end of the story, Light's body count is estimated to be around ''100,000''! |
| 541 | * SerialKillerKiller: Kira only kills awful criminals like serial killers. At least, that's what the general public thinks. The rest of the cast knows better. |
| 542 | * SevenDeadlySins: While Light's {{pride}} is the most obvious, Light's personality manages to be a nasty combination of almost all of them. |
| 543 | ** Cares only to get as much power as he can and him alone, and betrays and backstabs anyone who has enabled him once they're done (Greed) |
| 544 | ** Flies into numerous fits of murderous rage whenever someone criticizes him or throws a wrench into his plans (Wrath) |
| 545 | ** In the second part at least, has his men do his dirty work for him and uses his Death Note whenever he murders his victims as using it requires no effort (Sloth) |
| 546 | ** Develops a sick pleasure in killing people and craves admiration (Lust) |
| 547 | ** Has made the rule of Kira consume much of the world and has snubbed out any possible opposition. He also murders well beyond his would-be targets (Gluttony) |
| 548 | ** Once he achieves a world where crime has stopped and war no longer exists, he still decides the world is rotten and he has to have more targets (Envy) |
| 549 | * ShabbyHeroesWellDressedVillains: The "groomed for success his whole life" VillainProtagonist to L's disheveled and barefoot HeroAntagonist. |
| 550 | * ShadowDictator: He becomes this in the second arc. |
| 551 | * SharpDressedMan: Light is always impeccably dressed and groomed to such an extent that he seems to evoke the appearance of a model. This makes sense, since Light may want to reflect his perfection in all possible aspects, even in his clothes. 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. |
| 552 | * SittingOnTheRoof: Light does this a couple times, [[EvilOverlooker symbolically overlooking]] [[AGodAmI his "New World."]] |
| 553 | * SlasherSmile: He pulls quite a few of these over the course of the series, highlighting his descent into psychopathy. |
| 554 | * SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: Light's actions earlier on in the series could be considered a combination of exceedingly ruthless schemes and PetTheDog moments. Then, as the series goes on, he finds new allies, who are almost sycophantic in their devotion to him, and whom he treats as inferior and expendable, becomes ever-more consumed by his god complex as the world slowly falls under his grip, and resorts to increasingly extreme and cold-blooded means to cover his ass and maintain his reign on the world. |
| 555 | * SmallNameBigEgo: While calling him a small name is going too far, Light immediately believes himself to be the only person worthy of purging the world of evil simply because he's the BigManOnCampus at his high school. |
| 556 | * SmugSmiler: The God of the New World takes to showing an [[InsufferableGenius insufferably superior]] expression when no one but the audience is looking. |
| 557 | * SmugSnake: Unlike many {{Smug Snake}}s, Light is highly intelligent, but his ''massive'' [[AGodAmI god complex]], pathetic {{Freak Out}}s ("he got me!"), borderline [[LackOfEmpathy sociopathy]], and tendency towards [[KickTheDog kicking dogs]] can and do cost him the sympathy of many, while his sheer ego and tendency towards underestimating his opponents (and the incompetence of his own allies) can sometimes derail his plans and ultimately do get him killed. His arrogance gets in the way of him giving some of his opponents as much credit as he should. After the TimeSkip, he's completely bought into his own [[AGodAmI hype]] and is completely incapable of considering the possibility he could ever fail. |
| 558 | * SocialDarwinist: Averted in that he begins as ''protecting'' the weak by [[PayEvilUntoEvil paying evil unto evil]] before jumping off the slippery slope. Ironically, given his god complex, he would consider it divine natural selection. |
| 559 | * TheSocialExpert: Light lasts as long as he does largely by manipulating those around him for information he needs or putting them in situations where they're likely to do what he wants. He'll even do this with himself, at one point removing his memory of the Death Note in a MemoryGambit to remove suspicion from himself. |
| 560 | * TheSociopath: A particularly interesting example, since Light acquires sociopathic/psychopathic characteristics when the notebook controls his life. [[invoked]] The creators have explicitly stated that Light was not born evil or heartless, after all. However, as soon as the notebook controls his life and he gets into the habit of killing people, he exhibits all the characteristics of a high-functioning sociopath: he displays highly developed social skills, is exceptionally adept at gaining the trust of relatively naive and/or stupid people ([[FauxAffablyEvil superficial charm]]), has inordinate self-worth to such a degree to believe that he is a God [[MoralMyopia and an excellent person]], gets bored easily, frequently lies and cheats to achieve his goals, [[ManipulativeBastard frequently manipulates]] and [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betrays]]; He lacks remorse, guilt or [[LackOfEmpathy empathy]]; He pretends to have feelings for Misa to manipulate her emotionally, [[HairTriggerTemper tends to throw a tantrum or physically attack people when things are not going his way]], and is controlling and possessive. Even Light's plan to establish a utopia is an absurdly [[PsychopathicManchild childish]] and unrealistic goal, which is common for sociopaths to have unrealistic goals. Considering that the Death Note can't directly psychologically affect him, he can't really qualify as a true sociopath (since it's either there from birth or a result of childhood trauma), which implies he managed to manually make himself stop caring and ends up making him '''even worse'''. |
| 561 | %% Do not change The Sociopath entry into Sociopathic Hero. Light is a Villain Protagonist and by no means is a hero. |
| 562 | * SoftspokenSadist: Among other examples, Light's voice is chillingly calm and pleasant even when taunting Naomi Misora after revealing himself as Kira. "My father's phone is back on, didn't you want to talk to him?" |
| 563 | * SomeoneHasToDoIt: Part of his motivation for being Kira. He even quotes the trope word for word. |
| 564 | -->'''Light''': This world is rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me? Even if it means sacrificing my own mind and soul, it's worth it. Because the world can't go on like this. |
| 565 | * SoreLoser: Light pitches a fit after L directly confronts him at college. He also dies weeping and screaming like a madman (in the manga) after Near thwarts his plan to do away with the Kira task force and the SPK. L even describes Light/Kira as someone who's "[[PsychopathicManchild childish]] and hates to lose." |
| 566 | * SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:Light survives the events of the [[Film/DeathNote2017 Netflix adaptation]], manipulating events to kill off his increasingly unstable partner Mia as well as throw suspicion off himself. However, L does go on to discover a page of the Death Note in Light's home, and what he does with it is left ambiguous.]] |
| 567 | * SpeakIllOfTheDead: At the end, he tries justifying his actions by claiming that in a [[CrapsackWorld world so rotten]], idealists like his ''own father'', who died trying to stop Kira, will always be made out to be fools unless Light can continue to rule. He says this right in front of Matsuda, who idolized Soichiro and gets shot five times for it. |
| 568 | -->'''Matsuda''': You led your own father to his death, and now that he's gone, you call him a ''fool''?! |
| 569 | * SpellMyNameWithAnS: Light or Raito? Also odd is his name is written with the kanji for moon (月) rather than the kanji for light (光). |
| 570 | * StartXToStopX: He commits mass homicide to put an end to all crime. [[MotiveDecay Well, at least at first.]] |
| 571 | * StepfordSmiler: He presents himself as positive, thoughtful, and cheerful to the world, but at the beginning of the series he's so bored and empty inside that a quest for a new world and godhood seems like a great idea; and of course, as the series goes on, that smile hides an increasingly unstable and cruel personality. |
| 572 | * StockShonenHero: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. He's a VillainProtagonist; he's a TVGenius, instead of being BookDumb; he doesn't have to go through TrainingFromHell to unlock his true potential, he just finds a magic notebook randomly; his strong sense of justice leads to him turning into a monster; he's cool and calculated instead of HotBlooded; where most {{Shonen}} protagonists are proponents of ThePowerOfFriendship who can redeem and befriend certain enemies, Light is almost completely sociopathic and kills anyone who so much as looks at him the wrong way; and rather than having a ToBeAMaster plotline, he instead has a quest to get himself worshipped as a god via a prolonged mass-murder spree. |
| 573 | * StraightEdgeEvil: He's never shown drinking, doing drugs or smoking, unlike Misa, the mafia and Matt, respectively. |
| 574 | ** Subverted with the Netflix movie where his American live-action counterpart is seen smoking. |
| 575 | * StrangeMindsThinkAlike: With L and Mikami. |
| 576 | ** With Misa as well, considering their opinions on how to go about creating a New World. "To defeat evil, there must be sacrifices, right?" |
| 577 | ** Also with Ryuk in the first episode when they both contemplate how rotten their respective worlds are. |
| 578 | * StrongerThanTheyLook: While he did once play competitive tennis and is still physically fit as seen in his match against L, it's still surprising for someone of his slender appearance to send someone flying across the room with a single punch. Then again, given his public status of being the son of a respected Police Chief, it makes sense that Light would have some training in self-defense. |
| 579 | * SuperIntelligence: In How To Read 13, Light is described as abnormally intelligent in the character quiz, even ranking a 9/10 in Intelligence. |
| 580 | * SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: One of his catchphrases is "I'm not Kira." |
| 581 | * TakeOverTheWorld: Well, he wants to become its God, and that's pretty much the same thing. |
| 582 | * TakingYouWithMe: [[TheLastDance In his first week as Kira, Light was expecting some sort of punishment for using the notebook]] but decided it's WorthIt if he can [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans make the world a better place by]] taking out as many bad guys as possible before he's killed or his soul is dragged off to {{Hell}}. Then Ryuk informs him there is no punishment, he wasn't [[TheChosenOne Chosen]] or anything, [[ForTheEvulz and it's all a joke.]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Light does not take it well]] — in the Manga Light has his first [[LaughingMad crazy laugh]] of the series after that particular revelation. |
| 583 | ** He also tries this in the finale, when his HannibalLecture falls through: Light makes a mad scramble for the clipping in his watch and begins writing -- first in ink, then in blood. He gets just over halfway through Near's real name before he's disarmed completely. |
| 584 | * TalkingYourWayOut: With a high success rate. Near dares him to do this in the finale. |
| 585 | %%* TallDarkAndSnarky |
| 586 | * TaremeEyes: Flip flops between these or TsurimeEyes depending on his mood, especially in the beginning before ArtEvolution kicked in and when his memories are wiped. |
| 587 | * ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine: Though the exact circumstances vary depending on the adaptation, he always dies as a result of Ryuk writing his name in the Death Note once it becomes clear he's completely run out of escape plans. |
| 588 | * TautologicalTemplar: He's firmly convinced that everything he does, up to and including mass murder, is justified and that he himself is justice, and refuses to see otherwise. This contrasts him with L, who freely admits when he engages in DirtyBusiness. |
| 589 | -->'''Light''': "Me? Evil? I am ''justice''! Those who oppose me — ''they're'' the evil ones!" |
| 590 | * TeenGenius: He's the top-scoring student in ''all of Japan.'' Not to mention that he manages to stay on L's level and focus on schoolwork. |
| 591 | %%* TerrorHero: He sees himself as one (Type 3). |
| 592 | * TheTell: Whenever he has to keep up the appearance that he isn't Kira, but those around him are critical of Kira, he'll hide his EyesOutOfSight using his bangs. |
| 593 | * ThatsWhatIWouldDo: He freaks out his father pretty badly when he voices this to L. |
| 594 | * TheoryTunnelVision: Light is firmly convinced that he's a good guy and that everything he does as Kira is necessary to [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans create a better world]], and refuses to see that his actions [[HeWhoFightsMonsters make him no better]] than the criminals he's trying to rid the world of. [[CantTakeCriticism Heaven help you]] if you so much as ''suggest'' that what Light is doing is evil. |
| 595 | * TheseHandsHaveKilled: In the manga. "I-I've killed two people..." |
| 596 | ** In the last episode, while he's arguing his side, the camera pans up from a shot of his open hands. |
| 597 | * TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: Light being the smart, charming, supposedly kindhearted honor-student son of the Chief of Police makes it difficult for many of the characters to take L's accusations seriously. L seems to be the only one who really believes that Light is Kira until very close to the series' end. |
| 598 | * ThirdActStupidity: He starts out being CrazyPrepared and doing everything possible to preserve his secret, but as he starts buying into [[AGodAmI his own hype]], he [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism starts viewing himself as invincible]] and stops being so careful, allowing Near and Mello to expose him and take him down. |
| 599 | ** After the TimeSkip. Light goes from [[MemoryGambit erasing his own memory, trusting in the brilliance of his planning to ensure L's death while cementing his own complete innocence]]... to ''hiding the Death Note in storage and really hoping no one finds it while he's not looking.'' |
| 600 | ** The whole Mello and Near arc has Light {{nerf}}ed down hard, making great mistakes apparently to balance the odds. He loses the note, he loses Sayu, he loses his father... and one of his "best" responses is to confirm to Near he's Kira by ''sending a mass of stupid people at the exact location'' (and '''only there''') of Near's anti-Kira organization with the '''great''' expectations that they'll lynch someone of L's level. An extended period of complacency between arcs with no intellectual rival, and belief in his own [[AGodAmI hype]] likely have something to do with it, as does the fact that Near and Mello have far more information to work with than L did. |
| 601 | * TogetherInDeath: Possibly, but only in the Anime adaptation; [[spoiler: As Light dies, an apparition of L bathed in heavenly twilight appears in front of him, seemingly implying that they will meet again in the afterlife. It's also possible that this was just Light's pre-death hallucination, although the framing of the scene seems to suggest otherwise]]. |
| 602 | * TooCleverByHalf: He's impossibly clever, charming and manipulative. But for all his great plans, he ends up falling victim to his own pride too often. By the end of the series, Light is so blinded by his own ego that he can't even consider the possibility that he'll fail. |
| 603 | * TooDumbToLive: In the manga, when Light is exposed as Kira and shot by the last person he expected to turn on him, in his desperation, he makes the serious mistake of begging [[JerkassGods Ryuk]] to write down the names of everyone else in the room, forgetting that Ryuk is on no-one's side and doesn't care who wins as long as he's provided with [[ItAmusedMe entertainment]]. Ryuk, who had expected Light to think of a way out of his predicament, realises that Light can no longer give him the entertainment he craves, and [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness writes down Light's name in his Death Note instead]]. |
| 604 | * TookALevelInJerkass: After regaining his memories of the Death Note, Light becomes more Machiavellian and sadistic than ever. This only gets worse for the rest of the series. |
| 605 | * TookALevelInKindness: When he relinquishes his Death Note memories during the Yotsuba arc. It doesn't last. |
| 606 | * TotalitarianUtilitarian: He wants to create a New World where only kind, good people will live. |
| 607 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: Barbeque-flavored potato chips. He exploits this by hiding a mini LCD TV in a bag of barbecue chips because he's the only one in his family who eats that flavor. |
| 608 | * TragicHero: Initially, all he wanted to do was create a perfect world. Unfortunately, his LackOfEmpathy and overwhelming [[AGodAmI god complex]] get him killed in the end. |
| 609 | * TranquilFury: Kira's default mood. |
| 610 | * TreacherousAdvisor: Light works alongside L and the task force despite being Kira, and is often the only one whose intellect and deductive abilities are of use to L's investigation. |
| 611 | * TsurimeEyes: Flip flops between these and TaremeEyes depending on his mood, and shown when he's feeling particularly murderous or devious. He switches into them permanently near the end of the series and doesn't switch out until [[spoiler: [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone the end of the anime]], and never does in the manga, where he's [[EmptyShell completely gone]] at that point.]] |
| 612 | * TVGenius: |
| 613 | ** His [[TheChessmaster cleverness]] at times reaches beyond the plausible. (Not as extreme as L's, though.) |
| 614 | ** Averted when it comes to social skills since he's TheSocialExpert. |
| 615 | * TwoAliasesOneCharacter: By the second arc, he's playing the role of both L and Kira. |
| 616 | * {{Ubermensch}}: One interpretation of his character. He certainly sets up the laws by which he lives. |
| 617 | ** [[spoiler:Completely averted later in the series. He breaks his own rules at his convenience and even condemns other Kiras for what he regularly does.]] |
| 618 | * UglyHeroGoodLookingVillain: Light is the handsome villain to L's more... "unique-looking" hero. |
| 619 | * TheUnchosenOne: When Light asks Ryuk why he chose him, Ryuk notes he ''didn't''; the notebook just happened to land where Light picked it up. However, Light ''never acknowledges'' that he wasn't chosen; all through the plot, events fall into place for him, and at the very end [[MotiveRant he swears blind that he was chosen]]. |
| 620 | * UndignifiedDeath: Manga version only. At the very end, he goes out whining, cursing, and pathetically begging for mercy in a puddle of his own blood. |
| 621 | * TheUnfavorite: Mr. Yagami is absolutely certain that Sayu can't be Kira but isn't so certain about his son. Even though it's true that Light is Kira, it does hint at ParentalFavoritism. Ultimately played with, however, and to Mr. Yagami's credit, he does admit to this bias and is always shown to be in great distress at the idea that his son is Kira. |
| 622 | * UnholyMatrimony: With Misa. |
| 623 | * UnskilledButStrong: Downplayed. His main weapon, the Death Note, lets him kill almost anyone with barely any effort and he usually prefers to be a NonActionGuy who relies on his brains in most situations. While he doesn’t have L’s level of martial arts training, he does reveal early on in the series of knowing self-defense techniques in regards to disarming a person wielding a weapon (which makes sense given his status as the son of a respected Police Chief) and throws stronger haymakers than one would expect, considering his profile. |
| 624 | * UnwittingPawn: Averted. Light knows exactly that Ryuk sees him as entertainment, therefore he keeps providing it while working on his own goals. That being said, he still makes the mistake of begging him for help once he's out of ideas in the manga and live-action films, forgetting this important detail and leading Ryuk to write Light's name down in his Death Note as promised. |
| 625 | * UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Light consistently and sincerely believes that he can bring about an ideal new world free of evil. Even when, post-time-skip, the world is slowly becoming a totalitarian place ruled by propagandistic TV channels and secret executioners, he's very happy about it because he thinks people are finally starting to come around to his vision. Throughout the series, when he's trying to stay ahead of those fighting against him, he says he's doing so to protect "his utopia". |
| 626 | * TheVamp: How he gets Misa and Takada to serve him. Or rather ''continue'' serving him, given that they were Kira loyalists from the outset. |
| 627 | * VictoryIsBoring: When Near and Mello appear on the scene, Light, after first being enraged and frustrated, remarks that "Things are getting interesting again!" |
| 628 | * VigilanteMan: Death is the only punishment he ''can'' dish out. Early on, he states that he's going to create a world filled with only good-hearted people he approves of. He's simply going to ''start'' with the criminals... and he quickly crosses over into "bad" vigilante man territory, when in the fifth episode he [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope leaps off the slippery slope]] and begins to target and kill all those who oppose Kira, including law-enforcement officials. |
| 629 | * VillainBall: As per his FatalFlaw, if Light's pride is injured or if he has a chance to show off, he'll grab it '''hard'''. |
| 630 | ** He kills Lind L. Taylor out of spite for calling him a criminal, allowing the ''real'' L to significantly narrow down where he might be. Though it would have been tough to see such a gambit coming, given that Light was unaware of L's existence prior to his televised appearance. |
| 631 | ** When his father suggests that based on the times in which the deaths occur, Kira's true identity is probably a student, Light decides to use the Death Note to schedule deaths to happen at all hours. L quickly realizes that this means Kira has some kind of police or law enforcement connections. Light claims to be doing this deliberately, since he wants to get involved in the investigation to uncover L (a plan which did eventually pay off), but this actually narrowed things down ''far'' more than L's aforementioned gambit--prior to that point, L's only leads were that Kira lived in the Kanto region and was probably a student. It's largely due to his repeated attempts at challenging and toying with L that the search narrows down from millions of suspects to only a couple dozen, then a small handful, and finally more or less just him. |
| 632 | ** He kills the FBI agent Raye Penber, [[CrazyPrepared thinking that Penber would only come after him harder in the future if he wasn't disposed of quickly.]] Not only does he neglect to check whether his wife may have been an FBI agent herself, but Penber was ready to strike his name off the suspect list had he just left him alone rather than killing him and the rest of the agents. |
| 633 | ** He admits he is Kira to Misora when he's written down her name in the notebook in front of her, in broad daylight on a city street. Had Aizawa been paying slightly more attention before he walked out of earshot, or had he not been using an umbrella due to the providencial snow, Light would've been caught. |
| 634 | ** The final time leads to his downfall: when he believes that the SPK task force are about to die because Mikami has written their names in his notebook, he gloats that he's won... except, unfortunately for him, they don't. |
| 635 | * VillainHasAPoint: Light may be a mass murderer who constantly lies to and manipulates everyone who cares about him, but his campaign as Kira put an end to all wars and reduced global crime by 70%. Nobody contradicts him when he says this, and Near, despite making it clear he views him as nothing but a petty SerialKiller, even admits that Light [[TheExtremistWasRight may have changed the world for the better with fear]]. In fact, a good part of [[VillainWithGoodPublicity his in-universe support]] derives from this. |
| 636 | * VillainProtagonist: To L's HeroAntagonist. Light is intelligent, charismatic, attractive, and cunning. However, he's also a condescending, manipulative, prideful, spiteful madman who has no problem killing thousands of people if it fits his vision for the world. After he's caught, Near says that, for all of Light's justifications and rationalizations that he's the "god of the new world," it's all just self-serving nonsense. Light is just a crazy serial killer, nothing more and nothing less. |
| 637 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: |
| 638 | ** As Kira, Light gradually gains more and more public support. In spite of being a mass murdering vigilante, he is admired by many for reducing crime rates through fear and power as if he were some deity smiting the wicked (which happens to be [[AGodAmI exactly how he sees himself]]). During the TimeSkip, entire ''nations'' announce that they endorse Kira. |
| 639 | ** Light, as [[LightIsNotGood Light]], is actually a straighter example; he's a popular, intelligent, charming [[TheAce ace]] son of the police chief, who's revered and admired by the people around him... who also happens to be a [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity crazy]] SerialKiller. |
| 640 | * VillainousBreakdown: Has a few towards the end of the series, once he realizes that the jig is up. He's even on that trope's picture of the VillainousBreakdown/AnimeAndManga subsection for that reason. |
| 641 | ** After forty seconds pass and no one dies, Light realizes he's been tricked. Too bad for him that he just said "I win, Near." right before that, so now everyone in the room knows he's Kira. |
| 642 | ** His MotiveRant begins with a fierce EvilLaugh, along with how he's become "justice." Near promptly [[ShutUpHannibal shuts him up]] by summarily rejecting all of Light's justifications. This prompts Light to try and kill them with a hidden piece of the notebook, only to nearly be shot to death by Matsuda. |
| 643 | ** After he's been shot, all Light can do is flee, bleeding and terrified. And in the end, Ryuk writes Light's name in the Death Note, which ends Kira for good. In the manga, Light's final moments are spent sobbing and screaming "I don't want to die!" over and over again. |
| 644 | * VillainSong: Nearly all of his numbers in the stage musical qualify as one, but the most notable ones are "Where is the Justice?" and "Death Note". [[note]]named "Hurricane" in the original English version.[[/note]] |
| 645 | * VillainsWantMercy: Upon his defeat at the end of the series, Light freaks out and desperately begs for someone, ''anyone'' to save him, because despite having killed thousands of people, he's scared shitless at the thought of dying himself. |
| 646 | * VirtueIsWeakness: When Soichiro chooses to try to arrest Mello rather than kill him with the Death Note as Light expected him to do, despite the fact that Mello had kidnapped and [[BreakTheCutie traumatized]] Sayu, Light is angered and openly declares it an act of stupidity. Light's way of thinking comes back to bite him hard when, after being exposed as Kira, he mocks Soichiro and his way of thinking as foolish right in front of Matsuda, who promptly loses his temper and shoots him five times. |
| 647 | * VisionaryVillain: He really believes in that new world of his. |
| 648 | * VitriolicBestBuds: Light and Ryuk, arguably both types 1 (i.e. laughing it off whenever Ryuk reminds him that he's a Death God and that [[KillYouLast he's going to kill him one day.]]) and 2 (insulting each other in equal measure). |
| 649 | ** Also with L during the Yotsuba arc. |
| 650 | %%* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: As the second L. |
| 651 | * WeHaveBecomeComplacent: After defeating L, Light spends the next several years comfortably dispensing his brand of justice without any intellectual opposition, feeding his god complex to the point he becomes reckless and prideful enough to believe he'll never lose. This likely factored into why Near and Mello were able to bring about his downfall. |
| 652 | * WellDoneSonGuy: Light has daddy issues. His father is always out working to catch the bad guys and hardly ever sees his family. It's been speculated that this might be the ''real'' reason he hates criminals with such a passion - they stole his father away from him. Also how he walks out on the family meeting where his dad is talking about catching "that evil bastard Kira." Also it's well established that Light is the top-ranked student in the country but his father is still surprised that he can keep up with L. Later that instance of his father pretending to shoot him in the head on L's orders might have added to the dysfunction as well. |
| 653 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: Initially, his goal is to rid the world of crime for selfless reasons. [[ItsAllAboutMe It doesn't last]], as a result of a combination of a fear of being caught and his increasing narcissistic delusions, to the point that Near calls him out on it and says that he's just a lunatic at the end of the series. The degree to which he sincerely desires to do the right thing is to your discretion. |
| 654 | * WeWantOurJerkBack: During the Yotsuba arc, with L ("I think I wanted you to be Kira"). |
| 655 | * WhatBeautifulEyes: Light has very pretty long-lashed {{Bishonen}} eyes and the anime pays them special focus being kind of a tell in letting the audience know [[TheStoic what he's really thinking]] and having them change color from brown, to goldish/amber, to [[GlowingEyesOfDoom red]]. They lose their appeal when he's especially unhinged. |
| 656 | * WhatIfGodWasOneOfUs: It would end '''badly'''. Textbook example of The Prince, though he imagines himself as The Shepherd. |
| 657 | * WhatIsEvil: Light eliminates evil... by using a [[ArtifactOfDoom magic notebook that causes anyone whose name is written in it to die]]. He ultimately [[WellIntentionedExtremist wants to turn the world into a crime-free utopia]] and [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans believes anything he does is justified by his noble goal]]. The main antagonist is a world-famous detective determined to get to the bottom of a suspicious rash of unexplained deaths, and he realizes it's all the work of a supernaturally prolific serial killer who must be stopped at all costs. Both claim to be motivated by a strong sense of justice. Though the writer says L is actually not motivated by justice at all, he is nonetheless the more heroic of the two, because Kira is hanging out in the deep end of the KnightTemplar pool. |
| 658 | ** Ryuk points out early on that when Light achieves his goal, the only evil person left will be himself. Light has no idea what Ryuk is talking about, being completely incapable of seeing anything he does, including mass murder, as evil. |
| 659 | * WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: All his obstacles look like nails that are in need of being hammered down, due to the only punishment he can dish out being the death penalty. |
| 660 | * WhiteShirtOfDeath: He ends up having blood on his white shirt underneath his coat when Matsuda shoots him. |
| 661 | * WickedCultured: He can sometimes come across this way, as a sharply-dressed, well-educated PersonOfMassDestruction, with a tongue so silver it convinced a god of death to kill herself and evil so [[FauxAffablyEvil faux-affable]] it sucked good folks into his madness. Another character even comments that Light looks and acts "like he's been groomed for success his whole life", but this mature and intellectual exterior actually masks a [[PsychopathicManchild childish genius]] who [[AxCrazy wants to watch heads roll]] and [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity doesn't know what it means to be wrong]]. |
| 662 | * WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises: This happens to him quite frequently. The first examples are once he discovers the notebook's powers are real and when he laughs manically after killing Lind L. Taylor. |
| 663 | * WithUsOrAgainstUs: Light's primary mentality. As far as he's concerned, his actions are completely justified, he himself is justice, and everyone who ''doesn't'' support and worship him is against him and therefore evil. |
| 664 | * WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: There are hints that Light wasn't entirely sane even ''before'' he gained the power to kill anyone in the world at any time, but his sanity certainly heads downwards from the minute he gets the Death Note. |
| 665 | * {{Workaholic}}: During the first arc, Light devotes all of the time that he's not working on work for school or cram school to killing criminals as Kira; in the anime, he turns down offers to hang out with other students, something Ryuk comments on. And let's give the kid some credit: keeping up four girls at once isn't exactly easy, even if it is for a relatively brief period of time. |
| 666 | ** And in the second arc, when he's balancing his jobs as L and Kira, he often goes without sleep to keep his schemes running smoothly. At one point, Matsuda calls Light's ability to work endlessly "amazing." |
| 667 | * WorthyOpponent: Considering how upset he is when he first meets Near in person and considers him to be nothing compared to L, it's likely he holds his former rival in high regard. |
| 668 | * WouldntHitAGirl: Mostly played straight, though he has no problem with writing women's names down. In episode 14 he says "this is the first time in my entire life I've seriously wanted to hit a girl" after being glomped by Misa. |
| 669 | * WrongGenreSavvy: Similar to how Misa seems to be under the impression she's living in a [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel Romance Novel]], Light seems to think he's living in a [[ShonenGenre Shonen Manga]] which, while technically true, he's an [[WideEyedIdealist idealist]] living in a [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism cynical world]]. Light sees himself as TheHero and TheChosenOne - through the sheer power of [[TheDeterminator determination]] and his [[{{Narcissist}} genius]] [[GuileHero plans]] [[TautologicalTemplar that are always right]] [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans he will make this world a better place]]. He thinks of the Death Note as just a tool, no different than a gun. [[BlackAndWhiteMorality Heroes can use guns on bad guys and still be considered the heroes.]] [[SarcasmMode So why would people ever think what he's doing was wrong?]] |
| 670 | * XanatosSpeedChess: He's a master of this. |
| 671 | * YouAreWhatYouHate: Ryuk points out in the first episode when Light explains his plan to get rid of all the bad people that there will always be one bastard left. |
| 672 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: What he does to Raye Penber and Kiyomi Takada. Also what he would have done to Misa were it not for Rem. In the end, he himself is subject to this by Ryuk, who writes his name in his own Death Note at the end of the series, as Light no longer proves entertaining. |
| 673 | * YouJustToldMe: Happens to Raye Penber and (in the manga) the President of the United States. |
| 674 | * YouShouldHaveDiedInstead: An interesting case as Light is the one who engineered Rem's death, but later comments that he wishes Ryuk had died instead. |
| 675 | * YouWillBeSpared: Provided someone is useful to him and/or doesn't get in his way, i.e. Misa and Mikami. Also the Taskforce for most of season 2. |
| 676 | * YoungAndInCharge: He is 18 when he assumes L's name and control of the Japanese Taskforce after L's death, and even at twenty-three in the second season he remains both its youngest member and leader. |
| 677 | * YoungConqueror: He is youthful idealism at its darkest. |
| 678 | [[/folder]] |
| 679 | ---- |
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