Death Note's Misa Amane and friend create Second Kira's VHS tapes
By all accounts, Death Note is not a very old anime. Yet since its original run, much has changed.
Misa Amane’s capture was the result of a series of mistakes relating to VHS tapes, but such things are no longer regularly used in our modern world. Flip phones are no longer the dominant device and have instead been replaced with multi-function smartphones.
With that in mind, we’re going to examine how certain key plot elements relating to Misa would have been different were the story to have taken place around today. Would our female protagonist have been captured so quickly? Would modern technology have aided her escape? Perhaps events might have unfolded differently.
Misa Amane’s capture was the result of a series of mistakes relating to VHS tapes, but such things are no longer regularly used in our modern world. Flip phones are no longer the dominant device and have instead been replaced with multi-function smartphones.
With that in mind, we’re going to examine how certain key plot elements relating to Misa would have been different were the story to have taken place around today. Would our female protagonist have been captured so quickly? Would modern technology have aided her escape? Perhaps events might have unfolded differently.
Storage Media
L exhibits Misa's VHS tape
As I said before, Misa’s mishaps began with her submission of four tapes to Sakura TV.
Here we would find the first large difference in story had it be cast a little later: VHS pretty much disappeared from use a few years after the show’s original airing.
A more contemporary telling of the story would have her submitting these videos through a different medium. These are some of the most likely candidates:
On the other hand, these types of media also leave behind a trail. L might have been able to trace Misa’s IP address from an email, or go to the next level and determine where and when the email address was created in the case of a fake email account.
The same is true of the file sharing. By checking where the files were uploaded from with the cooperation of the host company, L might have been able to deduce either where Misa’s apartment is (if sent from a PC) or her general locale if sent from a mobile device.
This is assuming Misa didn’t use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). She perhaps wouldn’t have hidden her IP address in this way, although if she had it would have inevitably led to some other clever discovery to further the plot (perhaps a method of payment tracking).
As for files, L may have been able to trace the date of creation and possibly even the device used to generate the video. Whether or not this information could help track her down is uncertain, but it’s much less specific than a postage stamp (one of the other pieces of evidence they discovered in her apartment).
Here we would find the first large difference in story had it be cast a little later: VHS pretty much disappeared from use a few years after the show’s original airing.
A more contemporary telling of the story would have her submitting these videos through a different medium. These are some of the most likely candidates:
- A CD/DVD recording
- Files on a flash drive or SD card
- Email (yet unlikely due to file size)
- A cloud sharing service
On the other hand, these types of media also leave behind a trail. L might have been able to trace Misa’s IP address from an email, or go to the next level and determine where and when the email address was created in the case of a fake email account.
The same is true of the file sharing. By checking where the files were uploaded from with the cooperation of the host company, L might have been able to deduce either where Misa’s apartment is (if sent from a PC) or her general locale if sent from a mobile device.
This is assuming Misa didn’t use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). She perhaps wouldn’t have hidden her IP address in this way, although if she had it would have inevitably led to some other clever discovery to further the plot (perhaps a method of payment tracking).
As for files, L may have been able to trace the date of creation and possibly even the device used to generate the video. Whether or not this information could help track her down is uncertain, but it’s much less specific than a postage stamp (one of the other pieces of evidence they discovered in her apartment).
Social Media: A Database of Targets
When Misa first established contact with Kira, it was because of her abilities (recall she couldn’t see his life span, but could see his name). But at the time of the show’s initial run, social media wasn’t yet very significant. Social media would have presented a very different story because of the sheer number of pictures people take and post online. Granted, these pictures aren’t always labeled or tagged.
This is where Misa’s power comes in. Just looking at the photos with her Shinigami eyes would no doubt have given her the ability to choose from as many victims as she pleased. This huge database would also allow her activities to be considerably more covert than Light’s (although he might have also had a social media page in a modern retelling).
This is where Misa’s power comes in. Just looking at the photos with her Shinigami eyes would no doubt have given her the ability to choose from as many victims as she pleased. This huge database would also allow her activities to be considerably more covert than Light’s (although he might have also had a social media page in a modern retelling).
 Misa uses her Shinigami eyes to identify victims... |  ... and Kira too. |
Whether or not Kira would have used social media is a difficult call. Given Light’s age, he probably would have had a page of some kind. It may even have stood in as the means for Misa discovering his identity simply through recommended friends and friends of friends.
Its unlikely social media would have had any significant impact on L. He doesn’t really come across as a character that would have a public profile, though he may have used it as a resource to track down his targets.
Its unlikely social media would have had any significant impact on L. He doesn’t really come across as a character that would have a public profile, though he may have used it as a resource to track down his targets.
Smartphone Technology
Wire-tapping and text messages already existed in the early 2000s, but services like GPS were only just beginning to achieve popularity. Smartphones are very different. They can be used to pinpoint someone’s location within a few meters in some cases. They also communicate with WiFi.
All of these elements are likely to have contributed to an easier capture of Misa. With this information readily available to L and the investigation team, they would have tracked Misa down considerably faster. As a social character, she wouldn’t likely abandon her phone.
Modern cell phones can also be hacked to use their cameras to monitor the owner. Their microphones are also possible to hack with the right apps installed, which could have spelled the premature end for our heroine.
All of these elements are likely to have contributed to an easier capture of Misa. With this information readily available to L and the investigation team, they would have tracked Misa down considerably faster. As a social character, she wouldn’t likely abandon her phone.
Modern cell phones can also be hacked to use their cameras to monitor the owner. Their microphones are also possible to hack with the right apps installed, which could have spelled the premature end for our heroine.
Misa's Ultimate Fate?
While I can’t imagine the plot points would be changed too much (for entertainment purposes), speculating on the realistic changes leaves me to conclude that Misa would probably have been captured and imprisoned considerably earlier than in the story’s original telling.
Yet there’s another consequence of this: Misa may not have had such a tragic end without the original series of events that followed. Her continued deeper involvement in Kira’s plots is what ultimately drove her to what we can only assume to be her suicide.
So what do you think? Would the changes in technology over the last decade have changed Misa’s situation? If you think so, tell us in the comments.
Yet there’s another consequence of this: Misa may not have had such a tragic end without the original series of events that followed. Her continued deeper involvement in Kira’s plots is what ultimately drove her to what we can only assume to be her suicide.
So what do you think? Would the changes in technology over the last decade have changed Misa’s situation? If you think so, tell us in the comments.
Bio: Cassie Phillips is a writer and blogger who likes to focus on entertainment topics (especially anime) and technology. She loves new tech and finds it very interesting to talk about these sorts of questions.
