Personal Data
Real Name: Yagami Light (Raito)
Also Known As: Kira
Birthdate: Feb. 28, 1986 (Age 17, 23)
Deathdate: Jan. 28, 2010 (Age 23)
Height: 179cm (5'9'')
Weight: 54kg (119 pounds)
Blood Type: A
Likes: Justice
Dislikes: Evil
Lifespan: 9 3 31 2 6 3 9
Occupation: Student, Police Force
Death Note: Yes
Anime Seiyuu: Miyano Mamoru
Movie Actor: Fujiwara Tatsuya
Quick Stats
Knowledge: 9/10
Conceptualization Power: 10/10
Activeness: 8/10
Emotional Strength: 10/10
Social Skills: 10/10
Acting Skills: 10/10
The Character
Raito is a very serious character. Like his foes, Raito has a very high I.Q. and an amazing ability to think things through. He never acts rashly, and in general he has a knack for seeing through people. The thing is, Raito barely shows his emotions to anyone and masks himself very well. As for friends, he doesn't really have any, and whenever he is close to someone it is in order to use them. Perhaps he does really belong with Ryuuk as Raito seems very bored with the world, and as Kira he attempts to rule it. He is a very ambitious guy!
History
Raito finds the Death Note outside on the floor of his school. Finding it, he takes it home and reads it, not believing a word. One day, when he's bored he tries it out for fun, and amazingly enough it works! From that day on, Raito sought to cleanse the world of evil, and rule over an almost perfect world, or at least a world where Kira, *he himself* was God.
Some Interesting Commentary :
The Makings of a Murderer
Raito is an ultimate character of human psyche. Many times when you read articles or journals on killers, they almost always state that after the first murder, the second or third come easily for a killer. In Raito's case this is also true, looking back on Death Note chapter one, you see a scared Raito ducking under his bed, trying to make a decision on what to do. But after he makes the decision, that is, to cleanse the world, he quickly transforms into another person, killing over 390 people in chapter one alone. This transformation in Raito probably sets him apart from all characters in all of Death Note, making him one of the most in-depth characters.
Killers who never get caught almost always are the ones who hide themselves within society, and think ahead of the game, as does Raito. Ohba himself, I strongly believe tries to show a real killer's transformation through Raito's use of the Death Note. From an innocent boy, to one who kills only the "bad" (the murderers, rapists etc.), and finally one who is willing to KILL anyone who gets in his way (including his family, and those who did not commit a crime at all- like L). When researching into crime cases about serial murders, many stated that the usual objective of a killer is one of two things: 1) Power 2) Sex. Obviously, #2 is not the case of Raito, but he is incredibly power hungry. Perhaps his sense of justice made sense in the beginning, but as we go through the Death Note chapters, seeing him kill off the innocent as well as the bad, we see that what Raito does is not purely for his sense of Justice- it is for himself. So many times, he states that he will rule over a world where crime will not exist. Looking more closely into this statement, we notice the most important word of all "HE WILL RULE". Raito wants sole supremacy, everyone around him is just a mere pawn in his game, and if he himself wanted justice so dearly, why does he kill off those trying to seek justice as well?
Along with Raito's personal transformations, his appearance even undergoes a change. Raito, once goodwilled, and smiling, slowly changes his old character to mask what he truely is. In many cultures, there are sayings that a person can hide him / herself to a certain extent, and this is especially true with Raito. The boy he used to be is a mere mask to hide his true self. His "love" for Misa a mere tool to accomplish his needs, and his pretend "friendship" with his foes clearly shows the success of his mask. However, just looking at the art we see a definite change. As an Indian saying goes, what a person is will always show on his face. The face of a person is always the first thing we look at as well, that which truely distinguishes one human from another. Raito's face is calm, reserved half the time, but looking into his eyes you see something that gets stronger as the chapters go on. What it is, no one can really say, but it IS there. It was all the more evident when Raito forfeits the Death Note later on, and his face is as innocent looking as the first chapter. The fire in his eyes gives away his true intentions, or makes us question what he is thinking in that mind.
One other very interesting thing about Raito is how he always wants to get close to his foes, make them trust him, and then kill them. Digging through Criminal Justice records on various sites and texts, I found myself looking at a pattern of mass murderers and serial killers. They almost always want to be invited into their victim's house. Almost always do they want that PLEASURE of power over their victims. Raito's power hunger shows itself once again.
Ryuuk says a couple times, that the holder of the Death Note always meets a dreadful end. We see Raito heading towards this. Raito is lost soul, he is so engrossed in his perfect world he doesn't see how much he himself is dragging it down. He himself can't notice that the very murderers that he is killing is what he himself has become. In truth, Ryuuk watches Raito with interest, but Ryuuk himself isn't Raito's friend. Raito is alone in the world, alone with only one ambition. One should only hope to wonder what would happen if that ambition was crushed, or he realized his wrongs -- something that is the breakdown of every human being.
What we truely are looking at with Raito is the makings of a true and heartless murderer.
♥ signed off at 9:11 PM
