The identification of human death in the form of a certain physical essence is inherent in the mythologies of all peoples. However, Shinigami deserve special attention - the gods of death found in fantastic works of Japanese art such as anime or manga. And it is Ryuk, one of the main characters of the popular work "Death Note" - the brightest representative of the Shinigami in contemporary Japanese art.
Who are the Shinigami: Shinigami in Death Note
According to some reports, the concept of "Shinigami" began to be actively used in Japanese art from the 19th century. There is still debate about where the personified image of death appeared in Japanese culture: it was borrowed from Europeans or adopted from Chinese civilization, where death was represented in the form of various deities.
Death Note is perhaps the most famous anime in which Shinigami are present. According to the plot, there are many such gods who live in their own separate world and watch the world of people. They take away human lives with the help of a special notebook in which it is enough to add the name of a person to kill him. Using these artifacts, it is necessary to strictly observe a number of rules. However, not only gods, but also ordinary people can make notes in it. The plot of the anime is based on the fact that one of these notebooks turns out to be the best schoolchild in Japan, and he begins to actively use it, trying to create an ideal society consisting only of respectable and responsible people.
Death God Ryuk: Character
It Ryuk - the Japanese god of death, languishing in his world from boredom, throws one of the notebooks into the world of people. And despite the fact that Ryuk is the personification of the dark side, he cannot but arouse sympathy for himself. A key feature of his character is his love of entertainment. Due to the fact that the Shinigami world has turned into a desert, in which its inhabitants spend time playing cards or simple idleness, Ryuk invented fun for himself - he threw a notebook of another Shinigami into the world of people.
Although Ryuk always maintained neutrality, he did not help or interfere with Yagami Light, a teenager who fell into the hands of a death note, he liked to watch him. From time to time, Ryuk provoked Yagami to certain actions, at the last moment telling him important information about the death note, and watched with interest how he would get out.
Appearance of Ryuk
Although Ryuk is far from handsome by human standards, he is considered quite attractive in his world. The mouth looks as if Ryuk is always smiling. It has large bulging eyes with large red pupils, black hair and wings. The latter is used to constantly be near the person in whose hands his mortal artifact fell, and to move between the worlds of gods and people.
You can see that Ryuk loves massive jewelry: large rings and bracelets, an earring in his left ear, a belt with skulls on his belt so that the death note is always with him. Dressed in all black. However, not everyone can see Ryuk.
Ryuk's addictions
Apples are what the death god Ryuk loves more than anything. And the apples of the earth. As he himself says: "Apples for me are like drugs or alcohol for people." And for the sake of his favorite goodies, he even makes some concessions and provides services to Yagami. So, he helped find all the security cameras installed in Light's house. As the author of the death notebook manga plot noted, apples blend beautifully with Ryuk's huge mouth, and their red color fits perfectly with the black clothes of the death god.
In addition to apples, Ryuk is constantly looking for entertainment. It was for this purpose that he deceived the notebook of one of the Shinigami and threw it into the world of people.
In one of the manga volumes, the authors created a kind of shinigami rating according to various criteria (intelligence, empathy, murder, and others), according to which the Japanese death god Ryuk was the most curious. And when watching an anime, from the first episodes it becomes clear that the most interesting and important thing for him is apples and games.
How to call the god of death Ryuk
To see the death god Ryuk, like any other shinigami, you need to follow a few tips. As indicated in the rules for using the death notebook, the person who owns the notebook will get to know the god of death within three days after entering the first name in the notebook. In addition, the god of death will constantly follow whoever has the notebook. Anyone who touches her or or a sheet torn from her will be able to see the God of death owning this notebook.