A Brief Retrospective - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Death Note in 2022 - Best & Worst Moments 

Can't believe this video has got over 10k views in a mere few weeks, massive thank you to everyone who has given it a watch, especially all the enjoyers of the color red! 👀 ❤ Edit: Well ok.... 6 days later and it's over 20k... Thank you x100 once again! :)

“Protagonist” and “Hero” are not synonyms. Light is the Protagonist, but not the Hero. Conversely, L is the Antagonist, but not the Villain.

I love that you realize light's first two kills broke his mind. It very clearly showed the break that caused our light in the show. When he loses his memory he has such heel turn because his mind in a way repaired itself and gave us the light who never had the notebook.

One thing the creator confirmed that I really like: Light did feel guilt for killing those two men at the start. But he's such a perfectionist with a high opinion of himself, that rather than just throw the book away and move on, his ego forced him to go through mental gymnastics to trick himself into feeling no guilt. Light would rather keep killing people than ever admit he did wrong.

Quick note: Light would have actually likely lived a lot longer if he had taken the eye deal. He wouldn’t have died between the halfway point from when he made the deal to his death, because that wasn’t the natural end of his life - Ryuk killed him. So ironically, the deal to shorten his remaining life would have made him much more difficult to kill, and he probably would have succeeded in everything he wanted to do.

I like the idea that ray pembers wife was equally as smart or as much of a challenge to Light that L was, but the only reason she died was because of pure luck and her being too trusting. But like, she was lowkey a genius. Also shes drawn blue like how l is drawn blue. Cool shit.

L, did you know Gods of death who love apples have Red hands?

46:55 This isn't the fans rewriting the story to avoid plot holes though. The "Near cheated" theory only exists because the manga has Matsuda theorize exactly this in the epilogue, that takes place sometime after Light's death. The anime cut the epilogue out entirely, though, and ended it with a much more dramatized version of Light's death. The manga thrived off that type of ambiguity. The "Light reincarnates into a Shinigami" theory is entirely fan speculation, though. The manga also does a better job at fleshing out the second half of the series with Near and Mello--it's about as long as the conflict with L. The anime shortened and rushed through parts of it--which is why some of Near's deductions feel like they come out of nowhere. The manga has him explain his thought process more often.

Yes, actually, the point of Near having L's quirks WAS to remind you of L. It was also to show that he was only HALF of L, because he had half of his quirks, those being the way he sits and his fascination of toys. Mello, on the other hand, had the obsession with sweets. Together, they made L.

Lights lifespan wasn’t over at the end of the show. Ryun specifically says that if he doesn’t write down lights notebook he’d be stuck there for a while longer until he does die. Lights lifespan is cut short by the death note at the end of the series. Meaning that he might have lived longer with the eyes as he would have been able to see nears name at the end

29:34 no, light died not due to his lifespan running out, but because Ryuk wrote his name in his death note. Ryuk states that he does not want to wait for light to die of old age in prison, so he kills him in that moment. This demonstrates that Ryuk knew light's lifespan to continue far into the future. If he took the shinigami eye deal, it would be possible for him to live much longer than he did without the eyes.

Near winning makes sense imo. He wasn’t held back emotionally as L was. Near is straight up more like a machine, and doesn’t care about sitting back and let others do the work rather than get directly involved like L or Mello would. Near was just the perfect match for Light who was indeed more arrogant and emotional, which someone like Near could capitalize on. He just needed to make for Light to make one mistake, and it paid off

Final thoughts. I actually like Near. Not a whole lot. But I like how he was an angrier, more vengeful L. It's subtle, but it's there. You can tell that unlike L who was growing more fearful of Light overtime... Near was getting legitimately pissed. And the idea that he cheated is just cool. As for the idea of Light becoming a shinigami... I kinda hate it. The rules of Death Note are straight forward. Once you're dead. You're dead. Light is no chosen one He is no one special. His fate is like that of all humans. He reaches an end. Him becoming a shinigami kinda hints that he actually was special and had some cosmic purpose. The only way I'd be okay with it, would be if it turned out that any person that ever used it turned into a shinigami, and that's where they come from. But that only brings up more questions.

Honestly, I think the problem with the second part of “death note” is the first part of “death note”. Now, before you come screaming at me in the replies, what I mean is that the second part is still good, but the first part is such a masterpiece that anything would seem disappointing when compared to it. I think that many people dislike the second part because L was a suuuper beloved character among fans. I am one of those L simps, so maybe I’m looking for excuses with this, but I think that, beyond simply him being a likeable character, the show felt less exciting without him. The tension was lower as Light seemed to be close to winning, and low tension towards the end is not something that viewers typically enjoy. I think that after L’s indisputable brilliance, no one could really measure up and be as threatening. It feels like Light is not really met with a major obstacle, even when there are multiple points which give him serious trouble, because the substitution of a character is INCREDIBLY hard to do right. The idea always stays in our minds of the new characters’ predecessors, and we always compare them and we are always more attached to the older characters than the new ones. Hence, my opening statement: the problem with the second part of “death note” is the first part of “death note”.

I love how they wanted to make Light the most attractive. As people we are more inclined to favor things we find beautiful or attractive. It makes you want to support Light and root for him even though we don't completely agree with him. I, myself have definitely experienced this. Even though I don't want to I subconsciously lean more towards "pretty things." Even now I hold bias towards Light. I definitely don't see him as a hero, but I still like him.

I think Mello and Near had SO much potential. It was set up so well that they were both close to L but never quite reached his level independently, but together they surpassed him. Near’s analytical traits and childishness and Mello’s emotional and harsh side are absolutely perfect. Separating L’s two main aspects like that is perfect since L having BOTH of them within himself is what kept him from initially making bold moves, had him scared of even the idea of a shinigami, and wanted Light to be his friend. But separating them would have allowed Mello and Near to keep each other in check and rise each other up. It could have been brilliant. Imagine Mello’s strong emotions and rash actions leading the way for Near to make bold but brilliant moves. In a way it would be like dividing Light from Kira- the thoughtful detective from the emotional killer. I fully believe Near would have (and should have) cheated, too. But imagine having that conversation with Mello, that argument. Or would it have been Mello who brings it up first? He’s obviously willing to do unconventional and immoral things to get what he wants, such as kidnap a woman to hold as a hostage in exchange for the death note. Man, their dynamic could have been so much better and I have to wonder if their INABILITY to work together is showing how the two sides of L conflicted enough to hinder his progress on the case. Was the conflict within him this strong as well? Or is the separation what forces the conflict, since Near and Mello cannot share thoughts freely because they are two different people. It’s interesting. The lack of those long, complex thoughts L had during his time alive makes me think that Near and Mello being basically estranged kept them from ever reaching that intensity. Can you imagine either Near or Mello having that scene of L asking Light, “think of this and tell me what you think.” L goes on to explain his theory that ownership of Kira’s power could be transferred and memories lost afterwards. He’s spot on. But the scene has that initial question, then L’s overlapping and chaotic inner monologue repeating it over and over and over while the music gets louder. It shows his mind amazingly. I can’t imagine Mello or Near having that, but I CAN imagine a conversation between them that could reach that height. Also, Red

I always really liked how Light’s inner monologues had him highlighted in RED while L’s were blue.

the reason near is called near is because the end is near.

Light dying before his natural end because Ryuk wrote his name down (after musing about how long it might take for him to die in prison) is an argument for why Light could have potentially lived longer if he'd had the eyes, due to us not knowing exactly how much longer he _could_ have lived, but you do raise a fantastic point that if he actually had that power himself he certainly would have gotten overly confident which makes it just as likely he gets caught sooner. It's a funny dichotomy because the eyes would have been a huge help to him, but depending on what he'd do with the knowledge he gets from them, or worse, what he'd do acting under the knowledge that he has that power, the amount of opportunities for him to ruin himself with reckless moves would skyrocket. He's absolutely the type who'd make a risky move to get a look at someone's face if he thought that was the most important or only thing he needed to secure his "wincon", we saw that with Ray and the bus-jacking plan. Add to that how (if the story played out mostly as seen) he'd lose the eyes if he took them before the imprisonment gambit & Yotsuba arc like how Misa did (where it'd be most useful with Naomi), he's potentially paying either 3/4 of his lifespan to keep the eyes, or he's paying half his lifespan for temporary eyes.

I think Light's biggest mistake was using Misa as a tool to further his own agenda. If he would've teamed up with her, "together we will rule the world" kinda thing, they might've had a chance. Misa was the queen on a chess board, and Light used her like a pawn.

Great Video, one addition to the ending scene, I LOVE the fact that Matsuda was the one to shoot Light, because it is such a great completion to his character. Also he was always so loyal and good at heart that he supported Light despite the red flags and him getting his own little revenge and doing something "meaningful" for the investigations is just great. Such an underrated character. I think in general people should talk more about the investigation team

I would like to comment that the amount of views you get doesn’t matter. The people here enjoy your content and I can tell making these videos makes you fulfilled and allows you to be creative. No matter what, you are winning

The virgin "light becomes a shinigami" Vs the chad "light goes to death parade"

I like that the op ed Light has RED eyes, and L have blue. Not just for contrast, but somewhat presents Light doesn't need Shinigami eyes, cuz he already is one

In the manga even the “you can neither go to heaven or hell” part was amusing to light who just smiled and said “you mean there’s no such thing right?” 😂

the best character in death note is ryuk because he knew that the best apples were always the red ones. that shit's great. i'm making myself want some just thinking about it~

I don't think Light died at his natural lifespan end point since Ryuk wrote his name in the Death Note, so Ryuk got his remaining years. Light could have lived longer if he took the eye deal.

Tsugumi Ohba having many pen names would be like how L has different aliases. L, Eraldo Coil, and Danuve

OMG the Death Eraser, I forgot about that. Imagine if that was still a thing. Mikami would have written everyone's name, including Light's, everyone drops dead, then erase the name and revive Light. Even if he was tricked with a fake Death Note, Near wouldn't be able to explain why Mikami would have written Light's name as well if he never knew the eraser existed.

Death note has the most interesting premise in manga. When I watched it for the first time I was 15 and I was on Light's side. I rewatched it now that Im 25 and I cant stand this bitch lol Light's such an inmature kid. I feel like I went through character development lol

Oh damn! Someone else who thinks the dub is better?! I never thought I'd see the day

When Light's dad got the shinigami eyes, that was one of the most badass things ever.

I actually like Near as a character overall, but the only thing that makes me see red with how he was implemented was how he seemed to completely come up with his theories out of nowhere and ignored any evidence to the contrary, making him seem more psychic than anything.

Light was supposed to live a long life (in prison) but his life was cut short by the death note

Personally think that the appearance of death notes negates actual "life spans", light's visual lifespan was probably irrelevant and dependent on him. Which is why ryuk wrote his name. He knew he would live for a lot longer and he didn't want to wait

I’m not a huge anime person I’ve only watched two in entirety deathnote being one. The dub is AMAZING it captures all of the emotions and hold the tension of some scenes so perfectly

I really like that Near won just because the themes n stuff. Near doesnt have Light, L, and Mello’s vice: Pride. Red. Also I really like the theory that he cheated, it fits really well with how Near uses every person and thing that he can.

Tbh when I was a kid I think Ryuk was the reason I started in on Death Note because his appearance was so striking. Im glad they went with the right version 😂

Again most of Near and Mello is much better in the manga, just to play numbers game, the anime gutted their plot line. L's "half of the story" is 58 chapters in the manga which is adapted into 25 episodes so a bit over 2 chapters an episode which is solid adaptation rate followed by other shows like MHA. The second half of Near and Mello covers only 12 episodes in the anime, but in the manga it was covered over a span of 50 chapters, pretty much 4 chapters per episode which is ridiculous. To do that they had to cut pretty much half of the scenes. Most of these were scenes where we see Near interacting with the SPK, AIzawa, Mogi, and Mello, also they cut most of the plot lines that Mello participate in, like how he blackmails the US President. To be honest individually I can see why they cut most of the scenes as the story can flow without it them individually, but the cumulative effect is that Mello seems like a crazy person who we are told is smart but not really shown, same with Near who just knows the answer and not figure them, the SPK and Task force being interchangeable action figures. And finally Light and Mikami seeming pretty dumb. I know I have been just saying things have been rushed and give vague examples, so what about a practical example: The finale, this section was cut very short (and I did and do still enjoy it). In there we finally see how the personalities of Light and Near bounce off of each other and it is different than L and Light, because Near isn't as egotistical as either of them, but that is not to say it is not fun. Near humiliates Light, and it is a lengthy process where we see Matsuda loss his cool ending with him shooting Light when he tries to write the name, and then shooting him again when he tries to use his blood to kill Near. Similarly the desperation of Light as he pretty much goes through the stages of grief right in front of our eyes from denial, beginning with denial that it was all trap, moving to anger as he screams and yell when Aizawa tries to cuff him, then bargaining trying to convince the others that he is Justice and finally depression when he realizes all is lost and Mikami calling him scum then he begs for Misa, Takada, Mikami Ryuuk, anyone to kill everyone and cries like b*tch. The contrast between how composed he always been and the clobbering mess begging Ryuuk is too powerful, the anime cuts that part of it, shortening Near's explanation and making Matsuda pretty much immediately shoot him before he runs out using Mikami's suicide as a distraction and Ryuuk giving him the same speech before he kills him but to himself before returning to the human world. The theory of Near using the notebook isn't a fan theory, but a theory proposed by Matsuda in the final chapter (which was also cut). the story leaves it ambiguous, but also raises counterpoints through Ide and leaves it up to us to decide, I personally think that Near didn't cheat because it is out of character and Matsuda's proposed motivation is that Near would be embarrassed to admit his failure. And the what happens to Light is told to us right before he dies, death is equal and everyone goes to MIU, NOTHINGNESS, the anime too doesn't sit on this point as much as the manga as it was the final think we are brought attention to before Light's demise. And we see that due to the Kira incident, Ryuuk becomes an icon, where other Shinigami try to mimic what he did which they failed at, and this incident was shown fully in the manga as he bribes the king with Apples to get extra Death Notes which he then gave to other Shinigami, for apples of course. I like how you can feel the story was rushed without being exposed to the manga, because honestly it was. And it is funny how you don't like the live-action adaptations, which manga fans harp on the anime to be a bad adaptation (which I disagree for the most part with but I can see why they say so). Death Note is one of the best anime and manga, with the manga being better but the anime being a classic on it own right.

I feel like light's eyes become that much more red after the time skip. Either that, or his whole vibes is just so much more different that it truly makes it feel like he's lost light yagami and has fully embraced Kira

Personally I don't believe Near cheated to beat Light, just like Light most of the opinions I've heard are of people calling Near a weaker L clone or something along those lines but in my opinion it's BECAUSE Light thought of Near as inferior which led to his defeat, after L died Light though he was an untouchable god which led to him not taking Near or the rest of the Task Force seriously. Even Near admits he's not on L's level but unlike L Near didn't see Light as a rival who he could have competition with, he simply saw Light as a criminal who got his hands on one of the most powerful weapons in human history. Just hearing the argument alone of Near cheating makes it sound like the people who wanted Light to win are being sore losers about his defeat. Even so hypothetically even IF Near did cheat, would it matter? Light has had the power of death gods available to him since episode 1 while L and everyone else had to use human means to see through Light's BS. If Light didn't have magical powers aside from the Death Note to cheat, I personally believe he would have been caught long ago.

N is only one part like L... The other part is Mellow. Passive and active, together they are like L. Do not forget L had risk taking actions which are basically Mellows actions. This "split" personalities are interesting for the sole reason, they lack a thing the other has to actually outsmart Light, which happens in the end finally. After rewatching this more and more, I like the end parts more tbh

Gonna be honest: never got around to watching Death Note. I watched Monster back then, but I think I just accidentally skipped Death Note. But you're fantastic analysis of it gave me the push and reminder to watch it, so I'll get to it! Though right after I finish making this red velvet cake for my brother.

I always found it interesting how the inner monologues of some of the more impactful characters froze the frame and gave them a distinct colour of eye and hair to match their personalities (red for light, blue for L, etc.)

Red! Love long form over analysis over complex stories. Shows how smart the authors really are and how to properly write. Shows nowadays suck with all tell and not show.

I recently watched Deathnote and was really impressed. But, the quality went down a bit after L died. I didn’t care about N or M at all and just wanted L to come back somehow. But the finale was good overall. Light was an arrogant, narcissistic psychopath and I’m glad he finally died. Great video to. It deserves way more views.

i honestly wish i could watch death note for the first time again because i will never get to feel such a rush of emotion again. The anime is such a piece of art I would marry it if i could.

Just a random question here, but does anyone else ever wonder what Misa’s lifespan literally would have been? It was halved twice by making the Shinigami eye deal with both Rem and Ryuk, but it was also extended twice by receiving the remaining lifespans of both Gelus and Rem after each gave their life to save hers, but I don’t believe we ever really learn what those hard numbers are in any version/medium right? Does anyone know if there’s any possible way to actually figure this out?

29:29 The author said Light Yagami would never take the shinigami eyes. I am sure this was meant for the continuity of the manga (and the anime as well but definitely the manga). Spoilers for the ending of the TV Show Continuity: Light as he was dying from the fire was telling Ryuk to do whatever he could to keep him alive, he would take the shinigami eyes if he had to. Light died in there and the Kira case was solved by L and executed by Near a few minutes earlier.

*29:38* I don’t know if light not taking the eye deal was smarter or not because honestly he had no idea how much was his life span so it was very risky. But when light died in the last episode that was definitely not his life span instead ryuk killed him writing light’s name on his own death note, thinking that light, any which way is going to get caught by the police and has to spend the rest of his life in prison and eventually die but that wouldn’t be FUN for ryuk so he killed him to cut it short. And ryuk knows how much light’s life span is, which is definitely longer than that. He must have had few more years to his life. So IMO if light had taken the eyes deal he wouldn’t have ended up how he did. It’s just a theory tho.

The parallels between Light and Riuk are so interesting, I want more! Though you encapsulated everything when you highlighted the 'clenched fist and zoom in on the red eyes' part.

9:10 Important note for the setting is that this takes place in japan, where the conviction rate is something like 90%, believed to be made up of a lot of false convictions

Every time I watch one of your videos, I am surprised by how criminally underrated your channel is. You deserve so many more subs, so many more views, and I hope you'll one day get them. It's been so long since I've watched Death Note, this video honestly had me tempted to go for a rewatch. For now though, I'm catching up on some of the previous season's stuff. A friend of mine said good things about Mars RED.

The thing you said about light’s time vs L’s theme - I literally thought the same and got so excited when I heard you say it! Red ❤

Amazing video. I love how you go into such deep and detailed rants about particular things. One thing that keeps popping up for me every time I watch Death Note is the fact that the place that Light would go if he didn't turn into a Shinigami (the place between heaven and hell) would also be the place his father would go, since he also used the death note. So in the end his father would find out since they were headed to the same place. It's just something I think about every time. Also ryuk loves RED apples

As somebody who just watched death note for the first time in 2021 I am very happy that you made this video

There are actually 2 Japanese live actions, the one not mentioned on this video is the one where L is played by Kento Yamazaki and Light is played by the same actor who played Kaneki in the Tokyo Ghoul live action.

Also light’s eyes when he is light yagami (normal), and when he is Kira his eyes are red, which is a pretty cool little detail in my opinion

Koroto, the music take is absolutely brilliant. I love the connections that you made - they make total sense to me. I really loved this analysis and the connections you make to the themes. 10/10, subscribed.

That's such a great thing that u made a 50min + video about death note and I'm a big fan of this show, I haven't watched this video but after looking at the time , my soul just wants to appreciate ur efforts and I'm gonna watch it as a fellow writer I will tell rest of things after watching the video ;')

That’s it this my new favorite RU-vid video. This was amazingly well done🥺💓 “L, do you know? Shinigami’s who love apples have RED hands.”

LMAO Its so fitting that the Good part takes almost three quarters of the video and there's only like 10 mins of Bad stuff xD

As much as I like Near as a character in the Death Note series, I do agree with you about the fact that the ending was rushed, i definitely felt like they wanted to quickly end the series, but without L it was impossible. So, they use the character, Near to take the place of L.

Something related to light's lifespan and shinigami eyes. The date you see above someone's head is his normal death day. The death note is the only thing capable of changing someone's death scene. Light died by having his name written in the death note by ryuk so he was supposed to die later (perhaps even tens of years later). By having the shinigami eyes he might have beaten near and survived far longer.

40:28 yes, we do not know how many, but people at the wammy's house had names and I am sure some of them used Letters for those already aliases, not all of them though because Matt did not have one (and Matt was an alias for Mail Jeevas, his real name), but if he stayed longer maybe he would of gone by a letter(s). In Death Note: Another Note We hear of A, B, BB. In the alternate continuity of Death Note their is someone who goes by F and H. The wammy's house mission, especially after L solved the manchester bombings that would of caused World War III in 1987/1988 when he was 8 years old. I wont spoil what happens but I will say that some come close, and some don't. (One thing to note though is that L was the first of the letters, unlike everyone else who had letters to block their identity, L was named L Lawliet (L. Lawliet) so that is truly why he goes by L.

Honestly the creator is so based for not revealing their identity. Like they just get to chill knowing they made one of the most influential series of time

Red. I think the manga fixes a lot of your issues with the second half as the theme of countries reacting to Kira is a lot more fleshed out by having 2 presidents of the USA who both react very different to being threatened by Kira. M and N are a lot more fleshed out especially Near who is given more time on his detective work and mindset towards the world and Kira. The Confrontation in the warehouse plays out a little different as Mikami who in my opinion represents the core of Kira following starts to realize that Light is no good rejecting his ideals in anger and panic. Near completely beats down Light as when he cries for the help of all the ones he has treated like dirt (his father, Takada and Misa) by telling what he did to these people that he will not be saved by any of these. Near rips Kira's ideals apart as he is a open minded person not simply only accepting one ideal elevating him from L , Mello and Kira. There is this theory that N and M are really L but two different parts of him as Mello represents the actions L did and the risk that came from them and Near the overthinking and lack of action that happens. Your critique of both of these would actually be intended for the audience as both M and N are very much underestimated by not only Light but also the audience that rejects these two players. Near seemingly has been designed for provocation as he is a L that has the thinking skills and the quirks but not the call to action as he just waits. Even his first warehouse plan is centered around waiting and gives Light enough time to counter him. Mello on the other hand is way faster and unpredictable than Near but because of this fast pace is the most likely to kill and die. In the endgame Mello and Near become one by working together surpassing L and Kira by balancing out their weaknesses with their strenghts. After the warehouse incident Near is even seen eating chocolate just as Mello did becoming the new L in process. For Light's fate it is very much more possible for him to just be gone. He dies in the warehouse like a cowardly rat begging Ryuk to kill the others not wanting to die. The manga aims for him to go to the Mu (Nothingness) just as all humans reavealing that Light's and Ryuk's first conversation about hell and heaven was a lie to begin with that Light already realized when Ryuk told him this rule. He is not a shinigami or reincarnated he is simply gone just as much as all the people he made vanish for nothing as after just one year after his dissapearance the world went back to normal.

One thing I wanna point, its a minor point but I don't think the show is ever framed as "you should be rooting for Light" but as more "lets follow this villain and get into his psyche"

I rushed and finally finished death note right now to start watching the video, I haven’t watch so much anime in so much short time in my life, I also sadly watched the Netflix adaptation when it came out in 2017 I think it was? So I hope I kept up to date

I love the use of red apples in death note to symbolize the forbidden fruit which Ryuk is eatin that Light is constantly supplying.

A great read is the 13th book in the Death Note manga called the "How to Read". One thing I likes a lot is it showed that while L had a lot of Intelligence and Initiative, Near was smarter than L and Mello had more Initiative than L. Nears biggest flaw is that he wasn't willing to put initiative into bending the law like L did (installing wiretaps and cameras, having criminals test the notebook etc). But Mello while not as smart did push boundaries and do things Near would never do like kidnap Takada. It was the mix of these two huge traits that ultimately helped them to expose Light as Kira. The Manga progresses a bit slower and Nears deduction isn't just pulled out of left field as much but he still very much felt like a discount L, even to a person who read the Manga before watching the Anime.

The efforts u put into this video were really praise worthy and I liked the pace of the video and how u slowly covered many things layer by layer , it was entertaining for me, also red if u were wondering.. I mean Keep it up buddy! Lots of love and support

10:10 This gives me Chrollo vibes & Ryuk being a death god/Chrollo being Chrollo, it fits

This analysis was very interesting! Thank you for making it :D

one thing about the whole light eyes thing. light does not die naturally, ryuk writes his name down and kills him. so light taking the eyes may have ironically made him live longer as he did not die at his natural lifespans end but due to Ryuk stealing his essence.

This video was great and I wish I could add more to the discussion, but I’m afraid I only have two points: 🔴1.) I love the way you say “chef’s kiss~” 🔴2.) I agree that it would’ve been better if Light’s sister died instead of his dad. It would’ve given the character more meaning, would’ve shown Light that his actions can bite him in ways he didn’t plan for (possibly making Light sloppier,) and it would’ve kept his dad around. I really wanted a moment where, after so strongly FIGHTING the idea that Light could be Kira, Light’s dad just stares in horror and awe at the realization that his son was the killer they’d been tracking all this time. Also, that his son was ultimately responsible for killing the greatest detective, that his son was responsible for his daughter’s death, and that by creating Light and allowing him to help with the case _he_ was responsible for arguably making one of the worst monsters in history. I just feel like it would’ve been a tragically beautiful piece of writing (though that scene where Light cries over his dad is heart wrenching.)

Light wouldn't of had to die sooner than he did in the anime if he took the eye deal. Ryuk cut his life span short using the death note, that wasn't his natural end. He could've lived another 10 - 20 years on death row

I’ve only recently stumbled onto your awesome content. But I have been waiting eagerly for you to make the “Game Theory” joke in your videos. Thank you 🙏 my life is complete now Congratulations on your magnificent videos 👍

Sorry man, but you should have read the manga. All the "plot holes" are nonexistent in it

14:00 personally I don’t think light should become a shinigami. I think the appropriate punishment is that nothing happens after death. He wanted to play god, but he died as a regular human.

Have you never wondered where people got that whole "Near used the Death Note to make Mikami not check his Death Note" theory? It's in the final chapter of the manga. Matsuda proposes this theory. Clearly that's what the authors want us to think. The anime definitely rushed the second half of the series. If they kept the pacing of Part 1, Part 2 would've had 21 episodes instead of 11.

So the shinigami eyes, in the show Light dies from the apple boy writing his name in the death note. and it's stated that life spans stay the same UNLESS cut off by a Shinigami specifically with a Death note so technically Light life span was cut short so if he took the eyes he may have actually lived longer then he did

As a die hard Near fan, I honestly think the theory that he used the Death Note is really cool. I never would've thought of something like that. (Also you were so right when you said the dub is perfect lol)

It’s also cool how in the first opening Kira is *red* and L is blue, also standing on towers facing eachother, creating a parallel between them. While in the second opening, which you already addressed, the colors and everything in general is all over the place.

Honestly I never understood how Light wasn't caught earlier some times: L made it clear he suspected Light and died while trying to disprove the 13-days rule: this would have negated Light's and Misa's alibi. And after his death no one suspects Light and Misa? Not only that, they make Light the new L? What? Also, even if Light had won his confrontation with Near, how would he explain that his entire team and all of the SPK died in that werehouse while he alone walked out? Near could have been recording their whole showdown and even if he had lost, Light would have been busted. Then there is the thing with Ryuk: in the manga he writes down Light's name when he asks him for help because "you might as well be dead if you are relying on me". But modifying the Notebook to include fake rules and taking part in Light's missing memories plan? Nope! No problem with that at all.

Light could just use the eraser to erase someone’s name before they die

The twist of Light giving up his memories with the confidence that he'll regain the Death Note and his memories later through the Yotsuba arc reminded me of Clockwork Orange, at least an interpretation of the film. In it, Alex allows himself to be the subject of a mind experiment as an alternative to his prison sentence for murder. The experiment causes him to have sickness to the idea of violence, but he is able to walk free in exchange. But as he reenters society, his enemies take advantage of his new repulsion to violence, and he ends up in the hospital. The experiment is considered a failure as a result, and he is granted permission to remove the mind experimentation while also being allowed to remain free. His casual reaction to the news always gave me the impression that this was his plan all along. Although there's also the interpretation that Alex didn't plan anything, and he was just a criminal that benefited from society's aversion to rehabilitation out of dumb luck.

My beef with Near is that they really felt like they were trying to recreate L instead of introduce a new unique character. Also the fact that the existence of the new detective kids was never even alluded to until L had died despite them seemingly being just as smart. L was well known by the police so you think they would have at least thought of N and M for more brainpower

I like Near because his thought process is different from L. If you rewatch it, you will notice that Near is a defensive player. Contrast to L who plays both defense and offense while putting his life on the line. Near is an observer, gathering as much info in as possible, staying a behind a screen, before making one big and final move to seal Light's fate. Near allowed Light to do whatever he wanted and even listened to him a few times. And when Light has the upper hand, Near has a backup plan such as the riot gear and the money to escape without showing his face. I never saw Near as a budget L. He was L's successor that has a completely different play style that ultimately out Kira down. Sidenote: The reason why Near plays with toys is not just because they needed him to have a quirk. It was because Near is a visual learner, especially when he plays with the figurines of them at the end. It's just an extra detail to show Near's different thought process.

40:26 "If L was followed by MN, does that mean there's a whole alphabet of mastermind detectives?" actually, kind of- L mostly grew up in 'wammy's house', an orphanage for genius/especially gifted kids. Every kid at the house went by an alias (ex: near and mello are not their real names) and ones of note get assigned their own letter. Once L became a successful detective, they decided that he needed a successor/an heir. A and B were the first who were supposed to compete to become L's successor, but it didn't go very well. A broke under the pressure, and B became a serial killer that eventually got caught by naomi and L (then killed by kira while he was in jail a few years later). As for the other letters, they are shown to exist in the novel L: change the world, but that has an altered storyline compared to the canon series. (fun fact: one of them, K, became part of a bioterrorist organization that plans to "cleanse" the world of its excess population by a deadly virus.) edit: how could I forget about matt?? He wasn't shown for long in the anime or manga, but he was also a genius and was third in line to become the next L. I don't think he was ever assigned a letter, though. sorry for the long comment lol oops

Not sure if you forgot, but the Heaven or Hell thing was mentioned in the manga. Neither Heaven or Hell exist in Death Note, Ryuk was just fucking with him. Using the Death Note has not changed anything for Light in terms of the afterlife.

One thing I never understood is how NO ONE else apparently either saw the notebook drop to the ground or Light going to pick it up.

Light wouldn’t have died earlier if he had the eyes. We know from something Rem said that if someone dies from a death note it doesn’t count as their lifespan dying in that way (I feel like I said that wrong). His lifespan would have been halved but he would not have died earlier than he did in the show because he died from Ryuk’s death note.

"Se should be rooting for L since the begining" Me who rooted do L the entire series: I have no such weaknesses

"Power hungry god complex riddled people win in the end" Have you seen a typical politician or fortune 500er?

Yes thank you for praising the dub!!! Brad IS Light, just as much as Mamoru is, and to bring down one to favor the other is an insult to them both.

Spoilers: One of the things I noticed upon rewatch is that L should have actually known it was Light and Misa concretely once he first saw the Shinigamis. When Rem touched Misa’s hair, L saw but had no explanation. However once he sees the Shinigamis, he should have put together that a Shinigami messed with her hair, and because that confirms Misa was Kira #2, the connections L already had known should have confirmed Light was Kira #1.

Apples are red, Violets are blue, The genius detective is dead, The next one could be you.

So after the ending, can Ryuk go down to human world to eat red juicy apples?

I was rooting for L from the moment he first appeared, from the moment I heard his voice, I knew he was a better man than Light! L for LIFE!!!