A complete idiot’s guide to Death Note plot holes

Death Note is a wonderful, intriguing series because of all the thought the authors put into devising its intricate world of humans and shinigami. So much thought, in fact, that my brain frequently sizzles and smokes when I try to follow each twist and turn of the very twisted plot. It’s probably inevitable that whenever I chat with someone about this series we end up listing all of the logical inconsistencies and plot holes we can think of. Whether they’re genuine plot holes or just my personal confusion is open to question, but here’s a list of 7 things I’ve been wondering about Death Note. I’m sure everyone who follows this series has their own quibbles, so feel free to post yours in the comments.

There aren’t any spoilers for the anime in what follows, but there is some vague discussion of things that didn’t happen in the manga and the movie. With that in mind…

1) If you’re a criminal and you change your name, which one does Light have to use to kill you?

The series never really defines what a name is. If you legally change your name, does your original name still work? What if the paperwork isn’t on file yet — does the Death Note somehow keep track of when the new name becomes legal? One of the rules states that the Shinigami Eyes see the name needed to kill someone, even for people not in the koseki. This might mean the “legal” name is not the be-all, end-all. However, it seems that nicknames and aliases aren’t good enough; writing “L” in the Death Note clearly doesn’t work. What if you’re Bono — does Light have to use “Paul David Hewson”, or is “Bono” sufficient? What about women who change their names when they get married — does Light have to use their maiden name because that’s the one they were born with?

If only your given name will work — because a name change or nickname like “L” is not your actual name — you might end up in a post-Kira Gedo Senki situation where everyone’s real name is a secret and everyone operates under an official alias.

2) If you have the same name as a famous person, does that mean Kira can never kill you?

Light says he can’t attempt to kill L under the name ‘Hideki Ryuuga’ because it belongs to a famous TV star and he might think of the wrong person by accident. Does that mean a criminal with a really generic name like ‘Suzuki Taro’ is safe? What about people named George Bush?

It doesn’t seem likely that all the criminals Light killed had unique names. I suspect that Light didn’t particularly care if he killed the wrong person by mistake unless it would raise suspicion. It makes me feel sorry for people named John Smith, though.

3) If Light writes down one name and pictures two people’s faces while doing it, which person dies?

This goes under the header of “people who have the same name”. Does Light get a two-fer if he pictures two faces while writing the name? Is there some sort of 51/49 split, where the person Light thinks of the most is the one who dies? It seems that Light doesn’t know quite how this works. He was clearly hesitant to try to kill L under the name ‘Hideki Ryuuga’, even though he would certainly be bending the full weight of his thought into picturing L’s shadow-eyed mug.

4) Given that L spent several years in the UK, how in the world was it possible for him to destroy all photographs of himself?

The UK is one of the most heavily surveilled countries on the planet, with more CCTVs than people by some counts. Given all these video cameras, why can’t Light find a single one with L’s picture?

Another angle: Light played a rousing game of tennis with L at college. We know Light was national champion in middle school, and since the game was close L must be pretty damn good at tennis too. Knowing L spent part of his childhood in England and is a national-class tennis champion, Light still can’t find out who he is or find a single picture? How many Japanese kids go to school in England? And play tennis? Like, 12?

5) On a more ethical note, how does Light know that every alleged criminal he kills is guilty?

It always bothered me that Light, being something of an anal-retentive tensai, accepts at face value the word of the police and media that people are guilty. Granted, he’s evil so he’s not losing sleep over it. Still, there have been numerous criminals freed from death row in the US based on DNA evidence. How many of those guys would Light have killed?

I don’t think the series ever really explores this terrain, possibly because Kira is the villain of the story and he does not question his own motives. It seems strange, though, that it’s never even suggested that Kira killed an innocent person. It would certainly alter the ambiguity of Light’s actions.

6) Broadcasting a criminal’s name and picture is tantamount to a death sentence, so why are the media and police aiding Kira’s murders?

I know that Kira announces (in the manga, at least) that he will begin killing police if the names and faces of criminals are no longer broadcast, but it seems hard to believe anyone would buckle under to such a threat. One can easily imagine the family members of dead suspects suing media organizations for complicity. It would be easy enough to use artist depictions of faces (if they ever figured out that drawings don’t work) when necessary to inform the public what a suspect looks like, or simply put a paper bag over criminals’ heads while transporting them. It’s true that Kira, as Light, had access to the police network the whole time, but I don’t think I’ll ever understand why the authorities don’t attempt to stop Kira in this way.

7) Given that L was easily able to narrow down Kira’s location with the Lind L. Tailor ploy, why didn’t he use the same method to prove that Light is Kira?

The point of the Lind L. Tailor broadcast was that only people living in the Kantou region observed it. When Tailor was murdered on-air, L immediately knew that Kira was in the Kantou region (and had a nasty temper, to boot). L could have easily used the same sort of technique to find out Kira’s identity once he’d narrowed down a list of suspects. Hijack the Yagami household television or Light’s internet connection with information about a criminal not available anywhere else. If the criminal dies, Light is Kira.

Well, I was only able to come up with 7 questions about Death Note, but I’m sure you have your own. Let me know your thoughts and whether any of these might have an explanation. My poor aching brain will thank you!