The manga series Death Note features an extensive cast of fictional characters designed by Takeshi Obata with their storylines created by Tsugumi Ohba."How to Think." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 59. The story follows the character named Light Yagami, who chances upon a supernatural notebook which grants him the ability to cause the death of anyone he writes in it. Light uses the notebook he finds in order to cleanse the world of humans he has deemed unfit for society. A team of professional investigators set out to find out the mysterious killer and arrest him, and thus many other characters are introduced until Light is eventually caught.
In the fictional stories featured in the Death Note universe, Tsugumi Ohba, the story writer, created characters that lived in a world featuring a notebook in which names written on it would lead to the ones named to die, typically the cause of death being a heart attack when otherwise not specified. Ohba chose names for his characters in a way that, as he described, "seemed real but could not exist in the real world", due to the fact that most of the characters were criminals or victims. Some character details differ between the manga and its anime, live-action film and drama adaptations.
Main characters Light Yagami
is the protagonist of Death Note, a brilliant yet bored genius who adopts the alias "Kira" to cleanse the world of criminals. Created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, he is portrayed as a ruthless, ego-driven character aiming to become the god of a new, crime-free world.
L Lawliet
, known mononymously as L, is a world-renowned detective who takes on the challenge of catching the serial killer known as Kira. Despite his disheveled and scrawny appearance and eccentric habits, such as crouching instead of sitting and an obsessive consumption of sweets, he is a brilliant strategist. He becomes the primary antagonist to Light Yagami, whom he quickly suspects of being Kira, leading to a high-stakes battle of wits.
Ryuk
is a bored Shinigami that drops a Death Note, the notebook that allows the one in its possession to kill anyone simply by knowing their name and face, into the human world in order to have fun. It is picked up by Light Yagami, a young genius who uses it in an attempt to create and rule a world "cleansed of evil" as "God". He has an affinity for apples.
Misa Amane
, also known as "Misa-Misa", is a popular Japanese idol, who is known for her Gothic-style of dress, hyperactive personality and devotion to Light, falling in love with him after he kills Misa's parents' murderer. As a Death Note owner and the second Kira, she has the eyes of a Shinigami, which allow her to see nearly everyone's name and lifespan. However, she cannot see the lifespans of Death Note owners. As part of her career as an idol, she performs numerous jobs such as acting, singing and modeling.
Near
, whose real name is Nate River, is the young detective who succeeds L after his death, He is the head of an organization created to catch Kira, the SPK (Special Provision for Kira). A placid, pragmatic character with a sharp tongue, he has white hair and wears pale clothes. He constantly plays with toys, building towers of dice and playing cards, and illustrating his exposition with small finger puppets. He is seen completing blank puzzles, which emphasizes his problem-solving skills. He is the person who succeeds in identifying and capturing Light as Kira.
Mello
, real name is Mihael Keehl, grows up in competition with Near to succeed L. After L's death, however, he concedes the position to Near and leaves to hunt Kira through criminal means, eventually joining the American Mafia. His obsession with surpassing Near serves as the primary motivation for many of his actions. He has blond hair, dresses extravagantly, and is rarely seen without a bar of chocolate.
Teru Mikami
is a criminal prosecutor and fanatical worshipper of Kira. When Light needs a new proxy to hide his identity, Light uses his intuition alone to select Mikami to become the fourth Kira. Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 73. Since childhood, Mikami has had a strong sense of justice, but his views have become warped due to years of bullying and trauma. Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 81. As an example of this, Mikami wishes to punish those he considers to be evil, which, to Light's dismay, includes unproductive people and reformed criminals. Mikami mutters the word repeatedly whenever he uses the Death Note to commit his executions.
During the climax of manga's final arc, Mikami is captured by Near's team after unintentionally implicating Light and exposing the latter as Kira. Whereas Mikami dies in prison after going insane in the manga, he commits suicide by stabbing himself with his pen in the anime. Matsuda theorizes that Near wrote in the Death Note to manipulate Mikami's actions in order to lead Light to his defeat.Death Note Volume 12. VIZ Media. 196. In the second Death Note Rewrite special, Mikami is the one to kill the majority of SPK, Near's team of investigators, differing from the manga, in which Mello and the mafia are responsible for the SPK's deaths.
In the live action drama, his role is expanded upon. Portrayed by Shugo Oshinari, Mikami is introduced as the prosecutor handling the case of Kyu Nishida, the murderer of Misa's parents. He eventually deduces Misa's identity as the second Kira after accumulating information from Kira-related news. After stealing Misa's notebook to become Kira in her place, Mikami collaborates with Light to kill L. Mikami continues to work with Light until they are both caught by Near and the police in the Yellow Box warehouse. Mikami accidentally kills Light after he sets the warehouse on fire in an attempt to escape.
Mikami makes a cameo appearance in Death Note: Light Up the New World serving as the guardian to Light's young son. Mikami murders the boy in order to steal the boy's notebook but is in turn killed by police officer Tsukuru Mishima. He is portrayed by Kensei Mikami in the film.
Minoru Tanaka is the new possessor of the Death Note and the main protagonist of the one-shot sequel chapter The a-Kira Story (also titled Death Note: Special One Shot), where he decides to auction off the Death Note instead of using it. Having Ryuk go out to send his instructions to Sakura TV, he creates a hashtag to auction off the Death Note, ultimately leading to world governments bidding on the Death Note, ultimately getting the United States to bid ten trillion dollars for it, while various law enforcement agencies are out to catch Minoru, whom Near names "A-Kira". During that time though, the Shinigami King is infuriated by the idea of the Note itself being for sale, and creates a new rule to the Note. After the Note is paid for by depositing the money equally into the savings account of every Japanese person 60 or below, the new rule is revealed to be that anyone involved in the buying or selling of the Death Note will be killed upon fulfillment of the deal. The US president balks at this, and secretly refuses to take ownership of the note (though mentioning he will publicly bluff about having it), and Minoru dies immediately after trying to cash out his payment.
Supporting characters Kira Investigation Team Soichiro Yagami
is Light's father and detective superintendent of Japan's National Police Agency. He initially leads the Kira investigation team that later joins with L. When L begins to suspect Light of being Kira, Soichiro is unwilling to believe his son would be capable of such a thing. After L's death, he is sent to retrieve the Death Note stolen by Mello by obtaining Shinigami Eyes and infiltrating Mello's hideout, though Light had planned for Matsuda to fill the role."How to Think." Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 63. He retrieves the note and learns Mello's real name but is unable to kill him and is instead fatally wounded. In the original manga and anime, because Light has given up his Death Note, making his lifespan visible above his head, Soichiro dies believing that Light is not Kira.
In the film series, Takeshi Kaga portrays Soichiro. The second film has Soichiro confront Light about his plans, and in that version, Light dies in his father's arms.
Touta Matsuda
is the youngest member of the Kira investigation team. His alias is . Matsuda has the drive to match the other members of the team, but his lack of experience sometimes hinders the investigation. He becomes quite fond of Light throughout the series. He is also shown to be a massive fan of Misa, becoming quite upset when his death is faked and he can no longer work as her manager. It is hinted that Matsuda has an inferiority complex regarding his detective ability, and many of his coworkers feel annoyed by his behavior.Death Note: How to Read 16. VIZ Media. 21. Matsuda's "risky moves" sometimes place him in danger, and his "quick thinking" sometimes aids the investigation, such as his actions in the Yotsuba case that lead to Higuchi's detainment. Matsuda initially befriends Light and believes that he is not Kira, but at the end of the series, during the final showdown, he shoots Light 4 times to prevent him from killing Near.
Shuichi Aizawa
is a member of the Kira investigation team that leaves the team under the guise of needing to support his family because the Japanese police cut their funding (it is only after he leaves that it is revealed that L would have supported them had he stayed). Aizawa uses the alias to protect his identity. Aizawa returns shortly before L's death, after which he is one of the first to suspect Light of being Kira (although he continues to act compassionately towards Light until he is cornered and goes mad) and helps contribute to his eventual defeat. He becomes the leader of the investigation team afterward.
Kanzo Mogi
is one of the most dedicated members of the Kira investigation team, but also one of the most reserved. Mogi rarely speaks, even when someone presents an opinion he agrees with. Despite this, he has shown himself to be a particularly good detective. He is also an excellent actor, becoming an excited and cheery manager for Misa on demand and seemingly contradictory to his usual demeanor. He appears to be fond of Misa, as she nicknames him 'Motchi'. Mogi uses the alias to protect his identity.
Hideki Ide
is one of the few police officers who remain with Soichiro during the Kira Investigation. He initially leaves when he disagrees with L's methods. Ide later returns and plays a relatively minor role in the Kira investigative team. He helps coordinate their efforts and performs actions such as organizing a blockade of police cars to trap Higuchi. Later, after L's death, he rejoins the investigation, though he states that he only did so to be with Aizawa. Ide trusts Light more than any of the other Task Force members, except for Light's father.
Hirokazu Ukita
is a member of the Kira investigation team that is led by L. He is characterized as a brave young man who is also a chronic smoker.Death Note: How to Read 13. VIZ Media. 23. When Misa has broadcast a message from her as Kira, Ukita rushes to the station to stop the broadcast without any prompting by the rest of the team. Since Misa has the Shinigami Eyes, she kills Ukita as soon as he approaches the door.
Wammy's house Watari