Summary
Death Notehas one of the most fast-moving and unique storylines in anime,capturing viewers' attention spans effortlessly with a whirlwind of mystery. When Ryuk, a Shinigami who lives in another realm, drops a Death Note journal, it falls into the human world. Light Yagami, an ordinary high school student, gets his hands on the book and chaos quickly ensues as he devotes himself to wiping out every criminal in the world using the book’s deadly powers.
Ryuk is one of the most interesting and impactful characters inDeath Note.If he had not let the journal fall into Light’s hands in the first place, none of the story would have occurred in the way that it did. However, some people do not realize Ryuk’s true motives for dropping the book.
Although some may think the Shinigami allowed Light to come across the Death Note because of malice or some conniving plan to end humanity, this is not the case. Ryuk’s real reason for becoming involved in Light’s scheme is far more innocent and surprising:he was just bored.
Ryuk Allowed Light to Get His Hands on the Death Note Purely Out of Boredom
The Shinigami Was Simply Looking for Entertainment
Death Notestarts off on this note of boredom intentionally, with the mangaka, Tsugumi Ohba, choosing this emotion to influence both Light and Ryuk’s actions. The very first chapter of the manga is aptly titled “Boredom,” making this message crystal clear to readers that the characters are desperately seeking some form of excitement, leading to the Death Note journal situation occurring. Ohba stated,“there was no hesitation in choosing this title ‘Boredom’ for the first chapter,“as he felt it was the best tone to start the story off on because it made the characters' intentions evident from the get-go.
Ryuk was feeling stuck in a cycle of monotony in the Shinigami realm, so he dropped the journal to see if he could stir up some trouble down on earth, which is a goal that he certainly achieved. Light himself was confused by Ryuk’s motives, but the Shinigami was always very forthcoming with his intentions and told Light that the Shinigami realm is not as exciting a place as one would expect. Most of the creatures laze their days away on tedious activities like gambling and sleeping, so there was no other alternative way for Ryuk to spend his endless hours.
Ryuk and Light’s Actions Are Both Heavily Motivated by Boredom
Shockingly, These Two Very Different Characters Share Matching Mindsets
Ryuk was not the only character plagued by boredom. Light himself was feeling the same way, creatingan intriguing link between these two different characters.Light was so intelligent that school often seemed to bore him, and he happened to be staring out the classroom window the day the Death Note cascaded down from the Shinigami realm because he was not interested in what was going on in class. Light obtained the journal purely by chance because he happened to find it first, but it does seem like a stunning coincidence that he and Ryuk, two extremely disinterested individuals, found each other.
Since he is a terrifying Shinigami with a book that can kill humans, some viewers may have started theDeath Noteseries assuming that Ryuk was the villain or had some evil scheme to corrupt humanity. However,Ryuk made it abundantly clear that he really was just boredand would not attempt to influence Light’s actions. He let the boy act as he pleased, only cautioning him about Death Note rules. He refused to help Light and declined to reveal L’s full first and last name to help Light unless he gave Ryuk some of his lifespan, which Light would not do.
10 Best Death Note Episodes of All Time, Ranked
Death Note has become a truly iconic series, and these ten episodes contain the most shocking twists, interesting interactions, and amazing scenes.
Ryuk Refused to Help Light, But Also Made No Effort to Stop His Evil Actions
The Shinigami Chose to Simply Stand By and Watch the Situation Unfold Naturally, Without Ever Interfering
One of Ryuk’smost common quotes inDeath Noteis,“Humans are so interesting.“This quote indicates that the Shinigami did indeed take pleasure and morbid fascination in watching Light implode his own life and destroy the lives of others. Ryuk had the opportunity to stop Light’s actions but chose not to, deciding to instead watch the horrific situation play out naturally for his own amusement. This could arguably make Ryuk a villain of the series too. Although he took an uninvolved approach and let Light make his own decisions, he did not try to stop human suffering.
With Ryuk’s aid and powers, Light could have been truly unstoppable, able to discover anyone’s full name with the “Shinigami eyes” skill he could have granted to him. However, Ryuk denied Light’s request and refused to help the killer unless he benefited from the interaction. Light also stubbornly asserted that he would not give up any of his lifespan to the Shinigami, so Ryuk did not assist Light in his plans at all,just standing by watching and laughing.The Shinigami certainly got the dramatic spectacle he was hoping for, watching the downfall of Light’s life untilKira’s final fare at the end of the series.
Both Ryuk and Light Are Motivated by Their Own Selfish Desires
These Characters' Inner Motivations Are Surprisingly Quite Similar
Ryuk differs from other Shinigami in the series, likeMisa’s Shinigami named Rem, and Gelus, who fell in love with Misa after watching her from the Shinigami Realm. Gelus and Rem were motivated by their love for Misa and a deep desire to protect her from harm. Both of them died for Misa’s sake, sacrificing themselves to keep the girl safe and happy. Ryuk is very different in this way, as he never would have considered dying for Light or anyone else.
Ryuk is a character purely motivated by his own selfish desires, which ironically makes him surprisingly similar to Light, despite the aura of “savior” that the protagonist ofDeath Notetried to build around himself.
