Death Note is a standout title that captured the attention of mainstream audiences in the 2000s. Crafted by writer Tsugumi Ohba with artist Takeshi Obata, this anime became iconic for its era, drawing viewers in with its intriguing premise.
Liebert’s chilling murders and his terrifying psychological profile elevate him to the ranks of anime's most formidable villains. Though his persona is akin to a grand supervillain, he's grounded in reality. His deadly deeds surpass Light's exploits, all without the supernatural aid of a Death Note or Shinigami.
His goals begin as a broader crusade to end humanity and be the last man standing, only for this to shift into a more personal agenda that involves erasing his existence by turning Dr. Kenzo Tenma into his weapon of destruction. Liebert’s obsession with the psychological destruction of Tenma, the neurosurgeon who saved his life as a child, is genuinely terrifying, and a sublime setup for a cat-and-mouse thriller.
Liebert is even willing to sacrifice himself by orchestrating the “perfect suicide” that ostensibly forces Tenma’s hand to kill him. In doing so, this validates Liebert’s overwhelming sociopathy and nihilism that presents the world as a broken place where true equality can only be achieved in death.
Death Note spends plenty of time with Light and L, the detective that’s determined to catch him, but they still largely feel like ciphers. The audience is immersed so much deeper in Tenma and Liebert’s parallel journeys and the toxic dynamic between them.
Death Note and Monster are both thrilling cat-and-mouse stories that focus on the chase, but Monster really looks at Tenma’s fraying psyche and actively questions whether he can accomplish his goal, or if he’s stuck in a system that’s destined to leave him doomed. Light’s delusional ego turns his story into more of a hyperbolized case of fantastical wish fulfillment, which keeps the series from making its characters ever feel real, but Monster never has this issue.
