Kira: The Shepherd of Humanity

"This World Is Rotten, And Those Who Are Making It Rot Deserve To Die. Someone Has To Do It, So Why Not Me?" - Light Yagami

People don't love but they hate. They commit acts of jealousy. Living in a society such as this, is it so wrong what he did? Were his intentions not that of a man trying to save this world? or was he a man who flew too close to the sun? Did he want to be god so bad, that he was willing to lose his very humanity?

Light Yagami in Death Note

This broken system has wrought more than just criminals and evildoers. It has birthed a society of rotting corpses. Light Yagami sees this, he knows it. Before the notebook was in his possession he was a star student, living the life as the "perfect son". He knows that everyone wishes for a better future, but no one is brave enough to take those first steps.

Light Yagami finds the Death Note for the first time.

Light Yagami sees himself as that person. The saviour of humanity, our shepherd, our guide. Our god. The character of Light Yagami is in my opinion a character created to embody the truth that everyone in the human race refuses to admit and would even go as far as to condemn. We all want a scapegoat. Someone to take the blame. Someone to do the things we would never do, but secretly wish we did. Someone we can hate openly, but admire behind closed doors.

Light embracing himself as a god.

Light Yagami isn't just some guy bent on killing criminals for the mundane pleasure of it. While he does enjoy spilling blood, he is methodical and meticulous all while being so self-absorbed in his sociopathic viewpoint of the world that terrifies everyone all because we can not only empathise with his view of the world but we can agree with it. And not just on some level, but wholeheartedly.

Light studying

Light Yagami as Kira begins killing any and all criminals he can find. Petty or no. They all die according to his will. The god that protects the innocent. Or so everyone believes. He gives in to temptation and brings forth a side of him that basks in his newfound power. That malevolent nature. He deludes himself into thinking that he's more than just a serial killer, he's a divine entity, a God whose sole purpose is to guide, to shepherd humanity into a brighter future. A light in this dark world we live in. Pardon the pun.

Light being Kira

As a protagonist, you'd be hard-pressed to find one more developed and more ingrained into the world he lives in than Light Yagami. Episode one is titled: " Rebirth" which I think serves to symbolise how Death Note as a show, throws us into the deep end right from the off. From the moment he picks up the Death Note, Light Yagami is lying to us all. He keeps talking about making this world a better place but he gives more attention to "becoming the god of this world".

Light doing his thing

This is relatable for several reasons. One, Light is like all of us. We all want to make the world a better place but how many of us actually take action to do that? Two, Kira represents our denial. We tell ourselves that we as people have good intentions and that may be so, but how many of us would put aside our personal ambitions for the greater good of others? In my opinion, Light Yagami aka Kira is one of the best reflections of society today.

Ryuk and Light

This is one of those shows where the protagonist is truly the leader in all aspects. His decisions are the direction in which the show goes. It is a masterclass in controlling the pace of a show and the mood of a show. Death Note is the kind of show that absorbs the audience and doesn't let go.

I hope this was at least an illuminating insight into the character of Light Yagami aka Kira. He ranks in my top 5 anime protagonists so far. I highly recommend watching Death Note if you are a fan of psychological thrillers. It won't disappoint.

Until the next one! Thanks for reading!