At its core, Death Note is the tale of Light Yagami being corrupted by the nature of the titular notebook, which births a god complex and sends him spiraling down a dark path of no return. Along the way, Light convinces himself that he's justified in wiping out anyone he deems evil because he doesn't believe anyone else will step up and eliminate injustice if he doesn't. In the name of justice and acting as Kira, Light kills countless people — both criminals and innocent people who dare to get in his way.
Light Yagami isn't the only deadly force in Death Note, though. From petty criminals who play a minor role at the start of Death Note's story to the other characters who act as Kira in Light's stead, plenty of other characters play a life-threatening role in Death Note's plot.
10 Ryuk's Job Is To End Light's Reign Of Terror At The End
Ryuk is the catalyst for everything that happens in Death Note, as Light would've never become Kira if Ryuk never dropped his notebook into the human world. As a Shinigami who existed for an unknown amount of time before meeting Light, Ryuk has to have killed humans to lengthen his lifespan, but the number of people Ryuk's written in his own notebook has never been confirmed.
The only on-screen death that Ryuk is responsible for in Death Note is Light, even though it's likely he would have died anyway after being shot by Matsuda and running for so long. Unlike Light and other humans, Ryuk feels indifferent to Light's actions and his death, instead simply deciding to write Light's name down and move on because sticking around until his natural death would have been too boring.
9 Rem Gets Trapped In Light's Plan With No Choice But To Kill L
After her and Misa's introduction, Rem is immediately a more threatening shinigami than Ryuk, as she'll actively protect Misa even at the cost of her own life. This ends up playing out in Light's favor in Death Note's twenty-fifth episode, "Silence," as Light manipulates Rem into having no choice but to kill Watari and L to prevent Misa's capture. Since this action deliberately lengthens Misa's life, Rem dies as a result.
There's only one other human that Rem's confirmed to kill during Death Note, and that's Ginzo Kaneboshi — a man Rem kills so Misa can prove her Second Kira powers to Higuchi. Rem threatens Light's life several times, but because Light successfully saves Misa each time, Rem never goes through with killing him.
8 Raye Penber Is Tricked Into Killing Twelve FBI Agents Before His Death
Raye Penber is one of twelve total FBI agents dispatched to Japan to assist with the Kira investigation. On L's orders, Raye tails Light Yagami, and his suspicions were completely cleared after the bus-jacking incident. It's Raye's death that triggers Naomi into nearly figuring out Kira's true identity; if Light had never killed Raye, Death Note likely would've had a completely different ending.
Light not only kills Raye Penber but also uses Raye to take out all the FBI agents who were assigned to the Kira case, along with the person in charge of leading their investigation. Even though Raye kills these people with the Death Note unknowingly and unwillingly, he's still subjected to the notebook's cruel rule that all users are forbidden from entering either Heaven or Hell.
7 Mello's Ties To The Mafia Make His Tactics More Violent Than Near's
Wanting to prove himself and his independence, Mello cuts his ties from Wammy's House and instead forms connections with the mafia. He has no problem resorting to violent tactics to gain the upper hand, including kidnapping Sayu Yagami and Kiyomi Takada. Although Soichiro Yagami dies later in the hospital, his death is caused by Mello shooting him after Soichiro hesitates to write down his real name.
Throughout Death Note, Mello doesn't directly kill anyone, as the only on-screen death he causes is one he orders his men to carry out. He's still a violent, unpredictable character who's not afraid to start firing in hostile situations, making him a more deadly character than Raye, who's killed more people by comparison but didn't actually want to.
6 Misa Amane's Shinigami Eyes And Blind Devotion To Light Make Her Incredibly Dangerous
Despite being the Second Kira and having the power of Shinigami Eyes, Death Note's Misa Amane kills just under two dozen people over the entire series. She kills seven officers before officially meeting Light to prove her power as the Second Kira and only kills a total of fifteen people under orders by Light.
This makes sense, as most of the time Misa spends in Death Note is either in confinement or lacking her memories or powers entirely. Despite her low kill count, Misa's blind loyalty and Shinigami Eyes make her a highly dangerous threat. She can feign innocence and use her model persona to get close to take someone off-guard, immediately learn their name, and dispose of them whenever she likes.
5 Kyosuke Higuchi Is A Vile Man Who Revels In The Death Note's Power
Kyosuke Higuchi is the third main Kira, who takes on the responsibility of writing down names after Light and Misa have both been imprisoned and forfeit memories of their respective Death Notes. Higuchi doesn't believe that what he's doing is right, and he doesn't only believe in killing criminals; he's a ruthless businessman who will kill anyone who threatens him personally or the Yotsuba Corporation.
Higuchi doesn't have the Death Note for long in comparison to Light or even Misa, but he still manages to kill several hundred people during his time as Kira. During his desperate attempt to discover Matsuda's name and kill him before his secret's leaked, Higuchi takes the Shinigami Eye deal and is reckless with both his driving and an actual firearm, making him an impulsive and dangerous individual.
4 Beyond Birthday Is A Serial Killer Born With Shinigami Eyes
Beyond Birthday is a serial killer who only appears in the Another Note novel, focusing on the Los Angeles BB Murder Case that's briefly mentioned by Naomi and L in the original series. He's the only known Death Note character to be born with the Shinigami Eyes, taken into the same Wammy's House that raises L's potential successors because of his strange, unique ability.
To create a murder mystery that not even the great L can solve, Beyond Birthday uses his Shinigami Eyes to pick victims to kill right when they're about to meet their natural end, anyway. Although Beyond Birthday doesn't kill as many victims as Higuchi, Misa, or Raye, Beyond Birthday's intellect and desire to outwit L no matter the cost make him more dangerous.
3 Kiyomi Takada Kills Almost As Many People As Light During Her Time As Kira
From the very beginning, even before learning that her college sweetheart Light is Kira, Kiyomi Takada is an avid supporter of Kira and believes in the message of justice he spreads. After learning Kira and Light are the same, Naomi devotes her life wholeheartedly to following his every order, being just as loyal as Misa Amane and far less impulsive.
Kiyomi Takada is the spokesperson for NHN, the station in Death Note chosen to represent Kira, and she kills almost as many people as Light during her time serving as Kira. Kiyomi's intelligence and loyalty make her incredibly deadly, even without the Shinigami Eyes or any form of ruthless background. Until her final moments, Kiyomi believes she's working towards a better, brighter future together with Light, chosen specifically to be at his side.
2 Light Yagami Is Japan's Best And Brightest Honor Student Attempting To Make Himself A God
Responsible for picking up the titular Death Note and throwing the world into unprecedented chaos, Light Yagami truly believes he's in the right. He uses the notebook to rid the world of anyone he deems evil, later expanding this range to anyone trying to catch him — or simply people he doesn't like, once his god complex is too far out of control.
Light is highly intelligent and knows how to avoid capture, even escaping from seemingly impossible circumstances and clearing suspicion from himself after being detained. He's one of Death Note's deadliest characters because of how far he'll go, combined with how wholeheartedly he believes he's doing the right thing. Ryuk even states that, in the five days before he came to meet Light in the human world, Light wrote more names than he'd ever seen from a human.
1 Teru Mikami Deletes Anyone Who Disagrees With His Black-And-White Views Of Justice
From a young age, Teru Mikami had a strong sense of justice and an inability to sit by when someone was in trouble. At the same time, Mikami is physically weak and easily pushed around by childhood bullies, only reinforcing his idea that the world is unfair and full of rotten people who need to be stopped. If not, they'll just continue to terrorize people — so, with this black-and-white sense of justice and the luck to be selected by Kira himself, Teru Mikami gains the power of the Death Note.
Teru Mikami also takes the Shinigami Eye deal, making him even more deadly than Light due to his ability to gain anyone's name. He's incredibly intelligent, methodical, and possesses an even stronger resolve and sense of justice than Light. Sadly, it's also Teru Mikami's predictable nature that allows Near to take down Kira for good at the end of Death Note.
