Light Yagami (夜神月, Yagami Raito) is the main protagonist of the Death Note series. After discovering the Death Note, he decides to use it to rid the world of criminals. His killings are eventually labelled by people of Japan as the work of "Kira."

Appearance

Light is a young man, standing at above average height with light brown hair and brown eyes. He tends to dress very neatly and formally, often seen wearing his school uniform or a suit. He is considered to be quite handsome, a trait noted by Misa Amane and Kiyomi Takada, among others.

Character

Light is characterized as hardworking, talented, and a natural genius. Highly perceptive and good with problem solving, Light was a skilled planner and good at mapping out scenarios. Furthermore, Light was very popular among peers and adored by his family members. However his high intelligence and constant praise from adults laid the foundation for an intense level of hubris was quickly produced after obtaining the notebook.

Even after being corrupted by the Death Note, Light continues to show a willingness to protect his family.

Similar to his father, Light has a strong sense of justice but this quickly becomes warped after he becomes tainted by the notebook’s power. Believing the world to be "rotten," he uses his Death Note as a means by which he can enact his will to rid the world of evil people. Light's main goal is to create a new world that is free of injustice and populated only with people he deems honest and kind, thus becoming the "God of the new world". Light is decisive and driven to achieve his ambitions, without faltering one bit in his beliefs. Despite knowing the criminality of murder, Light would consider his actions the ultimate “sacrifice” to help the world.

Through use of the Death Note, Light quickly begins to develop a cold and ruthless nature. As a utilitarian, he will take any means in order to achieve his goals. His actions do put his family in harm’s way, though he does continue to love them regardless. This is demonstrated when his sister is kidnapped; he prevents his father from taking drastic action as a way to keep his sister safe.

Additionally, the series shows that Light was not born remorseless. After relinquishing the notebook and losing his memories to temporarily avoid suspicion, Light’s demonstrates compassion, a reluctance to manipulate others and an intense unwillingness to kill. Once his memories return, however, he reverts back to his ruthless Kira persona and remains that way until his death.

In the anime, Light reflects on his actions before his death.

The degree of Light's hubris varies by adaption. In the manga, Japanese films and musical, Light is steadfast in his decisions as Kira and rarely expresses any doubt in his actions. In the anime, however, Light reflects upon his decisions and the life he could have taken as he tries to escape capture in critical condition. The drama and Netflix film adaptions sow even more seeds of doubt in Light's character as, in these continuities, he is far less confident, is hesitant to kill and considers turning himself in numerous times. Nevertheless, Light has consistently been portrayed as an idealist and an individual is willing to go to extreme measures in order to defend his idea of justice.

History

Light grew up in Japan with his family, which consists of his father, Soichiro Yagami, who is a member of the Japanese Task Force (an investigation team opposing Kira), his mother, Sachiko Yagami, and his younger sister, Sayu Yagami.

At the start of the series, Light is a third-year high school student (12th Grade) at Daikoku Private Academy and also attends supplemental classes at Gamou Prep Academy in the beginning of the story. He later attends college at To-Oh University (東応大学, Tōō Daigaku).

Plot