Main Characters

Light Yagami (Kira) (夜神月, Yagami Raito?) Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano
The main character of Death Note, Light is a brilliant but bored 17-year old student. When he finds the Death Note dropped in the human world by Ryuk, a Shinigami, he decides to use it to kill all criminals, his ultimate goal being to cleanse the world of evil to create a utopia and to be the God of this new world.

LL (エル, Eru?) Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi
L is the world's top-rated detective, tasked with tracking down and arresting Kira, and Light's nemesis. His disheveled appearance masks his great powers of deduction and insight. L has many quirks, such as sitting in an odd manner and snacking on sweets in the middle of meetings. He often takes drastic strategies to confuse and force his opponents, and on several occasions he has willingly disclosed several of his weaknesses to Kira at the risk of his own life in the hopes that he would lure him into a trap.

Misa Amane (Kira No. 2) (弥海砂, Amane Misa?) Voiced by: Aya Hirano
A girl with an immense crush on Kira. She is a famous model, and tends to wear Punk Lolita clothing. She is immature and has a tendency to refer to herself in the third person (calling herself "Misa-Misa") in an attempt to be cute. Misa is totally devoted to Light, and she once said that she loved him "at first sight". Light, however, only views her as an asset to his plans because of her Death Note and her "Shinigami Eyes" (that she obtained at the cost of half of her remaining life span). These "Shinigami Eyes" give Misa the ability to know people's names by looking at their faces, thereby giving Kira an edge in his battle against his enemies.

Mello (メロ, Mero?)
Mello was an orphan who grew up with Near in Watari's shelter for gifted children. He was also a primary candidate to become L's successor. Similar to L's fondness for sweets, he is often seen eating bars of chocolate. When he receives news of L's death, he swears to avenge L by capturing Kira. Contrary to Near, Mello, although quite intelligent, often lets his emotions get the better of him.

Near (ニア, Nia?)
Like Mello, Near was one of the candidates to become L's successor. He too shares a similarity to L: much like L played with things such as sugar cubes and forks, Near is seen playing with toys and his hair throughout the series. When Near learned of L's death, he offered to join forces with Mello to fight Kira. When Mello turned down his offer, he gained the support of the US government and formed the Secret Provision for Kira (SPK).


Shinigami (The Death Gods)
Shinigami, or their formal name Death Gods, are demon-like characters whom live in the Shinigami Realm. To increase their life-span, the Shinigami write the names of humans in their Death Notes. However, because of the fact that the Shinigami realm is incredibly dull, this act is usually laughed at, and thus done in privacy. Shinigami cannot be killed by conventional means, such as shooting or stabbing.

Ryuk (リューク, Ryūku?) Voiced by: Shidou Nakamura
The original Shinigami who dropped the Death Note in the human world, which Light would pick up. Acting out of pure boredom, Ryuk begins the story of Death Note on a whim. Perhaps neutral by nature, Ryuk often refuses to aid Light and instead enjoys watching him struggle for his goal. The most important facet of Ryuk's character is that he is not Light's friend. He acts for his own interests and entertainment and often fails to tell Light key details about the Death Note.

Rem (レム, Remu?)
The female Shinigami who first gives Misa her Death Note and "eyes." She appears mainly during the "L" arc of the series and dies shortly before its conclusion. Similar to Ryuk, Rem possesses two Death Notes; however, she purposely gives a Death Note to Misa Amane. Rem inherited her second Death Note from Jealous and thought it only right to pass it on to Misa. Oddly enough, Rem inherits Jealous' love for Misa as well and is prompt to defend Misa even at the cost of her life.

Jealous (ジェラス, Jerasu?)
Jealous only appears in a flashback during volume 4 when Rem explains a method to kill a Shinigami. In the flashback, Rem recalls Jealous watching over a younger Misa Amane in the human world. Surprised by his concern, Rem eventually looks over his shoulder and witnesses what should have been Misa Amane's last moments on Earth. Apparently infatuated with Misa, Jealous used his Death note to kill Misa's destined murderer. Moments later, Jealous himself turns to a pile of sand and rust as punishment for extending a human life. Jealous' name is commonly misspelled as "Gelus," which is what Jealous' name was romanized to until Death Note: How to Read 13 revealed the official spelling as Jealous.

Shidoh
Shidoh is a Shinigami that came to the human world to retrieve the Death Note that Ryuk stole from him. After discovering his Death Note was in the hands of Mello, he reveals himself to Mello and informs him of its secrets. Known amongst the Shinigamis for his utter stupidity, Shidoh proves himself true to his reputation.

Justin the Jewel Skeleton
Though only appearing for a brief segment in Volume 8, Justin provides Shidoh with several scrolls describing the various rules that Shinigami have for interacting with humans. He also informs Shidoh that his Death Note was indeed stolen by the Shinigami Ryuk. Shidoh uses the information to guide his interactions with Mello in the human world.

Investigation team
A group of Japanese police officers, led by Soichiro Yagami, tracking down Kira alongside L.

Soichiro Yagami (夜神総一郎, Yagami Sōichirō?) Voiced by: Naoya Uchida
Light's father and leader of the investigation team, dedicated and determined to arrest Kira at any cost. He cares a lot for his family. It was mentioned in the Death Note volume 13 that Soichiro was the only character who truly represented justice.

Tota Matsuda (松田桃太, Matsuda Tōta?) Voiced by: Ryo Naito
The most outspoken member in the investigation team. Although most of the Investigation Team are adamant that what Kira is doing is wrong, Matsuda wavers on the fence, often speaking his mind without thinking - questioning if what Kira is doing is in fact right. He's also the most easily fooled by Light, who he trusts with absolute certainty.

Kanzo Mogi (模木完造, Mogi Kanzō?) Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai
Mogi is one of the most dedicated members of the investigation team. He remains mostly silent. This silence was marked when he refused to answer Near's questions about the Japanese Investigative Team, even when he was clearly affected by the theories that Near was presenting to him. He collects data quickly and efficiently for the team, and is also shown to be an excellent actor, showing an excitement and cheeriness completely opposite of his usual demeanor.

Shuichi Aizawa (相沢周市, Aizawa Shūichi?) Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara
Aizawa chose to leave the investigation team and remain in the police force, when L offered the investigation team members the choice of quitting and returning to the life of a normal police officer. He continued assisting the investigation team as a member of the Japanese police force after he left.

Watari (Quillsh Wammy) (ワタリ, Watari?) Voiced by: Kiyoshi Kobayashi
L's assistant. He acts as logistics to the investigation team. He founded "The Wammy's House" an orphan shelter for gifted young children such as L, Mello, and Near. Also, as evidenced during the police chase at the end of volume six, he is an experienced sniper.

Other characters

Sachiko Yagami (夜神幸子, Yagami Sachiko?) Voiced by: Ai Satou
Light's mother and Soichiro's wife. She plays a minor role in the storyline, unaware of Light's possession of the Death Note.

Sayu Yagami (夜神粧裕, Yagami Sayu?) Voiced by: Haruka Kudo
Light's younger sister. She plays a minor role in the main storyline, unaware of Light's possession of the Death Note. She is captured at one point by Mello, who uses her as leverage to get possession of the Death Note.

Raye Penber (レイ・ペンバー, Rei Penbā?) Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa
Raye Penber is a member of an FBI team sent to Japan to investigate the Kira killings. Light devised an ingenious plan, forcing Penber to unsuspectingly kill the rest of his team right before he died.

Naomi Misora (南空ナオミ, Misora Naomi?) Voiced by: Naoko Matsui
A former FBI agent. Engaged to Raye Penber. She was the first character to realize that one can kill in other ways than a heart attack with Death Note. Upon the death of her fiance she sets off on an investigation of her own to discover the identity of Kira. Despite her role is minimal in the original story, she gains a more important role in the first movie, as Light's greatest antagonist next to L himself.

Kyosuke Higuchi (Yotsuba's Kira) (Higuchi Kyosuke, Kyosuke Higuchi (Yotsuba's Kira)?)
The head of technological development in the Yotsuba group, Higuchi is the third Kira to appear. Higuchi is given the death note by Rem after she is told to find a corrupt and power hungry man. He is one of the few "true" evil characters in the series as he only uses the note for his personal interests.