In your opinion is Light from "Death Note" good or bad?

I think he's a terrible person. That death note corrupted him and drove him mad.

His intentions started good and then he went too far killing everyone in my path and even killed my favorite character L.

Whats your opinion on him?

I would have to say Light is both. In this case it would make him a "Tragic Hero". He had good intentions but after realizing he holds the fate of everyone in his hands via the notebook he decided to literally play God. He saw himself invincible and slipped up, and in the end he fought for what he believed in and was gunned down.

I can't personally say he's terrible because if I was in his position I'd probably try and dispose of every person who broke serious laws. Whether or not I'd lose my mind...I can't really say. But to take a chance and make the world a better place for everyone would be great, but I wouldn't try to make it into "my" world. I have to admit though, this is quite the controversial thread and I can't wait to see what others have to say.

Like zero above, he's sort of a tragic hero.

However, I want to take it a step further and call him an anti-hero. He has a twisted view of how the world works, and wants to further twist it into something that no longer would be the same world in any way.

He had good intentions of course. He wanted to make a world without sin, so he took it upon himself, and became a center of hatred. In the end, I think he changed the world, even though he ultimately failed in becoming the god of the new world. Before Kira, there was no "justice" for the wronged. Once Kira came to the fore front, people were more afraid of the consequences of their actions.

Once Kira died, I assume the Japanese Police Force, or the SPK worked it to their favor, and kept the world in a state where people would be afraid to break the law.

But going back to the original question, of how I view him, I answer that he's an anti-hero.

What is an anti-hero?

Wikipedia defines an anti-hero as a person who is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is contrary to that of the archetypal hero, yet typically retains many heroic qualities.

"They may do bad things but are not evil."

This fits Light to a T. Killing is bad. He himself notes this several times during the anime. He notes in an episode, that if you were asked in class if people deserved the death sentence for crimes of severe nature, that they would all answer "Of course not, killing is wrong."

He goes on to say it's the right answer, the politically correct one.

However, when you get on the internet to the state of anonymnity, people change their tune. In this sense, Kira is the hero of anons, who think the world needs to be cleansed of the bad people.

Wikipedia also calls Light the main "antagonist", but I think that view is skewed. From the perspective of the every day citizen, he would have to be the protagonist.

Going into detail, and into fanbooks, one finds the official book "Death Note 13 How to Read".

Inside the covers of the "guide" to the series, it says the Death Note has twisted Light and that he had been "overtaken by the evil" it encompasses. Furthering the evidence that the evil isn't really Light, but more the book.

The creator however, views it differently. He says that "debating whether Light is good or evil isn't very important" He then goes on to state that he views Light as a diabolical, polarizing character.

Regardless of how you view Light Yagami, you cannot deny he is one of the most charismatic likable characters in any anime of it's kind. Several people wanted Light to win, both fictionally and in our world.