Where is the Justice

"Where is the Justice?" is a song in Death Note: The Musical. The song is reprised three times, making it the most prominent song in the production.

Overview
The musical opens to a dark stage and the Overture, but "Where is the Justice?" is the first main song of the musical.

Light Yagami is in a high school classroom where his teacher is discussing the nature of justice. Light stands up with objections to his teacher's views, and he begins this song when the teacher asks him what he has to say on the matter. His classmates get involved in the song/discussion, bringing in different viewpoints about the problems with the justice system.

The song is reprised three times. In addition to beginning Act 1, it also ends Act 1 and begins Act 2. It reprises again after the second Kira appears. The reprises address the question "Where is the Justice?" with the first reprise answering that Light (Kira) and L are justice, according to each one's point of view. In the final reprise, civilians proclaim that Kira and the second Kira are justice.

English version
The song was originally written in English. The English demo was recorded in December 2014 and released April 23, 2015 in a video previewing the Korean production. Below are the lyrics for the original English version.

English lyrics
(ENSEMBLE backup lyrics are in parenthesis.) [LIGHT] Where is the justice When the guilty all go free? Why don't we lock them up And throw away the key? [TEACHER] I see a young man's anger Burning in your eyes

[LIGHT] What you see is my impatience With your noble compromise Show me what's right about the wrongs that we allow Real people need to feel protected here and now This whole damn system’s broken way beyond repair It's just law Not law and order Not much good and seldom fair

[STUDENT #1] Laws are made for everyone We're treated all the same

[LIGHT] Till a lawyer's tricks can fix the blame Let the corporations make the regulations And hold no one uncountable when everything goes wrong Let the rich and famous get away with murder Every time a high-priced mouth piece starts to talk His client gets a walk Tell me, where is the justice? If there’s any justice

(Where's the justice? Tell me where)

[LIGHT] Where is the justice For all the victims? (Tell me where!) Where is the justice? (Tell me where!) What good is law that can’t punish those who break it? [STUDENT #2] Politicians make their speeches all day long While judges pushing pencils mostly get it wrong (Mostly get it wrong!)

[STUDENT #3] Instead of loopholes for the laws to fall between Let some good old fashioned payback grease the wheels of a machine (Grease the wheels of the machine)

[LIGHT] Isn't everybody sick to death of all this stuff? Can't we all stand up and say enough? (We've had enough)

(Justice, justice, justice, now's the time for)

[LIGHT] Listen to the families hiding in their houses (justice, justice) All of them afraid to walk the streets at night With all the doors locked tight We must give them their justice (Where is the justice?) We owe them some justice (Where is the justice?)

[ALL] Where is the justice?

Japanese lyrics
Kanji and Romaji= English Translation= Translation [Light] Is this discussion taking us anywhere? Justice and the like, they're all just empty ideals

[Teacher] Justice is the foundation of society.

[Light] But that's always subject to the doctrine of convenience. For example, how about we take war? Each side flies high the flag of justice, and they each put their lives on the line for it, but… The truth of it is plain and simple: it's mass murder.

[Teacher] Then what is justice here within our nation?

[Light] It's a political tool. Justice has always been for the strong, just a standard defined by the leaders in command.

[Student 1] If it is true justice that you seek…

[Students] then we have no choice but to seek out appropriate leaders!

[Light] Let me ask, are you serious? That's impossible, isn't it?

[Teacher] Man has, in order to preserve justice, come to regulate himself under systems of law.

[Light] The laws and such are filled with loopholes, and evil remains a threat, a fact we take as common sense.

[Teacher] One must seek their own forms of justice.

[Light] What does that even mean to do?

[Students] Not to dare to stand out! To read the atmosphere!

[Light] To live by letting things go according to the flow.

[Students] If you put forth your own ideals of justice…

[Light] You'll just be laughed at and ignored. Yes, that's how it'll always be. That's our "justice" for you.

(Justice is…) Where is it? (Justice is…) Where is it? (Justice is…) Justice seems like an all too fleeting dream to me.

[Student 2] Is earning money what justice is?

[Student 3] Or how about being honest to a fault? (Or is that just naive?)

[Student 4] Is avenging one's self what justice is?

[Student 5] Or is it better to wish for world peace? (For world peace…)

[Light] Overwrought with this boredom and ennui, justice is too far away. (Justice is too far away!)

[Teacher] Don a broad perspective in looking upon the world, as you seek your own meaning of justice within!

[Light] What I seek is something to satisfy this heart of mine! Surely that which could be called justice is the answer to its thirst!

My own justice! (Where is the justice?) Where is the justice? (Where is the justice?)

[Light & Students] Where is the justice?

Reprise 1
Kanji and Romaji= English Translation= Translation [Ensemble] Kira, Kira, Kira

It is Kira who has continued to pursue justice. Tremble in fear, criminals everywhere! It's no use trying to hide now. Not when the time comes for Kira to deliver true justice!

The laws are meant to protect the people, but when they themselves go against justice…

Those who suffer find their salvation in only the existence of the god of the new world!

[Light & Ensemble] Those who were weak and helpless have Kira on their side! Quenching parched hearts, yes, with a passionate dream.

[Ensemble] It is Kira who is justice!

[Light] You got that right.

[L] In slaughtering everyone in your way you've gone and shown your true nature. Kira, you are not justice. You're nothing more than another crazy murderer.

[Light] (Our Kira is…) The god… (Kira is) … of the new world!

[All] (Kira is) I'll show you just what true justice is!

[Ensemble] It is Kira who is justice!

[L] It is I who am justice!

[Ensemble & Light (Kakizawa)] It is Kira who is justice!

[All] It is I who am justice!

Note that on the second to last line, Kakizawa joins the ensemble to sing "Kira koso seigi" ("It is Kira who is justice") in his version, but Urai does not. Instead, Urai is still holding the last note from several lines above (from "I'll show you just what true justice is").

Reprise 2
Kanji and Romaji= English Translation= Translation (Kira is) The God (Kira is) of the new world (Kira is) It is Kira who is our long awaited final hope

It is Kira who is justice It is Kira who is justice It is Kira who is justice

It is Kira who is justice

Pedestrian Scramble (reprise 3)
Kanji and Romaji= English Translation= Translation A second Kira has appeared! There is no place for criminals to hide. The two Kiras will join hands to hunt them down to the ends of the Earth!

(The second Kira is) A whole new (Kira is) fighting force. (Kira is) We will soon see it, the burning power in the name of justice!