"I don't want to be compared to a Shinigami. I am a human using the Death Note to make the world a better place for humans." Light Yagami speaking to Ryuk (Episode 4).
Light Yagami (夜神月, Yagami Raito) is the main protagonist of the series. He was the first son of Soichiro and Sachiko Yagami and the older brother of Sayu Yagami. He was an owner of the Death Note.
Light finds the Death Note and uses it to kill criminals, starting with those reported in the news. He became known in Japan as Kira (キラ, Kira), derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "Killer." He joined the police to get close to his enemy, L, and defeat him. In the end, he is killed by Ryuk's Death Note on January 28, 2010.
Appearance
Light was a young man with a slender, slightly fragile frame, weighing only 54kg with a height of 179cm. He had long, messy brown hair, brown eyes, and thin eyebrows. He considers himself handsome, a trait noted by Misa Amane and Kiyomi Takada.
His attire varied throughout the series; his most iconic look was his school uniform consisting of a white shirt, a light brown blazer and pants, dark brown shoes, and a maroon tie. After obtaining the Death Note, he began wearing combinations of long-sleeved shirts and pants in neutral colors. As a member of the Task Force, he typically wore light-colored suits.
Personality
Light is characterized as bored, courageous, and intelligent. At the start of the series, he is 17 years old and possesses great confidence in his own logic and creativity. He is frustrated by the injustice in the world, believing it to be "rotten," and desires to purge it of all evil.
Light uses the Death Note with the sole aim of cleansing the world of crime and injustice. His goal is to create a world free of criminals where only those he judges as responsible and hardworking reside, becoming the "God of the new world." However, his methods are rejected by society and authorities, who view him as a maniacal and infantile serial killer driven by ego.
Light is a decisive and direct man, not hesitating to stain his hands with the blood of others. This willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals serves as the primary cause of his corruption.
As he uses the Death Note, Light becomes more ruthless and twisted, losing empathy and developing a manipulative side that exploits even his own family. He constantly maneuvers to evade L and other detectives, keeping his identity as Kira a secret. His narcissism and megalomania grow, and he eventually views himself as the only one capable of judging humanity.
When finally exposed, Light attempts to justify his actions, but Near describes him as a psychopathic killer who lacks horror at his own lethality. Faced with his own inevitable death, the once-confident Light succumbs to panic and desperation, cursing Ryuk before dying of a heart attack.
Overview
Ohba described Light as "a young man who could understand others' pain" when he first found the Death Note. He stated that if Ryuk had never come to the human world, Light would have become "one of the world's greatest police leaders" working alongside L. Ohba described Light's life as "ruined" by the notebook, noting his good intentions marred by vanity and a "distorted desire to be divine."