Poll: Anime #2- Deathnote: who was in the right, Light or L? (potential spoilers)

[merck88]

That notebook would've ran out of paper eventually, wonder what would've happened then.

IIRC the notebook 'magically' gets more sheets as you start to run out.

I voted L. To quote on of my favorite games "No one deserves execution, no matter what their crimes." In the US, the burden of proof is on the prosecution to convict someone of a crime. In other words-innocent until proven guilty. That being said, there are still many people that go to jail for crimes they did not commit. Who's to say that of the hundreds (thousands?) of people he killed, he might have killed an innocent person. Also, call me naive/an optimist but I like to believe that no one is completely beyond redemption-even the serial killers and rapists.

 

[FalloutJack]

None of them! They're all fools! I'm not dissing the anime - because it was fun to watch - but none of the characters were actually right! They spent all that time trying to outsmart each other and be the biggest asshole. It wasn't for justice, but rather "JUST US!".

 

[Blastinburn]

For me it all comes down to 1 thing; using the death note to save lives or end lives.
Killing a criminal holding hostages or a murderer who is on the loose will save lives.
But killing caught criminals who cannot hurt anyone now or people who were proven innocent but you believe are guilty because you cannot be 100% sure is wrong.

 

[rvbnut]

This is such a hard Q.
I'd have to say L.
Even though he technically lost to Light, I still see him as the one in the right.
Yeah once Light started to take out good people. All love was lost for him.

Still have to love the epic spaz attack at the end of DN that Light had.
Brilliant

 

[Katana314]

Wait...LIGHT was KIRA? Holy shit, I never would have figured that out on my own!
[jk]

Who knows, the idea behind Kira might have worked if Light didn't see himself as some kind of omnipotent god. The moment he started killing innocent people to hide Kira, it wasn't going to work.

Besides, L is a master detective, and detectives are superior to the rest of the human race.

 

[xerounlimited]

Removing due process of the jury system? That will end well.
In the end, Light became a dictator of his own sick world, he decided all morals and all values. Sure he had good ideas but, he was the equivalent of Stalin, killing anyone who apposes him. It's probably also worth noting I'm against the death penalty...

 

[Lilani]

By the way, they have a habbit of making the "L" and "R" sound alike, but it's supposed to be Kila, from the English word "Killer". It was at first slang, but it then became his name.

You are correct, in one sense. Since there is no "L" sound in the Japanese language, they never really learn to make that sound. It's unfamiliar for them. So, the closest they can get is the R sound. However, I watched Death Note in subtitles, and in the subs they spelled it "Kira." So yes it is intended to be a slang term derived from "Killer" or "Killa," but "Kira" is the closest they can get and that is how they say and spell it.

 

[pppppppppppppppppp]

Ah, I've seen this question a lot. Because of Light's power hunger and psychopathy, he's definitively more of a villain (also because L's badass) but if you didn't know Light or L's personal actions, the choice might be harder.

A better question would be this: If you lived as a citizen in Death Note, and all you knew was that a magical killer was killing criminals and because of him, crime and war lowered drastically, would you support him? (keep in mind that you wouldn't know about him killing the FBI guys and whatnot)

 

[goldfalsebond]

wow, i actually forgot to put my opinion oops. I think that Light had good intentions, this world is filled with scum that are getting away with things that need to be removed one way or another...however, when he started getting a god complex, i was a little iffy on what he was doing...besides L was awesome as a character in general. one thing i dont understand about him though is why he was called ryusaki (SP?), is it the whole L and R pronounciation thing with the Japanese? And finally....apples are amazing

 

[madwarper]

If the question is who would I rather be, then I'd say Light. The big problem I see with his actions, which lead to him ultimately being caught, is that he started locally.

Personally, I'd start with some 3rd world dictators.

That notebook would've ran out of paper eventually, wonder what would've happened then.

Use a pencil and ruber on the last few pages.

I forgot whether it as in an anime episode or in the magna, but there was a story about 2 kids found a note, writing the names of their bullies, killing them, then erasing the names and the bullies came back to life.

 

[bluepotatosack]

I was pretty thoroughly disgusted by Light by the end.

Road to hell, good intentions, etc.

 

[Saltyk]

Light was in the right up until he started seeing himself as the god of the world.

As soon as he got power hungry, all of his credibility died.

I understood his original motivations and I was rooting for him...but the second he started to lose his humanity, I started to cheer for L. Because Kira went from a necessary evil to evil itself.

He needed to be stopped. By any means possible.

Pretty much this. I agreed with most everything Light did. Yes, he killed people, but he made absolutely sure that these were the guilty parties. He didn't kill people that killed with a reason like self-defense. His actions were done to make the world a better place. And while killing the people that were after him, was less than noble, I could understand his reason. The first time I really started to disagree with him was when he considered killing his sister. By the end, he was less an anti-hero and more a jerk.

That being said, I was still disappointed that Light had died. Though, it was the appropiate ending in the end. I just wish it had been L himself to catch Light.

Though, I understood L's point of view, too. Kira/Light was no better than those he killed. Though I suspect L just saw it as the ultimate challenge, to an extent.

And I always wondered what would have happened if L had gotten the Death Note. Would he have lived up to his own standards?

So let's just say that I really enjoyed the series and could relate to and understand both characters.

i support light's ideology, and i supported his actions up until he killed lind l. tailor. that was the point when his actions and ideology went thier seperate ways and i had no choice but to root for L. light's intentions were fine, but the way he went about it was completely idiotic. he was nothing but an immature powerfiend, and he needed to be taken down.

The fact how he went about killing Raye Penbar and Naomi Misora, shows how truly a monster he has become. They will never have peace in death for Raye can't go to heaven for writing in the Death Note page, and Naomi Misora commiting suicide because of Light...

Wasn't it pretty much stated in the series that the reason a person that wrote in the Death Note couldn't go to Heaven was because there was no such place?

Note that I'm not trying to troll or get involved in a discussion about Heaven/Hell/religion/atheism, but just stating a fact about the series. So keep in mind that we're talking about the world of Death Note. A world where someone can write a person's name in a little black notebook and that person will die exactly as it was written in the book.

 

[CleverCover]

I worship and stalk Light that's weird even by otaku standards, but L had the right idea.
Not to say I wouldn't go Misa on him if he was real.

 

[Mercy Blessed]

L definietly. anyone given a death note is going to get a god complex no matter what happens. and it DID happen! it happened to Light so in reality it could happen to anyone.

 

[madwarper]

I just wanted to point out fact that there have been at least 3 reported cases of students being suspended/expelled from schools for having Death Notes.

Spoiler

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathnote#Copycat_crimes_and_imitations

A senior at the Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia, United States was suspended after being caught possessing a replica "Death Note" notebook with the names of fellow students.

In South Carolina, U.S. in 2008, school officials seized a "Death Note" notebook from a Hartsville Middle School student. District officials linked the notebook to the anime/manga. The notebook listed seven students' names. The school planned a disciplinary hearing and contacted the seven students' parents.

In Gadsden, Alabama, U.S. two sixth grade boys were arrested for possessions of "Death Notes" that listed names of several staff members and fellow students. According to Etowah County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Lanny Handy, the notebook was found the previous afternoon by a staffer. The students were suspended from the county's schools. The students, their parents, and school officials had met with Handy and a junior probation officer.

In Gig Harbor, Washington, U.S. one middle school student was expelled and three were suspended on May 14, 2008 for having their own "Death Note" books.

Wow. Just wow.

 

[Shamanic Enzan]

If the question is who would I rather be, then I'd say Light. The big problem I see with his actions, which lead to him ultimately being caught, is that he started locally.

Personally, I'd start with some 3rd world dictators.

That notebook would've ran out of paper eventually, wonder what would've happened then.

Use a pencil and ruber on the last few pages.

I forgot whether it as in an anime episode or in the magna, but there was a story about 2 kids found a note, writing the names of their bullies, killing them, then erasing the names and the bullies came back to life.

I believe this was a prototype of the Manga.

As for Light or L, we have the benefit of seeing the totality of both sides (IE Light's God Complex/L is freaking nanners), and with all the facts we can make a "perfect opinion". From this standpoint, the victory clearly goes to L, who selflessly sacrificed himself to take down a giant assbag. Now if you were a civvie in this world, I'd think many of you would change your tune since you didn't see the Assbag blow wind.

Death isn't the only answer, with the reconciliation and second chances afforded by our Penal System, from both points I'd still support L.

Light was in the right up until he started seeing himself as the god of the world.

As soon as he got power hungry, all of his credibility died.

I understood his original motivations and I was rooting for him...but the second he started to lose his humanity, I started to cheer for L. Because Kira went from a necessary evil to evil itself.

He needed to be stopped. By any means possible.

Pretty much this. I agreed with most everything Light did. Yes, he killed people, but he made absolutely sure that these were the guilty parties. He didn't kill people that killed with a reason like self-defense. His actions were done to make the world a better place. And while killing the people that were after him, was less than noble, I could understand his reason. The first time I really started to disagree with him was when he considered killing his sister. By the end, he was less an anti-hero and more a jerk.

That being said, I was still disappointed that Light had died. Though, it was the appropiate ending in the end. I just wish it had been L himself to catch Light.

Though, I understood L's point of view, too. Kira/Light was no better than those he killed. Though I suspect L just saw it as the ultimate challenge, to an extent.

And I always wondered what would have happened if L had gotten the Death Note. Would he have lived up to his own standards?

So let's just say that I really enjoyed the series and could relate to and understand both characters.

i support light's ideology, and i supported his actions up until he killed lind l. tailor. that was the point when his actions and ideology went thier seperate ways and i had no choice but to root for L. light's intentions were fine, but the way he went about it was completely idiotic. he was nothing but an immature powerfiend, and he needed to be taken down.

The fact how he went about killing Raye Penbar and Naomi Misora, shows how truly a monster he has become. They will never have peace in death for Raye can't go to heaven for writing in the Death Note page, and Naomi Misora commiting suicide because of Light...

Wasn't it pretty much stated in the series that the reason a person that wrote in the Death Note couldn't go to Heaven was because there was no such place?

Note that I'm not trying to troll or get involved in a discussion about Heaven/Hell/religion/atheism, but just stating a fact about the series. So keep in mind that we're talking about the world of Death Note. A world where someone can write a person's name in a little black notebook and that person will die exactly as it was written in the book.

Those who use the deathnote are doomed to suffer a painful death and afterlife, I believe it was written on the front cover of the book OR mentioned by Ryuk

I just wanted to point out fact that there have been at least 3 reported cases of students being suspended/expelled from schools for having Death Notes.

Spoiler

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathnote#Copycat_crimes_and_imitations

A senior at the Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia, United States was suspended after being caught possessing a replica "Death Note" notebook with the names of fellow students.

In South Carolina, U.S. in 2008, school officials seized a "Death Note" notebook from a Hartsville Middle School student. District officials linked the notebook to the anime/manga. The notebook listed seven students' names. The school planned a disciplinary hearing and contacted the seven students' parents.

In Gadsden, Alabama, U.S. two sixth grade boys were arrested for possessions of "Death Notes" that listed names of several staff members and fellow students. According to Etowah County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Lanny Handy, the notebook was found the previous afternoon by a staffer. The students were suspended from the county's schools. The students, their parents, and school officials had met with Handy and a junior probation officer.

In Gig Harbor, Washington, U.S. one middle school student was expelled and three were suspended on May 14, 2008 for having their own "Death Note" books.

Wow. Just wow.

Stupid people being stupid.