About KIRA: Shadows

Tokyo splits. A cult forms around Kira's righteous judgment — The Justice Faction. Police organize civilians into Task Force ZERO under L. Both factions know who's in their team (declared publicly at game start). But Light hides within Justice. L hides within Order. And in each team, a Mole secretly serves the rival faction. A team-based Death Note variant — where every player has a per-round action and nobody just sits and watches.

6-12 players (best with 9) · 40–60 min · Deception-Heavy

How a round plays out

1. 1

   Investigation (Case File)

   Every player adds public Case File entry: Evidence, Alibi, Accusation, Pass.

2. 2

   Justice's Move (private)

   Light: Note page (eliminate one Order, requires public evidence in prior round) / Plant Evidence / Lay Low. Misa & Disciples use abilities.

3. 3

   Order's Move (private)

   L spends DP on Investigate / Stakeout / Confine / Expose. Near & Officers use abilities.

4. 4

   Witness Vote

   Public vote on Arrest / Investigate / Do Nothing. Wrong arrests strengthen Light + weaken L.

5. 5

   The Reckoning (climax, once per game)

   Either champion may reveal themselves. Present case (3 min) vs defense (2 min). Full vote with Near/Misa double-weighted. Failed Reckoning hands game to opposing champion.

Roles

Light Yagami(1)

Hidden champion of Justice. Has Death Note (3 pages, must use evidence justification). Knows Justice roster privately.

Misa Amane(0-1)

Justice lieutenant. Knows Light. Has Mirror — once per round reveal one player's role-category (Champion/Lieutenant/Disciple/Mole). Can Confess to take Light's heat.

Justice Disciple — Eyes(0-1)

Justice loyalist. Each round: see name fragments of public Case File entries (1 free Eyes lookup per round).

Justice Disciple — Voice(0-1)

Justice loyalist. Each round: post one accusation styled as Light's decree (Witnesses see "Kira speaks").

Justice Disciple — Witness(0-1)

Justice loyalist. One-shot Save My Friend: block one elimination targeting another Justice member.

Justice Mole(0-1)

Looks Justice. Truly serves Order. Knows the Order team name only, not individuals. Sabotages Light's plans.

L Lawliet(1)

Hidden champion of Order. Deduction Points (5 + 1/round) — spend on Investigate (1) / Stakeout (2) / Confine (3) / Public Accusation (4). Can call Reckoning.

Near(0-1)

Order lieutenant. Knows L. Submits sealed Round-1 prediction. Override token swaps L's top suspect.

Officer — Forensics(0-1)

Order loyalist. Each round: investigate one player's TRUE faction (catches moles).

Officer — Stakeout(0-1)

Order loyalist. Each round: see one player's last private action.

Officer — Witness(0-1)

Order loyalist. One-shot public accusation forces immediate vote.

Order Mole(0-1)

Looks Order. Truly serves Justice. Sabotages L's plans.

Ryuk(0-1)

Neutral chaos. Sees ALL private actions (full audit log). Apple Drop, Whisper, Tempt. Wins on max-drama.

How to win

Justice

L is eliminated AND Light is alive.

Order

Light is eliminated AND L is alive.

Justice Mole

Order wins + Mole alive + Mole performed at least one sabotage (e.g., framed Light's evidence, leaked Misa's identity).

Order Mole

Justice wins + Mole alive + Mole performed at least one sabotage.

Ryuk solo

Game goes 8+ rounds with both champions alive AND ≥3 wrong arrests = chaos victory.

Tips for new players

Champions: pretend to be a disciple/officer

Use the most generic per-round action your role allows. Don't lead. Let your team's noise hide your signal.

Moles: prove your loyalty before sabotaging

Frame an evidence card AGAINST your real team early so your fake team trusts you. Then when it counts, you flip.

L: don't Reckoning before Round 5

A failed Reckoning hands game to Light. Wait until you have 2+ Note pages traced AND Witnesses leaning your way.

Light: use Disciples as evidence-burners

Get Disciples to publicly accuse the Order Mole — it sounds like Justice closing ranks but actually exposes the Mole for L's investigation.

Witnesses: track per-round action patterns

Light uses ONE Note page per use, leaving subtle per-round-action gaps. Misa's Mirror reveals consistent role-categories. Watch for absences.

What makes it interesting

Where KIRA: True Name was Light vs L solo cat-and-mouse, Shadows is FACTION vs FACTION with hidden champions. Every player has a per-round action — Disciples' Eyes/Voice/Witness, Officers' Forensics/Stakeout/Witness — so nobody just sits watching. Champions are hidden within their teams, so even your own teammates don't know if you're THE Light. Moles fracture trust: you can't fully cooperate with your 'ally' because they might be a double agent. The Reckoning becomes a TEAM event — champion reveals, team rallies, opposing team must coordinate the vote against them.

Champions can't reveal too early or they're dead. Disciples/Officers want their per-round abilities to do work — but each ability is also a tell about their role. Moles must blend in but contribute sabotage at the right moment.

At 9 players: 4 Justice (Light + Misa + Disciple + Mole), 4 Order (L + Near + Officer + Mole), 1 Ryuk. Light has 3 Note pages requiring public evidence. L has 5 starting DP + 1 per round. Each Disciple/Officer has a strong per-round action. Justice ~38%, Order ~35%, Mole bonus ~15%, Ryuk solo ~12%.