Sidoh

Sidoh (シドウ, Shidō) is the Shinigami whose Death Note was stolen by Ryuk. By the time he realizes this, however, the note has already changed hands several times, ending up in the hands of Mello's gang (more specifically, Mello's subordinate, Jack Neylon). After repeatedly hounding Ryuk for its return, he tracks down the gang to get it back. In order to regain his Note, Sidoh agrees to help Mello's gang against Near's SPK and the Kira investigation team. He wears heavy clothing that obscures most of his features, and his head is wrapped in bandages. Obata states that Sidoh's "arms" can be described as insect-like in the way they fold into his body. Though he has "hands", there are only three fingers on each appendage. He is voiced by Kazuki Yao in the Japanese anime and Sam Vincent in the English dub.

Sidoh has a great liking for chocolate, just like Ryuk does for apples, something he shares in common with Mello. Sidoh is fairly timid, being intimidated by Mello despite the fact that Mello is a human. After Light regains the Death Note from Mello, he returns it to Sidoh to keep him from interfering.

Sidoh's name is written in the Japanese How to Read 13 as "Shidoh," and is written "Sidoh" in both the tankōbon character introductions page and within the translated English manga and the translated How to Read 13.

Obata described Sidoh as "very funny," citing the time when Sidoh becomes the first Shinigami to distribute flyers. Obata said he wished that Sidoh appeared more often in the story.

Conception and development of Sidoh
Tsugumi Ohba, writer for Death Note, said that he used Sidoh as another Shinigami appearing in the human world because he liked Sidoh's appearance; Ohba described Daril Ghiroza as a "candidate" and that he wanted a "pretty pathetic" character.

Obata said that when he discovered that another Shinigami would appear on Earth, he filed through designs and nominated Sidoh and Daril Ghiroza. Obata said that he believed that Ghiroza would be chosen and prepared for that decision; instead Ohba selected Sidoh. Obata said that he based Sidoh's design on the appearance of a bird with his mouth being based on a beak of a canary. Obata described Sidoh's foldable arms as more "insect-like."

Trivia

 * Sidoh has the lowest intelligence of all Shinigami: (2/10).