The Beatles - Norwegian Wood

I once had a girl
Or should I say she once had me
She showed me her room
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

She asked me to stay
And she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around
And I noticed there wasn't a chair

I sat on the rug biding my time
Drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said
"It's time for bed"

She told me she worked
In the morning and started to laugh
I told her I didn't
And crawled off to sleep in the bath

And when I awoke I was alone
This bird had flown
So I lit a fire
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

ストーリー.ノルウェイの森

ストーリー.ノルウェイの森

高校時代に親友・キズキ（高良健吾）を自殺で喪ったワタナベ（松山ケンイチ）は、誰も知っている人間がいないところで新しい生活を始めるために東京 の大学に行く。そこでワタナベは読み漁っていた本の余白と同じような空っぽな日々を送るが、ある日偶然直子（菊地凛子）と再会する。直子はキズキの恋人 だった。キズキはワタナベにとって唯一の友だったので、高校時代にはワタナベと直子も一緒によく遊んでいた。それからワタナベと直子はお互いに大切なもの を喪った者同士付き合いを深めていき、ワタナベは透き通った目を持つ直子に魅かれていく。そして、直子の二十歳の誕生日に二人は夜を共にする。ところが、 ワタナベの想いが深まれば深まるほど直子の方の喪失感はより深く大きなものになっていき、直子は結局京都の療養所に入院することになる。そんな折にワタナ ベは大学で、春を迎えて世界に飛び出したばかりの小動物のように瑞々しい女の子・緑（水原希子）と出会う。直子と会いたくても会えないワタナベは、直子と は対照的な緑と会うようになっていき、あるとき緑の自宅での食事に招かれて唇を重ねる。それはやさしく穏やかで、何処へいくあてもない口づけだった。その 後、直子から手紙が届き、ワタナベは直子に会いに行けることになる。そこで、ワタナベは直子の部屋の同居人・レイコ（霧島れいか）のギターによるビートル ズの「ノルウェイの森」を聴くことになる。それは、直子が大好きな曲だった。

「この曲を聴くと深い森の中で迷っているような気分になるの。どうしてだかわからないけど。一人ぼっちで、寒くて、暗くて、誰も助けに来てくれなくて…。でも、本当に一番好きな曲なのよ。」

「ノルウェイの森」を聴くといつも泣いてしまう直子は、ワタナベがいれば大丈夫と言っていたのだが、それでも結局直子は泣いてしまうのだった…。

ノルウェイの森

愛すること、生きることの意義を静かにかつ激しく、そして限りなく美しく描いた究極のラブストーリー

1987年に刊行された村上春樹の小説「ノルウェイの森」。自殺した親友の恋人だった直子と大学の同窓生・緑との間で揺れ動く主人公ワタナベの青春 のもがきを描いた究極の恋愛物語に、多くの人々の心が動かされ、時代が動かされた。画期的な赤と緑の装丁も話題となり、当時はその本を持つこと自体が1つ のステイタスにもなった。そんな20世紀を代表する小説は21世紀になった今も読み継がれており、その累計発行部数は1000万部を突破し、日本の国内小 説累計発行部数歴代第1位の記録を更新し続けている。更には、その小説世界は日本だけでなく世界をも魅了しており、現在までに36言語に翻訳されて各国で 熱狂的なファン（ハルキスト）を生み出している。村上春樹は現在「世界でもっとも有名な日本人作家」と言っても過言ではない。

そして、出版から20年以上の時を経て「ノルウェイの森」が遂に奇跡の映画化を果たす！

監督は『青いパパイヤの香り』『夏至』などの作品で叙情性溢れる映像美で人間の機微を静かに、でも温かく描くことに定評のあったトラン・アン・ユン 監督。1994年にパリで原作を読んで、「力強く繊細であり、激しさと優雅さが混沌としていて、官能的かつ詩情にあふれている」と、その世界観に魅せられ たトラン監督は世界中のどんな監督よりも映画化を熱望した。そのトラン監督の熱意こそが、ずっと不可能と思われていた「ノルウェイの森」の映画化への扉へ の鍵となったのだった。そして、スタッフも撮影には候孝賢監督やウォン・カーウァイ監督の作品の他に日本でも『春の雪』や『空気人形』などを手掛けた世界 からリスペクトされるアジアの巨匠、マーク・リー・ピンビン、音楽にはカリスマロックバンド・レディオヘッドのギタリスト、ジョニー・グリーンウッドな ど、日本映画の枠を越えた国際色豊かな面々が揃った。さらに、主題歌は何とあのビートルズ！世界配給の邦画としては史上初の快挙だ。

そして、キャストには主人公の「ワタナベ」に作品ごとに印象を変える演技派俳優・松山ケンイチ、ワタナベが恋に落ちる女性「直子」に圧倒的な演技力 で国際映画祭の常連女優・菊地凛子、新たにワタナベの前に現れる女性「緑」に本作が映画デヴューとなる期待のミューズ・水原希子らを迎え、原作のイメージ は受け継ぎながらも新しい「ノルウェイの森」を誕生させている。

本作には愛と性、生と死、男と女、動と静、強さと優しさ、刹那と永遠、ビートルズとドアーズなど様々な要素が溢れている。そのように様々な要素がそ れこそ森のように茂っているために、多くの人の心を惹きつけ、またその人達の心の中に何かの種を残していくことだろう。人が人を愛することは美しく素晴ら しいことだが、人が人と生きていくのは生半可なことではない。そこには脆さもあれば、醜さもある。そして、愛したその人を失ってしまうこともある。どのよ うな強さも優しさも、その哀しみを癒すことは出来ないだろう。でも、それでも人はまた誰かを愛し生きていく。たとえ、それが世界の涯てに落ちることになっ ても。そして、そこからまた新たな強さと優しさを現出させていくのである。それこそが本作で紡ぎ出される、生きていく上での強さであり優しさの在り様なの である。どうかそんな世界の涯てでも存在し続ける強さと優しさのひとつの姿をこの映画で目の当たりにして欲しい。それはきっとあなたの心の中に永遠に続く 美しい森を残してくれることだろう。

1987年に小説が刊行され、1994年にトラン監督がその小説に出会い、2004年に村上春樹とトランが出会い、2008年に映画化が決まり、2009年に撮影が始まり、2010年に映画が完成し公開される。

これは1つの事件であって、1つの確かな奇跡である。

Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood
Karya Haruki Murakami

Terbit 2006 (pertama terbit 1987) oleh Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia | Binding: Softcover | ISBN: (isbn13: 0978979910033) | Halaman: 554 | Karakter: Toru Watanabe, Naoko, Midori Kobayashi | Setting: Jepang


SETELAH perkenalan yang mulus lewat karya pertama Haruki Murakami yang berjudul "Dengarlah Nyanyian Angin" , aku semakin mantap untuk menjajal novel kelimanya yang beken: "Norwegian Wood".

Berbeda dengan novel pertamanya yang menceritakan tarik-menarik antara pemikiran tradisional Jepang dan pemikiran Barat yang modern di kalangan anak muda Jepang, tema novel ini kupikir merambah ke suatu yang jauh lebih dasar, bahkan menjurus ke sesuatu yang lebih filsafati: tarik-menarik antara kehidupan dan kematian dalam kacamata anak-anak muda yang menjadi tokoh ceritanya.

Novel ini dimulai dengan kisah Toru Watanabe saat sedang berada di pesawat tujuan Jerman. Tiba-tiba saja gara-gara mendengar salah satu lagu Beatles berjudul "Norwegian Wood" dari stereo set pesawat, Toru Watanabe langsung teringat kejadian saat ia berusia 17-20 tahun.

Ingatan bawah sadar itu tiba-tiba memuntah, memenuhi ingatannya, serta menghidupkan kembali Kizuki -- sohib karibnya yang mati bunuh diri di usia 17 dengan menghisap asap knalpot mobil ayahnya--, juga menghidupkan kembali Naoko -- pacar Kizuki yang akhirnya menjadi kekasih pujaan Toru, dan Midori -- perempuan yang dikenalnya belakangan di sela-sela kuliahnya sebagai mahasiswa jurusan drama di salah satu kampus di Tokyo, Jepang di akhir tahun 60-an sampai awal tahun 70-an.

Toru yang polos, pemalu, tapi cerdas memasuki masa kedewasaan di dunia yang lazim disebut zaman-zaman kejayaan "buku, seks, dan rock 'n roll". Ia jatuh cinta pertamakali justru dengan bekas pacar temannya yang mati bunuh diri, Naoko dan dari sinilah mulai hubungan yang kacau ini.

Naoko itu cantik, pendiam, tapi diam-diam terganggu keadaan emosinya sepeninggal Kizuki. Toru tak pernah dapat menduga apa yang berkecamuk di dalam pikiran Naoko. Tertekan secara emosional dan secara seksual, Naoko menarik dirinya sedikit demi sedikit ke dalam dirinya hingga akhirnya ia pindah ke tempat tetirah untuk menenangkan dirinya, dan bahkan menghabisi dirinya dengan gantung diri.

Sementara itu, Toru yang memuja Naoko secara kebetulan bersahabat dengan Midori yang periang, penuh rasa ingin tahu, dan sungguh nakal penggoda. Midori betul-betul kebalikan dari Naoko. Dengan kematian Naoko, Toru akhirnya paham bahwa cinta pertamanya adalah cinta yang tak mungkin dijalankan. Dengan memilih untuk melanjutkan hidup dengan Midori, Toru meninggalkan kenaifannya dan mulai menjalani hidupnya secara dewasa.

Bagaimana tarik-menarik antara kematian dan kehidupan ini diceritakan dalam bungkus cerita cinta Toru dengan Naoko dan Midori itu karena menurutku karakter Naoko dan Midori menyimbolkan sesuatu yang lebih dalam maknanya.

Sosok Naoko yang misterius dan pemalu merupakan figur romantis yang cocok bagi cinta pertama Toru. Sementara Midori yang lebih nyata, menyimbolkan cinta yang real, terjamah, dan menjanjikan. Dengan kata lain, Naoko berada di sisi "kematian", sedang Midori berseberangan, di sisi "kehidupan". Dalam pemikiran rasional, biasanya ini dijadikan pilihan, tetapi secara cerdas Haruki Murakami justru menulis "kematian bukanlah akhir dari kehidupan, tetapi merupakan bagian darinya". Justru lewat tarik-menarik itulah, situasi psikologis Toru digambarkan begitu detil sedemikian rupa sehingga emosi pembaca akan ikut terombang-ambing di antara dua pilihan yang ada.

Setting yang dituliskan Murakami sekali lagi betul-betul cetakan realitas yang terjadi di Jepang tahun 70-an, dipilih dengan cermat, lewat bahasa penceritaan yang sederhana, tetapi mengalir sehingga aku sebagai pembaca mendapat gambaran yang jelas bagaimana situasinya. Yang luar biasa lagi dari cara penulisannya itu bagaimana ingatan dan mimpi dapat campur-baur membentuk realitas, sehingga jalan untuk membentuk kembali ingatan kita lewat proses mengingat kembali. Lihat bagaimana Toru yang berusia 37 tahun malahan lupa wajah Naoko, perempuan yang amat dicintainya itu. Nostalgianya justru menjadi wahana permainan yang menjebak pembaca di tengah-tengah sehingga sulit sekali menebak mana yang nyata dan mana yang bukan.

Marilah sekarang menyoal beberapa hal yang sempat disinggung oleh teman-teman: bab terakhir "Norwegian Wood". Bagian yang paling menarik bukan bagian vulgar itu, tetapi bagaimana Haruki Murakami mengakhiri ceritanya: apakah dengan happy ending atau sad ending.

Sementara pembaca mengira dengan kematian Naoko, otomatis dengan sendirinya Toru memilih Midori, tetapi dalam bab akhir sesungguhnya masih belum begitu jelas apakah demikian. Meskipun Toru menelpon Midori untuk menyatakan kesiapannya untuk menjalankan hidup bersama Midori, tetapi ketika di akhir cerita Toru justru seperti linglung, tidak tahu ada dimana, tidak bisa melihat orang-orang yang lalu-lalang di sekitarnya pantaslah diajukan prasangka: jangan-jangan Toru juga 'bunuh diri', 'meskipun bunuh diri secara metaforik', yang artinya ia tidak menjalani hidupnya dengan Midori. Bisa jadi ia tidak bisa memaafkan dirinya gara-gara berhubungan badan dengan Reiko dan justru merasa nyaman dan di awal cerita, toh Toru sudah berada di Jerman kan? Yang jelas, ending buku ini sebetulnya tidak jelas betul apakah happy ending atau sad ending. Semua dibiarkan menggantung.

Oke, di akhir review ini aku mau berkisah tentang lima tipe kegilaan dari M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (“Five Common Types of Insanity”):

"Pada sebuah persimpangan jalan di dekat taman, berdiri sebuah pohon yang teduh. Lima orang dengan lima jenis kegilaan duduk bersama di bawah pohon tersebut. Mereka berbicara dengan diri mereka sendiri. Bagi orang yang berlalu-lalang, lima orang ini terlihat sama, tetapi terdapat alasan yang berbeda atas kegilaan mereka.

Orang gila pertama yang sakit jiwanya mengambil semua serpihan kertas dan lembaran daun kering yang ada di tanah dan meletakkannya di sekitar tangannya sembari mengoceh, “Kau pergi ke sini, kau pergi ke sana.”

Orang gila kedua yang terobsesi oleh wanita mengambil semua serpihan kertas dan mengira bahwa kertas itu adalah surat cinta. Dia berkomat-kamit, “Kekasihku menulis ini, kekasihku menulis itu. Kekasihku berkata, ‘Aku akan datang kepadamu!’”

Orang gila ketiga yang terobsesi pada uang mengambil semua serpihan kertas, melihatnya, membolak-baliknya, dan mengomel kepada dirinya sendiri, “Bank ini, bank itu. Rekening ini, rekening itu. Simpananku.”

Orang gila keempat yang suka mabuk berjalan sempoyongan di jalan, menabrak orang lain dan benda-benda yang ada di sekitarnya. Akhirnya, dia terjatuh tak sadarkan diri di jalan, dan maling merampok pakaiannya. Ketika dia sadar kembali dia begitu malu, sehingga dia kembali ke rumah, bertengkar dengan istrinya, dan menyalahkan keluarganya atas kesalahannya.

Tetapi orang gila kelima yang terobsesi oleh kebijaksanaan mengambil sebuah daun kering yang telah mati dan tersenyum dengan sedih. “Sungguh indah ketika engkau masih bersatu dengan batangmu. Pada awalnya engkau adalah sebuah daun indah yang berwarna hijau yang menyejukkan orang lain. Kemudian engkau berubah menjadi kuning, dan saat ini warnamu menjadi sama dengan tanah. Engkau adalah daun kering yang akan kembali ke tanah sebagai pupuk. Setiap orang dan segala sesuatu akan mendapatkan takdir yang sama. Setiap orang dan segala sesuatu menjadi makanan bagi tanah.”

“Sungguh inilah kehidupan! Oh Tuhan, aku mencari-Mu dan menjadi gila. Engkaulah satu-satunya dokter yang dapat menyembuhkan kegilaanku. Jika Engkau tidak datang, aku akan mati seperti daun ini. Engkaulah Tuhan yang menciptakan, melindungi, dan merawatku. Engkaulah Tuhan yang memahami dan mengerti akan diriku. Berikanlah aku obat rahmat, cinta dan kebijaksanaan-Mu dan penuhilah kebutuhan-kebutuhanku.”

Makanya pikir-pikir dulu mau jadi orang gila bagaimana di dunia ini.

Catatan pendek:
1. Terjemahan Jonjon Johana harus diacungi jempol, meskipun ada beberapa salah ketik di bagian-bagian akhir.
2. Tokoh-tokoh yang menarik macam Kopasgat, Reiko-san, Nagasawa-san sengaja tidak ditulis dalam review, tetapi sangat menarik untuk dibaca.

Kenichi Matsuyama

Kenichi Matsuyama (松山 ケンイチ, Matsuyama Ken'ichi)

(born March 5, 1985) is a Japanese actor.

He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films Death Note, Death Note: The Last Name and L: Change the World in 2008, as well as voicing Gelus in the Death Note animated adaptation. He has been cast to play lead character Toru Watanabe in the movie adaptation of Haruki Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood, expected to be released in December 2010. His real given name written in kanji as "研一".

Filmography

Film

• Winning Pass (2003)
• Bright Future (2003)
• Gūzen nimo Saiaku na Shōnen (2003)
• The Locker 2 (2004) as Yosuke Shinohara
• Kamachi (2004)
• The Taste of Tea (2004)
• Linda Linda Linda (2005) as Makihara
• Nana (2005) as Shin (Shinichi Okazaki)
• Furyō Shōnen no Yume (2005)
• Custom Made 10.30 (2005)
• Otoko-tachi no Yamato (2005) as Katsumi Kamio (15 years old)
• Oyayubi sagashi (2006)
• Death Note (2006) as L
• Death Note: The Last Name (2006) as L
• Sexy Voice and Robo (2006) as Robo
• Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea (2007) as Juchi
• Ten Nights of Dreams (2007)
• Shindo (2007) as Wao
• South Bound (2007) as Officer Niigaki
• Tsubaki Sanjuro (2007) as Iori Isaka
• Dolphin Blue: Fuji, mō Ichido Sora e (2007)
• L: Change the World (2008) as L
• Don't Laugh at My Romance (2007–2008) as Mirume
• Detroit Metal City (DMC) (2008) as Johannes Krauser II and Souichi Negishi
• Kamui Gaiden as Kamui (2009)
• Kaiji (2009) as Sahara
• Ultra Miracle Love Story Yojin (2009)
• Norwegian Wood as Toru Watanabe (2010)
• Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (2010) as Yuji Miwa
• Gantz: Part 1 as Masaru Katō (2011)
• Gantz: Part 2 as Masaru Katō (2011)
• My Back Page (2011)
• Usagi Drop as Daikichi (2011)

Drama

• Gokusen (2002)
• Kids War 5 (2003)
• 1 Litre of Tears (2005) as Kawamoto-senpai
• Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi (2006), Episode 2 as Shingo (Taro-san)
• Sono 5 fun mae (2006) as Yuka Takashi (Mini-Drama)
• Sexy Voice and Robo (2007) as Robo
• Nana (2007)
• Zeni Geba as Gamagōri Fūtarō (2009)
• Love of 99 Years: Japanese Americans (2010) as Hiramatsu Jirō
• Taira no Kiyomori (2012) as Taira no Kiyomori

Vocal roles

• Death Note (Anime) (2006) as Gelus
• Detroit Metal City (OVA) (2008) as Makoto Hokazono

Awards

• 2006 Hochi Film Awards - Best New Actor (Death Note)
• 2007 Yokohama Film Festival - Best New Talent (Death Note)
• 2007 Japanese Academy Awards - Best New Actor (Death Note & Yamato)
• 2007 Elan D' or Awards for Rookie of the Year (won)
• 2008 2nd Asia Pacific Producer's Network Award - Best Actor (Death Note)
• 2008 1st Egaishan Taisho Movie Theatre Award (won)
• 2009 32nd Japanese Academy Awards- Most Popular Actor (Detroit Metal City)
• 2009 60th Television Drama Academy Awards - Best Actor (Zeni Geba)
• 2010 64th Mainichi Film Awards - Best Actor (Ultra Miracle Love story)
• 2010 Takasaki Film Festival - Best Actor (ultra Miracle Love story)

Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood (ノルウェイの森, Noruwei no Mori?) is a 1987 novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami.[1] The novel is a nostalgic story of loss and sexuality.[2] The story's protagonist and narrator is Toru Watanabe, who looks back on his days as a freshman university student living in Tokyo.[3] Through Toru's reminiscences we see him develop relationships with two very different women — the beautiful yet emotionally troubled Naoko, and the outgoing, lively Midori.[4]

The novel is set in Tokyo during the late 1960s, a time when Japanese students, like those of many other nations, were protesting against the established order.[5] While it serves as the backdrop against which the events of the novel unfold, Murakami (through the eyes of Toru and Midori) portrays the student movement as largely weak-willed and hypocritical.

Murakami adapted the first section of the novel from an earlier short story, "Firefly." The story was subsequently included in the collection Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman.[6]

Norwegian Wood was hugely popular with Japanese youth and made Murakami somewhat of a superstar in his native country (apparently much to his dismay at the time).[7][8]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 The novel's title
* 2 Characters in Norwegian Wood
* 3 Plot synopsis
* 4 Allusions/references to other works
* 5 English translations
* 6 Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
* 7 References
* 8 External links

[edit] The novel's title

The original Japanese title Noruwei no Mori, is the standard Japanese translation of the title of The Beatles song "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.[9] The song is often mentioned in the novel, and is the favourite song of the character Naoko. Mori in the Japanese title translates into English as wood in the sense of "forest", not the material "wood", even though the song lyrics clearly refer to the latter. Forest settings and imagery are significantly present in the novel.
[edit] Characters in Norwegian Wood

* Toru Watanabe — The main character and narrator. He is a Tokyo college student of average ability, majoring in drama but without reason or conviction for doing so. Unlike most students, he is interested in Western, and in particular, American literature. He is Kizuki's best friend, and develops romantic relationships with Naoko, and later, Midori.
* Naoko — a beautiful but emotionally fragile woman who is Kizuki's girlfriend, but becomes involved with Toru after Kizuki's death. Naoko's older sister committed suicide at age 17, which, along with Kizuki's suicide, has a lasting effect on Naoko's emotional stability.
* Midori Kobayashi — a vivacious, outgoing classmate of Toru. She and her sister help their father run a small bookstore. She originally had a boyfriend but develops feelings for Toru as she gets to know him more, putting Toru in a tough situation.
* Reiko Ishida — a music teacher and a close friend of Naoko who stays with her at the asylum as a result of lifelong mental problems that wrecked her professional musical career and later her marriage. She attempts to advise Toru and Naoko in their relationship.
* Kizuki — Toru's best friend in high school, and Naoko's first boyfriend. Kizuki took his own life when he was 17.
* Nagasawa — a diplomacy student at the elite University of Tokyo who befriends Toru through a shared love of The Great Gatsby. Nagasawa is unusually charismatic and is complex in both his ideals and personal relationships. Often given to debauchery, Toru initially goes along with him to have intercourse with random girls Nagasawa picks up, but later he just stays on as Nagasawa's on/off friend.
* Hatsumi — the long-suffering girlfriend of Nagasawa. A kind woman by nature, she tries to offer advice to Toru, but Toru is reluctant to trust her or Nagasawa, for fear of the situation with Naoko and Kizuki being repeated. (Outside the story of the book, she will get married, two years after Nagasawa leaves for Germany, only to commit suicide after another two years by slashing her wrists.)
* "Storm Trooper" — Toru's dormitory roommate who is obsessed with cleanliness, and who is majoring in cartography in preparation for a career at the Geographical Survey Institute of Japan. He later moves out, leaving their room entirely to Toru until he moves out of the dorm altogether.
* Itoh — an art student whom Toru meets after moving out of the dorm he shared with Nagasawa and Storm Trooper. The two share a love of Boris Vian. He has a girlfriend in his hometown of Nagasaki, but her unease about Itoh's chosen career leads him to unease about their relationship.
* Momoko (Momo) Kobayashi — Midori's sister.
* Mr. Kobayashi — Midori's widowed father. Midori had initially said that he had emigrated to Uruguay, but that later turns out to be a joke; Mr. Kobayashi was actually in a hospital in Tokyo, with brain cancer. When Midori and Toru visit him, Toru briefly stays to take care of him alone. He later dies, and his daughters sell the bookstore to move to new quarters.

[edit] Plot synopsis

A 37-year-old Toru Watanabe has just arrived in Hamburg, Germany. When he hears an orchestral cover of the Beatles' song "Norwegian Wood," he is suddenly overwhelmed by feelings of loss and nostalgia. He thinks back to the 1960s, when so much happened that touched his life.

Toru, his classmate Kizuki, and Kizuki's girlfriend Naoko are the best of friends. Kizuki and Naoko are particularly close and feel as if they are soulmates, and Toru seems more than happy to be their enforcer. This idyllic existence is interrupted by the unexpected suicide of Kizuki on his 17th birthday. Kizuki's death deeply touches both surviving friends; Toru feels the influence of death everywhere, while Naoko feels as if some integral part of her has been permanently lost. The two of them spend more and more time together, trying to console one another, and they eventually fall in love. On the night of Naoko's 20th birthday, she feels especially vulnerable, and they consummate their love. Afterwards, Naoko leaves Toru a letter saying that she needs some time apart and that she is quitting college to go to a sanatorium.

The blossoming of their love is set against a backdrop of civil unrest. The students at Toru's college go on strike and call for a revolution. Inexplicably, the students end their strike and act as if nothing had happened, which enrages Toru as a sign of hypocrisy.

Toru befriends a fellow drama classmate, Midori Kobayashi. She is everything that Naoko is not — outgoing, vivacious, supremely self-confident. Despite his love for Naoko, Toru finds himself attracted to Midori as well. Midori is attracted to him also, and their friendship grows during Naoko's absence.

Toru visits Naoko at her secluded mountain sanatorium near Kyoto. There he meets Reiko Ishida, another patient there who has become Naoko's confidante. During this and subsequent visits, Reiko and Naoko reveal more about their past: Reiko talks about her search for sexual identity, and Naoko talks about the unexpected suicide of her older sister several years ago.

Now back in Tokyo, Toru unintentionally alienates Midori through both his lack of consideration of her wants and needs, and his continuing thoughts about Naoko. He writes a letter to Reiko, asking for her advice about his conflicted affections for both Naoko and Midori. He doesn't want to hurt Naoko, but he doesn't want to lose Midori either. Reiko counsels him to seize this chance for happiness and see how his relationship with Midori turns out.

A later letter informs Toru that Naoko has killed herself. Toru, grieving and in a daze, wanders aimlessly around Japan, while Midori — whom he hasn't kept in touch with — wonders what has happened to him. After about a month of wandering, he returns to the Tokyo area. He gets in contact with Reiko, who leaves the sanatorium to come visit. The middle-aged Reiko stays with Toru, and they have sexual intercourse. It is through this experience, and the intimate conversation that Toru and Reiko share that night, that he comes to realise that Midori is the most important person in his life. Toru calls Midori out of the blue to declare his love for her. What happens following this is never revealed — Midori's response is characteristically (by this point) cold, yet the fact that she does not explicitly cut Toru off at that point (as she did before) leaves things open.[10]
[edit] Allusions/references to other works
Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (December 2009)

* One of the favorite books of Toru and his older friend Nagasawa is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. But before said book became Toru's favorite, he liked John Updike's The Centaur, which he read several times.

* When Toru first moves into the dorm, he is struck by the punctual raising of the flag of Japan and playing of the Japanese national anthem by Sir Nakano and Uniform, two characters whom he finds somewhat ridiculous.

* In his initial meetings with Naoko and Reiko at Ami, Toru is reading Thomas Mann's novel The Magic Mountain. The premise behind Mann's novel mirrors the situation of Toru's friends: members of a community of patients who wish to set themselves apart from the rest of society. In Mann's novel, the characters isolate themselves in a tuberculosis sanatorium; in Murakami's novel, the characters separate themselves from the greater society due to mental illness and also a feeling of not fitting in elsewhere.

* He is also assessing Beneath the wheel, the second book of Hermann Hesse, which contains criticisms of education systems with too great an emphasis on "academics rather than learning" -- a line of thinking familiar to those looking to revolutionize Japanese education in late 60's and early 70's.

* In the opening chapter Toru and Naoko search for a hidden well. When Sumire disappears in Sputnik Sweetheart, "K" worries continuously about whether there are any wells on the island. Wells are also central to the plot of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

[edit] English translations

Norwegian Wood has been translated into English twice.[1] The first was by Alfred Birnbaum (who translated many of Murakami's earlier novels) and was published in 1989 in Japan by Kodansha as part of the Kodansha English Library series.[11] Like other books in this pocket-sized series, the English text was intended for Japanese students of English, and even featured an appendix listing the Japanese text for key English phrases encountered in the novel. Notably, this edition kept the two-volume division of the original Japanese version and its color scheme — the first volume having a red cover, the second green (the first UK edition in 2000 would also keep this division and appearance). This earlier translation has been discontinued in Japan.

The second translation, by Jay Rubin, is the authorized version for publication outside Japan and was first published in 2000 by Harvill Press in the UK, and Vintage International in the USA.[1]

The two translations differ somewhat. Of note, there are some differences in nicknames: Toru's roommate, for example, is called "Kamikaze" in the Birnbaum translation, and "Storm Trooper" in the Rubin translation.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
Main article: Norwegian Wood (film)

It was announced in July 2008 that Tran Anh Hung would direct an adaptation of the novel. The film stars Kenichi Matsuyama[12] as Watanabe, Rinko Kikuchi[13] as Naoko and Kiko Mizuhara[14][15] as Midori, and is expected to be released in autumn 2010 in Japan.[16][17][18] It was presented at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. Jonny Greenwood is to score the film.[19] The location hunting of this film was done in Tonomine highlands, Mineyama highlands, and Kasumi coast.

hari-hari yang ditunggu keluarga Cullen Cat

tanggal 17 Februari 2011 kemarin Bella, kucing betinaku melahirkan anak pertamanya, aku sih ga liat karena pas itu masih disekolah. sekitar jam 5 sore aku baru pulang dan kata mama ama kakakku, Bella melahirkan anaknya mirip banget ama dia cuma akhirnya mati karena mungkin emang nasib atau karena masih terlalu lemah dan kamipun jarang ada yang memiliki pengalaman tentang cara membantu persalinan kucing. selain itu, edward (suami bella) kayaknya juga sedih banget. dia jadi lebih sering bareng bella. uuuuuu.... mereka kayak nunggu anak dari jaman dahulu kala banget (lebay =,=)
tanggal 18 tadi, bella melahirkan, aku liat bayinya, tapi kayaknya mati juga sekarang bayinya yang aku kasih nama 'bubble' udah di kubur sekarang, dan aku perkirain kalo besok sekitar jam 10-11 siang bella bakal ngelahirin lagi. semoga aja anaknya yang ketiga kali ini selamat juga dan ga sungsang. tapi kemungkinan besar aku ga bisa ngebantuin soalnya, ada Try Out besok. semoga aja besok aku cepet selesai ngerjain tugas IPA-nya jadi bisa langsung pulang!

Death Note

* 1 Main characters
o 1.1 Light Yagami
o 1.2 L
o 1.3 Misa Amane
o 1.4 Near
o 1.5 Mello
o 1.6 Shinigami
* 2 Supporting characters
o 2.1 Kira Investigation Team
+ 2.1.1 Soichiro Yagami
+ 2.1.2 Touta Matsuda
+ 2.1.3 Shuichi Aizawa
+ 2.1.4 Kanzo Mogi
+ 2.1.5 Hideki Ide
+ 2.1.6 Hirokazu Ukita
o 2.2 Watari
o 2.3 Kiyomi Takada
o 2.4 Kyosuke Higuchi
o 2.5 Teru Mikami
* 3 Minor characters
o 3.1 Aiber
o 3.2 Wedy
o 3.3 Criminals and initial victims
o 3.4 Federal Bureau of Investigation
+ 3.4.1 Raye Penber
+ 3.4.2 Naomi Misora
# 3.4.2.1 Conception and development of Naomi
+ 3.4.3 Steve Mason
o 3.5 Hitoshi Demegawa
o 3.6 Yotsuba Group
o 3.7 Yitzak Ghazanin
o 3.8 Koreyoshi Kitamura
o 3.9 Mafia
+ 3.9.1 Rod Ross
+ 3.9.2 Jack Neylon
+ 3.9.3 Other mafia members
o 3.10 Matt
o 3.11 Roger Ruvie
o 3.12 Special Provision for Kira
+ 3.12.1 Stephen Gevanni
+ 3.12.2 Halle Lidner
+ 3.12.3 Anthony Rester
+ 3.12.4 Other SPK members
o 3.13 Ryotaro Sakajo
o 3.14 Sachiko Yagami
o 3.15 Sayu Yagami
o 3.16 Sanami
o 3.17 Shiori Akino
o 3.18 United States Executive Branch
+ 3.18.1 David Hoope
+ 3.18.2 George Sairas
o 3.19 Beyond Birthday
o 3.20 Taro Kagami
* 4 References

Main characters
Light Yagami
Main article: Light Yagami

The main character of Death Note, Light is an extremely intelligent but bored 17-year old student. When he finds the Death Note, dropped in the human world by the shinigami Ryuk, he decides to use it to kill all criminals and earns the title Kira. His ultimate goal is to cleanse the world of evil to create a world without criminals and then reign over this new world as its "god."
L
Main article: L (Death Note)

L is the world's top-rated detective and tasked with tracking down and arresting Kira. He often takes drastic strategies to confuse and force the hand of his opponents, and his disheveled appearance disguises his brilliance. He enjoys sugar, and in nearly every scene including him, he is found eating cake or confectionery and drinking highly sweetened tea. His real name is L Lawliet.
Misa Amane
Main article: Misa Amane

A girl with an immense crush on Kira, Misa is a popular Japanese idol. She is immature and tends to refer to herself in the third person in an attempt to be cute. She is completely devoted to Light, saying that she loved him at first sight, although the feeling is hardly mutual- since Light merely views her as a rather annoying asset. In the manga version, she kills herself after Light's death, which is implied in the anime's finale. What happens to her after the film version is uncertain- the only remaining characters whose fates are revealed are L and the Yagami family- although she is still devastated when Light is killed.
Near
Main article: Near (Death Note)

A calm and stoic character that appears in the second half of the series. In the anime and manga versions, Near is a primary candidate to become L's successor and calls himself N during the course of his investigations. He shares a number of similarities with L. Much like how L plays with things such as sugar cubes and forks, Near is frequently shown playing with toys or his hair, and he is constantly shown sitting in an unusual manner. After L's death, he was asked to join forces with Mello, who refused (it is explained that Near lacks the emotional insight to beat L, while Mello is too emotional and impulsive). Near then gained the support of the Government of the United States and formed the Secret Provision for Kira (SPK). In the 'extra' manga story, set after the end of the series, Near states that, while he respects Light's drive for justice, he can never find his 'Kira' actions excusable. His real name is Nate River. In the film L: Change the World L gives the name "Near" to a Thai boy who is a mathematical genius; L intends for Near to succeed him.[2]
Mello
Main article: Mello (Death Note)

Mello, a character present in the anime and manga versions, was an orphan who grew up with Near and Matt in Wammy's House, Watari's shelter for "gifted" children. Like Near and Matt, Mello was one of the candidates to become L's successor. Similar to L's fondness for sweets, he is often seen eating bars of chocolate. Although Mello is quite intelligent, he often lets his emotions get the better of him. His goal in life is to surpass L and Near. His real name is Mihael Keehl. Mello does not appear in the films.
Shinigami
Main article: Shinigami (Death Note)

Shinigami, or Death Gods, are demon-like beings who live in the Shinigami realm. Shinigami are functionally immortal, able to extend their lives indefinitely by writing the names of humans in their Death Notes. By writing the name of a human whose fated time of death has not yet come, Shinigami have their lifespan increased by the amount that human would have lived (e.g. a forty-year-old who would have lived to the age of sixty would yield twenty years). As Ryuk describes it, life in the Shinigami realm is incredibly dull; Shinigami do little more than gamble constantly with their remaining years , and using the Death Note is considered something workaholics do. The main Shinigami featured in the series are Ryuk, Rem and Sidoh. The only way to kill a shinigami is through love for a human (e.g. if a human was fated to die from a murder and a Shinigami kills the murderer, the Shinigami will then turn to dust and evaporate, as Gelus did to prolong Misa's life).
Supporting characters
Kira Investigation Team
Soichiro Yagami
Soichiro Yagami, designed by Takeshi Obata to look like a "stereotypical detective."

Soichiro Yagami (夜神 総一郎, Yagami Sōichirō?) is Light's father and a police officer that initially leads the Kira investigation team that later joins with L. He is voiced by Naoya Uchida in the Japanese anime and Chris Britton in the English dub. When L begins to suspect Light of being Kira, Soichiro is unwilling to believe his son would be capable of such a thing. After L's death, he is sent to retrieve the Death Note stolen by Mello by obtaining Shinigami Eyes and infiltrate Mello's hideout, though Light had planned for Matsuda to fill the role.[3] He retrieves the note and learns Mello's real name, but is unable to kill him, and is instead fatally wounded. Because Light has given up his Death Note, making his lifespan visible above his head, Soichiro dies believing that Light is not Kira. In the film, Soichiro, portrayed by Takeshi Kaga, survives- discovering that Light is Kira and holding him as he dies- but chooses to hide the knowledge from his family.

Soichiro was envisioned as an "honest police officer with a strong sense of justice" that the reader "would have to feel sorry for everything he has to go through." Though Ohba did not want Soichiro to die, the writer felt that he had to because the character's continued existence would have interfered with too many of the already set up plot points. He did not want Light to kill him, so he wrote Soichiro's death as an accident.[3] Obata designed Soichiro to look like a "stereotypical detective", retaining the mustache and glasses found in Ohba's concepts. Over the course of the series, he changes visibly by losing weight and aging poorly- particularly during his and Light's confinement.[4] Both Ohba and Obata found Soichiro to be the most pure character, and Ohba personally found him to be the third strongest character in the series "besides Light."[5][6][7] His birthday is July 12, 1955.
Touta Matsuda
Takeshi Obata said that Touta Matsuda, pictured here, was "hard to predict and thus hard to draw."

Touta Matsuda (松田 桃太, Matsuda Tōta?) is the youngest member of the Kira investigation team. His alias is Taro Matsui (松井 太郎, Matsui Tarō?).

Matsuda has the drive to match the other members of the team, but his lack of experience sometimes hinders the investigation. He is described as a "typical young man" who is "easy to get along with" and feels "very excited about trends and gossip;" often listening in on Light's intimate conversations with Misa and later Takada for the sake of gossip rather than the investigation. He becomes quite fond of Light, as noted by Hideki Ide at the series' conclusion. As for Misa, Matsuda often shows that he is a massive fan of hers, becoming quite upset when his death is faked and he can no longer work as her 'manager'. It is hinted that Matsuda has an inferiority complex regarding his detective ability, and many of his coworkers feel annoyed by his behavior.[8] Matsuda's "risky moves" sometimes place him in danger, and his "quick thinking" sometimes aids the investigation, such as his actions in the Yotsuba case that lead to Higuchi's detainment. Matsuda likes Light and believes that he is not Kira, but at the end of the series, during the final showdown between Light and the SPK, Matsuda, enraged and grief-stricken over Light's apathy in regards to his father's death, critically wounds Light by shooting him repeatedly.[8] Matsuda is voiced by Ryō Naitō in the Japanese anime and Vincent Tong in the English dub. In the film, he is played by Sota Aoyama. Matsuda stars in a Death Note film version special, aired on Japanese television, that takes place after Light's death; in it Matsuda has to come to terms with L's eventual death.[9]

Ohba describes Matsuda as a "very simple guy" easily used in the story.[10] Matsuda is very useful as a character because he acts only on his emotions, which according to Ohba is "probably" why he survives.[11] Despite working to capture Kira, Matsuda admits that he is not entirely sure whether or not the death of criminals is such a bad thing, though he does not let it get in the way of his work; even in the epilogue of the manga he still struggles with determining whether or not he did the right thing in siding with Near. This trait was given to him because Ohba felt that any group would have at least one individual who supports Kira to help balance it.[10] Obata described Matsuda as "hard to predict and thus hard to draw." Obata felt that Matsuda's character concept consisted of an "average young detective", and that because Matsuda's character was not unique and his actions were not consistent, something Obata sees in himself, he did not like the character or how it pointed out his "own inconsistency."[4][12] Obata described Matsuda as the sole character who "looks younger" during the Near and Mello arc.[4] His birthday is December 14, 1978.[8]
Shuichi Aizawa

Shuichi Aizawa (相沢 周市, Aizawa Shūichi?) is a member of the Kira investigation team that leaves the team under the guise of needing to support his family because the Japanese police cut their funding (it is only after he leaves that it is revealed that L would have supported them had he stayed). Aizawa uses the alias Aihara (相原?) to protect his identity. Aizawa returns after L's death, where he is one of the first to suspect Light of being Kira (although he continues to act compassionately towards Light until he is cornered, and goes angry), and helps contribute to his eventual defeat. He becomes the leader of the investigation team afterwards. Ohba decided to make Aizawa the chief of the NPA because he did not want to create a new character in the final chapter, and because he felt that Aizawa is the best candidate because of his connections to the police and Near.[13] His birthday is May 11, 1969. He is voiced by Keiji Fujiwara in the Japanese anime and Trevor Devall in the English dub. In the film, he is played by Tatsuhito Okuda.
Kanzo Mogi

Kanzo Mogi (模木 完造, Mogi Kanzō?) is one of the most dedicated members of the Kira investigation team, but also one of the most reserved. Mogi rarely speaks, even when someone presents an opinion he agrees with. Despite this, perhaps even because of this, he is a particularly good detective. He is shown to be an excellent actor, becoming an excited and cheery manager for Misa on demand and in seeming contradiction to his usual demeanor. He appears to be fond of Misa, as is seen when he worries that Misa's comments about Takada could get her killed. The feeling is probably mutual, since Misa is happy to have him stay with her, and nicknames him 'Motchi'. Mogi uses the alias Kanichi Moji (模地 幹一, Moji Kan'ichi?) to protect his identity. He is voiced by Kazuya Nakai in the Japanese anime and John Murphy in the English dub. In the second film (in which he is played by Shin Shimizu), he is killed by Misa in her first Sakura TV broadcast (in the manga and anime, it is Ukita who is killed at this point).

Mogi was originally introduced to "fill the cast", though Ohba later planned to use Mogi for "something really amazing" and "surprising" since Mogi is a "silent type."[10] Obata also did not think of Mogi as important, so Mogi's design was not very clear.[14] While trying to decide who would become the new NPA chief at the end of the series, Ohba felt that Mogi would be too close to Near, so Ohba chose Aizawa to be the new NPA chief.[13] His birthday is September 13, 1973.
Hideki Ide

Hideki Ide (伊出 英基, Ide Hideki?), appearing in the anime and manga, is one of the few police officers who remains with Soichiro during the Kira Investigation. He initially leaves when he disagrees with L's methods. Ide later returns and plays a relatively minor role in the Kira investigative team. He helps coordinate their efforts, and performs actions such as organizing a blockade of police cars to trap Higuchi. Later, after L's death, he rejoins the investigation, though he states that he only did so to be with Aizawa. Ide trusts Light more than any of the other Task Force members, except for Light's father. He is voiced by Hideo Ishikawa in the Japanese anime and Brian Dobson in the English dub.

Ohba said that Ide reappeared since Ohba wanted to use Ide during the Higuchi arrest; according to Ohba having Ide reappear would create "a nice solidarity scene" and that using more characters would make the arrest "better."[10] Obata said that he liked Ide because he could understand the mental process of Ide leaving and rejoining the team. Obata said that he finds it easier to draw characters that reveal their motivations for their actions.[14]
Hirokazu Ukita

Hirokazu Ukita (宇生田 広数, Ukita Hirokazu?) is a member of the Kira investigation team that is led by L. He is characterized as being "young" and "brave" and he smokes a lot of cigarettes.[15] When Misa has Sakura TV (さくらTV?) broadcast a message from her as Kira, Ukita rushes to the station to stop the broadcast without any prompting by the rest of the team. Since Misa has the Shinigami Eyes, she kills Ukita as soon as he approaches the door. He is voiced by Hidenobu Kiuchi in the Japanese anime and Jeremy From in the English dub. In the film, where he is portrayed by Ikuji Nakamura, he survives with Mogi replacing him as Misa's victim.

Ohba killed Ukita because he happened to have Ukita appear at Sakura TV. Ohba said that he did not choose Matsuda as Matsuda was "useful" and that he planned to use Mogi for "something big," so he chose between Aizawa and Ukita.[16] Obata found Ukita easy to draw because Ukita is an "emotional and easy-to-understand".[14] He did not know that Ukita was to die, so he was surprised after learning about it. His birthday is November 9, 1977.
Watari
Watari

Watari (ワタリ?) is L's assistant, providing logistics to the investigation team. Before the team is formed, he is the only person who has seen L, and the only one capable of contacting L directly. Like L, he represents himself with an Old English "W" on computer screens. He is also a fatherly figure to L. On the surface he is Quillsh Wammy (キルシュ・ワイミー, Kirushu Waimī?), a famous inventor and founder of Wammy's House, an orphanage for gifted children in Winchester, England. Watari is well trained in espionage and marksmanship. Rem kills Watari, along with L, in order to protect Misa. At the end of the manga, Roger Ruvie, the manager of Wammy House, becomes the new Watari for the third L, Near. He is voiced by Kiyoshi Kobayashi in the Japanese anime and French Tickner in the English dub (except for the film, in which Ron Halder takes over). In the film, he is played by Shunji Fujimura, who felt that Watari's presence would "come alive" if he projected "the mood of this mysterious old gentleman without the air of livelihood."[17]

Watari's name was originally going to be "Shadow" in reference to being L's shadow, but the editor disapproved, which lead to the name "Watari", which references his role as a handler.[18] The design team decided on Watari's design during the second chapter. Obata did not put much thought into Watari's disguise because his face did not appear, but afterwards, the rough drafts had Watari as an elderly man with a single strip of hair. Obata decided to keep him as an old man because older characters were more fun to draw than youger ones because of the "weird angles" that could be created with their wrinkles, while younger characters may be designed as "attractive, normal, or ugly." Obata likes leather coats, so he had Watari wear one. [19] Watari is Obata's third favorite human character because he likes older characters and that because Watari "seemed to be hiding a lot of ability" and "had depth."[7] His birthday is May 1, 1933.
Kiyomi Takada
Kiyomi Takada

Kiyomi Takada (高田 清美, Takada Kiyomi?) first appears for a short period as Light's classmate and girlfriend; Light appeared with Takada in public to disguise the fact that he also conversed with Misa.[11] Takada is a popular girl also known as "Miss To-Oh", short for To-Oh University, or "'Refined' Takada". She returns later in the story as an announcer of NHN chosen by Mikami to be Kira's spokesperson to the world. Light eventually romances her in order to covertly deliver messages to Mikami, and have her use pages of the Death Note to judge criminals as part of Light's plan. Takada dislikes Misa and suggests to Light that he should kill Misa on several occasions.[20] She is eventually kidnapped by Mello, whom she kills, before Light kills her. As a university student, she is voiced by Masumi Okamura in the Japanese version and Heather Doerksen in the English dub. The older version of the character is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto, although the voice actress for the English dub did not change.

Takada was created as a character that would go well with Light, which is why she was given her school idol identity.[11] Ohba felt that because of her "normal name" her unplanned death added unpredictability to the series.[1] Takada was originally going to be reintroduced at the same time as Mello and Near, but Ohba forgot about her until he prepared for a Shonen Jump interview.[21] He felt that he may have reintroduced Takada because he could not forget the "refined Takada."[21] Obata felt that he did not put much thought into Takada's university student design because he has difficulty designing female characters. He found the process of aging Takada difficult because he could not get the design to "look like her." In contrast to Misa's wardrobe, he gave Takada formal clothing to go with her job as a newscaster. Her birthday is July 12, 1985.[22]

In the film, she is played by Nana Katase, filling the "Higuchi" role in the film. When Rem gives her the Death Note, Takada kills a rival anchorwoman to become the lead anchor, although she does continue to kill criminals as instructed by Light via Rem. When she is arrested, Light kills her in order to regain ownership of the Note, although his action goes unnoticed by the other investigators. Shusuke Kaneko, director of the film, said that the film Takada bears importance in "reminding us the satanic power of the Death Note." Nana Katase, who read all of the Death Note volumes, describes her scenes, including those portrayed on video monitors, as "terrifying." Katase says that she and the film Takada have "a strong sense of justice," but that Katase personally would not kill anyone based on those ideals.[23]

In the Japanese Rewrite 2 special, Light's meeting with Takada and Mikami is moved to earlier than it occurred in the anime and manga, as the mafia plot is omitted. As such, it is instead Takada and Mikami who kill the SPK.
Kyosuke Higuchi

Kyosuke Higuchi (火口 卿介, Higuchi Kyōsuke?) is the third "Kira," receiving the Death Note from Rem, who was instructed to give it to a "greedy," "forceful," and "selfish" individual who would use the Death Note to attain a higher status that was out of his reach.[24][25] He was the head of Technology Development at the Yotsuba Corporation, and is part of the Yotsuba Group, eight members of the Yotsuba Corporation that use the Death Note to kill individuals from competing companies to dominate the business industry.

When he receives the Death Note, he is instructed by Rem to carry out routine killings of criminals, then do whatever he pleases with the Note outside of the killings. He then meets weekly with the rest of the Yotsuba Group to discuss the killing of key individuals from competing companies to maintain dominance in the business industry. While they realize that one of them is Kira, they initially do not know it is Higuchi. During L's probe on the group, Higuchi kills Hatori after Hatori produced a "careless outburst."[26] Rem aids the capture of Higuchi by revealing his identity to Misa. Misa reveals her admiration of Kira and uses her status as the second Kira to get him to propose to her and admit to being Kira on tape.

He is then betrayed by his fellow Yotsuba Group members, which involves Matsuda appearing on Sakura TV to reveal that Higuchi is Kira. This leads to him acquiring the Shingami Eyes, and he uses them to evade the police for a short time on his way to Sakura TV. However, he is eventually thwarted by a masked police blockade set up by L's task force. He attempts to suicide so he won't get caught, but Watari uses his expert marksmenship to shoot the gun out of his hand. He then reveals to everyone the existence of Death Notes. Light touches the Death Note while inspecting it, thereby regaining his memories of being the real Kira. Light then uses a Death Note scrap hidden in his watch to kill Higuchi.[27] He is voiced by Issei Futamata in the Japanese version, and Andrew Kavadas in the English version.

Ohba selected Higuchi to be Kira for several reasons. Most of the other members of the Yotsuba group had already been used as "red herrings" and other roles that ruled them out in Ohba's mind. Higuchi was chosen through the process of elimination, using his greed as a criterion to fit the Yotsuba Kira's mold.[28]

Tom S. Pepirium, an editor of IGN website, describes Higuchi in a review of the Death Note episode "Performance" as having "more in common with Cobra Commander than anyone from Death Note, announcing his nefarious plans to no one in particular. Even throwing in a few evil chuckles for good measure." [29]
Teru Mikami
The character design of Teru Mikami was modeled on Taro Kagami from the pilot

Teru Mikami (魅上 照, Mikami Teru?) is a criminal prosecutor, fanatical supporter of Kira, and the fourth Kira. Mikami is selected as the new Kira by Light, purely based on his intuition, when he needs a new Kira proxy to hide his identity.[30] He has a sense of righteousness that stems from his childhood, though his perspective was warped over the years.[31] Mikami wishes to punish those he considers to be evil, (which, to Light's dismay, includes unproductive people and reformed criminals), and worships Kira as a God. Mikami mutters "delete" (削除, sakujo?) repeatedly to himself while writing in the Death Note, which Tsugumi Ohba felt made him more interesting.[21] In the end, Mikami is captured by Near's team at the Yellow Box warehouse. While Mikami attempts suicide and bleeds to death in the anime, he dies in prison in the manga. Matsuda believes that Near wrote in the Death Note to manipulate and restrict Mikami's actions.[32] Ohba stated that he leaves it up to the readers to decide if his theory is true.[33] In the anime, he is voiced by Masaya Matsukaze in the original Japanese version, and by Kirby Morrow in the English dub. In the second Death Note rewrite special, Mikami is the one to kill the SPK (after Light blackmails the US President to leak information about the SPK, which he in turn forwards to Takada and Mikami), rather than the mafia.

Mikami was introduced into the story to take Misa's role as Kira. After struggling to create Mikami, Ohba created Mikami's backstory in order to establish Mikami and Light as "equals" and that Mikami is "special in some way." Mikami is the only character to receive a chapter dedicated to his past, and Ohba was reluctant to create the flashback because he personally does not like creating them. [34] Though he usually did not add detail about "Kira worshippers", he decided to pay special attention to Mikami's first appearance. He wanted to have Mikami be both smart and dangerous, and have a hatred for societal evil, which he transferred into Mikami's role as a prosecutor. He wanted it to be clear that Mikami was evil, but, at the same time, he did not want to focus on the aspects of right and wrong.[21] Ohba's second favorite human character in the series was Mikami as Ohba believed that Mikami was the second "strongest" character in the series "besides Light."[7]

Ohba has no visual preferences and therefore let Obata create the visual aspects.[7] Obata based Mikami's design on Taro Kagami, the main character in the pilot chapter of the series. He was told that Mikami was supposed to be a "stoic character like Light" while not knowing that Mikami was a prosecutor and a follower of Kira. As the series progressed, Obata drew Mikami as an "insane fanatic." Obata said that he gave Mikami glasses since "glasses are in these days." Obata added that "things were a little haphazard at this point..." His birthday is June 7, 1982.[22]
Minor characters
Aiber

Aiber (アイバー, Aibā?), whose real name is Thierry Morello (Tierry Morrello (ティエリ・モレロ, Tieri Morero?) in the Japanese version), appearing in the anime and manga, is a professional con man in the employ of L. He plays the role of Eraldo Coil (エラルド・コイル, Erarudo Koiru?), one of L's detective aliases, during the investigation of the Yotsuba Group. Aiber uses his initial "A", just like L, when communicating through computers. Aiber speaks many languages and uses many false identities. "Supposedly" he has a talent for using his "good looks" to convince women to pass information to him. Aiber enjoys "life on the edge" and his "biggest thrill" comes from conning people.[35] Since he is a professional criminal, he is known solely in the underworld.[36]

After L's death, in the manga Light kills him using the Death Note. Aiber dies from liver cancer at a hospital in Paris, France with his family at his bedside.[37][38] In the anime, he dies of a heart attack in front of his wife and son. He is voiced by Takuya Kirimoto in the Japanese anime, and David Orth in the English version. He (like Wedy) is referenced to, but does not appear in, Death Note: Another Note.[citation needed]

Ohba said that he created Aiber and Wedy so he could use characters with "special abilities" to advance the storyline. He said that Aiber "did some things."[34]

According to Obata, his editor told him that Aiber was a "sarcastic, comic relief" character. Obata said that he wishes that he could have drawn Aiber to be "more comedic." Obata believes that if he drew Aiber and Wedy to look "a little bit more original," Ohba could have included the characters in a larger role in Death Note.[39]
Wedy

Wedy (ウエディ, Uedi?), real name Mary Kenwood (Merrie Kenwood (メリー・ケンウッド, Merī Ken'uddo?) in the Japanese versions), is a professional burglar in the employ of L. She installs bugs in the Yotsuba Group's meeting room to secretly observe the group's weekly meetings. She does the same for Higuchi's car, allowing the team to watch his desperate attempts to kill Matsuda. Since she is a professional criminal, she is known solely in the underworld.[36]

Wedy uses her initial in computer communication; to avoid confusion with Watari ("W"), she deliberately uses the lowercase form, "w". After L's death, Light kills her using his Death Note; Mary Kenwood dies in a motorcycle accident[35] in Colorado. She is voiced by Miki Nagasawa in the Japanese version and Venus Terzo in the English version. She (like Aiber) is referenced to, but does not appear in, Death Note: Another Note.[citation needed]

Ohba said that he created Aiber and Wedy so he could use characters with "special abilities" to advance the storyline. He said that he wanted to use Wedy more than Aiber. As an example he explained a scenario involving Light controlling Wedy, making her place cameras in the headquarters so Misa could see L's face "... or something."[34]

According to Obata, he drew Wedy as a female model as he did not know what kind of character she would be. Obata added that Wedy has the "stereotypical female spy look." Obata believes that if he drew Aiber and Wedy to look "a little bit more original," Ohba could have included the characters in a larger role in Death Note.[39]
Criminals and initial victims

* An unemployed 42-year old man, Kurou Otoharada (音原田 九郎, Otoharada Kurō?) is the first criminal that Light kills in the anime and manga versions. Otoharada's name is announced on television as he holds eight hostages in a nursery school.
* Takuo Shibuimaru (渋井丸 拓男, Shibuimaru Takuo?), nicknamed Shibutaku (シブタク?, "Cool Taku"), is the second person that Light kills. Shibuimaru rides a motorcycle and travels with a group of bikers. After Light sees him harassing and chasing a woman, Light writes his name down with a death by traffic accident. A truck slams into Shibuimaru's motorcycle, killing him. It was this death that fully convinces Light that the Death Note does work. In the manga Light feels some guilt since Shibuimaru is not a criminal. Tomohiro Nishimura (Japanese) and Lee Tockar (English) voice him in the anime.
o In the first film Shibuimaru is a criminal who was never prosecuted for killing five children. Light finds his name in a police database after he hacks onto the NPA server. Light finds Shibuimaru in a lounge, bragging about the fact that he was not prosecuted. When a man asks Shibuimaru how he felt, Shibuimaru brags about his acquittal and laughed at the fact that parents of his victims screamed when they discovered the acquittal. Shibuimaru finds Light looking over his shoulder and threatens the law student with a knife. Shibuimaru backs away and laughs, taunting Light by stating that no-one can prosecute him. At a later point, Shibuimaru sees Light at a train crossing, gawking at the law student. Light, who had previously killed another criminal, writes Shibuimaru's name into the Death Note. As a train passes between Light and Shibuimaru, the criminal collapses of a heart attack.
* Lind L. Tailor (リンド・L・テイラー, Rindo Eru Teirā?) is a convicted criminal sentenced to die; this information was kept secret from the public. L places Tailor as his decoy on television. The television states that the broadcast is worldwide and that Tailor's statements are being translated into Japanese. After Tailor states that he is "L," he reads a declaration stating that Kira is evil. Light, in a rage, kills Tailor with a heart attack. The real L announces that Tailor was a decoy, a criminal on death row, and discovers that Kira cannot kill the real L and that Kira is in Kanto. Yukitoshi Tokumoto (Japanese) and John Murphy (English) voice Tailor in the anime. Matt Lagan portrays Tailor in the film.
* Kiichiro Osoreda (恐田 奇一郎, Osoreda Kiichirō?) is a drug addict and criminal used by Light to trick Raye into revealing his FBI badge to Light. Osoreda had failed in an attempt to rob a bank, shooting a teller and two customers as he escaped. Light writes Osoreda's name in the Death Note, dictating his actions. Osoreda boards a bus and holds a gun to the driver's head. Osoreda threatens Light as he unwittingly picks up a piece of the Death Note. Due to this, Ryuk appears solely to Osoreda, frightening the criminal. Osoreda empties his ammunition into Ryuk, who does not die. Osoreda forces the driver to stop the bus and then runs into the street, where an automobile hits Osoreda's head, killing him; the authorities mistakenly believe that Osoreda's vision of Ryuk was a drug-induced hallucination.[40] Katsuhisa Hōki (Japanese) and Brian Dobson (English) voice Osoreda in the anime. Osoreda also appears in the first film.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation agrees to assist L since some people believed that Kira killed some American criminals. After Kira kills several agents the FBI withdraws its assistance.[41]
Raye Penber
Takeshi Obata said that he encountered difficulty making Raye Penber look non-Japanese

Raye Penber (レイ・ペンバー, Rei Penbā?) is an investigator from the FBI, sent to Japan with eleven other agents to aid in tracking down Kira early in the story. Described by How to Read It as a "talented" agent,[42] Raye is assigned to investigate the Yagami family for any suspicious behavior but he eventually put down his suspicions on Light after the bus-jacking incident. He has a fiancée, Misora, whom he tells not involve herself in the investigation for her own safety. Light manages to track him down and use him "as a pawn"[42] to kill the other eleven members of his team (he unknowingly used a page of Light's notebook to kill them). Light kills Raye soon after. Before Raye died, he saw Light, realizing that he was indeed Kira. Raye is voiced by Hideo Ishikawa in the Japanese anime and Michael Adamthwaite in the English dub. In the films, he is known as Raye Iwamatsu (レイ・イワマツ, Rei Iwamatsu?) and he is played by Shigeki Hosokawa. In the first film he is a counter-terrorism agent headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Ohba said that at the beginning he thought of the idea of the FBI going after Light, and so he created Raye to fill the plot point.[3].

Obata said that as Raye was of mixed American and Japanese descent, Obata "struggled over his design" and tried to make Penber look more non-Japanese. Obata said that he wishes that he could have "drawn him a bit better."[19] Hosokawa said that when he portrayed Raye he built Raye's "strength, tenderness and the feeling of mortification."[17]
Naomi Misora
Naomi Misora is "born from her clothes"

Naomi Misora (南空 ナオミ, Misora Naomi?) is the fiancée of Raye Penber. Described by How to Read as formerly a "first rate" FBI agent[42], Naomi left the Bureau in October 2003[43] for the sake of starting a family in the United States.[44] After the sudden death of her fiancé which she blames Kira for, Naomi, described by How to Read as having a "remarkable investigative ability",[42] decides to take part in the Kira case herself, and theorizes that Kira has other methods of killing besides heart attack. In her attempts to contact the Kira investigation team she comes across Light Yagami. Cautious at first, she uses the false name Shoko Maki (間木 照子, Maki Shōko?) in order to protect herself until she can reach L. However, Light manages to manipulate her into revealing her real name to him resulting in her death by suicide. Her body is never found due to the specifications made by Light in the Death Note. Naomi is voiced by Naoko Matsui in the Japanese version of the anime and Tabitha St. Germain in the English dub.

In the live-action films her character, played by Asaka Seto and voiced by Nicole Oliver in the English dub, plays a larger role in the story. After witnessing her fiancé die at the hands of Kira, an enraged Naomi decides to investigate the case herself. Beginning with Light as her prime suspect she uses Shiori to get to him. Using the alias Shoko Maki to protect herself and with a strong belief that Light is Kira, she tries to make him confess that he is. However, her real name is uncovered by Light through the wedding documents held by the church where she and Raye had planned to marry. Naomi's fate ends in a similar manner to the anime and manga as she is forced to commit suicide, the only exception being she takes the life of Shiori before doing so. Her character also makes a brief appearance in L: Change the WorLd.

For the production and filming of the movie, Seto stated that she "tried to project that awesome spirit" of Naomi, referring to the character's tenacity and drive while trying to defeat Kira.[17]

Naomi is one of the central characters in the spinoff novel Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases by author Nisio Isin. The story is set several years prior to the start of Death Note and focuses on a series of murder cases investigated by L with Naomi as his operative. The resulting capture of the murderer helped launch Naomi's reputation within the FBI.
Conception and development of Naomi

Naomi's character was originally intended to have a larger role in the storyline which included investigating possible suspects for the Kira Case and expanded interaction with her fiancé. However, once Raye's character was killed author Tsugumi Ohba believed that having Naomi search for Kira was a "natural and interesting development" in the story. Within the cast of characters at the time Sayu was the only notable female. In adding Naomi, Ohba could finally have the "cool" female character he had always wanted. He initially planned for Naomi to have a long involvement in the story but underestimated the character's deductive abilities. Because she was able to uncover crucial plot information "faster than... thought", Ohba decided to end her character early to avoid facing complications with the story development later on. He described the storyline issue of Naomi as the greatest difficulty that he created for himself since the beginning of the series.[3]

According to artist Takeshi Obata, after hearing about the storyline he looked forward to drawing her character since it would be his first time designing one like Naomi. Using the color black to convey her mourning over her fiancé he gave Naomi a leather jacket then designed her face and hair to match her clothes. Because of this ordering Obata states that Naomi was essentially "born from her clothes".[19]
Steve Mason

Steve Mason (Steeve Maison (スティーブ・メイスン, Sutību Meisun?) in the Japanese version), appearing in the anime and manga, is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He assists L in investigating the Japanese police and withdraws FBI involvement after the agents die. At a later point he helps Near create the SPK. Mason dies due to the Death Note.

Mitsuru Ogata voices him in Japanese, with John Novak providing his voice in English.
Hitoshi Demegawa

Hitoshi Demegawa (出目川 仁, Demegawa Hitoshi?), named Yuji Demegawa (出目川 裕志, Demagawa Yūji?) in the films, is publicity hound and director of Sakura TV (さくらTV?). He initially appears when Misa Amane sends four videotapes to Sakura TV in order to gain attention from the real Kira, and approves of broadcasting the tapes on live TV. However, he is forced to hand the tapes over to Soichiro, who crashes a police wagon into the studio and threatens him at gunpoint.

* In the manga and anime, Demegawa reappears after L's death, serving as Kira's spokesman for a while and even creating new programs in "honor" of Kira. Demegawa also leads the raid on Near's headquarters with Kira's supporters, but like all the other rioters, is distracted by the money that Near throws down. Later, when he takes matters into his own hands and builds a chapel to greet Kira, asking for donations, which would give Kira a bad image, Mikami kills him for being greedy, and he is replaced by Takada. He is voiced by Chafūrin in the Japanese anime and Ward Perry in the English dub.
* In the films, he is played by Magy, with Louis Chirillo voicing him in the English dub. Demegawa does not die in the films.

Yotsuba Group

The Yotsuba Group is a group of eight characters present in the anime and manga versions of Death Note; the characters are members of the Yotsuba Corporation. On Light's instruction, Rem delivers the Death Note to one of them. They meet weekly to discuss the killing of key individuals from competing companies to maintain dominance in the business industry. While they realize that one of them is Kira, they do not know which one. The group that holds the "Meetings of Death" consists of:

* Kyosuke Higuchi (火口 卿介, Higushi Kōsuke?) Voiced by: Issei Futamata (Japanese), Andrew Kavadas (English)
o Higuchi is the head Technological Development, and is secretly the Yotsuba Kira. Eventually, he is betrayed by the others, who are assisted by L's task force. This leads to his defeat, and death.
* Shingo Mido (三堂 芯吾, Midō Shingo?) Voiced by: Eiji Hanawa (Japanese), Trevor Devall (English)
o Mido, the Vice President of Corporate Strategy and the Director of Financial Planning, feels reservations regarding the Yotsuba Kira and ponders leaving the other board members. Mido "seems" to have a "sense of appreciation" for Yotsuba.[45] Misa Amane acknowledges that Mido bears a resemblance to Light Yagami.
* Reiji Namikawa (奈南川零司, Namikawa Reiji?) Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima (Japanese), Ted Cole (English)
o Namikawa is the Vice President of Sales. He initially encourages the Yotsuba Kira. After receiving a telephone call from Light he ceases participation and observes the scenario. How to Read describes him as the "most talented" of the board members who has the potential to "make it to the top" without Kira.[24] He has a talent in shogi at the professional 4-dan level.[46] How to Read 13 states that he detests useless subordinates.
* Eiichi Takahashi (鷹橋 鋭一, Takahashi Eiichi?) Voiced by: Rintarō Nishi (Japanese), David Orth (English)
o Takahashi is the Vice President of Yotsuba Material Planning Division and Yotsuba Homes. How to Read 13 states that he "never had what it takes to be a true leader" and that he was selected to attend the meetings to "make Higuchi look good." The book adds that other members view Takahashi as "foolish" because he does not "seem to put much thought into his comments."[45]
* Suguru Shimura (紙村英, Shimura Suguru?) Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yokoo (Japanese), Brian Drummond (English)
o Shimura is the Head of Personnel. How to Read 13 describes him as "paranoid" and always "keep a close eye" on others. Shimura's ability to pay attention to small details allowed him to join the meetings; he noticed subtle changes in "poker-faced" Namikawa's face. How to Read states that he does not like his predicament.[26]
* Masahiko Kida (樹多正彦, Kida Masahiko?) Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa (Japanese), Martin Sims (English)
o The Vice President of Rights and Planning, Kida controls the finances of the committee and contacts "Eraldo Coil." How to Read 13 describes him as "calm and collected." However he is not able to "deal with surprises," leading him to panic when "Eraldo Coil" asks for more money.[26]
* Takeshi Ooi (尾々井剛, Ooi Takeshi?) Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada (Japanese), Michael Kopsa (English)
o Ooi is the Vice President of VT Enterprises. He is the eldest and "most influential" member and he "appears" to control the conferences. He individually contacts the members of the committee. How to Read 13 states that Ooi is "seemingly" a "tough guy who doesn't sweat the details."[45]
* Arayoshi Hatori (葉鳥 新義, Hatori Arayoshi?) Voiced by: Yukitoshi Tokumoto (Japanese), Simon Hayama (English)
o The Vice President of Marketing, Hatori is the illegitimate son of the company president and uses this fact to benefit himself. How to Read 13 states that he "appears to be something of a lightweight" and that he cannot handle the pressures of the meetings. After Hatori makes a "careless outburst" the Yotsuba Kira kills him.[26]

Kyosuke Higuchi, the third "Kira," takes the Death Note.[25] During L's probe on the group, Higuchi kills Hatori after Hatori produced a "careless outburst."[26] Rem aids the capture of Higuchi by revealing her identity to Misa. Misa uses her status as the second Kira to get him to admit to being Kira on tape. Higuchi is captured in an elaborate setup concocted by Light and L, and once Light touches the Death Note, thereby regaining his memories of being the real Kira, he uses a Death Note scrap to kill Higuchi.[27] After L dies, Light writes the names of the remaining six, killing them by way of a heart attack. Rumors of Kira's responsibility in the deaths causes Yotsuba's share prices to drop sharply. In the director's cut of Death Note Mido dies by falling from a tall building, Shimura dies by being run over by a train, and Namikawa dies in a car accident.

Ohba created the characters as "stock villains intended to make the main characters look good." Ohba said that he had always planned for Light to regain his status as Kira, so the specifics of a certain member of the Yotsuba group being Kira would not matter to the plot; Ohba wanted the readers to guess which of the characters was Kira. After seeing Obata's designs Ohba selected Higuchi as Kira. Ohba said that he wanted for Mido to appear to be "the most suspicious" of the Yotsuba group. Ohba added that he created the profiles of the characters while eating dinner with the editor. He believes that he did not "put much thought" into the character profiles. He said that he included a lot of information to serve as red herrings.[47]

Obata said that he felt excited when he learned that he had to draw eight Kira characters. Obata said that he created the characters "in the mold of The Seven Samurai" by giving each Yotsuba board member his own individual appearance. Obata said that he remembers making Mido and Namikawa look attractive to make the readers believe that they may be Kira.[39]
Yitzak Ghazanin

Yitzak Ghazanin (Isak Gathane (イサク・ガザン, Isaku Gazan?) in the Japanese version), real name Joe Morton (ジョー・モルトン, Jō Moruton?) and appearing in the manga, is the head of a special forces unit that is stationed in the Middle East. The captain's team raids Mello's hideout to recover the Death Note. The mafia, aided by Sidoh, kill him and his team. He does not make an appearance in the anime, as these events are not included.
Koreyoshi Kitamura

Koreyoshi Kitamura (北村 是良, Kitamura Koreyoshi?), the NPA deputy director, is Soichiro's superior. He feels weighted by Yotsuba's pressure. Masaru Ikeda voices Kitamura. Howard Siegal provides his voice in English. How to Read 13 states that he "isn't a bad guy."[15]
Mafia

The Mafia, allying with Mello, increases its influence and intends to possess the Death Note and gain power; How to Read states that the organization is "being used by Mello."[41] In the Death Note Rewrite 2 special, the mafia plot is omitted.
Rod Ross

Rod Ross (Rodd Los (ロッド・ロス, Roddo Rosu?) in the Japanese version), real name Dwhite Gordon (Dwhite Godon (ドワイト・ゴードン, Dowaito Gōdon?) in the Japanese version) is the head of the mafia. Ross follows Mello's orders. His name is easily known, so Light kills him.

Masaki Aizawa voiced Ross in the anime. Brian Dobson plays Rod Ross in the English Version. His name is also mentioned in L: Change the WorLd as the leader of an arms syndicate who deals with the mafia.

When asked by an interviewer who the most "evil" character in Death Note is, Ohba replied by saying that Ross is the most evil; Ohba added that Ross is "pretty darn evil" as he is the leader of the mafia.[48]
Jack Neylon

Jack Neylon (ジャック・ネイロン, Jakku Neiron?), whose real is name Kal Snydar (Kal Snyder (カル・スナイダー, Karu Sunaidā?) in the Japanese version), is a member of Mello's gang. He is the holder of Sidoh's Death Note after it is given to the gang by the Kira investigation team. Before Mello joined, he was involved in drug trafficking and illegal weapons sales; neither charge stuck due to lack of evidence, despite four separate arrests. After Sidoh tracks down his Death Note, Jack was forced by Mello and Ross to perform the eye trade with the Shinigami (in the manga only). Light uses the Death Note to have mail him the address of Mello's hideout. According to How to Read 13, Jack dislikes Mello. In the anime, the eye trade and first raid attempt were cut. He is voiced by Takashi Matsuyama in the Japanese anime and Ted Cole in English.
Other mafia members

* The mafia uses Zakk Irius (ザック・イリウス, Zakku Iriusu?) (he uses his real name) to converse with the Japanese police at the airport. The organization kills Irius after he guides Soichiro to the correct aircraft. He dies by heart attack when the airplane lands; his gang wrote his name in the Death Note.
* Glen Humphreys (Gurren Hangfreeze (グレン・ハンフリーズ, Guren Hanfurīzu?) in the Japanese version), real name Ralph Bay (ラルフ・ベイ, Rarufu Bei?), is a veteran gang member. The Death Note kills him prior to the police raid.
* Rashual Bid (Rushuall Bid (ラシュアル・ビッド, Rashuaru Biddo?) in the Japanese version), real name Al Meem (アル・ミーム, Aru Mīmu?), is a veteran gang member. When Kira eliminates the gang he dies with most of the members.
* Andrew Miller (the family name is also spelled Millar) is a member who was used as a test subject as to whether the Death Note was real during the exchange. He was killed because he was stealing drugs from the gang to sell for his own profit, and was described as an "incompetent guy".
* Jose is not affected by the Death Note instructions that kill the other members. He fakes his death and fatally shoots Soichiro, he later dies when the rest of the Japanese Police enter the room and shoot him.
* Roy and Skyer are not affected by the Death Note instructions that kill the other members. They attempt to retrieve the Death Note; the task force disarms and subdues the two, they later (presumably) die when Mello detonates the entire building.

Matt
Matt (Mail Jeevas)

Matt (マット, Matto?), whose real name is Mail Jeevas (マイル・ジーヴァス, Mairu Jīvasu?), is a consort of Mello's. A character in the manga and anime versions, Matt was also a former resident of Wammy's orphanage; Ohba described him as the "third most talented member" of the house.[5] Matt is Mello's helper[5] as Matt performs espionage work and acts as an accomplice in Takada's kidnapping, which results in his death when he is shot by Takada's bodyguards. He is voiced by Tomohiro Nishimura in the Japanese anime and by Drew Nelson in English dub.

According to How to Read, Matt enjoys video games[5] and isn't outgoing. He also seems to be a chain smoker. He uses his last breath to smoke his cigarette. He is also behind Near and Mello in succeeding L.

Ohba said that he created Matt because when Mello started to act alone Ohba believed that he would find difficulty in advancing the story unless Mello had a character to interact with. Ohba said that to a reader Matt may appear to play video games and have no other actions, but he said that Matt's existence was "important" in the story.[5] In response to a question inquiring about which characters the creators had the most difficulty creating, Ohba cited Matt and said "I didn't even know what kind of person he was!"[48]

Obata said that he did not receive advance notice regarding Matt, who had the character concept of "a young man who loves gaming and doesn't really care much about the world." Obata said that he remembered seeing the thumbnails and asking his editor "Who's this character?!" The thumbnails gave Matt a bowl haircut and goggles; Obata instead drew "what I liked." Obata added that he could "create Matt naturally" as he had a "he probably won't do much" mentality regarding characters introduced in the Near and Mello arc. His birthday is February 1, 1990.[49]
Roger Ruvie

Roger Ruvie (ロジャー・ラヴィー, Rojā Ravī?), appearing in the manga and anime versions, acts as the manager of Wammy's House when Watari is not present; he is aware of the statuses of L and Watari. At the end of the manga he becomes the new Watari for Near. His birthday is April 29, 1939. He cannot stand children, preferring to be in the company of insects, according to Death Note: How To Read 13. He is voiced by Hiroshi Ōtake in Japanese and Ron Halder in English.
Special Provision for Kira

The characters in the Special Provision for Kira, usually abbreviated "SPK," appear solely in the anime and manga versions. The SPK is a group of "elite" anti-Kira Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation members headed by Near. Membership of the group remains small to preserve secrecy and the group decides to work separately from the Japanese task force.[50] Many of the SPK are later killed with the Death Note by the mafia due to leaked information, which is never directly mentioned in the anime (in the Rewrite 2 special aired on Japanese television on August 22, 2008, the mafia are omitted, with Light instead blackmailing the US President to leak out info about the SPK, which is transmitted to Takada and Mikami, whom he then has kill the SPK).

Ohba said that, in terms of visual character design, he wrote descriptions such as "Commander" and "Spy" in rough drafts. He let Obata create the rest of the details.[51] Ohba said that he considered having all of the Task Force members die "in a heroic way."[21]

Obata said that he drew the SPK "without thinking too much" when the group first appeared in Chapter 60. Obata heard that Mello sent a spy, so he tried to make a character look "suspicious looking." Obata said that he had to "work hard" on all of the characters since he did not know which ones would survive. Obata said that he believes that his drawing skills relating to "foreign characters" are poor; he says that he imagines the characters being "from so far away" and that he forgets how to draw them.[49]
Stephen Gevanni

Stephen Gevanni (ステファン・ジェバンニ, Sutefan Jebannī?), whose real name is Stephen Loud (ステファン・ラウド, Sutefan Raudo?), works for Near as part of his investigation team. Gevanni is assigned to follow Mikami for much of the case, and it is his meticulous analysis of Mikami's personal habits which allow him to find Mikami's Death Note and swap it with a fake.

Gevanni skillfully follows and monitors suspects and has abilities such as the skill of picking locks.[52]

He is voiced by Hiroki Takahashi in the Japanese anime with Sam Vincent providing the English voice.

Ohba described Gevanni as a "good-looking hotshot" who received an invitation to join Near's team because of his skills. His birthday is September 1, 1982.[5]
Halle Lidner

Halle Lidner (ハル・リドナー, Haru Ridonā?), whose real name is Halle Bullook (ハル・ブロック, Haru Burokku?), works for Near as part of his investigation team. Halle is a former CIA agent who leaks information to Mello in order to increase the chances of Kira being caught. She is voiced by Akeno Watanabe in the Japanese anime with Lisa Ann Beley providing the English voice.

Ohba said that Halle, who has a "strong core," wanted to capture Kira as the Yotsuba Kira killed an acquaintance "close to her." Her birthday is February 18, 1980.[51][53]
Anthony Rester

Commander Anthony Rester (アンソニー・レスター, Ansonī Resutā?), real name Anthony Carter (アンソニー・カーター, Ansonī Kātā?), is the second-in-command and the lead crime scene investigator. Rester follows Near except in emergency situations. Near trusts Rester and sometimes reveals certain information solely to Rester. How to Read states that Rester's "quiet personality" and physical capabilities serve useful functions in the SPK. The book also states that Rester is "far below" Near in terms of intellectual prowess.[52]

Rester is voiced by Masaki Aizawa in Japanese with Michael Adamthwaite providing the English voice.

Ohba said that Rester was the captain of a special forces squad before joining Near's team. His birthday is January 6, 1968.[51]
Other SPK members

* Ill Ratt (イル・ラット, Iru Ratto?), real name Shawn Dunleavy (ショーン・ダンリービー, Shōn Danrībī?), is a member of the SPK who is also a spy for Mello. He dies due to the Death Note by shooting himself in the head. In the anime, he is not revealed to be a spy.
* John McEnroe (John Matckenraw (ジョン・マッケンロー, Jōn Makkenrō?) in the Japanese version), real name Larry Conners (ラリー・コナーズ, Rarī Konāzu?), is a SPK member and FBI officer. When his members were purged his death is assumed. He is voiced in English by Ted Cole[53]
* Ellickson Gardner (Ellickson Guardner (エリクソン・ガードナー, Erikuson Gādonā?) in the Japanese version), real name Ellickson Thomas (エリクソン・トーマス, Erikuson Tōmasu?), is a SPK member who dies from the Death Note after an SPK leak; he succumbs to a heart attack.[53]
* In addition, more dead members are shown in the Rewrite 2 special, with two named as Adolph Tucker and Kurt McBride.

Ryotaro Sakajo

Ryotaro Sakajo (坂城 良太郎, Sakajō Ryōtarō?) as a character is present only in the films. He is the assistant director during the filming of Misa Amane's "Misa-Misa's Happy Sweets" video. He is obsessed with Misa, collecting a used tissue of hers after she throws it in the trash. In a sequence bridged between the two films, Sakajo corners Misa and brandishes a knife, stating that he wishes to die with her. Gelus, a shinigami watching from the Shinigami realm, kills him to save Misa's life. In doing so, Gelus dies and Rem, who was watching, finds it only fitting to grant possession of his notebook to the human that he loved. Since Rem was the first Shinigami to touch the dead Gelus's noteook, she gained possession of that one.
Sachiko Yagami

Voiced by: Ai Satō (Japanese), Saffron Henderson (English)

Sachiko Yagami (夜神 幸子, Yagami Sachiko?) is wife of Soichiro Yagami and the mother of Light. Like her daughter Sayu, she is unaware of Light ever being Kira even after his death. She is portrayed by Michiko Godai in the live-action films.

Artist Takeshi Obata did not have any real concept behind the design of Sachiko stating his difficulty in drawing female characters who played minor roles.[14] Author Tsugumi Ohba considers both Sachiko and Sayu as the purest characters in the series stating that he could not "sense any evil or twistedness from these two at all." The Yagami family is thought to be the most "pitiful" characters in the book by both creators with Ohba later adding that he felt sympathy for mother and daughter.[6]
Sayu Yagami

Voiced by: Haruka Kudō (Japanese), Kelly Metzger (English), and Kristie Marsden (English).

Sayu Yagami (夜神 粧裕, Yagami Sayu?) is Light's kindhearted younger sister. Like her mother she never learns of Light's possession of the Death Note or his identity as Kira. In the manga and anime, Mello's gang kidnaps her in exchange for the Death Note possessed by the investigation team. Although being returned unharmed, Sayu falls into a state of shock, eventually becoming unresponsive to the presence of others. In the live-action films her character is portrayed by actress Hikari Mitsushima, and since the mafia does not play a role, she is not kidnapped.

Though not having any real concept behind Sayu's design, artist Takeshi Obata states that he often encounters difficulty in drawing female characters not central to the storyline.[14] Author Tsugumi Ohba considers Sayu and her mother as two of the purest characters in the series, stating that he could not "sense any evil or twistedness from these two at all." Both creators added that they considered the Yagami family to be the most pitiful characters in the book; Ohba later added that he felt sympathy for Sayu and her mother.[6] Her birthday is June 18, 1989.
Sanami

Sanami (佐波?) only appears in the film adaptation of Death Note, portrayed by Miyuki Komatsu. She is the only female team member of the Kira investigation team, as opposed to the all-male team in the manga and anime. In the second film, she tends to Misa during her captivity and is more critical of the methods used by the investigation team, often calling them cruel.
Shiori Akino

Shiori Akino (秋野 詩織, Akino Shiori?) is a film-exclusive character, portrayed by Yuu Kashii. She is Light's girlfriend, classmate at To-Oh University (東応大学, Tōō Daigaku?)[54], and childhood friend. Shiori dreams of working in law enforcement and feels some envy stemming from Light's abilities. Shiori disagrees with Kira's methods, stating that she does not like the terror they incite; she believes that the law should judge criminals. Shiori argues with the "pro-Kira" Light, unaware of the fact that Light is Kira. Kashii describes Shiori as a "very innocent" and "ordinary" girl who "believes in justice." Kashii believed that Shiori's way of thinking is closest to that of audiences of the Death Note film.[55] Light writes Shiori's name and the name of Naomi Misora in the Death Note, arranging the scenario to make it look like Naomi killed Shiori in a botched kidnapping scenario trying to expose Kira.

Shusuke Kaneko, director of the film, said that he created Shiori after reading the original Death Note manga.[55] In an interview printed in Weekly Shonen Jump, the creators of the film stated that Shiori was added to the story to highlight Light's negative aspects.[56] Kaneko said that he needed Shiori to "deliver Light's badness to the audience."[55]

In the production notes Kashii said that she felt excited to portray Shiori and wondered if the audience could accept her character.[55] Kitty Sensei of OtakuZone had her opinions of the film portrayal of Shiori published in The Star, a Malaysian newspaper. In it Kitty Sensei said that she felt concern about what the addition of Shiori "would affect our dear, megalomaniac Light. Will he be a softer version of the Light from the manga?" Kitty Sensei said that after watching the film she felt that Shiori "only strengthens the portrayal of Light" and that she "provides one of the gasp-worthy moments of the movie."[57]

Shiroi is dubbed by Ashleigh Ball for the English dub of Death Note.
United States Executive Branch
David Hoope

David Hoope (デイビット・ホープ, Deibitto Hōpu?) is the President of the United States of America in the storyline. He assists in the formation of Near's SPK, and provides information and funding to Mello under threats of the Death Note. He turns to Light, believing that he is the real L, who manipulates him into providing assistance and attacking Mello's hideout. When the attack fails, President Hoope commits suicide to prevent Mello from writing his name and making him launch a nuclear strike. How to Read 13 states "It's believed that Kira disposed of him."[58] In the second Rewrite special, the mafia plot is omitted, with Light instead blackmailing him to leak information about the SPK. Light in turn forwards this information to Takada and Mikami, and they kill the SPK.

In the anime, he does not commit suicide as the character was merged with that of George Sairas. He is voiced by Aruno Tahara in the Japanese anime. Michael Dobson provides the English voice.
George Sairas

George Sairas (George Psyeruth (ジョージ・サイラス, Jōji Sairasu?) in the Japanese version) is the Vice President of the United States in the manga version. When Hoope dies Sairas becomes the President. He capitulates to Kira and officially announces support for him. In addition, Sairas leaks secret information about the SPK. How to Read 13 describes Sairas as "weak-willed" and "clearly lacking as a leader."[58]
Beyond Birthday

Beyond Birthday (ビヨンド・バースデイ, Biyondo Bāsudei?) or BB, a character exclusive to the Death Note prequel novel, "Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases," is a crazed serial murderer bent on surpassing L - not by being the world's greatest detective, but by being the world's greatest criminal. The novel, a prequel to the manga series, takes place in August 2002, over a year before Light became Kira. The only thing known about his past before going to Wammy's House is that his father was beaten to death by a thug and his mother died in a train crash. Like L, Mello, Matt and Near, he lived in Wammy's House and was known as B, which stood for "Backup." A, the original successor to L,[clarification needed] had killed himself years earlier due to the pressure of living up to L. Birthday was born with Shinigami eyes, so he could see when humans would die, and their names. Using his shinigami eyes, he would intentionally kill people on their destined day of death.

To fool Naomi Misora, he acted and dressed like L during Naomi and L's investigation, calling himself Rue Ryuzaki (竜崎 ルエ, Ryūzaki Rue?), with "Rue" being the inverse of the Japanese pronunciation of L (エル Eru), and Ryuzaki being a nickname L later adopts. He was always in heavy makeup when with Naomi, so his true appearance is unknown. He killed 3 victims, Backyard Bottomslash, Quarter Queen, and Believe Bridesmaid, while leaving clues at each murder scene for Naomi Misora to "solve." In reality, he himself led her to each conclusion she made.

He attempted to commit suicide at the end of the novel, by setting himself on fire, to look like the final victim. He felt that L would never be able to solve the case if he, the murderer, were "murdered," meaning he would have outwitted L. Naomi Misora, however, figured out his plan at the last moment, saving Beyond Birthday's life while at the same time putting him under arrest for his murders. At the very end of the novel, the narrator, Mello, states that Beyond Birthday died of a mysterious heart attack several years later in prison. According to Death Note How to Read 13, he was killed by Kira and the Death Note.
Taro Kagami

Taro Kagami (鏡 太郎, Kagami Tarō?) was the protagonist of the original Death Note pilot story, which differs greatly from the final series. While walking home from school one day, Kagami finds the Death Note on the ground, and thinking it to be an ordinary journal, he writes down the names of people who had been bullying him. The next day, these bullies are reported dead, and Ryuk appears to Taro that night. Soon, the police get involved, and Kagami uses an eraser to revive the dead bullies. As the police interrogate the bullies, the bullies and the two police officers die; as it turns out, Ryuk's other note fell into one of Kagami's friends' hands. The police officers and the bullies are brought back to life again, and Kagami keeps one Death Note while the other is burned. At the end of the chapter, an older Kagami is seen with Ryuk following him.

This version of the story is significantly more horror-based, and Ohba describes the Ryuk of this version as "really lazy" and "incompetent." Taro subsequently became the inspiration for the character of Teru Mikami; Mikami greatly resembles him, down to the flashbacks of him in his youth.