A Death Note Survey Showcases How Light Yagami is Perceived by Fans
Death Note is considered to be one of the most popular mangas. From 2003 to 2006, Tsugumi Ohba (scenarist) and Takeshi Obata (illustrator) have collaborated to create a story full of suspense, reflection and psychology, with the main issue being: What does justice really mean?
For those who don’t know the manga, you might get a little hint from the title: The Death Note in its literal meaning, is the main object of the whole series; by writing the name of a person while knowing their face, it is possible to kill them from a heart attack.
In this article, I would like to discuss about Light Yagami, the main character of the series. On the surface, he looks like an accomplished high-school student. In fact, he’s extremely intelligent, popular and good-looking. However, something changes when he discovers a Death Note…and uses it to kill hundreds of criminals. But this absolute power reveals the hidden side of a young man with a God complex.
I was curious to know the opinion of the audience regarding this character. Is Light really loved, despite his acts? What are the fans’ opinion on his vision of justice?
I posted a survey on the platforms of Reddit, SurveySwap, Nautiljon, My Anime List, and Crunchyroll. 103 replies were received in a few days.
What I learned from the survey votes:
- L is more popular than Light (49% have chosen L as their favourite character, while 32% voted for Light). Note: L is known as the best detective in the world and aims to find the Death Note’s possessor. As a consequence, he is Light’s biggest enemy.
- Several fans share L’s vision of justice (62%). A quarter of the votes is pro-Kira (25%).
- 69% of the voters are satisfied with the end, and 31% are not.
However, the aim of the survey is to know what the fans really think about Light Yagami. Therefore, in addition to the 3 questions shown on the infographic, I asked the participants to explain their opinion on the protagonist and his personality.
Different viewpoints
I looked at the votes individually in order to classify them into 8 categories.
From the most popular category to the least popular one:
1) Although a good antagonist, Light is insufferable (37 votes)
Favorite character: L ~ Justice: pro-L ~ Satisfying end: Yes
This category has won the majority of votes. Here, Light is perceived as a charismatic character who becomes progressively evil as the series goes by. Some find him arrogant, insufferable, and egotistic. But he is also considered to be a good antagonist, a genius. This proves that it is possible to hate a character for his personality, but to admire him for his role in the story.
2) Light is necessarily evil (12 votes)
Favorite character: Light ~ Justice: pro-Kira ~ Satisfying end: No
In this category, the comments are clearly defending Light. Someone wrote that he was brave enough to risk his soul in order to save the rotten world. Another person showed their empathy towards Light, and stated that the Death Note series is interesting because it helps to understand the mentality of a sociopath.
3) Watching Light’s downfall is interesting (8 votes)
Favorite character: Light ~ Justice: pro-L ~ Satisfying end: Yes
Many comments rely on the fictional character of Light. Two fans stated that Death Note is an interesting study of the character. Another explained that he is a terrible human being, but serves as a fascinating villain protagonist. Light’s progress into the story shows human psychology in great depth.
4) Despite his vision, Light is the most interesting character (7 votes)
Favorite character : Light ~ Justice: pro-L ~ Satisfying end: No
Here, the comments depict Light as an intelligent, charismatic and fascinating character. But his vision of justice is flawed, because he looks at the world in black-and-white. Someone admitted that he is not likeable on the moral aspect: he considers everyone to be pawns that he manipulates without empathy. However, some people write that they liked following his development. A person stated they felt connected to him and his goals, although his ideals were very flawed.
5) Light has a great intention, but a wrong execution (5 votes)
Favorite character: L ~ Justice: pro-Kira ~ Satisfying end: Yes
Among those who preferred L but are pro-Kira, two comments explain why: Light has an interesting and correct vision of justice, but his method (becoming the God of the new world) wasn’t right. Also, Light is considered for some to be a likeable character until the end of the series.
6) Light is a criminal that deserved a more interesting ending (4 votes)
Favorite character: L ~ Justice: pro-Kira ~ Satisfying end: No
Most of the comments think Light is unlikeable. A person stated that he is extremely smart, but extremely arrogant. Another person would have preferred another ending, which could have been more interesting.
7) At first he was likeable, and then… (3 votes)
Favorite character: L ~ Justice: pro-L ~ Satisfying end: No
The majority of comments find good traits in Light; someone wrote that Light had the potential to be a good person; but even a value like justice can make people mad. Another said that his vision changed (he first wanted to serve the world, but the story progression made him become selfish). Finally, a person stated that the story became dull after the middle of the series, so they would have preferred a different ending.
8) Light’s justice was good, but the ending was deserved (2 votes)
Favorite character: Light ~ Justice: pro-Kira ~ Satisfying end: Yes
Only two voters belong in this category, and they agree with Light’s vision. According to the first comment, the legal system sometimes has limited functions. The other comment admits that someone had to awaken the evil; however, Light’s method and his God complex were described as being wrong.
We notice that several fans have divergent opinions. Light is interesting because he is Death Note’s main character and antagonist at the same time. It is therefore easier to put oneself in his place as we observe his meticulous thoughts during the whole series. As for justice, we find various interpretations; everyone has a different viewpoint about what is right or wrong. But many comments agree with the fact that Light is arrogant because of his God complex; he might not use justice to serve others, but rather to give himself an image of omnipotence.
