Death Gods

Death Gods, (Shinigami in Japanese), are the personification of Death itself who rule over the souls of the departed, or its harbingers at the very least. They are often portrayed as malevolent or neutral due to humanity's natural fear of the afterlife (or percieved lack of it by some) - Death Gods in fiction tend to be greedy collectors of souls who plot against life, or ally with evil figures. Yet they are often protrayed as Necessary evils, since they are often needed to maintain the cycle of life and death.