Why Light Yagami Should Have Won

 Spoilers

Recently I've taken a liking to watching anime and have caught myself watching through a list of recommendations from acquaintances. Anytime I talk to my friends about character preferences in the shows, it seems that I am always siding with the antagonist or the least likable character. I think this is not only because they have a sort of charm, but also because they are the underdog in one way or another. This follows suit for the anime, Death Note. Often I’ll get into arguments with friends as to why Light is a likable character but the arguments end the same way every time, realizing that I just enjoy a good toxic antagonist. Despite Light’s toxicity, he should have won the ongoing battle in the story as his character was smart, manipulative, and overall on top.

 Now to understand my argument here, you need a backstory of the plot. High Schooler Light Yagami comes into contact with a Death Note. After reading its inner lining, he learns that he can simply write down the name of a target and orchestrate their death. He is able to write down a person, a time, a place, and a cause of death. Wanting to test the legitimacy of the book, he writes the name down of a criminal man he sees on TV. Shortly after, the news station announces that the man has passed due to a heart attack. This is when Light decides he’s going to use the power of the book to kill off criminals and bring about justice.

Once these killings start happening, the city names the person doing the killings “Kira.” Light believes he is bringing about justice but others look at it as the unlawful killing of innocents. This is where L comes in. L is head of the case to catch Kira as he's the best investigator of all time. Jumping around on the plot a bit, eventually Light  and L team up to catch Kira in the ultimate showdown.

After the two team up it becomes a race to who will get the jump on the other first. The turning point is when Light touches the Death Note again and all of his memories of his killings return after the contact. This is a pivotal moment that should highlight the fact that he is going to win, in a sense of getting away with the crimes he commited . Light explicitly says “I've won exactly as planned.” Following this moment, Ryuzaki (L) dies while back in the headquarters researching. The moment is eerie and seems very nonchalant. 

This should mean that Light (Kira) wins, right? WRONG. After this L has two successors that come along named Mello and Near. Near and Mello work to finish solving the Kira case in place of L. In the end, Near ultimately wins the battle as he is able to identify Kira and put an end to his crimes. The whole plotline was L vs. Light, in which L couldnt solve and close the case on his own. Near was only able to identify Light as Kira because of L’s research plus help from his brother Mello. I think in a sense this is a cheat around the original battle. By having Near and Mello step into place for L, that's similar to Light's girlfriend, Misa, stepping into place as Kira after his death.

 Even if Light recruited Misa to take his spot post death, he would technically still win in the end. Misa was a prime suspect throughout the whole plot but she had been cleared of suspicion multiple times. I truly believe that if Misa could work past her heartbreak after Lights death, she would be able to carry on the killings of Kira in his place. She always stated that she would do anything for Light and this included killing anyone.

Now back to the original argument. If this whole plot was just the battle between Light and L, it's clear who should've won. In the end neither of them technically won the battle of bringing about justice in their own way. Yes, Near was L’s successor but L didn’t win past the grave. Near solved the case. I felt that the addition of Mello and Near to the chase was super unnecessary and the story could've ended with Light winning AS HE SHOULD HAVE.