Arayoshi Hatori is a member of the Yotsuba Eight who cracks under the pressure of the conspiracy and tries to quit — the only one of the eight who does. His attempted defection gets him killed by his own group’s Kira, Kyosuke Higuchi, making him the first member of the Eight to die by the very weapon he helped wield.
A 33-year-old man of average build with short, light-colored hair kept neat and conservative. His expression is frequently anxious — sweating, wide-eyed — during the Yotsuba Eight’s high-stakes meetings. Always in a dark tailored suit and tie.
Nervous, timid, and ethically conflicted in a way none of the other seven are. He starts out motivated by career advancement, but once the killings’ supernatural, lethal reality sinks in, self-preservation and guilt take over — eventually concluding out loud that the money isn’t worth what the group is doing.
The illegitimate son of Yotsuba Group president Dainosuke Yotsuba, Hatori graduated from Futatsubashi University’s literature department and rose to Vice President of Marketing — likely helped along by his connection to the president. He was married with children, and kept ceramics as a hobby outside of work.
Hatori joins the Yotsuba Eight’s secret weekend meetings in 2004, helping select business rivals for Kira to kill. As L’s investigation closes in, his anxiety builds, even as he participates in the group’s decision to hire the detective Eraldo Coil to find their pursuer. In early 2005, at his breaking point, he interrupts a meeting to announce he’s quitting — both the killings and the company. Because his departure threatens the group’s anonymity, Kyosuke Higuchi writes his name in the Death Note; Hatori dies of a heart attack shortly after, the first of the Eight to be killed by their own weapon.
vs. The Yotsuba Eight (Ch. 37–45)
Hatori challenges the group’s commitment to the killings and tries to walk away entirely. He’s ignored, then executed by Higuchi — exposing how little loyalty actually exists among the conspirators.
vs. Kira (Ch. 45)
Higuchi kills him the moment he tries to quit, sending an unmistakable message to the rest of the Eight: they’re hostages now, not just partners.
Major: Ch. 37, 38, 43–45.
Minor: Ch. 41, 42.
Mentioned only: Ch. 46, 50, 51, 53–55, 59, 108.3.
Dainosuke Yotsuba
His father and the company president — a relationship shaped by his illegitimate status.
Kyosuke Higuchi
His colleague and eventual executioner, who saw him as a coward and a liability.
The Yotsuba Eight
His fellow conspirators, most of whom felt little remorse over his death, treating it as a necessary precaution.
“I want to quit… I didn’t give a damn about it!” — Chapter 45
- The first named Kira associate in the series killed by the specific Kira he was working for.
- His ceramics hobby and illegitimate parentage are details specifically noted in the SPK’s dossier on the Yotsuba Eight.
🇯🇵 Japanese Voice Actors
Tokumoto, Yukitoshi
🇯🇵 Japanese
🇺🇸 English Voice Actors
Hayama, Simon
🇺🇸 English