Light Yagami

Light is the protagonist of "Death Note". Although he is the main character, the anime makes it pretty clear to paint him as a villan. At the beginning of the series, he is a brilliant(but bored)student who seems like he has everything going for him. This is until he comes across the Death Note and uses it as a tool to achieve his goal of getting rid criminals and becoming a "god". Throughtout the story, Light(or Kira, his alias) is pursued by the police force to put a stop to his killings, the most notable being L, a top tier detective with a perfect track record. Light's strategic mind and his ruthless methods of taking out anyone who opposes him, is one of the main reasons why he is such a fascinating character.