KIRA:
TRUE NAME

About KIRA: True Name

Variant 2 of The Verdict universe. A Mafia-styled night/day social deduction directly inspired by Death Note. Kira tries to secretly eliminate players using clue tokens (Name + Face). L investigates. Misa accelerates. Ryuk creates chaos. Commoners create noise. Day phase = trial and accusation. Night phase = Kira acts. Faster and more accessible than KIRA: Shadows — pick this for shorter sessions or lower player counts.

5-10 players (best with 7) · 25–40 min · Deception-Heavy

How a round plays out

1. 1

   Night Phase

   Only special roles act privately: Kira eliminates (if has name+face clues), L investigates, Misa reveals a name, Ryuk may use chaos. Commoner one-shots can also fire here.

2. 2

   Morning Reveal

   Eliminated player's ROLE is revealed (not their clues). Survivors learn who died but not the path.

3. 3

   Day Phase — Investigation

   Open discussion. Each player may accuse, spend clue tokens to inspect, trade tokens, defend, or stay silent. 5-min discussion timer recommended.

4. 4

   Trial Vote

   Vote one player onto trial. Majority wins. Trial player's role is revealed. If Kira → good wins. If not Kira → that player is removed; paranoia tilts toward Kira.

Roles

Light Yagami / Kira(1)

Once per night may attempt one elimination — but ONLY if has both a true-name clue AND a face confirmation on the target. Wins by eliminating enough players or surviving past the final round.

L(1)

Once per day investigates one player. Server returns: "Highly Suspicious / Unclear / Clean." Wins if Kira is voted out and arrested.

Misa Amane(1)

Once every 2 rounds may reveal one player's true name. Loses one vote next day after using it. Wins with Kira.

Ryuk(1)

Neutral chaos role. Once per game may trigger an "Apple Drop" — scrambles clues, swaps two random clue tokens, forces an extra public vote. Wins by maximum chaos at game end.

Student(0-2)

Commoner class. Once per game may protect one player overnight (blocks Kira's elimination).

Reporter(0-2)

Commoner class. Once per game may force one public clue reveal.

Police Clerk(0-2)

Commoner class. Once per game may check whether a player has been investigated before (and by whom).

Witness(0-2)

Commoner class. If eliminated, gets to publicly name one player they think is guilty as their dying breath.

How to win

Kira side

Kira eliminates enough players that the good side can't form a vote majority OR survives past the final round without being correctly arrested.

Good side

Kira is correctly voted out in a Trial.

Ryuk

Game ends with maximum chaos: high body count + at least one wrong arrest + no clear confidence in the result.

Misa

Wins with Kira.

Tips for new players

Kira: bait clue trades

Engage in trades to spread your clues — but never offer face confirmations to targets you intend to kill (creates a reverse-tracking trail).

L: triangulate from inactivity

Investigate quiet players first. Highly active players are usually NOT Kira (they're building social cover). Quiet players who avoid trades are suspicious.

Misa: time the reveal

Reveal a name only when Kira is set up to use it. Wasted reveals waste a vote AND signal Misa's identity.

Commoners: hold one-shots until late

Student's protect, Reporter's reveal, Police Clerk's check — all one-shots. Save them for round 4-5 when stakes are highest.

What makes it interesting

The Name+Face clue requirement prevents random killing — Kira has to actually invest in scouting targets. This makes Kira's behavior trackable: who has Kira been near? Who has Kira tried to socialize with? L's investigation gives partial info, never full. Misa is canonical sacrifice — using her power makes her a target. Ryuk is pure chaos. The commoner classes (Student/Reporter/Police Clerk/Witness) give every player a one-shot ability, so even non-special players have agency. Casual, party-friendly, 25–40 min.

Kira's biggest enemy is the clue economy. Every clue token traded is a possible name fragment surfacing. L is the threat — but using L's investigation publicly tips off Kira.

Tested at 7 players: Kira ~30%, Good ~50%, Ryuk solo bonus ~20%. The Name+Face requirement keeps Kira from snowballing. Wrong public arrests are punished (good side loses momentum) — making accusations costly.