Hitoshi Demegawa

"Listen to me. The reason my shows get the ratings is because I do stories the other networks won't touch!"

- Hitoshi Demegawa

Hitoshi Demegawa (出目川 仁, Demegawa Hitōshi) is a publicity hound and director of Sakura TV.

Appearance
Demegawa is a rather short and heavy-set man, with black hair and glasses. He is initially seen wearing casual clothing with a letterman jacket, which sports a large 'H' on the left side. He later begins wearing a white robe once the show Kira's Kingdom begins to air.

Character
Demegawa is very greedy, and uses the feelings of the public to his advantage, sometimes even risking the lives of others to get good ratings for Sakura TV. For example, when Soichiro Yagami arrives at the TV station to get the tapes sent by the Second Kira, Demegawa initially refuses to hand them over. When Demegawa tells Soichiro that Kira would kill him if he didn't air the tapes, Soichiro responds by saying that there are more lives at risks than just his. However, he still refuses to give them up, causing Soichiro to resort to holding Demegawa at gunpoint in order to finally receive the tapes from him. Later on he goes as far as to rally "Kira worshipers" (who are more of a violent mob, rather than actual worshipers) to attack the SPK's headquarters in the name of Kira, although the initial goal is lost once Near has money thrown out of the building, causing Demegawa and the group to forget why they were there in the first place. Demegawa later begins construction of a large temple-like building (supposedly in the name of Kira), and asks for viewers of Kira's Kingdom to show their support by sending monitary donations for its creation. Though, as viewer and Task Force member Matsuda notes, this is likely little more than a scam.

Plot
Demegawa initially appears when Misa Amane sends four videotapes to Sakura TV in order to gain attention from the real Kira, and approves of broadcasting the tapes on live TV. However, he is forced to hand the tapes over to Soichiro, who crashes a police wagon into the studio and threatens him at gunpoint.

Demegawa reappears after L's death, serving as Kira's spokesman for a while and even creating new programs in "honor" of Kira. Demegawa also leads the raid on Near's headquarters with Kira's supporters, but like all the other rioters, is distracted by the money that Near throws down. Later, Mikami kills him for being greedy, by using the Death Note to cause him to die by choking to death, and he is replaced by Takada.

Death Note: The Last Name
Demegawa's character is also present in the second film, but is portrayed in a fashion quite different to the manga and anime. Namely his appearance and the fact that he does not die like in the other versions. However, he is still greedy, as seen when he sleeps with a coworker who wanted a better position.

Trivia

 * Matt, Wedy, Yamanaka, Ukita, and Demegawa are the only characters in the series known to smoke. (Note: In the anime, the scene where Ukita smoked wasn't shown.)