MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Death Note, a story detailing the battle for justice between a detective and a young man with a killing notebook, relies heavily on the dichotomy between religion and secular law. On one side is Light Yagami, who deems himself the “God of the new world.” Light behaves like the Old Testament God, inflicting harsh judgement on sinners through murder. Light’s vision of justice is an ideal world free of crime; those who disobey are subject to death. Light’s beliefs are backdropped by religious allusions throughout the story, including a re-imaged “The Creation of Adam,” numerous apples denoting original sin, and a scene where the detective L washes Light’s feet. L is Light’s counterpart, representing secular justice. For the most part, L’s loyalties lie with law enforcement. L believes that catching Light is a just action since killing is illegal. He relies on the Japanese police throughout the investigation, using their resources to uphold the law. To L, Light is evil, not in a religious sense, but rather because he commits the injustice of murder. Light’s eventual discovery by L’s successor Near tips the plot’s moral scale. This outcome, I argue, shows that the series ultimately values L’s secular brand of justice, resulting in the inevitable defeat of Light. Light’s hubris and narcissism as a self-appointed God are his downfall, which is the show’s own judgement. In this presentation I will claim that Death Note’s philosophy on justice argues for the secular and criticizes Light’s presumptions of God-like power. For my argument, I will draw on texts including Plato’s Republic, along with philosophers John Rawles and Naomi Zack. I will examine different definitions of justice and their connections to the show, proving that, although murky at times, Death Note’s overall message favors the secular and must end with Light’s demise.