How Old is Light? Light Yagami's Age in Death Note

For many anime and manga fans, one of the best psychological series worth checking out is Death Note. It follows the story of Light Yagami, a high school genius who encounters a notebook with a mysterious power called Death Note. The notebook grants its owner the ability to kill someone, as long as they know the target’s name and face. 

Refusing to believe that the notebook actually possesses that kind of power, Light decides to test it out, in which he succeeds. Ryuk, a Shinigami, appears in front of Light. It turns out that the Death Note was dropped into the human world by him, who partly did it out of sheer boredom. Light decides to maximize this power with a goal in mind—to create a world where evil does not exist. 

Light proceeds to go on a killing spree using the Death Note. The serial killings eventually catch the eye of the Japanese police and global media, who start calling him Kira. Due to the inexplicable nature of the murders, an eccentric detective named L has been summoned to assist in the investigation.

Death Note is a shōnenmanga series created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. It was serialized from 2003 to 2006 under Weekly Shōnen Jump. The anime adaptation by Madhouse was also released in 2006. The series quickly became a hit, resulting in the production of additional various media such as live-action series, video games, and light novels.

The plot of the story spans several years, which is why some fans might be wondering as to how old Light is. The story’s setting begins with him studying in high school. As the plot progresses, we see Light enter university and eventually graduate from it. He also starts working for the Japanese police.

Related: Is Death Note on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, or Funimation in English Sub or Dub? Where to Watch and Stream the Latest Episodes Free Online

How Old is Light Yagami?

Light Yagami was born on February 28, 1986 (1989 in the anime). He was around 17-18 at the beginning of the series, which is set in 2003 in the manga and 2006 in the anime. The ending of the story is set in the year 2010 in the manga and 2013 for the anime. At the end of the series, Light is 23 years old.