#death note spoilers

[localcanadiancreature62]

And THAT'S the psychological horror part of death note. He portrays himself as an entirely normal loveable guy,but he's actually a fucking psychopath that wants to kill people so he can be the new god that strives for absolute justice in a new world ruled by an iron fist. He is literally insane but no one knows. No one but the audience knows. That's why he was able to survive as Kira for such a long time,because everyone was unaware and oblivious to the elaborate schemes he gets into. His disguise was so flawless that no one found out even at the end of the series when he died from a heart attack (although that's mostly because the ending was trying to portray how he lost his sanity from trying to obsessively become the new god rather than people mourning him).

also i think people forget that light’s personsona isn’t some snobbish elitist. people see him as just an extra smart guy. he’s a genius and he’s good at tennis but it’s in an endearing way. he’s the guy who you’d ask to help with your homework and he’d smile and say ‘sure!’ and he has a lot of friends even if nobody actually knows him deep down. he wouldn’t get caught as kira because he’d have a meltdown over trans people’s deadnames or whatever he’s good at reacting to new situations. he’s humble and people like him for a reason. he’s uncontroversial and easygoing. he respects authority but is down to earth enough to make jokes. that’s how he survived as kira. his camouflage was actually good. even before kira. you wouldn’t be “put off by his repulsive vibes.”

let’s put it this way. if light had a social media platform he wouldn’t be posting unhinged political takes, no matter his actual politics. he probably wouldn’t be posting about politics at all. he’d probably be posting about organizing or studying or something. hell, maybe he’d be an online tutor that people would love. point is, you think he’s unhinged because you see his inner thoughts. other people don’t.

[poofmalyakaet]

death note except Light and Sayu act like real siblings

[headknight-oh]

I’m making my partner watch death note for the first time and we got to the ending sequence where light dies when he like sees L as he’s dying and my partner goes “pussy so good it haunts the narrative.” And like yeah that’s the plot after L dies basically

[wings-of-castiel]

the thing about aizawa is that he is such an L hater. he hated the original L so much that he bickered with him constantly, temporarily left the task force, and refused to believe him when he said light, the most kira bitch to ever live, is kira. then L died, and light (kira) became L. now, coincidentally, aizawa becomes convinced that light (L) is kira. so, he partners with near to bring down light (kira) (L) and when light is exposed as kira, near becomes the de facto L. now aizawa fucking hates near and tells him "i don't follow your orders." he is a hater through and through.

[megaderping]

I feel like when people compare Akechi to Light Yagami, they fundamentally misunderstand his character. Their similarities really end at their designs, and Light is the kind of person Akechi would despise. Light Yagami lives a pretty privileged life at the start of Death Note. He has a stable home, with two parents and a sister who care about him. He's a successful student. There isn't really inherent tragedy to his life. The whole reason he starts using the Death Note is a mix of curiosity and a jaded worldview, and when it works it empowers him, very quickly goes to his head, as he believes he is one who can be a god of a "new world" once the shock of his initial kills wears off. While his first kill was to help someone, that altruism didn't last. He is in charge of his choices, while Ryuk mostly vibes and maybe eggs him on a little. Fundamentally, Light has something Akechi lacks: agency, and a comfortable life he took for granted. Meanwhile, Akechi is someone who lived on the bottom rung of Japanese society. His very existence is shameful there, between his mother being a sex worker, his status as an illegitimate/"throw away" child, and his mother's suicide. Years languishing in a foster system that is notoriously inhumane, in a country where 90% of the adoptions are grown men for inheritance and patriarchal reasons, while very few children in the system find permanent homes. When Akechi awakens his power, he approaches Shido not because he wants to kill people but for a stupid revenge plan cooked up by a traumatized child who's been nudged along by a malevolent god. He wants to build Shido up so that at the height of his power, he can expose him for the monster he really is, while another part of him genuinely wants to be useful to Shido, as Cogkechi later calls out. His feelings are a mess of contradictions, and so it's no surprise that Shido was able to mold him into his assassin at only 15 years old. It's also worth noting that Akechi only approaches Shido with his ability to cause psychotic breakdowns. Shido is the one who teaches and instructs him to do shutdowns. He's still complicit, very sunk cost with his revenge plan, but as I spoke of here, even if he wanted to quit, he couldn't alone. Shido's cleaner and control of the law and ability to effortlessly turn him in would render the Metaverse his only safe haven. I think people look at 11/20 Akechi and Akechi in the early parts of the engine room and assume that's just his "true self," when in reality it's another mask. Royal makes it very clear because in Rank 7, he outright warns Joker of what's to come via a pool metaphor and offers an out (though he's MUCH happier if you don't take it/stick to your principles), and in Rank 8, he goes on that big "I hate you" speech... while Sunset Bridge is playing. Y'know, the song that plays at the end of most confidants to reaffirm bonds. So when he smiles as he shoots what he assumes to be Joker, that doesn't mean he's genuinely happy. More likely, he's an emotional clusterfuck, given he also is disoriented enough to namedrop "Shido-san" over the phone, and in the subsequent meeting with Shido, tells him not to kill the Phantom Thieves and that Morgana is "just a cat." Yes, he says they'll make them fear for the rest of their lives, but remember, he's talking to Shido. The things he says are likely all incredibly calculated to sound appealing to Shido. And when you consider that he planned to utterly destroy Shido's reputation after the election, the "delay" makes even more sense.

Later, Akechi goes on about how the people he induced shutdowns on were deserving of their fates, but I don't think he believes it so much as it's the only way he could convince himself that it was worth it, and given how much society failed him, and given how many of the people he targeted were likely rivals/competitors or rich fucks, I think he'd be less inclined to assume good faith. Kunikazu Okumura was not an innocent little victim, after all. He was one of the people who requested breakdowns and shutdowns the most. I think Akechi enjoyed killing him not because of how it'd hurt Haru, but because of catharsis. Because Okumura is just as monstrous as Shido, so why should he feel remorse? However, I don't believe he feels the same about Wakaba, as when he discusses her with Shido, he mentions how her fate was because she refused to willingly work for him. It's another justification, but I personally think Wakaba's death was the most painful for him because he was effectively making Futaba just like him. That's why I think his reaction to Sae threatening Sojiro's custody was genuine. Anyway, evil grinning Akechi is just another mask, as I said. Keep in mind, this is someone who laments not meeting Joker years ago, someone who Morgana outright points out is lying about his hatred. And that's the thing. Light Yagami, while a really fascinating character, is not someone who had all this childhood suffering or lack of agency. He does not regret his actions in the slightest and goes down due to his own hubris in both the anime and the manga. While you can argue that Ryuk set him up by dropping the Death Note, Light was the one who picked it up and chose to use it. Any nudging from Ryuk didn't coerce Light into doing it because Light seized the opportunity. No, if Light Yagami is like anyone in Persona 5, it's Masayoshi Shido, not Goro Akechi. Both believe they are god/god's chosen, that they are the ones who will reshape the world to their ideals, and to be frank, both use and abuse women to serve their own purposes. Goro Akechi goes down sacrificing himself for the Thieves and pleading with them to stop his father and again in Maruki's reality when he refuses to let Joker accept a gilded prison of a world for his sake when he knows better than anyone what it's like to have no true freedom. If you max his confidant, you see him in the postcredits, leaving his survival entirely possible, and I think it works because at the end of the day, Akechi was meant to be a victim and a foil. Light is a villain protagonist and a cautionary tale. Though its his POV we follow, he isn't someone we're meant to root for, but I definitely don't think enjoying the character is a bad thing at all. He's really interesting! I just think that a lot of the Akechi and Light comparisons are surface level at best.

[discountsoysauce]

Light: *kills Ryuzaki*

Light: damn this is boring where's Ryuzaki

[asherdawg]

L & Kira final appearances

L's death is almost dignified compared to Light. L dies knowing he was right all along, he dies in the hands of his enemy. And Kira dies... rotting away in a warehouse.

[nerdstify]

stress relief

likes do nothing!

[softstrawberrycreamcake]

I love literal memes.

Anyway fun fact I actually stopped watching Death Note for about 5 months after L died because I was still in shock and denial that they actually killed him off.

[corviiids]

death note is an entire series of L and light correctly clocking each other's character intentions trains of thought personality ideals beliefs next moves etc etc etc and then either not identifying or being resistant to taking the most advantageous course of action because they simply cannot resist taking the more interesting path. there are multiple points throughout the series in which either one of them could have ended the game by simply flipping the board but they don't do it because then they don't really win. that's not to say they won't play underhanded or use hidden advantages but if they're going to do that it needs to be something the other could feasibly respond to or else they won't be satisfied. they both need to know, if i continue to play by the rules we've mutually set, could i come out on top? could i outplay him in a legitimate fight? could i beat him if i did it right? and the answer is the reason why they both lose

[whoishotteranimepolls]

I think everyone can guess the theme of this "Who's Hotter" Battle Royale

[s-3lliot]

Part 1 of the long Death Note Analysis

Okay no because I’m sorry but what the fuck. You’re telling me that of the SIXTY-FOUR cameras that were placed in Light’s room, NONE of them thought to place one RIGHT WHERE HE SITS at his goddamn DESK??? Like HELLO???? Bro is writing names left right and center and not a SINGLE one of the 64 goddamn cameras can catch his WRITING?? Man no wonder he doesn’t respect his dad or the ICPO, they’re fuckin’ STUPID. 

[some-pers0n]

I'm so so sorry for liveposting but god Death Note is HYSTERICAL; even more so than I thought going in! Like...the scene where Light's like "Oh goodness gracious L has tapped my room and put 500 cameras in it! I need to deceive them and have them believe I am a normal 17 year old boy. What would a normal teenager do?.." and he decides to read porn mags while??? fully clothed and going "hm yes how quaint" like not at all aroused or anything. Like he's just sitting there and looking at it like it's required reading for school. AND THEN THE SAME EPISODE HAS THE POTATO CHIP SCENE!! I thought it was ridiculous even before watching it, but seeing Ryuk have like????? apple withdrawal symptoms and doing handstands and backflips in the back was sheer lunacy. This is a comedy show you cannot convince me otherwise

[edgy-ella]

I think part of the reason that the second half of Death Note didn’t work nearly as well as the first is because Near serves the same narrative and thematic purpose that L did.

Near is basically L 2.0, and because of that, he doesn’t challenge Light’s morals or mission any differently than L did. Both are detectives that operate in the shadows with their own little posse of secret agents, both hone in on Light fairly early on, they even have similar mannerisms. They exist to challenge Kira’s rule, and more importantly, his ego. It ends up just feeling like a rehash of the first half of the show except Light himself has a posse now.

And like I’m sure the question there is “well how would you make a new series antagonist after L dies” but I feel like you totally could without stepping on L’s toes. Look at characters like Misa, Naomi, and Higuchi. All of these characters get in Light’s way at one point or another, even when they’re supposed to be helping him, in a way that feels distinct from L. Even Mello does this better than Near, but sadly he gets shafted and Near ends up being the predominant threat.

Step away from the idea of the investigation for a second. How do we write an interesting conflict for Light after L dies?

I think there’s a couple ways you could do it:

Someone else gets ahold of a Death Note and starts using it in a way Light disapproves of, but is meant to mirror him killing criminals (killing corrupt politicians, businessmen, etc.). Light has to deal with this person without outing himself as Kira

Someone finds out Light’s identity, but instead of persecuting him, decides to blackmail Light into doing their bidding. Light has to balance not pissing this person off with investigating them without drawing suspicion to himself

One of his supporters who already knows his identity (probably Misa) goes against him, working to get him killed or publicly outed without getting caught themselves

I’m just spitballing here—it’s really not that hard. Hell, that one-shot that came out in 2020 was about someone selling the death note for profit instead of actually using it. Where was that kind of thing in the main series?

[wings-of-castiel]

if im quite honest the real hero of death note is matsuda for putting that gay boy down

[kittysauce]

“ SLEEP NOW, HERE AMONG YOUR CHOICES . ”

[PANEL REDRAW!!!!]