Ryuk
From Death Note
Ryuk is the Shinigami, a god of death, in Death Note who dropped his notebook into the human world purely out of boredom. He follows Light Yagami as an entertained spectator and refuses to take sides. He is voiced by Shidou Nakamura in Japanese and Brian Drummond in English.
About Ryuk
Ryuk is a Shinigami, a god of death, who got so bored with the Shinigami Realm that he dropped his Death Note into the human world just to see what would happen. He follows Light Yagami as an amused spectator, refusing to help or hinder either side, and works mainly for entertainment and apples, which he loves to an almost comic degree. With his wild grin and total neutrality, Ryuk is the story's reminder that this deadly game began as one bored god's pastime.
Appearance
Ryuk is a tall, gaunt Shinigami with grey-blue skin, a wide mouth full of pointed teeth and bulging yellow eyes that give him a permanent grin. Spiky black hair, black feathered wings and a lanky, hunched frame make him look like a rock star crossed with a corpse. He wears a black outfit with a belt holding skull ornaments, and usually has an apple in hand or in mind.
Personality
Ryuk is curious, playful and completely amoral. He does not care whether Kira's world is good or evil; he cares whether it is interesting. He laughs at human scheming, teases Light like a bored friend, and states plainly from the start that he is not an ally, when the fun ends, he will write Light's name himself. His one true weakness is apples, which he craves like a drug and will do small favours to obtain.
Background & Story
In the Shinigami Realm, gods of death pass eternity writing human names in their notebooks to extend their own lives, and Ryuk found the routine unbearably dull. So he tricked the Shinigami King out of a second Death Note and dropped it into the human world with the rules written inside, just to watch what a human would do with it. The human was Light Yagami. Bound to follow the notebook's owner, Ryuk settled into Light's life as an invisible companion, visible only to those who touch the notebook, and watched the Kira affair unfold like a favourite show.
Powers & Abilities
- Shinigami Eyes: Like all Shinigami, Ryuk always sees every human's real name and remaining lifespan above their head.
- The Death Note: Ryuk's own notebook, separate from the one he dropped, lets him take human lives to extend his own existence, as all Shinigami do.
- Flight and intangibility: Ryuk's black wings let him fly, and as a Shinigami he passes unseen and untouched by the human world unless he chooses otherwise.
Key Relationships
- Light Yagami: The human who picked up his notebook. Ryuk enjoys Light's audacity but warns him from day one that he is on no one's side.
- Rem: A fellow Shinigami in the human world; Ryuk finds Rem's genuine care for Misa amusing and very un-Shinigami-like.
- Misa Amane: The second Kira, who delights Ryuk, she feeds him apples, treats him like a friend and keeps the game unpredictable.
Quick Answers
Why did Ryuk drop the Death Note?
Boredom. Life in the Shinigami Realm was dull, so Ryuk dropped a notebook into the human world to see what would happen, he had no plan and no chosen human.
Why does Ryuk love apples?
Apples from the human world are a delicacy compared with the withered fruit of the Shinigami Realm. Ryuk craves them so much that going without causes him withdrawal symptoms.
Can everyone see Ryuk?
No. Only people who have touched Ryuk's Death Note can see and hear him; to everyone else he is invisible.
Who voices Ryuk?
Ryuk is voiced by Shidou Nakamura in Japanese and by Brian Drummond in the English dub.
