Author List

This post was written with the collaboration of Max Aguirre (Intro and Methodology), Elizabeth Chandler (Analysis of L), Zach Parrott (Author List, Tables, Conclusion), and Maggie Wallace (Analysis of Light).

Introduction

December 2003 marked the beginning of the Death Note manga series that would become one of the most popular and famous series to date. It would go on to be adapted into multiple media forms including an anime series and multiple movies, it’s popularity due to it’s well crafted story and distinct, well-written characters. Death Note follows Light Yagami, an intelligent high school student that stumbles upon the “Death Note”, which has the power to kill a person simply by writing their name in its pages. Light, bored with his life, decides to use this notebook to kill those he considered evil in the name of justice thereby becoming the new god of the world. After this phenomenon of criminals dying is discovered, a highly skilled detective, L, is enlisted to help with investigation efforts against Light. So begins a “cat and mouse” chase between the two characters, whose interesting dynamic garnered great praise for the series.

Methodology

For this analysis, we took a look at Volume 3 of the Death Note manga in Japanese, specifically because it is the volume in which Light and L initially meet. We thought it would be interesting to see how they acted on their own, and how they interacted with each other.

We read through the volume, looking specifically for gendered speech (or lack thereof) from the two characters in different situations, in order to see whether or not there were gender dynamics and play, and if there were, how they played out. We also took into account factors such as: What emotions could they be feeling in specific situations? How do they act when being around certain people? How do they talk to each other, and how does their gendered speech (or lack thereof) complement their character, and their rivalry dynamic?

Materials

Here is a table showcasing examples of specific instances of gendered-language in our sample. A key is provided below the table.

Key:
FPP = First Person Pronoun
SPP = Second Person Pronoun
SEP = Sentence Ending Particle
ADJ = Adjective

Analysis and Discussion:

Light Yagami
Light is the main protagonist and the wielder of the eponymous Death Note. He is recognized as a genius and seems like the ideal, polite, and hardworking child and student to everyone around him as he is always thinking ten steps ahead. His primary goal is to rid the world of all criminals and create a perfect, new world by killing them all with the Death Note. In the chapters we analyzed, Light has started working with his father and his team of detectives as well as the world-famous detective L to catch “Kira”, the name created by the public to attribute to Light’s killing of criminals using heart attacks, but of course, no one knows that it is him.

L

L is a brilliant, world famous detective who has worked with various organizations over the years to solve what were considered unsolvable crimes. He has the appearance of a young man, who is quite unconventional in many of his mannerisms, such as sitting in chairs by squatting, his choice of baggy clothing, and his love of sweet things which are oddly contrasted by his polite speech and, at times, disconcerting demeanor. The chapters we analyzed see Light and L interact for the first time in the series highlighting the two men’s different approaches to problems and how their speech patterns differ and express different aspects of their identities.

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Light Yagami Analysis
In the chapters we analyzed, the manner of which Light most often speaks to others, notably L, is quite neutral and informal, with the occasional masculine form peppered in. He will only use overtly masculine forms and words such as ふざけてる when he is angry. We also found one or two examples of him ending a sentence with ぞ, and using な when wondering about something. Usually, his speaking is otherwise neutral, ending most sentences with plain form and heavy use of the sentence final particle よ. This can be contrasted with how he speaks, or sometimes thinks, in soliloquy, either just to himself or around the Shinigami Ryuk. He also always uses the pronoun 僕. When speaking to himself, he makes a distinct change to masculine speech. For example, he refers to L as あなた to his face (unless he is calling him by his fake name 流河) but in soliloquy, he refers to L as おまえ. He also uses the negative command plain form + な.

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L Analysis
In stark contrast to Light Yagami’s (aka Kira’s) more masculine and aggressive forms characteristic of someone of Light’s age, L, a brilliant detective, is far more neutral, polite, and even at times feminine. The first and most obvious difference is in his choice of first person pronoun. L opts for the more neutral 私 (watashi) in comparison to Light’s more masculine 僕(boku) which is characteristic of a young man in his 20’s. L also uses a lot of honorifics and polite forms of speech: he almost always ends his sentences with です・ます(desu masu) with few exceptions, mainly when he is talking to himself. He commonly makes polite requests, ending with ください (kudasai), お願い(onegai), ましょう((mashou), or excusing himself with terms such as 失礼します(shitsureishimasu). He also uses full expressions, such as したのですが (shitanodesuga) instead of shortening them to their more colloquial forms common in Light’s speech patterns. In proper context, most of these forms aren’t strange in and of themselves, but given how he uses them, even toward status equals or inferiors, it makes L come off as slightly femnine or submissive in comparison to Light.

Conclusion
Although the use of gendered language isn’t too frequent throughout the story, the little bits of gendered speech that we do get help to exemplify the character’s personalities and emotions. Light’s use of mostly male speech and informal forms shows his character as rather confident and dominant, while L’s use of formal forms, neutral gendered expressions, and uncertain speech styles gives off the appearance of a more polite, submissive, and passive character. All of this information can be gleaned through their speech styles, rather than the actions and physical interactions between them.