(READ BELOW LINK BEFORE COMMENTING‼️)EDIT: IF YOU LOVED THIS VIDEO AND WANT MORE DEATH NOTE ANALYSIS VIDEOS FROM ME CHECK OUT THIS PLAYLIST https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWiRJUXMfTSlsVwckJ8ZPCGf94oxIS9rS&si=iU7rWgEQkn8je2PL
Imma address a major tidbit I should've clarified better in the video. When I say Light is a victim, I'm saying he was given an unfortunate fate of being the first person to pick up the notebook. Anyone that tests the notebook is destined for misfortune and with how strong-willed Light is... his luck only lasts for 6 years and comes at the end of his life. If he hadn't noticed/picked up the notebook, he could've lived a better life working with the NPA. Everyone could’ve lived better lives if the notebook hadn’t been dropped.

HOWEVER, this doesnt justify Light’s actions and he IS aware of what he's doing, constantly losing his sanity. The power of the notebook can change people. He's a victim of the notebooks fate, but ALSO causes his own fate to occur with how he keeps killing people. Something of both sides occuring. The notebook sealed his fate, but Light had his death coming to him. That's what makes his ending and his character (and Ls) so complex.
If I could re write the script to emphasize that I would've but I was pressured to upload on my weekly schedule 😭.

Hopefully more people see this comment and i dont gotta repeat myself but this is the internet sooooooooo💀

2nd edit: nah i take my apology back. Ive seen some comments understood what i meant and correct other commenters that assumed. I stated multiple times in the video that Light (and the others) is cursed with misfortune and is a victim of the death notes curse because of that. The series also repeats that fact. Pay fukin attention yall.

The only reason L lost to Light is because he was playing an uneven game. Almost like playing chess without knowing all the rules and still keeping up with a Grandmaster

personally LOVE the manga ending not bc light is suffering, more because he is finally being truthful, he’s finally acting like anyone else, panicked, not composed, fumbling, scared, all the things he’s constantly pretending he’s above during the whole story. he thinks he’s a god, it’s satisfying to watch him be reminded he was human the whole time.

I think the analysis of this aspect is accurate…however the real reason everyone hated the ending was how unrealistic it was. There is no way they could have broken into a bank safety deposit box and written all of the names down exactly so that Mikami couldn’t tell the difference with a microscope in just ONE NIGHT. It’s physically impossible. That being the only way that N was able to get the upper hand just felt like a cop out because they couldn’t figure out a way to outsmart Light in a realistic way since he had the plot armor of the death note

Death Note has a split fan base. You enjoy light's character and feel bad for him and his suffering, or despise him for killing people. It's always a debate, I don't mind it's a well written story and characters give me joy to share it with people I care about. Death Note made me feel a connection with the series whole.

I really love Mikami, I love the idea of “no one understands your art except yourself”. Even though Mikami was Light’s biggest fan and smart on his own, their miscommunication was part of Light’s defeat. Light can’t trust anyone else to get this job done because no one else in the world has the same vision as him

The real villain in Death note is indeed Ryuk. When we see other Shinigami, we learn that they can have a sense of duty. Ryuk has been playing with other's lives for amusement. He knowingly caused everything for cheap laughs

It's crazy how Death Note is 20 years old yet has better animation quality than most animes today

If he didn't kill the fake L in the beginning, light probably wouldn't have been caught since they wouldn't have known where he actually was

It's true that Light was a victim in this whole ordeal but the reason I love the manga ending is because Light has been condemning people to death in the comfort of his own home and the ending is perfect because Light now gets to see what it's like when he kills people with the notebook and how horrible his actions were it to me is a perfect ending for the story and man it hits hard I appreciate the anime ending now more thanks to your video but I will always prefer the manga due to the reasons i mentioned prior

Haven’t watched the video yet, but before I do I just want to say, I have been saying this EXACT thing for years now and so many people think one ending is vastly superior to the other, and I really think they’re both great for different reasons. The manga ending gives a harsh brutal end to a sadistic maniac, while the anime ending basically re-contextualizes the entire series and has us ponder on what Light could have been if he had never found the Death Note. Both endings have a different message, and you could argue the anime ending kind of goes against some of the themes of the series, but overall I think both endings work, while not being perfect.

The one thing I love about the manga version is just how cold Ryuk is the entire time.

He said on at least two occasions that he’s on no one’s “side”, that this is all just a way for him to kill time, and that any help he does give Light is only because it will help prolong his entertainment. So both Light and the reader see him as an “ally” at best or just a “casual bystander” at worst. Hell, sometimes we even saw him as a comic relief, like the scene with the apple withdrawals or when he got flustered upon meeting Misa. But then the final scene happens and Light and the reader are hit with a hard dose of reality: this really is just a game to Ryuk, one that he has no problem ending when it stops being fun for him.

Light's breakdown at the end, kind of reminds me of Azula from Avatar the Last Airbender.

Throughout Season 3 we see her slowly fall apart from the calm level-headed and calculated antagonist into this off-balance train wreck. She's still dangerous but because of her descent she's not as formidable as usual. And much like Light, she viewed Zuko as less than her. He's nothing compared to her, she even cheats in the final Agni Kai by firing lightning at Katara, and when Zuko takes the hit she starts targetting Katara directly. Much like with Zuko she thinks Katara is beneath her...actually she's worse than beneath her because she isn't even royalty. (A bit like how Light views Near.)
Yet its Katara that finally takes her down. And Azula snaps. She completely loses it when Katara wins.

A bit like how Light views Near, in Light's mind Near is L from wish (sorry for the overused joke.) So when Near actually neats him he loses his cool completely because in his mind Near isn't even on par with L he's nothing. So to me Light loses his cool at the end makes sense, because he didn't even lose to his greatest enemy, he lost to his underling. So it always baffles me when people say Light losing his cool at the end doesn't work for his character because it really does. It drags his ego for filth, then it humilliates him, and then he dies. (Depending on the version he dies begging for help, or he runs away and dies on the stairs.)
I thinl both are brilliantly done.


Sorry for the long ass essay, and sorry if i didn't word my thoughts very well.

There are a couple of points that I would like to add:
What bothered me is Light had no chance of winning from the beginning. In the "How to Read" manga, there is an interview, and in that, he said, "What message would we have given if we let Kira win.". This bothered me for a while, but now I think this is the story they wanted to tell.
Another important scene cut out from the anime is where Light says there is no heaven or hell. They probably didn't want to offend people but it actually adds another layer of nihilism to the dark theme of the anime. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what side you are on; L doesn't go to heaven, and Light doesn't get eternally punished. They just die, and the only thing left is Mu.

There is another running rationale of the show. We saw it first at the tennis match. Light said, " First one strikes, wins.". We always saw that throughout the anime, whoever attacked first got the advantage or won the war. L did it many times: fake broadcast, revealing his identity to Light, capturing Misa etc., Light also did it many times, and as you said, we learned about it in detail after he succeeded. Finally, he lost because Mello struck, and Near was able to finish it. Mello wasn't that smart, but he was a practical guy with brains. He tended to solve his problems by taking action. And his death was his punishment for being himself. Taking action gives you advantage but it also makes you vulnerable to threats.

Light's punishment was realizing he is a human when he lost. He was like everyone else, just a human. Sadly, he couldn't live long enough to pass the denial and anger stage.

L's punishment is being too careless. He showed his face and took too many risks to win. At any time, Light could have won by getting the shinigami eyes. You could say we know he won't because he wants to rule forever, but it doesn't matter from L's perspective. He put himself at risk. He didn't know Light had to sacrifice half of his life to take the shinigami's eyes; it could be some physical limitation for L's sake. Nobody knows whether Light might decide to take the eyes when he realizes he is losing the game. I think he would sacrifice rather than lose against anyone, but I don't think it's even considered at any time. They didn't want to change the power dynamics in that way.
But Light didn't have to get the eyes because L made himself vulnerable by showing his face. Also, he took a lot of unnecessary risks; he didn't have to reveal the broadcast was fake. He could just go after Kira covertly and probably get to him easily. He could have the advantage of giving no information to his opponent. Instead, he did the opposite and went further down and said, "I'm L.".

The only one who got away with his sins is Near. It would be cool if Light could write Near's name to the paper in the last scene. It would show the true weakness of Near, his immobility. His inability to take physical action would lost to Light's quick-thinking action.  And all the main characters would be dead, which also gives the sense of a draw. Since Light can't win, I would prefer a tie. After he kills Near, they could kill him in the same way in the manga because we definitely have to see Light as a human, not as an omnipotent character as he thinks.

I don’t think it’s so much that the Note corrupted Light so much as the Note allowed Light’s corruption come to the fore. We see from when he temporarily loses his memory of being Kira that he was already prone to deluding himself that he would use the Note only for justice; he’s day-dreaming about being Kira when he can’t even remember that he is Kira.
That’s what makes his complete meltdown at the end so satisfying. With no more delusions or pretensions,  the complete loss of self-control shows what Light really is at his core—an ego-driven brat.
Matsuda being the one to get the kill is my favorite part though. Naive, somewhat incompetent, sentimental Matsuda—he’s the one who has the wherewithal to end Kira.

Light chose to kill. The notebook didnt corrupt him, he saw power and a way to escape his boredom. The moment he killed Raye penber and Naomi misorsa, he wasnt killing criminals anymore. He even killed his allies. That was his choice and he paid the ultimate price.

I also like the L wins version. L writes his own name to die after a confrontation, and light tries to kill L but can't because the first time it's written cancels later ones.

I think that light getting the death note was the best thing thathappend to him because as we see in the beginning of the story light is extremely bored with the world around him and when he does aquire the death note he directly challenages L eventhough he could have been hidden in his room killing off criminals BUT he doesn't, he lived the most eventful 23 years of life anyone could ask for

love the fact that for Light's last laugh, the italian voice over was used. I once saw a video interview of the VA, who's name is Flavio Aquilone, who stated that for that specific scene... well, it was essentially a "fuck it, we ballin' " and recorded the whole thing first try. To this day, i still think it's the best version out there (no bias, ofc : ] )

People don't get that the reason why Light beat L was because he used other people. so it's only fitting that he would eventually get caught because of the mistakes of another person that he was trying to maniuplate.