Death Note: Difference between revisions

** And then there's [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Matt]], whose hair came out dark greenish brown in the anime, was never established in the manga, was blue in the official game, and is bright red in most [[Fan Art]].

* [[Adaptation Expansion]]: The series is based on a short story about a schoolboy who finds a Death Note and mistakes it for a diary. As a result, {{spoiler|he accidentally kills his friends, until Ryuk helpfully gives him "The Death Eraser", which grants him the power to bring people back from the dead}}. Somewhere along the road to adapting it into a full series, the schoolboy became a mega genius with a [[A God Am I|god complex]], the boring [[Film Noir|Film Noirish]] detective became a freakish mega genius with a sweet tooth, and the [[Deus Ex Machina]] ending was replaced with [[Xanatos Gambit|Xanatos Gambits]] by the bucketload, and the rest is history. The short story, however, appears as the prologue to the manga it sprouted.

** However, while fixing one plothole, said special [[Voodoo Shark|creates another]]: as {{spoiler|the mafia are cut, Soichiro making the trade for Shinigami Eyes and his subsequent death}} is omitted in the process, leaving plotholes regarding {{spoiler|Soichiro's absence}} as well as how Light was {{spoiler|able to acquire Mello's true name.}}

* [[Adrenaline Time]]

*** {{spoiler|<s>Mikami</s> Takada}} kills a man who is harassing a woman on a subway, as a crucial part of Light's plan.

* [[Attention Whore]]: Demegawa goes from merely praising Kira to ''actively using Kira to promote his own career.'' To no one's surprises, and to the joy of everyone both in and out of universe, Kira {{spoiler|(in the form of Mikami)}} eventually gets sick of this and kills him.

* [[Ax Crazy]]: Pretty much all the Kiras qualify when they're at their worst, but especially Mikami when he gets into "sakujo" mode.

* [[Backhanded Apology]]: {{spoiler|at the culmination of Light's memory gambit, he has manipulated events so that not only do Light and Misa look innocent but then in order to maintain good standing with the police L has to apologize to Light, which he does. This trope comes into play when he arguably gets even later during the infamous rooftop scene where he [[Passive Aggressive Combat|insists "let me atone for this"]] [[Foe Yay|with a painful "foot massage."]]}}

* [[Chewbacca Defense]]: Especially in the early interactions between Light, L and the Taskforce where Light deliberately stumbles on L's name: "Ryuuga, I’m sorry I mean ''Ryuuzaki''" to broadcast look L's using an alias, he's an outsider, he's not trustworthy. But Light as the [[Nepotism|Chief's son]] and popular golden boy is. Therefore you lose.

** Later Light and {{spoiler|Near}} when Light says to the Taskforce " {{spoiler|Near}} [[With Us or Against Us|really seems against us, doesn't he?"]] Light also points out how {{spoiler|Near}} associates with a known criminal [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|and he's rude.]] This strategy works in discrediting his opponent-even when the Taskforce is at their most suspicious of Light they still don't trust {{spoiler|Near.}}

* [[Children Raise You]]: Maki and [[No Name Given|"Boy"]] do this for L in ''L: Change the WorLd'' although he doesn't get to find true love.

** {{spoiler|At the end of the movie, L names the boy Near.}}

** Near kept millions of dollars ready to be dropped from the top of a skyscraper at the press of a button, just in case a [[Torches and Pitchforks]] mob attacks his secret hideout. [[Fridge Brilliance]] in that the SPK are a proscribed terrorist organisation by that point, so their bank accounts would have been frozen.

* [[Creepy Child]]: Near. He gets extra points for being able to pull off [[Creepy Child]] despite [[Older Than They Look|not actually being one]].

** There is a distinct cross motif to the covers of the manga volumes as well, and the cross is retained on the Misa collector's figure included with volume 5 of the DVD series.

* [[Crime After Crime]]: The cover-up killings of an agent and his wife narrowed L's attention on Light even more. It was after this L decided to reveal himself just to keep him closer.

* [[Denied Food As Punishment]]: In the manga {{spoiler|during confinement the Taskforce comment on how Misa being denied water for three days was too much for a young girl to take.}}

* [[Deuteragonist]]: L, Near and/or Mello are the opposing deuteragonists to protagonist Light.

* [[Didn't See That Coming]]: How {{spoiler|Light met his end}}.

** Played with in the manga (but not in the anime) with {{spoiler|how Near came very close to being killed by Light. Near looks completely shocked when Light pulls a hidden piece of the Death Note out of his watch. Light was only one letter away from taking Near down with him.}}

* [[Don't Tell Mama]]: Light is trying to keep his secret of being Kira from his parents and sister.

** Soichiro explicitly tells Light not to tell either Sachiko or Sayu where he's going when he agrees to help with the investigation.

* [[Doomed Moral Victor]]: {{spoiler|Years later legions of followers still mourn the loss of Kira.}}

* [[Driven to Suicide]]: {{spoiler|Misa kills herself soon after Light's death.}} However, this isn't shown in the manga.

* [[Dying Like Animals]]: Lemmings, mice, and snakes are all around. And Light himself is a mole.

* [[Dysfunction Junction]]: Wammy's House, though it's hard to find a character who ''[[There Are No Therapists|doesn't]]'' have some sort of obvious [[Hollywood Personality Disorders|mental disorder]] or [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzZGqtqW5DQ&feature=related traits thereof.]

* [[Easily Forgiven]]: during the Yotsuba arc {{spoiler|L confines Light for over fifty days and then fakes having his father shoot him in the head. In the manga Light forgives L in the very next panel.}}

* [[Eat the Evidence]]: In the manga it's explained that {{spoiler|Light swallows the Death Note scrap he used to kill Higuchi.}}

** [[The Mentor]]: Watari

** [[The Sixth Ranger]]: [[Mauve Shirt|Ukita]] and [[Ineffectual Loner|Ide]], and later {{spoiler|[[Big Bad Friend|Light]]}} and {{spoiler|Misa}}

* [[For Doom the Bell Tolls]]: {{spoiler|L's death.}}

* [[For Great Justice]]: Both Light and L believe this.

* [[For Want of a Nail]]: {{spoiler|The Live Action Movies shows how events would have played out if L defeated Light.}}

* [[Foregone Conclusion]]: In ''The Los Angeles BB Cases'', the mysterious stranger who follows Naomi is obviously L because we've read the manga or watched the anime. {{spoiler|Except it isn't. In one of the best subversions of this trope ever, its not L but BB, the murderer suspected of the killings.}}

* [[Four Is Death]]: The Death Note kills in 40 seconds, and if a cause of death is written, the user has 400 seconds to add details.

** Mikami, {{spoiler|whose screw-up finishes Light}}, is the fourth Kira.

*** The {{spoiler|hidden piece of paper from the Death Note in Light's wristwatch can be accessed by Light pressing the dial nub four times}}

* [[Friend to All Children]]: L and Watari are examples.

** Watari creates an orphanage for intelligent and gifted children. He is also L's assistant and [[Parental Substitute|father-figure]]

* [[Genghis Gambit]]: The final episode revealed that {{spoiler|Near and Mello, who were individually trying to succeed where L failed, finally agreed to work together to defeat Kira. It works.}}

** The explanation is a bit different in the manga: {{spoiler|when Near credits Mello for creating the situation that allowed him to defeat Light, Lidner suggests that Mello realized the flaw in Near's plan (namely, that the notebook could have been fake) and kidnapped Takada purposefully to expose it. Near disagrees, saying that Mello believed he could surpass Near ''and'' L. Near continues that he always knew he wasn't capable of surpassing L alone, and neither was Mello--it was only by a combination of their two plans that they could win.}}

** L claims that he stays thin by burning calories by using his brain.

* [[Genre Savvy]]: Light: "I'll be killing her eventually. I can't develop feelings. That's how most idiots screw up." Sort of inverted since {{spoiler|he screwed up anyway. The genre-savvy knowledge did him no good.}}

* [[Glowing Eyes of Doom]]: Light gets these when he's contemplating something particularly evil.

* [[A God Am I]]: Light wants to use the Death Note to create a new world, with himself as... you guessed it.

* [[Goggles Do Nothing]]: The Shinigami from ''Relight''.

* [[Good Eyes, Evil Eyes]]: Used deliberately in the manga.

* [[Good Is Not Nice]]: One of the story's main themes, as whether ''anyone'' in the series can truly be called good is open to interpretation.

** Quick examples? #1: L, who is quite scheming and manipulative. #2: Soichiro. #3: Near. The list goes on.

* [[Gorn]]: Not in the original manga, but present in the anime's series finale. {{spoiler|Mikami attempts some kind of poor man's [[Seppuku]], either out of [[Despair Event Horizon|despair]] or to distract the police so that Light can escape. Unfortunately for the audience, it works a little too well. Then again, if gore is your thing...}}

* [[Grail in The Garbage]]: Light finds the Death Note in the [[Adult Fear|school yard.]]

** Light tosses out his expensive mini-TV with nary a wince.

* [[Hook Hand]]: Zellogi, One of the minor [[Shinigami]], has one.

* [[Hostage for McGuffin]]: One of these is used to begin the second major arc of the story.

* [[How Unscientific]]: When L finds out shinigami are real, he has [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEz78HwS7S4&feature=related an uncharacteristically] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSMtT5rQeQU&feature=related loud freakout.]

** In the manga this was just him falling out of his chair. [[Word of God]] says that he was startled because of the way things came together, and that the manga-ka wanted to see L fall over.

* [[Living With the Villain]]: Light and L not only go to the same college, but also work together on the team to catch Kira and spend quite a while ''chained together''.

** Also Light and his father... makes for some awkward dinner conversations.

* [[Lonely At the Top]]

* [[Loners Are Freaks]]: Subverted and played straight.

{{quote| '''Light:''' Is that all the help you needed on your homework, Sayu? <br />

'''Souichiro:''' Was your brother helping you with your homework ''again?'' <br />

** L, mind you, also has no problems manipulating, or asking others to manipulate, people.

** Misa is also willing to manipulate people to get what she wants; her childlike charm is particularly useful for this.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Done three times, ironically every time. Mello is a complete loose cannon, Near spends most of his time in another country from the protagonist, and [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Light Is]] (Probably) [[Light Is Not Good|Not Good]].

** According to [[All There in the Manual|Death Note: How To Read 13]], the graphic encyclopedia, Mello and Near were originally going to have regular Meaningful Names; Mello was going to be Near, since he was always close to but not at the other's level; and Near was going to be Mello because he was calmer. Ohba got the characters mixed up, so....

* [[My God, What Have I Done?]]: {{spoiler|Effectively executed in understatement during the ending credits of ''Relight 2'' when Matsuda and Aizawa discover Light's body.}}

** Light feels this way as part of his [[Ignored Epiphany]] at the beginning of the story. He quickly talks himself out of it.

** Light didn't seem too worried about Sayu herself - he was more worried about the fact that L was mentioning this possibility in front of his ''recovering-from-a-heart-attack'' father.

** Amusingly, Light briefly considers offing his little sister, Sayu, to protect his identity as Kira. At least he showed some distress when the idea was considered.

* [[Oh No Not Again]]: Uttered by Matsuda {{spoiler|after the arrest / death of Higuchi and Light and Misa have been cleared of suspicion, leading the Taskforce to believe they are dealing with yet ''another'' Kira.}}

** Also, Soichiro says this when the handcuffed Light and L begin their second fist fight.

* [[Older Hero vs. Younger Villain]]: L is about seven years older than Light. Also Team Kira may [[Rule of Empathy|garner a certain amount of sympathy]] from certain casual viewers who just see the [[Draco in Leather Pants|pretty teenagers]] {{spoiler|being imprisoned}} by the middle-aged cops.

* [[Ominous Latin Chanting]]: Dies Irae being the most prominent.

* [[Recap Episode]]: The first half of "Renewal".

* [[Redemption in The Rain]]: Inverted. At the beginning, Light is heavily rained on as he resolves to save the world, er, turn to evil.

** Not only that, but the anime seems to make a hobby out of catching Light's eyes just right so that they look red, and the opening and closing sequences make it even stronger as part of the red/blue motif.

* [[Red Filter of Doom]]

* [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]]: {{spoiler|Light is killed by Ryuk, having been exposed as Kira, after so many people have been pointlessly killed. The world is rotten again, and nothing's been accomplished.}}

* [[Short Distance Phone Call]]: One of the turning points in the first arc, which leads to {{spoiler|Misa's capture and Light's [[Memory Gambit]] to save them both}}.

* [[Shut UP, Hannibal]]: Near's rebuttal to {{spoiler|Light's [[Motive Rant]] at the end}}.

* [[Sibling Yin-Yang]]: [[media:sayu.jpg|Light and Sayu.]]

* [[Sidekick Ex Machina]] And how!

* [[Sinister Scythe]]: Light on the cover art of the manga {{spoiler|and as a Shinigami in the ''Relight'' movie.}}

* [[Sinister Subway]]

* [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill]]: {{spoiler|Happens to Matt and Light.}}

* [[They Fight Crime]]: Yep, [[Light Is Not Good|they all do.]]

* [[This Cannot Be!]]

* [[This Is Unforgivable!]]: {{spoiler|Matsuda}} has had enough of {{spoiler|Light}} at the time of {{spoiler|the final confrontation with Near}}. The results are quick, well-deserved, and quite scary. {{spoiler|Ryuk}} almost couldn't keep up with him.

* {{spoiler|[[Tragedy]]}}

* [[Tragic Hero]]: Light pretty much fits into the Shakespearian mould for a tragic hero exactly. For example compare him to the classic tragic hero character of Macbeth.

* [[Trope Overdosed]]

* [[Trouser Space]]: In the second arc, Light's new Death Note hiding place. [http://deathnotefansite.deviantart.com/art/Death-Note-Lights-Hiding-Place-257199331\] He did it in an earlier scene in the manga too...

* [[Try Not to Die]]

* [[Tsundere]]: It's mentioned in ''Another Note'' that Naomi tries not to be seen as one during her time in the FBI. The definition given in-text matches up with Type A.

* [[Unflappable Guardian]]: Watari.

* [[Unholy Matrimony]]: Light and Misa, whether Light likes it or not. They were both villains in their own right before joining forces.

* [[Unmoving Plaid]]: In the manga, some very noticeable shortcuts were taken when depicting plaid or striped clothes. Sayu's pajamas come to mind.

** Soichiro's suits are especially this.

** Mello and Matt are Type I, seeing how Matt is {{spoiler|the only person Mello shows remorse for having gotten killed}}.

** Mikami and Takada are Type I, but {{spoiler|Mikami kills her anyway because his loyalty to his "God" trumps any feelings he has for her.}}

** Light and Mikami are Type I. Mikami {{spoiler|swears absolute devotion to Light when Light entrusts him with the Death Note and in turn he was the only one Light [[You Will Be Spared|was planning on keeping around after he won.]] However, in the anime at the very end it turns into Type III. When his plan to kill Near and others fails, Light tries to save himself by sacrificing Mikami, claiming that he doesn't know him; Mikami, while broken by this rejection, [[Undying Loyalty|remains loyal to Light]] and responds to his call for help by killing himself, creating a distraction that allows Light to escape. In the manga it ends ups being completely subverted, as not only Light abandons Mikami, but also Mikami responds to Light's call for help by yelling at him that he's not a god.}}

* [[Villain Protagonist]]: Light.

* [[Villain Song]]: Misa sings one when Light chooses her {{spoiler|to act as Kira in his place}}. "Ki wo tsukete, Kami-sama wa miteru..."

*** Near treats detective work as a game, and will try to "win" the game by any means necessary. He has no emotional attachments or morals to distract him.

* [[We Need to Get Proof]]: L and Near suspect Light almost immediately, and though they're both willing to play fast and loose with ethics to solve a case, Near says ''ex post facto'' justification (like killing Light and seeing if the murders stop) is intolerable for either of them.

* [[When All You Have Is a Hammer]]: The Death Note kills people. Light quickly finds ways to make it do... [[Batman Gambit|more]].

* [[Who's Laughing Now?]]: This is {{spoiler|Mikami's}} [[Freudian Excuse]].

** Also subverted in the oneshot chapter set after the manga, {{spoiler|when Near [[Driven to Suicide|drives cKira to suicide]] by telling cKira that he isn't worth Near's time.}}

* [[Would Be Rude to Say Genocide]]: Kira prefers the term "Justice."

{{quote| '''Light''': ''If [[Hired to Hunt Yourself|we]] catch Kira, then Kira is evil. If Kira takes control of the world, then Kira is Justice.''}}

* [[Xanatos Roulette]]: Light.

{{quote| '''Misa''': "Wow! {{spoiler|Namikawa}} is really smart to have figured that out!"<br />

'''L''': "No, that's just because Light messed up." }}

* [[You Meddling Kids]]: {{spoiler|Light would have gotten away with it too (or at least had been able to realistically argue his innocence)...''if he had waited two freaking seconds!!!''}}

* [[You Were Trying Too Hard]]: Bit of a subversion; Light makes his life worse because he ''didn't'' give up. {{spoiler|Light kills [[FBI Agent]] Raye Penber, eventually casting suspicion upon himself, not long after the latter judges him free of suspicion of being Kira.}} If he had simply done ''nothing'' L would not have managed to narrow the suspects down to him.