Light was irredeemable from the beginning of Death Note, but fans would disagree

When it comes to philosophy, few manga match Death Note. It stands among the top titles like Attack on Titan, Berserk, Vinland Saga, Monster, and Pluto. It’s rare for a Shonen manga to have such depth. What makes Death Note special is the intense mind games between Light Yagami and the detective L. Their constant attempts to outsmart each other make the story exciting and gripping.

Another intriguing thing about the series is its characters. The characters in Death Note are one of the reasons that the core philosophy of the series can be passed. A character like Light mirrors revolutionary real-life leaders such as Pol Pot, Mao, and Lenin, who start with the best intentions, but end up committing atrocities to hold on to that power. Funny enough, L represents the forces that want the status quo to remain unchanged without ever presenting any real solutions.

This is where Light really supersedes L, as he was always itching to do more. However, the itch to do more might be a sign of something more insidious. The truth of things is that Light is bored, and if he hadn’t fallen into the book, Light would have gotten his pleasure from somewhere else. Keep reading to find out how.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s views and may contain spoilers.

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How Light was irredeemable from the very beginning in Death Note

Light enjoys the cat and mouse game with L (Image via Madhouse)

Light might not have been outrightly evil in Death Note from the very beginning, but it was clear that he had a problem. The problem Light had was boredom. Light looked extremely bored with everything around him, and it showed in how his life was. He lived with family, but he didn’t interact with them properly, and in school, he didn’t even have a social life. Even his inner monologue in most of Death Note shows some sort of boredom.

That boredom changes with the first name on the note. Many fans love to say that Light had a panic attack when he made his first kill, but that is not true in the slightest. What looked like Light panicking was actually exhilaration. Light Yagami was stimulated by killing others, and it is important not to forget that, because that is a trait psychopaths have.

Light manipulating Misa to achieve his goals (Image via Shueisha)

Psychopaths need excessive stimulation, and they always try to chase a high. Some fans will try to say Light Yagami is only a psychopath with the note, and they would try to use the Yotsuba arc as an example, but that arc is the biggest argument for Light’s psychopathy.

The reason why Light seems good is that his memories of the Death Note, but his actions are psychopathic. Light chases after the current holders of the note, and the chase gives him all the stimulation he needs.

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Final thoughts

Another thing that viewers don’t mention when talking about Light is his delusions of grandeur. That ego is what prevents Light from mixing with others, and the only reason he gets along so well with L is that the detective is a match for him intellectually.

Light’s god complex was so high that he considered himself a god, a week into owning the note. These behaviors made Light an irredeemable character.

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