L Lawliet | |
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Death Note character | |
![]() L, drawn by Takeshi Obata | |
First appearance | Chapter 1: "Boredom" (退屈, Taikutsu) (2004) |
Last appearance | Chapter 58: "Feelings Within" (胸中, Kyōchū) (2005) |
Created by | Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata |
Portrayed by | Kenichi Matsuyama (films) Kento Yamazaki (TV series) Teppei Koike (musical) LaKeith Stanfield (American film) |
Voiced by | Kappei Yamaguchi (Japanese, anime) Shin-ichiro Miki (Japanese dub, 2017 Netflix film) Alessandro Juliani (English) |
In-universe information | |
Full name | L Lawliet (manga and anime) Lebensborn Atubia (American film) |
Alias | Ryuzaki (竜崎, Ryūzaki) Hideki Ryuga (流河 旱樹, Ryūga Hideki) Lind L. Tailor Eraldo Coil Deneuve L-Prime (in L: Change the World) Yoshio Anderson (in the TV drama) |
Relatives | Watari (handler) |
L Lawliet (Japanese: エル・ローライト, Hepburn: Eru Rōraito),[1] known mononymously as L, is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the manga series Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. He is an enigmatic, mysterious, and highly-esteemed international consulting detective whose true identity and background is kept a secret. He communicates with law enforcement agencies only through his equally inexplicable handler/assistant, Watari, who serves as his official liaison with the authorities. Though his past is shrouded in mystery, he has gained a reputation as arguably the world's greatest detective/criminal profiler.
Throughout the series, he observes and spies on the activities of the series' protagonist, Light Yagami, a high school genius. L attempts to expose Light as the infamous serial killer "Kira", who is responsible for massacring high-profile criminals worldwide through apparently supernatural means. As the series progresses, the psychological mind-game between L and Light intensifies, and each becomes bent on uncovering the other's true identity through a series of intricate ploys and schemes. He serves as an ideological and visual foil to Light.