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It’s no secret why Death Note is among the most popular anime shows of all time. The show offers an exciting mix of action and mystery. It’s also packed with three-dimensional characters that are incredibly relatable. Many anime fans are always on the hook, waiting on how the story unfolds during its release. I was also among the fans of the series because of its commendable execution and brilliant storytelling.
Both the anime and manga offered a refreshing take on justice and corruption. It depicts the world not as black-and-white but explores humans’ complexities and true nature. Just like most manga and anime shows, Death Note features an extensive list of fictional characters. One of which is Misa Amane.
Are you interested to know more about her? Check out this guide as I discuss everything you need to know about her, including her appearance, personality, motivations, character design, and more.
Bottom Line Up Front
Misa Amane (弥 海砂, Amane Misa) is a famous actress, up-and-coming model, and Kira’s biggest supporter. Eventually, she became the second Kira after gaining a Death Note. She makes it her mission to find the first Kira to thank him for killing the man who murdered her family. Misa is quite brilliant and seemingly unpredictable; she possesses Shinigami Eyes, Death Note, and excellent video editing skills.
Despite her nature, she is like every other young girl who likes to shop and spend time with her beau, Light Yagami. Because of her love for Light, she even sacrificed herself and committed suicide. She committed several crimes as the second Kira, such as mass murder, vigilantism, conspiracy, aiding and abetting, obstruction of justice, and even stalking.
Who is Misa Amane?
Misa is one of the antagonists in Death Note. As a well-known Japanese idol and supermodel, she manages to use her influence and unsuspecting looks as the second Kira. She even booked different acting gigs and modeled for luxury brands despite being busy as the second Kira.
Her gothic style, ecstatic personality, and pleasing looks are just one of the reasons why many Death Note fans love her. When she knew the real identity of Light as Kira, she went head over heels for him. She was delighted and extremely thankful that Light killed her parent’s murderer.
Because of this, Misa devoted her life to helping Light in every way possible. She offered half her life to earn the Shinigami Eyes, a power that allows her to see everyone’s name and lifespan.
Misa Amane: Appearance, Personality, Quotes, and More
Appearance
Misa doesn’t look scary and intimidating like most criminals. She looks just like every other young girl. Her short and slender built and attractive face doesn’t scream villainous at all. Misa is even a goth-version of a kawaii-girl. She wears her hair in pigtails tied with red bands.
Her anime and manga looks might have some subtle differences. For instance, she sports brunette hair in the anime at one point. Aside from this, her eyes are predominantly light brown (or sometimes green) in the manga; however, her eyes alternate between golden brown and blue in the anime.
One of her most notable features is her Shinigami Eyes. Whenever she uses this, her eyes turn bright red, which helps her see anyone’s name and lifespan. While she often wears gothic and punk clothes, this gradually changed after the time skipped. Of course, Misa isn’t Misa without makeup; you would immediately spot her in bright red lipstick.
Personality
Unlike Light, Misa is an outgoing and friendly girl. While she is smart, she has hyperactive, impulsive, and childish tendencies. She often speaks in the third person, referring to herself as Misa-Misa.
Many people also consider her as dumb as she blindly follows Light. However, Misa has shown moments of intelligence. She has successfully tricked many people using her looks and a false sense of gullibility to bend to her will. She even made Kyosuke Higuchi reveal his true identity as the Yotsuba Kira. Despite all these, she’s pretty flawed and careless as the second Kira.
She might look harmless and pleasant to others, but she can be pretty cruel. Her attitude tends to shift quickly. Often, she tells Light not to date anyone or else she’ll kill the other girls he dates.
Quotes
Though Misa isn’t remarkably smart as the other main characters like Light or L, her words shine through. Aside from her power possessing the Shinigami Eyes, she played a pivotal role in the story.
Misa’s radical views and poignant thoughts are pretty refreshing to revisit. Here are some of the great quotes that were loved by many fans:
“I think I’ve been totally wrong about you this whole time.”
“How about stop killing the criminals? Kira would be able to do that, right?”
“It’s going really well. I just need to keep it up.”
“Once Kira’s caught, you’re not going to be able to get away either. You’ll probably get the death penalty.”
“I hate evil and love justice. I do not consider the police as my enemies, but my allies against evil.”
“Careful what you do, cuz “god” is watching your every move. Hold my hand in the dark street, for if you do, I know that I’ll be safe. Even if I’m far away and alone, I can be sure that you’ll find me there; this I know.”
“You can’t buy peace and love with money, you know!”
(To L) “If Light were Kira… awesome. I’ve always been grateful to Kira for punishing the man who killed my parents. If Light was Kira, then I’d love him even more.”
These words highlight her persona and character. They also express her motivations and vision about justice and morality. All of these make her a relatable and interesting character.
Powers and Weapons
Shinigami Eyes
The Eyes of the Shinigami are unique powers bestowed on Misa through her deal with Shinigami Rem. Because of this power, she can now see the names and lifespans of humans. This makes it easier for her to write down her victims’ names in the Death Note.
Misa can see every person’s name with the Shinigami Eyes, even if they’re not in the family registry. So, it only implies that anyone who doesn’t have an official name can still be killed using the Death Note.
However, there is a limitation to this power. Anyone who possesses Shinigami Eyes cannot see their lifespan or the lifespans of other Death Note owners. Misa, having Shinigami Eyes, also had an enhanced visual acuity of over 72/20.
Death Note
The Death Note is a supernatural notebook used as a weapon to kill a person. Its primary purpose is to take human life and increase the lifespan of the Shinigami who use it. However, if any human uses the Death Note, in this case, Misa, her lifespan wouldn’t increase. She’ll only have the ability to kill anyone by writing their name on the Death Note.
There are a lot of rules to follow when using the Death Note, and the King of Death makes and controls these rules.
History
Misa witnessed an incredibly traumatic experience a year before the story began. She saw her family murdered during an attempted home robbery. Her parents’ murderer wasn’t put in prison because the trial went on for a long time.
Reports even began to resurface that the murderer was falsely accused of the crime. However, Kira’s vigilantism came to Misa’s rescue. She felt justice had been served after Kira killed her parents’ murderer. Because of this, she became one of Kira’s loyalists.
One night, Misa was alone when she stumbled upon an obsessed, knife-wielding stalker. She amicably rejected the stalker, but he was enraged and attempted to kill her. Gelus, a Shinigami who was in love with her, was watching her in the Shinigami Realm and wrote down the name of the stalker, saving Misa’s life.
Since there’s a rule that Shinigamis aren’t meant to shorten human lifespans, Gelus eventually turned to ashes and left his Death Note behind. Interestingly, Gelus’ lifespan was passed on to Misa, which extends her lifespan way past the average human being. Another Shinigami, Rem, witnessed Gelus’ selfless act and thought that the person worthy of Gelus’ Death Note was Misa.
When Light chose Misa to be the second Kira, Rem stayed with Misa and became her trusted adviser.
Character Design
The artists of Death Note, Tsugumi Ohba, and Takeshi Obata want to capitalize on the Gothic Lolita concept. It highlights the dark imagery of the Shinigamis and their realm. Ohba also emphasizes that he is into “that kind of fashion.”
They were inspired by checking different Gothic Lolita magazines when drawing and designing Misa’s character. Obata imagined a unique fusion of two mainstream ideas: an energetic and bubbly Japanese artist and a foreign rock and roll singer. As he began to draw Misa, he felt that his design fits Misa’s personality.
Later on, they decided to shy away from the pop-rock singer and focused on making Misa look like a famous actress and a top idol — especially in Near and Mello’s story arc.
Interesting Trivia Facts about Misa Amane
1. She’s emotionally and mentally scarred
While Misa appears to be bubbly and cheerful, she went through serious trauma after seeing the vicious murder of her parents. She went into a horrible phase of depression when she learned that the criminal who murdered her parents was acquitted of the crime.
This depression fueled her to seek revenge in different means and only ended when Kira punished her parents’ killer. Because of this, Misa developed an unhealthy attachment and intense feelings for him. She was even willing to be his accomplice in his mission to cleanse the world of any evil.
2. She killed herself
It’s common knowledge that Misa was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1984. However, not many Death Note fans knew she died, because the manga didn’t explicitly show her death.
She was supposed to live a longer and fuller life, considering Gelus’ added lifespan, yet she chose to shorten her life for the Shinigami Eyes. This only highlights her obsession to help Light that she’s willing to sacrifice anything, even her life, just for him.
True enough, Misa’s attachment to Light has been her downfall. She became tremendously depressed after Light’s passing and attempted suicide on February 14, 2011. Ironically, she was born on Christmas Day and died on Valentine’s Day.
3. Her eye color changes ever so often
Indeed, your eyes are a window to your soul. Misa’s eye color frequently changes and could mean that she wears contact lenses. Sometimes, you can notice her natural brown eyes turn brown when working. They even turn bright red when she uses the power of the Shinigami Eyes. Her eyes also appeared to be green, dark brown, and even pink in the anime.
4. She’s more than just a pretty face
Of course, there’s no doubt that Misa is gorgeous — even a Shinigami fell in love with her. Misa’s fans are familiar with her modeling career as she looks adorable in everything she models. However, not many realize that she is also highly talented. Aside from modeling and acting, Misa is also a well-known singer.
FAQs
Question: Why did Misa Amane kill herself?
Answer: Misa’s will to live was solely dependent on Light’s existence. Her obsession with Light and his mission was one of her motivations to keep going. After Light’s death, she saw no reason to live and fell into deep despair. She believed that she had nothing left to live for, and her loneliness fueled her thoughts.
In the manga, she died of suicide slightly over a year after Light’s death. However, her death wasn’t shown in the anime, but it is strongly implied that she died by jumping off a building. You’ll notice in episode 25 Misa was standing on the ledge of a tall building, looking at the horizon.
Question: Is Misa a good character?
Answer: As a villain, Misa was both clever and sloppy. Her childish personality and impulsiveness can get in the better of things, yet she possesses an entertaining trope. She’s a perfect antagonist to balance out Light’s serious and calculated nature. I believe she plays an integral role and adds exciting detail to the story.
Question: Why do people not like Misa Amane?
Answer: Many people hate Misa mainly because of her personality. She’s never discreet in being the second Kira and is highly obsessed with Light. Undoubtedly, she is among the most powerful characters in the story because of her Shinigami Eyes.
Question: How many people did Misa kill?
Answer: Misa killed a total of 22 people. She killed seven people by assault. Through this method, her most notable kills are Kazuhiko Hibima, Seiji Kumaizumi, and Ukita. She prefers not to choose a form of killing as most of her kills are due to a heart attack. This is the default cause of death when the user writes their victim’s name.
Aside from that, she also killed 15 people to silence them. She gets more creative in choosing the cause of death as she picks different reasons, such as getting hit by a car and jumping to their death.
Question: How old is Misa Amane?
Answer: In the manga and anime, Misa is only 19 years old before the time skip. She turned 24 years old after the time skip. However, her age in different adaptations varies. For instance, she was 19 years old when the film series started and 29 years old when it ended. On the other hand, she’s 17 years old in Netflix’s adaptation.
Misa Death Note Guide: Bottomline
Death Note explores the reflection of our own lives with its longing for peace yet a strong desire for vengeance. It highlights that the world is neither black nor white. Misa’s character is a clear representation of a false sense of justice.
As one of the antagonists in Death Note, she perfectly encapsulates how power destroys us. Her adoration blinds her concept of morality. Yet, you can never underestimate her role and ability to lend a helping hand, especially to Light. She might look cute and bubbly, but she’s more than what meets the eye.