Shinigami (Death Note)

This article is about a major class of fictional characters from the "Death Note" anime and manga; for more general information, please see Shinigami.

One of interesting concepts in the popular manga and anime series Death Note is the idea of death gods as living breeding entities with their own personality and variations in appearances.

While Shinigami are generally inspired by the European character of the Grim Reaper, in Death Note they acquire very specific attributes and even a strict society, being demon-like characters who live in the Shinigami Realm. To increase their life-span, the Shinigami write the names of humans in their Death Notes, thus killing the human and extending their own life by the amount of time the human had left to live. However, because the Shinigami realm is incredibly dull, this act is usually laughed at, and thus done in privacy. Shinigami cannot be killed by physical methods, such as stabbing or shooting, and must follow a strict set of rules if they want to live without punishment.

Ryuk

Voiced by: Shidō Nakamura (Japanese), Brian Drummond (English)

Ryuk (リューク, Ryūku) is the Shinigami who dropped a Death Note in the human realm, which was then discovered by Light. It was revealed that Ryuk did it out of boredom, as there was little to do in the Shinigami realm. Ryuk was also found to have tricked the Shinigami King into receiving a second Death Note that would be used by Light, as well as access to the human realm. Ryuk has a great fondness for apples, and will behave unusually if he goes for too long without eating one (for example, he does hand stands or his body twists randomly). He says apples are to Shinigami as cigarettes and liquor are to humans. He also states that he is shy around girls, and it is clear that he likes video games. For a time, he was Mikami's personal Shinigami, as well as Misa's (Misa made the deal with him.)

At the end of the series (and the movie), Light begs Ryuk to use the Death Note to save him. Ryuk, however, reminds Light that he will never help him, and that it will be Ryuk who will end Light's life. Ryuk then tells Light that humans go nowhere (to nothingness) when they die and after writing Light's name in the Death Note, returns to the Shinigami Realm. In the anime, Ryuk watches from atop a tower and writes Light's name in his Death Note, causing him to die in an abandoned building.

Rem

File:Rem.gif

Rem

Voiced by: Kimiko Saitō (Japanese), Colleen Wheeler (English)

Rem (レム, Remu) is the Shinigami who first gives Misa her Death Note and "eyes." Similar to Ryuk, Rem possesses two Death Notes; however, she purposely gives a Death Note to Misa. Rem inherited her second Death Note from Jealous, another Shinigami who died when he saved Misa's life, and thought it only right to pass it on to Misa. Oddly enough, Rem inherits Jealous' love for Misa as well and is prompt to defend Misa even at the cost of her life. She shows this when she openly shows her lack of trust for Light stating that if Misa dies before her time, Rem will kill Light. Rem died after she was tricked by Light into killing L and Watari to protect Misa.

In the manga, Rem is often referred to as "him" but, tells Misa that she is actually a female Shinigami, though, in the movie her gender is not mentioned.

Jealous

Voiced by: Ken'ichi Matsuyama

File:Death Note Jealous.png

Jealous

Jealous (ジェラス, Jerasu) only appears in a flashback when Rem explains a method to kill a Shinigami. In the flashback, Rem recalls Jealous watching over a younger Misa Amane in the human world. Surprised by his concern, Rem eventually looked over Jealous's shoulder and witnesses what should have been Misa Amane's last moments on Earth. Apparently infatuated with Misa, Jealous used his Death Note to kill Misa's destined murderer. Moments later, Jealous himself turned to a pile of sand and rust as punishment for extending a human life. Rem took Jealous's Death Note and gave it to Misa because it was her that he saved.

Jealous' name is commonly misspelled "Gelus," which is what Jealous' name was romanized to until Death Note: How to Read 13 revealed the official spelling as Jealous.

Shidoh

Voiced by: Kazuki Yao

Shidoh (シドウ, Shidō) is a Shinigami whose Death Note was stolen by Ryuk. In fact, Ryuk took Shidoh's Note and gave it to Light Yagami, which became Higuchi's note and was finally passed on to Mello's gang (more specifically, Mello's subordinate, Kal Snyder (also known as Jack Neylon). Shidoh has a great liking for chocolate, just like Ryuk does for apples. Since Shidoh has neglected to kill people and extend his own lifetime, he probably did not notice that his Note was stolen. As the end of his lifetime approaches, Shidoh has found Ryuk and has learned that Mello is in possession of his Note. Later, Shidoh finds the owner of his Note, Kal Snyder, in the human world. In order to regain his Note, Shidoh agrees to help Mello's gang against the SPK and L (Light). After Light regained the Death Note from Mello, he returned the note to Shidoh in order for him to stop interfering and return to the Shinigami world. Although in the manga these events occurred over the course of about one volume, in the anime Shidoh was only in two episodes (episode 28 where he was merely introduced in the last few minutes of the episode, and episode 29, which relays most events of Shidoh's regaining of his Death Note).

Shidoh's name is written in English as "Shidoh" in Death Note: How to Read 13, but written "Sidoh" in both the Tankōbon character introductions page and within the translated English manga.

Armonia Jastin Beyondllemason (Jastin the Jewel Skeleton)

Voiced by: Hideyuki Umezu

Though only appearing for a brief segment in Volume 8, Armonia Jastin Beyondllemason provides Shidoh with several scrolls describing the various rules that Shinigami have for interacting with humans. He also informs Shidoh that his Death Note was indeed stolen by the Shinigami Ryuk. Shidoh uses the information to guide his interactions with Mello in the human world. In the anime he shows up for only a few minutes and at the end he says "I'll never understand that guy", meaning Ryuk (In the english Dub).

Shinigami Rules

The owner of the note can recognize the image and voice of its original owner, i.e. a Shinigami.

The person in possession of the DEATH NOTE is possessed by a Shinigami, its original owner, until they die.

If a human uses the note, a Shinigami usually appears in front of him/her within 39 days after he/she uses the note.

A Shinigami has no obligation to completely explain how to use the note or rules which will apply to the human who owns it.

A Shinigami can extend his life by putting human names on the note, but humans cannot.

A Shinigami cannot be killed even if stabbed in his heart with a knife or shot in the head with gun. However, there are ways to kill a Shinigami, which are not generally known to the Shinigami.

The Shinigami must at least own one DEATH NOTE. That DEATH NOTE must never be lent to or written on by a human.

If the Shinigami decides to use the DEATH NOTE to kill the assassin of an individual he favors, the individual's life will be extended, but the Shinigami will die.

The dead Shinigami will disappear, but the DEATH NOTE will remain. The ownership of this DEATH NOTE is usually carried over to the next Shinigami that touches it, but it is common sense that it is returned to the Great Shinigami.

Only by touching each other's DEATH NOTE can human individuals who own the DEATH NOTE in the human world recognize the appearance or voice of each other's Shinigami.

The Shinigami must not tell humans the names or life spans of individuals he sees. This is to avoid confusion in the human world.

It is prerequisite for the DEATH NOTE used in the human world that a living Shinigami makes sure that the humans in the human world use it.

It is extremely unlikely that a Shinigami who has possessed a human could die, but if he should die, the DEATH NOTE that he brought into the human world will not lose its power.

If an individual with ownership of more than two DEATH NOTES loses possession to one of the DEATH NOTES, he will not be able to recognize that DEATH NOTE's Shinigami's appearance or voice anymore. The Shinigami himself will leave, but all the memory involving that DEATH NOTE will remain as long as he maintains ownership of at least one other DEATH NOTE.

The Shinigami must not stay in the human world without a particular reason. Conditions to stay in the human world are as follows:

1. When the Shinigami's DEATH NOTE is handed to a human. 2. Essentially, finding a human to pass on the DEATH NOTE should be done from the world of the Shinigami, but if it is within 82 hours this may also be done in the human world. 3. When a Shinigami stalks an individual with an intention to kill them, as long as it is within 82 hours of haunting them, the Shinigami may stay in the human world.

The Shinigami must not hand the DEATH NOTE directly to a child under 6 years of age (based on the human calendar).

If a person loses possession of a DEATH NOTE, they will not recognize the Shinigami by sight or voice any more. If however, the owner lets someone else touch his DEATH NOTE, from that time on, that person will recognize the Shinigami.

The owner of the DEATH NOTE cannot be killed by a Shinigami who is living in the world of the Shinigami.

Also, a Shinigami who comes to the human world, in the objective to kill the owner of the DEATH NOTE, will not be able to do so.

Only a Shinigami that has passed on their DEATH NOTE to a human is able to kill the owner of the DEATH NOTE.

There are male and female Shinigami, but it is neither permitted, nor possible for them to have sexual relations with humans. The Shinigami also cannot have sex with each other.