Light Yagami the protagonist of the manga series Death Note
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| Light Yagami |
If we catch Kira, he is evil. If he wins and rules the world, then he is justice.
“— Light Yagami ("Justice")”
Light Yagami ( Yagami Raito) is the main protagonist of the Death Note series. After discovering the Death Note, he decides to use it to rid the world of criminals. His killings are eventually labeled by people of Japan as the work of "Kira."
Appearance
Light is a young man, standing at above average height with light-brown hair and brown eyes. During Part I, when not wearing his school uniform, which consists of a tan suit and red tie, he dresses fairly casually, sometimes sporting a dress shirt underneath a jacket or a V-neck sweater with a collared t-shirt underneath. During Part II, if not wearing a similar style of clothes, he is seen wearing a suit.
He is considered to be quite handsome, a trait noted by Misa Amane and Kiyomi Takada, among others.
Character
Light is characterized as hardworking, talented, and a natural genius. Highly perceptive and good with problem-solving, Light was a skilled planner and good at mapping out scenarios. Furthermore, Light was very popular among peers and adored by his family members. However, his high intelligence and constant praise from adults laid the foundation for an intense level of hubris which quickly took effect once he obtained the notebook.
Similar to his father, Light has a strong sense of justice but this quickly becomes warped after he becomes tainted by the notebook’s power. Believing the world to be "rotten," he uses his Death Note as a means by which he can enact his will to rid the world of evil people. Light's main goal is to create a new world that is free of injustice and populated only with people he deems honest and kind, thus becoming the "God of the new world". Light is decisive and driven to achieve his ambitions, without faltering one bit in his beliefs. Despite knowing the criminality of murder, Light would consider his actions the ultimate “sacrifice” to help the world.
Through use of the Death Note, Light quickly begins to develop a cold and ruthless nature. As a utilitarian, he will take any means in order to achieve his goals. His actions do put his family in harm’s way, though he does continue to love them regardless. This is demonstrated when his sister is kidnapped; he prevents his father from taking drastic action as a way to keep his sister safe in spite of the fact that Mello would gain the Death Note.
Death Note 37 Final
In the anime, Light reflects on his actions before his death.
Additionally, the series shows that Light was not born remorseless. After relinquishing the notebook and losing his memories to temporarily avoid suspicion, Light demonstrates compassion, a reluctance to manipulate others and an intense unwillingness to kill. Once his memories return, however, he reverts back to his ruthless Kira persona and remains that way until his death.
The degree of Light's hubris varies by adaption. In the manga, Japanese films and musical, Light is steadfast in his decisions as Kira and rarely expresses any doubt in his actions. In the anime, however, as he tries to escape capture in critical condition, Light imagines what his life could have been if he did not pick up the Death Note. Light is even more doubtful in the drama and Netflix film adaptions. In these continuities, he is far less confident, hesitant to kill and considers turning himself in when feeling cornered. Nevertheless, Light has consistently been portrayed as an idealist and an individual is willing to go to extreme measures in order to defend his idea of justice
History
Light grew up in Japan with his family, which consists of his father, Soichiro Yagami, who is a member of the Japanese Task Force (an investigation team opposing Kira), his mother, Sachiko Yagami, and his younger sister, Sayu Yagami.
At the start of the series, Light is a third-year high school student (12th Grade) at Daikoku Private Academy and also attends supplemental classes at Gamou Prep Academy in the beginning of the story. He later attends college at To-Oh University (Tōō Daigaku).
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