Light Yagami

Light Yagami (夜神 月, Yagami Raito?) / Kira / (second) L
Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese), Brad Swaile (English)
Tatsuya Fujiwara (movie)


Light Yagami as he appears in the anime.
Light Yagami, also known as Kira and the second L, is the protagonist (an anti-hero) of the manga and anime series Death Note. He is an extremely intelligent, but bored, young man who finds Ryuk's Death Note by sheer chance. In the Japanese version of the anime he is voiced by Mamoru Miyano, and in the English version of the anime he is voiced by Brad Swaile.
His height and weight are 179 centimeters (5'10") and 54 kilograms (120 pounds), respectively, which puts him at the same height as L (if L stands up in a proper position). His blood type is A (see Japanese blood type theory of personality). His name is also a play on the theme of good and evil in the series, as Light is his first name, and Yagami is written with the kanji for "night" and "god".
Light constantly tries to evade the suspicion of L while both maintaining his identity as Kira (Japanese pronunciation of the English word "killer"), and cleansing the world of crime. The fact that he is a genius also adds to his notion that only he is fit to judge humanity and steer it on a proper moral course.
Light, born on February 28, 1986, is a third year high school student (12th Grade) at Daikoku Private Academy (大国学園, Daikoku Gakuen?) who also attends supplemental classes at Gamou Prep Academy in the beginning of the story. Light has a father, Soichiro Yagami, who is a member of the investigation team opposing Kira. In addition, Light has a mother, Sachiko Yagami, and a younger sister, Sayu Yagami.
In Spring 2004 Light becomes a first-year student (freshman) at To-Oh University (東応大学, Tōō Daigaku?), becoming one of two freshman representatives; L is the other freshman representative. During a tennis game with L at To-Oh, spectators reveal that Light was the junior high school tennis champion in 1999 and 2000; After his 2000 victory, Light quit tennis as he entered high school.
When L is finally able to corner him, Light puts his master plan in practice. He temporarily gives up the Death Note to Ryuk, erasing his memories of his time as Kira. Unaware of the fact that he was the original killer, he accepts L's offer to join the investigation to hunt down Kyosuke Higuchi (the third Kira, who was given the Death Note by Rem, under Light's instructions). When Higuchi is captured, Light touches the Death Note, and regains his memory of his time as Kira. He then proceeds to kill Higuchi, and manipulates Rem, who dies in the process, to kill both Watari and L.
Light is later nominated by L's investigation team (who are unaware that he is Kira) to act as L, due to the fact that they cannot reveal the death of the real L to the world. Light also takes over the role of L's assistant, Watari. Now able to act as both Kira and L, Light can continue killing criminals while leading the investigation team in circles. His secret identity as L is soon discovered by the Special Provisions for Kira, President Hoope, and Mello's gang. Light joins the Japanese Police Force's Intelligence Department in April 2009, believing that no one can stop his plans. Near and Mello eventually appear before him, trying to accomplish what L could not: to expose Kira's true identity, and bring him to justice.
Ryuk is looking at Light with the Shinigami Eyes, revealing Light's real name and remaining lifespan (in Shinigami time).
In the end, the combined efforts of Mello and Near, combined with a large miscalculation and miscommunication on the part of Mikami and Light, force Light to reveal himself as Kira. In the final clash between Near and Light at a warehouse, all is revealed and the Kira case comes to an end after six long years.
In the manga version, after completely losing his head and characteristic cool over the prospect of being arrested, and in complete desperation after his attempts to write Near's name down are thwarted by Tota Matsuda, Light begs Ryuk to help him. Ryuk reminds Light that he is on neither side, and fulfills his earlier promise to write Light's name in his Death Note, thus ending Light's life.
In the anime version, Light manages to flee the warehouse after Mikami commits suicide. Near instructs the team that there is no reason to pursue Light given that there should be no more hidden Death Notes, and Light's wounds would prevent him from getting far. Despite this, Shuichi Aizawa, Kanzo Mogi, Hideki Ide and Matsuda follow Light but are unable to find him before he dies on the staircase of a nearby warehouse due to cardiac arrest from Ryuk writing his name in his Death Note. As Light slowly closes his eyes, an apparition of L appears before Light, mirroring Light standing over L in episode 25 at L's death. At the end of the Director's Cut the last line Ryuk says is, "Isn't that right, Light?"
In the film, a few changes were made to Light. At the film's beginning, Light is a first-year university student studying Law, instead of still being a high school genius, as in the beginning of the manga and anime. Light's motives differ; his boredom trait does not exist, and he instead uses the Death Note out of frustration from the perceived failures of the Japanese justice system. Light, prior to his discovery of the Death Note, hacks into the government database and finds that the government secretly acknowledges that many criminals are unable to be prosecuted. Light discovers the Death Note in an alley during a rainy night after encountering Shibuimaru in a club and throwing a law book into the rain in a rage. Light meets Ryuk after killing Shibuimaru. Light has a girlfriend, Shiori Akino, who attends his university. Light kills Shiori at the end of the first movie to gain sympathy from L.
After Rem "kills" L and kills Watari, Light writes his father's name in an attempt to kill him, an attempt that ultimately fails. The endings of both the second movie and the manga are similar. In the second film, after being exposed as Kira, Light asks Ryuk to write the names of the team members in the book during the climax. The police shoot but do not kill Ryuk as he writes in the Death Note. Light laughs until Ryuk shows Light the Death Note, revealing that Light's name was written in the book. Light tries to stop Ryuk, passing through the shinigami. Light dies in his father's arms, begging him to believe that he acted as Kira to put justice, which Soichiro had taught him since his childhood, into practice. He is portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara, best known for his role as Shuya Nanahara of Battle Royale.