DEATH NOTE features many memorable characters, including Light Yagami and L.
Characters such as L, Near, and Mello usually operate under aliases, which may leave fans wondering, “What is their real name?”, “How old are they?”, or “How tall are they?”
In this article, we introduce the main DEATH NOTE characters, focusing on their real names, birthdays, ages, and heights.
※ Ages and birth years may differ between the original manga and the anime adaptation. Unless otherwise noted, this article uses the original manga timeline.
※ “→” indicates changes in age as time passes during the story.
Light Yagami
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: Light Yagami
Birthday: February 28, 1986
Age: 17–18 (Part I) / 23 (Part II)
Height: 179 cm
Weight: 54 kg
Blood Type: A
The protagonist of DEATH NOTE.
While still in high school, Light finds the Death Note dropped into the human world by the Shinigami Ryuk and begins operating as “Kira,” using the notebook to judge criminals.
He possesses exceptional intelligence, ranking first in national mock exams and entering To-Oh University with outstanding academic results.
On top of that, he is 179 cm tall, handsome, and athletic. Even without the Death Note, he seems to have started life with almost every advantage imaginable.
And yet, he weighs only 54 kg.
His intelligence and height are impressive, but his weight is surprisingly low.
More importantly, he begins using one of the most dangerous objects imaginable because he was “bored.”
Most people would find a new hobby.
Light decided to create a new world.
L
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: L Lawliet
Birthday: October 31, 1979
Age: 24–25
Height: 179 cm (estimated)
Weight: 50 kg (estimated)
Blood Type: Unknown
A world-famous detective who takes charge of the investigation into the Kira case.
Throughout the story, he uses names such as “L” and “Ryuzaki,” while his real name is never revealed in the main story.
His real name, L Lawliet, was revealed in the official guidebook DEATH NOTE HOW TO READ 13.
Although he is the same height as Light at 179 cm, his extremely hunched posture often makes him appear much shorter.
His estimated weight is also only 50 kg.
Light is already very slim at 179 cm and 54 kg, yet L is another four kilograms lighter.
This is especially impressive considering the amount of sweets he eats.
His sitting posture, sleep habits, and diet are probably not something the average person should imitate.
He may be the world’s greatest detective, but a routine health check could uncover an entirely different mystery.
Misa Amane
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: Misa Amane
Birthday: December 25, 1984
Age: 18–19 (Part I) / 24 (Part II)
Height: 152 cm
Weight: 36 kg
Blood Type: AB
A popular model and celebrity widely known as “Misa-Misa.”
After receiving a Death Note from the Shinigami Rem, she approaches Light as the “Second Kira.”
Although Misa may look younger than Light, according to the original manga timeline, she is actually about one year and two months older than him.
At 152 cm and 36 kg, she is extremely petite, with a 27 cm height difference between her and Light.
Her body may be small, but her willingness to act certainly is not.
She tracks down Kira, obtains the Shinigami Eyes, and eventually shows up at Light’s home.
When it comes to sheer determination in romance, Misa may rank among the strongest characters in the series.
Ryuk
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Name: Ryuk
Birthday: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Height: 230 cm
Shinigami Rank: 6
The Shinigami who originally owned the Death Note that Light finds.
Bored with life in the Shinigami Realm, Ryuk drops the Death Note into the human world because he wants to see something interesting.
He does not have a human-style birthday or age, but at 230 cm tall, he is enormous.
Among the main characters, his height is on an entirely different level.
If he had entered professional basketball instead of the human world, he probably would have attracted attention for very different reasons.
Unfortunately, the only thing he seems truly dedicated to is apples.
He sets the entire story in motion, yet his basic philosophy remains: “As long as it’s entertaining.”
In that sense, Ryuk may be the character enjoying his existence the most.
Rem
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Name: Rem
Birthday: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Height: Unknown
Shinigami Rank: 4
The Shinigami who gives a Death Note to Misa Amane.
Unlike Ryuk, who mostly watches humans for his own entertainment, Rem has a strong desire to protect Misa.
As a Shinigami, Rem’s age and birthday in the human sense have not been revealed.
Despite both being Shinigami, Rem and Ryuk have very different personalities.
Ryuk is the type to think, “This should be entertaining.”
Rem is the type to think, “This looks dangerous, so I should help.”
If you were in serious trouble and could call only one of them, Rem would probably be the safer choice.
Ryuk would most likely eat an apple and laugh.
Near
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: Nate River
Birthday: August 24, 1991
Age: 13 → 17–18
Height: 155 cm
Weight: 40 kg
Blood Type: B
A boy raised at Wammy’s House as a potential successor to L.
His real name is Nate River, meaning “Near” is an alias rather than his actual name.
Although his methods differ from L’s, Near possesses exceptional deductive abilities and leads the SPK in its pursuit of Kira’s true identity.
He is often seen playing with toys or twisting his hair while analyzing extremely serious cases.
For most people, this would immediately result in someone asking, “Are you even listening?”
Near is listening.
He is usually thinking several steps ahead of everyone else in the room.
He may look like a child, but his mind belongs to one of L’s successors.
That said, if you called him “better than L,” Near himself would probably disagree.
Mello
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: Mihael Keehl
Birthday: December 13, 1989
Age: 14 → 19–20
Height: 171 cm
Weight: 52 kg
Blood Type: A
Another candidate to succeed L who, like Near, was raised at Wammy’s House.
His real name is Mihael Keehl.
In contrast to Near’s calm and analytical approach, Mello is extremely action-oriented and is willing to use dangerous methods to achieve his goals.
He is also famous for constantly eating chocolate.
If Near is the type to line up toys while thinking, Mello is the type to eat chocolate while changing the entire situation himself.
And if joining the Mafia helps him beat Near, he will do that too.
Most childhood rivals compete through grades or sports.
Competition at Wammy’s House apparently works on a different scale.
At 171 cm and 52 kg, Mello is also surprisingly slim considering how much chocolate he eats.
Soichiro Yagami
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: Soichiro Yagami
Birthday: July 12, 1955
Age: 48–49 (Part I) / 54 (Part II)
Height: 181 cm
Weight: 68 kg
Blood Type: A
Light Yagami’s father and one of the central members of the Japanese Task Force investigating the Kira case.
He is a police officer with an exceptionally strong sense of justice who continues pursuing Kira while deeply caring about his family.
At 181 cm tall, he is two centimeters taller than Light.
Looking only at the profiles, Soichiro also has the most solid build in the Yagami family.
During the story, he has to deal with his son being suspected, confinement, constant investigation, and eventually extremely dangerous operations.
Few characters suffer more from the Kira case both mentally and physically.
Having an exceptionally talented son apparently comes with unexpected risks.
Unfortunately, there is probably no parenting guide with a chapter titled, “What to Do When Your Son Wants to Become the God of a New World.”
Touta Matsuda
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: Touta Matsuda
Birthday: December 14, 1978
Age: 25–26 (Part I) / 30–31 (Part II)
Height: 174 cm
Weight: 59 kg
Blood Type: B
A member of the Japanese Task Force.
Compared with the other investigators, Matsuda can be emotional and impulsive, but his actions sometimes move the investigation forward in unexpected ways.
Despite his cheerful personality, he plays an important role toward the end of the story.
Throughout much of the series, other characters regularly wonder whether Matsuda is really thinking things through.
However, when the decisive moment arrives, he acts faster and more decisively than almost anyone else.
Many readers probably view Matsuda very differently at the end of DEATH NOTE than they did at the beginning.
It is easy to mistake him for comic relief.
Just remember: he has a gun.
Teru Mikami
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: Teru Mikami
Birthday: June 7, 1982
Age: 27
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 56 kg
Blood Type: A
A prosecutor who appears during the latter half of the story.
Mikami is a devoted supporter of Kira and is selected by Light to become a new user of the Death Note.
He lives an extremely disciplined life and is particularly memorable for saying “Delete” while judging criminals.
Mikami’s daily routine is so precise that anyone observing him can predict where he will be and what he will be doing at certain times.
Exercise, work, Kira activities.
His schedule management is more disciplined than that of most people in the real world.
As far as self-management goes, Mikami is extremely capable.
Unfortunately, in the world of DEATH NOTE, being too predictable can itself become a weakness.
Apparently, even having a perfectly organized calendar can be dangerous in the Kira case.
Kiyomi Takada
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: Kiyomi Takada
Birthday: July 12, 1985
Age: 18–19 → 24
Height: 166 cm
Weight: 44 kg
Blood Type: AB
A woman who attended To-Oh University with Light.
She later becomes an NHN news anchor and takes on an important role as Kira’s spokesperson.
Takada has had feelings for Light since their university days and becomes deeply involved in the Kira case during the latter half of the story.
At 166 cm and 44 kg, she is also very slim.
She holds a glamorous position as a popular news anchor, but the job she ends up being given is essentially “spokesperson for Kira.”
That is an unusually heavy addition to any job description.
Add Light, Misa, Mikami, and Near’s schemes into the situation, and both her professional and romantic lives become extraordinarily complicated.
It is probably not covered in standard journalism training.
Naomi Misora
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: Naomi Misora
Birthday: February 11, 1976
Age: 27
Height: 171 cm
Weight: 46 kg
Blood Type: A
A former FBI agent and the fiancée of Raye Penber.
Although she appears for only a relatively short time, Naomi demonstrates impressive deductive ability by approaching a crucial truth about the Kira case using very limited information.
She also has a previous connection with L and appears as a major character in the novel Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases.
Considering how little screen time she has in the main story, the speed at which Naomi approaches the truth about Kira is remarkable.
She identifies an important possibility that neither the police nor the FBI had fully recognized.
From Light’s perspective, she was far too dangerous to be a random person he happened to meet on the street.
If the timing of that encounter had been slightly different, DEATH NOTE might have been a much shorter series.
Watari
Source: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, “DEATH NOTE”, Shueisha
Real Name: Quillsh Wammy
Birthday: May 1, 1933
Age: 70–71
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 51 kg
The elderly gentleman who supports L.
“Watari” is not his real name. His true identity is Quillsh Wammy, a world-renowned inventor.
Using his wealth, he established orphanages around the world. One of them, Wammy’s House, produced extraordinary talents such as L, Near, and Mello.
Watari does far more than simply look after L, assisting with everything from information gathering to preparing specialized equipment.
He can also handle a sniper rifle.
Inventor, wealthy philanthropist, educator, L’s support specialist, information manager, and sniper.
That is an impressive workload for anyone, let alone someone in his seventies.
If he listed everything on his résumé, the interviewer might start asking whether any of it was actually true.
He is also 175 cm tall and weighs only 51 kg.
Apparently, it is not just L—the person supporting him is remarkably slim too.
What Are the Real Names of L, Near, Mello, and Watari?
Several DEATH NOTE characters use aliases to conceal their true identities.
These four are especially important to remember:
Alias
Real Name
L
L Lawliet
Near
Nate River
Mello
Mihael Keehl
Watari
Quillsh Wammy
In a world where a person can be killed simply by writing their name in the Death Note, keeping one’s real name secret is itself an important form of protection for L and those connected to him.
In the real world, people debate whether they should use their real names online.
In DEATH NOTE, the issue is literally a matter of life and death.
It may be one of the clearest fictional demonstrations of the importance of protecting personal information.
Birth Years Differ Between the Manga and Anime
The original DEATH NOTE manga and its TV anime adaptation use different timelines.
For example:
Light Yagami: born in 1986 in the manga / 1989 in the anime
L: born in 1979 in the manga / 1982 in the anime
Misa Amane: born in 1984 in the manga / 1987 in the anime
Near: born in 1991 in the manga / 1994 in the anime
Mello: born in 1989 in the manga / 1992 in the anime
In other words, the birth years of many major characters are three years later in the anime adaptation.
This is why you may find different birth years listed on different websites. It does not necessarily mean that one of them is incorrect.
For consistency and easier comparison, this article uses the timeline from the original manga.
If you ever wondered why Light’s birthday seemed to change depending on the website, don’t worry.
Light is not falsifying his records this time.
The anime simply shifted the timeline.
Conclusion
In DEATH NOTE, names themselves are an important part of the story, especially for characters such as L, Near, and Mello, who operate while hiding their real identities.
Looking at their profiles also reveals some surprisingly interesting details that are easy to miss while reading the story.
For example:
Light and L are both 179 cm tall
Misa is about one year and two months older than Light
Ryuk is 230 cm tall
Soichiro is 181 cm tall, making him two centimeters taller than Light
Light is 179 cm and 54 kg
L is 179 cm and an estimated 50 kg
Misa is 152 cm and 36 kg
Mello is 171 cm and 52 kg
Takada is 166 cm and 44 kg
Naomi Misora is 171 cm and 46 kg
Watari is 175 cm and 51 kg
When you put these numbers side by side, one thing becomes very clear:
DEATH NOTE characters are generally very slim.
L is perhaps the most striking example at 179 cm and an estimated 50 kg.
Despite all the sweets he eats, that is his listed weight.
Light is also only 54 kg at the same height, so during their famous tennis match, perhaps the most impressive thing was not the psychological battle—it was that both of them could move that well at those weights.
Even Watari, in his seventies, is listed at 175 cm and 51 kg.
Apparently, Wammy’s House was extremely successful at producing geniuses, but considerably less successful at helping them gain weight.
Then there is Ryuk at 230 cm.
After looking at how slim most of the human characters are, his size seems even more ridiculous.
DEATH NOTE is famous for its psychological battles and mind games, but looking closely at details such as names, birthdays, heights, and weights reveals another side of its characters.
Knowing these profiles may give you something completely different to notice the next time you read or watch DEATH NOTE.
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