Death Note is a manga series that makes readers think of what true justice really is and many fans consider Soichiro Yagami to be the most honorable hero in it. Soichiro was the chief of Japan's National Police Agency and Light's father. He was very committed to catching Kira and refused to believe that his son could be the greatest serial killer of all time, despite all of the evidence that L found along the way.
Fans liked him a lot and felt sorry for him throughout the entire series. He always had something very important to say, being a role model for the other police officers for the majority of the manga.
10 "This Is The Direct Result Of You Putting Out All Those Shows And Treating Kira Like Some Kind Of Star. I'd Say You're Reaping What You Sowed."
When the Second Kira first appeared, she had a message to give to the world. Misa sent tapes to Sakura TV and had Demegawa broadcast them. To prove to the people watching that she was Kira, she killed anyone that approached the studio, including Ukita, and people on live TV. In order to protect himself, Soichiro drove a van into the studio and threatened Demegawa if he didn't give him the tapes, along with all of the copies.
Despite being a patient in the hospital after having a heart attack moments before, Soichiro did what he had to do and was pleased to find that other officers, who weren't on the Kira case, were willing to protect him as he returned to L and the rest of the task force.
9 "I'm Seeing This Case Through To The End. I Will Not Succumb To Evil."
Soichiro always had some conflict with his family due to being a police officer. Light pretended to respect his father, though he was just using him to beat L. Sachiko and Sayu, however, wanted Soichiro to step down and were always worried about him. They had multiple conversations about it throughout the series. However, he refused to ever give up and fought for his beliefs until the very end.
8 "Facts Are Facts, And They Need To Be Laid Out On The Table. All The More So If They're Hard To Bring Up. Of Course, It Would Have Been A Problem If You'd Said 'Crimes Have Been Decreasing Thanks To Kira, So Let's Honor Him For That.'"
Out of all of the members in the task force, Matsuda was the only one who could understand why Kira would kill criminals. When he acknowledged that the existence of Kira was decreasing crime, he felt like he shouldn't have said anything.
He talked to Soichiro about it, who gave him this response. Though they didn't agree on everything about Kira, Matsuda always showed respect for the chief and the two worked well together.
7 "Your Real Name Is Mihael Keehl. We Had Already Uncovered Everything About You. Give Up, Mello. If You Surrender, I Won't Kill You. If I Write Your Name Down In This Book, You'll Die. Drop That Switch And Raise Your Hands."
After Mello kidnapped Sayu, he forced Soichiro to give him the notebook in exchange for his daughter. Knowing that he had to get it back after making the trade, the task force fought against the mafia. Mello thought that he had the advantage but did not know about the Shinigami Eyes, which Soichiro used to learn his true name. However, not being able to take a life, Soichiro hesitated and Mello was able to escape.
6 "It's True That If We Quit The Police We Won't Be Of Much Help To You, But What About Our Feelings? We've Come This Far, Risking Our Lives In The Process."
As the series progressed, the task force ended up separating from the NPA. When faced with a choice to either work with L and stop being a police officer or to leave the job that he risked his life for, Soichiro decided to stay.
L told all of the officers that they should go and that he wouldn't need them anymore, but Soichiro knew what he wanted to do. The only member of the task force to leave was Aizawa after getting into an argument with L, though he would eventually return.
5 "I'll Make The Deal For The Eyes. After All, I Was The One Who Handed Them The Notebook. I Thought Of Killing Myself For Doing It. If A Situation Comes Up Where We Have To Use The Notebook, Then I'll Be The One To Use It, And Die Thirteen Days Later."
After giving the notebook to Mello, Soichiro felt like he failed himself and everyone around him. When the task force was given the opportunity to make a deal with Ryuk for the Shinigami Eyes, Matsuda told his comrades that he would make the trade.
Soichiro wouldn't allow him to, however, not wanting to be responsible for the young cop's death. Believing that Kira's fake rules were real, Soichiro told his allies that he was willing to die to make things right.
4 "Nobody Will See Us Out There. I've Bought You Here Instead Of The Execution Ground. Light, I'm Going To Kill You Here And Then Kill Myself."
After Misa and Light were put into solitary confinement so L could determine whether or not they were Kira, Soichiro asked to be imprisoned as well. L wouldn't let them leave for weeks, despite Kira's return. To end their confinement, Soichiro made a deal with L.
He made it seem like he was going to kill his own son so that the two suspects would reveal their powers, if either one of them was Kira. As they no longer had any knowledge of the notebooks, Misa and Light couldn't have revealed how they killed no matter the circumstance. Because Soichiro survived, L allowed the three of them more freedom, though not much.
3 "I Still Have The Eyes. And According To That Shinigami, Ryuk, I Can't See The Lifespan Of Someone Who Owns A Notebook. Light, You're Not Kira. I'm So Glad."
After his confrontation with Mello, Soichiro was badly injured and was sent to the hospital. There, he was able to see his son one last time. As Light wasn't the owner of a notebook at that time, Soichiro was able to believe that his son was innocent until the very end. Light tried to get his father to write Mello's name but he died before he could.
2 "I'm Going To Take The Notebook To L.A. I'm Doing This As The Police Deputy Director As Well As Sayu Yagami's Father! I Will Make All The Decisions And Take Full Responsibility For My Actions."
One of the most difficult decisions Soichiro had to make in the series was whether to let the mafia kill his own daughter or give them the notebook that would allow them to kill nearly anyone that they wanted. He was very conflicted on whether to act as a police officer or a father, but eventually decided to give the mafia the notebook.
The task force and the mafia each came up with their own plan in order to get everything they wanted, but in the end the mafia won. It wouldn't be longer, however, for Soichiro and the others to fight their enemies and take it back.
1 "The Real Evil Is The Power To Kill People. Someone Who Finds Himself With That Power Is Cursed. No Matter How You Use It, Anything Obtained By Killing People Can Never Bring True Happiness."
Due to being stressed by the case, Soichiro was sent to the hospital after having a heart attack. Light and L visited him. There, the two got into an argument about Light being suspected of being Kira. Soichiro told them about his thoughts on Kira, which L agreed with. However, Light told Ryuk after leaving them that he completely disagreed and that the power to kill made him happy.