Death Note is the kind of anime which never gets you bored even after repeated watch, instead every time you rewatch it you are given a new wisdom to feast your brain on. Death Note, is a literary genius which contains so many quotes with underlying symbolism and meanings inside. This article will explore top 5 of such quotes by Death Note characters which changed the course of the series.
Top 5 quotes from Death Note Characters in no particular order
Soichiro Yagami
“Light, my son. From one murderer to another, I’ll see you in hell!”
This quote represents the depths Soichiro Yagami would go to, only to protect the law and its people. Moments before sacrificing his own son under the suspicion of him being Kira, listening to the chief officer’s words still sends chills down our spine. This has to be one of his coldest scenes throughout the anime, as even after holding the gun against his and pulling the trigger, Soichiro does not show an inch of remorse or regret over his face for almost killing his son.
Quoting hell also has a symbolic meaning, Soichiro was against murdering people even if they commit the worst of the crimes, taking justice in own hands was morally unacceptable for him. For Soichiro, killing Light (even if he is Kira) was a sin and that is why, he will see Light in hell.
L Lawliet
“There is no heaven or hell. no matter what you do while you’re alive, everybody goes to the same place once you die. Death is equal.”
L, while denying the existence of the duality of afterlife sounds a little bit like The psychopath Johan Liebert from Monster anime quoting “death is equal”. We may have overlooked the quote said by L, but fast-forward to the last chapter, Light did die on the stairs, symbolizing he neither went to Hell nor Heaven and thereby proving L’s quote to be true. Although L has mentioned hearing the sounds of (church) bells, and he even had a cross over his tomb, this quote proves that he was more on the agnostic if not atheist side of the religious values.
Ryuk
“Humans are interesting!”
This is one of the most simple, yet interesting (hehe) quotes of the Death Note. Ryuk is the center of all the chaos caused by Light, he is in fact the instigator of all the crimes committed by Kira. Just because he was bored in the Shinigami’s world, Ryuk stole a death note from his friend to amuse himself in the world of human beings. His interest in humans, especially in Light Yagami is what led to 124,925 deaths (according to the alternate ending) in Death Note.
Light Yagami
“What do you think of that, L? This is my perfect victory! That’s right, I win!”
This quote, followed by Light’s maniacal laughter is one of the key highlights of the Death Note anime. From changing the society for good to paying any cost to become the God, this scene was a major checkpoint in Kira’s downfall. For Light, it was all about winning, despite L considering him his “only friend”, Light’s disgusting monologue while standing on his grave was enough to prove Light’s transformation into a Monster. This scene is so historic, that it leaves in my mind rent free.
Near (Nate River)
“Light Yagami, L, Kira, you have lost”
Though seeing Light Yagami lose to Near was not only painful, but also an insult to L’s death, we can’t deny the fact that Near’s victory decided the ultimate fate of Kira. With this quote Near hit Light where it hurt him the most, that is his “Ego”. Even if Light’s defeat was inevitable, Near’s quote was necessary to remind him that.
Conclusion
Choosing top 5 from the treasure of a literature as thrilling as Death Note has to be one of the most difficult jobs. Death note characters and their quotes are timeless, and they often serve as a vehicle for the moral and philosophical questions raised by this anime.
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