Touta Matsuda, a young detective in the National Police Agency’s Kira investigation task force, balances impulsiveness, loyalty, and conflicting morals. His black hair falls in bangs over his right eye, framing brown eyes and an average build, with shorter hair post-timeskip. Inexperienced and rash, his recklessness draws sharp critiques from peers like Aizawa and L, who deem him naive. Yet he adapts under pressure, infiltrating the Yotsuba Group as Misa Amane’s manager and staging his own death to evade capture. Matsuda’s internal conflict over Kira’s impact drives his evolution. He publicly debates whether Kira’s global crime reduction justifies his methods, yet upholds his duty as an officer. This tension pushes him to volunteer as bait against Kyosuke Higuchi and confront Light Yagami during the warehouse showdown. Loyal to task force chief Soichiro Yagami—a father figure—he offers his lifespan for the Shinigami Eyes deal during Mello’s siege. After Soichiro’s death, disillusionment sets in, particularly following Light’s betrayal. In the final confrontation, Matsuda shoots Light to thwart Near’s killing, fueled by rage over Light’s indifference to his father’s sacrifice. Post-Kira, he remains with the NPA but wrestles with ethical doubts as crime resurges. Suspecting Near manipulated events via the Death Note to frame Light, his theory is dismissed as biased sympathy. Spin-offs broaden his role: *Death Note: Light Up the NEW World* places him on a new task force a decade post-Kira, tackling fresh Death Note crimes. The *Never Complete* one-shot sees him disrupt a live broadcast to dissuade Death Note sales, incurring disciplinary action. Both underscore his unyielding pursuit of justice against institutional barriers. His relationships contrast sharply: playful rapport with the initially admired Light, and earnest respect for Soichiro’s mentorship. Friction with L and Near highlights his struggle to assert relevance among intellectual elites, cementing his role as the everyman navigating the story’s ethical gray zones.