Misa Amane

Misa Amane is the secondary protagonist and a villain from ''Death Note. ''Misa is the lover of Light Yagami and is a famous model and actress whose parents were murdered when she was little girl. Upon Kira's punisment of her parents' killer, she fell in love with Kira. Afterwards she discovered Kira's identity was Light.

In film, she was portrayed by Erika Toda and in drama, she was played by Hinako Sano.

History
A year before the start of the series, Misa's family was murdered in an attempted robbery in their home. She was home at the time, and it happened right before her eyes. After the murderer was arrested, she had a desire for revenge and make him pay for killing her parents. However, the trial went on for a long time, and opinions started to surface, stating that he was falsely accused. He was later killed by Kira, which caused Misa to become a Kira supporter.

Later, shortly after beginning her modeling career, one night, Misa met an obsessed stalker, who was carrying a knife with him. He confessed his feelings to her, but she rejected him, which made him conclude that 'if he can't have her, no one can', and then he attacked her, attempting to kill her. A Shinigami, named Gelus, had been watching Misa from the Shinigami realm for a while and fallen in love with her. Seeing that Misa was going to be killed, Gelus wrote the name of her stalker down, killing him, and ultimately, saving Misa.

Unfortunately, since Shinigami are meant to take life, not save it, Gelus himself died, turning to dust, and leaving behind only his Death Note. Another Shinigami, Rem, witnessed this and decided that the notebook left behind should belong to Misa, and delivered it to her, thinking that Gelus wanted Misa to have it. After Misa received the Death Note, Rem was obligated to stay with her (as Ryuk is with Light). Wanting to meet and thank Kira for avenging her parents, Misa made the eye deal with Rem.

Plot
Misa began trying to contact Kira using video tapes. She sent four tapes to Sakura TV, and the station reported live that they have received the tapes four days later. A host at the station said that there was no doubt that the tapes were real and not a hoax. He reported that the first tape contained a voice that predicted the death of two arrested criminals, and that last night the criminals both died of heart failure at 7:00 pm. The host stated that because only Kira could perform such an act, they were sure that the tapes are from Kira. He stated that they were told to broadcast the second tape at 5:59 pm, and that they have not watched the tape themselves. The broadcast began and a picture of the word "KIRA" appears on the screen in the Old English font that L uses for his letter 'L', although the letters that Misa use are hand written. The broadcast is viewed by the Japanese Task Force, and L begins wondering if the font was meant to taunt him. A voice states "I am Kira" and says that if this tape was aired at exactly 5:59 pm on April 18, then it should be 5:59:38 right now, and then begins counting seconds. The voice says to change the channel to Taiyou TV, and says that the news anchor will die of a heart attack at exactly 6:00 pm. L has the channel changed to Taiyou TV and the Task Force views the anchor die. L says to switch the channel back to Sakura TV, and the voice states that the death of the news anchor was punishment for speaking out against Kira on television. The voice says that one death is surely not enough to prove that they are Kira, so they will sacrifice another commentator from Taiyou TV for speaking against Kira as well. L has two more televisions brought into the room, and one is put on NHN. While watching the broadcast L states that Kira is manipulating the mind of the public, and that the broadcast needs to be stopped soon. Matsuda attempts to call Sakura TV, but finds that the line is busy, while Aizawa tries to call a contact at the TV station who unfortunately had his cell phone off. Ukita rushes to stop the broadcast himself. As the broadcast continues, the voice says that they do not wish to kill innocent people and that the police do not have to be considered enemies, and that Kira's goal is to create a world without crime. "Kira" continues by stating that even if you disagree with Kira, as long as you do not go against Kira in public, you will not be killed. Meanwhile, Soichiro Yagami watches the broadcast while in the hospital.

Ukita is killedUkita is killed by Misa with the Death Note. Ukita arrives at Sakura TV station, and finds that the door has been locked. He sees a guard inside and says to unlock the entrance, then pulls out his gun before dying of a heart attack. As L watches the broadcast, the voice states to imagine a world where Kira and the police work together to rid the world of evil. NHN news reports that someone was found lying in front of Sakura TV stations doors, and Aizawa recognizes Ukita. Aizawa attempts to leave but L advices him to stay. Aizawa questions if their identities had been leaked, and L says that it's possible but unlikely because Kira hasn't killed them all yet. L states that he said before that Kira needed a name and face to kill, but now it's possible that Kira only needs a face. He continues, saying that there's no doubt that Ukita died because he went to Sakura TV station, and it's possible that Kira is inside or near the station and using cameras to watch the area.

Soichiro storms the TV stationSoichiro crashes into Sakura TV station. As the NHN broadcast continues to monitor Sakura TV station, they report that it appears to be calm immediately before Soichiro Yagami drives a bus through the front doors. "Kira" continues by telling the police to please give an answer four days from now, on April 22 if they will help Kira create a better world, and that "Kira" has tapes to be aired at 6pm of the same day in response to their answer. Meanwhile NHN reports that an armored vehicle has crashed into Sakura TV station as the Task Force watches in amazement. Soichiro exits the vehicle with his jacket covering the area around his face, and asks a security guard where the studio broadcasting the Kira tapes is. He makes it to the room and immediately demands that the broadcast be stopped. Demegawa says that if the broadcast is stopped they will be killed, and Soichiro says that there are more people to think about than just them. Soichiro confronts Demegawa by pulling out a gun (after Demegawa continues to deny him the tapes) and says that he will return the tapes the tapes to him after he deems them acceptable for broadcast. Demegawa finally gives in after first attempting to hand over copies of the tapes without the originals.

The police shield Soichiro The police block Soichiro from Misa's view. As the Task Force watches the broadcasts, Sakura TV's broadcast is cut while two other stations continue to report on the incident happening in front of Sakura TV station. L calls Vice-Director Kitamura and Soichiro, and arranges for a large number of police officers to block Soichiro from Kira's view using their bodies and armored police vehicles as cover. The officer in charge of the team shouts to the others to not leave any gaps, and that Kira is watching from the outside of the TV station. NHN reports that the police have taken a stance against Kira.

The next day the Task Force arrives at headquarters, and L explains that tapes three and four came with instructions. If the police agreed to work with Kira, tape number three should be broadcasted; if they did not, tape number four should be broadcasted. The third tape contains details of the agreement, saying that the police are to release all details of criminals so that Kira can judge them. To seal the agreement, those in the upper ranks of the police along with L must reveal themselves. The fourth tape is more or less the same, although it is worded differently. L tells the Task Force to let Sakura TV know that the can air the fourth tape. On April 22, the tape is aired. "Kira" states that if criminal reports stop Kira will kill police officers and reporters, and then demands that the life of someone in charge of the Kira investigation be handed over—the Director's or L's. "Kira" says to choose one and reveal them in four days and that, because Kira knows the Directors face, there are no special requirements; however if they should choose L, he must appear on Sakura TV's 6 o'clock news and give a ten minute speech. "Kira" says that Kira will decide if the person on the news is L, and if Kira decides that he isn't, Kira will take the lives of several police officers as compensation. "Kira" says to please not lie as Kira does not wish to kill those without sin, and to think carefully over the next four days.

Light watches Misa's broadcastLight watches the broadcast of Misa's fourth tape. Meanwhile, Light Yagami watches the broadcast and laughs, amused, as Ryuk watches with a grin on his face. Light asks Ryuk if this is the work of another Shinigami, and Ryuk says that it likely is. Light responds positively to the idea that the owner of the Death Note is supportive of his ideals, then says that he is the only one who know that this new Kira is fake. Light decides that he needs to find a way to use this new Kira to his advantage, then says that the new Kira likely has the Shinigami Eyes based on how "he" killed the police officers, and is therefore more powerful. Light decides that he can use the new Kira to prove his own innocence and get rid of L at the same time, and then states that the new Kira's actions have also been damaging Kira's reputation and if "he" gets caught by the police it could be troubling for Light. Light says that the best course of action for him to take is to find a way to get on the Task Force so that he can keep an eye on L and the new Kira, and that it should be simple because L did not reject to him joining the Task Force earlier. Light states that if the new Kira ever messes up, he can just kill "him" and take the new Kira's notebook before L does, although it would be favorable if the new Kira just killed L in four days. Light decides to find a way to contact the new Kira without revealing his identity in order to take control of "him".

L examins the fingerprint on the envelopeL examines the fingerprint found on the envelope Misa sent to Sakura TV station. On April 24, Soichiro Yagami tells L that the ICPO has decided that L should appear on TV. L says that they made the logical choice, considering that he was the one to taunt Kira on television. Though Matsuda protests, L asserts that the decision was correct, and even if he were to appear on TV, Kira might not believe that he is L. L says that if it comes to that, he will reveal himself to save the lives of the other officers, although he isn't sure how he would prove his identity to Kira. L says that besides that, he would rather die by Kira's hand than by the hand of someone being used by Kira. The Task Force reacts in surprise, and L explains that after watching the tapes, he believes that they are the work of a second Kira. L reveals that the first tape was never aired on TV, and was used to prove to Sakura TV that that sent the tapes was Kira. L says the postage stamp on the envelope holding the tapes shows that the tapes were mailed on April 13, and it reached the TV station the next day. Three days later the first predicted murder occurred. Matsuda says it sounds like Kira's work, but L says that he still doesn't think it's the same Kira. L says that the victims of the Second Kira are very different from the ones killed by the real Kira; they were convicted of minor crimes, and one of them was charged with drug possession and only reported in a women's magazine. L says it also strange that two employees of Taiyou TV were killed for only criticizing Kira, something Kira would not approve of, as that's not his idea of justice. L theorizes that the Second Kira killed those that were unlikely to be killed by Kira in order to avoid the risk of the predicted deaths taking place before the tapes reached the station; if the criminals died ahead of the time predicted, the Second Kira would not be believed. Matsuda says that it may be stretching it a bit, since the Second Kira killed innocent people. Aizawa asks if they can really conclude this the work of another Kira, and Soichiro asks L how high the probability is, to which he responds "seventy percent". He explains that everything has been done differently, and points out the poor sound quality of the tapes and the hand drawn letters as being inferior to what Kira would have done. He says that Kira would have used better equipment because of his juvenile mind. L continues, stating that the real Kira would not use scare tactics that look like acts of terrorism, and was carefully introducing the idea of Kira to the public. Aizawa says that fingerprints were found on the tapes and envelopes, and they don't belong to anyone working at the TV station. Matsuda says he thinks the real Kira wouldn't be so careless, and Aizawa theorizes that Kira is trying to frame someone. L says that Kira has no reason to frame anyone and would't want to, and that the intelligence of the Second Kira is below that of Kira for leaving a fingerprint behind. L says that they can't begin a worldwide fingerprint check with only the Japanese police backing them, and they can only use the fingerprints when they have a suspect. L points out that the fingerprint is rather small, and like that of a child's or a woman's. Soichiro says that his son told him while in the hospital that Kira could be a kid from a rich family, and L says that he thinks his son could be correct. L says that there is a possibility that the Second Kira can kill under different criteria than Kira, and catching one Kira could definitely lead to clues about the other. L says that there's no doubt that the first Kira is smarter than the Second Kira, and if he were Kira he would want to find the imposter and see how useful he could be before eliminating him. He then says that a battle has begun between them and Kira to find the Second Kira first, and that there is a chance that they will uncover the real Kira in the process. L asks Soichiro if there's a possibility that his son could work with them again, citing him as good at profiling people and having a good chance at helping them find the Second Kira. Soichiro says he will not object to having Light join the force, to which the others agree. L asks to please keep the suspicions of there being a Second Kira secret from Light, and act like they think there is only one Kira.

Misa and Rem discuss KiraMisa's first appearance. She discusses her actions and Kira with Rem. Meanwhile, Rem asks Misa if it's a good idea to not use the Death Note for herself, and Misa says that she is using it for herself; she wants to meet Kira, talk to him and find out what kind of person he is. Misa explains that she moved here to live by herself and sent the tapes to the TV station so she could catch Kira's attention. She tells Rem that Kira must be interested in her by now, and could want to meet her as much as she wants to meet him. Rem says that Misa is playing a dangerous game and could get killed, and Misa replies that it will be fine as Kira is probably nice to girls, and she has the Shinigami Eyes and therefore, the upper hand.

L speaks to the Task Force about the tapes L decides to get Light's opinion of Misa's tapes as part of his investigation of Light. He then decides that Light will officially join the Task Force, and tells to the others that he wants to get Light's opinion of the tapes, and that Light will likely reach the same conclusion as himself because he has strong investigative abilities. L says that he wants Light's opinion of the tapes and papers, and Matsuda says he thought L got his conclusion of a Second Kira from the victems being different than the others', to which L replies that he had other reasons as well. L explains that the Second Kira seemed to imply that "he" could kill with sight alone, a feat that is very different from the Kira they were originally investigating. Aizawa suggest that their previous idea was wrong or Kira has become more powerful, and Soichiro responds that if that were true, the criminals with incorrect database entries would be dead already.

L reveals how to stop the Second Kira. L says that he wants to observe Light's response, and if Light says there could be a second Kira, Light will basically be cleared of suspicion. Because Kira has been wanting to get L since the "Lind L. Tailor incident", he won't let a chance like this pass. Aizawa says that regardless of how Light responds L will still die, and asks L how suggesting the idea of a Second Kira could clear Light of being Kira. L replies that there is a way to stop the Second Kira because the Second Kira idolizes Kira, and can be stopped by making a fake video telling "him" to do so. L says that if Light is Kira, he won't help them make the fake video. Soichiro asks if Light becomes more suspicious if he doesn't suggest a Second Kira and L responds that it doesn't, and that even if Light doesn't help with the videos he will still ask Light to help with the investigation. L tells everyone to refer to each other using the fake names on their badges as a safety precaution, and tells Watari to remain outside of the room and only speak to L through the computer. L tells Soichiro to tell Light to come immediately if Light agrees to join them, and Soichiro calls Light.

Light watches Misa's tapesLight watches Misa's tapes. Light arrives at the hotel and appears surprised at the small size of the Task Force, and L tells Light that there are a few outsiders who know what happens within the investigation and only one can contact L directly. Light thinks to himself that if everyone in the Task Force dies but one, the killer is revealed. Therefore, he must find out who the outsider with the information is. Light is told to look over the papers of the investigation and then watch the tape, and to not take notes or remove anything. As Light watches the tapes he begins thinking that he wants to throw up, and wonders if it's because he is the real Kira. After watching the tapes Light says that there may be someone else with Kira's abilities, citing the difference in criminals killed, as well as the fact that some were killed immediately after revealing their faces. L Misa watches the broadcast of the Kira tape Misa watches the broadcast of the tape made by the Task Force.

reveals that he came to the same conclusion, and Light asks if L was testing him. L denies that he was, and tells Light that he was the only one who thought there could be an another Kira, and needed Light to think of the same idea without his opinion. Light realizes that L would have told him his plan regardless of what he told L, and that L set things up so that if he didn't say there was another Kira he would look suspicious, and if he did, he would help prove L's theory to the Task Force. L asks Light to help their case by pretending to be Kira, and tells Light that only he is able to play this role and tells him to begin writing a draft for the speech. When Light is through he asks L if his draft is good, and L says that it is, but if he doesn't remove the part about it being okay to kill L, he'll die. Light laughs and says that he was kidding, and that it's fine to remove it, and L gives the draft Aizawa to take care of. Later, the tape is created and sent to various TV stations. As the tape is broadcasted Misa watches with excitement from her bedroom, and says she has some back-up tapes that she saved and is going to dub the sound over them. Rem asks her what she plans to do, and Misa says that she is going to reply to Kira, and then wonders what she's going to say to him.

Misa succeeds in enticing Kira to Aoyama through videos she sends to Sakura TV, which contain indirect, and some rather direct, comments about Death Notes, Shinigami and how they can meet. Knowing that Light is Kira, due to the fact that her Shinigami Eyes can see his name, but not his life span, Misa sees and falls in love with him immediately.

Misa at Light's houseMisa explains her past to Light.After finding out his address, Misa arrives at Light's house, telling his mother and sister that she has his notebook. When she is in private with him, she explains what has happened, and asks to be his girlfriend and partner in crime, admitting that she wouldn't even mind if he simply uses her. Light agrees, intending to kill her after she outlives her usefulness. However, Rem in turn promises to kill him if he ever harms Misa.

Misa (interrogation) Misa confined under suspicion of being the Second Kira.

Soon after, Misa is captured by L, under suspicion of being the second Kira. The Task Force found several pieces of evidence in her apartment: stamps like the ones used to mail the Kira tapes to Sakura TV, a pen with the same ink, and a notebook with paper like the paper sent with the tapes. They also found receipts for train tickets from Nagano and Tokyo (the places the tapes were sent from), as well as flower pollen from flowers that grew in the area Misa previously lived in (the flowers happen to be a type that is not found in Kantou). L is convinced that Misa is the Second Kira, not only because of the physical evidence, but because of her connection to Light. Misa is put into confinement, unable to move her body or see due to L's restraints. Because Misa refuses to talk, L tells Watari to Rem talks to MisaRem speaks to Misa.

do everything possible to make her, and to even resort to torture if necessary. Misa eventually asks Rem to kill her. L and the others watching, who are unable to see Rem since they haven't touched Misa's Death Note, believe Misa is talking to them. As an alternate solution, Rem eventually convinces Misa, who had originally refused, not wanting to forget her love for Light, to give up ownership of the Death Note. Rem assures Misa that her feelings for Light Yagami will not go away and that she will simply forget that Light is Kira. Misa gives up ownership of her Death Note, causing Misa to lose all of her memories of the Death Note, being a Kira, and having met the Kira. Light is eventually able to create a situation in which she is free, but still under surveillance. Misa proves to be a surprising asset to the investigation by uncovering the identity of the Third Kira.

She also establishes an alliance with L, who she only knew as Ryuzaki. This unlikely friendship begins when L tells Misa that he understands her feelings for Light, and touched by this, Misa kisses him and offers to be his friend. According to what L says, this made her the first and only person to ever do so.

After regaining her memories as the second Kira, Misa trades for the Shinigami Eyes a second time with Ryuk, and, once again, takes on the role of Kira. When L notes that the murders have started to continue once Misa was released, Rem realizes that Misa will no doubt be found out by L, and that the only way to prevent this would be to kill L. She writes down Watari and L's real names, disgusted with Light, but willing to do it for Misa. Watari and L then die, and Rem turns to dust, having saved Misa, and expanding her lifespan.

Misa assists Light for several years until she reluctantly forfeits her ownership of the notebook again, having become a liability. By this time, Misa's career has really taken off, and she has become a famous actress, appearing even in American films. She retires from her career when Light asks her to, so that she could marry him. However, Misa soon returns to the entertainment world by taking part in the New Year's pop music festival. After her memories are gone, Misa ends up spending the remainder of Light's life (about two months) in the company of Kanzo Mogi, as he investigates her.

At the end of the series shortly after Light's death, Misa is seen standing on top of a ledge of a tall building alone. Although it is not shown, it is confirmed that she committed suicide following Light's death.

Appearance
Misa has long blonde hair, most commonly worn in pigtails, although she occasionally wears it loose as well. In the manga, her eyes are predominantly light brown. However, they have been shown as green. In the anime, they alternate between light brown and blue.

Misa often dresses in Lolita styled clothing, though noticeably less so after the time skip. In artwork drawn by Ohba, she is often seen wearing a wide range of Lolita-styled clothing.

Misa tends to wear cross jewelry, though the crosses were changed to 'fleur de lis' symbols in the anime adaptations (most notably on the Misa finger puppet). Despite this, Misa is depicted with a cross in the first anime opening and her model sheet image in the liner notes of the third anime soundtrack. She also has a cross on the collector's figure included with volume 5 of the DVD sets.

Misa usually refers to herself in the third person by calling herself "Misa-Misa".

Conception and development
Tsugumi Ohba, writer of Death Note, decided to create Misa to be the second Kira before the serialization began. Ohba felt that having the story solely consist of males would be "boring" and wanted "a cute female." Ohba, intending to introduce her with the Shinigami Eyes, described her as having to be "spontaneous and not too bright" and that he determined her personality "from the start." Since Light Yagami would never want to trade for the Shinigami Eyes, Ohba wanted another character to use to trade for the eyes, so Ohba decided to use Misa. Ohba said that the conception of the name Misa "was kind of random but I think it was from "kuromisa" (Black Mass). It must have been based on something".

Ohba ultimately decided to introduce Misa after the death of Naomi Misora. Ohba and Takeshi Obata, artist of Death Note, wanted to use the gothic lolita design to convey "gothic imagery of the Shinigami and that world". Ohba said that they're "into that fashion" and that having Misa first appear in unusual clothing would be "more interesting". Obata, imagining a mix of an "energetic Japanese artist" and a "foreign rock and roll singer", felt "set" when he drew Misa for the first time. Ohaberenbata said that he felt "apprehension" regarding the length of Misa's hair; personally he wanted her fringe (bangs) to be "straight across" but believed that creating Misa completely within the bounds of gothic lolita style would be "too much". Therefore Obata designed her so she looked "a little more natural" and to appear "cute" to people who "weren't into the Gothic Lolita style".

When the Near and Mello story arc began and Misa became a top idol, Obata decided to make her look like "a popular actress". Obata said that he remembered "having a lot of fun" while looking through gothic lolita magazines and drawing Misa. In response to a question inquiring about which characters the creators faced the most difficulty in creating, Obata selected Misa. Obata said that he had difficulty comprehending the concept of "doing anything for the person you love" and that he felt like the character controlled him when he drew her. Death Note 13: How to Read also states that Misa "required a lot of artistic variation" because of her "many expressions" that ranged "from goofy to serious".

In the manga, Misa wears jewelry with a crucifix theme; in the anime adaptation, she wears fleur de lis jewelry, although the cross is retained on the collector's figure included with Volume 5 of the DVD series.

When designing color book covers, Obata assigned colors to characters to "get the atmosphere right". Obata assigned pink and black to Misa.

Character
Misa is very outgoing, and a model, actress and singer. She is shown to be quite popular, and attracts a large crowd around her while visiting Light near his school. While she often appears hyperactive and impulsive, she is also shown to be intelligent, specifically when she creates her plan to trick Higuchi into revealing himself to be a Kira, and successfully carries her plan out.

Although she is generally nice to those she meets, she can also be quite cruel, as seen when she tells Light that she would "probably kill" any of the girls he dates, despite Light's dating them being part of his plan to appear as a normal young man to the investigators.

Despite her typically cheerful personality, Misa has been mentally afflicted by seeing her parent's murdered right before her eyes. It is unclear how much her trauma has affected Misa psychologically, but in the films, Rem indicates that Misa went through a deep depression immediately after she discovered the murderer was acquitted of the crime. The murderer was later killed by Kira, an act that Misa has been grateful for ever since. Misa's appreciation to Kira is what initially fuels her actions as the Second Kira. Later, after she becomes emotionally attached to Light, her actions are strongly motivated by love.

Light Yagami is an important figure in Misa's life, and she frequently comments on him being so. She often declares her love for him. She is quite dedicated to Light, and even refuses to perform a kiss with fellow actor, Hideki Ryuga, while making a film because she is dating Light. After losing her memories of the Death Note for the first time, she even decides to help catch Kira for Light (who has joined the Task Force, and also has no memories of the Death Note and ever being Kira).

Misa usually refers to herself in the third person by calling herself "Misa-Misa".

Within the Death Note universe, Misa is a famous model, singer, and actress who is infatuated with Light Yagami. He has been shown to slightly consider feeling some type of affection for her when first meeting as she blushes at him when he compliments her on explaining, however he feels that "developing feelings is how most idiots screw up" as he says in his head. She usually refers to herself in the third person by calling herself "Misa-Misa" to be cute, although this is omitted in the English dub of the anime, and she tends to be hyperactive. Despite her hyperactivity, she rarely, if ever, allows her personal feelings about anyone to interfere with Light's plans, showing her unflinching loyalty to him. She, like Light, is corrupted by the power that comes with owning a Death Note. However, unlike Light, she neither wishes to become a god, nor loses her original personality. Despite this however her playfulness hides a deeply twisted and disturbed girl. Because of Light's cruel and manipulative nature, she's just another one of his victims, albeit a very dangerous one.

Douglas Wolk of Salon describes Misa as being drawn in a "Japanese comics' tradition of cute, tiny, airhead girls with big eyes" and being a "lot cannier than she pretends to be". Wolk adds that the reader could "watch her measuring how much quasi-innocent charm to pour on in every situation".

She decides to devote her life to Light because he punished the criminal that killed her parents when she was younger in front of her eyes. Misa, unable to forgive the killer and wanting to kill the burglar herself, saw multiple delays in the killer's trial and the possibility he could get off before Kira killed him. According to Ohba, Light sees Misa as a "bad person" who killed innocent people, so he acts emotionally cold towards her and manipulates her. Light and Misa both act together as Kira for over five years, until Light decides that it is too dangerous for Misa to be Kira with members of the taskforce suspecting him and tells her to give up the notebook. During the series, Misa performs two eye trades, cutting her lifespan in half twice: the first, with Rem; the second, with Ryuk. That is to say that if her original lifespan was to live to be a hundred, after trading for the eyes twice, her lifespan is shortened to twenty-five years.

The Shinigami who follows her is Rem. Not long before Misa's introduction to the series, Misa was attacked by an obsessed stalker. Unknown to her, a Shinigami named Gelus had fallen in love with her, and was watching her during the attack. In order to save her life, Gelus wrote her stalker's name into his notebook, killing him. Consequently, Gelus himself died, since shinigami exist only to take human life, not extend it. Rem, who witnessed the whole event, then took Gelus's notebook which had been left behind and gave it to Misa. The two eventually grew to care for each other.

According to 13: How to Read, Misa loses her memories related to using the Death Note at Light's orders and retains her love for Light. Misa falls into despair after someone "like Matsuda" "probably let it slip" that Light died. Misa's fate is not shown in the manga at all; she was last seen staying at the Teito Hotel. Ohba stated that this was simply because he did not have a situation to fit her in.[9] Misa commits suicide a year after Light dies.

At the anime's finale, Misa appears dressed in Gothic Lolita clothing, standing outside the safety rail on the edge of a skyscraper and looking into the sunset. The official manga guidebook lists her date of death as Valentine's Day, leaving fans to wonder whether or not she really committed suicide. Misa, born on December 25, 1984, in Kyoto.

Film
Misa is portrayed in the films by Erika Toda. In the film continuity, Misa has a brother, who is murdered along with her parents. Misa's personality is altered slightly from the manga. In addition, her appearance is slightly modified: while Misa has blonde hair in the manga and anime, she has brown hair in the films.

She is first seen filming a dorama 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 to a journalist. Her supervisor asks that the statement be cut due to controversies. Misa's attacker, Ryotaro Sakajo, the assistant director for "Happy Sweets", dies from a heart attack when Gelus writes his name inside of his Death Note. Gelus' Death Note then falls in front of Misa, who immediately picks it up. After reading the notebook, she finds Rem.

In the second film, Mogi replaces Ukita as Misa's victim during the Sakura TV incident. Additionally, Misa first learns of Light's identity as Kira when Soichiro rescues Sayu.

Misa is present at the final confrontation between Light and the police force, though she is handcuffed and restrained by another officer. When Light dies after Ryuk writes his name down in the Death Note, Misa breaks down emotionally. Her memory of the Death Note is erased, but she retains her obsession with Light, wishing him a happy birthday through a mini-shrine dedicated to him.

Actress's portrayal of Misa
Erika Toda said that, prior to filming, she felt "a lot of pressure" due to the character's popularity with audiences. She said the pressure vanished when filming began. In an article in The Star, a Malaysian newspaper, writer Kitty Sensei theorized that Toda did not have "the time to think much about how fans would react", citing film shoots that Kitty Sensei described as "physically and mentally exhausting" such as the straitjacket scene. Toda said that undoing the straitjacket took a lot of time, and at times she waited in the jacket between takes. Toda also said that on one occasion, she wore a blindfold for an hour during filming.

Yonkoma
Death Note 13: How to Read describes Misa's "sexiness" in the Death Note yonkoma as receiving a "power boost compared to the main series".

She played by Erika Toda in the movies

Tv Drama
In Drama Version where Misa is member of idol group which Light Yagami and his best friend were fans. only Light and Misa fallen in love

Reception
Tom S. Pepirium, an editor of IGN website, describes Misa in a review of the Death Note anime episode "Performance" as being the "show's weakest and most annoying character". Pepirium cites "the tone in which she is written". He feels that her motivation and obsession with Kira are "in league with Death Note's dark sensibilities". He says that when Misa "spouts" her "deep and fully realized" affection for Kira in "her wacky, excited, poodle-like way" the information "loses all impact". The reviewer uses "girly sophomoric pink fluff" and "Jar Jar" (a reference to Jar Jar Binks) as figurative descriptors for Misa. He also had compared Misa to Dot from Animaniacs. Pepirium said that he wished that Misa spent more time in a "somewhat serious state" instead of a "silly lovesick, big-eyed anime characterization". In a Salon.com article Douglas Wolk includes Misa in a grouping of characters that he describes as "neatly wrought".

Reception of the film version of the character
Erika Toda said that she views Misa as "complicated and fascinating". Toda added that she does not comprehend why a person would willingly use a Death Note; Toda said that she admired the fact that Misa "does everything she sets out to do" but that the actions of Light and Misa are "criminal".

Christy Lee S.W. of The Star said that Toda's portrayal of Misa in the second film "may seem rather annoying for being overly bubbly and cute at first" and that the character "grows" on the viewer "after a while". Lee said that at the end of the film she saw Misa as "quite endearing".

Conception of Misa in the Films
Erika Toda said that, prior to filming, she felt "a lot of pressure" due to the character's popularity with audiences. She said the pressure vanished when filming began. Toda said that undoing the straight jacket took a lot of time, and at times she waited in the jacket between takes. Toda also said that on one occasion, she wore a blindfold for an hour during filming.

Erika Toda said that she views Misa as "complicated and fascinating." Toda added that she does not comprehend why a person would willingly use a Death Note; Toda said that she admired the fact that Misa "does everything she sets out to do" and that the actions of Light and Misa are "criminal."

Conception
The following information is from How to Read. Tsugumi Ohba: Writer and Artist

Overview
Tsugumi Ohba, writer of Death Note, decided to create Misa to be the second Kira before the serialization began. He felt that having the story solely consist of males would be "boring" and that he wanted "a cute female."

Ohba, intending to introduce her with the Shinigami Eyes, described her as having to be "spontaneous and not too bright" and that he determined her personality "from the start." Since Light Yagami would never want to trade for the Shinigami Eyes, Ohba wanted another character to use to trade for the eyes, so he decided to use Misa.

Ohba said that the conception of the name Misa "was kind of random but I think it was from "kuromisa" (Black Mass).

Character Design
Ohba and Takeshi Obata, artist of Death Note, wanted to use the Gothic Lolita design to convey "Gothic imagery of the Shinigami and that world". Ohba said that he is "into that fashion" and that having Misa first appear in unusual clothing would be "more interesting". Obata said that he remembered "having a lot of fun" while looking through Gothic Lolita magazines and drawing Misa. Obata said that he felt "apprehension" regarding the length of Misa's hair; personally he wanted her fringe (bangs) to be "straight across" but believed that creating Misa completely within the bounds of Gothic Lolita style would be "too much". Therefore Obata designed her so she looked "a little more natural" and to appear "cute" to people who "weren't into the Gothic Lolita style". Obata, imagining a mix of an "energetic Japanese artist" and a "foreign rock and roll singer", felt "set" when he drew Misa for the first time. When the Near and Mello story arc began and Misa became a top idol, Obata decided to make her look like "a popular actress".

When designing color book covers, Obata assigned colors to characters to "get the atmosphere right". Obata assigned pink and black to Misa.

In response to a question inquiring about which characters the creators faced the most difficulty in creating, Obata selected Misa. Obata said that he had difficulty comprehending the concept of "doing anything for the person you love" and that he felt like the character controlled him when he drew her. Death Note 13: How to Read also states that Misa "required a lot of artistic variation" because of her "many expressions" that ranged "from goofy to serious".

Trivia

 * Although Ohba came up with Misa's name from something based on "kuromisa", "Misa" is in fact an actual female, Japanese name. The female Japanese name "Amane" means "sound of the heavens".
 * In the anime, the ringtone on Misa’s phone is Alumina.
 * Ohba and Obata have stated that the cloaked woman who appears at the end of Finis (the last chapter of the Death Note manga) is not Misa, but a "random follower" of Kira.
 * Misa's date of death, February 14 is Saint Valentine's Day.
 * Misa was born in Kyoto, Japan.