“Please understand, Watari. This is the only way I believe… I can change the world.” |
Kimiko Kujo (久條 希実子, Kujō Kimiko) is a character exclusive to the Death Note film series, appearing as the main antagonist in the film L: Change the WorLd and its novel adaptation. She is a member of Wammy's House and works in viral research in Japan. She works with the bio-terrorist group Blue Ship to better the world by wiping out a large portion of the human population with a virus.
Character[]
Kujo is very passionate about Blue Ship's ultimate goal. She is generally very calm and reserved, but can grow ruthless when the situation gets difficult.
In the novel, she is seen to be very shy and somewhat naïve, though this is a façade. She and Maki Nikaido seem to have a very close relationship, the two almost like family. Though Kujo initially just planned on using Maki, she later comes to care for her and tries to make her understand her point of view.
She is very intelligent, able to figure out Ryuzaki's true identity and that Hideaki Suruga is attracted to her. Her innocent demeanor is broken when Suruga discovers her "true" identity and she uses her charm in order to seduce him.
Plot[]
Film[]
Kujo at her desk
Kujo first appears working as an assistant to scientist Kimihiko Nikaido in the Infectious Disease Center of Asia. Under orders form Washington, they were to analyze a virus sample taken from Bangnum, Thailand.
After a discussion concerning the effects of the virus, Dr. Kujo suggests that the virus is a weapon, saying. "Many countries are secretly undertaking the development of virus weapons. Some countries succeed." Professor Nikaido then informs Dr. Kujo that the virus weapon has failed, saying, "No, this one is a failure. A virus weapon is a success, only if it comes with an antidote. Otherwise, the user will also be infected. I'm sure there was an antidote, but it's of no use now." When asked why, he replies, "This virus has mutated within the last 20 hours."
The old English K
Not long after this happens, Watari passes away as prior to the events of Death Note: The Last Name. L writes a message to inform the other members of Wammy's House and one by one, selects the recipients. He is shown hesitating on sending the message to K. K replies almost immediately and writes, "Thank you for the information. It shocked me. I will mourn his death, too. – K"
Later, Professor Nikaido calls Kujo and tells her to come to the lab. Then Kujo arranges for Daisuke Matoba, who is a leader of a bio-terrorist group, and his group to come with her. At the lab, Matoba explains to Professor Nikaido that what they are doing will benefit the Earth's ecosystem, saying that, "If there are too many, all we are doing is decreasing that number." K finds out that Professor Nikaido has indeed created an antidote already. K and company beg for said antidote, but Professor Nikaido does not give it to them. He decides to incinerate the antidote and delete the data for the antidote. He finally commits suicide by injecting himself with the virus.
Afterwards, K and the bio-terrorist group are seen searching through data, trying to look for the antidote. K remembers a code written by Professor Nikaido in his daughter's homework book. Deciphering it ultimately brings up the word "Watari". She contacts L and asks for his help in finding the antidote data and also sets up a meeting with him.
Novel[]
Kujo starts off with a fairly similar role, in the beginning, working undercover as Professor Nikaido's assistant and looking into the mysterious virus that has recently unearthed. Nikaido tells her that he has completed an antidote and locked it away.
Professor Nikaido's daughter, Maki, enters the lab, telling her father that dinner is ready and forcing him to take off his lab coat as Kujo holds back laughter. Maki asks Kujo, who is her tutor, if she can tutor her again soon, and Kujo agrees. After Maki leaves, Nikaido notes how Maki is becoming so much like her mother. Kujo agrees, saying that the two are exactly the same, suggesting that she had known Nikaido's wife.
Kujo later finds Maki, who is feeding the chimpanzees who are going to become test subjects the next day. She cries, quickly wiping her tears away upon seeing Kujo, and explains that, despite knowing not to, she has become attached to the creatures. She understands that the chimpanzees die in order to save lives, but that all people are doing is hating and killing one another. Kujo asks Maki if she thinks what they are doing with the animals are wrong, and Maki admits that she doesn't know, but that she thinks people should live their lives to the fullest so that the animals don't die in vain, to which Kujo agrees.
Later, having received the needed information from Professor Nikaido, Kujo hacks into the research facility's system and informs Blue Ship of Nikaido's discovery. The members break into the building, drugging a security guard in order to get in. Unlike in the movie, Kujo is not present during Blue Ship's confrontation with Professor Nikaido, and he is instead accidentally killed by a young member of Blue Ship.
After Maki escapes, Kujo tracks her down using a GPS in Nikaido's cell phone that can track down Maki's phone. She appears at the Kira Investigation Headquarters located in Japan. Upon seeing her and finding out from Maki who she is, Ryuzaki brings Kujo through security before allowing her to enter the building. Maki is overjoyed to see Kujo, embracing her and bursting out into tears as Kujo comforts her. Kujo explains how she found Maki, and Ryuzaki informs her of Professor Nikaido's death. Kujo is horrified to hear this, and implores Ryuzaki to let her stay in the building so that she could be with Maki, as she and her father treated Kujo like family and Kujo feels that it is her responsibility to watch over Maki.
Ryuzaki agrees, and FBI agent Hideaki Suruga introduces himself, saying that he is an FBI agent. Kujo, however, tells him that she does not know what the FBI is, much to his disappointment (as he is attracted to Kujo and was trying to impress her). Kujo stays with Maki, the two spending time together while L monitors Kujo's room 24-7, skeptical that she is there for the reasons which she claims.
Suruga later finds Kujo near the building's screen room, admitting that she was trying to hack into the mainframe. She reveals that she is an undercover agent with the Tokyo Police Department, Public Security Bureau, Third Foreign Affairs Division, a counter-terrorism division. She also reveals that she was aware of Ryuzaki's identity as world famous detective L. Her intentions, she explains, were two retrieve Nikaido's antidote in order to keep it out of the hands of those who plan to use the virus to commit genocide and the antidote to make sure that they lived through it. She asks Suruga what his own intentions are, and he reveals to her that he was sent to retrieve the killing instrument used by Kira so that no one else can use that kind of power ever again. Aware that he is attracted to her, Kujo uses her charm to convince Suruga that they work together.
Suruga and Kujo begin their plan, the two somewhat distant from one another, pretending they are quarreling in order to throw L off. L points out that Suruga has fallen out of favor with Kujo, and Maki asks Suruga if he tried anything. When Suruga and Kujo later obtain the bags and open them, they find that the notebook only contains a list of all of the sweets L has eaten in Japan, ranking them accordingly. Realizing L had been one step ahead of them, Kujo formulates a new plan, and a risky one at that.
Several thugs arrive at the Kira Investigation Headquarters and break through the security. L, Suruga, and Maki escape in a green crepe truck. Maki receives a call from Kujo, who apologizes, saying that she has been kidnapped. A man demands that L hand over the antidote data, and L asks what his intentions are. He eludes to allowing Kujo die for the greater good, but Maki and Suruga firmly object. The three meet the kidnappers at Yellow Box warehouse, where Maki tosses the data to the kidnappers and runs to Kujo. Kujo greets Maki, and then takes one of the kidnapper’s rifles and points it at Maki’s head. Maki asks Kujo why she betrayed her, and Kujo explains that it was for the greater good, and that she never meant for her father to die, and that she wanted him to be part of the new world which they were creating.
Kujo knows that L would not hand over the data to Maki, to which he concedes, and she threatens to kill Maki if he does not hand it over. L doesn't believe her, calling out her bluff, and Hatsune Misawa steps forward, injecting Maki with the virus so that L has no choice but to hand over the antidote. Having the information they need, the kidnappers start shooting at L and Suruga, and the two dive for cover. Suruga pleads L to use the Death Note, telling him that it is the only way, that if he can kill Kujo, the rest of the men will be too scared to try anything. L relents and begins to write down Kujo’s name. Her name is a fake, and so when Suruga sees him write down "Kujo," it confirms that L doesn't actually have the Shinigami Eyes.
He tells Kujo that everything is done, and the shooting stops. Apologizing to Maki and L, he takes the Death Note and heads out of the warehouse, only to meet a gun pointed at him by none other than Kujo. Suruga is dumbstruck, and Kujo, amused. She approached Suruga and kisses him on the cheek, saying that she’d thought Suruga would have figured out that she had lied about who she had worked for, and was actually one of the eco-terrorists. Suruga is tied up and the Death Note taken; now both Maki and Suruga are captured, and L is aware that he will be killed. The members of Blue Ship now demand that L hand over the data regarding the antidote, and he agrees, reaching under his shirt. Kujo realizes what he is trying, and before she can make him stop, L deploys a strode bomb, temporarily blinding everyone. Maki and Kujo have collapsed onto the ground, and Maki uses this opportunity to grab the syringe Hatsune had used to inject her with the virus and uses it on Kujo. L tries to get Maki to leave with him, but when she refuses, he is forced to knock her out. Using another strode bomb, he and Maki manage to escape, leaving Suruga to the mercy of the members of Blue Ship.
After Maki leaves, Kujo confronts Hatsune Misawa, telling her that she was supposed to have injected L with the virus if necessary, not Maki. Hatsune says that the outcome is all the same, and mocks Kujo, asking if she developed feelings for the girl, going on to point out that everyone in Japan is going to die anyway.
Kujo, despite having been objected, remains calm, almost satisfied with this, having been willing to risk her life from the very beginning. Kujo tries to track down Maki using the tracking device in her cell phone, but L throws them off by attaching about fifty identical tracking devices to multiple vehicles in order to throw them off. Needing another way to find Maki, Kujo has an announcement made notifying the people of Japan that a patient carrying a deadly and highly contagious disease has escaped from the hospital and telling them to contact the authorities if she is spotted. Needing a better way to track down Maki, Kujo later reports into the Pandemic Task Force, and blackmails the head of the Task Force into playing along with her demands. She tells the members of the Task Force that there is, in fact, a girl on the run, Professor Nikaido's daughter, who had been infected by a virus her father was researching. She lies to them, saying that Nikaido had smuggled in a level four virus and was working as part of a terrorist organization which planned on a viral terrorist attack, and that Nikaido's daughter must have been infected in the process. She explains that this is why she did not tell the truth to the public, as announcing a virus which was going to be used for a terrorist attack has been released would have caused even more of an uproar. She informs them of the severity of the virus, that it is more fatal than the Ebola virus, has a two week incubation period before it kicks in, and is highly contagious, an airborne virus. The Task Force agrees to help Kujo, and lets her join to help them, just as Kujo had hoped.
After reading the Rules of the Death Note, including the fake rules created by Light Yagami, which they have no way of knowing aren't real; it is decided that they will not use the Death Note. Kujo later confronts Suruga, forcing him to report into the FBI so that they will not suspect anything. When reporting into the FBI, Suruga is scolded for taking too long and is taken off the case. Soon after, Blue Ship’s computers are hacked by L, who tells them that there is another Death Note, the one that had been used by the second Kira, and that he knows all of the names and faces of the members of Blue Ship. In exchange for sparing their lives, L demands that Suruga be released, saying that he wants to exact revenge on Suruga with his own hands. Seeing no other option, Blue Ship lets Suruga go.
Kujo continues working with the Task Force; she helps the Task Force with calls from hospitals overloaded with patients worried they are carrying the virus and she tells them how to deal with the patients. As the Task Force tries to find Maki, Kujo reports into Blue Ship so that if Maki is found, they can get to her first.
Using his infiltration skills, Suruga finds Blue Ship headquarters, causes a power outage, and uses the opportunity to retrieve the Death Note. On his way out, he is confronted by Kujo, who is pointing a gun at him. However, Suruga sees himself at the advantage: the cops were no doubt coming, and she had a gun, whereas he merely possessed a seemingly normal notebook. Kujo reveals that she knows Suruga’s real name: Hideaki Sugita, and it is then that L and Maki appear. Maki confronts Kujo about her intentions, and while Kujo tries to get Maki to understand that it is all for the best, Maki does not believe Kujo, nor does she believe that this is truly what Kujo believes.
Before leaving, L gives Kujo a bag of lollipops. After going back to – she opens the back to see a code written down on one of the lollipops and types it in. It is merely a song by Misa Amane, completely useless to them. Angered, she smashes the lollipops.
Her next move is having Blue Ship member Konishi send a letter to the United States President posing as L and making a threat. This results in L being labeled a terrorist, and the FBI is now after him. When Professor Kagami, a member of Blue Ship and strong believer of the plan, scolds Matoba for wanting to sell the virus and accusing him of being greedy, Daisuke Matoba has Hatsune stab him. The members of Blue Ship are appalled, and Kujo, Matoba's strategist, and right-hand man, calms them down and explains the next part of the plan.
Later on, while alone, Kujo opens a secret compartment in a desk, taking out two pictures, one of her with her parents. It was the last picture she and her family took together, and it is revealed that her parents had died in a fire, a young Kujo having been outside, staring at the burning building. The next picture she looks at is of Watari, the man who had given her a new-found confidence and convinced her that she had the power to change the world. She apologizes to Watari, explaining that this was the only way she believes she can change the world.
A knock is heard on the door, and Kujo hides the pictures back in the secret compartment, closing the desk. Konishi comes in, distraught and scared to die. Kujo tells him that Matoba is using him and will throw him aside afterword. Konishi says that he is aware but does not know what else to do, and starts crying. Kujo consoles him, pretending to care, when in reality he is just another pawn to her.
When tracking down L and Maki proves to be more difficult than anticipated, Kujo has Konishi hack into the Kira Investigation Team's HQ and send a threatening message to the president posing as L. With this done, the FBI is now looking for L with orders to shoot him on sight.
Later, Kujo and the other members of Blue Ship track down L and Maki onto a yacht out in the ocean. As they rear in on it, FBI agents board the ship and interfere with their attack, L having tricked them into protecting him. Soon after, Maki contacts Kujo, and the two meet up. Maki confronts Kujo, telling her that the antidote will be ready in about a day, and accusing her of having planned on dying from the very beginning, which is correct. Kujo is shocked, and Maki tells her that she wants Kujo to carry on Professor Nikaido's mission, and that if she does, she will kill the two of them with the knife she has. This is why she lured Kujo out into a remote location: so that if they both die, the virus won't be able to spread. Maki urges Kujo to help, and Kujo agrees. Moments later, Matoba and other members of Blue Ship arrive, Matoba telling Kujo that she shouldn't have worked alone. Kujo pushes Maki towards Matoba and hands him an ampule, claiming that it is the antidote and Maki had brought it with her.
The members of Blue Ship end up getting on a plane heading for Los Angeles, planning to smuggle the virus into the country. They are all disguised as medical physicians, and Maki plays the role of the patient in critical need of surgery, a precaution should L come. Kujo asks Matoba if he recalls an explosion which occurred twenty-six years ago in a U.S. infectious disease lab. Matoba, thinking that Kujo had simply looked up his history, says that he does, explaining that it was a cover-up orchestrated by the American government which had gone exactly as planned. Kujo then concludes that there are three truths to this incident: virus weapons were being researched at the facility, the U.S. government blew up the facility and its researchers in order to conceal it, and the biohazard, which was a direct cause of the explosion, was linked to the presidential election.
Section still in progress
Quotes[]
- (to L) “The next generation will judge whether our actions were for good or evil. Of course, you won’t be alive to see it.” (p 72)
- (to L) “Why do you try to save people? The world’s top detective, L. How much better is the world because of you? How much closer is the world to becoming a fair and just place under the law? Just how many lives has the law saved?” (p 175)
- (to L) “How is it that you continue to have hope in humanity? After all the human folly and ugliness you’ve witnessed. And to still be able to believe in people, what a fool you are!” (p 175)
- (thinking) “Am I still able to feel something for an innocent life?” (p 179)