Death Note

Containing a partial character list and a half-interested summary of the first two story arcs...and spoilers.

It's not a very nice pic, but I don't like him much, so that's fine.

This is Light Yagami, the bored high-school genius who found the notebook of death and discovered he could kill people by visualizing their faces as he wrote their names in it. He promptly decided to start cleaning up the world by removing the people who met his definitions of 'corrupt'. Later, that definition was extended to 'anyone who gets in my way'. The death note does, fortunately, come with a sort of rule system that both limits and increases one's ability to cause deaths. For example, if the real name or appearance of a person is not known, they won't die when their name is written. On the other hand, one can set particular times or causes of death. The 'default setting' is death by heart-attack within 24 hours.

He really does look like Sekhmet; all he needs is green hair.

This is 'L', the brainiac detective with Nazaa-like eyes (see Sekhmet; Ronin Warriors) who gets called in to find out why criminals are dropping like flies. He quickly determines quite a few things about 'Kira', as the mystery killer is being called; such as that he needs not be near the people he's killing and that he is operating from a particular area of Japan. When L starts getting too close, Light first switches tactics, then eventually gives the notebook to his 'girlfriend' Misa (he's really just using her). At this point Misa becomes Kira Two and other shinigami start to get involved. L takes the unusual tactic of recruiting Light, his main suspect, to help him try and solve the other Kira case. :shrugs: The rest of this arc is mainly mind games and it ends with Kira killing L.

Some of L's eccentricities are: not wearing socks, sitting as pictured (he claims his intelligence drops if he sits any other way) and having an extraordinary sweet tooth; it's said he is never once shown to eat a normal meal, preferring snacks and sugary treats. He also utilizes some rather remarkable tactics, such as handcuffing Light to him for a period of time to keep an eye on his movements. (I'm sure the Yaoi community had a lot of fun with that...)

I really don't know why he's holding a skull, and I probably don't want to.

This is Mello, at about age 14 (left) and later at 16 (right). Mello is an orphan from Wammy's House in England (Wammy is an alias for one of L's associates, who runs the place) and is in training as a detective. A genius himself, Mello is an exceptionally emotional boy, basically a walking powder keg with the fuse constantly lit: you never know when he's going to go off. He is second in the running as L's successor, something that causes him a great deal of annoyance (by Mello standards; 'simmering resentment' probably comes closer) and gives him a great need to prove himself. He was initially drawn quite girly, except for those very dangerous eyes; later he was roughened up a bit and aquired a few scars. The scar on his face is from blowing up his hiding place to fake his own death. He apparently cut it a bit close. Mello is obsessed with chocolate and is usually pictured with a bar of candy in his hand (rather than a skull...). 'Mellow' does not describe him in the least, and it is a mystery as to why he picked such an alias; his real name is Mihael (that's right, no C) Keehl (how ironic).

He looks less like an evil imp here, but he still looks pretty riled. I prefer this version.

This is Near, at about age 12 and 14. Near is the opposite of Mello, almost always in total control of his emotions. He too was raised in Wammy's orphanage and he is first in line to take over from L, as his cold intelligence produces better results than Mello's temperamental attitude. Near is almost always shown wearing white and has the habit of twirling his hair- one of the few subtle indicators as to his mood. He has an obsession for puzzles and toys and seems to approach life as a challenge that must be solved correctly. He is often cryptic and comes across as insensitive, seeing no real need to be diplomatic or consider others' feelings when there's a Kira to be caught. He also has a decided distaste for 'stupid' people and can be quite snippy when the mood is on him. His real name is Nate River.

(I find it interesting how accurately the boys' hair reflects their personalities. White-haired Near: cold, ice, detachment. Mello's yellow-orange hair: fire, heat, passion.)

Anyway, after L's death, the second story-arc begins: Near and Mello (who have both left the orphanage but are working separately) take over the Kira case and try to find genuine proof that Light Yagami is the one they're after. Near gets help from the government and sets up what's basically a Kira-finding organization (at age 14 or so, that's rather impressive...) while Mello goes underground, inflitrates a mob-type group and works on less deductive, more action-reaction lines (like taking people hostage.) Eventually the two reunite and share information that eventually leads Near to the final proof. Unfortunately, Mello's real name is discovered by Kira, who uses the death note to kill him. Near, more cautious and with the memory of L's overconfidence in mind, protects his identity more carefully and eventually confronts Light, who- in some manner or other- dies. (I believe I read that Ryuuk killed him with the death note, which the shinigami had taken back, but don't quote me on that. Probably saw the game was up and decided to look for more mischief elsewhere.)