Reiji Namikawa

Reiji Namikawa (奈南川 零司, Namikawa Reiji) is one of the eight members of the Yotsuba Group.

Character
Namikawa is the Vice President of Sales at Yotsuba and is described in Death Note: How to Read 13 as the "most talented" of the board members who has the potential to "make it to the top" without Kira.

One of Namikawa's most notable features is his intelligence. He is highly knowledgeable. At one point, he is able to fool Light (pretending to be L at the time) into revealing that Kyosuke Higuchi was the prime suspect of the Kira investigation team, much to the amusement of the real L. He is perhaps one of very few people able to trick someone like L, a detective well-known for his own intelligence. At that point, Namikawa jokes that he is surprised that even L can be fooled (not knowing he actually tricked Light instead). He has tremendous social skills and an impressive ability to influence others.

Namikawa spent six years in the United States and graduated from Harvard University's Business Department. His father is the president of Yotsuba's United States division. Namikawa has a talent in Shogi at the professional 4-dan level. How to Read 13 states that he detests useless subordinates.

Plot
He initially encourages the Yotsuba Kira, yet after receiving a telephone call from Light, he ceases participation and becomes an observer at the Meetings of Death.

On the night of Higuchi's arrest, he is called to a private meeting by Mido and Shimura to discuss who Kira might be. During this meeting, he is called by Light (who is still pretending to be L) and instructed to inform Higuchi of the special airing on Sakura TV, as well as to make sure that none of the other members of the Yotsuba Group attempt to interfere.

A little over five months after L's death, Namikawa is killed by Light along with the remaining Yotsuba Group members. At a meeting, Namikawa went up to Shimura to shake hands with him about something. But when Shimura attempted to shake his hand, Namikawa fell on Shimura's hands. Surprised by Namikawa's action, Shimura calls his name, but is terrified when he sees Namikawa dead and blood coming out of his mouth. Soon, Shimura gets a heart attack and dies and his and Namikawa's corpse collapses on the floor.

In the Television drama
Similar to in the manga, Namikawa takes part in the meetings conducted by the Yotsuba Kira. He is contacted by Babel (an alias of Near), as opposed to L, and calls Takeshi Ooi to alert him of the special broadcast on Sakura TV. He is presumably brought in for questioning by the Task Force afterward.

Trivia

 * While he dies of a heart attack in both the manga and anime (mentioned in the former, shown in the latter), in the Director's Cut special, he is killed in a car accident. This could have been done in order to make his death seem less linked to Kira.
 * In the anime, certain characters take on stylized hair colors while the viewer hears their thoughts; Namikawa's color is purple.
 * As opposed to the manga and anime, Namikawa survives in the television drama.

Gallery
Reiji Namikawa