| Misa Amane is the most prominent female protagonist in Death Note. An actress, singer and model, her beautiful demeanor and cutesy, Little Girl Lost persona conceal a much darker truth. It concerns a woman who can kill at ease. Misa Misa - as she consistently refers to herself, always in the third person - is also the story's Second Kira. She possesses a shinigami notebook, presented to her by a Death Goddess Rem, who witnessed the disintegration into dust of a fellow shinigami who died to save Misa's life. Her independent usage of it causes Light Yagami a great deal of trouble, forcing him to make contact with and befriend Misa Amane. His planned manipulation of her (in order to kerb her activities with said death notebook beyond his instruction) initially seems eased, when she instantly, loudly and vivaciously falls in love with him. But the love of Misa Amane does not come without strings, nor is she so easily directed as all idle accounts would lead spectators to believe. The couple are soon dating and, by the end of Death Note, have long since been lovers, with their engagement due to be announced. Misa as Second Kira also has an additional power to that wielded by Light Yagami. She has bargained half of her remaining life span so to gain Shinigami Eyes. That is the ability to read the true name and date of death for all living beings, in text and numerals glowing numinous above our heads. She uses this grisly sight to massacre victims which Light could never have killed. Her ultimate kill count is untold, but widely believed by fans to utterly eclipse those legions slaughtered by Kira himself. |  |
The Names of Misa AmaneDeath Note's Second Kira is alternatively known as: | 弥 海砂 Misa Amane Amane Misa | ミサミサ Misa-Misa Misa Misa | 第二のキラ Second Kira Daini no Kira Kira II |
Misa-Misa's Vital Statistics
 | Hair Colour: Blonde (brown in live action and Musicals) Height: 5' (152.4cm) | Eye Colour: Brown Weight: 5 stone 6lbs (79lbs; 35.8kg) | Occupation: Model; actress; singer; TV personality; serial killer; Second Kira Relationship Status: Single at start; engaged to Light Yagami by end |
The Family of Misa Amane
 The impetus for Misa Amane's murderous behaviour and support of Kira stems from the slaughter of her own family. It occurred on May 19th 2003 - according to the Death Note manga - when a burglar broke into the Amane family home. Misa witnessed the murder of both parents. Her sister survived. Misa was living with her in Osaka at the beginning of the story. In the live-action movies, her sibling - now a brother - wasn't so lucky. Misa Amane returned home to find her entire nuclear family wiped out in a single raid. The trauma incurred a need for vengeance. Her attention was drawn to Kira after he avenged the murders for her, by killing her family's assailant as he served his life sentence in prison. At the time quite out of her reach. | 
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Key Dates for Misa Amane
| December 25th 1984: December 25th 1987: February 14th 2011: February 14th 2014: | Misa Amane born Misa Amane born Misa Amane died Misa Amane died | Manga Anime Manga Anime |
Misa Amane's Life-Span in Flux
 Even with shinigami eyes, Misa cannot see her own death date, only her name | Misa died on *insert date*. At least that's the date that would have been displayed to any Death God or those with the shinigami eyes to see, in the script above her head for most of her life. It's the date upon which Misa Amane should have died. The date on which Gelus wrote her assailant's name in his own notebook of death, thus saving her life to the detriment of his own. By which we mean that his transgression - apparently one of the most heinous there is for his kind - was instantly punishable by the hapless God being disintegrated into a pile of dust. Having thwarted Fate as she did, we have to ask ourselves what new numbers appeared now above Misa Amane's head? Another far distant date, selected at random by whatever sentient presence throws such dice? Or something quite stunning in relative human terms? |
To all extents and purposes, was Misa now immortal, barring accident or, you know, jumping off a bridge as she eventually did? We know that she wasn't actually immortal, because she did die.
We can also be certain that a date did appear above her head, and that it could change, because Rem knows immediately upon meeting Misa that she'd made the eye deal again with Ryuk. For the second time in Misa's life, her remaining years had halved. But therein lies the rub - Misa should already have been dead on both occasions when her life-span was thus curtailed. She should have died on the day of Gelus's self-sacrifice in her stead.
For shinigami, prematurely ending a human life by writing their name in a death notebook evokes its own reward. That time stolen from their victim is now added onto the death god's own life-span. If the newly deceased human should have lived another twenty years, then the shinigami authoring their demise is now assured an extra twenty years to their own tally.
Misa did not kill Gelus directly. She did not write his name in her death note (which anyway didn't belong to her until shortly thereon). However, by Gelus writing the name of Misa's would-be murderer in that same book, she inadvertently became the cause of the shinigami's disintegration into dust.
We can also be certain that a date did appear above her head, and that it could change, because Rem knows immediately upon meeting Misa that she'd made the eye deal again with Ryuk. For the second time in Misa's life, her remaining years had halved. But therein lies the rub - Misa should already have been dead on both occasions when her life-span was thus curtailed. She should have died on the day of Gelus's self-sacrifice in her stead.
For shinigami, prematurely ending a human life by writing their name in a death notebook evokes its own reward. That time stolen from their victim is now added onto the death god's own life-span. If the newly deceased human should have lived another twenty years, then the shinigami authoring their demise is now assured an extra twenty years to their own tally.
Misa did not kill Gelus directly. She did not write his name in her death note (which anyway didn't belong to her until shortly thereon). However, by Gelus writing the name of Misa's would-be murderer in that same book, she inadvertently became the cause of the shinigami's disintegration into dust.
| Later still, the desperate situation engineered by Light Yagami into being meant Misa's liberty and life were endangered again. Rem could see that Misa was foolish enough in love to repeatedly chop her life's span in two, in order to impress and/or save her beloved Light. With such an overview, the shinigami Rem saw no alternative herself but to kill Watari, then L, so to save Misa Amane from herself (and, by extension, them). Two death gods, both infatuated with the enchanting human woman; both causally committing suicide via their death notes to save her life. How many years had those two deities amassed between them, as yet to be lived, at the point of their deaths? And did those two tallies transfer to Misa Amane, as they would have to another shinigami? There is circumstantial evidence to say that they did. Insofar as Ryuk looks quite stunned to behold the death date adorning Misa's aura; momentarily fairly speechless at the notion that half will soon swell his own life-span, as she begged to make the shinigami eye deal with him. Moreover, Rem rushed into killing L and Watari for Misa's sake. It's questionable that such speedy action would have been necessary, if Rem could see that Misa had many more years left in her. Tenuous, we know, but intriguing nonetheless. On the other hand, the rules of the Death Note are quite clear on the point that a human user writing names does not amass the lost life-span of their victims, in the same way as a Death God would. However, it says nothing at all about the consequences of a human being instrumental in the death by shinigami notebook of its divine owner. We do not know how many years Gelus and Rem had left. It could have been hundreds. We do not know if those life-spans transferred to Misa Amane. She could well have lived for centuries (or mere hours, days, weeks, months...), if disillusionment and lovelorn grief had not sent her hurling from a high bridge to her death. Or perhaps that moment WAS Fated. February 14th 2011 (or 2014, in the anime) was the date left there for heartbroken Rem to see. |  |
If that was the case, we can calculate the dates displayed at any given time above Misa Amane's pretty brow. But only if we assume that she received no extra life from the two shinigami, otherwise all but the first and last dates must remain unknown.
Of course, this is only one possible example. Assuming the date Misa died is, in fact, the end of her new life-span, then we are able to say that Gelus could have added anywhere between 1 and 38 years, and likewise, Rem could have added anywhere between 1 and 6 years. So another example: Gelus could have added 16 years, which would mean Rem would have added 3 years. The amount of life gained from Rem depends directly on the amount of life Misa gained from Gelus. It can be worked out using the formula: Y = 7 - X/4 (Where life added by Rem is represented by Y, and life added by Gelus is X) Because the amount of life added by Rem and Gelus are directly dependent on one another, we can never know exact numbers, only a range of possible scenarios, represented by the graph below:  Possible time additions effected to Misa Amane's life-span by the self-sacrifice of two Death Gods on her behalf NB: Mathematics contemplated, calculated and completed by Orangepunch and Richard Mak. With thanks to both! The Suicide of Misa Amane in Death Note |
The Auguries of Misa
 Born on December 25th, astrologically Misa Amane is Capricorn |  Misa's birth date of December 25th 1984 (manga) also factors into Shēngxiào. The Second Kira is a Wood Rat in the Chinese Zodiac |  However, the time-slip of the anime would have her born in 1987 instead. That means that now in the Chinese Zodiac Misa Misa is a Fire Rabbit |  |
Misa Amane's Personality
Misa Amane is the archetypal It Girl; she has charisma in abundance, especially before a camera, and in life can delight just about everyone she meets. Give or take those with broader concerns (for whom she poses a distraction and a nuisance), like her lover Light, locked in fatal bouts of gladiatorial competitiveness with whichever Wammy boy offers the fight.
Death Note 13: How to Read describes Misa as having tremendous screen presence, resulting in a plethora of offers for film roles. This is coupled with beauty and a physique in great demand for modelling in top fashion magazines.
The actress and model knows well how to use such charms. Her flirtation with Higuchi Kyosuke prompts him with ease to divulge information that will ultimately lead directly to his death. Misa's coolness under pressure and ability to read social cues and situations with aplomb is also very much in evidence during the Yotsuba arc. Hosting an impromptu private party for the company's executives, Misa's able to help Matsuda affect his escape. Assessing and playing her part with barely a tip off regarding what was about to follow. She took it all in her stride.
It's not surprising then that the aforementioned Death Note manual affords Misa Misa top marks for charm, social skills and initiative. Don't let the big, batting, innocent eyes foll you, Misa Amane is one canny lady.
That conclusion is borne out in canon time and again, yet belied in the graph's piddling 3/10 ranking for her intelligence. There are equally low points for creativity, despite the canon Second Kira seeming quite resourceful. While her Genki Girl style outbursts does concur with the mid-range score for emotional strength.
Death Note's Misa Amane cannot be underestimated, but then perhaps we shouldn't ask too much of her either. And, of course, none of this accounts for her propensity to kill at will and whim, but mostly for her intense, jealous and all consuming passion in love with Light Yagami.
Death Note 13: How to Read describes Misa as having tremendous screen presence, resulting in a plethora of offers for film roles. This is coupled with beauty and a physique in great demand for modelling in top fashion magazines.
The actress and model knows well how to use such charms. Her flirtation with Higuchi Kyosuke prompts him with ease to divulge information that will ultimately lead directly to his death. Misa's coolness under pressure and ability to read social cues and situations with aplomb is also very much in evidence during the Yotsuba arc. Hosting an impromptu private party for the company's executives, Misa's able to help Matsuda affect his escape. Assessing and playing her part with barely a tip off regarding what was about to follow. She took it all in her stride.
It's not surprising then that the aforementioned Death Note manual affords Misa Misa top marks for charm, social skills and initiative. Don't let the big, batting, innocent eyes foll you, Misa Amane is one canny lady.
That conclusion is borne out in canon time and again, yet belied in the graph's piddling 3/10 ranking for her intelligence. There are equally low points for creativity, despite the canon Second Kira seeming quite resourceful. While her Genki Girl style outbursts does concur with the mid-range score for emotional strength.
Death Note's Misa Amane cannot be underestimated, but then perhaps we shouldn't ask too much of her either. And, of course, none of this accounts for her propensity to kill at will and whim, but mostly for her intense, jealous and all consuming passion in love with Light Yagami.
The Myriad Faces of Misa-Misa
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