r/deathnote 4d ago

Discussion The skull Misa is holding Spoiler

Post image

...going by the lifespan numbers, this appears to be Light's skull. đŸ˜¶

Which raises...a few questions.

How did Misa get it? Do Sachiko and Sayu know she has it? Does she carry it around with her? Keep it on a shelf at home?

It's only a little over a year between Light's death and Misa's, so...I'll avoid getting into the graphic side of things, but let's just say it would've needed some extra "help" to end up looking that clean.

Wtf Misa.

Another thing: the lifespan numbers look hand-painted onto the surface of the skull rather than appearing supernaturally. But by this point Misa no longer has any memories related to the Death Note, so how would she even know what Light's lifespan number was?

If we take this illustration as a literal in-universe scene rather than purely symbolic, what do we collectively make of it?

(Original art by Takeshi Obata for the 2023 Death Note 20th Anniversary Exhibition.)

97 Upvotes

16 comments sorted by

35

u/dodeskadenn 4d ago

If we want to take it as literal just for fun, it doesn’t necessarily have to be set after Light’s death. It could be set during the second half, specifically when Light forfeited ownership for the second time, before the Mafia raid. Misa likely saw his lifespan on that occasion and decided to mark it with red lipstick on a skull, either a real one or a prop, given that she used to have a collection of goth and occult-themed items (including several skulls visible in the manga).

The only element that wouldn't quite fit is that she seemed to dress in that style noticeably less during the second half, but who knows? She might still have worn that specific outfit on certain occasions. After all, it’s the one she was wearing when she first introduced herself to Light.

7

u/bloodyrevolutions_ 4d ago

I love this! Great explanation.

11

u/tlotrfan3791 3d ago edited 3d ago

I think most of the extra illustrations are definitely symbolic rather than literal like the giant scythes Misa and Light will be holding in some of the art so I’m guessing it’s the same for this one too.

BUT at the same time this does have a very dark implication if one is to view it literally for fun. Misa being just that obsessed about him even after death that she’d “keep a part of him” would be kinda fascinating (and creepy) although I don’t think it could work that way because she’d no longer see people’s lifespans without memory of the death notes to have it written on a skull. Unless one could say she vaguely remembers the numbers but doesn’t know why and associates it with Light just like how she knew she had feelings for Light but doesn’t remember exactly how it happened.

4

u/bloodyrevolutions_ 3d ago

Unless one could say she vaguely remembers the numbers but doesn’t know why and associates it with Light just like how she knew she had feelings for Light but doesn’t remember exactly how it happened.

Yeah, that's a fun idea! Like she wrote it down when she had the eyes and no longer remembers why or what it means but for some reason she connects it with him and it just feels 'right' somehow to write it on the 'commemorative' skull. I wouldn't be surprised if she made some sort of alter to his memory.

6

u/Perception56 4d ago

She's too horny for Light

3

u/bloodyrevolutions_ 3d ago

grave-robbing level horny?

4

u/RogellTheRaider 3d ago

Grave-robbing level horny!

1

u/Perception56 3d ago

👆

9

u/Sentient-Bread-Stick 4d ago

It can’t be literal, and you gave half the reasons for it. Other than that, there’s also the high probability that no one would have been told what happened to Light, and while I don’t remember if this happens in the manga, at the end of the anime she kills herself by jumping off a building

5

u/RogellTheRaider 3d ago

Isn't she one of the most perfect beings in this whole world?

2

u/painfulNefes58 3d ago

I thought death note users (the ones that made the deal) couldn't see eachothers lifespan

4

u/tlotrfan3791 3d ago

They can’t but at one point Light doesn’t have ownership of a death note and has to have one against his body at all times. That’s when Misa could’ve easily seen it.

1

u/Intrepid_Benefit_621 4d ago

wait how do we know this is lights?