CHOBITSHideki Motosuwa Hideki Motosuwa ( Motosuwa Hideki?) is a 19-year-old (in the anime, 18) repeat student (ronin) attempting to get into university by studying at Seki cram school, which his parents have sent him to. They have also severed his allowance, which means he has to work at My Pleasure, an izakaya, to make ends meet. One night, while walking home from work, he found a persocom lying in a pile of garbage. He took her home, and upon activating her, found that the only word she could utter was "Chi". Because of this, he gave her the name "Chi" (in the anime, "Chii") and took her into his care, doing his best to protect and teach her. Hideki could best be described as "a fish out of water." Living in the country his entire life, Hideki has trouble adjusting to his new life in Tokyo. Because of this, he is prone to outbursts of confusion and frustration. Also, because of all the time spent by himself on his family's farm, Hideki has a habit of thinking out loud and talking to himself. This leads to some very entertaining moments between himself and the women he meets. Like many young men, Hideki has an active libido, possessing many pornographic magazines which he refers to as "okazu" ("side dish"). (In the English manga translation, Chi refers to one of the magazines as a "tasty side dish"; in the anime's American translation, Chi refers to these magazines as "Hideki's yummies"). When he moved to Tokyo, Hideki wanted a persocom so that he could finally surf the internet for porn. It should be stated however that he isn't the only character who thinks this way. In fact Shinbo himself proudly admitted that Sumomo was also equipped to perform these tasks when he first met Hideki. Despite his shortcomings and occasional moments of awkwardness with the bustling environment of Tokyo, Hideki is a genuinely kind and honest person, whose habit of thinking of others' well-being before his own can cause many problems. When a friend is in trouble, especially Chi, he is always there to help. Because of this, many characters in the series turn to him for advice with their problems, knowing he will always hear them out and do his best to assist them. Chitose Hibiya Chitose Hibiya ( Hibiya Chitose?) is the landlady at the apartment where Hideki is staying or at least that is her current job. In the manga, she was previously an employee of Piffle Princess Enterprises and participated in the develpoment of Angels and later, persocoms. She was married to the president of the company, the late Ichiro "Icchan" Mihara, who used the data gathered from the Angelic Layer research to create the Chobits to be Chitose's children, because she was unable to have children of her own. She also authored "A City With No People" to help Chi find the Person Just for Her. Hiromu Shinbo Hiromu Shinbo ( Shinbo Hiromu?), also spelled "Shimbo", is Hideki's best friend and is also studying at Seki cram school. In the anime, Shinbo lives in the same apartment complex as Hideki and is his next-door neighbor. Shinbo is usually the first person Hideki turns to for help with persocoms. Shortly after beginning school he becomes involved with his teacher Takako Shimizu after finding her in a park late at night because she had been unwittingly locked out of her house by her husband, who was too busy with his persocom. He later elopes with her and convinces her to marry him. Sumomo (Plum) Sumomo (?) is a mobile persocom which is the persocom equivalent of a laptop computer. She is programmed to be cute and tends to be quite hyperactive, for example her morning 'wakie wakie exercises'. Shinbo was the original owner of Sumomo, but left her with Hideki after leaving with Takako. He later transfers Sumomo's registration to Hideki, giving him permanent ownership. At the beginning of the series, Shinbo uses Sumomo in an attempt to analyze Chi, and Sumomo is nearly broken in the process, requiring new main memory, and in the manga, a new video card as well. Once Kotoko joined Hideki, she quickly came to the conclusion that Sumomo was mad, with her nonsensical ways. Chi (Elda) Chi ( Chii?) is a Chobit (an extremely advanced persocom that possesses a very powerful processor and highly developed programming) that Hideki found in a pile of trash on his way home one night. When she was first activated, Chi was unable to communicate properly, only being able to say "Chi", which causes Hideki to name her that. Chi remembers nothing of her past life or how to do the simplest of things, so Hideki takes it upon himself to teach her and take care of her.

Before she was found by Hideki and named Chi, her name was Elda. She was the second Chobit produced by Ichiro Mihara. Elda was created after Hibiya noticed that Freya, the first Chobit, was becoming increasingly depressed as time went by. Elda was created to be Freya's little sister, in an effort to make her happy. In the anime, it is explained that Hibiya reset Elda's memories after her husband's death. However, in the manga, Elda lost her memories as a consequence of taking in her ailing sister's heart. Some time after, Hideki found her and brought her home. Elda's memories were on the disc which was accidentally left in the garbage when Hideki salvaged her.

After she is activated, Chi proceeds to start learning about the environment around her, and makes some hilarious mistakes in the process, such as imitating a pornographic pose from one of Hideki's magazines or calling everyone and everything "Hideki". Eventually, when Chi starts communicating properly and learns enough about her environment to be able to function in it, she gets a job at Hiroyasu Ueda's bakery. Chi also houses the resident consciousness of her fellow Chobit, Freya, who is Chi's sister. Freya occasionally contacts Chi to inform her of something important, or to intervene in a time of need. Both Chobits possess many remarkable abilities, including the ability to release an extremely powerful concussive blast from their bodies should the need arise for them to defend themselves, levitation and some telekinetic ability. In the manga, after Elda took on Freya's heart, her last request before losing consciousness was to be left alone outside, away from her family, so that there would be no possibility the same fate that befell her sister could befall her. Before doing this, however, her father gave her a "gift"; this gift was a program, designed to do one thing: If, in her new life, Chi failed to find the Person Just for Her, she would connect to every persocom on the planet and execute a program that would delete the individual-recognition abilities of every single persocom, so that they would never be able to distinguish one person from another ever again. If Chi failed to find the Person just for Her, it stood to reason that other persocoms would suffer the same fate as well. The purpose of this program was to spare the persocoms of the world the pain of unrequited love. In the anime, this program appears to have an alternate effect: If Chi found the Person just for her, all persocoms would be granted the ability to either love or feel emotion. The reason for this is since Ichiro Mihara, Chitose Hibiya's late husband, helped create the persocoms, he viewed them as his children. His dying wish was that if Chi were to find someone who loved her in return, all his children would be able to share in this happiness by being able to feel emotions the way humans do. It should be noted that in the manga the Chobits series persocoms do not possess emotions, at least in the human sense. This issue is touched upon in the final pages of the manga series during a conversation Hideki has with Freya, where she specifically states "We do not have emotions" and again where Zima states "In my mind, my adorable Dita comes first. Even if this isn't the same love that a human feels, so what!" This statement appears to be an assertion that even though a persocom's subjective experience of love may not be the same as a human's, that does not make the love they do feel any less real or legitimate. Something within Chi's programming chose Hideki as being special, marked him as being different from others, and worthy of her greatest affections. To her, this is love; even if it is not the same love that a human feels. Despite this, there are still things that Chi cannot do. Depending on the source (manga or anime), these range from simple set backs like the inability to produce offspring (which all persocoms are subject to) to the inability to have intercourse. Most regular persocoms have their power switch in or behind their ears, but Chi's is located in a most unusual place, her groin. Due to this fact, in the manga, even if Chi is in love with Hideki, she cannot have a sexual relationship with him because that will cause her to restart, reformat and lose all of her memories with him. However, Hideki says that this will not stop him from loving Chi. In the anime this does not appear to be the case. In episode seven, during Chi's time at the peep show, it is stated by her sister that "regardless of what happens, until someone who truly loves you appears, never let anyone touch you here." It is notable that this warning is also said in the manga. This warning is repeated in episode twenty when Yoshiyuki tries to take advantage of Chi. Just as before, a defense mechanism is activated and Yoshiyuki is subdued. Chi then states that since he isn't the one for her, he isn't allowed to come inside. Finally when Hideki does arrives on the scene, Chi explains that only the one for her is ever allowed to come inside, which she demonstrates by taking him by the hand. The name "Chobits" comes from the fact that their father, Ichiro Mihara, used the word "Chobi" to describe anything he thought was "small and hopelessly adorable". Two Chobi become "Chobits". His wife later pointed out that Mihara attached extra value to the word "Chobi" because it was composed out of the letters of her own name, making the Chobits series her "children" just as they were his. (Note about the spelling "Elda": "Elda" is the official English spelling. "Erda" would have made more sense in this situation. The name is written in Japanese as "" (Eruda) which is also used to write the name of the Norse earth goddess Erda (or Jord), the mother of the Valkyries, also means Earth in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish) Minoru Kokubunji (M)

Minoru ( Kokubunji Minoru?) is a wealthy twelve-year old genius, whose specialty is persocoms. In particular, he has built a custom persocom named Yuzuki, designed to look like his late sister, and has given her self-teaching software, meaning that she can learn things on her own instead of having to have programs loaded into her like most persocoms. For the most part, Minoru is very reserved and soft spoken individual who surrounds himself with persocoms. His curiosity over Chi's origins leads to him becoming one of Hideki Motosuwa's closest friends. Minoru does what he can to help his friends whether it be technological help, such as tracking things down or allowing Hideki to make video phone calls, or advice on relationships with persocoms. Although he is known for being calm and collected most of the time, Minoru's attitude completely changes when Yuzuki is around. Much like Hideki is to Chi, Minoru is very protective of Yuzuki and is prone to outbursts whenever she is in trouble. He is also very forgiving, always comforting her on the fact that it is never her fault if something goes wrong. Minoru is also known as "M" on the bulletin boards, where he is considered one of the leading experts in the field of persocom development. Minoru's late sister is Kaede Saito, a character from Angelic Layer. Yuzuki Yuzuki is a persocom created by Minoru Kokubunji roughly two years before the start of the series. Yuzuki was created to resemble, physically and mentally, Minoru's late sister, Kaede, who had died from an illness two years earlier. Yuzuki was programmed with all of the data that Minoru could remember about his sister; what she liked, what she disliked, her habits and behaviors everything. However, Minoru still realizes that no matter how realistic she may be, she is still only a persocom that is following her programming. Yuzuki, despite not having the same processing capacity as a persocom like Chi, also seems to possess an awareness of her own limitations.

Toward the end of the anime and manga, Yuzuki loses a large portion of Kaede's personality data as a result of trying to hack into Zima and being counter-hacked by Dita. However, Minoru declines to reenter this data, because he has grown to love Yuzuki for who she is; because she is Yuzuki, rather than because she is a replacement for his sister.

Takako Shimizu Takako Shimizu ( Shimizu Takako?) is Hideki and Shinbo's teacher at the Seki cram school. Like Yumi, Shimizu has had a negative experience with persocoms: her husband bought a persocom and eventually she became unimportant to him compared to the persocom. He spent more and more time with his persocom until he forgot about his wife completely, locking her out of the house one night because he was so enamored with it. Because of this, Shimizu was no longer able to trust human men. Later, Shimizu elopes with Shinbo. In the end, she returns to the cram school, married to Shinbo.

Yumi Omura Yumi Omura ( mura Yumi?) is a 17 year old girl who works at the Japanese pub [My Pleasure] alongside Hideki. In the anime, she is the daughter of the club's owner, but in the manga, she is just an employee. It is initially implied that Yumi was interested in a relationship with Hideki, but as the series progresses it is revealed that she initially approached him because he also worked at Club Pleasure, and that she thinks of him as a big brother. Throughout most of the series Yumi has an inferiority complex toward persocoms, and becomes upset at any mention of a human-sized persocom. The reason for this is that while Yumi was working at Chiroru she fell in love with the manager, Hiroyasu Ueda. She gathered the courage to tell him, and found out that he reciprocated her feelings. All would have been well, except that Yumi discovered that Ueda had previously been married to a persocom that he had named Yumi, (See Hiroyasu's entry) and she thought that he would compare the human Yumi to the persocom Yumi and find the human Yumi inferior. However, Hideki eventually manages to persuade Yumi that Hiroyasu wouldn't have started anything if he didn't love Yumi for who she was, and he and Yumi start going out again. Freya Freya was the first Chobit, who was created before Elda by Hibiya's husband, Ichiro Mihara. Freya was created to be Hibiya's daughter, because she was unable to bear children of her own. Freya's development was kept secret from Hibiya; she did not know of Freya's existence until she was called down to the lab one day, without explanation. In front of her, suspended from a number of wires and cables, was a persocom. Upon awakening for the very first time, she was given the name Freya by Hibiya. Freya's first word was "Mama". Freya lived happily with the Mihara couple for a time, until Hibiya noticed that her attitude was becoming increasingly melancholy, with no explanation as to why. At this point, Hibiya asked her husband to build a little sister for Freya, in an attempt to make her happy again. From this request, Elda was created. Freya was incredibly happy to have a little sister, and for a time, she seemed to be acting normally, although, as Hibiya would later tell Hideki in the anime, "there were still these odd times when she looked as though she was thinking very deeply about something." Some time after, Freya suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. In the anime, the impetus for this event was witnessing her mother and father flirting with each other in the compound's courtyard. It was only then that Hibiya finally realized the source of Freya's sadness; she had fallen in love with her own father, Mihara. Freya knew that her father still loved his wife, and did not want to disturb their happiness, so she pained her heart with efforts to suppress her feelings. Over time, her pain became so great that she began to malfunction under the strain of her emotional burden. Freya was no longer able to move, and was confined to a bed from that point on. Toward the end, she could not lift a finger or even shift her focus, and began to have problems with her memory. In the anime, Freya never found the courage to tell her father how she truly felt; in the manga, she resigns herself to the fact that because of the damage to her body, all hope is lost regardless of the outcome, and chooses to tell him her true feelings. Eventually, Freya's pain became so unbearable, that she chose to self-terminate, rather than continue to exist (in the manga's English translation, it seems as though Freya wishes to commit suicide). Before she could do this, however, her sister Elda offered to take her heart into her own, so that she would not disappear completely, and so that her memories would be preserved. Now that Elda has become Chi, Freya does everything she can to ensure that Chi will find the person just for her. Freya exists as a separate entity within Chi, and is capable of monitoring Chi's sensory input, and will intervene if Chi is in danger. It should be noted that in the anime, nobody knew that Elda had taken in Freya's heart; conversely, in the manga, both Hibiya and Mihara learned of this only moments after it occurred. (Note about the spelling "Freya": "Freya" actually appears in the Japanese Chobits merchandise. In Norse mythology, Freya was a goddess of love, sex and attraction.) Hiroyasu Ueda

Hiroyasu Ueda ( Ueda Hiroyasu?) is the owner of Chiroru, a local bakery which Yumi (and in the manga, Hideki) once worked in and which Chi ends up working at. He is 38 years old, although he looks as though he is only in his mid-20's, at one point noting jokingly that he has a "baby face". He, too, has suffered a trauma involving persocoms. When he first opened his bakery, he bought a persocom to help with math and accounting, which he admits he is terrible at. He eventually fell in love with this persocom and then married her, but she developed a hard disk fault which resulted in the gradual degradation of her memory, until she remembered almost nothing at all. Rarely, she would suddenly recall small fragments of memories from her life with Hiroyasu. He could not bring himself to have her repaired because her memories might be lost completely in the process of transferring them to a new hard drive, and he felt she would not be the same person if this happened. Soon, her memory degraded to the point that she could not remember anything for more than a few seconds at a time, and Hiroyasu had keep a constant watch on her to prevent her from wandering away. One night while walking with his persocom, Hiroyasu, lost in thought, walked into the middle of the street, unaware of an oncoming car. In one final moment of clarity, his persocom pushed him out of the way, and was herself run over. Her last words to Hiroyasu were, "Konnichiwa." Hiroyasu and Yumi Omura were in love in the past, but broke up when Yumi quit her job at the bakery when she discovered that the persocom he married was named "Yumi" and feared she would never live up to the other Yumi. Through the help of Chi and Hideki, he and Yumi resume their relationship. Yoshiyuki Kojima (Dragonfly) Known in online circles as "Dragonfly", Yoshiyuki Kojima ( Kojima Yoshiyuki?) is a man of few scruples and another custom persocom-builder. Unlike Minoru Kokubunji, he is more obsessed with persocoms and even kidnaps Chi at one point. He tries to hack into Chi, using all of his persocoms in a massive parallel processing network. During this time, he makes an ill-advised attempt to inappropriately touch Chi, and Freya takes over, restraining him with all of the cords attached to her. She then attacks him with a concussion blast, blowing out the windows in his house and knocking him unconscious. Afterwards, to make amends for his actions, he lends his help to solving the mystery of Chi and the Chobits. Kotoko Kotoko ( ?) is another laptop persocom, like Sumomo, but she was custom-built by Yoshiyuki and has much higher specifications than Sumomo. Kotoko originally belonged to Yoshiyuki, but following Chi's kidnapping, Hideki and Shinbo force Yoshiyuki to transfer ownership of Kotoko to Hideki so that her memories of Yoshiyuki kidnapping Chi cannot be erased. Kotoko is far more serious than Sumomo, and thinks that everyone in the Motosuwa household is crazy, especially Sumomo, although she herself occasionally exhibits a sarcastic wit. Kotoko is programmed to always tell the truth, no matter what, even when it works to Yoshiyuki's disadvantage. In the original Japanese version, her seiyuu (Nogami) once worked together with Sumomo's seiyu (Kumai) in Cardcaptor Sakura (another anime adapted from CLAMP's works, as Li Meiling and Li Syaoran respectively). Ironically, in CCS, Syaoran was the more "mature" one of the pair. Zima Zima ( Jima?) is one of two government persocoms who are looking for Chi. They do not want her to execute her final program, which they believe would destroy the person-recognition abilities of every persocom on the planet. It is believed that the program will execute when Chi finds the person just for her. Zima, however, believes that this may not necessarily be true, and genuinely wants Chi to find happiness. He lies to Dita about Chi's whereabouts and stalls as long as possible before finally going to stop her. In the manga, Zima physically restrains Dita from attacking Chi. Zima is also the Japanese government's national data bank, and during the course of the series an attempt is made by Yuzuki to hack into him to gain information on Chi. In the anime, Zima remarks that he and Dita were created from the same basic system that Chi is, rendering them immune to her ability to immobilize persocoms. In the anime, Zima is referred to as "The King of Persocoms". It also should be noted while Zima is not the only male persocom to exist, he is the only major one in the series.

FULL METAL ALCHEMISTPlot Fullmetal Alchemist is a fantasy manga set in the early 20th century in a country called Amestris in an alternate-historical Earth with technology dating from early 20th century Europe. In this alternate world, the exaggerated science of alchemy is heavily used in conjunction with acretian soul wanderers, but takes on a further fantastic element not seen in real-life alchemy. Real-world alchemists attempted to transmute gold and diamonds from lesser metals. In the fictional world of the series, alchemy becomes the science of transmuting matter into different matter (following the rule of equivalent exchange) through the use of transmutation circlesbased on real-world science, yet also magical, with seemingly infinite uses. Talented alchemists may apply to take a State Alchemist test to join the Amestris military's State Alchemists. Edward and Alphonse Elric were children living in the rural village of Resembool in the country of Amestris. Their father Hohenheim (Hohenheim of Light in the anime and Van Hohenheim in the manga), a talented alchemist, had left home when Edward was very young and Alphonse was still an infant. Years later, their mother, Trisha Elric, died of a terminal illness. After their mother's death, they lived with Winry and her grandmother until finding a teacher to teach them alchemy. After completing training, they came home with the intent of reviving their mother with the transmutation circle they found in their father's notes and made the attempt soon after acquiring the circle. However, this attempt failed, resulting in a twisted mass of flesh and bone at the cost of Edward's left leg and Alphonse's entire body. In a desperate effort to save his brother, Edward sacrificed his right arm to affix his brother's soul to a suit of armor. After that, Edward's left leg and right arm are fitted with two sets of Automail, a type of advanced prosthetic limb. In the original Japanese, the term "Fullmetal" is used to describe a person who is stubborn. In the series it is often attributed by minor characters to Ed's automail arm and leg, or Al's armor body. In the sixth manga volume, as well as episode 8 of the anime, it is revealed that when an alchemist becomes a State Alchemist, he or she is given a special title. Edward's title was Fullmetal, making him Fullmetal Alchemist. A State Alchemist by the name of Roy Mustang arrives during the failed human transmutation. After seeing their skill at alchemy, Mustang suggested that the way for the two boys to achieve their goals would be to become State Alchemists and work for him. Spurred on by the man's proposal, Edward set out to become a State Alchemist, enabling him to use the resources available to State Alchemists to discover a way to restore what he and Alphonse had lost. The brothers eventually learn of the Philosopher's Stone and set off in search of it as a means to restore their bodies. Along the way they discover secrets about the Philosopher's Stone they never wanted to know, and find others who seek it as well, doing almost whatever they can to get their hands on it. The brother's motivations, especially having to do with their use of alchemy, change throughout the anime. This indicates, among other things, the two brothers' maturing attitudes and outlooks on life. In the prologue scenes when Ed and Al's mother is alive, their primary goal for the use of alchemy is to make their mom and friends proud and happy. After their mom dies, they delve into more complicated alchemy to bring her back to life. After this fails horribly, they strive to regain their bodies by way of the alchemical Philosopher's Stone. Later in the series, their primary focus begins to shift subtly from regaining their normal bodies to remaining together as brothers. The latter reason is particularly prominent in the movie adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist, The Conqueror of Shamballa. One unique characteristic of Fullmetal Alchemist is that the stories of the manga and anime separate soon after the encounter with Greed, and weave vastly different tales. The most prominent of the differences is the primary antagonist. In the anime, this is a woman known as Dante. A previous lover of Hohenheim, Dante and he were masterful alchemists and perfected methods for making the Philosopher's Stone and a form of immortality in which their souls jump to a new host body every time their current vessel began to age. However, Hohenheim soon fell in love with another and left Dante, taking with him the perfected Philosopher's Stone formula. Although Dante is still able to jump from body to body to preserve her youth, she is able to spend less and less time in each body as it decays faster with each jump, so she seeks the stone's formula to sustain her power when the small amount she had when Hohenheim left begins to run out. Dante is the leader of the homunculi, and though she did not create all of them, she sustains them by feeding them imperfect shards of the Philosopher's Stone. She uses them to spur Edward and Alphonse into finding the complete Philosopher's Stone formula for her. The main antagonist of the manga series is a man known simply as "Father". Evidence suggests that he, like Dante and Hohenheim in the anime, has perfected an immortality formula, and is possibly a citizen from the ancient desert civilization of Xerxes. Found in the manga series as ruins, this civilization is believed to have had great alchemical and technological prowess, but suspiciously, all of its inhabitants disappeared in one night. Unlike Dante, Father is the creator of all the homunculi in the manga series, and commands them from behind the curtains of the High Command of the country Amestris, which, King Bradley (the homunculus Wrath in the manga) later reveals to Roy Mustang, was created by Father. It is suspected that Father plans to use Amestris as a gigantic transmutation circle to create a Philosopher's Stone, but the homunculus Envy hints that, although close, it is not the whole truth. Regardless, Edward and Alphonse become mixed up in Father's plans, and end up becoming prime "human sacrifices" for whatever Father has in store.

Major characters

Edward Elric: The main protagonist, Edward ("Ed") Elric is the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, though Al is occasionally mistaken for him because of his armored body. He has a prosthetic automail right arm and left leg, is of short stature, and typically reacts in an exaggerated manner to any remarks about his height. He is known for being the youngest State Alchemist, gaining this title at the age of 12. Alphonse Elric: Alphonse, often nicknamed "Al," is Fullmetal Alchemist's secondary protagonist; he is Edward's younger brother and the narrator of the series. For most of the series his soul is trapped in a large suit of armor, causing other characters throughout the series to confuse Al with the "Fullmetal" Alchemist. Alphonse is the calmer of the two, and can be seen as a foil to Edward's character. Colonel Roy Mustang: Roy Mustang is known as the Flame Alchemist. His gloves are made of a special material called "ignition cloth," which allows him to create a spark by snapping his fingers. He then uses alchemy to change the oxygen density in the air with the help of transmutation circles on his gloves, causing a controlled explosion. He is Edward's direct superior officer in the military, but has his own goal, mainly to become the Fhrer, leader of the military. Winry Rockbell: Winry is a mechanical expert who is a childhood friend of the Elrics. She, along with her grandmother Pinako, built Edward's automail, and she also helps maintain the automail when it gets broken. Her parents were called into service as doctors for the Ishbalan Civil War and were killed. Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye: A hard-working member of the state military, and a loyal, capable aide to her superior officer, Roy Mustang. She is especially proficient in the use of firearms and a good marksman. While she may be level-headed, she sometimes uses her shooting skills in situations where they may not be entirely necessary. Lt. Colonel Maes Hughes: A member of the Investigations Division and a good friend of Colonel Mustang and the Elric brothers. He wishes to push Mustang up to the position of Fhrer by working closely under him. Hughes loves his wife, Gracia, and is overly enthusiastic regarding his love for his daughter Elysia, and talks about her to everyone he meets. Scar: One of the few surviving Ishbalans (Ishvarlans in the manga). His real name is never revealed, but he is referred to as "Scar" because of the X-shaped scar on his face. Scar's right arm, which is tattooed with a rare transmutation circle, was given to him by his brother shortly before he died. Scar believes himself to be an instrument of God, and kills State Alchemists using his alchemical skills, despite the fact that he believes alchemy is an abomination against the natural world. King Bradley: Known as the Fhrer, he is the military dictator of Amestris, holding the official political title of president (King is his first name). Although he seems to be quite easy-going and perhaps a little eccentric, he has a mind like a steel trap, and maintaining Amestris is his chief priority at all times. He hungers for war and is constantly sending troops to locations all over Amestris, "purifying the land." He is also renowned as an exceptional swordsman and is referred to as the "Ultimate Eye". Hohenheim: Ed and Al's mysterious father, who disappears a few years after they are born. Lust: Sultry and cool-hearted, she is the first of the Homunculi encountered in the series. She has the power to extend her fingers into a spear to use as a weapon, and is thus known in some translations as the "Ultimate Spear" or "Ultimate Lance". Gluttony: A large figure who eats anything he can get his hands on, including humans and inanimate objects. He latches on to Lust like a child to a parent. Envy: Sarcastic, sadistic, and cold-hearted, Envy has the ability to change appearance. He hates mankind, viewing them as pitiful and weak. Envy is a male, but his appearance is androgynous.

Terminology

Alchemy: Alchemy within the Fullmetal Alchemist anime, put simply, refers to a three-step process. The steps are analysis (to understand the structure and properties of the substance that is about to be transmuted), destruction/decomposition (to break the substance down to its rudimentary properties), and reconstruction/recomposition (to rebuild the substance into another form or with different properties). In the manga, the source of alchemical power is believed by most alchemists to be the movement of tectonic plates-however, Mei Chan, an alchemist from the neighboring country of Xing has her doubts as to this; to her, the power behind Amestrian alchemy seems to involve the souls of the dead (while the Xing alchemy involves using the Earth's lifestream). However, in the anime, the energy for alchemical reactions comes from the other side of the Gate, supposedly from the deaths that occur in the world on the other side of the Gate. In both versions, rather than being a method of manipulating forms via their accidents (the basis of historical alchemy, derived from Greek philosophy), it is essentially modern chemistry without a reaction medium.

Automail: A kind of prosthetics, made from metal and linked directly to the nerves of the body. Well-made automail can allow a range of movement and strength as good as or better than the original limb it replaces. Some forms of automail include ballistic devices or other enhancements. It appears to be a type of cybernetic technology, well ahead of real world cybernetics research. Edward typically has been seen altering his automail arm with Alchemy, refashioning it into a bladed weapon in the manga and anime. Since it is linked directly to the nerves of the body, attaching automail can be excruciatingly painful. Equivalent Exchange: The rule that alchemists in the series consider to be the foundation of Alchemy, or even the fundamental law of the world: to obtain, something of equal or greater value must be lost. One of the themes of the series is examining the implications of Equivalent Exchange as a philosophy. It also investigates into whether Equivalent Exchange is a natural law, or rather, a false ideology. As an example, the two brothers frequently quote the chemicals present in the human body, in thinking that this simple chemical exchange would be all that was needed to bring back someone from the dead. One is All, All is One: A cryptic way of explaining the essence of alchemy, this phrase is used by Izumi Curtis to test whether the Elric brothers are worth teaching alchemy to. According to this, if a person were to die, as such there would be no material effect on the world. Since a human body is made up of certain basic elements, when a person dies, his or her body is decomposed and these elements are returned back to nature. These elements, in turn, provide nutrients to plants which, in their turn, become food for herbivores, which are then food to carnivores. This is the cycle of life, and the death of one person is insignificant while considering the whole cycle. However, without these individual deaths, the cycle cannot be maintained and hence the individuals as a whole are significant to the continuation of the cycle. Thus, the cycle of life can never be reversed. Understanding this and working with the cycle of life in order to create new things is what alchemy is about. In other words, as the Elrics put it, "the world is the all, and I am the one." State Alchemist: An alchemist serving in a special branch of the state military under the direct command of the Fhrer. State Alchemists are selected by a series of examinations, and are regarded as some of the most powerful and talented alchemists. The position of State Alchemist also holds considerable authority and influence, automatically being promoted to the rank of Major. However, State Alchemists are despised by the general public, often called 'dogs of the military' - meaning that the person sold their soul to the military in exchange for special entitlements. Taboo: A forbidden act in alchemy, for example, human transmutation, which usually comes with a punishment. Edward and Alphonse attempt to return their mother back to life, and are punished by losing Al's body and Ed's leg. Transmutation Circle: Transmutation circles act as catalysts in alchemic reactions, and are needed for any transmutation; however, some alchemists, like Edward Elric, can transmute without one. The circle represents the constant flow of energy, the patterns decide what effects the transmutation has. A circle may be drawn on the spot, embroidered into an article of clothing, or even tattooed onto the alchemist itself. Transmutation circles can be drawn with any substance that leaves behind a trail, ranging from chalk to blood (see Blood Seal below). Philosopher's Stone: A legendary stone said to allow the holder to completely bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange. As with all things, however, to create a Philosopher's Stone requires the expenditure of raw materials: in this case, human lives. Blood Seal: A special type of transmutation circle that acts as a seal to bind a person's soul to an object, such as a suit of armor. It must, as the name suggests, be written in blood; the soul is tied to the blood and an element in the blood must be bound with the object itself. This typically only works on armor as the iron in the blood binds with the armor. Thus the blood acts as an intermediary between the soul and the object. If a blood seal is destroyed, the soul will no longer be tied to the object, and the person will enter the Gate. Some translations refer to it as a "Blood Array." Chimera: A chimera is the fusion of two or more different species into a single being created using alchemy. These creatures are seen as monsters by the general community, because the alchemist has taken two creatures and fused them to create one. There are also cases where the alchemist has used a human in the creation of a chimera, such cases are: Shou Tucker where he created two chimeras using firstly his wife and then his daughter. These Chimeras died shortly after they where created. However other cases such as the events of that at Lab 5, were done using more experienced alchemists, and the aid of mass amounts of Red Stones. These chimeras were created using humans, however a major difference is that these chimeras took the form of humans and then gained abilities depending on the animal they were fused with. Gate of Alchemy (also known as the "Gate of Truth" or just "Gate"): The Gate is said to be the source for all alchemical power. In the manga, an alchemist who sees into the Gate can then perform alchemy without the use of a written or tattooed circle because of the knowledge gained during the experience. In the anime it is said that the Gate swings forward each time the energy for alchemy is summoned, that there is a Gate inside everyone, and that all that is necessary to access the Gate is knowledge of how to do so. It is also said that a weak link between the body, mind, and spirit is what called the Gate - in other words, death. A baby, the anime posits, has a weak link between the body, mind, and spirit, and thus it is easy to summon the Gate using a baby. In the anime the Gate resembles Rodin's sculpture "The Gates of Hell", but in the manga it is more akin to an obelisk, featuring the Kabbalahistic Tree of Life. Truth : The ultimate goal of every alchemist. In the anime, it was just Ed's point of view to describe what he found in the Gate. In the manga, though, it was displayed as an omnipotent god-like being that exists in the Gate, enforcing the law of Equivalent Exchange. Rentan Jutsu (manga only): A type of Alchemy that is used in the eastern country Xing. Its roots actually lie in medicine and transmutation circles are referred to as "purification circles" by the people of Xing. While similar to Amestris alchemy (called "Renkin Jutsu" by people from Xing), the source of energy is different. Rentan Jutsu uses the power called "Lungmei" which exists everywhere on the earth. The type of alchemy that the character Mei Chan uses is Rentan Jutsu. Scar's tattoo is a mix of Renkin Jutsu and Rentan Jutsu. Human Sacrifice: In the manga, it is a term that the Homunculi use to refer to alchemists who have opened the Gate and seen the Truth. Human Sacrifices are a crucial part of the Homunculi and "Father's" plan, but to what end is still unknown. Human Transmutation: A forbidden art in which one attempts to create a human who had died. It takes something from the person who performs it (for example, an arm, leg or organ) but, instead of creating a human, it takes the alchemist to the Gate,

where he or she gains knowledge proportional to what was given up in the transmutation. In the anime, the end product of a human transmutation attempt is a Homunculus.

DEATHNOTEPlot Light Yagami is an extremely intelligent young man who resents the crime and corruption in the world. His life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the "Death Note", lying on the ground in the year 2003. The Death Note's instructions claim that if a human's name is written within it that person shall die. Light is initially skeptical of the Death Note's authenticity, believing it is just a prank. However, after experimenting with it and killing two criminals, Light is forced to admit that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the previous owner of the Death Note, a shinigami named Ryuk, Light seeks to become "the God of the new world" by passing his judgment on criminals. Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention of the International Police Organization and a mysterious detective known only as "L". L quickly learns that the serial killer, dubbed by the public as "Kira" (derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the word "Killer"), is located in Japan. L also concludes that Kira can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a game of psychological cat and mouse between the two begins Main characters Light Yagami ( Yagami Raito?) / Kira / Light Asahi ( Asahi Raito?) Light is the protagonist of Death Note and an extremely intelligent, but bored, young man who finds Ryuk's Death Note by sheer chance. Light constantly tries to evade the suspicion of L while both maintaining his identity as Kira (Japanese pronunciation of Killer), and cleansing the world of crime. The fact that he is a genius also adds to his notion that only he is fit to judge humanity and steer it on a proper moral course. Light is seen as somewhat heartless and sociopathic by those who are aware of what he is doing, as he can willingly kill his victims without batting an eye or do things which would seem evil to most, but he believes that he is doing good and bringing justice for most of the series. Light, born on February 28, 1986, is a third year high school student (12th Grade) at Daikoku Private Academy ( Daikoku Gakuen?) [1] who also attends supplemental classes at Gamou Prep Academy.[2] In Spring 2004 Light becomes a first-year student (freshman) at To-Oh University ( T Daigaku?), [3] becoming one of two freshman representatives; L is the other freshman representative.[4] During a tennis game with L at To-Oh, spectators reveal that Light was the junior high school tennis champion in 1999 and 2000; After his 2000 victory, Light quit tennis as he entered high school.[5] When L is finally able to corner him, Light puts his master plan in practice. He temporarily gives up his Death Note to Ryuk, erasing his memories about his time as Kira from his mind. Rem, under instruction by Light to give it to someone who would use it selfishly, gives it to Kyosuke Higuchi of the Yotsuba Corporation. Now unaware of the fact that he was the original Kira, Light accepts L's offer to join the investigation team to hunt down Higuchi, known as the third Kira. Light requests the alias Light Asahi to be used for him. When he is finally captured, Light touches his Death Note, thereby regaining his memory of when he was the original Kira. He then proceeds just as planned, masterfully killing Higuchi by using the Death Note paper he put in his watch before he lost his memories; and manipulating Rem, who also dies in the process, to kill both Watari and L. Light Yagami as he appears in Volume 1 of the manga Light is later nominated by L's investigation team (who are unaware that he is Kira) to act as L, due to the fact that they cannot reveal the death of the real L to the world. Light also takes over the role of L's assistant, Watari. Now able to act as both Kira and L, Light can continue killing criminals while leading the investigation team in circles. His secret identity as L is soon discovered by the Special Provisions for Kira, President Hoope, and Mello's gang. Light joins the Japanese Police Force's Intelligence Department in April 2009, believing that no one can stop his plans. Near and Mello eventually appear before him, trying to accomplish what L could not: to expose Kira's true identity, and bring him to justice. Ryuk is looking at Light with the Shinigami Eyes, revealing Light's real name and remaining lifespan (in Shinigami time). In the end, the combined efforts of Mello and Near, combined with a large miscalculation and miscommunication on the part of Mikami and Light, force Light to reveal himself as Kira. In the final clash between Near and Light at a warehouse, all is revealed and the Kira case comes to an end after six long years. In the manga version, after completely losing his head and characteristic cool over the prospect of being arrested, and in complete desperation after his attempts to write Near's name down are thwarted by Matsuda, Light begs Ryuk to help him. Ryuk reminds Light that he is on neither side, and fulfills his earlier promise to write Light's name in his Death Note, thus ending Light's life. In the anime version, Light manages to flee the warehouse after Mikami commits suicide. Near instructs the team that there is no reason to pursue Light given that there should be no more hidden Death Notes, and Light's wounds would prevent him from getting far. Despite this, Aizawa, Mogi, Ide and Matsuda follow Light but are unable to find him before he dies on the staircase of a nearby warehouse due to cardiac arrest from Ryuk writing his name in his Death Note. As Light slowly closes his eyes, an apparition of L appears before Light, mirroring Light standing over L in episode 25 at L's death. According to the manga, Light's date of death is January 28, 2010. His height and weight are 179 centimeters (5'10") and 54 kilograms (120 pounds), respectively, which puts him at the same height as L (if L stands up in a proper position). His blood type is A (see Japanese blood type theory of personality). His name is also a play on the theme of good and evil in the series, as Light is his first name, and Yagami is similar to "yami" meaning dark, dark being evil and light being good. Light in the film

A few changes were made to Light in the film. At the film's beginning, Light is a first-year university student studying Law, instead of still being a high school genius, as in the beginning of the manga and anime. Light's motives differ; his boredom trait does not exist, and he instead uses the Death Note out of frustration from the perceived failures of the Japanese justice system. Light, prior to his discovery of the Death Note, hacks into the government database and finds that the government secretly acknowledges that many criminals are unable to be prosecuted. Light discovers the Death Note in an alley during a rainy night after encountering Shibuimaru in a club and throwing a law book into the rain in a rage. Light meets Ryuk after killing Shibuimaru. Light has a girlfriend, Shiori Akino, who attends his university. Light kills Shiori at the end of the first movie to gain sympathy from L. After Rem "kills" L and kills Watari, Light writes his father's name in an attempt to kill him, an attempt that ultimately fails. The endings of both the second movie and the manga are similar. In the second film, after being exposed as Kira, Light asks Ryuk to write the names of the team members in the book during the climax. The police shoot but do not kill Ryuk as he writes in the Death Note. Light laughs until Ryuk shows Light the Death Note, revealing that Light's name was written in the book. Light tries to stop Ryuk, passing through the shinigami. Light dies in his father's arms, begging him to believe that he acted as Kira to put justice, which Soichiro had taught him since his childhood, into practice. He is portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara, best known for his role as Shuya Nanahara of Battle Royale L Lawliet ( Eru Rraito?) / L / Hideki Ryuga ( Ryga Hideki?) / Ryuzaki ( Ryzaki?) / Eraldo Coil / Deneuve L Lawliet, commonly referred to as just L, is rated the world's greatest detective and takes on the Kira investigation in the first arc. He suspects Light initially, and decides to join To-Oh University, the university that Light attends, using the name of Hideki Ryuga for investigative purposes. He requests that the task force refer to him as Ryuzaki for discretion. His disheveled and languid appearance masks his great powers of deduction and insight. He has some quirks such as preferring to crouch rather than sit, eating only sweet foods like desserts and fruits, and holding items very delicately. L stayed in England for five years, and during that time he was the champion in tennis for the England Junior Cup. L also secretly assumed the identities of the world's second and third best detectives, (Eraldo Coil and Danuve respectively) something only he and the Kira Investigation Team members knew. . L always had his suspicions that Light was Kira, but could not accuse him without any concrete evidence. Even when all evidence apparently proved his theory to be incorrect, and even when Light could not remember his deeds as Kira when he renounced his Death Note's ownership and willingly dedicated himself to collaborate on the investigations, L still suspected him. Because of this and his sometimes harsh tactics, L can perhaps be seen as the series' antagonist. L cannot prove Light's guilt. In Chapter 58, Light tricks Rem into killing L for his own personal gain, making her believe that she must kill him for the sake of Misa's life. L's last sight before death is Light triumphantly smiling over his defeated rival, and in his last moment L confirms to himself that Light is the first Kira. Although L can not shake the conclusion that Light was the first Kira, Light is the only person L had ever identified or connected with, and he openly stated on one occasion that even though it would hurt his pride to admit that he has been wrong, he hopes that he would be. Despite Kira being L's opponent, at the core, Light and L share many traits, including extraordinary intelligence and strong opinions of what constitutes true justice. Furthermore, L can easily present his conclusions publicly at any time, and with his reputation, is taken seriously. L tends to second-guess everything he is presented with, and is extremely meticulous and analytical. After L introduces himself as Ryuga, Light believes that if he writes down Ryuga's name, he may have the pop star of the same name in his mind instead of L. This would cause the pop star to die, while L would still live since Ryuga is an alias. The death of the pop star would cause L to suspect Light. This is why Light decides to not write Ryuga's name. L at his death; this is the only time he is seen closing his eyes in the anime. Death Note: How To Read 13 revealed many facts about L. His true birth name is L Lawliet. His date of birth is Halloween of 1979, making him 25 when he dies on November 5, 2004. His height and weight are 179cm/50kg (5'10"/110lbs.), which would have meant he was severely underweight. It is implied that L was a former resident of Wammy's House, one of Watari's orphanages, as well as a safe haven and educational facility specifically for intellectually-gifted children. Therefore, similar to Near and Mello, L's abilities were discovered whilst living there, and he is most likely an orphan. In chapter 38 of the manga, L suggests that even though he eats only sweet foods, he remains underweight because the brain uses the most calories of any organ in the body. He also says that if he sits normally, his reasoning ability would drop 40%. In the anime's finale, an apparition of L appears before the dying Light, who closes his eyes in the same fashion L does in the 25th episode. L in the film As there is no time delay between the first and second films, the second film begins soon before L supposedly dies. L retains many of the same characteristics seen in the original series. At the end of the first film, Light eats potato chips in front of L; Light had used a potato chip sack to hide a cell phone acting as a television from security cameras while L filmed his room. In the second film, his original "death", caused by Rem writing his name in her Death Note, does not take effect, as L had written his own name in Misa's Death Note earlier. It is his self-sacrifice that allows himself stay alive for a longer duration (as he supposed Kira would kill him on that day), and allows the investigation team to apprehend Light. After Ryuk kills Light, Ryuk offers L the Death Note. L refuses, and Ryuk, saying that L is "no fun," leaves. Twenty-three days after writing his name in the Death Note, and after burning all the remaining Death Notes and having a conversation with Soichiro, L dies peacefully while eating a chocolate bar, with a picture of Watari lying right beside him. He is portrayed by Ken'ichi Matsuyama. Misa Amane ( Amane Misa?) / Kira (second) Misa Amane as she appears in the anime Voiced by: Aya Hirano (Japanese), Shannon Chan-Kent (English) Misa is a girl who has an immense crush on Light and a famous model, singer and actress. She usually refers to herself in the third person by calling herself "Misa-Misa" and tends to be hyperactive. She poses as the "second Kira" to attract the attention of the first Kira. She decides to devote her life to Light because he punished the criminal that killed her parents when she was younger. The Shinigami who follows her is Rem. Misa also performs two eye trades, cutting her lifespan in half twice; the first was with Rem, and the second with Ryuk (For more information, see Shinigami Eyes#Misa Amane's lifespan). Misa sends Sakura TV video tapes "from Kira" in order to attract the attention of the real Kira. After receiving a reply video from the real Kira, Misa finds Light and tells him that she will support him in any way. Misa tells Light that she had her friends handle the packages containing the "Kira Tapes" and donned disguises as a method of fooling surveillance. Misa and Light move into the same household together after L's death. In actuality, Light befriends Misa for the eyes, having her pass judgement on criminals around the world with Ryuk as her personal Shinigami. She also provides assistance to Light when he aids the investigation team in their hunt for Mello. After Near's suspicion of Light being Kira becomes apparent, Light instructs Misa to give up her ownership of the Death Note

and pass it on to Mikami. When Misa figures Light starts to build a close relationship with Takada, she fears that Light would leave her for Takada. To prevent this, Misa plans to make a public announcement that she was engaged to Light. Before she could announce it, Near orders her to be kidnapped and put under surveillance. Even after he realizes that nothing would come from interrogating her, he keeps her captive for a while, if only to prevent her from contacting Light while Near prepared his plan to expose Light as Kira once and for all. According to How to Read 13, Misa falls into despair after learning of Light's death through Matsuda. Misa commits suicide one year later on February 14, 2011. It is also revealed that the cloaked woman who appears at the end of the manga is not Misa, but simply a follower of Kira. At the anime's finale, Misa's suicide is neither mentioned nor seen. At the final credits, she is seen standing at the edge of a rooftop, with a sad face looking at the horizon. Misa, born on December 25, 1984 in Kyoto, has a height of 152 centimeters (4 feet and 9 inches) and a mass of 36 kilograms (79 pounds). Misa has a bust size of 76 centimeters, a waist size of 51 centimeters, and a hip size of 75 centimeters. Her blood type is AB. Misa in the film Misa, portrayed in the film by Erika Toda, is seen filming a drama show called "Misa-Misa's Happy Sweets," where she states that she is baking treats to make her enemies fat. After filming of that section ends, she expresses support for Kira on camera. A supervisor states that the section will be cut due to controversies. Sakashiro, the assistant director for "Happy Sweets" and Misa's attacker, dies from a heart attack when Jealous writes his name inside of his Death Note. Jealous's Death Note then falls in front of Misa, who immediately picks it up and finds Rem after reading the notebook's rules. Misa does not commit suicide in either of the films, as her memory from the incident and the Death Note is erased. She still harbors her obsession for Light and bids him a happy birthday from her mini shrine of Light. She feels that a piece of her life is somehow missing. In addition, her appearance is slightly modified in both films: while Misa has blonde hair in the manga and anime, it is brown in the Shinigami Shinigami, or Death Gods, are demon-like characters who live in the Shinigami Realm. To increase their life-span, they write the names of humans in their Death Notes. Because the realm is incredibly dull, this act is usually laughed at and is done in privacy. Shinigami can not be killed by physical methods, such as stabbing or shooting, and must follow a strict set of rules if they want to live without punishment. Ryuk ( Ryku?) Ryuk is the Shinigami who drops a Death Note in the human realm, which is then discovered by Light. It is revealed that Ryuk did it out of boredom, as there was little to do in the Shinigami realm. He was also found to have tricked the Shinigami King into receiving a second Death Note that would be used by Light, as well as access to the human realm. Ryuk has a great fondness for apples, and will go through a type of withdrawal if he goes for too long without eating them. He says apples are to Shinigami as cigarettes and liquor are to humans. He seems to enjoy video games as well. He also states that he is shy around girls. For a time, he is Mikami's personal Shinigami. He is also shown to be quite incompetent, not knowing some of the basic rules of the Death Note or even a few rules which Light himself figures out. In all versions of Death Note, Ryuk kills Light at the end of the storylines. In the manga, shot by Matsuda after he attempted to write Near's name down on a Death Note scrap, a severely injured Light desperately begs Ryuk to write the names of the investigation team and the SPK members in the Death Note; the desperate SPK members shoot Ryuk, not realizing that gunshots will not kill the shinigami. Ryuk states that he will write Light's name instead. In the 30 seconds before Light's death, Ryuk says it would be too boring to wait for Light to die in prison, then he says that he enjoyed Light's company because he got rid of his boredom. In the end he repeats his statements from the beginning of the story regarding the fact that the Death Note's first human owner will die by the hands of the Shinigami who handed the notebook to them. In the anime version, Light does not ask for Ryuk's help and manages to escape the warehouse thanks to Mikami's gruesome suicide distracting everyone. His wounds are too severe for him to escape. And so, Ryuk, who is watching him from atop a pole, wrote Light's name in his Death Note, while stating the same rules mentioned in the manga. Light then collapses, dying peacefully, with an apparition of L standing over him. In the film version, after Light is shot by Matsuda, the man begs Ryuk to write names of L's team members. Light laughs and Misa smiles as Ryuk writes in the Death Note and the panicking SPK members shoot Ryuk; as in the manga, the gunshots do not harm the shinigami. Light's laughter stops when Ryuk reveals that the only name written in the Death Note was Light's name. The desperate Light yells at Ryuk and jumps through him, trying in vain to stop his death. Light dies in Soichiro's arms. Ryuk offers L the Death Note. When L refuses to use it, Ryuk moans about L being "boring" before leaving. According to How to Read 13, Ryuk is 6 feet tall and his weight is unknown. He likes apples and games and dislikes boredom. Ryuk's love of games is seen in the first omake eight-panel comic series, originally published in Weekly Shonen Jump Volume 4-5 (double issue) in 2005. In the omake, Light, dressed in a Santa Claus suit, asks Ryuk what he wants for Christmas, expecting that Ryuk would ask for Light's soul. Ryuk begs Light for a Game Boy Advance SP. Light asks Ryuk why he celebrates Christmas. Ryuk, defeated, falls to the floor, mumbling about the cold in the human world [6] . On another occasion, Ryuk asks Light if he wants to play Mario Golf (changed to just "video games" in the anime), but receives no answer since Light's bedroom is bugged with cameras [7]. Rem ( Remu?) Rem is the Shinigami who first gives Misa her Death Note and Shinigami eyes. Similar to Ryuk, Rem possesses two Death Notes; she purposely gives a Death Note to Misa. Rem inherited her second Death Note from Jealous, another Shinigami who died when he saved Misa's life, and thought it only right to pass it on to Misa. Rem inherits Jealous' love for Misa as well and is prompt to defend Misa even at the cost of her life. She shows this when she openly shows her lack of trust for Light stating that if Misa dies before her time, Rem will kill Light. Rem dies after she is tricked by Light into killing L and Watari to protect Misa, and thus as the rules state passing on her remaining life span to Misa. In the second movie, Rem, voiced by Shinnosuke "Peter" Ikehata, declares her love for Misa and her spite for Light moments before her death. While she dies, she burns her note in a blue flame entrusting that it will never belong to Light, but this is not the case in the manga where Light is able to retrieve the notebook. In the manga and anime, Rem tells Misa that she is actually a female Shinigami. In the second liveaction film, this is not mentioned, leaving it ambiguous.

Shidoh ( Shid?) Shidoh is a Shinigami whose Death Note is stolen by Ryuk. In fact, Ryuk takes his Note and gives it to Light, which becomes Higuchi's note and is finally passed on to Mello's gang (more specifically, Mello's subordinate, Kal Snyder (also known as Jack Neylon)). Shidoh has a great liking for chocolate. Since Shidoh has neglected to kill people and extend his own lifetime, he probably did not notice that his Note is stolen. As the end of his lifetime approaches, Shidoh finds Ryuk and learns that Mello is in possession of his Note. Later, he finds Snyder in the human world. To regain his Note, Shidoh agrees to help Mello's gang against the SPK and Light. After Light regains the Death Note from Mello, he returns the note to Shidoh for him to stop interfering and return to the Shinigami world. Although these events occurred over the course of about one volume in the manga, Shidoh was only in two episodes in the anime version (episode 28 where he was merely introduced in the last few minutes of the episode, and episode 29, which relays most events of Shidoh's regaining of his Death Note). Shidoh's name is written in English as "Shidoh" in Death Note: How to Read 13, but written "Sidoh" in both the tankbon character introductions page and within the translated English manga. Teru Mikami ( Mikami Teru?) / Kira (fourth) Teru, in the original manga and anime versions, is chosen as the new Kira by Light. When Light feels it is dangerous for Misa to keep the Death Note any longer, he instructs her to pass the ownership of the Note to Mikami. Little is known about Mikami yet except that he appears to be a supporter of Kira, and that he is a prosecutor. He has also performed an eye trade with Ryuk, earning him the Shinigami Eyes. When Mikami's decisions reveal that he can follow the thoughts and ideals of the first Kira, as L could, Light wonders if Mikami will become much-needed help, or a new threat. Mikami in the original manga As the story progresses, it is revealed that Mikami has been bullied at school for his sense of righteousness and therefore wishes to punish those he considers to be evil. Because of this, he chose to become a prosecutor and worships Kira as God. He is also extremely bright just like Light, but he seems content to remain a loyal follower in Kira's kingdom, taking the initiative to ask Kira for direction when he does not receive direction, but also making decisions with Kira's ideals on his own. Compared to Light, Mikami also seems more psychologically unbalanced, muttering to himself "delete, delete, delete..." with fanatical glee, and a gleam in his eyes as he writes down names in the Death Note (in the anime version he jumps and makes slashing movements with his pen as if it were a sword). At other times, he seems merely intense and calm. Mikami goes beyond Light in his ambition, wishing to judge the unproductive and those who have committed crimes in their past, even if they have since reformed, which alarms Light. Light realizes how loyal he is to Kira when Mikami risks exposure by speaking on Sakura TV, publicly announcing that he will do anything Kira commands. Mikami's devotion to Kira leads to his and Light's deaths. When Takada is kidnapped by Mello, Mikami rushes to get his Death Note to write her name down in it to prevent her from being captured by the investigation team and forced to speak what she knows. Light had already written her name a minute before Mikami could. This action leads Near's team to his note's hiding place, foiling Light's plan to gather all of his antagonists in a same place (including Near) before Mikami for him to dispose of them. When they are finally cornered by Near, in the manga, an enraged Mikami starts to blame Light for putting them into their situation and claiming that Kira is no god, contrary to what he so fervently believed before. Ten days after he is captured and detained, he dies after going insane. Mikami's death leads Matsuda to believe that Near used the Death Note to control Mikami's actions, allowing Near to convict Light. In the anime version of Death Note, Mikami commits suicide with the fountain pen he used to write on the notebook, allowing Light to flee the warehouse (though it cannot be asserted whether he did so on purpose or out of desperation). According to How to Read 13, Mikami was born on June 7, 1982 and dies on February 7, 2010. He is 175 centimeters (5 feet and 9 inches) tall and weighs 56 kilograms (123 pounds). His blood type is A. Kiyomi Takada ( Takada Kiyomi?) First appearing in Chapter 31 as Light's classmate and girlfriend, Kiyomi is a popular girl also known as "Miss To-Oh"/"Miss Todai" (short for To-Oh University) or "Seiso Takada" (which means something similar to "plays hard to get"}}. Light notes that she is not as shallow as her reputation advertises. She makes a brief appearance by Light's side in Chapter 32, not to reappear in the story until Chapter 85 as an announcer of NHN (parody of NHK) chosen to be Kira's spokesperson to the world. This is not a decision made by Light, but by Mikami, who threatens her as Kira, and knows her as someone educated, intellectual and civilized, and who could send out Kira's words accurately in a calm and straightforward manner. Light has to figure out how an ex-girlfriend could become an ally, especially since he disappeared from everyone he knew in university, and at one point leaves his mother thinking he ran off to live with Misa. Light believes that she was more intelligent and prouder than Misa. Near, after doing a background research on the NHN announcer, believes that she is merely studious and not intelligent, as Light's judgment that she was intelligent was based solely on her grades. Takada is by then famous for being Kira's spokesperson, and Near looked down on anyone who supported Kira. By Chapter 88, when Light reveals his identity to her as Kira, she states that Light is the only man she has ever respected. That he is Kira only enthralls her more, especially when he asks her to be his queen in the perfect world they only dreamed of when they were in school together. Mello and Matt kidnap Takada; Takada's bodyguards shoot Matt while Mello takes Takada. Mello forces Takada to take her clothes off, and Takada writes Mello's real name in the Death Note. In Chapter 99, Light writes her name into the Death Note as a suicide by fire, after she tells him that she has killed Mello. According to How to Read 13, Takada was born on July 12, 1985 and dies on January 26, 2010. She is 5'4" and weighs 97 lbs. Her blood type is AB. Takada in the film In the film, her role is combined with that of Higuchi as the third Kira, and she kills those who stand in her way of a promotion. Also, she never sees Light because she is blindfolded. Otherwise, her fate is more or less the same, with Light killing her after her declaration of devotion although the declaration is to Kira and not Light since she never knows Light was Kira. In addition, despite having short hair in the Death Note anime and manga, Takada's hair is fairly long in the films. She is portrayed by Nana Katase

L's Successors In the manga and anime, following L's death, two gifted children were assigned to carry on investigation of Kira. Both characters had previously resided in The Wammy's House, an orphanage founded by Watari in the United Kingdom. Each one's methods differ significantly, but their objective is the same: to prove themselves as the true successors to L by doing what their predecessor could not; their goal is to expose and defeat Kira once and for all. Near ( Nia?) / Nate River ( Neito Rib?) / "N" / (the third) L Near is the more withdrawn character of the duo, sharing a few behavioral similarities with L. He initially shows no emotions towards L's death, saying L is a loser in the game of tracking down Kira. Near later reveals that he and Mello both have great respect for L and want to prove themselves by succeeding him. He is fairly blunt, and often insults people who support Kira or otherwise stand in his way, although usually not to their faces. Starting with no lead or clue, Near successfully identifies the events unfolding during the capture of Higuchi, and points out the existence of the Death Note to President Hoope on March 5, 2009. With authority from President Hoope, the SPK (Secret Provision for Kira) is established on March 12, 2009 to investigate Kira. The SPK consists of selected agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as Near. Like L, Aiber ("A"), Wedy ("w") and Watari ("W"), Near sometimes addresses himself by his initial, "N". Near comes into contact with Mello after he escapes from the attack conducted by Light and suspects that Light is Kira. From various information he gained from Mello and Aizawa, Near deduces that the new L, is Kira and finds out Light's real identity as Kira. In response to Mello's help, Near commands one of their mutual contacts to let Mello know exactly what Aizawa said. Near in the manga version Compared to L, Near is somewhat more logical and decisive, as he tends to judge on little evidence and pursues hypothetical hunches. This is demonstrated when he claims that Light is definitely Kira based on little information. Often using the terms winning or losing', he seems to consider the investigation as one of his games. By chapter 91, Near successfully deduces that Mikami possesses the Death Note, and all he needed was evidence. He is also thoroughly convinced that Light is Kira and believes that L failed because he started to doubt that fact. Near's remaining lifespan of 43406 and true name of Nate River are found out by Mikami when Near and Light meet in chapter 101. Near is often seen playing with toys, solving puzzles, or stacking small objects such as dice or matches, as well as action figures. He also has a collection of Lego figures, one for each suspected Kira and other characters, that he uses to illustrate his theories about the case. Near's birthday is August 24, 1991. His height is 155 centimeters (5 feet and 1 inch), his mass is 40 kilograms (88 pounds), and his blood type is B.[10] Mello ( Mero?) / Mihael Keehl ( Mihaeru Kru?) Mello is Near's rival and they both split ways after L's death due to his problems with being second to Near. Mello decides to find Kira his own way by joining a gang (assumed to be located in Los Angeles, California) and using less conventional methods, including the kidnapping the Director of the Japanese Police, to find Kira before Near. Mello also relies on information leaked from an informant in the SPK. Mello likes chocolate bars, and usually can be seen eating one. The scar on the left side of his face was caused by the explosion he triggered when cornered by the Investigation Team, which Light ordered to attack Mello's gang. His real name is Mihael Keehl. Mello as he appears in the manga After Mello escapes from the attack led by Light, he meets Near and gives him information on the rules of the Death Note in exchange for his only photograph left in the world, which, before the exchange, is in Near's hands. Mello tricks Mogi into meeting Near in New York, so in thanks, Near found a round-about way of letting Mello know what Aizawa told Near. With the same information, Mello also comes to the conclusion that Light is Kira. chapter 98, he kidnaps Takada (whom Lidner instructs to get on Mello's bike), rides off and handcuffs her to himself. In the next chapter, he dies when Takada writes his name on a piece of the Death Note, as per Light's instructions. In the anime version's finale, Near states that "Mello knew this." It is highly possible that he meant Mello knew that Mikami would attempt to kill Takada and therefore sacrificed his life to inform Near the possibility of a fake Death Note. Mello's birthday is December 13, 1989 and he dies on January 26, 2010. He is 171 centimeters (5 feet and 7 inches) tall, weighs 52 kilograms (115 pounds) and his blood type is A.[10] Matt ( Matto?) / Mail Jeevas ( Mairu Jvasu?) Matt is a cohort of Mello's, first appearing in Chapter 83. He does some espionage work for him and is an accomplice in Takada's kidnapping. Matt in the manga He follows orders without question, usually smoking a cigarette as he does. Not much else is known about him, other than he is a former resident of Wammy's orphanage. In Chapter 98, he fires a smoke bomb at Takada's bodyguards as a distraction to allow Mello to kidnap Takada; in the next chapter he meets face to face with Takada's bodyguards. Inside the back of his shirt, he hid a gun which he tried to take out until he is finally shot multiple times by all thirteen of the bodyguards surrounding him. Mello later sees the news of his death broadcast on TV and apologizes to Matt for his death. Matt's real name is Mail Jeevas (pronounced like "mile" rather than "male"); he likes video games, but dislikes going out, and Matt was behind Mello and Near to succeed L. His birthday is February 1, 1990, and he dies on January 26, 2010. Matt is 168 centimeters (5 feet and 6 inches) tall, weighs 52 kilograms (115 pounds), and his blood type O Watari (?) / Quillsh Wammy ( Kirushu Waim?)/ "W "

Watari is L's assistant who provided logistics to the investigation team. His real name, Quillsh Wammy, as well as his original profession as an inventor and founder of an orphanage of gifted children, called The Wammy's House, in Winchester in the United Kingdom, is not revealed to readers until after Watari's death. Watari is also a trained marksman, as demonstrated just before Higuchi's capture. He dies when Rem writes his real name along with L's in the Death Note, due to trickery caused by Light. In the anime and manga Watari deletes all the data following the Kira case before he collapses; alternately in the second movie, he, portrayed by Shunji Fujimura, dies in the elevator next to Misa, moments from escorting her to L and reassessing her guilt of being the Second Kira. In the beginning of the manga, Watari is shown as a man who simply arranges the meetings with L for his clients. He is also revealed to be the only one in direct contact with L and the only one who has the ability to speak with him. According to Death Note: How to Read 13, Watari was originally designed to be man with only a single strip of hair. Illustrator Takeshi Obata redesigned him to be an old man.

Written rules Before the series begins, Ryuk writes instructions in English inside his Death Note with the belief that English is the most popular language in the human world.

The human whose name is written in this note shall die. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected. If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

Fake rules These rules were written in the Death Note to aid Light in a scheme he came up with to clear his and Misa's names. They were written by Ryuk but are completely false.

If the owner of a Death Note does not use the notebook after 13 days time, he/she will die. If the Death Note is burned, torn up, or otherwise rendered useless, any people who have touched the Death Note will die.

Other rules Throughout the series, other rules are revealed, such as "When the same name is written on more than one Death Note, the Note which was first filled in will take effect, regardless of the time of death." This rule played an important role in the movie, as L used this rule to prevent Kira from killing him. A few of them match the rules Ryuk wrote inside the Death Note, but most of them are rules that are not known by humans and in some cases, even the Shinigami. These rules are revealed at the end of certain chapters in the volume format of Death Note and the beginning of the Jump format chapters, on black pages that contain only the rules. In the eyecatches of the last chapter/episode (then, the two last eyecatches of the series), the "rules" revealed are not Death Note rules, but the rules of life itself, as it says: - All humans will, without exception, eventually die. - After they die, the place they go is Mu. (Nothingness) Both rules are central to the chapter/episode, as it remembers that even Light, self-proclaimed "God", will die one day as all humans. Shinigami and Death Notes A Shinigami must own at least one Death Note. That Death Note may also be used and owned by a human, but only if the Death Note falls to earth and is found by a human. The Shinigami have to keep using the Death Note to kill people in order to extend their own lives. A pact exists between the human owner and the Shinigami who gave the human the Death Note. The pact is such that at the end of the owner's life, the Shinigami has to write down the owner's name in his own note. How to kill a Shinigami Rem is one of the few Death gods to discover how to kill a Shinigami. If a Shinigami uses the Death Note to extend the life of a human they care about, they will die since they have failed in their eternal mission of shortening human lives. This was stated by Rem when she claims she would kill L for Light;

she initially states that it would make no difference as it was to protect Light, who she did not particularly care for. However, since she then had such an attachment to Misa (who would inevitably die if L wasn't killed), she would die. Rem reveals this to Misa, who later reveals it to Light and Ryuk. A Shinigami could end up killing itself as well, if it neglects to continue filling its Note with the names of humans. If it fails to do this then it will cease to lengthen its lifespan, and eventually run out completely. A Shinigami may be killed by execution as well, in the Shinigami Realm. If a Shinigami breaks the laws of the Shinigami Realm, it is subject to one of nine levels of punishment, starting with level eight at the lowest infraction, going up to level one, and then the "Extreme" level. If a Shinigami is subjected to levels three or above, it will die after it is finished being punished. This is why Shidoh stops himself from telling Mello where the other Death Note is, after reading this rule in the scrolls he was given for his mission to retrieve his own Death Note.

MIDORI DAYS Plot Seiji Sawamura is the toughest student in his high school. His grades aren't very good because he fights more than he studies, but he tends to protect the weaker students from bullies. A few classmates idolize him; one (Midori Kasugano from a different school) shyly loves him from afar; but most are just afraid of him, which has made it impossible for him to find a girlfriend until one morning when he wakes to find a miniature Midori attached to where his right hand used to be. Over the next two weeks the pair adapt to this sudden and forced closeness. Much mayhem, and some romance, ensue. Seiji does his best to hide Midori from other people; she wears a bandage around her head and pretends to be his injured hand. Midori frequently professes her love to Seiji (even wearing a Tshirt which says "I Seiji"), but Seiji fails to notice, even as he frequently laments that he'll never find a girl who loves him. The anime is shounen, with nudity and occasional (and lingering) views of bare breasts. The connection between Midori and Seiji appears to be between her waist and his wrist, but it is never shown (he always wears long sleeves, and she usually wears a dress) nor explained. Midori's body seems to function normally; she sleeps, eats, and (it's hinted by Dr. Makinoha) her physiological needs are fulfilled using Seiji's excretory system.

Characters Seiji Sawamura ( Sawamura Seiji?) He is a 17-year-old delinquent student who is feared for his fighting skills. Seiji is not a true gangster, as he fights to protect the weak using his powerful Devil's Right Hand. Fighting people has a price however: everyone, including girls, fears him. He has gone seventeen years without a girlfriend, and wants one badly, but every girl he asks has turned him down. One day, when he is daydreaming about having one, he finds a miniature girl on his right hand. It appears that she is Midori Kasugano, who has had a hidden crush on him for three years. He feels very excited about it, then realizes that this is his right hand saying this. So he declines the first girl that ever said she loved him. Much of the plot involves trying to get other girls and getting rid of Midori. Seiji Sawamura with Midori Kasugano (his right hand) from the Midori Days anime. Seiji mostly starts off as rude and monstrous towards Midori, but as time progresses he becomes more attached to her (pun not intended). He tends to be completely oblivious to the girls who like him, focusing on those who do not. His redeeming qualities are his determination, his willingness to help innocent people, and his kindness towards Midori. Seiji is also obsessed with the actor Sho Aikawa. At the end of the series he finds Midori's diary, when she is off his hand, and reads it. He realizes how much she loves him, and waits for her to approach him in her real body. She confesses her love for him, without any memory of being on his hand. He tells her that he is in love with her, too. After that, it becomes obvious that they become a couple. In the manga, however, Seiji admits that he likes Midori, besides looking at all the girls. And the manga ends with them becoming a couple, with Seiji buying a new diary for Midori, after letting her read her old one. It should be noted, that she only reads her old diary in a bonus spin-off comic and that scene may not be considered canon.

Midori Kasugano (as Seiji's right hand) A 16-year-old-girl who ends up as Seiji's right hand. She has had a crush on him for three years. One day she wishes to be with him so much that she finds herself, in miniature form, in the place of his right hand. This causes problems for him, since it is the "Devil's right-hand" he punches with. Midori's real body is in a coma, and her mother tries everything to bring her back. As soon as Midori finds out that she is on Seiji's hand, she gathers the courage to admit her love, even though it isn't requited. During the series she continually confesses her love, and gets jealous of other girls, often trying to compete with them. Over time she begins to like qualities of all of the characters. Her personality is shy at first, but when she gets to know people she lightens up. During the course of her days with Seiji, she wakes up in her normal body a few times (during which Seiji's right hand reappears), but then she feels lonely and returns to a comatose state. Midori Kasugano (as a separate entity) Midori appears to be a fun, carefree girl, but as time progresses it is shown that she is actually a little bit more shy than she lets on (she mostly doesn't show it because she has been spending so much

time with Seiji). Some emotions she hides well is her jealousy towards the other girls Seiji comes in contact with and her determination to win his heart. According to the manga, she seems to possess Herculean strength when she is angry or determined. Also, she seems to be able to drag Seiji around with ease as long as he isn't resisting (i.e. in a sleeping or unconscious state). This might be because she possesed Seiji's "Devil right-hand", or simply because usual traits of anime girls (getting very violent when emotionally disturbed). Other Characters Takako Ayase ( Ayase Takako?) Class representative for Seiji's class. She originally detested him, but after Seiji saves her from a gang, she begins to harbour a secret attraction to him. Unfortunately for her, all of her plans to confess her feelings to him fail, either through Seiji's obliviousness or outside circumstances. Midori, however, recognizes Ayase's attraction, and always makes covert attempts to sabotage any romance between the two. Ayase displays little of her emotions and her true self in public, which explains a lot of her difficulty in confessing to Seiji. Several of the stories show her attempts to learn to be more seductive towards him; for example, she watches (and takes notes from) a pornography tape that Seiji had misplaced. A major problem with her schemes is that she doesn't think things through; for example, her attempt to seduce Seiji by making him dinner backfired when, during the cooking, she made so many attempts to flirt that she forgot to turn the stove off, nearly burning her house down. Ayase also still harbors a hidden shyness, despite her daring; whenever circumstances warrant that she and Seiji 'clash' more or less romantically (such as a sextett date where she appeared in disguise, and she and Seiji accidentally end up kissing each other on the mouth), she does not exploit the situation but ends up slapping Seiji in embarrassment. Rin Sawamura ( Sawamura Rin?) Seiji's beautiful older sister. Unfortunately, she's the former leader of a powerful street gang, and her favorite hobby is beating up her little brother and taking his allowance. She was the one who taught him to fight when he was younger. At the end of the manga version, Rin leaves for South America to join her boyfriend. Rin is protective of her brother like any sibling, but she enjoys making him writhe in embarrassment and pain. Early in the series, she learns about Midori and easily befriends her miniature form, often showing her how to wear makeup. Throughout the series, Rin is seen not only brawling with Seiji, but repetitively showing off Midori. Rin also loves her boyfriend but shows that much less than in public. Kota Shingyoji ( Shingyji Kta?) A childhood friend of Midori's and also a fellow first year at Ogurabashi High School. He was always in love with Midori, but over the course of the series he manages to develop "feelings" for Seiji that make the miniature Midori extremely nervous. As his character design is rendered as a "cute boy", Kota tends to get picked on a lot by the same type of bullies that Seiji usually fights, and his attraction to Seiji is a result of several of Seiji's rescues. He has also attracted the attention