Myths

Like many series, Death Note is open to myths. They can come from mistranslations, fan speculations or jokes being taken seriously. They can range from an absurd notion to being highly probable. Many of these myths still exist, and will be explained on this page to avoid further confusion. Such myths when sighted on any other page should be corrected. This can be done by clearly stating what the problem is, placing a link to this page, and informing the editor as to what they did wrong.

Unnamed Shinigami's identity
Myth: The Unnamed Shinigami from the Director's Cut is really Light Yagami.

Fact: Nowhere in Death Note does it say that the Unnamed Shinigami is Light. In fact, the end rules of the Notebook state that "After [humans] die, the place they go is MU (nothingness)" and "Once dead, they can never come back to life." Although Light could be an exception to these rules, further information has yet to be revealed. However, some have theorized that the "nothingness" described may be the Shinigami Realm for those who use the Death Note, and "never coming back to life" may mean reincarnation as a Shinigami. Also it has been stated the rules in the Death Note are not necessarily true, such as when they had the fake rules written.

Near is Albino
Myth: Near is an albino. The evidence to support this are his pale hair and skin as well as his slate-grey eyes (which are actually common for albinos), the fact that he is never seen outside (albinos tend to be very sensitive to UV rays), and that he is bad at darts and usually doesn't look those who he is talking to in the eye (signs of bad eyesight, another common thing for albino persons).

Fact: This speculation has been made by a number of fans, but unfortunately it is not confirmed in either the manga nor the anime. Ohba, the creator of Death Note, hasn't commented on this issue, either.

L has Asperger's Syndrome
Myth: L has Asperger's Syndrome, which causes his strange behavior, seeming disregard for social contact and norms, apparent lack of empathy, and extreme intelligence. (As well as other secondary signs like dislike of constricting clothing/shoes, and intense stare)

Fact: While it would seem to be a logical explanation, there is no mention of this in any of the various publications of the story, the chapter 13 biography, or in any publicized interviews or notes about the author.

L has Marfan's Syndrome
Myth: L has Marfan's Syndrome, whose symptoms are 'spidery hands', which are shown throughout the anime, and scoliosis, a curvature in the spine, a slender figure and a higher IQ than normal people. His abnormal obsession for sweets could be explained by the fact that people with Marfan's get lightheaded and can't concentrate when their blood-sugar levels are low.

Fact: It hasn't been confirmed by his creators, and there hasn't been any evidence of any connections to the disease.

Misa has AD/HD
Myth: Amane Misa has Attention Defecit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Fact: While Misa can be extremely hyper sometimes, it is never stated anywhere that she has AD/HD, or any other medical problems.

A and B appear in Rewrite 2: L's Successors
Myth: In the second TV special Rewrite 2: L's Successors, the first generation students A and B are shown at Wammy's.

Fact: Though a character who looks similar to L appears in a small montage (only shown from behind), and a similar (but blond) child is shown watching the laptop in the scene where L speaks to the kids, there is no indication by the anime creative team that either are meant to be A or B, and by this point in time A would have been deceased and B would be in jail due to the LABB case. It should be noted that in the post-series oneshot, (which the mentioned scene is loosely based off of), the blond child was originally a younger Matt. The reason behind the change remains unknown, along with other story changes in the special.

Light's Orientation
Myth: The ever-so-old joke of reversing Light Yagami's name to spell imagaY (I'm A Gay).

Fact: In truth, there is no evidence for or against Light being homosexual. Though Light manipulates Kiyomi Takada and Misa Amane, he never seems to show any true romantic feelings for either of them. While fans of yaoi or shonen-ai pairings tend to adopt this as proof, rather than an unintentional joke, we are given no proof either way. Also, his name meaning is Night God, knowing that, the humorous reversal offers little more than a joke.

Death note Anime and Manga are different realities
Myth: Comparing the Anime and Manga there are slight differences that suggest the makers of the anime wanted to adapt the Manga towards their own satisfactions. Satisfactions that wanted Light Yagami to have an Afterlife (as a Shinigami) and L to go to Heaven.

Fact: In the Manga ending Light’s death all takes place in the warehouse where he was finally unmasked as Kira, and it’s where Ryuk says to light that all Humans go to “MU (Nothingness)”. However in the Anime ending Light escapes the warehouse and later dies on a stairway and Ryuk’s statement of “MU (Nothingness)” was not said at all.

Also in the final episode of the anime version of Death Note, L’s spirit is seen standing in front of Light (suggesting Heaven exists) as he is dying (as if to say L won in the end or that he was Light’s friend and L was there to make sure Light didn’t die alone). This never happened in the Manga.

These differences were made possibly because the Death Note Anime makers wanted Light and L to have an afterlife, so they ended it in a way that made all this “MU (Nothingness)” irrelevant in the Anime therefore this could have lead to the existence of the Unnamed Shinigami seen in the Director's Cut and the appearance of L’s spirit seen the ending anime episode.

American Film Adaptation
Myth: An American film adaptation of Death Note is going to be made with Zac Efron as Light.

Fact: An American film adaptation of Death Note is planned for 2011, but it is unknown who any of the cast will be yet.

Tsugumi Ohba is Hiroshi Gamou
Myth: Tsugumi Ohba is the alias of Hiroshi Gamou, author of ''Tottemo! Luckyman''.

Fact: Some speculate this, but there is little to no evidence to support this. The rumor apparently started due to a sign the campus of To'oh University that reads "Gamou Seminar" (manga). However, there are many stories with references to seminars and other things named Gamou, that have no relation to Death Note.