Matt (aka Mail Jeevas) appeared in just fourteen pages of the Death Note manga and only two scenes of the anime based upon it. His cameo characterisation was deemed relatively minor by author Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata. However, Matt is arguably one of the most popular characters in the whole franchise, often eclipsing Kira, L and the other main players.
Death Note: Is Matt Really so Popular?
Nearly 6.5 million websites reference Matt, according to Google statistics. Furthermore, their keyword tool suggests that 'Matt Death Note' is searched 12,000 times a month; while 'Matt Deathnote' garners a mere 9,000. His staggering popularity has been parodied many times by incredulous observers.
A now defunct entry, in the satire wiki Encyclopaedia Dramatica, discussed his role and provided examples from the fandom surrounding him. It included a running counter, starting in the billions and gaining several 1,000s per second. The caption read, 'the amount of fans gained by Matt while you have been reading this page'.
In 2008, Tom Smith created a song about the phenomenon, entitled Who the **** is Matt? It notes the volume of 'rabid fangirl hordes', while remaining non-plussed at the reason why. It ends with a wry musing on the reaction had Matt continued within the Death Note storyline. Two years earlier, the artist Slinkers made similar observations in her comic strip, Three Scene Fame. A spoof meet and greet between Death Note characters and fans results in every main person being ignored, while Matt is mobbed.
Matt's popularity shows no sign of abating. In April, 2011, fans interviewed Drew Nelson, who provided the voice acting for Matt in the English language version of the anime. The interviewees were all from a club, on Mangabullet, dedicated to Mello and Matt. Mangabullet's focus is upon all anime and manga. Their trending data shows that this fanclub is currently the most active on the site.
Death Note: Who is Matt?
The plot pits a brilliant student, Light (aka Raito Yagami or Kira) against a succession of young, genius detectives. The latter are orphans, raised and trained into their profession at an English looked after children's home, Wammy's House. Light discovers a notebook, dropped by the shinigami, Ryuk, which causes the death of any individual whose name is written in it. A murder spree, in the name of justice, ensues. Hot on his trail are first L, then Near and Mello, all alumni of Wammy's House. Their task is to prove that Light is Kira, whatever the personal cost to themselves.
Matt is a fourth alumnus of Wammy's House. He was introduced in chapter 83, in the company of Mello. The two men are shown carrying out surveillance work on Light and his associates. Light slips past Matt, who, it is implied, was too busy playing his PSP to be truly monitoring the situation. Once Light, pursued by Mello and Matt, travels from Los Angeles, USA, to Tokyo, Japan, the pair disappear from the story until the end. Their final sequence serves to remove both Mello and Matt from the narrative, paving the way for a dramatic showdown between Light and Near.
Death Note's Creators Ohba and Obata on Matt.
The manga's companion tome, How To Read, reveals the thoughts of its creators on the subject of Matt. Gensaku-sha (writer), Tsugami Ohba, viewed him as little more than a narrative device. "Once Mello started acting on his own, it was going to be hard to advance the story unless he had someone to talk to. So that's why I created Matt."
The mangaka (artist), Takeshi Obata, recalled, "I was told nothing about Matt ahead of time; I remember seeing the thumbnails and asking my editor, "Who's this character?!"" He added, "During the Mello and Near arc I had a 'he probably won't do anything' mentality regarding new characters, so I was able to create Matt naturally."
In short, though Ohba acknowledged that Matt's function was 'important', it was only to facilitate the storylines around Mello. Little real character development was afforded what amounted to a cameo role.
Why is Death Note's Matt so Popular?
Many factors may be coming together to explain the popularity of Matt. Foremost it is that Death Note, as a franchise, remains hugely successful half a decade after its publication. Even a small role, such as Matt's, will be highlighted on the back of it.
With any popular story, fan art and fan fiction will inevitability follow. But there is little scope for fans to expand upon the canon universe. Most of the protagonists and antagonists alike are very young (Near is just twelve years old, when he enters the fray), while the final scenes are akin to Hamlet in the number of dead main players. Their short lives are fully envisualised and followed, in often minute detail, within the manga's narrative. Fan work is coralled into rewriting canon, if they wish to feature a main character.
Matt provides the escape route. His background can be gleaned from the rich detail given for his foster brothers, but his own characterisation was deliberately vague. Therefore he is the blank canvas for fans to utilise, while remaining within the Death Note universe.
Finally, Matt is the 'everyman' figure. The little known about him suggests that he's a teenage gamer, with an internet presense, and a Cyberpunk fashion sense. That is a description which might apply to those reading the manga itself. Matt takes us into the story and that might be why he remains so popular.
Sources:
- Guns and Games, Meeting Matt: G&G Interviews Drew Nelson. (Mangabullet, 25th April, 2011.)
- JojoKokoro92, Who the **** is Matt? (YouTube, 9th June, 2009.) NB Strong language warning. The songwriter is Tom Smith, who confirmed in private e-mail that the song was written and released in 2008.
- T Ohba and T Obata, Death Note 13: How To Read. p 27, 69 and 136. (SJ Pofiles, 2008.)
- Slinkers, Three Scene Fame. (DeviantArt, 5th July, 2007.)
Jo Harrington - Jo has a BA (Hons) in History and Philosophy and a MA in History. She has a book published on the history of Wicca.
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