The manga series Death Note features an extensive cast of fictional characters designed by Takeshi Obata with their storylines created by Tsugumi Ohba.
[1] The story follows the character named Light Yagami, who chances upon a supernatural notebook which grants him the ability to cause the death of anyone he writes in it.
After discovering the Death Note and its ability to kill after writing a person's name with their face in mind, he decides to use it to rid the world of criminals.
Though starting with noble intentions, his ego and hubris elevates to the point where he believes he has been chosen to serve as the "God of the New World" and is the only one fit to rule society.
After Light defeats L, he takes on L's title and intensifies his killings, whilst increasing his public approval to the point where cults worldwide have risen to worship Kira.
His disheveled appearance and lack of social etiquette causes people to doubt his position as L. He lives in solitude, and only his manager Watari is able to contact him directly.
Ryuk (リューク, Ryūku) is a bored Shinigami that drops a Death Note, a notebook that allows the one in its possession to kill anyone simply by knowing their name and face, into the human world in order to have fun.
Near (ニア, Nia), whose real name is Nate River, is the young detective who succeeds L after his death, and the heroic main antagonist of the manga's final arc.
Mello (メロ, Mero), real name is Mihael Keehl, grows up in competition with Near to succeed L. After L's death, however, he concedes the position to Near and leaves to hunt Kira through criminal means, eventually joining the American Mafia.
Having Ryuk go out to send his instructions to Sakura TV, he creates a hashtag to auction off the Death Note, ultimately leading to world governments bidding on the Death Note, ultimately getting the United States to bid ten trillion dollars for it, while various law enforcement agencies are out to catch Minoru, whom Near names "A-Kira".
The US president balks at this, and secretly refuses to take ownership of the note (though mentioning he'll publicly bluff about having it), and Minoru dies immediately after trying to cash out his payment.
[11] Matsuda's "risky moves" sometimes place him in danger, and his "quick thinking" sometimes aids the investigation, such as his actions in the Yotsuba case that lead to Higuchi's detainment.
In the film, he is played by Shunji Fujimura, who felt that Watari's presence would "come alive" if he projected "the mood of this mysterious old gentleman without the air of livelihood.
He killed 3 victims, Backyard Bottomslash, Quarter Queen, and Believe Bridesmaid, while leaving clues at each murder scene for Naomi Misora to "solve."
After Near (as L) announces he is not interested in the case and condemns this Kira as an "abominable murderer", C-Kira commits suicide by writing their own name in the Death Note.
Aiber (アイバー, Aibā), real name Thierry Morello (ティエリ・モレロ, Tieri Morero), is a professional con man in the employ of L. He plays the role of Eraldo Coil (エラルド・コイル, Erarudo Koiru), one of L's detective aliases, during the investigation of the Yotsuba Group.
They create a ploy to force the Kira Investigation Team to remove all bugs from the room, after which Light tells Takada that he wants her to be his goddess in the new world.
[20] Raye Penber (レイ・ペンバー, Rei Penbā) is an American investigator from the FBI, sent to Japan with eleven other agents to aid in tracking down Kira early in the story.
Described by How to Read It as a "talented" agent,[21] Raye is assigned to investigate the Yagami family for any suspicious behavior; but he eventually stops suspecting Light after he appears to be one of the victims of a bus-jacking.
He then meets weekly with the rest of the Yotsuba Group to discuss the killing of key individuals from competing companies to maintain dominance in the business industry.
[32] Shingo Mido, the Vice President of Corporate Strategy and the Director of Financial Planning, feels reservations regarding the Yotsuba Kira and ponders leaving the other board members.
Shimura's ability to pay attention to small details allowed him to join the meetings; he noticed subtle changes in poker-faced Namikawa's face.
Rod Ross (ロッド・ロス, Roddo Rosu, romanized Rodd Los in Japanese media[37]), real name Dwhite Gordon (ドワイト・ゴードン, Dowaito Gōdon), is the head of the mafia.
Before Mello joined, he was involved in drug trafficking and illegal weapons sales; neither charge stuck due to lack of evidence, despite four separate arrests.
When the attack fails, President Hoope commits suicide to prevent Mello from writing his name and making him launch a nuclear strike.
Lind L. Tailor (リンド・L・テイラー, Rindo Eru Teirā) is a convicted criminal waiting on death row for an unspecified capital offence; this information was kept secretly away from the public.
[43] In an interview printed in Weekly Shonen Jump, the creators of the film stated that Shiori was added to the story to highlight Light's negative aspects.
Maki appeared as a pretty girl with chin-length black hair with her bangs covering her eyebrows, and wherever she goes, she was always seen carrying a teddy bear that contains a recording of her mother's voice.
Unbeknownst to her, Maki had witnessed her murdering Nikaido, which gives birth to hatred in the heart of the 10-year-old, who quickly escapes the facility with grief for her father's death.
When Light discovers the Death Note, feeling enraged by the lack of punishment for his mother's murderer, he kills Skomal by making him impale himself on a steak knife during a dinner out.