Misa is a short, slender, attractive young woman with long, straight, golden-blonde hair, most commonly styled with a portion of her hair in pigtails tied with red bands, but occasionally worn loose as well.
Her eyes are predominantly light brown; however, she also often wears blue contact lenses. Misa often dresses in a Gothic and Punk fashion, though noticeably less after the time skip.
She also typically paints her nails bright red or dark purple and wears bright red lipstick, wearing jewelry with crosses, fleur-de-lys, or collars. Although she is generally nice to those she meets, she can also be quite cruel: she tells Light that she would kill any other girls he dates.
Misa is very outgoing and is shown to be quite popular due to her career. She attracts crowds in most public places. She is hyperactive, impulsive, and otherwise childlike, evidenced by her tendency to speak in the third person.
Despite being considered idiotic by many, Misa is shown to have moments of intelligence albeit she is very careless in her acts as the Second Kira. Misa possesses the shinigami eyes, which allow her to see a person's name and lifespan above their head, making it much easier to kill people with the Death Note.
Despite her typically cheerful personality, Misa has been mentally afflicted by seeing her parents murdered right before her eyes. Misa went through a deep depression immediately once she discovered the perpetrator was acquitted of the crime.
After the murderer is later killed by Kira, Misa is incredibly grateful, and her intense appreciation initially fuels her actions.
