DEATH NOTE: LIGHT'S BIGGEST GAMBLES

Lu He - Writer, 2nd Year, English

Because telling everyone he was Kira wasn't enough.

SPOILERS FOR DEATH NOTE SEASON 1!

Death Note ranks within the top ten highest rated animes of all time. If you’ve ever watched the ultra-popular show, you’re probably no stranger to all the strings the main character, Light, pulls in order to get away with upholding Kira’s world. Although it was Light’s egoistic nature and his lack of attention to detail that ultimately led to his downfall, the character constantly makes gambles that very well could have gone sideways. Here are some of the moments that contributed to his demise - or that could very well have been the spark for his downfall.

1. Telling Naomi Misora his identity. Remember that scene where Light had seconds to make a plan before he was caught by the police? Oh, that’s right – there are too many of those to count. As a repeat namedrop offender, Light constantly reverts to one of two phrases – “I win!” or “I’m Kira” – when he thinks he has the situation in the bag. Luckily for Light, his killing of Naomi Misora was a situation where he had the upper hand, but telling Misora “I’m Kira” while a police officer walked by was an unnecessary gamble that could have cost Light his life. This scene was a 10 for Light’s quick thinking and acting skills, but the gamble was one that was unnecessary.

2. Handing himself over.Light suggesting that he “might” be Kira? Even L saw through this straight away. This was a gamble that surprisingly worked in Light’s favor, although the risk factors were clearly present: at best, Light drew everyone’s attention to the fact that he was very possibly related to Kira, and at worst, L could have deduced something from observing Light’s sudden change in demeanor halfway through imprisonment.

3. Relinquishing memory of the death note.In the same vein, letting go of all memory of the death note was a major gamble for Light. Who knew when the notebook would return to Light’s hands, and under what conditions he might touch it? Not to mention that Light was working with L at the time, and was actively using his deductive skills to assist the investigation draw closer to Kira’s discovery - and unwittingly drawing closer to his own demise. This gamble won out in the end, though, because Light’s lack of memory around being Kira threw L off for a moment and was enough to convince some members of the police force that Light was innocent.

4. Relying on Rem to kill L.This was a startlingly creative backup plan – with no other resources at his immediate disposal, Light took a chance on Rem and banked on Rem prioritizing Misa’s freedom. This could have easily gone wrong had Rem not been devoted to Misa to the degree that Light surmised.

5. Selecting Teru Mikami to fill in as Kira.This was the final gamble that ultimately led to Light’s downfall. While it seems tempting to classify this gamble in a negative light because of its contribution to Light’s downfall, this gamble actually paid off surprisingly well in other aspects. Don’t forget the adrenaline-inducing cell phone scenes with Kiyomi Takada, where Mikami immediately understood the loaded phrases Light was throwing at him – Mikami and Light worked excellently as a team, and Light was right to take a chance on Mikami as his understudy.