United States government

United States government

David Hoope

David Hoope (デイビット・ホープ, Deibitto Hōpu^?) is the President of the United States of America in the storyline. He assists in the formation of Near’s SPK. In the manga, Mello’s gang uses the Death Note to threaten President Hoope into helping them in various ways, including funding, weapons, and providing information about the SPK. President Hoope turns to L (Light at that point) in hopes of getting information about the Death Note, only to reveal to L that he is subject to Mello’s threats. Light manipulates him into providing the same assistance that he offered the SPK with regard to the Kira case, leaving Light on the same competitive level as, or possibly with an advantage over, Near’s SPK. He even calls a military attack on Mello’s hideout under L’s instruction. When the attack fails, President Hoope commits suicide to prevent Mello from writing his name and making him launch a nuclear strike, although it might also be Kira’s work to cover his tracks. His suicide reasoning is somewhat ironic, as one of the rules of the Death Note states that the death and the actions leading up to it cannot be responsible for other deaths, otherwise the victim dies of a heart attack (the nuclear destruction of any portion of the world would certainly fall in this category). He is voiced by Aruno Tahara in the Japanese anime.

George Sairas

George Sairas is the Vice President of the United States of America in the storyline. He attributes Hoope’s suicide to Kira, and, fearing for his life, makes acceptance of Kira national policy. This acquiescence, however, only invites Light to threaten him into an all-out siege on SPK headquarters.

 Federal Bureau of Investigation

Raye Penber

Raye Penber (レイ・ペンバー, Rei Penbā^?) is an investigator from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sent to Japan to aid in tracking down Kira early in the story. He is assigned to investigate the Yagami family for any suspicious behavior. He has a fiancée, Misora, whom he tells not involve herself in the investigation for her own safety. Though from the United States, he has a Japanese mother and thus possess a distinct Japanese accent. In the Japanese anime, his identification card signature is spelled “Ray Penber”.^[9] The English dub corrects the signature. He is voiced by Hideo Ishikawa in the Japanese anime and Michael Adamthwaite in the English dub. In the films, he is played by Shigeki Hosokawa.

Light learns of Raye’s existence through Ryuk; Ryuk only tells Light because it felt like Raye was staring at him. It is during this incident that Ryuk offers Light the Shinigami Eyes, but Light refuses. Instead, Light sets up a bus jacking using the Death Note to learn Raye’s name, failing to realize that Raye was going to give up on his investigation anyway. When he heads home, he tells his fiancée about the incident, which becomes trouble for Light later on. The next day, Light, in disguise, confronts Raye in Shinjuku Station. He kills an accused rapist to prove his power, then has Raye board the next train. Using the lives of Raye’s family as collateral, Light has Raye write the name of his chief on a specially prepared page of the Death Note with causes of death already specified. It is hidden in a folder with slots cut out for the names, disguising its true purpose from Raye. After writing the chief’s name, the chief emails a list of every active agent in Japan to those agents; Light directs Raye to fill in the blanks with the names, thereby killing the entire group. Light has Raye leave the Death Note page on the train and step out, and upon doing so Raye dies from a heart attack. His last sight is that of Light’s face.

In the film, Raye is known as Raye Iwamatsu (レイ・イワマツ, Rei Iwamatsu^?). In this version, he is a counterterrorism agent headquartered in Dallas, Texas. In the film, Raye tells Misora that he suspects Light; this allows Misora to find Shiori. Raye cancels his reservations and leaves the hotel, causing a perplexed Misora to follow him. She watches as he boards a train at Asakabashi Station and encounters Kira. Raye does not see Kira in this version; instead, he talks to him using a walkie-talkie. Light kills the man sitting next to Raye and has him to prop the body so that it looks like the person is sleeping. The rest of the scene plays out in much the same way. Misora witnesses his death, drops her church documents, and cries “Raye!” repeatedly as she holds his dead body. Misora collapses and sobs at the end of the scene.

Besides Raye, the other FBI investigators in Japan are:

• Haley Belle (in the film he is a public corruption agent headquartered in Washington, DC)
• Frigde Copen (in the film he is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana)
• Toors Denote (in the film he is headquartered in Albany, New York)
• Ale Funderrem
• Freddi Guntair (in the film he is headquartered in Los Angeles, California)
• Nikola Nasberg
• Bess Sekllet (misspelled as Skelletd on one occasion in the English version)
• Girela Sevenster
• Knick Staek (in the film he is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia)
• Arire Weekwood (in the film he is an organized crime agent headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii)
• Lian Zapack (in the film he is a cyber crime agent headquartered in San Diego, California)

In the manga and anime, when Soichiro first hears about the deaths of the FBI agents, one member tells him that at least four of the agents died in Tokyo, two died in Kanagawa Prefecture, one died in Chiba Prefecture, and one died in Saitama Prefecture. In the film, the deaths of four male agents (Zapack, Denote, Belle, and Copen in that order) are depicted on the screen. The film states that at least five agents die in Tokyo, three agents die in Kanagawa, one agent dies in Chiba, and one agent dies in Saitama.

Naomi Misora

Naomi Misora in the anime

Naomi Misora (南空 ナオミ, Misora Naomi^?) is a former FBI agent and Raye Penber’s fiancée. She left the FBI in October 2003,^[10] planning to marry Raye, move to the United States, and raise a family.^[11] After Raye’s death, she decides to search for his killer. She is voiced by Naoko Matsui in the Japanese anime and Tabitha St. Germain in the English dub. In the films, she is played by Asaka Seto.

Before Raye’s death, he tells Misora about the bus jacking incident in which he was forced to give away his name. Misora suspects that Kira might have set up the incident, leading her to believe that heart attacks are not the only method in which Kira can kill; Light had deliberately used only heart attacks to kill as a sort of “signature” for his work and to make minor killings go unnoticed. Light meets Misora at the investigation headquarters looking for his father. As the two talk, he realizes how much she has figured out and attempts to silence her. However, she uses an alias when introducing herself, thwarting Light’s attempts. Light tricks Misora into showing him her Tokyo driver’s license by claiming to be part of the investigation team. With that information, he uses the Death Note to have her commit suicide on January 1, 2004. Exactly one second before the Death Note takes effect, Light tells Misora that he is Kira; just enough time for her to realize her fate without being able to respond. To test the Death Note, Light offers to let Misora speak to his father, and as expected she simply concentrates on her eventual suicide. Misora’s remains are never found.

Misora plays a much greater role in the first film, following her husband when he meets Kira and witnessing his death. She is unable to see Kira’s face. Misora finds Shiori, and Shiori introduces her to Light. He recognizes Misora as the woman crying for Raye, but again is unable to kill her because she uses an alias in her dealings with him. Misora later kidnaps Shiori in an effort to force Light into using the Death Note to kill her, thus revealing himself as Kira. Soichiro sends in the police, which distracts Misora and allows Shiori to break free. Misora panics and kills Shiori, then commits suicide. It is later revealed that the entire incident was actually masterminded by Light, as he had already learned Misora’s name by checking the marital registration for Raye at a Roman Catholic church, which he knew about since Misora dropped church documentation when Raye died. While the Death Note normally doesn’t allow the victim to kill another person, Light wrote causes of death for both Shiori and Misora, allowing him to negate the rule by being responsible for both deaths.