The Death Note anime premiered in 2006, introducing to a new audience shinigami like Ryuk, as well as the villainous protagonist, Light Yagami. Both the anime and manga developed a rich lore about death, centering on a notebook granting the owner the ability to kill anyone as long as they had a name and a face, as well as debunking the notion that there was a heaven or a hell. Nine years later, the anime Death Parade not only shared in Death Note's notion that heaven and hell are human constructs, but also featured a cameo by a familiar face.

Death Parade is about the humanoids who work in the "underworld." While there are many different divisions in this bureaucratic system, the anime focuses on the arbiters, "bartenders" who force those who have died to play high-stakes games. Those allow the arbiters to judge whether someone is reincarnated or if their soul is lost in the void.

While the anime primarily follows Decim's story, another arbiter, Ginti, is featured. In Season 1, Episode 6, "Cross Heart Attack," Ginti is tasked with judging fangirl Mayu and idol Harada. However, he struggles to understand Mayu's willingness to sacrifice herself, so he devises a new task to judge her in Season 1, Episode 11, "Memento Mori." Mayu is given the option to save Harada's soul; however, she would then be condemning a stranger's soul.

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Ginti presents a video of the stranger, refusing to give Mayu any other information on the man; however, fans of Death Note will see the similarities between the stranger and Light. While he doesn't say anything, and fans, like Mayu, know nothing about this man, the resemblance is uncanny. What further makes him nearly identical to Light is the fact that both anime are animated by Madhouse. It has not been confirmed whether or not this was an intentional cameo; however, it seems unlikely that the studio would recreate one of their most recognizable characters on accident.

Along with that, when one goes over this unnamed character's bio, there are several similarities between him and Light. When Light dies, he is around 23 years old, and the stranger is also about this age. They also share the same height, weight and blood type. When it comes to details about the stranger's life, they are minimal, but his "occupation" is known, being listed as a murderer. For an unnamed, non-speaking character, it is notable that this part of his past is included, especially given the fact that Light is a serial killer as well.

Furthermore, having Light appear makes sense in terms of both anime's narratives. At the end of Death Note, Light is killed, knowing that there is no heaven or hell for him to go to. While it is not confirmed what happens to a soul after death in Death Note, the rules of Death Parade could be applied here, showing fans that Light, like every other human, has been sent to an arbiter to be judged.

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Ginti _ Death Parade

The world of Death Note already features death gods, so it wouldn't be surprising to learn there are other deathless beings who oversee the afterlife. Arbiters and shinigami also agree that heaven and hell are not real; however, where Death Note fails to give a definitive answer about what happens to the soul, Death Parade explains how the soul is either reincarnated or lost, depending on what the arbiter judges.

When it comes to the fate of this stranger, Mayu is indecisive, so she and Harada go into the void together. Since Ginti initially said that it was either the stranger or Harada who would go into the void, the stranger may have gotten a second chance with both Harada and Mayu taking his place.

However, the arbiters are deceptive, so this could've been a lie. Furthermore, it appears Ginti already passed judgement on the Light look alike, willing to send him to the void before he got an answer from Mayu. There is a slim chance that Ginti is being an arbiter of his word, but it is more than likely that he stuck to his initial judgement of the stranger, sending all three souls into the void, potentially bringing a permanent end to Light Yagami.

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