What Light Actually Wanted - Death Note

[@SethTheProgrammer]

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[@Spider-K]

W

[@Heistjdj1337]

W

[@BigCobba125]

w

[@toxicpickle2593]

Bro plz do a code geass lelouch analysis

[@BabySocrates]

W

[@ComfyTea]

It's crazy as we get older and understand character motives from older shows, it becomes clear that optimal choices like Light hiding forever and using the Death Note doesn't make sense for the kind of person he is.

[@ImTitan16]

Also there would be no show. Lights ego is the reason death note is so entertaining.

[@zebra4883]

I’m 100% sure near is better than all the death note characters and smarter then light,L

[@Mar-zc2tx]

@@zebra4883 he’s not smarter than either

[@eldenlean5221]

@@zebra4883 he isnt, by his own admission. What he does have over either of them that actually gave him the W, is a complete lack of pride. He is just there to get the job done, he couldn't care less for a battle of egos.

[@zebra4883]

@Big Dipper Nick you never explained why he wasn’t much greater then L and Light. You just explained his motives, plus him not caring about egos and just wanting to get the job done is a reason why he’s so smart

[@MrEffectfilms]

Lol it's like people forget that characters aren't machines, they don't just do the smart thing all the time because real people don't do that. People are flawed and so are characters.

[@electrofan1796]

I can be guilty of that assumption. Lol

[@Sernival]

That only works if the flaw is for a good readon. If characters make stupid mistakes, like teenagers in a slasher film stupid, it can be a little frustrating to watch after the novelty wears off. Light's mistakes were interesting like him killing fake L.

[@BasementBubbatunde]

True, but you can use that excuse for literally any show involving beings capable of emotion at that point. The reality is sometimes here its just characters being stupid for the sake of the plot. Naomi for example, unless you're on a 3 day bender popping on LSD it makes no sense under the sun to do what she did given her circumstances, what she knew, who she had to see, her hard suspicions on Light basically the whole scene and most importantly what an incessant little freak Light was behaving like. That was Vegeta letting Cell live level stupidity but at least in his case it's a battle shounen so people aren't there for the logic, if this is gonna be praised as a psychological masterpiece it needs to be held to that stand with its flaws too. That said, silly or not fantastically produced scene and of course a great show. Point is it's ok to criticise things and it still be great lol.

[@kevand2898]

Yeah people are used to simple 2 dimensional characters

[@Nozirev]

@@BasementBubbatunde what is the alternative? Vegeta killing cell to prevent him reaching his perfect form? That would be inconsistent writing.

[@Hitman61547]

I honestly think his corruption was inevitable. The Death Note just drastically sped the process up. Had he not gotten the book he likely would have been a detective rivaling the status of L and eventually would have gotten jaded and bored watching criminals he caught escaping the legal system or feeling like he was having a small impact on crime in the world. He probably would have lead some covert criminal organization with similar goals until L caught him. Would love some series showing what would happen in that alternate reality.

[@___________0Z0X]

That sounds very plausible. Now I wanna see a show about that.

[@patflann29]

I personally think he was always evil and finding the notebook made him embrace it. When we see him with no memories of having it, I mean he’s a literal Boy Scout but could it just be an act he’s putting on so L let’s him go? I think the coolest part of the series is was it the death note that made him do what he does or was he always this way deep down

[@kimoTV131]

L did ask light if there was ever a time he told the truth basicaly saying light probably was fake hia whole life and kept his inner demons hidden up until the death note

[@ombraura9118]

Sorry but that's too much of an assumption and I don't like that idea that Light would've turned bad anyway. That's not how it works.

[@patflann29]

@@ombraura9118 that’s absolutely how it works. It’s called being a sociopath. Light has absolutely 0 empathy he even remarks multiple times how if needed he would kill his own family. He tricks his own father into getting himself killed and shows no remorse. He has absolutely 0 issue with using Misa or Kiyomi who are genuinely in love with him and says he’ll kill one when she isn’t useful and actually does kill the other. I personally think even when he has no memories of the notebook it might just be an act so L things he was really just under the notebooks spell. Throughout the majority of the series though, he’s a serial killer through and through. There is nothing good about Light Yagami in the slightest

[@hobbyist518]

Wow, Ryuk being the author's way of anthropomorphizing Light's inner demons is so on point. So obvious in retrospect, but I'm completely blind to that kind of symbolism until someone points it out, even in my favorite stories. Also, perfect analysis of Light's character. Better than any breakdown of his true motives than I've ever seen. So much so that I constantly was thinking "Wow, I never thought about that, but it's completely true." Especially the thing about excitement and boredom. Have your like. I rarely give them out, but THIS was well earned.

[@Picmanreborn]

Same this video opened my eyes to something that was always in our face the entire series. It sounds sarcastic but I'm floored by this video

[@lordgigglesnort3845]

That's something I really enjoyed about the series. At all times every char is clashing pride with intellect and trying to navigate the maze. Just like in real life, many people are lost in the maze itself and when those people see a "light" they tend to gravitate towards it.

[@louisrobitaille5810]

Not so much blindness as simply not looking for hidden/subtle details 24/7. There's a major difference between reading a book for your own pleasure and reading a book you know you'll have to dissect later in class. It's the same thing here minus the fact that the "class" is the viewers.

[@GDSprodify]

On KZbin Rarely Giving Out Likes like some God, who do you think you are Light Yagami?

[@hobbyist518]

@@GDSprodify Hm, that reminds me of an XRA quote. Genius kid: "I did it! I created life... from inert chemicals!" XRA: "Just because you created life, it doesn't make you some kind of a God. There's more to life... than life."

[@ElucidYT]

Naomi's death was a really, really strange scene for me. Light has already become completely unhinged and disconnected from sanity. His God Complex was in full effect. The apprehension you felt when light gets access to her actual name, the way he reveals it to her just before she is taken over, the look of horror on her face turning into a emotionless brainwashed person, the way her walking away on the street turned into her walking up the gallows to the noose... it was unsettling but extremely well written. (I'm aware she has nearly nothing to do with this video, still wanted to point it out)

[@Cosmicmorales]

The more you mess with the supernatural the more you detach from your humanity.

[@-static7181]

“Too aggressive while trying to pick up a girl” might be the best coating of sugar I’ve ever seen put on anything

[@vietcongwarlord6931]

It's different in the manga.

[@SuaniAvila-tw1ip]

@@vietcongwarlord6931can tou deacribe it

[@benwelsh5265]

The characters of Death Note are endlessly fascinating to dissect and Light is no exception. I agree that rather than being the well-intentioned extremist Light would have you believe he is he's more so a teenager with a frighteningly sharp intelligence looking to escape his boredom. After all it's what unites him and Ryuk at the very beginning, a need to escape their shared boredom. Light is seeking a stimulus or an outlet for his intelligence to satisfy himself and only goes on about creating a new world as a God because that's less a moral crusade and more so an exciting challenge. His rivalry with L is something I think he deeply enjoys having finally found someone he could consider an equal. It's probably why he hates Near seeing him as vastly inferior to L. While I think a case could be made that maybe to some extent Light buys into his own spiel about 'godhood' and creating a utopia at his core his motive is that of personal fulfillment, not moral righteousness.

[@sarveshnathan7559]

"only goes on about creating a new world as a God because that's less a moral crusade and more so an exciting challenge" Maybe, but it's more to the fact that "absolute power corrupts absolutely", and the fact he has such power over life and death made develop a huge ego, making him feel like a god.

[@benwelsh5265]

@@sarveshnathan7559 Yes that too. Especially when Light loses his memories of the Death Note and it really is a shocking contrast how different he is. The power of the Death Note really messed him up.

[@j_smith92]

05:30 For clarification, they were "just aggressive" in the manga. In the anime they clearly sexually assault her, so it's a bit weird for anime Light to feel the same guilt manga Light does

[@A_Black_Sheep94]

They were doing the same thing in the anime, like very clearly. It was gonna be a gang assault. However technically they weren't criminals, to Lights knowledge atleast, because they hadn't commited any actions yet but that only is because Light stopped them. I think it was justified tbh. Seth kinda pisses me off because he calls the event "being rough picking up a chick" every time and it's just not whats going on. Maybe he's trying to get around censorship but I still think it's a bit much to under sell it so much.

[@eenceladuss]

@@A_Black_Sheep94 yeah i felt the same way. as someone that’s been through SA, that guy definitely deserved his fate and what he was doing was not “just being rough.” he was attempting SA. hopefully you’re right, and he’s just trying to avoid being censored.

[@eenceladuss]

@@A_Black_Sheep94 also just a little add on- idk how it is in japan, but in america, attempted assault is a crime. so they were indeed still criminals. it might be different over there though, im not sure.

[@marksunboxingzone]

I'm pretty sure he's dancing around words to avoid KZbin's censorship. Light freaked out mostly because he just killed two people. He then calms himself and tells him it was ok because 'they deserved it', and thus his path of killing evil people began.

[@spoonabenson8762]

Light’s boredom hits home for me more now then when I watched the anime years ago. It’s been rough these past few years, feels like bits of myself have been stripped away leading to a mere husk of my former self.

[@justinianthe1st790]

Seek therapy friend. If you can afford it, please try to. It does help.

[@theinsurance2450]

You should probably grab that black book that fell from the sky outside your class room. Who knows, it might fix your boredom.

[@roleiosports3695]

@@theinsurance2450 nah 💀💀

[@thomaswhigham5610]

I love you !

[@wait_whatt]

Ugh your last sentence hits home for me... sometimes it feels like nothing can make me happy anymore. I hope things will get better and it's just a phase. Please stay strong!

[@fantasyskeep]

Light isn't dumb, he's an allegory to the idea that "absolute power, corrupts absolutely".

[@rohanking12able]

Did it corrupt him

[@fantasyskeep]

@rohanking12able or did it bring out his true nature? I'm not sure, and it will always be a mystery. However, it seems beyond plausible that the book itself influences it's user.

[@froggywithaheart]

​@@fantasyskeepit's been two yrs since I last watched the series but reading ur comment made me think of something. we know light's father is an honest, upstanding police officer with a good track record, right? light was living under his roof...if he really truly was kira, his father would've picked up on it long ago. like his dissatisfaction with the legal system, desire to get popular etc etc.....infact he wanted to be a police officer himself. the fact that he was SO SURE his son couldn't be kira maybe shows that the death note was indeed corrupting him.

[@fantasyskeep]

@@froggywithaheart Seems like Light could have been one of the worlds leading detectives. Maybe even the best. But his sense of justice and the power afforded to him by the book were the perfect storm for his downfall.

[@yawns3004]

No, Light is not an allegory for that. There are signs that he's not a great person even before he gets the Notebook. If it were an allegory for that, he would've been shown to be nearly perfect morally.

[@DandDgamer]

Light didn't lose in episode 2, he sat down at the poker table. He could have sat at a different table than L, farmed some blowhards for their money and been in no danger of busting, to carry on the analogy. But he specifically wanted to try to meet that challenge. Good analysis here

[@killcount4750]

That video made me actually laugh

[@patflann29]

I also found that lights goal was that of a child (I mean he is at the start of the series a teenager) he doesn’t just want to win, he wants to rub it in your face that he won

[@justasalamander2621]

Well no he DID lose that battle just didnt lose the war? Atleast the war against L He underestimated L and even ryuk mentioned L got him good

[@SWProductions100]

Interesting! It puts me in mind of L compareing Lights idea of justice to that of a child, and how Light is 'childish and hates to lose.' I didn't consider how that also could also mean Light was a childish, insufferable winner.

[@FrancisGo.]

I grew up with Batman and the Joker, so I took it for granted that such rivalries are inevitable.

[@OurDarkGoldenHero]

I never knew people felt that way about the series. If anyone pays attention to Death Note, a running theme is that even the smartest and most genius of people won't make optimal choices if it isn't true to who they are. I just figured it was obvious.

[@nexus5253]

It definitely shows how much the self destructive types are a burden to themselves I’ll tell you that.

[@kingbreaker19]

It's the difference between a surface level reading and really digging in to the character's motivations. I'm sure there's plenty of people who watched Death Note, thought "that was pretty good" and moved on to the next anime without thinking about it too much. Leaving the impression in their head that Light is just a kid with a God Complex.

[@Trathien-]

yea put why did he reveal to L that he is Kira, just to get closer to him

[@55thstreet66]

I mean there's casual watchers then there is people like seth or swag that will rewatch and break down scenes and check datebooks cause they're dorks jk.

[@Superman-um9pd]

Being smart doesn't deter who you are, exactly simple.

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

Next video request: Could Light Yagami (Kira) solve the mystery behind Yoshikage Kira (JoJo) and Defeat him

[@kolowatttz5321]

Probably very easily

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

@@kolowatttz5321 How will he deal with Bites the dust

[@SonicFan64Tom]

Better question. What if he only saw him after his face changed. Would the Death Note work?

[@qlitch]

@@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375 you just said solve it not like defeat him

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

@@qlitch still tho Bites the dust will make it not worth it

[@beardedgreek9069]

Love this take, if Light truly was only interested in killing people who committed crimes and creating an ideal world his entire arc would have been very different. You'd think it would have been glaringly obvious when Light shows how incredibly egotistical he is, claiming he wants to be a God of a New World. The plot also shows what Light without the deathnote would have been like when he wipes his own memory. Most people probably didn't realize that what Light *says* he wants and what he *actually* wants aren't the same mainly because since he's so smart they don't entertain the idea that he also might not completely understand his own drives - or not care to.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

I've seen it said Light's ego is a bit of a mask to hide his guilt at killing people. He has to "become god" so he'll be beyond human laws, and thus he won't have done anything wrong in killing his first two victims as test subjects. He'll be free of guilt. When your do something questionable, you can either accept your wrongdoing, or lean harder into the act and convince yourself you're not at fault. Light definitely did the latter, and thus to maintain his inner perfection he had to continue killing or those two first ones would be a waste.

[@QWERTY-gp8fd]

@@kyuubinaruto17 nah he has no guilt. its just god complex. he laughed and spitted at l grave. ironic that Ryuk was more human than Light in that scene.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

@@QWERTY-gp8fd The manga shows it better than the anime after he kills the first two. After stumbling around he's shown shivering in his room covered with a blanket like a frightened child who thinks they saw a monster. He definitely felt guilty at the start. As the saying goes, "It gets easier." He could have leaned into his guilt, and thrown the notebook like he initially thought to do, but he chose to bury his guilt and stubbornly convince himself he's doing the right thing. So that's why I said he had to go beyond human laws and continue doing what he was doing to keep from being swallowed by the guilt. Yeah, there's that movie scene of Light loudly mocking L's loss at his grave, but this is after months of murders when his God complex had fully taken hold.

[@QWERTY-gp8fd]

@@kyuubinaruto17 u dont feel guilt. or u feel guilt. its that simple. feel guilt then stop feeling guilt. thats not going to happen. i have my fair share of experience in donbass war. what about u.

[@kyuubinaruto17]

@@QWERTY-gp8fd what does the war in Ukraine have anything to do with this conversation? If this is going to go political then I'm out.

[@BrianGlaze]

Well thought out analysis. It never ceases to amaze me how people don't think about the complexity of what makes a character a person.

[@clueanalysis2596]

Light's pride and ego is what decided is actions. It was carefully planned, but out of a desire to even the score from episode 2 against L. Later against Near, Light was forced to attempt to kill Near, he was already too far into the game at that point that running away would still be difficult to attempt.

[@clueanalysis2596]

@Villain Gaming | Check About Once Near enters the picture, which is what was being referred to, he basically points out Light as Kira straight away. Any actions that Light could've taken before Near entered the game is clearly not what I was referring to. An ego to win. Pride in being better. I don't understand why you're questioning this.

[@clueanalysis2596]

@Villain Gaming | Check About Except he was forced to kill Near. Near already pointed to the second L/Light being KIra and had the Taskforce watch over him so Light wouldn't be able to use the death note. Soon after Near introduced himself he pointed out the possibility of Kira being among the police and more specifically the Taskforce. In the Relight films, Near even assumes the second L is Kira way before he even introduces himself to Light. Light killing the Taskfoce just points to Light being Kira, I don't know how that's not obvious. Who said Near just guessed, because it wasn't me?

[@jklight2957]

17:09 Seth was speaking from his own personal experience☠☠☠☠☠☠

[@uzer141]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ephemeralenhancement9445]

Death Note really is a masterpiece. People still discuss the characters and plot years after it's ended

[@razkable]

I love how light has ego and how l challenged that then got light to make himself even more obvious by needing to look at police files online that only a few people could know about just to kill criminals and see cases names faces they keep out of the public to show he's not limited like he was before..he made it more suspicious that as a police chief son in that region of japan that he would be kira lol..genius

[@archflamingo9156]

Probably because i story was well thought out and excuted pretty well

[@JLgrgde43345]

@@razkable Well done for not understanding Light's objective at all

[@kait.5437]

Side note: I would say that “Misa slips up” can also be considered Light slip ups. I think he even says that in the manga. Like he should’ve done better, checked what Misa said and made sure things were sent out correctly or had just killed her (after she gets caught)

[@Soto-]

You're right about Light could have been more diligent looking after Misa's actions as the 2nd Kira. However, Light killing Misa when she got caught wasn't an option as Rem, Misa's Shinigami, would have killed Light for abandoning her.

[@kait.5437]

@@Soto- Yeah I know. I more mean before Rem threatens him, but obviously he was thinking about his options during that first visit. He just considers it often and I believe blames himself for not being more careful about the Misa situation. Do I think he is totally to blame? No. I also think the reason Misa got caught is kinda lame.

[@RealMiniLink]

The only reason Light sees those as his mistakes is because his perception of people is so warped at that point that he essentially sees Misa as a tool that he should have kept maintained instead of a human being that he had no true control over

[@kait.5437]

@@RealMiniLink yeah I totally agree. I don’t know if he is fairly taking ownership for things he can’t really control. But he does blame himself when she gets captured, like you said because she was “his tool to maintain” it’s a good way of putting it. I also think (at least in the manga) for like 2 seconds Light wanna kinda impressed and taken by Misa, when she was explain how the eyes worked and drawing him examples- and that’s when he’s like “no I can’t fall for her like any other idiot would” and doesn’t let himself. But I think he is like 1% weak to her/wanted to believe everything she did would be okay.

[@sophiagonzales8974]

Honestly Misa’s obsession with Light was sort of the problem and sort of reveal things further too much. And maybe messaging the Sakura TV was probably a crucial mistake for Miss as for Light it was killing Raye.

[@zoomzike]

Fantastic video. I've always had a gripe with the people that call Light and L unintelligent for not performing the "smarter" actions to further their goals. When you get to heart of these characters and understand what really drives them, then you'll see that these actions Light and L make aren't "dumb mistakes", but flaws within them as people.

[@JLgrgde43345]

They're only flaws because you view them as flaws. It's completely subjective and their goals/passions/interests/values are what make them who they are.

[@soulstice33]

I didn't even know people actually looked down on death note -_-

[@spoonabenson8762]

It’s annoying when people misconstrued characters and act like they’re suppose to always act 100% logically. These characters are given specific characteristics and flaws to make them interesting, unique and human. No human operates on pure logic alone

[@nexus5253]

It’s more so they give into their arrogance not just at the worst times but at the times when they should know they shouldn’t.

[@baked7423]

@@nexus5253 thats why its a flaw

[@nexus5253]

And why neither was never really gonna win.

[@razkable]

And be caught..if L was pure logic he wins if mello was pure logic he wins...if light was pure logic he wins...near was pure logic he won

[@JLgrgde43345]

They do what's logical for them to achieve their goals though. You think they're being illogical because you're misunderstanding their goals.

[@destinocoley1133]

This video is very interesting because I understood all these things already, but this there first time I have thought about Light's character this deeply.

[@R.I.P_clan]

Wt i find funny is how light died at 23 , imagine if he took the eye deal, no wonder ryuk kept laughing.

[@paulkothgasser6623]

He died to ryuk though, so we don't know his actual life span.

[@R.I.P_clan]

@@paulkothgasser6623 u obviously don't get it.

[@paulkothgasser6623]

@@R.I.P_clan then please explain it to me. Maybe there were authors notes I missed? Maybe an alternative ending? What exctly don't I get?

[@kaikaikool1973]

@@paulkothgasser6623 Perhaps he would have gotten a heart attack on the spot, killing him in the same way he killed his early victims. Ironic isn't it? That's why Ryuk was laughing LOL I can't blame him there that would be funny as fuck

[@RedAISkye]

@@kaikaikool1973 Nope, that wouldn't have ever happened because Ryuk promised Light that HE would be the one to end his life when the time comes.

[@JasXD01]

Never thought that way about Ryuk's reaction to that Naomi Misora scene. Ryuk definitely representing Light's inner boredom. Great video as always, my dude!

[@pnsdkrpndja12177]

I am actually impressed by the fact that you genuinely understood Light. People often don't see the motivation behind of his actions and don't really understand his intelligence properly.

[@Zero-ef4sc]

"If you're creative, and you get graded by someone who is not, they won't think you're creative, but dumb. Same is true for intelligence." And this applies here. The people who say Death Note is stupid are too stupid to realize it, and same goes for anyone who says Light or L are stupid. Especially for the people who say Light lost in episode 2.

[@vision4860]

I think something was missed completely in this video. Near didn't have the same *gaming pride* as L. In that final scene, Near pretty much dismisses Light as just another criminal to jail, not some grand challenge to overcome. And that's why Near overcame Light.

[@algorithmgeneratedanimegir1286]

Post death of L Death Note isn't cannon and should be ignored.

[@manee2412]

no one cares about v1rg1n near

[@luciadookie1153]

@@algorithmgeneratedanimegir1286 Why not? I never understood why people say that

[@kaylaHat]

​@@luciadookie1153Idk about the general opinion but it was pretty boring and convoluted

[@Silly518]

@@luciadookie1153still canon don’t worry.

[@WeedleTwineedle]

Light actually wants Seth to reach a million subs

[@Sweetlesishere]

Ayyy I didn't know Weedle watches Seth sometimes too!!

[@realdreamerschangetheworld7470]

Me… I am Light

[@fahkyew7776]

i love ur content

[@boltskyline2957]

sin

[@KyngD469]

big if true

[@rogueMindset1]

Bringing back the Death Note vids= nostalgia feeling hitting 😩

[@stevecheese8072]

Right!!

[@badgamedevreacts3855]

I wish more people understood these writing conventions, just because a character is smart does not mean they can't be flawed or will always make a great choice, it's not bad writing it's realistic writing, if you want to read a story where every character is a cookie cutter personification of a certain trait and always acts in line with what they are expected to do then by all means tell have fun with that, but otherwise you need characters who are realistically unpredictable and flawed in spite of their intelligence.

[@PsyQoBoy]

Exactly. That's also what creates drama to see how the character and other people react to it. People can only focus for so long till they break and get tired and make mistakes. Not to mention people grow and change in their life depending on what they have experienced.

[@jeffhirsh5722]

i always saw light and his pride as a reference to Lucifer and his pride that got him cast out of the heavens. just as Light loses in the end due to his pride.

[@joecroft4274]

It's pretty crazy interesting and compelling that Light, deep down, would rather fulfill his desire of seeking a thrill and challenge over a goal he himself views as morally correct and a warped form of true justice.

[@SmashHistory]

The Death Note content on this channel is always GOATed

[@heretustay]

That ending summary was next level man. Love seeing you develop as a writer and analyst in this far too often surface-level space in youtube. 👌

[@heretustay]

@Jermy Wermy 100% agreed. love these two

[@young_raymond47]

Pretty spot on. I would go further, and state that Light’s sense of justice has almost nothing to do with it. He brings them up as post-rationalisations for his actions. His ego is so inflated that he can just adds justifications for his moral actions, when he doesn’t truly believe that he is doing a moral good. The best example is the idea that he wants to kill L. As far as he can tell (before meeting him), L is a good person, who stands by a firm moral code that killing is wrong, no matter who gets killed; something Light’s father would support. But light doesn’t want to eliminate his father (or any of the other members of the task force for that matter). He only wants L because he values the challenge of beating L more than enacting justice. His ‘justice is just something to guide the members of the public; he would break that code if he felt their was something interesting to be gained from it. We know for a fact that Light isn’t truly being motivated by justice, because he had the ability to kill L at any time, by doing the deal for the Shinigami eyes. For him it was about the personal satisfaction he would get from taking down L, and he didn’t want an easy solution to take away from his enjoyment. There are many moments where he manipulates the police force in his favour (in L’s absence), and he laments how easy it is to bend them to his will. He gets the most satisfaction in the entire series, when his elaborate plans to beat L and Near come to fruition (I know his plan for Near failed, but there are no holes in it, and would have worked without the plot convenience used to end the story).

[@sarveshnathan7559]

Technically the real reason he didn't take the Shinigami eyes ie because it would half his life, and he wanted to rule as the God of a new world for a long time.

[@young_raymond47]

@@sarveshnathan7559 Logically speaking, he would still do the deal if he was really doing it in the name of justice. If you analyse why he turned down the deal, it was much more so because he wanted to prove that he could beat L without it, rather than the lifespan thing. He actually got lucky by the fact that Rem also showed up, and fell in love with Misa, because in the end he needed the power of the Eyes to successfully eliminate L. It was really his only option until Rem showed up. It's well established that what Light was looking for more so than justice, was a challenge, and the eyes would have made it no challenge whatsoever. If his sense of justice, in whatever form it took, was his driving factor, he would have done the deal and taken the hit to his lifespan. The power was transferrable. The same way he found Mikami to carry on his justice for him, he could have carried out his justice until his passing, then left the power to someone else.

[@Rck-vert]

Definitely not reading all of that

[@young_raymond47]

@@Rck-vert It's all good. No one was talking to you anyways.

[@viridian3487]

@@young_raymond47 Well damn you didnt have to kill him like that

[@admiral_chika6780]

so in conclusion light knew he could win easily but he wanted a fight which he coulda of deff won but lost cause of his pride

[@nexus5253]

Just like L.

[@iantaakalla8180]

When L and Light are human Perfect Cells

[@Empire_11]

@Default L had plot armor. He thought Light was Kira and focused on Light only because the plot required it. A real person would have multiple suspects and not just one

[@blackrangoanthony]

The tennis game was foreshadowing exactly what would happen in the show, Light would try his hardest to beat L instead of doing the smart thing and losing because he simply can’t help himself, he knew what L was thinking yet he wanted to win the match anyways. He would defeat L but L was playing the long game and actually won the war in defeat of this battle.

[@Goshalovecat]

Wow, you brought up some really interesting points, it was fun to listen to ‏😧🤩

[@LazySugarLover]

When I first watched the show, I had little understanding of Light and thought the same things you mentioned and just thought "Why didn't he swallow his pride on this or that?". But as time passed and I rewatch the show I got it way better, and these kind of videos helped shed more light on this (no pun intended). I really enjoy your videos on Death Note, I wonder if you can pull off an analysis video on Near or Mello, they're so underrated and disliked by the majority and it doesn't help that most viewers are anime onlys. The anime did not do them justice.

[@Help-op9ur]

This is a reeeally well-thought video, good job man. I actually thought the same things, but i kind of see light as a perfectly accurate psychopath.

[@flygondude2593]

You can’t drop a death note video at 2am and not expected me to not watch it

[@r.i.p-gbs1627]

I'm saaayin

[@franck4727]

I never thought of Light this way but it makes total sense. Boredom can make you do stupid things. I've done bad things in the past when I was young just "too kill time". It makes you feel alive, it can be exciting. I believe that Light was deeply lonely, he was appreciate by a lot of people but he didn't have any real friend or someone he could connect with. Despite their rivalry L was the closest person to a friend for him. Loneliness and boredom. His daily life was boring. He went to shcool, got good grades and he was the perfect son with his family but he had nothing that really stimulate him. He could have been a completely different person had he never found the death note

[@Palepetal]

I like your assessment. Light really doesn't have any real friends, he sees people as objects for the most part. But not L, L is Light's opponent.

[@spambamkeija634]

An idle mind is the devil's playground.

[@dragonknight1560]

I always knew Light did all he did because he was bored and wanted the thrill, the challenge to show his superiority and genius but the Ryuk part was WAS freaking on point. If the Shinigami in the series was supposed to be the extension of a human, like the Shinigami is the reverse of the human world and each Shinigami is a reverse of another human, then yea. It's really on point. So we can assume the ending to Death Note makes more sense because that's Light's only out from being captured or worst. I really love this video. Fantastic job Seth!

[@keithkeller4546]

Boredom is a powerful emotion that sits at the very base of our emotions. I think the only more powerful emotion than boredom may be fear. Studies have proved the power of boredom in humans. One I remember is of sitting a subject at a desk in a mundane room to wait for an undisclosed amount of time. At the desk where they sit is a button they can press that will shock them. After some time, people press the button, and often do so multiple times, even after already knowing how it feels. Simply because they are bored and they'd rather feel some pain than be bored...

[@BurghezulDjentilom]

Here's the thing about boredom. People go on and on about utopia and paradise. Use it to justify unspeakable atrocities. Yet, if they were ever given it, they would burn it down, if only so something interesting would happen.

[@art.flowsaf8340]

Seth the programmer you stood the test of time man and I’m happy to see that you’ve evolved so much over the past years it’s amazing

[@deejones8552]

Bro this is legendary. 🔥🔥

[@therealedboi]

Seth, I love your videos man. I love how your entire ending speech dived into real life as well, very wise words my friend. I hope that you continue to make this great content

[@denusklausen3685]

The thing most people overlook is that Light does everything out of boredom and so after L is no longer there to keep up the game of cat and mouse, he starts rushing to a conclusion. Either by letting his guard down from disappointment or by his own volition, he loses at the end so as to fulfill Ryuk's prophecy. He had to die and I don't think he really regrets it because the alternative was living a painfully boring and normal life.

[@kidgoku1984]

Great video! The research done here is insane, hopefully we get more character analyses like this from Seth.

[@chaz_eptv1430]

This is why I like Seth. He doesn’t make random observations and scrotymcboogerball at random. He just shows you the source and explains the facts.

[@gingerkatherina]

Fantastic analysis 👍 Sums up perfectly what I've been thinking

[@greyworld6242]

What if God decided to become the Devil because he was bored…..? “Evil destroying boredom to bring about change.”

[@dragonkingdrax7467]

Yo that exiting monolog of yours really hit home. Such a practical argument to be a better person. Thanks

[@glitchyglitchy3925]

Yes, this is exactly it. Light is a multifaceted character who's defined by his pride and boredom almost as much as his intelligence. It always bothered me when people would bring up the whole "he could've stayed hidden" argument. Of course he could have, but that's not the point, is it? It misunderstands who Light is as a person fundamentally. While, yes, he does want to create his new world, that's not his sole purpose for doing what he does. His lack of being challenged by anything in his life is what made him susceptible to manipulation by the Death Note and consequently his high stakes life and death game between him and L. Because for Light (and L), their actions were never really about justice, but about their desire to find something in the world that would let them escape their boredom. They're basically playing 3D chess with real people as the pieces and the world as the board.

[@Redacted_Ruler]

(girl being choked and pined by baseball bat) 5:42 Seth: Perfectly legal.

[@alishbista1748]

This anime is a masterpiece, the older it gets, it still feels fresh and one of the best story ever written.

[@razkable]

A lot of people act like light would be in prison for a while that's why ryuk killed him but pretty sure he would be executed within 5 years of being guilty

[@kathhqq7]

the more I watch this anime the more I feel it had so much more potential then what was given. Lights character is definitely memorable and overall handled well, but they could’ve done more with the emotional and dramatic aspects of the show instead of focusing so heavily on just the plot and rivalry.

[@brianjuice]

Seth, you have released a good video. As a reward, I shall give you my seed.

[@sungod9797]

5:34 “Too aggressive when trying to pick up a girl”… uh bro that was definitely going to be a sexual assault, so that was a bit of an egregious understatement. Pretty sure gang r pe is absolutely on the level of being a murderer, if you ask a lot of people.

[@chair3319]

In the manga, which i think seth was basing off ofl, they were trying to hit her up and were being too aggressive while the anime portrays it as sexual assault.

[@norawolohan5753]

Yeah restraining someone and preventing them from leaving and then chasing them I feel like would justify someone interfering

[@arrionarchie2120]

your death note content is amazing.

[@arashikage6411]

People seem to forget he only became a "villain" when the government got involved. He only killed criminals up until that point

[@p0nta]

the editing towards the end of this video was so funny i love how you landed the video on light when talking about trolls 😭

[@redjirachi1]

Near: If Light was ever a good person he never would've used the Death Note the way he is Light with the memories of the Death Note removed: Is one of the most virtuous characters in the series Me: Wait, so does power corrupt or is corruption drawn to power?!

[@blackopspro6455]

I love these narrative analysis videos man we need more of them

[@Ray-ri6uf]

I've always said that boredom truly is dangerous, and this proves it.

[@blueicer101]

I also think that at 5:00 Light wanting to kill the bullies is a normal thought, but I don't think that he laments the copycat kiras for killing people who do petty crime because he killed innocent FBI and police. He was mad because them killing the wrong people, is only wrong in his eyes because he is a god and should be the one passing judgement on others. It's all ego, where he doesn't want to share the glory of other kiras. This explains why when he meets them, he literally only thinks about getting rid of them, their power or having them work beneath him in some way.

[@cinnabunz1532]

I think it would be interesting if L found the death note first, I wonder if he would be tempted to use it

[@nexus5253]

Probably not. It wouldn’t be very interesting to have a potential instant check mate move

[@cinnabunz1532]

@@nexus5253 true

[@nexus5253]

He’d probably burn it out of obligation towards his job and forget about it the next day.

[@cinnabunz1532]

@@nexus5253 I think if he met a shinigami and found out there were more though he'd keep it too make sure nobody got ahold of this one, and so he didn't lose his memory about that. Where that would lead I don't know, but he'd probably hold onto it at the least

[@l.lawliet2222]

@Hunterkage Joestar L didn't beat light. Light still won by making the case impossible for L to solve

[@siirgeatz613]

Honestly Seth I really like those questions and ideas that you asked at the end of the video

[@AzA609]

Light really would have succeeded in completing his "divine goal" as Kira, but he was too busy trying to entertain his own boredom. He could have ignored L.

[@animesloversunited9069]

and he still won against him

[@AzA609]

@@animesloversunited9069 Not really because Light died due to L's legacy so L won in the end. The time skip between L's death and the introduction of Near and Mellow was the most amount of "divine intervention" Light was able to do. Again, he could have just ignored Near but since he won the game with L, Light saw Near as another round of "fun". Once L died, Light was back to being bored even though now he can proceed with his Kira work, but not having L made life too dull and predictable. Near provided Light with fun and Light got sloppy. If Near didn't exist, Kira would continue doing his work until Light becomes old then I bet Ryuk would eventually get bored of Kira and kill Light.

[@RedAISkye]

@@AzA609 Wrong, both of them lost to Pride, neither of them won anything at the end of the day.

[@animesloversunited9069]

@@AzA609 too long too read, but Light won against L

[@razkable]

L CHALLENGED HIS EGO AND KNEW HE WOULD DO THAT CAUSE HE'S NOT A REAL GOD...HE SHOWED HIS HUMAN FLAWS TO HIS ENEMY ON TV AND HIS LIMITS CAUSE HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS CRIMINAL WHOSE CASE WASN'T RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC

[@pancake9652]

Great video as always seth

[@troykv96]

I always had a bit of idea that Light has a huge ego that make him extremely prideful (not exactly something hard to get considering how gifted he was). But I never actually though the effect Boredom had on him and the way it interacts with his pride. Good video.

[@rahabintemotiul]

Yeah!!! You made another death note analysis

[@nejchumar]

amazing video thank u seth

[@Krikitey]

I always kind of guessed there was an ulterior motive. Doing stuff out of interest is far more human than taking the path of least resistance which would be to just sit in his room and kill people. I mean, it's kind of clear that Light planted seed to let L figure out enough about him to make things interesting, even if he made some mistakes.

[@lightningmonky7674]

Very insightful video I appreciate your thoughtful words and still adding to the discussion all these years later. This story (my buddy had the manga so I actually read those first) left and impression on me to this day, I can't find any flaws with your logic and reasoning, I hate when people assert characters should act as complete rational agents, as if that would make for engaging storytelling, plus nobody like that exists in the real world

[@1877Alex]

Seth describing himself at the ending monologue about light 💀💀

[@deone1966]

[@kenhtherandom]

This is such a good video. Somewhat distinct from others that I've seen from you. Probably because of the more essay-ish nature of this one. I don't exactly know. It just stands out IMO

[@Mauricekaip]

People thinking Light is dumb is like thinking Kakazu beats Pain.

[@thedarklordx]

But does Kizaru from one Piece beat pain 🤔

[@AJ-fn3ug]

Tbh kakazu has a really good chance

[@beefjiggler5665]

@@AJ-fn3ug no he doesn’t.

[@admiral_chika6780]

@@AJ-fn3ug no lol

[@elohim447]

Kakazu does beat pain tho. He just has too much raw durability

[@otakuprime4203]

BRO, YOU ARE THE BEST shout to swag, chuck and six but bro, I've been subed for years, keep smashing it my bro, best content on KZbin

[@x0ni879]

Vidéo request: Could Light Yagami("good light") solved the Kira case ("evil light") ?

[@Opo.chokey]

He may solve

[@nathankebreau5600]

I love you Seth rlly wanted some more deathnote content :)

[@Sir372]

5:00 if he did that, L would have found him in no time.

[@ViltrumiteIsRite99]

@17:57 Maybe we expect too much from others… Damn Seth, that gave me a couple things to think about.

[@wenhanzhou5826]

I was expecting a twist in the end, "if you ever feel bored you should take a look at RAID Shadow legends" xD

[@whatever5022]

omg, im only starting this vid, but thank you for bringing this up, i think more people should recognise that light did what he did due to his own motives, and it's interesting to hear you dive into reasoning of his actions

[@propheinx2250]

Something I've wondered for a minute is, was Ryuk a larger factor in Light's decisions than is led on? Doesn't he say something to the effect of if Light didn't remain interesting, Ryuk would write Light's name in his deathnote?

[@llptg1016]

Thanks for this video. I rewatched this show recently and it is brimming with details. As much as people praise this show, I feel like the show is still better than people remember.

[@saul_goodman3932]

I just finished watching Seth's reaction to markiplier Pokémon smash of pass video 🤣

[@realizedpotential6640]

Lol I'm halfway through it rn

[@viktorsavic7326]

I love your Death note videos. They are the best Death note videos on KZbin

[@VintasticGaming]

It would be cool if we got new season of deathnote. 20 years later where light is reborn in someway with returning memories and finaly make a comeback as kira and storm it would bring to the world

[@AwesomeBosses100]

The dude who shoots Light at the end who they had to fake kill with the mattress (haven't watched the show in a year) was the perfect son for the Chief

[@ARS_Time_Bomb]

You tell us Seth why people do them evil things 😭

[@whatever5022]

yo, thank you for this,i think I now understand the boredom motive more clearly

[@HaloJumper7]

Light and L are two highly manipulative psychopaths with different loose principles and goals to justify their actions who get depressed when they're bored and would die for a sense of purpose. That's why I didn't feel sad when they both died, they died doing what they enjoy the most, facing death for a sweet addictive adrenaline rush. Light was a vigilante and as the first OP song lyrics imply, has a revolutionary sense of justice which is often chaotic, swift and brutal while L represents the authorities fighting to be the exclusive enforcers of violence. They both strive to be leaders of both opposite sides of the battle and take the challenge very personally. Neither of them care about the material conditions and injustices that cause crime to rise in the first place as Light only once wacked a group of degenerate shareholders of a major corporation as a distraction and wasn't that much focused on combating wage theft or imperialism, only surgically amputating the resulting symptoms of the broader issues which in turn ended wars and lowered crime rates. This was all done with a sense of simple reward and punishment without any nuance and as a bonus so he can justify playing god.

[@PublicNemesis]

9:19, thats actually a super cool analysis

[@Unknown-xr1iz]

You should do Kakashi vs Sasori. It's a shame they didn't fight since kakashi's Dad killed Sasori's parents. You could even do a bonus round of if he won and got the 10 strongest puppets, Chiyo and Sakura as puppets.

[@igormendoncacanga2569]

Hellyeah, I’ve been wanting to hear someone talk about it for a long time due to that connection. between Kakashi and Sasori. I actually used to think “what if” Kakashi was cooperating with Chiyo to defeat Sasori, how things would go with Kamui.

[@Unknown-xr1iz]

@@igormendoncacanga2569 right! Like I understand war arc Kakashi and after would win but what about pre war? Especially seeing how we know iron sand can move at lighting speed at minimum because of shinki

[@Idealgame806]

10:28 the reason for that is because light felt disrespected that his ideals were that of evil.When light was not evil, light, choosing to go after L was because it was a way of proving who was right to eliminate, l would be the proof and justification of his ideals. Throughout the series, there were times when light's ideals were either mocked or insulted, and he would show anger and frustration or hint of it another example is when he killed the religious cult of kira butt, in the anime, the Tennessee was a toss up for him. The reason why I say that is because in his monologue, he thinks about forfeiting and throwing the match, but if he does so, it could convince al that he is indeed kira, so he plays as hard as he can, like as though he's competitive

[@stingerjohnny9951]

“Maybe something as simple as boredom can make us evil.” Idle hands are the devils tools. Great analysis 🧐

[@RelicQuadrangle]

Don't know about you but as a Christian I agree

[@stingerjohnny9951]

@@RelicQuadrangle Im pagan myself, I just saw the connection to the statement. Glad I got it right lol.

[@badassproductions4734]

Liked this so much finna rewatch it