Image: Leftbehinds  by marblesonglass

January 26th, 2010. One man was shot to death, and another suffered a fatal heart attack. Was it for the pursuit of justice, a final act of desperation, or were there other motives? Had they fully realized and accepted the risk they were taking, or was it a tragedy of quick emotion-fueled judgments, instead of careful planning? And what next?

Mello’s and Matt’s deaths have been explored in so many ways in the fan community, from writers’ attempts to change their individual fates without changing the resolution of Light’s tyrannical escapades, to explorations of their deaths and ideations of afterlife. Perhaps part of their greatest allure is their deaths.

Societies, from the ancient, the collapsed, and current all have had obsessions with death. Whether this morbid curiosity is founded in fear or fascination, this obsession can be reflected by the many religions of the world, which most are seeking to supply the answer to the question…and what next?

(Let me pre-emt this by stating that I am by no means an expert, I just enjoy reading about religions )

Of the predominate world religions Zoroastrianism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and the Baha'i faith, all outline an idea of heaven and hell. The ancient Zoroastrian religion is said to be the first religion that spoke of ideas such as demons and angels, and pitted good against evil; ie heaven and hell. Per specifics of each religion, the life you live now and religious practices kept dictate whether one is sent to heaven or hell. In these religions, from the moment of death, ones spirit leaves this world or realm to enter the other.

Taoism is quite interesting in that there isn’t really an answer to the question of afterlife, but neither are followers of Tao concerned with the answer. In Taoism death and an afterlife isn’t something that followers look forward to or fear. One idea presented is that if you have a belief that something will happen to you when you die, and you hold true to that belief, then it will come true. But, Taoism also promotes the idea that by holding onto one belief you are then limiting yourself to endless possibilities.

Confucianism functions in much the same way as Taoism. It is argued that humans are not capable of really understanding death and afterlife. In Confucianism, a person is to focus on the present, and building relationships, and having something to leave behind. As opposed to the worship of some form of deity, it is a Confucian practice to pay respects to and worship ancestors. Similarly, a focus on the present and ancestor worship is important in Shintoism because it is believed that after death a person’s spirit becomes a deity of sorts, and they join their ancestral spirit.

Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism all function on the idea of reincarnation. What you are born as reflects how you behaved in a past life. Your actions in this life affect your next life. The ultimate goal is to live a good enough life to escape the cycle and enter a final resting place. In Buddhism it is called Nirvana, or the Brahman in Hinduism.

For many nations in the world, the influences of religious practice typically dictate cultural traditions and societal norms, even though a majority of the population may not even adhere to any religious beliefs. For example, although America likes to claim a separation between religion and culture, one only has to look to traditions, such a classic white wedding, to see that religion truly does influence culture, whether one realizes or not. In the case of Western society Christianity is the prevailing influential factor.

Because religion has such a pervasive effect on a culture, their traditions, and their mindset, these traditions easily find their way into products from a culture—such as in mangas or animes from Japan, and is definitely notable in Death Note, especially ideas found in the Shinto religion.

The major world religions found in Japan are the Shinto religion, Buddhism, Confucianism, and in smaller populations, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Taoism, Hinduism, and the Baha'i faith.

What might religions say for Mello and Matt’s fate?

Many fans would reasonably argue that Mello is Catholic, or was at some point raised in the Catholic faith. For him, afterlife would be the heaven or hell of Christianity. Notably many writers chose to show him grappling with his religion and the inevitability of his fate based on his faith. From struggles with things like murder, Mello is sometimes shown to be convinced he is going to hell. I find it interesting to note from the perspective of Christianity this could hold true, and from the perspective of Taoism one could argue that if it is something Mello truly believes is true then it could also hold true. ;_;

The majority of individuals in Japan do not adhere to a specific faith, however cultural traditions mesh with the three major religions of Japan, and are reflected on the period of life a person is in. From birth until a child is about twenty years old, Shinto traditions are followed. A child’s name is added to a shrine, indicating what ancestral line they belong to. On holidays and birthdays throughout a child’s life, these shrines are visited and worshiped.

A child enters adulthood at twenty-years old, and from then on on until death, typically, traditions of Confucianism and/or Buddhism are followed. Weddings often happen in Confucian or Shinto tradition. Funeral practices, however, follow that of Buddhism. Previously, the Shinto and Buddhist faith had been totally intertwined, as one religion of itself in Japan, and that is why the practices of both throughout one lifetime still prevails.

According to the Shinto tradition, a child who dies whose name was not added to a family shrine are said to become ‘water children,’ and are doomed to wander the earth as an unsettled or hurt spirit, causing death and destruction in the form of famines and other natural disasters in their wake. Despite the fact that it is more tradition than a religious faith, it is interesting to note the ages of our two boys.

Mello was twenty. If the Japanese were to arrange his funeral it would be done in a Buddhist tradition. Regardless of whether his name was added to a Shinto shrine at birth, according to the Buddhist traditions typically adopted in Japanese society after a person turns twenty, Mello is likely to be reincarnated.

However, Matt was only 19. Regarding tradition alone, and the high unlikelihood of his name having been added to a Shinto family shrine, Matt could possibly now be regarded as a water child in Japanese society. Taking the idea of him now being a ‘force of nature’ out of context, I think it’s a fitting term for the man.

If you know of, or practice, a religious tradition that could spell an interesting fate for Mello and Matt, please share!

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