Page 108 Truths

How to Read 13 >> Page 108 Truths

Thank you Kuwamatsu-Aki for these wonderful translations of the 13 truths!

The final chapter 108 which closes Death Note. There were still several mysteries left unexplained in this last episode. Let’s have Ooba and Obata reveal the deepest truths!

01 – How did you decide the ending image?

Ooba: “At first, I was thinking it would be of the worshipers surrounding Kira’s grave. That even if Kira died, there would still be people in the world who miss him… But then I felt that there was a problem with everyone knowing about his death… and that ‘the Yagami family gravesite’ wasn’t exactly a great visual. laughs I thought of the final scene, of the worshipers lining up with candles, at the end of 2005 after discussing it with the person in charge.”

Obata: “At first, I heard from the person in charge that it would be of worshipers dressed in mourning lining up around Kira’s grave. To be honest, I had reservations about it at the time… but the storyboards ended up very well-done, and I became quite enthusiastic about it. The drawing of the crowd of worshipers was an extremely worthy challenge. I wanted to bring out the mood more, so I had all of them be hooded.”

13 – Did Ryuk return to the shinigami realm?

Ooba: “Yes, he did, because he already watched over the death of the Note’s owner. ...However, right after Light’s death, the Note from the investigation headquarters was confiscated by Near and burned up. So truthfully, there’s no way to prove whether it was real or fake. My theory is that Light secretly replaced it beforehand and hid it away somewhere. I guess Light’s struggle towards the end might not have been a total bluff after all. So there could still be a Death Note somewhere in the human world, and Ryuk might pay another visit when it’s found…?”

02 – When did you reach the decision to have the whole series at 108 chapters?

Ooba: “During the meeting where we decided how the series would end, we also decided it would be 108 chapters, and I did rough storyboards from the last chapter. So by the time Takada reappeared, both the number of chapters and the plot developments had already been decided. At this point, I’d also already decided how the confrontation at the YB Warehouse would go, so it was difficult to distribute everything evenly so that it would fit exactly into 108 chapters. Naturally, the number was chosen on purpose for the bell chimes of 108 earthly temptations.”

[From Wikipedia: In Japan, at the end of the year, a bell is chimed 108 times to finish the old year and welcome the new one. Each ring represents one of 108 earthly temptations a person must overcome to achieve nirvana.]

03 – What is the meaning of the apple on the cover?

Obata: “I believed apples to be an important symbol of Death Note, so I figured it was the best way to end the series. The covers of the last few chapters are the ‘items’ series. Like the closeup of the watch, or that object that looks down at the world from the shinigami realm, I drew the various symbolic items.”

04 – Who is the man waiting to be picked up at the beginning?

Ooba: “He’s the same guy who was bullied in prep school and also waiting to be picked up in the first chapter, Ryou-chin. Though, he’s already a full-fledged adult by now…”

05 – Why did you make Aizawa head of the criminal investigations?

Ooba: “Because I thought he was the most likely, out of the remaining characters. I didn’t really want to introduce a completely new character as their superior at the end of the story.

But now that I think about it again, Aizawa probably fits best because of his temporary leave from the investigation. He commands the police, but is also connected to L (Near) behind the scenes. He could be at the top because he knows both organizations. And if it were Mogi, Mogi might end up siding with L instead.”

06 – Is Matsuda’s theory correct?

Ooba: “I purposely wrote it so that it could be interpreted either way, and haven’t decided on the truth. Basically, I want each of the readers to decide for themselves and adopt their own views. The only thing I can say for sure regarding this is: Light ordered Mikami to not take out the real Note until the end. By the way, the new member of the team, Yamamoto, is a character I thought of while doing the storyboards, and there’s no particular meaning to him. I introduced him purely to show off how unpleasant Matsuda had become as a superior. laughs“

07 – What is the meaning of the final scene with the Kira worshipers?

Ooba: “Light was a villain, but I figured there were probably people rooting for him as well. I would have been fine letting Light end miserably, but tried ‘he might have died, but as he wished, became god to some people’ as a consolation for him. But truthfully, I think that as he told Ryuk, he wanted to reign as a living god. No matter how much he’s supported by worshipers, his own death was the one thing he wouldn’t have wished for. So, I suppose you could also interpret it as a dreadfully wretched irony. Well, in all honesty, I guess that I wavered this much on how to present it because I loved Light’s character so much. Though L is number one. laughs“

08 – Was the last situation supposed to be associated with the name “Yagami Light”?

[The kanji/meaning of Light’s name: night, god, moon(light)]

Ooba: “At night, while thinking of god, pray to the moon… It works well, doesn’t it. Of course, I didn’t have this in mind right from the beginning of the series, when I chose his name. I put it in after the idea struck me while doing the storyboards for the last chapter. In the end, it’s a direction where the people who understand it will understand it, and I’m quite fond of it.”

09 – What is the true identity of the female worshiper at the end?

Ooba: “She is simply a believer who worships Kira. In the storyboards, the emphasis was on her praying hands, and I assumed her face would remain obscured. It turned out that way due to Obata-sensei’s arrangement. Therefore, it’s not Misa. There might have been some people who thought it was Misa since she didn’t appear in the last chapter, but…”

Obata: “She isn’t anybody in particular. In the storyboards, her face was hidden. While I rather liked that atmosphere as well, personally, I wanted the ending image to be of a beautiful young girl looking up. There was no particular motif, she was drawn based on my own impressions.”

10 – What is the meaning of the English phrase on the last page?

Ooba: “Just as it says, ‘Thus, “this story” of the Death Note is concluded.’”

11 – What happened to the two remaining members of the Yagami family after the end of the Kira case?

Ooba: “There was no longer any way to write Sayu and Sachiko’s situations into the story, so I left them out of the last chapter as well. They were probably told by Aizawa or somebody that Souichirou and Light died while trying to bring down Kira. Though naturally they don’t know the truths about Light being Kira and such. And the truth about the Kira case will never be known by the world, because I doubt either the investigators or Near’s group would reveal it.”

12 – Why didn’t Misa appear in the ending?

Ooba: “I couldn’t write her in either, due to the situation. Misa might have lost her memories of Kira, but she still loved Light all the same. And since it’s said that users of the Note end up miserable, I believe Matsuda let it slip that Light died. I suppose she fell into despair and committed suicide.”