#the movieverse actually plays around with a lot of the rules of the note it's really fun

[lovelylemontrash]

ok you mentioned you almost wrote an essay about how deadnames work in the Death Note universe and i am INTERESTED please tell me more

ok here goes:

Most people are gonna assume that trans folks (and cis folks who changed their names) are somewhat immune to the Death Note as they most likely will introduce themselves with their chosen name, thus unintentionally hiding their deadname (or as some argue in this situation, their "true name"). That assumption is wrong.

For an in universe/canon example of the effectiveness of a birth name/chosen name, let's take a look at the mini series Death Note New Generation. (I'm sorry if I get any details wrong, it's been a while since I watched it.)

In one of the episodes we meet a former criminal, who has changed his name to start anew. We get insights into his life; his struggles to move on from his past, his former partner being released from prison and contacting him, his nightmares, but also his new job, his new girlfriend, his new home. Shien (who is introduced in this episode) watches him, though in the end is steadfast in his believe that people can't change and writes down his name - his birth name. From hacked security cameras, Shien watches as the seconds pass by - thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty - the man doesn't die. Confused Shien checks his spelling, has he made a mistake? There's no way. He wonders... and writes down the man's chosen name, another forty seconds pass, Shien watches as the man clutches his chest and falls to the ground. He's dead. Shien remarks that he can't say wether that man had or hadn't really changed, but what he does know is that this man's chosen name was his real name.

It's very easy to take this example and apply it to a trans person, meaning that writing down their chosen name doesn't immunize them from the effects of the Note.

Though some might ask "But what about aliases?". Simple. The person using an alias doesn't believe that this is their name, that's why Light wasn't able to kill Naomi when she gave him a fake name, she knew it was fake; that's why L revealed his variety of aliases even to his main suspect. They were conscious of the fact that they're intentionally hiding their true name, in this case their birth name.

The last point I want to discuss is the case of someone who's still finding their true name. Let's say for example a person's birth name is John Doe, though they don't connect to that name and rarely use it anymore. They've tried other name's, Jane, Jimmy, Jessica, but none of those have sticked, so they continue trying out different names. In this case, I'd argue that their birth name would still be effective and work sort of like a place holder, as the person hasn't found their true name yet.

tldr: trans folks are not immune to the Death Note and their chosen names are just as effective as a cis persons birth name.

p.s.: I also don't think it matters what name is one someone's official documents/ID/etc., like it doesn't matter if haven't gone through the process of legally changing their names; their chosen/true name will still take effect