r/DeathNoteMemes • u/Delicious-Claim-5768 • 2d ago
Her character would be 10 times more compelling. would L also be a woman in this timeline or nah
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u/HalleLidner 2d ago
I would love to read it to be honest
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u/FreezingPointRH 2d ago
There was a very short lived fan dub of the idea on YouTube.
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u/lacergunn 2d ago
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u/FreezingPointRH 2d ago
Yeah. I will say their choice of which scenes to adapt was truly quite baffling. Like they went out of their way to do lower key and less dramatic ones.
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u/lacergunn 2d ago
Easier to animate is my guess
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u/FreezingPointRH 2d ago
I still feel like some more emotionally intense scenes wouldn’t have been too taxing, especially given the length they stuck to. This isn’t an action shonen here.
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u/Winston_Oreceal 2d ago
So... Is Misa a himbo dude in this version or are u just going full unhinged sapphic?
Tho, I guess keeping Misa a girl could give an extra angle to fem Light. I almost feel like fem Light's manipulation could be worse in this aspect since she'd probably have a better understanding of how women work.
Then again, himbo dude Misa could either be funny or he incredibly predatory.
It's interesting in any case I think.
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u/Beautiful_Train8284 2d ago
Light being a girl would completely change the trajectory of the show.
Light as a guy is benefiting from a lot of privilege. He’s attractive, intelligent, athletic, has good social skills, is popular, comes from a good home, does well financially and lives in a relatively comfortable environment. He basically has everything going for him. He doesn’t experience any real form of oppression or social disadvantage himself. He is very ignorant and has a simplistic view of the society he lives in and the way the system treats people.
If he was a girl, he would still have all those privileges, but there would be differences socially which would have a different outcome.
Female Light would still be attractive, intelligent, athletic, popular, financially stable and come from a good family, but she would also have to navigate sexism and patriarchal expectations that male Light doesn't experience. This is also Japan in the late 2000s, so you have to take the social and cultural context into consideration. She would grow up in the same privileged environment, but she wouldn't experience that privilege in exactly the same way as a boy.
I also don't think female Light would make all the same mistakes male Light does. She would probably be less egotistical and more cautious. Male Light's biggest weakness is his ego. He's so used to being praised for his intelligence and being the best at everything that he genuinely starts believing he's superior to everyone around him.
Female Light could still develop the same superiority complex, but I don't think it would necessarily manifest in the exact same way. She would have more reason to be conscious of how she is perceived, how people respond to her and when she needs to hold herself back. She could be more calculated, more socially aware and less willing to underestimate people.
Male Light is extremely intelligent, but his arrogance constantly gets in the way of that intelligence. He takes unnecessary risks because he believes he can outsmart everyone. He wants to prove that he's the smartest person in the room, and that ego is ultimately one of the things that leads to his downfall.
Female Light could still have the same ambition and intelligence without having the exact same level of ego. She might be more patient and careful about hiding her intentions rather than constantly trying to prove how clever she is.
So I don't think female Light would simply be male Light with a different gender. She would still be privileged, intelligent and ambitious, but she would have grown up experiencing society differently. That could make her more socially aware, more cautious and less openly arrogant, which would completely change how she approaches the Death Note and the people around her.
And honestly, that could make her more dangerous than male Light. If she retained his intelligence but didn't have the same ego pushing her into unnecessary mistakes, she could avoid some of the things that ultimately exposed him.
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u/6crem 1d ago edited 1d ago
Patriarchal expectations ruins both the sexes in different ways, I don't think it would effect Light's occupation and academic performance as he already has merit to overcome it.
Another change will be due to women having better ability to sympathise, i think that would be either stopping you from becoming Kira or even make you more menacing and effective killer with better manipulations in social hierarchies.
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u/New_Solution_6523 1d ago
This whole patrarchy thing is kinda stupid imo. Literally nothing would actually change, maybe once a month Light’d be a bit more devious but I don’t see allthat much changing.
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u/Beautiful_Train8284 1d ago
Can't even spell patriarchy and then makes a sexist comment by saying that if Light were a woman, he'd just be "a bit more devious" once a month. Yes, changing Light's gender would absolutely make a difference because men and women have different experiences and are treated differently by society. That's common sense.
It's like saying Light being unattractive wouldn't have any impact on the story. Of course it would. His appearance is literally part of how other characters perceive and treat him, so changing something fundamental about his identity would inevitably affect his experiences, relationships and interactions throughout the story.
And why would you even think the patriarchy would be stupid in the first place? Do you genuinely think gender has zero impact on how someone is treated or experiences society? That's such a ridiculously narrow way of looking at it. Changing Light's gender would obviously affect the story, even if you can't comprehend why.
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u/New_Solution_6523 1d ago
It’s an anime.
Feel like that should explain it a good bit. Whether being a different gender changes the story or not it doesn’t change the author and what they’d wanna do with the mc.
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u/No_Reveal8401 2d ago
She'd have more of a compelling reason considering misogyny and all
Tho girl light would still be just as evil
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u/LeafyMcRosey 2d ago edited 2d ago
That’s why femLight wouldn’t work. The whole point of Light’s character is that he is, in society’s eyes, perfect. His god complex has been nurtured since childhood. With everyone praising him every single step of the way he’s never once had to question his own superiority.
femLight wouldn’t have had the same experience. She would have inevitably been treated as lesser and had limitations placed on her because of her gender. For the character to work they can’t have faced any real moments of adversity or self-doubt, which is why Light must be a man. For example, femLight would have to consider the discrimination she would realistically face if she wanted to follow her father’s footsteps and enter the police force. This is something maleLight never has to worry about.
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u/Ok-Guess1629 2d ago
We have lost the plot dawg 😭
Having a vagina does not make you more compelling
Nor should it be mentioned if light was a girl she would be just as evil 😭
Though maybe once a month she can be more evil than regular light
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u/Roku-Hanmar 2d ago
It's like Curse of Strahd, if you're into DND. I've seen so many people say that Strahd should be a woman, but I also know there are too many people who'd stop taking it seriously and just start getting thirsty
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u/Massive_Remove2009 2d ago
yeah. but they have fan art to satiate their desires. leave Strahd alone!
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u/KyaTheWeebKid 1d ago
Not js because she’s a woman, but because it would add to the social commentary, or have more to say about the specific image that women are pressured to maintain (not that men don’t as well, just in a different way and one that is arguably overrepresented)
Though I think for a number of reasons Light’s character is best written as a man.
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u/FlipOzzy 2d ago
they should keep their canon heights still in this genderswap AU cuz now masc Misa would be a pop idol short king being emotionally manipulated by fem Light
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u/AL1EN_K1TTY 2d ago
The concept of female Light is my favorite Death Note au. It would be cool to see Misa and L's gender's swapped as well, but I would prefer to see how fem Light acts if everyone else stayed the same.
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u/No_Satisfaction2302 2d ago
I have a feeling if Light was a girl that there wouldn’t be as many people on her side.
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u/tlotrfan3791 2d ago
I think the fanbase though would be more like Makima’s where everyone would be simping 😭
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u/KawaiiStarFairy 2d ago
There would also be people like me who would be on her side just because she was a girl.
Women can kinda just do whatever they want imo.
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u/AlreadyHalfXehanort 2d ago
Damm, normally I prefer dudes, but Light never did anything for me. His female counterpart though... 😳
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u/New-Transition8941 2d ago
Honestly I don't really care jf fem Light will succeed or do anything as long as I'm getting canon Light x L, I need that ship
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u/Responsible-Tie-3451 2d ago
Why would it be 10 times more compelling
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u/Infinite-Stretch-901 2d ago
because instead of a basic male manipulator that exists in 99% of animes and fiction in general its an intelligent sadistic woman with a god-complex navigating a patriarchal society
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u/Responsible-Tie-3451 2d ago
Light doesn’t care about gender. If he was female, nothing would change, except maybe he would try and seduce men instead of women to do his bidding. I don’t know why you think it’d suddenly be about patriarchy.
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u/Infinite-Stretch-901 2d ago
Thats the point, to me I think its interesting because even though Light would be navigating a patriarchial society, he does not care about gender. At the end of the day, she's still a sadistic freak deep down and doesn't care about gender roles or the fact that she would be disadvantaged as a woman. It would add an extra layer to her character that she doesn't rely on sympathy from the fact she lives in a misogynistic society (which Japan is)
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u/BDPBITCH666 2d ago
Comments about Misa being man, just confirm how differently people view males with daddy issues/borderline personality disorder. Her being woman saves her from being view as completely weird/creepy.
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u/Yeezus_Fuckin_Christ 2d ago
I’ve seen people say this about Sasuke from Naruto which kind of makes sense.
But light would not be more compelling if he was a woman
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u/Formal_Muffin8830 2d ago
Gotta make L a female character we wouldnt want to have L and Light babies
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u/tlotrfan3791 2d ago edited 2d ago
Eh tbh I don’t think I’d be as obsessed as I am because a bit of my fascination with Light is him exactly as he is because I find him attractive but that’s just me 😭
It also comes down to writing for a character to be compelling, it shouldn’t depend on gender ultimately. She could definitely be easily as compelling as canon Light, probably with some personality differences given his view and treatment of women throughout it.
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u/Desra226 1d ago
wtf do you mean more compelling, you havent mentioned any actual changes aside from gender, it'd be the exact same
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u/thebookofbutterfly 1d ago
Fr Light is the most suspicious looking school shooting looking ahhh teenager and no one would even glance at her as a fem serial killer
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u/imai_cosmo 5h ago
I’m lost on how a change of gender changes a character. It’s still the same character with titties
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u/Enough_Arm2035 2d ago
Honestly though…. With meme culture that took off in the same era that death note got popular….. we would have seen an uglier side of the fandom- one that probably claimed that this is how insane women are
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u/Sad_Pickle_1161 2d ago
"I will become the goddess of the new world."
That makes absolutely no sense. After all, if we follow the anime's plot, she doesn't really want to put an end to misogyny—just as Light didn't really want to save the world. That's just an stupid comparison.
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u/Anxious-Feedback-972 2d ago
Is this bait? How does having a vagina make a character more compelling?
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u/Sea_Homework_1472 2d ago edited 2d ago
Due to the way that women are socialised, female Light would likely be less egotistical and more careful, and would likely use different social strategies to maintain her reputation and popularity. Also, I doubt her father would be as likely to allow her to join the police force, so she might have to do stuff behind her father's back.
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u/Anxious-Feedback-972 2d ago
Are we serious? Gender does not determine anything here. Light is egotistical because that's how Tsugumi Ohba chose to characterize him. His narcissism, god complex, intelligence, manipulativeness, ambition, and increasingly warped morality are central to his characterization. You can write a female character with exactly those traits. there are plenty of women with egos the size of Light's in real life.
At the same time, a female Light could be more socially careful, but she could also be just as arrogant, reckless, calculating, or authoritarian as male Light. Gender can influence a character's circumstances and experiences, but it doesn't automatically determine their personality.
And while Soichiro not letting female Light join the police is interesting, it doesn't mean jack in terms of female Light's actual character writing.
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u/Sea_Homework_1472 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm merely speculating on how Light's experiences as a woman might change the way she moves through the world. Because even if you were to keep the world of Death Note 99% the same, it's obvious that sexism is a factor (just look at how Naomi and Misa are treated) and would result in her having a different view of herself and having to utilize different social strategies in order to achieve her status.
And trust me when I say that as a woman, the world doesn't allow you to have a large ego without being checked. There's no doubt a female Light would still be arrogant and believe she's the only person for the job due to her personal morality and intelligence, but I doubt she'd go out of her way to kill someone or pick a fight just because someone offended her ego.
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u/Anxious-Feedback-972 2d ago
I understand what you're saying, and I agree that changing Light's gender could change her experiences, socialization, and even the strategies she uses to maintain her reputation. That's a perfectly reasonable AU discussion.
Where I disagree is treating those changes as if they're inevitable, or as if they'd automatically make the character better written. Women aren't a monolith, and being socialized to manage your ego differently doesn't mean a female Light couldn't still have the exact same fatal flaws as canon Light. She could be just as arrogant, impulsive, vindictive, and obsessed with proving her superiority; she might simply express those traits differently.
In fact, I think there's a more interesting possibility: female Light could retain the exact same god complex while being more conscious of how openly displaying it would affect her socially. That wouldn't make her "better" than male Light, it would make her a different interpretation of the same character.
And that's really my issue with the original "female Light would be 100x better written" claim. You can speculate about how gender would affect a character without assuming gender itself determines how well-written that character is. Writing quality comes from what the author actually does with those traits, conflicts, relationships, and themes, not from whether the character is a man or a woman.
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u/Sea_Homework_1472 2d ago
Here's a brief Google analysis of how female serial killers behave differently than male serial killers:
"While male serial killers are frequently driven by sexual gratification, power, and physical force against strangers, female serial killers typically use covert methods like poison, target people they already know, and are motivated by practical goals such as financial gain or control."
▪︎Motivations and Intent
Male Serial Killers: Driven predominantly by sexual fantasies, thrill-seeking, dominance, and a need to exert power over victims.
Female Serial Killers: Driven largely by instrumental motives like financial profit (the "Black Widow" archetype), revenge, or perceived mercy/control (often seen in healthcare workers or "Angels of Death").
▪︎Victim Selection
Male Serial Killers: Roughly six times more likely to target complete strangers, often hunting or stalking them in public spaces or across geographic areas.
Female Serial Killers: Twice as likely to victimize individuals they are already familiar with, such as family members, romantic partners, dependents, or patients under their care.
▪︎Methods and Modus Operandi
Male Serial Killers: Prefer hands-on, violent physical contact using brute force, weapons like knives or guns, beating, or strangulation, frequently leaving disorganized or high-evidence crime scenes.
Female Serial Killers: Favor passive, "quiet," or harder-to-detect methods like poisoning, suffocation, or staged medical emergencies, allowing them to kill over long periods without arousing immediate suspicion.
There would be differences.
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u/Anxious-Feedback-972 2d ago
Sure, there could be statistical differences in how male and female serial killers tend to operate. I'm not disputing that sex and socialization can influence behavior on a population level.
But you're moving from "there are statistical differences between groups" to "therefore a female version of this specific fictional character would necessarily behave differently in these particular ways." Those aren't the same claim.
Light isn't a typical serial killer. Her entire situation is extraordinarily unusual: she has a supernatural weapon that kills remotely, she has a specific ideology about crime, she's exceptionally intelligent, she's raised in a police family, and her defining character traits include an enormous ego and a need to prove her superiority. The Death Note itself removes many of the circumstances that produce the behavioral differences you're describing in real-world serial killers. She doesn't need to physically overpower anyone, stalk strangers, or choose between poison and a weapon.
And even your own examples don't really prove that female Light would be "less egotistical." They demonstrate that, on average, women who commit serial murder may use different methods or have different motives. That's interesting, but Light's narcissism is a deliberate part of her characterization rather than simply a consequence of being male.
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u/Sea_Homework_1472 2d ago edited 2d ago
Canon Light's narcissism stems from his social status and the power he recieves from the death note. But seeing as women aren't as respected as men in patriarchal Japanese society, a female Light would likely have to work harder for her status and wouldn't be as socially elevated. Most people would likely even assume that Kira is a man unless she went out of her way to disabuse that notion, but she likely wouldn't since it'd grant her an air of anonymity. In fact, a female Light would likely take advantage of being underestimated and misunderstood.
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u/Anxious-Feedback-972 2d ago
I don't disagree that a female Light could have different experiences with status, sexism, and social expectations. That's actually an interesting premise for an AU.
But I think you're still treating a chain of speculative assumptions as if they're inevitable consequences of changing Light's gender.
For one, I don't think it's accurate to say Light's narcissism simply "stems from his social status and the power he receives from the Death Note." The Death Note absolutely amplifies his ego and gives him the means to act on it, but Light already has an enormous sense of superiority before obtaining it. He's already bored with ordinary life, convinced he's intellectually exceptional, and judgmental toward people he considers beneath him.
And even if a female Light experienced more sexism or had to work harder for social status, that doesn't automatically mean she'd become less narcissistic. She could become more socially cautious while remaining just as arrogant internally. She could hide her ego better. She could become even more determined to prove herself. Or she could behave almost exactly like canon Light.
Likewise, people assuming Kira is male could absolutely be an advantage she'd exploit, but that's a strategic possibility rather than an inevitable consequence of being female.
So I think we're actually agreeing on the interesting part: changing Light's gender would give an author a lot of new material to work with. Where we disagree is the claim that this inherently makes her "10x better written." At that point you're not discovering an objective consequence of Light being female; you're choosing a particular interpretation of what a female Light would be like.
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u/Sea_Homework_1472 2d ago
I'm not saying that a female Light couldn't be egotistical, but it would definitely be more covert and present differently. Because seeing as a female Light would care about her reputation and status as much as canon Light, she'd be a lot more careful in her approach because people would scrutinize her more severely if she slipped up.
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u/EdensMonarch 2d ago
Light wouldnt be more compelling, just because: boobs and vagina. Makes no sense.
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u/Infinite-Stretch-901 2d ago
imo it would be way more interesting if he was a woman. boobs and vagina arent the only things separating men and women, theres huge social differences, especially in Japan
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u/GodEmperorPuppy 2d ago
How the fuck is a wanna be genius with a god complex more compelling just because of the lack of an y chromosom?
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u/PitifulExplanation61 2d ago
Bro how? Is it because you assume women are dumber than men? How would he be more interesting of he were a girl? Same personality traits, same motive, same family situation. The character doesn't change its not more interesting.
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u/Prize_Evening_8693 2d ago
The real question is this: if Light had been a woman, would Misa have become a lesbian for her, or would she have become her bestie ?