Death Note is one of the greatest psychological thriller anime ever made. It’s laden with mystery and elements of the supernatural. If you haven’t watched Death Note yet, you’re missing out. The legendary rivalry between Light Yagami, the main protagonist who operates under the alias “Kira”, and L, the genius detective, is one for the ages.
Tsugumi Ohba created a character pretty central to Light’s operations in the post-time skip part of the series. Kiyomi Takada, Light’s classmate turned girlfriend, is his spokesperson who keeps the momentum going for the “Kira worshippers.” However, Ohba barely explored her character as opposed to Light’s other love interest, Misa Amane, despite Kiyomi being equally important in his operations.
Kiyomi Takada’s Role in Light’s Plans in Death Note
As established earlier, Light and Kiyomi started dating in college, shorting after the death of L. He was initially pretending to be interested in her to throw L’s detectives off his and Misa’s scent as they were the original two Kiras. Kiyomi then began to take over Misa’s role, operating as Kira under his direct orders. Unfortunately for the intelligent and beautiful Kiyomi, Light never loved or respected her. Her career in media was just useful to him.
She became Kira’s spokesperson on the NHN and gloats to Misa about becoming his “number 1 girl.” There’s a needless rivalry between the girls who are being used because, in the end, Light eventually leaves her. Mello, one of L’s successors who fills the hole left by the detective’s death, captures her but she kills him after finding a scrap of the Death Note. However, after she calls Light for help, he simply orchestrates her death by burning to hide any trials that lead to him.
Should Ohba Have Explored Kiyomi’s Character More?
Many fans of Death Note have retrospected on the series’ worst characters and decided that Kiyomi’s character was never done any justice. Aside from being a pawn in Light’s game, her thought process or her past were not entirely clear. We know she was greedy for power and got jealous very easily. While she was intelligent, she was easily manipulated by Light. Her bigger role in the second part of the series didn’t give the viewers any better insight into who she is. It almost felt like she was eye candy to the viewers, with scenes of her nearly nude or mildly exposed.
This is largely to do with the fact that, after all, this is Light’s game and his perspective. Ohba has created this entire world based on Light’s ambitions and his godlike complex is so big, it takes up too much space in the overall story. Kiyomi, still, would’ve been one of the potentially better female characters explored in the series. She isn’t hated or particularly liked by the fans, despite having a huge role in Kira’s scheme. Her screen time wasn’t nearly enough to justify the role she played.
