Welcome to another art post here in the community.
Ever since I first watched Death Note, I was left with a mix of admiration and discomfort (maybe not the perfect word here). The anime itself is excellent, with a clever plot, full of tension and well-developed characters. But it's impossible to talk about Death Note without focusing on Light Yagami. He's not just the protagonist. He is the central point of everything the anime wants to discuss.
Unlike other posts I bring here to the community usually overall reviews of anime labeled as hidden gems or something like that I will dedicate this post to this specific character.
And I’m here precisely to share my opinion about this character. Because honestly, I’ve rarely seen someone so brilliant in a detective anime and so dangerous at the same time.
Light starts off as a regular guy intelligent, dedicated, a model son.
He sees the world as dirty, corrupted, and unjust.
And when he finds the Death Note, he sees it as a chance to change things. I understand that motivation.
Who hasn't been outraged seeing criminals get away with it?
Who hasn’t thought, WHAT IF I had the power, would I do things differently?
This is where the interesting point of the plot comes in. The anime shows how a good intention can turn into something horrible when someone starts believing they're above everything. And Light, using the notebook to kill criminals, starts to see himself as the judge of the world. Then he wants to be the god of the world. The guy completely loses control.
When someone believes too much that they are right, without room for doubt, that person can become the greatest danger.
Light starts wanting justice, but ends up being a cold killer who murders anyone who disagrees with him, anyone who’s in his way even innocent people. He crosses the line and doesn’t even realize it. He believes so much that he’s doing the right thing that he no longer sees anything wrong in what he does.
We follow the story from his point of view, understand his decisions, see the reasoning behind his plans. And in several moments, I admit, I rooted for him. Even knowing he was doing horrible things. That shows how the anime manipulates us and how Light manipulates everyone around him. He knows how to pretend, how to deceive, how to look like the hero. But deep down, he becomes the villain.
Something that really stuck with me is the contrast between him and L.
While Light hides and pretends to be someone he's not, L is naturally strange, but honest. L never pretends to be something else. He wants to find the truth. And the battle between them is one of the best parts of the anime. It’s not just about who will win, but which worldview will prevail Light’s absolute power or L’s quest for true justice.
My constructive criticism about the character
He is not someone to be followed.
He is a lesson about how good intentions can be the beginning of something horrible. The problem is not wanting justice. The problem is wanting to decide alone what is right or wrong, without accepting the possibility of being wrong. The problem is acting like a god when you’re still just a human.
If you’ve seen Death Note, you know how much this story messes with your head. If you haven’t yet, it’s absolutely worth watching with a critical eye. Pay attention to Light. He is brilliant, yes. But he’s the kind of genius that shows the darkest side of humanity.
So, do you think you would’ve done things differently if you had a Death Note in your hands?
Now, to remember the death of this legend. Video below.