Raye Penber

Ray Penber is an FBI agent investigating Light early on in the story.

Appearance
Penber has black hair and light colored eyes. Penber is American, though he has a Japanese mother. Light notices a distinct accent in Penber's voice.

Plot
Penber is about to stop investigating Light Yagami, since Light appears to be a normal, serious university-bound student that only goes to school and a preparatory academy. While following Light, who appears to be going on a date, Penber decides that after today he will no longer investigate him.

Penber boards the bus after Light with his date, and takes a seat behind the couple. Soon after, a man boards the bus. The man pulls out a gun and points it to the driver, taking the bus hostage. The bus driver is forced to call Space Land (the amusement park the bus is headed to) and report the situation. The bus driver explains that he is being held at gunpoint before the busjacker takes the pnone. The busjacker says that the driver is telling the truth and to bring the financial reports of Space Land to the bus stop that is before the stop prior to reaching Space Land; if they call the cops or do not comply, he will kill everyone on the bus. Light shows his date a note telling her that she should not worry, and that he will attack the busjackers hand that's holding the gun. Penber sees the note and tells Light not to do that, and that he (Penber) will handle the situation. Light begins writing on a piece of paper, and Penber tells Light that he doesn't have to write notes, because the busjacker can't hear their voice over the sound of the bus. Light crumbles the paper and puts it in his pocket, then tells Penber that he can tell from his accent that he isn't Japanese. Penber says that he is Japanese American, and Light replies by asking if Penber can prove that he isn't the busjackers partner. Light's date reacts in disbelief and Light explains that a tactic for criminals is to have one criminal act while the other hides and waites in secret, appearing as a bystander. Light asks Penber if he is the busjackers partner. Penber, thinking that Light is not Kira or he would have killed the criminal by now, decides that he has no choice. Penber takes out his FBI badge and shows it to Light to prove that he isn't the busjackers accomplice. Light says that he believes him, but that he doesn't know why the FBI is here. Light asks Penber if he has a gun, to which he responds yes. Light replies that he will leave the situation to him.

Penber begins thinking and decides that he can't use his gun until the last second. His thoughts then turn towards the Kira investigation, and he wonders why the police think Kira is in Japan even though more American criminals have died. He believes that even if the FBI were used to find the killer, the killer wouldn't be somebody in the Japanese police. Penber turns his thoughts back to the situation at hand, telling himself that saving lives right now is more important. Penber looks toward the busjacker and recalls that he was on the news a few days ago for robbing a bank and fleeing the scene after killing three people. Meanwhile, Light puts his hand into his pocket, then takes it back out, causing his piece of paper to fall onto the floor. The busjacker watches as Light tries to pick it up, and yells at Light to not move. The busjacker picks up the paper and thinks that they are passing notes. Penber recognizes the paper as the one that Light used earliear with his date, and becomes worried. Penber puts his hand into his jacket, seemingly to reach his gun. However, the busjacker laughes and throwes the paper back at Light, which the busjacker then believes to be a date invitation to go to Space Land using the bus station south of the park. The busjacker tells everyone to not make any sudden movements or else. The busjacker turns around and suddenly begins screaming in panic, asking what that "thing" is at the far back of the bus. He begins asking it when he appeared, to which Ryuk replies by asking if he is talking to him. Ryuk asks the busjacker if he can see him, and the busjacker, appearing scared tells Ryuk to not move and that he will shoot him. Penber says that the busjacker is hallucinating, and warns everyone on the bus to get down. Ryuk, finally understanding Light's plan notes that Light intended for the busjacker to pick up a piece of the Death Note. The busjacker begins shooting at Ryuk, and Ryuk says that bullets can not kill a Shinigami. As the busjacker continues to shoot, Ryuk notes that he told this to Light, and thinks it clever that Light had constructed this situation to reveal the name of the man that has been following him. Penber sees that the busjacker has used up all of his bullets, and prepares to act. However, the busjacker flees the bus and onto the road where he is immediately hit by a car.

Penber stands near the door of the bus, and as Light exits tells Light that he is on a secret mission. Light says that he understands and will not tell anyone that they met, not even his father. Penber smiles before telling Light that he is leaving because things could get complicated if he is here when the police come.

After the bus jacking, Penber returns home and is welcomed by his fiancée. While sitting down tiredly in a chair, Naomi asks him if something happened at work. Penber says that he was caught in a bus jacking and that the guy hit a bank two days ago. Naomi appears worried, asking if he was on the same bus as the busjacker; he says yes but that the man ran off the bus and was hit by a car. Naomi asks if he is dead, and Penber explains that he probably is, but he left the scene before the police arrived and didn't see what happened afterwards. Naomi says that she wonders if it really was a coincidence, and says "you were following someone when you got on the bus, right? And now that criminal is likely dead..." Penber says that he knows she was an outstanding FBI agent, but now she is his fiance. He tells her to not involve herself in the investigation, since he is concerned for her well-being and because she went to Japan with Penber to see her parents. Naomi apologizes, and Penber says that she shouldn't worry about it as once they start a family, she won't have time to think about having been an agent. He jokingly says that she should think of a way for him to greet her father so that they get along, and she begins to laugh.

At 3:00 PM on December 27, 2003, while wearing a hood to obscure his identity, Light Yagami as Kira holds Penber hostage in an underground section of the Shinjuku Station. Light appears behind Penber (unaware that it is Light) and tells him that he is Kira, then instructs him to not turn around. Light says that he will prove his identity by killing Yonegoro Nusumi, an employee at a shop labeled "Cafeel" with a heart attack; Nusumi had raped women but escaped a court conviction due to a lack of evidence. The shop employee dies. Having proved to Penber that he is Kira, Light threatens Penber by stating that non-compliance would lead to Ray's death, the death of Ray's love, and the deaths of Ray's family. Light leads Penber through a turnstile in the western entrance at 3:11 PM. Penber enters a train on the Yamanote Line at 3:13. Penber obtains the names of the other FBI investigators, and unknowingly writes them on the Death Note page, securing their deaths. Penber receives the FBI file at 3:21 PM, and Penber is the second FBI agent that receives the file. At 4:42 PM, Penber dies from a heart attack three seconds after he exits the train, and his last sight is that of Light's face.

The death of Penber was a major turning point of the story, as L deduced an incredible amount from it later on.

Ray in the "Death Note film"
In the film series, he is known as Raye Iwamatsu and played by Shigeki Hosokawa. Iwamatsu is a counterterrorism agent headquartered in Dallas, Texas. His date of death is also changed to December 27, 2006, as L's video recording in the first film shows. In the film, Iwamatsu tells Misora that he suspects Light; this allows for Misora to suspect Light and to find Shiori. Iwamatsu, portrayed by Shigeki Hosokawa, cancels his reservations and leaves the hotel, causing a perplexed Misora to follow him. Iwamatsu boards the train at 10:40 A.M. at Asakabashi Station and encounters Kira while on the train. Iwamatsu does not see Kira, instead, he talks to him using a walkie-talkie. Light has the man sitting next to Iwamatsu, Ozaki, killed and tells Iwamatsu to prop Ozaki's body so that it looks like he is sleeping. Light threatens to kill other passengers if Iwamatsu does not cooperate. Iwamatsu receives an e-mail containing names of the other FBI agents investigating Kira. Iwamatsu notices Ryuk as he briefly looks through a window. He then places the paper and walkie talkie on the train, exits at Shinagawa Park and dies three seconds later; Misora witnesses his death, drops her church documents, and cries "Ray!" repeatedly as she holds Iwamatsu's dead body. Misora collapses and sobs at the end of the scene. Light kills the other FBI agents in Japan and Iwamatsu's supervisor along with Iwamatsu.

Conception
Ohba said that at the beginning he thought of the idea of the FBI going after Light, and so he created Penber to fill the plot point.

Obata said that as Penber was of mixed American and Japanese descent, Obata "struggled over his design" and tried to make Penber look more non-Japanese. Obata said that he wishes that he could have "drawn him a bit better."

Trivia

 * In the Japanese anime version, his identification card signature is firstly spelled "Ray Penbar", although then it's corrected in the next episode. The English version corrects the signature to read "Ray Penber."